Dear Batavia Families and Community,
I have been a superintendent since 2011, and an administrator since 2001, but dealing with the unique air quality challenges we faced this week was a new one for me! In my time as an administrator, I have led schools through 9/11, COVID, snow days, wind days, and cold days, but this sure was a unique one. I hope our neighbors to the north are doing well and this challenging situation comes to a close quickly and safely.
Speaking of closing, we are quickly winding down the 2023-24 school year, and so many fun and important events are all set to take place in the next couple of weeks, with some already occurring:
- At our Board of Education meeting on Monday night, we will establish a new Batavia tradition by recognizing and thanking our retirees for their dedicated service to our students and community.
- We will recognize our 8th graders as they move up BHS with our annual 8th Grade Graduation on Monday afternoon.
- Congratulations to our Girls Track and Softball teams on their respective Section V championships, and as I write (on Wednesday, June 7), our inaugural Girls Flag Football Team is preparing for their sectional run.
- Congratulations to the newly-inducted members of the National Junior Honor Society. We were excited to celebrate them this past week at Batavia Middle School.
- We are wrapping up concert season, and having attended each concert this spring, bravo to our music students and teachers on their fine performances.
- Our local Kiwanis group recognized many of our graduating seniors at a recent lunch meeting; what a remarkable group of seniors this year!
- Next week, our first graders at Jackson Primary will tour their new school next year, John Kennedy, while our UPK students will celebrate moving on to Jackson Primary–both exciting transitions!
- Best wishes to our track athletes competing at States this weekend–GO BLUE DEVILS!
- Finally, field trips abound at our schools, with our students visiting the zoo, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Genesee County Park, Darien Lake, etc. How lucky we are to have such wonderful resources for our students so close by.
As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, June 19, as we observe the important holiday of Juneteenth when our country recognizes the formal end of slavery. Although President Lincoln ended slavery in 1863, it wasn’t until two years later that word reached Texas. On June 19, 1865, the final slaves were free.
June is also PRIDE month, where we recognize members of our LGBTQ+ community and diversity in general. Be sure to take advantage of the community events this weekend, where I am proud that several of our students will be playing a leadership role. We have recently partnered with GLOW OUT at BHS, where our students were taught some valuable leadership lessons from Harvey Milk, a historic leader in preserving and protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and all minorities.
I also look forward to our annual Flag Day Celebration this week at Jackson Primary, where patriotism will be on full display as we welcome the Genesee County Joint Veterans Honor Guard and Western New York National Cemetery Honor Guard as we celebrate our American Flag.
As we close out the school year, our Board of Education and Leadership Team will be carefully reviewing our Strategic Plan, making adjustments, and of course, considering your feedback from the surveys you completed via these bi-weekly updates and all the anecdotal stories and observations I have gathered along the way this year.
My final update for this year will be out in two weeks, and in the meantime, I wish you a wonderful and happy June.
Thank you.
Jason A. Smith
Superintendent of Schools
585-343-2480, ext 1000
jasonsmith@bataviacsd.org