Welcome to November—my personal favorite month of the year. We celebrate Veterans Day, Election Day, and Thanksgiving Day—some classic and traditional American holidays and events. Of course, this year our Buffalo Bills play on Thanksgiving, adding a fun twist to the day.
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In addition to the holidays I already mentioned, November is also a formal opportunity for families to meet with our teachers for parent-teacher conferences. Here are some quick and easy questions and points you may want to consider asking your child’s teacher (courtesy of a quick Google search):
Parent-Teacher Conference Checklists
Before the conference:
Ask your child how they feel about school.
Ask your child if there is anything that they want you to talk about with their teacher.
Tell your child that you and the teacher are meeting to help them.
Make a list of topics you want to talk about with the teacher.
Prepare a list of questions such as:
1. What are my child's strongest and weakest subjects?
2. Does my child hand homework in on time?
3. Does my child participate in class?
4. Does my child seem happy at school?
5. What can I do at home to help?
During the conference:
Be on time (or early) for the meeting.
End the meeting on time. Other parents will probably have a conference after yours.
Relax and be yourself.
Stay calm during the conference.
Ask the most important questions first.
If your child receives special services, ask about your child's progress in those classes.
Ask for explanations of anything you don't understand
Ask your child's teacher for ways that you can help your child at home.
Thank the teacher.
After the conference:
Talk about the conference with your child.
Talk about the positive points, and be direct about problems.
Tell your child about any plans you and the teacher created.
Keep in touch with the teacher during the school year.
Congratulations to our fall athletic teams this season who fared well in both regular and Sectional play. Our Blue Devil football team is still playing, and I look forward to seeing many of our families, friends, students, and community members in the stands at our upcoming game tonight! Good luck to our Girls and Boys Cross Country teams tomorrow at Sectionals at Letchworth—I also look forward to attending this event as well. Go Blue Devils!
November also marks the beginning of the concert season, and things got off to a rockin’ start last night at our fantastic Rock Band Concert. Congratulations to Mr. Grillo and his students as they put on an awesome performance! And here is a teaser for you: at a December concert at the Middle School, we’ll be unveiling special BCSD historical artifacts–stay tuned for more details!
I look forward to celebrating with our BHS students, community, and veterans at our annual Veterans Day Appreciation concert on Thursday, November 10. This is a wonderful and heartfelt way to show our grateful appreciation to those who have served and are serving our country.
We had a great time celebrating Halloween across the District on Monday, and I saw some really cool costumes. My personal favorite costumes were all the superheros (especially Spiderman and The Flash), the beautiful princesses, and the knights. Thank you to our fantastic community helpers that joined us to celebrate the day.
Bravo to members of the Class of 2023 for their outstanding participation in our annual Make a Difference Day! I visited some of my favorite sites in Batavia to see our students in action: The Peace Garden, ARC, the Batavia Cemetery, All Babies Cherished, and GO-ART! Our students were proud and enthusiastic to be lending their time and talents to our valuable community resources.
Finally, November can be a tricky month for families with early releases, holidays, and conferences, so for your convenience here are the key dates (we’ll be sending additional emails and communications about these events):
Thursday, November 10: Early Release for all Students
Friday, November 11: Veterans Day Holiday (no school)
Monday, November 14: Superintendent’s Conference Day (no school)
Wednesday, November 23- Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving Recess (no school)
Have a wonderful weekend, good luck to our football and cross country teams this week as they compete, and Go Blue Devils and Bills!
Jason A. Smith
Superintendent of Schools
585-343-2480, ext 1000
jasonsmith@bataviacsd.org
Twitter: @JasonJasmith
BCSD Twitter: @BataviaCSD