September 22, 2026

Greetings, BHS families & community! 

We are just about a month into the new school year (yes, already!), and things have been going great at BHS. We've been steadily ironing out the quirks that always arise from a new construction on this scale, and students and staff have continued to enjoy our spacious, bright and modern classrooms and numerous comfortable spaces for study and discussion. Last week, we hosted Spirit Week and our first indoor, full-school Pep Rally in several years, capped off by a packed Homecoming Game and our first school dance in our own gym since the old campus closed. There's much to celebrate and be grateful for, and none of us are taking it for granted! Open House was also a well-attended success, and we were so glad that our families were able to check out their students' classrooms and meet teachers. We hope you felt the same optimism and possibility that we're feeling these days.

To support routine communication home about attendance, our automated alerts for daily attendance began last week. At 3:40pm daily, parents will receive text and email notices if their student was marked "absent unexcused" for any class. These alerts are a great basis for a conversation with your child. If you believe that the marking might have been in error, please get in touch with our attendance officer at bhsattendance@bsdvt.org. 

You can review complete attendance records in Powerschool at any time. One important point of clarification, though, is how absences are counted. We want you to be informed, after all, but not to panic unnecessarily! One class block at BHS is 2 periods long in Powerschool. For example, if a student is absent from class during block 2, they are technically absent during period 2.1 and 2.2, which PowerSchool counts as 2 absences. Our report cards and attendance reporting does not duplicate attendance in this way, but there are some automatic PowerSchool reports that may show you the duplicate attendance. This year, block 3 is made up of 5 periods to accommodate lunches, so an absence from a Block 3 class will be multiplied more than usual in those automatic reports. Again, please contact your student's teacher or bhsattendance@bsdvt.org if you have a question about your child's attendance. I included a  view of how Block 3 is coded in Powerschool to illustrate why is serves as such a multiplier. 

Finally, I am seeking new members of the BHS Family Advisory Panel. This group exists to give feedback on and shape the school's work, alongside the Principal's Student Advisory and other stakeholder teams. The Advisory Panel will be made up of parents and caregivers who meet with me and staff representatives on a monthly basis during the school year to tackle a variety of topics, review and discuss school data, advise on an array of decisions, and broaden understanding of school-related issues. We will meet monthly on the second Tuesday of each month, in the evening (typically from 6-7pm); our first meeting will be on October 13, 2026. We usually use a hybrid format so you can join in person or remotely, whichever you prefer. If you are interested in joining this group, please complete this short form by Friday, Sept. 25th. Thank you for your support of our school!

With appreciation, 

Sabrina Westdijk