Friday, September 25, 2020 Weekly Administrative Update

Dear BFA Community:

As we conclude our third week of school, it is about time I give public recognition to the many BFA staff who helped us to a successful week three. Last week I expressed my deep appreciation for all the meaningful hard work undertaken by BFA teachers to see a new learning model was ready for this fall. While the teachers are on the front lines, our solidly positive start necessitated a summer of immense work by many others. Our custodians adapted to new and more involved cleaning practices while also reworking much of our space during major construction projects. My administrative team has proven to be first-rate as everyone worked long hours to provide the structure and details needed to successfully implement hybrid learning during a pandemic. All of them led various committees, created new procedures (who had ever thought to have unidirectional movement throughout the school, temperature checking entries and the entire cafeteria and gym closed for the intended purposes?), and problem solved myriad connecting issues. Our administrative assistants provided the all-important fabric that wove everything together. And I know my daily communication with Nurse Val proved indispensable with having health and safety procedures front and center and ready for opening day. 

We continue to march forward with meaningful student voice and involvement. Senior Zach Lovejoy will be heading up our monthly student-led assemblies. He is looking for students to take the stage at the PAC to showcase their work, talent, please contact him at zlovejoy@maplerun.org to become involved, or share an idea. Clubs were expanded this week with next week seeing all established clubs up and running. 

The Governor's announcement that all schools will now be in Step 3 will have some impact on BFA/NCTC, although the change will be minimal given the state overall guidelines remain largely in place. The most immediate impact is that all our athletic teams may now compete. Tomorrow, Saturday, our cross country team competes on our home trails up at Hard'ack. The other change is that we may now use some of our cafeteria and gymnasium for their intended purpose. 

Next week we will be conducting practice egress drills with our students. Senior class meetings will also be held at the Collins-Perley Complex. 

This weekend looks to be a fabulous one with temperatures in the high 70s and foliage turning our landscape into a vibrant kaleidoscope of fall colors so I hope everyone is able to get out and about. 

Sincerely,

Brett Blanchard

Principal

Photos and More Information

Classroom and Remote learning creativity:

BFA teachers engage personally with all their students five days a week whether in person or virtual. This extra work ensures learning continuity with rigor. 

Connector Construction Photos:

Front Entrance

                                                 Front entrance                 Facing the North Building

                                       Facing the South Building                    Office space

Brickwork has begun.

Athletic Week Ahead Glance:

Here is a look a next week's Athletic Calendar. The number of spectators is limited and measures put in place to ensure physical distancing between households. Interactions between spectators and participants must be minimized before, during, and after events. With this being said, BFA is allowing each player's parents and coach’s immediate family members to attend.   Tickets will be made available to each student to give to his/her family prior to the event which will allow them to pay and enter the event where payment is required.  The same courtesy will be given to the visiting team as well. 

Saturday, September 26

2:00pm

 CROSS COUNTRY RACE AT HARDACK

Monday, September 28

4:30pm

 JVB BOYS SOCCER HOST SBHS

5:00pm

 JV FOOTBALL HOST NO COUNTRY

Tuesday, September 29

4:30pm

 JV & VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER HOST SBHS

Wednesday, September 30

4:00pm

 VARSITY FOOTBALL @FAIRFAX

4:30pm

 JV & VARSITY BOYS SOCCER AT BHS

4:30pm

 VARSITY BOYS VOLLEYBALL AT MMU

Thursday, October 1

10:00am

 BOYS GOLF STATE QUALIFIER AT NESHOBE CC

4:00pm

 JV FOOTBALL AT CVU

4:00pm

 JVB BOYS SOCCER AT BHS

Friday, October 2

4:00pm

 VARSITY BOYS VOLLEYBALL AT ENOSBURG

7:00pm

 VARSITY FOOTBALL HOST COLCHESTER

Saturday, October 3

10:00am

 CROSS COUNTRY CATAMOUNT BHS HOST *TBA*

10:00am

 JVB GIRLS & BOYS SOCCER HOST CVU

11:00am

 JV & VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER AT MMU

1:00pm

 JV BOYS SOCCER AT RICE

3:00pm

 VARSITY BOYS SOCCER AT RICE

 

Welcome to our weekly Administrative Green and Gold Blog

Dear BFA Community;

As we conclude our second week of school, I need to openly say how proud I am of our students and staff. Our staff entered into this school year willingly taking on one of the hardest tasks educators have ever been asked - teaching and learning in a hybrid world. To see that all our students are engaged five days a week with learning, BFA educators agreed to teach their virtual students every day, while also engaging all their in-person students. This allows continuity of learning, higher accountability from all stakeholders, a more vibrant and lively learning community, and the ability to also work one-on-one with students whenever necessary. While BFA’s hybrid learning is more rigorous than other models, it is highly demanding and will remain so for both our students and staff. As I circulate throughout the building and classes, the early feedback on school has been overwhelmingly positive. We will continue to address all issues while we move forward but I believe it important to recognize the intense work our staff put in this summer, and literally every day since, to make the early goings so successful. 

My source of student pride revolves around their willingness to adhere to an all-new way of schooling. Our kids have been wearing their masks, following the traffic flow patterns in both buildings, eating in Advisory groups while remaining positive and engaged in their classes five days a week (including Wednesday)! Clubs have started to meet, and along with athletics, all those students involved continue to wear their masks for an additional hour or two. As I posted on my Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/BrettCBlanchard, this is the first class that can actually tell their parents that they did have it harder! 

There are two immediate student leadership opportunities we are looking to get started. Every three weeks BFA/NCTC plan to hold student led assemblies so any student interested in organizing and/or leading these assemblies, please see Mr. Blanchard as soon as possible. BFA is also looking to have a morning news crew whose program will be broadcast throughout the day and throughout the land. Those interested, please see Dino Patsouris in NCTC or email him at cpatsouris@maplerun.org

Sincerely,

Brett Blanchard

Principal

Additional Information

Congratulations to BFA - St. Albans, VT

Congratulations! U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools rankings have been released! Based on how well Bellows Free Academy Union High School was ranked, BFA has earned the following badge.

Free School Meals through December 31, 2020:

Maple Run Unified School District is happy to announce that the USDA recently released the extension of its free meal program for the remainder of 2020 or until all the funds are depleted. This allows us to serve completely free and nutritious meals to all children, regardless of their situation, until Dec 31, 2020.

We know that many families were and continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we enter the 2020-2021 school year, Maple Run Unified School District recognizes that our children are learning in completely new environments. With the stress of adapting to long-term remote learning, hybrid model teaching, and various other changes to our normal routine, this move by the USDA allows us to help remove one key stressor: feeding our children. Whether that be in the cafeteria, in the classroom, or at home, Maple Run Unified School District deeply values the importance of a nutritious and filling meal. Quality nutrition has the power to help kids stay focused and do their best work under both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances.

The program is completely free to all children under the age of 18 with no application required. Parents and guardians can also choose to pick up meals for their children. Families are encouraged to complete free or reduced meal cost applications for future meal service beginning in 2021.

Health Update:

Things have been going well with morning health screenings and nurse visits. As expected, some students have been sent home due to symptoms of illness which have all been cold-related. Families should work with the school nurse and their primary care provider regarding chronic conditions such as cough or nasal congestion that are not COVID-19 related. Symptom screening may result in the potential to exclude some students repeatedly from school even though they do not have COVID-19 or an infectious disease. 

Please do not send your child to school if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 which include the following:

Fever (100.4 or greater)
Cough
Shortness of breath
Chills
Fatigue
Muscle pain or body aches
Headache
Sore throat
Loss of taste or smell
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Contact Valarie Lipka, school nurse, at 527-6405 and she can work with you to formulate a plan for return to school. 

Theater in the Park:

Here's a couple photo's of our theater club students in our local park.

Friday, September 11, 2020 Administrative Update

September 11, 2020

Dear Green and Gold Community:

Welcome to our first weekly Administrative Green and Gold Blog of the 2020-2021 school year. The principal's office will be posting weekly Friday afternoon updates.

Opening Message:

After six long months, BFA is up and running with the excitement of having students once again in our hallways, classrooms, and on our athletic fields. On Tuesday, we welcomed all our 9th graders during Freshman Orientation. The day provided the opportunity for all students to become familiar with their classmates, teachers, classrooms, and safety guidelines. It also allowed us to see how best to adjust some of our safety procedures to better meet the needs of the Green and Blue cohorts. Thanks to these minor adjustments, yesterday and today we were able to efficiently and effectively process nearly 400 students into the building and off to their first period.

Personally, being able to visit classrooms, talk to some students, and see students engaged in their classes reminded me of why we all love what we do. It also reminded me of how important it was to get students back into the building. Lunches also moved smoothly, especially when considering how long it would take during a ‘normal’ first day of school. As I said during today’s opening assembly, I was proud to see everyone wearing masks and trying to follow the new traffic pattern in both buildings. They did all this while politely answering me whenever we engaged in conversation.

Yesterday I was able to get to the Collins-Perley Complex to see around 350 of our student-athletes setting an example for all of us. It was beyond impressive to see all our kids managing in a world, not of their creation. Every student-athlete had a mask on regardless of running laps, engaged in drills, or listening to instruction. Regardless of the merits of these state-mandated rules, our student-athletes and coaches are to be commended for their efforts.

With improved student voice being a major goal this year, it has been a pleasure to have several students already meet with me over some of their ideas. While I had planned on waiting several weeks before starting extracurricular activities, thanks to some creative solutions and advocacy from a student, we are now planning on starting some next week. Another student pitched a proposal for creating a large mural outside my office and I am now excited to see it underway.

Monday will have the Blue cohort into our building for in-person learning while Thursday and Friday’s Green cohort connects with all their classes virtually. Finally, for this week, I would once again like to thank the BFA staff for their dedication and professionalism as they met this new world of education head-on and were prepared for our opening week.

Sincerely,

Brett Blanchard

Brett Blanchard

BFA Principal

Additional Information

Reminders:
-Hybrid students must attend school on in-person and virtual days or they will be marked absent.
-If a student is going to be absent, they must contact the Attendance Monitor at 527-6409.
-Masks should cover the nose and mouth. 

Yearbook Information:
The BFA 2020-2021 Yearbook can now be ordered online. The link has been opened.
$40 until December 31st, 2020
$50 January 1st, 2021 - March 5th, 2021
Last day for personalizing your yearbook cover online ...January 29th, 2021
Senior Info:
November 1st - Senior Portraits Due
November 20th - Senior PDAs Due
Order now for the best deal!
http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A08772600

Take-home food count

September 11, 2020

Dear Students and Families:

The USDA is providing free meals to people under the age of 18 through December. If you need bagged food provided for your 3 virtual learning days, please complete the survey sent to your student email. The Abby Group needs to know how many meals to prepare. Parents and guardians, please remind your student to complete the survey.

You will pick up your three days of free meals on Tuesday afternoon for the Blue group and Friday afternoon for the Green group at the Academy Drive entrance from 2:45 until 3:15.

Virtual Academy students will pick up at Academy Drive on Tuesday and Friday from 2:15-3:15.

Wednesday, September 9th Reminders

 Good morning. 

Here are a few school reminders:

Freshmen are expected to virtually check-in with their advisors between 11 am and 11:25 am.

Blue group students are to pick up their Chromebooks today at 4 Academy Drive, cafeteria window from 9 am - 3 pm.

Green group students will receive their Chromebooks tomorrow at school.

Have a great Wednesday!

Welcome Back Directional, Proper Hand Washing, and Mask Video

Mrs. Rico, Mrs. Olio, and Nurse Lipka have created a back to school video for you to watch prior to returning school. The staff at BFA are very excited for your return to school.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aie22SEiG1eRSxtmpkQTsj1epOCk8Q9C/view?usp=drive_web

Follow up from QandA Session and Back to School Information

Thank you for joining us during last night’s student and family live Q&A session.

Attached are the documents containing information that was referenced and are helpful for returning to school:

Arrival Entry and Exit procedures
Hybrid Model
S1 BFA Schedule
S1 NCTC Schedule
Bus Routes

Additional information:

Hallway movement and student health protocols
9th grade students will receive this information during Freshmen Orientation on September 9th. For 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students, a short video and information will be sent to students’ school email. Students should review before the first day of school.

Chromebook Distribution
9th grade students will receive their Chromebook and password information during Freshmen orientation on September 8th.

10th,11th, and 12th grade Blue Group students are to pick up their Chromebooks and passwords on September 9th from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Cafeteria window located in the BFA North building on Academy Drive. If you are unable to pick up a Chromebook during this scheduled time, a Chromebook and password will be given to you on your first in-person day (Monday) during Enrichment.

10th, 11th, and 12th grade Green Group students will receive their Chromebook and passwords on September 10th (their first in-person class day) in their Enrichment period (which is the first period of the day).

Please read over the MRUSD RESPONSIBLE COMPUTER, NETWORK & INTERNET USE for information regarding use, care, and expectations.

First Week of School
No school Monday, September 7th. Tuesday, September 8th is Freshmen and new student Orientation. Wednesday, September 9th Freshmen Advisory virtual check-in Only. Thursday, September 10th, and Friday, September 11th the green group in-person class and the blue group is virtual.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. We are working hard to ensure a welcoming and safe start to school.
File attachments:
Follow up info QandA School Start up.pdf

September 1st 6 pm Live YouTube Event

 Please join us this evening at 6 pm for a live YouTube Questions and Answers session. This is for all BFA students and families regarding the reopening of school.

Here is the link for the session:

https://youtu.be/aaDnr6t4630