• Your November BPS Newsletter is here!

    Dear BPS Family, It is hard to believe that we are already beginning Thanksgiving recess.  During this season of giving and gratitude, I reflect on how valuable each of you — our scholars, families, board members, administrators, teachers, staff, and community partners — is to our community.  I am most grateful for all of you for making these challenging times as successful and supportive as possible for our scholars.  I will never be able to say it enough, but thank you, all of you, for supporting our scholars. I hope that you have a healthy, restful, and happy Thanksgiving and are able to safely enjoy this time with family and friends.  There is never a more appropriate time than the present to celebrate the simple, bright moments of our lives. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. As always, we are BPS!  We are better together and stronger than ever! In partnership, Catherine M. Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools AROUND THE DISTRICT Every month, different schools will begin to share a few positive happenings, both inside and outside of their classrooms. Bristol Central High School The Bristol Central Educators Rising Club develops students who may wish to serve their communities by entering the field of education in the future.  Students continue to build strong relationships with the "Baby Rams" (South Side School elementary students) and encourage a love of learning. Bristol Central student members of Buckets 4 Justice, a not-for-profit fundraising club created by Bristol Central student-athletes, attended the Greater Bristol Branch of the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet in October.  The students proudly represented the BPS community with fellow students from Bristol Eastern High School. Bristol Central students and staff assisted preparing the new warming shelter at the St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Bristol.  The emergency shelter for men, women, and children provides food, shelter, case-management, and referral services. Hubbell School Hubbell students participated in their first annual Turkey Derby earlier this week.  The event utilized math and writing skills, particularly how they trained their turkey for the derby.  Congratulations to the inaugural first place winner, Mrs. Gluse’s second grade class.  Hubbell students also collaborated with their PTA to collect turkey dinner donations to feed over thirty families in Bristol. Hubbell staff and their PTA hosted the “Not So Scary Drive Through” in October.  About 300 cars drove through campus to pick-up goodie bags, while students showed off their costumes.  It was great to see participation from both students and staff alike. Hubbell continues to host Central Connecticut State University students to gain field experience working alongside their teachers and students.  Students enjoy having the CCSU students as a part of their Hubbell Hound community.  Principal Kristine DeLeo was invited to join the CCSU Teacher Education Network Advisory Board because of the excellent integration of CCSU students within their classrooms. BRISTOL AIMS Lottery Update The first round of the lottery process began on November 22, 2021.  Once a student has received notification of their status (accepted or their number in the lottery), they will be required to respond whether or not they would like to enroll in Bristol AIMS for the 2022-2023 school year by December 17, 2021. At this time, no action is required by students or families, as each student is automatically included in the lottery.  As an intra-district magnet school, Bristol AIMS enrollment will be open to all students who reside in the City of Bristol, including those who are currently attending parochial or magnet programs within or outside of Bristol, as well as those who are currently home-schooled.  Grade level enrollments will range between 90-95 students.  Student slots are assigned by a formula based upon attendance zones, percentage of enrollment by grade level and district, and current district demographics.  Enrollment in grades 6-8 will be determined by lottery and enrollment in grades 9-12 will be by course selection, with preference to matriculating students.  The table below provides the approximate number of slots by attendance zone and grade. SCHOOL GRADE 5 GRADE 6 GRADE 7 CHMS - 37 40 NEMS - 20 19 GHS 19 14 15 WBS 11 13 10 EDGE 8 - - EPH 8 - - IVY 10 - - MTV 8 - - SSS 11 - - STAFF 10 - - For more information, please click here . NEW DONORSCHOOSE PARTNERSHIP Bristol Public Schools has announced a new partnership with the national nonprofit DonorsChoose to increase teacher participation and make it easier to raise funds for additional classroom resources.  BPS is only the second school district in Connecticut to become a DonorsChoose District Partner.  BPS teachers already use this platform to request the exact materials or experiences they are looking for, and donors from throughout the BPS community give to those projects.  BPS teachers have raised over $275,000 and completed over 500 projects on DonorsChoose.  This new partnership will provide teachers even more donor matching opportunities. Beginning at 7:00am on November 30, 2021, Giving Tuesday, all donations to DonorsChoose projects will receive a 50% match.   Donations will be eligible for the 50% match until December 1, 2021, at 3:00am. For more information and to give to a project, please visit the new BPS DonorsChoose website at www.donorschoose.org/bristol .   Calendars 2021-2022 School Year Calendar District Event Calendar Board of Education Calendar Employment Opportunities Seeking highly-qualified, talented, and diverse educators to join Bristol Public Schools. In the News 11.18.21 Bristol Public Schools name Teacher of the Year 11.18.21 Bristol Public Schools prepare for students to take classes at Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School 11.9.21  Bristol Eastern will take part in Connecticut FAFSA challenge 11.5.21  Bristol schools reaching out to families about Arts and Innovation Magnet School lottery, course offerings Bristol Public Schools 129 Church Street, Bristol, CT 06010 Phone: 860-584-7000 | Fax: 860-584-7611

    Wednesday, Nov 24 2021

  • BPS Hiring Substitute Teachers

    Bristol Public Schools is now hiring substitute teachers.  Please see the attached flyer for more information. BPS has partnered with ESS to manage our substitute program.  A leader in K-12 staffing, ESS will now be responsible for the hiring, training, and placement of all daily and long-term substitute teachers and paraprofessional substitutes.  If you are interested in working as a substitute for our district, please visit www.ESS.com to apply or call 877.983.2244 for more information.

    Friday, Nov 19 2021

  • Community Update

    Thus far, BPS COVID Safety Liaisons have completed a total of 301 contact tracing events associated with 118 positive cases of COVID-19 within our schools and programs. A summary of positive cases is reported below by grade configuration:   Grade Configuration Cases this period: Total for 21-22 SY: HS and B-Prep 9-12 3 21 MS 6-8 3 18 K-8 1 26 PK-5 8 53 Summary Totals: 15 118   The table above does not reflect positive cases traced by the BBHD in the community at large. At this time, the Bristol average daily rate of new cases is reported as 15 per 100,000,  this rate represents a change to elevated red status for the Bristol region. Additional COVID related data can be found at portal.ct.gov .

    Friday, Nov 19 2021

  • Pediatric (5-11 years old) COVID-19 Vaccine Survey

    Please see the attached announcement from our partners at Bristol-Burlington Health District, which held a Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at ESPN North Campus on Saturday, November 13, 2021, from 10:00am-2:00pm. BBHD is interested in whether or not a second vaccination clinic is needed and will be gathering responses via a survey on their website.  Please visit www.bbhd.org and click on "Pediatric (5-11) COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Survey" to submit your response. In partnership, Catherine M. Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Michael Dietter, Ed.D. Deputy Superintendent of Schools

    Tuesday, Nov 16 2021

  • SNAP/EBT Accepted at the Bristol Farmers Market

    The Bristol Farmers Market is an authorized SNAP/EBT farmers market and is accepting EBT payment for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)-eligible food.  Shop at the Bristol Farmers Market and use your EBT cards to pay for fresh fruits and vegetables to help support local farmers.  The farmers market is located at Centre Square in downtown Bristol and will host its Fall Festival this Saturday, November 20, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Please see the attached flyer for a list of market vendors who accept EBT payments. For more information and assistance in completing applications for SNAP/EBT benefits, please contact Aubrey Minkler, Community Services Coordinator at 860-584-4690 or aubreyminkler@bristolct.gov.

    Tuesday, Nov 16 2021

  • Veterans Day

    Veterans Day is a time to honor all of our military veterans of the past and present.  I am truly grateful for all of those who have served and continue to serve in our nation's Armed Forces to protect our country and freedoms. Veterans, thank you for your immeasurable dedication and sacrifice.  We are forever thankful for you and the example that you set for all Americans, especially our young people.  Also, I would be remiss if I did not recognize and thank the families of our veterans who supported them throughout their service and upon their returns home. Once again, thank you for your selfless service to our country. In partnership, Catherine M. Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

    Thursday, Nov 11 2021

  • Reminder: Pediatric (5-11 years old) COVID-19 Vaccin...

    As a reminder, our partners at Bristol-Burlington Health District will sponsor a Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at ESPN North Campus on Saturday, November 13, 2021, from 10:00am-2:00pm and Saturday, December 4, 2021, from 10:00am-2:00pm.  Please see the attachment for further details. In partnership, Catherine M. Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Michael Dietter, Ed.D. Deputy Superintendent of Schools

    Wednesday, Nov 10 2021

  • Screen and Stay Initiative

    On Thursday, November 4, 2021, Governor Ned Lamont announced the rollout of the Screen and Stay initiative for Connecticut schools. Bristol Public Schools will participate in the Screen and Stay initiative which will allow students and staff who are not fully vaccinated to remain in school after a close contact with a COVID-19 case. Please see the attached REVISED letter for more information. In partnership,   Catherine Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent Michael Dietter, Ed.D.                                                                                 Deputy Superintendent

    Tuesday, Nov 09 2021

  • Pediatric (5-11 years old) COVID-19 Vaccination Clin...

    Good Afternoon, Our partners at Bristol-Burlington Health District will sponsor a Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at ESPN North Campus on Saturday, November 13, 2021, from 10:00am-2:00pm and Saturday, December 4, 2021, from 10:00am-2:00pm.  Please see the attachment for further details. In partnership, Catherine M. Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

    Wednesday, Nov 03 2021

  • Your October BPS Newsletter is here!

    From the  Superintendent The 2021-2022 school year is off to a great start!  As I reflect over the first two months of school, I continue to be grateful for the efforts of our families, administrators, teachers, and staff for making these challenging times as successful and supportive as possible for our scholars.  I continue to witness that our families are truly committed to their child’s education and believe that without their daily dedication, our mission to Teach and Learn With Passion and Purpose would not be possible.  Our students will continue to learn through high-quality, equity-centric instruction delivered by skilled educators who hold high expectations for their learning, following our Vision of the Graduate and BPS curricula.  Collectively, I know that we will continue to overcome obstacles, rise to new challenges, and move forward together. As always, we are BPS!  We are better together and stronger than ever! In partnership, Catherine M. Carbone, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Bristol AIMS Updates Parent Information Sessions Update Over the past two weeks, we have held several informational sessions on the opening of the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School for both students and families.  These sessions were designed for fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students who may wish to attend Bristol AIMS and their parents.  We shared detailed information on curriculum and programming, daily schedules, and the lottery and admission process.  We also showed a virtual tour of the Bristol AIMS theater, which can be viewed in the construction updates below. Lottery Update As an intra-district magnet school, Bristol AIMS enrollment will be open to all students who reside in the City of Bristol, including those who are currently attending parochial or magnet programs within or outside of Bristol, as well as those who are currently home-schooled.  Grade level enrollments will range between 90-95 students.  Student slots are assigned by a formula based upon attendance zones, percentage of enrollment by grade level and district, and current district demographics.  Enrollment in grades 6-8 will be determined by lottery and enrollment in grades 9-12 will be by course selection, with preference to matriculating students.  The table below provides the approximate number of slots by attendance zone and grade as of October 1, 2021. School Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 CHMS - 36 39 NEMS - 21 19 GHS 18 14 15 WBS 15 17 15 EDGE 8 - - EPH 8 - - IVY 10 - - MTV 8 - - SSS 11 - - STAFF 10 - - The lottery process will begin in November and continue throughout the winter and spring.  At this time, no action is required by students or families, as each student will automatically be included in the lottery.  Once a student has received notification of their status (accepted or waitlisted), they will be required to respond within a given timeframe. Construction Update Construction continues at Bristol AIMS and below you will see a preview of a model classroom beginning to take shape. The virtual tour of the BAIMS theater below highlights many of the updated features including ticketing and concessions, state-of-the-art lighting and audio equipment, and updated seating.  You will also notice several of the restored features throughout the space.  Teachers and other expert teams are narrowing furniture and technology needs for the theatre spaces. ThoughtExchange Survey Now that we are 2 months into the school year, what is working well, and where can we offer more support? Please click here to participate in the ThoughtExchange survey. The survey will close on Friday, November 5, 2021, at 11:59 PM. ThoughtExchange enables every individual to feel heard, while also identifying the values and perspectives that are most important to the entire group.  ThoughtExchange will help us hear more voices with more inclusivity and better data in order to help us make better decisions.  ThoughtExchange is anonymous.  Your thoughts will be shared, but not your identity.  Thank you in advance for your participation and feedback. Calendars 2021-2022 School Year Calendar District Event Calendar Board of Education Calendar In the News 10.21 City officials tour new Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School, see progress on reconstruction 10.16 Celebrating 100 years on the Boulevard 9.17 How Bristol school district is planning on spending $18 million in federal relief funding 9.16 Reimagining of Bristol's school district seeks to accomplish four goals Employment Opportunities Seeking highly-qualified, talented, and diverse educators to join Bristol Public Schools.

    Thursday, Oct 28 2021