BSD Staff Updates

The Bremerton High School AVID /Bremerton Rotary mentorship program is will be recognized at the upcoming 2023 AVID National Convention!

The mentorship program brings in 70 community members each month to work with BHS AVID elective students. Members of the BHS AVID team and Bremerton Rotarians will be traveling to San Diego to present "It's All About Who You Know: How to Build a Mentorship Program to Foster Empowered Community Partnership" at the convention.

The partnership has brought immense success to our BHS AVID students and will serve as a guide for other schools to build similar programs from the ground up.

"This opportunity is a testament to our dedication and hard work. We are incredibly excited about the recognition and the chance to showcase our achievements on a national stage. The next steps involve building the final presentation and continuing our partnership with the Bremerton Rotary, whose support has been instrumental in our success," said Melissa Rohr, BSD College and Career Programs Administrator and AVID District Director.

Thank you to all of those who have committed their time, effort, and ongoing support for our program!

I would like to thank everyone who helped set up and make streaming BHS graduation possible, hopefully everyone that helped is listed below:

• Zach Klue, from the IT department, led the charge technically and got us to the goal line of making sure we had proper connection to the network (with a better computer with Thunderbolt), enough bandwidth and most of all patience.
• Jason Vogt provided a 150 feet extension cord and assorted goodies to ensure safety.
  
• Coach T for making sure the crew was able to communicate with charged headsets.
  
• Coach Renner for providing the pop ups to keep equipment and crew dry.
  
• Facilities crew for setting up platforms for the field cameras.
  

Numerous students from Broadcast TV, Photo Media, NJROTC and Stage Tech (Samson specifically) pitched in to assist with set up.

We were very close to having a second stream going with Spanish audio but I ran out of time trying to troubleshoot a catastrophic firmware-failure. Shout outs to Alejandro, Jose, and Octavio for translating the script into Spanish and being on standby to be translators.

Finally, if you know/see these students today tell them good job:

These five students made streaming graduation possible. Seriously, they were the crew and stayed afterward until 10:20 pm wrapping up cables and putting away equipment.

No need to RSVP! Meet us on 5th Street near the Norm Dicks Government Center steps at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 17 and walk in solidarity with BSD staff, students, families and volunteers to Evergreen Rotary Park! We encourage you to wear your favorite Bremerton School District/school gear!

Following the People's March, the Bremerton School District will also have a booth at the Juneteenth Freedom Festival Resource Fair at Evergreen Rotary Park from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. We'll be handing out Juneteenth "B" stickers and kids (and those young at heart) are invited to spin the wheel to win a prize!

We are in need of a few more BSD staff members (or students!) to volunteer at our booth at the resource fair. Volunteers will receive a limited-edition "B" For Change Juneteenth t-shirt! To volunteer, please sign up here!

Some of the times have changed on the Free Summer Meals schedule. Please disregard any old schedules and download/share the updated schedules which are available (English and Spanish) here.

Compiled by Ioanna Cossack

POLICY NEWS:

Several policies, new or revised, were adopted by the Board in May. So, June was a time where staff submitted the updated procedures. On the following links, you’ll find the new or revised Procedures for your review. If you have questions in regard to any of these, please contact your supervisor or the responsible department.

• Procedure 5254P; Staff Expression (new!)
• Procedure 3226P; Interviews and Interrogations by Outside Agencies of Students on School Premises
• Procedure 3421P; Child Abuse and Neglect

The Board received reports on the preliminary draft Minor Budgets for the 2023-24 school year. The Board is prepared to review and adopt next year’s budget, as usual, in August. They also received a report on the Affirmative Action Report and Summer Programs being offered.

A 3-year Working Agreement with the Bremerton Coaches and Activities Association (BCAA) was approved at the June 15th Board meeting, and updated salary schedules for exempt and non-represented staff were approved.

For more information, visit https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/wabrsd/Board.

Join us in-person or online! BremertonSchools.org/SchoolBoard

As you know, we have a number of positions open in the District, and we also need substitutes. Flyers/graphics can be downloaded here.

University of Washington has a three-day in-person intensive workshop in collaboration with the Seattle Art Museum on the themes of trade, transmission, and cultural exchange, dates for this course are July 27-29, 2023.

Registration is free and meals are included. Participating educators are required to attend all three days of the workshops. Free resources and Washington State Clock Hours will be provided.

This program is open to current, in-service teachers of all grades and subjects. Please follow this link to apply to this program.

Are you a Kitsap County parent, teacher, school nurse, or school administrator? The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security would like to hear from you about child and adolescent health in the county. We are working to understand how the healthcare system serves kids and families, and how local policymakers could make the system better.

We invite you to take part in a focus group, or small group discussion, about child and adolescent health in Kitsap County. Your participation is voluntary. We will ask you to provide your perspectives and opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the county’s public health and healthcare programs for children and adolescents. The focus group will take 1.5 - 2 hours and will be recorded, but your name will not be associated with your comments. The focus group will take place at 9 AM PT at the Oxford Suites Silverdale Washington Hotel on Friday, July 28, 2023. Participants will receive a $25.00 gift card as a thank you for their participation. This research project is funded by the Kitsap County Public Health District.

Please complete this brief questionnaire if you are interested in participating: https://forms.office.com/r/QN9ZehpNuR. Contact Hannah Ottman-Feeney at hottman1@jhu.edu if you have questions about the research study.

(NEWS RELEASE)

As our climate changes, the threat of wildfires looms larger every year.

“We are expecting to have above normal fire activity in Washington by July,” said Kaitlyn Kelly, MPH, Air Quality Policy Specialist, DOH. “We have an outlook for below normal precipitation and that’s going to last into fall, so conditions are trending to a long fire season.”

When smoke arrives it’s important to reduce exposure by staying up to date on the forecast and air quality index, limiting time outside, and keeping indoor air as clean as possible. After several days smoke can enter homes and buildings through leaky gaps in windows and doors. Having a way to filter indoor air will benefit your health. It’s key to buy supplies in advance because they often sell out quickly when it’s smoky out.

Filter indoor air by using a:

• HVAC system with MERV 13 filter.
• HEPA portable air cleaner.
• DIY box fan filter.

“We no longer have smoke-free summers in Washington,” said Kelly. “It’s important to know what is in wildfire smoke and why it can be bad for your health.”

Smoke from wildfires contains fine particles and gases including carbon monoxide. Exposure to smoke can cause a number of health problems ranging from minor to severe. Those with pre-existing conditions, infants and children, pregnant individuals, adults 65 and older, and people with heart and lung disease can be most sensitive to wildfire smoke. Minor symptoms can include headaches, stinging eyes, runny nose, and trouble breathing.

You can stay updated on wildfires, air quality, the forecast, and health information on the WA Smoke Blog. For more information on how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke, visit the DOH’s Smoke from Fires webpage.

The DOH website is your source for a healthy dose of information. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for the DOH blog, Public Health Connection.

Youth sports needs help from community members ages 16 and older. Earn money and be a part of giving back to the community while giving kids an opportunity to learn life lessons and create memories that will last a lifetime. Visit peninsulaofficials.com for more information.

The Bremerton Yacht Club has an opportunity for Bremerton School District students to participate in the The Bremerton Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program.

• Several scholarships are available to Bremerton students who could otherwise not afford to attend this safe fun program.

• Spaces are limited so those who are interested should register right away.

• For more information or to register: Junior Sailing Camps at BYC

Questions? Email info@bycsailing.com or call (360) 903-6391.

Background photo: Crownhill partnered with the Crownhill PTA to host a "color run" for students last week. View more photos here.

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org

Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Phone: 360-473-1000
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The Bremerton School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination Garth Steedman at Garth.Steedman@BremertonSchools.org or 360.473.1031 or the Section 504 Coordinator, John Welsh at John.Welsh@BremertonSchools.org or 360.473.1012. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.