October 27, 2023
Dear Batavia Families and Community,
As you know, there have been some significant administrative changes over the last several months, so I wanted to share an updated chart of who to contact with questions regarding the operations and programs in our schools. This chart may also be found on our website, but here it is now for your convenience: Who Do I Contact? In addition, you can search for any staff member on our website, which will take you directly to their email by clicking on their name. The search button is located in the top right corner of the website.
It has been a wonderful fall season so far here at BCSD, and we are currently recognizing Red Ribbon Week—designed to promote healthy living, a drug-free life, and the collective strength of our community. While we have had numerous special days to recognize this week, I am always personally struck by the simplicity of a red ribbon tied around the trees at our schools:
Another wonderful fall tradition is our annual Make a Difference Day, where our BHS seniors spend the day in our community engaged in important service work at some wonderful sites. I personally enjoyed visiting our students at the historic Batavia Cemetery (my favorite site in all of Batavia), the Peace Garden, Crossroads House, and a Habitat Humanity home under construction, to name a few.
Not only does this teach our students about the importance of giving back, it exposes them to the history, culture, and sites of our wonderful community. Thank you to all the staff and community members who coordinated this project, especially Trace Grover in the BHS College and Career Center.
While we are on the subject of Batavia itself, perhaps now is the best time for my tidbit of Batavia history before moving on:
Jackson School was built in 1925, replacing the former Williams and Pringle Street schools in
the southside of Batavia. In 1939, Jackson was enlarged and opened as a Junior High School and now houses students in Grades K-1.
Speaking of our friends at Jackson, they hosted a wonderful and well-attended Family Fun Night at Robert Morris (still under the Jackson School umbrella). Building positive home-school connections is a hallmark of successful schools and communities, and I so appreciate nights like these. Well done!
As you hopefully saw last week in the local media and on ParentSquare, our Board of Education gave initial approval to hold a capital project vote on Thursday, December 14. The project can be viewed in some detail here: BCSD Reimagined. There will be two public hearings on Tuesday, November 28, and Thursday, December 7—details can be found in the previous link. You can expect plenty of reminders through November and early December, and of course, reach out directly to me with any questions or comments.
While we are nearing the end of fall sports—congratulations to our teams thus far on their successful seasons—we will soon be nearing the winter concert season, and I look forward to our auditoriums filled with the sounds of children singing and playing wonderful music. Of course, we are looking forward to once again hosting Friday Night Lights at historic VanDetta Stadium tonight as our #3 Blue Devils take on #6 Geneva in an important sectional game—-I hope to see many of you tonight!
Remember to check our school Facebook pages for daily and weekly updates, points of pride, and reminders of important events; our schools have recently re-committed to keeping these up and active, so come “visit us!”
Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for your continued support.
Thank you.
Jason A. Smith
Superintendent of Schools
585-343-2480, ext 1000
Jasonsmith@bataviacsd.org