2023-24 Back-to-School Guide

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Revisions: The following revisions/updates have been made to this Back-to-School Guide since it was first shared on August 16:

• Addition of expected Bus Behavior expectations (added 8/24)
• Tech support website for families is now updated (added 8/24)
• New: Memorial Stadium Spectator Guidelines & Bag Policy (added 8/29)

We cannot wait to see our students (grades 1-12).

Reminder: Monday, September 4 is a holiday (no school)!

Parents, family members and community members are invited to help us welcome students back to school! We hope you'll join us! Learn more!

Why don't kindergarten students attend the first week of school?

Our elementary schools participate in the Kindergarten Family Connections - also known as Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) transition process.

During the first week of school for the District, kindergarten students and their guardians will be invited to the school to have an individual meeting with their kindergarten teacher. During this meeting, the teachers get to know more about your child. There will also be some time for your child to see and learn specific routines of their classroom.

Kindergarten parents can expect to hear from their child's teacher in late August (after class lists are finalized).

Do you know someone with a student who is entering kindergarten this fall? Please encourage them to register their student ASAP so we can get our students assigned to a classroom and scheduled for a Kindergarten Family Connections visit with their teacher!

Families can register online, at their neighborhood school, or at the District office (134 Marion Ave. N., Bremerton 98312).

View/download the 2023-24 one-page academic calendar here!

Check out our before- and after-school childcare options for each elementary school and Mountain View Middle School.

Information is available on the District website about school and community back-to-school events. Schools will also be communicating more details about their events with families.

School supply lists are posted on the District website, and www.TeacherLists.com.

Families are invited to log in to Skyward and find out their child's classroom teacher after 5 p.m. on Friday, August 25. Click here for instructions on accessing Skyward!

Class schedules will be available on August 29 during 6th grade orientation (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.) and 7th and 8th grade schedule pick-up (2 - 4 p.m.). Schedules will be available in Skyward at the end of the day August 29, and printed schedules will be available for students on the first day of school.

Schedules are now live in Skyward and in Career Planner. Students can pick up their schedules during Summer Knight Days Orientation August 21, 22 and 23 (see details on the BHS website).

Orientation for new/returning students will be Wednesday, August 30th from 10am-12pm. Advisors to schedule appointments with individual students after orientation. Student schedules will be set when students meet with their Academic Advisor the following week.

• Returning students: If you are unable to attend orientation, please contact the RHS office or academic advisor to schedule an advisory appointment.
• New students: Orientation is required prior to getting a schedule and starting the school year. If there is a reason you are unable to make Orientation, please contact the RHS office (360-473-4706) no later than August 25th to request an accommodation.

We will be running the same bus routes (with a few minor adjustments) that we ran in the spring. Some routes are still combined. All bus routes are posted on the District website.

Families with students assigned to Special Education routes will be contacted by the Transportation Department with information on your student's route. If you do not hear from the transportation office by August 29, please contact the transportation office at 360-473-0507.

Please check your bus route before the first day of school as some bus stop times may have changed slightly. Please have your student arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes ahead of their scheduled stop time.

We will continue to post daily transportation updates on the website, and will notify families via "robo call" if a route is canceled. Look for this graphic on all District and school home pages for quick access to daily transportation updates.

Masks and hand sanitizer are not required but will be available for students, staff and school visitors on school buses and in all school facilities.

Questions about bus routes? Call the transportation office at 360-473-0507.

We are in need of substitute bus drivers. Please visit our website to learn more and apply!

All school meals (breakfast and lunch) are available for all students for the 2023-24 school year at no charge.

More information, including breakfast and lunch menus, is available on our website BremertonSchools.org/Meals.

There is a "quick link" to this page on all District websites.

Elementary schools: The doors open for students at 8:55 a.m. Breakfast will be offered in every classroom at the beginning of the school day at no charge. Breakfast will not be offered prior to the start of the school day.

Mountain View Middle School: Doors open for students at 7:40 a.m. Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria to all students at no charge. Students who arrive after breakfast can pick-up a “grab-and-go” breakfast to eat during first period.

Bremerton High School: Unless enrolled in “0 hour,” the doors to BHS open for all students at 6:50 a.m. Breakfast will be available in the commons/cafeteria to all students beginning at 7 a.m. Students who arrive after breakfast can pick-up a “grab-and-go” breakfast to eat during first period.

Renaissance High School: The RHS Campus opens for students at 7:40 a.m. Breakfast will be available for all students at no charge.

Our schools are participating in a federal program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This program allows all children in the District to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge.

However, some education programs we provide are funded with state dollars and require us to submit aggregate financial data to the state. We will no longer be collecting free and reduced-price applications every year; instead, we must collect a Family Income Survey.

This form helps us collect household information for all students attending CEP schools. Without this information, the Bremerton School District could lose important state funding for educational programs that our students are entitled to.

We’re excited to offer no-cost meals to all students and appreciate your help.

All families will have an opportunity to fill out an income survey as a part of the annual ABCs process. If you are unable to complete it there, you can get a paper copy from your child's school, or print and fill out the form on the District website.

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Guerrero at 360-473-4717.

Last week, all families should have received an email inviting you to complete our Annual Back-to-school Check-in process or ABCs. It should take about 15 minutes (or less!) to complete the process for each child in your household.

The ABC process must be completed for all students in the district - including both previously enrolled as well as newly registered students.

Please log-in to Skyward and take a few moments to complete this important process for your student(s) ASAP. Thank you!

Questions about this process? Need help with your Skyward log-in? Please contact your student's school or click here.

We have updated our Tech Support for Families website and invite you to check it out!

A link to the tech support webpage is on every school and the District website (look for the graphic like the one on the left), and can be accessed at BremertonSchools.org/TechHelp.

• Parents/guardians are required to complete a Network/Internet Acceptable Use Agreement form for students to use District technology. This form is a part of the Annual Back-to-school Check-in (or ABC) process in Skyward.

• Students who do not have Chromebooks will be assigned one early in the fall. Watch for information from your child's school.

• Schools and teachers will be communicating with students and families about Chromebooks and whether or not your student will be required to bring his/her Chromebook to school.

We are finalizing our updated Student & Families Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. It will be shared with students and families in September

The Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) is an independent state agency that helps to reduce educational opportunity gaps by supporting families, students, educators, and other stakeholders in communities across WA in understanding the K-12 school system and resolving concerns collaboratively. OEO services are free and confidential. Anyone can contact OEO with a question or concern about school.

OEO listens, shares information and referrals, and works informally with families, communities, and schools to address concerns so that every student can fully participate and thrive in our state’s public schools. OEO provides support in multiple languages and has telephone interpretation available. To get help or learn more about what OEO does, please visit our website: https://www.oeo.wa.gov/en; email oeoinfo@gov.wa.gov, or call: 1-866-297-2597 (interpretation available).

Our campuses, including our athletic facilities, are closed to the public during school hours. For student, staff and visitor safety, the gates surrounding our buildings are locked during the school day and access to the school is through the main entrance only. The gates are unlocked after school hours.

• Before entering the school, visitors must have their ID scanned by the Bremerton School District's visitor management system Raptor. Learn more here.

• There are no specific COVID protocols in place for school visitors for this school year. However, if a visitor is experiencing any symptoms of illness, they should not enter the school facility.

Students are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles from home. If your student does not have access to a reusable water bottle, please contact your child's school.

Teachers, staff and students should consistently use proper handwashing and respiratory etiquette while at school and on school buses. Staff and students should:

• Frequently wash hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.

• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.

The District will provide approved alcohol-based hand sanitizers for all school facilities.

The Peninsula Community Health Services clinic at Mountain View Middle School and Bremerton High School provides services to Bremerton School District students (Preschool - 12th grade) and staff. PCHS can bill most insurance companies. Learn more at BremertonSchools.org/Clinic.

In an effort to ensure that all of our students have timely, affordable access to mental and physical healthcare, we are partnering with a health services program called Hazel Health.

With parent or guardian permission, students can speak with a Hazel mental health professional or have an on-demand medical visit at home or at school. We invite you to learn more here!

Gaggle Therapy is a free, confidential option to connect with a therapist online and on your schedule. Bremerton School District students and staff can meet with a therapist for weekly video or phone therapy sessions. Parents or staff can refer students, or students age 13 and older can self-refer! Click here to get started!

As your child returns to school, it is important to make sure they are up to date on all their required vaccinations for the 2023-24 school year. Students who do not meet the immunization requirements for school entry could be excluded from school, per Revised Code of Washington RCW 28A.210.120.

COVID vaccinations are recommended and encouraged but not required for students.

For more information about immunization requirements, visit the Washington State Department of Health website or contact your child’s physician.

If your child is sick - even with mild symptoms - please keep your child home from school and notify your child’s school that your student is ill.

Chronic illnesses

If your student’s symptoms are related to a chronic condition, contact the school and follow school policies for chronic condition management.

Other serious illnesses

Please contact your health care provider immediately about serious illness, including any fever of 100.4°F or higher.

To help protect all students, please notify the school if your child is diagnosed with any of these diseases:

• Chickenpox
• COVID-19
• Diphtheria
• E. coli diarrhea
• Hepatitis
• Measles
• Mumps
• Pertussis
• Rubella
• Salmonella
• Scabies
• Shigellosis
• Tuberculosis
• another disease as requested

The school will protect your private information as required by law. RCW 70.02, Washington’s Health Care Information Access and Disclosure Act.

Notify school staff if your student requires medication during school hours. Follow school protocols for medication at school. Unless otherwise instructed, if your student’s illness requires antibiotics, the student must have been on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school. Antibiotics are not effective for viral illnesses such as COVID-19.

If a student is already in the building and has a fever of 100.4°F or begins to show symptoms of COVID-19, the child’s parent/guardian or emergency contact(s) will be notified immediately. The child will wait in a room away from other students/staff until the student can be picked up and taken home.

If your child is out for an extended illness, please contact your child’s teacher or principal for support and answers to your questions

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 360.473.1031 or the Section 504 Coordinator, Mark Mayfield at 360.473.4702. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Phone: 360-473-1000
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Bremerton School District 2023-24 Back-to-School Guide V. 1.0 (updated 8/19/23)

• Photo: First day of school at Naval Avenue Elementary, fall 2022.
• Feedback about the Back-to-School Guide? Please contact Communications@BremertonSchools.org.