BHS Bucks Principal's Update

We hope you all enjoyed a peaceful winter break and were able to relax and recharge for the new year. It has been a long time coming that we are able to see each other in person. This has been such an unconventional year and self-care is of utmost importance now more than ever. What is also of utmost importance is finishing the semester and earning credits toward graduation. Like many schools around the country right now, we have seen an increased rate of course failures. Unfortunately, our students rely on in-person instruction to get the most out of the educational opportunities they have available to them. Our staff is deeply concerned about the impact this pandemic has had on our students and we are working to provide as many opportunities as possible to ensure that students earn their credits in an educationally sound manner.

Ultimately, students are in control of whether or not courses will be passed or repeated. Work completion and demonstration of skills are the only path to earning credits toward graduation. BHS teachers are, and always have been available and willing to help students find success. Now that we are back in person (thankfully), students need to be focusing on completing work and demonstrating mastery of skills. Without these two very important tasks being completed, classes are failed and graduation plans get pushed back. It is time to buckledown, work hard, dedicate extra time to your coursework, complete missing work, and prepare for assessments by demonstrating what you know. There are very few days left of the semester, so make every day count.

Together, we are #BUCKSTRONG!

Sincerely,

Mrs. DeMaio

Our 8th graders are taking the second NWEA assessment this next couple weeks. Those results will be sent home to parents in the next few weeks. During our professional development day on January 18th, our 8th grade teachers will be analyzing those results to determine what areas need to be focused on during our second semester. Our curriculum will be analyzed as well to be sure we are providing our students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery on our essential standards.

End of semester exams will be given at the discretion of the classroom teachers. Thursday, January 21 (hours 1-3) and Friday, January 22 (hours 4-6) are half days.

Alaina is a first year Basic Art student. She is a dedicated artist that thoroughly plans her compositions and uses the space of the picture plane to tell a story. Beautiful work Alaina!

As our first semester winds down, we must take a look at the students who need to complete courses from last year who did not earn credits during our remote learning in the spring. Some students will have a change in their schedule to accommodate the increased load of core classes, and in many cases, this means that elective classes will be dropped. Students were granted an entire semester to complete the minimum requirements from the spring to earn credits. Those who did not complete those requirements will have their schedules changed.

BCS relies on our Free and Reduced applications to receive grant money that fund many programs that benefit our students. Please complete this application as soon as possible, even if you feel you won't qualify or are automatically qualified. If our application numbers don't increase, we are in jeopardy of losing those grant funds. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Please help us continue to support our students by completing the form that was either mailed to your home address or by logging into the student lunch portal found here: Food Service Account Login. You will need your username and password. If you do not know it, call Becky at 695-8415, or email her here at rkaltenbach@buchananschools.com

Buchanan Athletics will resume on January 16th, 2021. Girls and boys basketball tryouts will be Saturday and Sunday, times will be posted. Please keep an eye out for informational meetings from coaches via google meet. Competitions will begin on January 22nd and winter seasons will finish in March prior to spring season beginning. As of now, sporting events will be limited to two people per athlete and tickets will be sold online to ensure covid protocols are met. Fans who wish to watch the games will also be able to do so on the NFHS network. Links will be posted in advance. All other non-winter sports can resume normal offseason and preseason workouts January 16th, while following covid protocols. If you have any questions, contact Mark Frey at mfrey@buchananschools.com. Go Bucks

Reminders for the Class of 2021 Parents & Students:

Senior pictures for the yearbook should be submitted to rphilip@buchananschools.com by Friday January 8th, 2021.

Your cap and gown should have already been ordered. The deadline was last month.

Here is the direct link:

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productDetail/1064913/Buchanan-High-School/-/1413262552/CATALOG_REPOSITORY/Cap-and-Gown-Unit/1426731096/

If you have any questions, please call the Jostens office at 260-758-9673 or email at
flueckigeroffice@jostens.com.

The down payment ($25) for the senior trip is due by January 29th. The entire cost is due by the end of February. Please submit your payments to Mrs. Hess or Mrs. Neal.

As always, stay informed by visiting the senior website found here: seniors.buchananschools.com

Regretfully we are not able to have the Empty Bowls event this year. This means RAM will not receive a donation from us during this time of great need. We are asking if your family is fortunate to have enough this year, that you consider sending a donation for RAM. Please send your donation to any school office and let them know it is for the Empty Bowls Project. Any amount will help! All donations collected will be given to RAM on behalf of Buchanan Community Schools Empty Bowls project. Checks can be written to Buchanan Community Schools Empty Bowls.

Hopefully we will be able to continue this project next year! Thank you for your patience and community support!

January 5-15 - 8th grade NWEA testing

January 18 - No School - District PD

January 21 - 1/2 day for students (hours 1,2,3)

January 22 - 1/2 day for students (hours 4,5,6)

January 25 - Fresh start! Second Semester Begins

At Buchanan High School, we strive to prepare students for life outside of the academic setting. We are always looking for partnerships within our community to bring real world life experiences to our students. Please reach out to us if you have an idea you'd like to discuss to help our students become successful.

If you call our office, our phone menu has changed, please listen carefully to the new option. Please check out our new Facebook page and like us!

Email: sdemaio@buchananschools.com
Website: www.buchananschools.com
Location: 401 West Chicago Street, Buchanan, MI, USA
Phone: (269) 695-8403
Facebook: facebook.com/BuchananHSBucks
Twitter: @BHS_Bucks