Dear Batavia Families and Community,
I typically don’t like to start these updates with reminders, but there are several important updates that I need to share right away:
On Tuesday, October 11 (after the long holiday weekend), all schools will be operating under a late arrival schedule. Multiple messages and reminders will be sent over the next few days as we want to ensure our families are aware of the late arrival times. You may also consult the detailed information below:
Late Arrival for Tuesday, October 11
Batavia High School: 10:00 am
Batavia Middle School: 10:00 am
John Kennedy Intermediate: 11:00 am
Jackson Primary: 11:00 am
Robert Morris: 11:00 am
Dismissal: Unchanged
Meals: Breakfast will not be served. Lunch will be served at the regularly scheduled time.
Each student’s bus pickup will be delayed as follows on late arrival days:
Batavia High School: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Batavia Middle School: 2 hours and 30 minutes
John Kennedy Intermediate: 3 hours
Jackson Primary: 3 hours
Robert Morris: 2 hours and 15 minutes
For example:
If your child attends BHS and their bus arrives at 7:00 am, on late arrival days, the bus will arrive at 9:30 am.
If your child attends John Kennedy, and their bus arrives at 7:15 am, on late arrival days, the bus will arrive at 10:15 am.
If your child attends Robert Morris, and their bus arrives at 7:15 am, on late arrival days, the bus will arrive at 9:30 am.
These late arrivals will provide our staff with critical time for safety training and staff development programs to ensure we continue to implement key components of our previously announced and shared Strategic Plan, which, again, you find here.
By now, all BCSD families should have received a letter from me along with a Household Income Form and a self-addressed, stamped return envelope. Please—take the time to fill this information out and return it to us. This data is mission-critical for BCSD to continue to offer many programs, including the program allowing ALL students to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost.
And lastly, as I mentioned two weeks ago, our District is beginning to collect survey data from our families and staff so we can continue to measure our successes and areas for improvement. With each update, you can expect one brief question to anonymously answer, which will assist us in the data collection process. So, to kick this process off, your first question may be found here:
Thank you in advance for taking the time to participate in this survey—and remember to complete and send in the Household Income Form.
Each year, school districts need to post all required notices for legal purposes. Our required notices may be found on our website: Required Annual Notices.
We had an exciting Homecoming Week last week, and it was great to be a Blue Devil.
There was a wonderful and festive atmosphere at the football game Friday night with a great crowd, great concessions, and a great pep band—we recognized our Homecoming Court and this year’s Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
Our schools have been bustling with activity lately, and I wanted to just share a few of those highlights here:
Our BHS and BMS students participated in last week’s GLOW With Your Hands event, which exposed our students to some great opportunities in the trade and agriculture fields. It was a pleasure to have attended this and see how engaged our students were.
BMS had a very well-attended Open House last week, and it was a pleasure to see so many of our families stop by.
Both Jackson and John Kennedy are participating in the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District’s Scarecrow Contest—and they have some great entries.
Last week, I was pleased to join our valued partners from the City of Batavia and the Batavia Police Department as we formally introduced our School Resource Officers to the community, and discussed general safety practices as well—including our efforts to support our students' mental health and well-being. Here’s a quick video to get to know our School Resource Officers a little better.
Finally, I would redirect your attention to the important reminders and updates shared at the top of this newsletter, and please take the one-question survey.
Have a great fall and holiday weekend with your families….
Thank you.
Jason A. Smith
Superintendent of Schools
585-343-2480, ext 1000
Twitter: @JasonJasmith