Byron-Bergen Central Schools

Winter 2018 Update: Character Education, new programs and more...

Over the last six years, our district has prided itself on the great work we have done with character education. Specifically we have seen our Violent and Disruptive Incidents (offenses resulting in suspension) decrease from over 180 suspensions in 2011 to just around 40 last school year. We have also seen a sharp decline in the number of bullying incidents and repeat offenders during this time frame. This is due to a team effort and a formal process for investigating any incidents that are reported to us. While we are in a very good place, I recognize that we need to keep the foot on the gas pedal.

Our character education team has worked diligently to identify core values that we want our learning community to live by. These core values consist of being respectful, responsible, accountable, and being our very best self. Over the remainder of the year, we will be rolling these core values out to students, staff, and our learning community. Our goal is to live and breathe each of these core values each and every day in all facets of our school. These core values will be integrated into everything we do from the classroom to the hallways to athletics to extra-curricular activities. We will also continue to focus on important skills such as digital citizenship, resilience, and other coping skills that we feel are necessary to helping kids be successful. Please check out our building website page over the next few months for updates to our character education program.

One thing we strive to do for our students is to offer as many instructional opportunities as we can. I am pleased with the progress we have made over the last few years in adding over 15 programs and electives to our course catalog. Next school year we will be adding an AP World History to our Advanced Placement program. We will also be adding a Painting and Drawing course for GCC credit. Over the next few months, our counselors will be doing scheduling with our students. Please feel free to set up an appointment or call us with any questions or feedback with this process. Also any parents of high school students: I encourage you to check out our recent presentation for college and career planning located on the Jr./Sr. High School webpage. This is another useful tool to help you be proactive in the planning of your son’s or daughter’s future.

One program we started this school year was an Agriculture Program. We began with an elective, Agricultural Explorations, and hope to add other electives in the coming years. This past December, we were officially approved as an FFA chapter. A big thank you to our Agriculture teacher Jeff Parnapy, who has been a big advocate for agricultural education in our school. We are also excited to announce that recently we received a $5,000 grant from Cornell University to help support and grow our Agriculture program. Some of the other opportunities our students will have include participating in the Environmental Leadership and Developmental program at Camp Oswegatchie, and other New York State FFA activities in the spring.

Our students in the new musical, “Carnival!” have been working extremely hard over the last few months. There is so much to be said for the talent we have in our school in the Arts. I am so proud to work in a district where these programs are recognized and highlighted. I encourage everyone to come out and see our show in March. It is going to be a special one! Speaking of the Arts, I would like to give a big shout out to seventh-grader Zoey Shepard. Zoey’s anti-DWI poster was selected as a Genesee County first prize winner and featured on a billboard in Batavia.

Please visit SchoolTool to check in on your son’s or daughter’s progress throughout the year. The parent portal is a great way to stay connected to the work your kids are doing in the classroom. Feel free to contact a teacher if you have any questions. Also if you cannot log in or would like further guidance on our parent portal, please call our counseling office for assistance.

It is such a pleasure to work in such a supportive environment. I thank everyone for your help in making our school the best it can be. If anyone would like to contact me to provide concerns, feedback, or ideas, please call me at 494-1220 ext. 2401, email at [email protected], or schedule an appointment. Thanks again.

I am a firm believer in sharing our story recognizing and highlighting all of the wonderful things our students have to offer. Please follow our Jr./Sr. High School story on Twitter @BBCSDBuzz and @MrPatrickMcGee

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