Byron-Bergen Central Schools

October 2017: School pride on display!

I am excited to introduce a few new members to the Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School team. Sara MacKenzie will be our new seventh-grade math teacher. Sarah brings with her a wealth of middle school math experience. She is an excellent addition to our math team. I am also excited to welcome Michael Conine to our team as our new chemistry teacher. Michael and his wife, Amy, who will be our long-term substitute for Rebecca Logan in eighth-grade math for the first few months of the year, are relocating from North Carolina, where both taught for four years at the high school level. Marielle Follacco will take over as our library media specialist for the district. We are looking forward to her skillset as we build a 21st-century library/media space. Each of these educators will make significant contributions to our school.

I would like to recognize some members of our student learning community for their outstanding academic accomplishments. At the beginning of our fall Pep Rally, we celebrated one new 100 Club member: Josh Swapceinski. Josh received a 100 on his algebra regents exam this past June. We also recognized Adam Walter (calculus), Margaret Graney (U.S. history), and Celia Mercovich (English) for receiving 5s on their AP exams last year. We will continue to feature the high academic achievements of our students throughout the school year.

Music continues to be a highlight in our district. Eight of our B-B students were selected to sing in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's Holiday Pops Chorus, under the baton of Maestro Jeff Tyzik. Congratulations to Sydney Brown, Stephanie Buell, Mason Fuller, Brian Ireland, Joshua Phelps, Jerome Spinks, Hannah VanSkiver, and Esther Wilkins. It has also been a pleasure to see our band perform at local sporting events including soccer games, and the beginning of a new tradition of teaming up with our football partner Caledonia-Mumford and performing at football games this fall.

This past summer, we started a Driver’s Education program based on feedback from our learning community. Both of our summer and fall sessions were filled to the maximum capacity. We are excited that students have taken full advantage of this opportunity. We will continue to offer this in the fall, spring, and summer. Information for the spring 2018 session will be sent home soon to prospective students.

Good luck to all of our student athletes as they head into sectional play. Once again, each of our sports teams continue to thrive both in the classroom and through athletics. Many of our teams this fall have wrapped up Genesee Region league titles and will compete for sectional titles in the coming weeks. I continue to be so proud of our kids’ effort and dedication.

A big thank you to many of our stakeholders including students, parents, and community members who have volunteered their time and effort into helping some important causes this fall. These included collecting batteries and flashlights to help victims of the hurricane in Puerto Rico, raising awareness and money for cancer during our annual day of soccer, participating in walks to fight Alzheimer’s disease and assist in suicide prevention, and helping local churches scrub vegetables and potatoes to make meals for those in need. These are just a few of the many great causes that our learning community will support throughout the school year.

We continue our work to strengthen strong communication between home and school—it is essential for students to reach their highest potential. In October, we introduced a new website at www.bbschools.org. We will also continue to have a strong social media presence highlighting accomplishments of our learning community and important calendar dates through Facebook and Twitter. On October 27, I will launch a “Weekly Happenings” newsletter highlighting the week in the Jr./Sr. High School. This will be emailed to all families on Friday afternoon each week through SchoolTool. It will also be posted on our Twitter feed. Parents can utilize our SchoolTool system to monitor their child’s attendance, grades, and assignments. If anyone has any questions regarding using SchoolTool, please contact Lorie Ellsworth at (585) 494-1220 ext. 2004.

We are committed to academic excellence while fostering a culture of respect, responsibility, and positive relationships. Please feel free to contact me anytime throughout the year by stopping in to see me, or contacting me via the phone (585) 494-1220 ext. 2401) or email ([email protected]). I am confident that by partnering together we can ensure the success of each student. We are Byron-Bergen!

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