Dear Batavia Families and Community,
Wow—it has been an exciting November so far. We held a beautiful and moving Veterans Day Ceremony last week, our Blue Devil Football Team are Section V champs (what a finish!), our Cross Country runners fared well in States, our concert season got off to a wonderful start, and we had a great turnout for our Parent-Teacher Conferences—and next week is Thanksgiving!
Thank you for your great response to my two survey questions thus far. We are receiving around 80 responses per question, and I want to take some time now to respond to a few of the comments that would be of interest to you:
How can we find email addresses on the website?
The best way to search for administrators, teachers, and staff contact information is by using the search icon on the top right corner of bataviacsd.org.
Why is the parent portal no longer active?
Great question, and there are several reasons for that, but as I write this, I am working with our leadership team and teacher leadership on a solution.
What is an instructional model?
Instructional models are clear, proven, and researched-based strategies that are designed to maximize student learning. As a District, we have placed a renewed and intense focus on these strategies in all our schools. For example, how a teacher begins a lesson with their class is critical (this is called an anticipatory set) and has high-value returns on student learning. At recent faculty meetings, our principals and teachers reviewed anticipatory sets and shared some best practices and examples.
Here is this week’s survey question for you to consider:
You may have seen or read about our Batavia Middle School presentation at the Board of Education meeting this past Monday. Mr. Korzelius and his team are focusing on literacy across all grade levels and content areas, not just English classes. I am proud of their efforts thus far, and certainly look forward to participating in their Drop Everything and Read program (I am an avid reader myself). When we speak of instructional models, having students read, write and discuss material is just that: a highly effective teaching practice.
You may also have read in our local media about our ongoing capital projects (i.e., construction). Our District and Board of Education remain committed to ensuring our facilities and grounds are safe and top-notch, and this is a continual and ongoing process. We expect to feature a story on these projects later this year, but if you have not already done so, check out the cool new green space by Jackson School—we are especially proud of that project. Thank you to our Buildings and Grounds Committee, which includes a few of our Board of Education members, who have been meeting regularly to discuss, plan, and oversee all of our projects. Look for more information about upcoming projects in future issues of BCSD News.
Speaking of BCSD News, please check your Pennysaver this weekend for our most recent edition. In this digital age, you may ask why districts are still issuing paper newsletters? Quite honestly, we want to share our good news with all Batavia community members, not just those who have students in our buildings or follow us on social media. We’ve received some great feedback from countless Batavia neighbors who are happy to see us in their mailboxes again.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded how thankful I am to be a part of the Batavia City Schools. I am thankful for our wonderful students, amazing teachers, dedicated staff, a talented leadership team, a committed Board of Education, and supportive families.
Good luck to our Blue Devil football team in the Far West Regionals on Monday, November 21, at VanDetta Stadium, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones.
Jason A. Smith
Superintendent of Schools
585-343-2480, ext 1000
Twitter: @JasonJasmith