September 8, 2026

Greetings, and welcome back to the new school year -- and a new learning home for BHS students and staff. We look forward to welcoming our parents and caregivers in next week during our Fall Open House on 9/16 (more details below). In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a few snapshots from our early days on our new camps.

Thank you for your patience as we adapt to our new communication platform, ParentSquare. Its ease of use and app features have been a gamechanger for the school, classroom teachers, and coaches. However, I've also heard that it can be a bit overwhelming, in terms of the volume of messages and alerts parents are receiving. As we settle in to the year, the volume of texts and alerts should ease; we are also all learning which features to use and which to skip (or not layer together) for routine messaging home. As a BSD parent, I've also found it helpful to review my initial app settings; I'd elected to receive both digests and real-time messages, which initially led to a deluge of texts and emails. By making some adjustments, I've found communications much more manageable. Many things also will not be changing; this newsletter, for example, will remain biweekly and hosted on a webpage, with a simple email and link to let you know it's available. Previous years' issues remain archived on the right, if that's ever useful, with helpful links along the top.

September is National Attendance Awareness Month, during which time schools, teachers and parents are encouraged to get the word out that attendance really matters.  Why September? Research shows that more than any other time, September attendance sets the tone for the rest of the school year. A 2014 study of Baltimore City PK-12th grade students found that those students who missed fewer than 2 days in September continued to average fewer than 2 days absent per month, while students who missed 2 to 4 days in September were 5 times more likely to be chronically absent than students who were absent fewer than 2 days.  This is the time to set strong attendance habits!

With 175 days spread out over ten months, absences can add up fast – a student only needs to miss 2 days a month to have missed 10% of school. Parents often underestimate, the impact of missing those days – a 2024 national study found that less than half of caretakers with children at risk of being chronically absent reported being concerned about it. The impact of absence is especially keenly felt at the high school level where we have block scheduling; at BHS, 2 days of absence in one week could mean not attending four classes for a full week of school. 

Thank you, always, for supporting your children, our school, and our learning community. I am always grateful to live and work in Burlington, and to serve our families and learners. But especially this fall -- as I walk sunny hallways and watch our students enjoy their new, well-equipped, comfortable learning space --  I feel so fortunate to be part of a community that unwaveringly supports education. Thank you, Burlington!

With appreciation, 

Sabrina Westdijk