December 10th was another great opportunity to meet with the community and discuss not only regular agenda items, but honor several of our well-deserving members of our BCSC family. With the holidays quickly approaching, we know it can be difficult to attend meetings, so we hope to share some key moments with you.
This last School Board meeting of 2018 was hosted by Southside Elementary with Principal Jeff Backmeyer. We want to send a special thanks to Principal Backmeyer and ELL teacher, Anthony Butiste, for hosting and providing a great presentation about our diversity and the ELL (English Language Learners) program at Southside Elementary. ELL is a thriving program throughout the district designated to assist BCSC students who are learning the English language. BCSC is rich in language diversity with nearly 60 languages spoken by our students!
Here are some other highlights of the evening:
1. Director of Technology, Nick Williams, provided an important update regarding BCSC eAlerts. For those unfamiliar with eAlerts, these are text alerts or email messages sent to stakeholders to communicate school closings, delays, early dismissals and emergency information. You can sign up for district messages or choose any and all buildings on the BCSC website. It’s a great way to stay connected!
2. Brenny Kummer, Instructional Technology Coordinator, also prepared us for the possibility of eLearning days in the upcoming semester as the winter weather rolls in. To learn more about what eLearning days can mean for you as a teacher, parent or student, please visit our eLearning website. This technology allows BCSC to stay on track with the school calendar even when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate on school days.
3. School Board Member, Kathy Dayhoff-Dwyer celebrated several recent accomplishments of BCSC students, staff and alumni. Here is a quick recap of their amazing contributions over the last month:
-Columbus North High School's successful rendition of Mary Poppins
-CNHS Alumnus Kristin Cazenave’s (Class of 2007) participation in former President George H. W. Bush’s memorial
-CNHS Alumnus Mark Panning (Class of 1995) serving on NASA’s Science Team who landed InSight on Mars
-Honoring the Central Middle School’s State Champion Spell Bowl Team, led by teacher, Mindy Summers, who tied for first place with Discovery Middle School from Granger during their Class 1 competition on November 10th at Purdue University. Students: Vignesh Premkumar, Karthik Varigonda, Amit Gangadhara, Prateeti Varanasi, Manya Suresh, Shruthika Kamarasubramanian, Fareeha Parvin, Ananya Adur, Ananya Ramanujapuram, Ian Smith and Austin Clark were all recognized for their excellent representation of BCSC.
Well wishes were given to two devoted members of the BCSC family as they embark on their retirements.
-Mike Jamerson who served as the BCSC Director of Technology
-Bob Abrams who served several terms as School Board member
Both men shared how much they appreciated the opportunity to serve students, staff and the community over the years. Jeff Caldwell, School Board President, shared his admiration and gratitude by saying, “There is a common thread with both of these gentlemen. Their love for the students and their love for learning came through with everything they did.”
As we close this last board meeting of 2018, we hope to see you at the next School Board meeting on Monday, January 14th, 2019 at Schmitt Elementary School. All of us at BCSC look forward to seeing you in the new year as we continue to learn and grow together! Have a safe and happy holiday break!
