BSD Family Updates

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• Monday, October 10: Indigenous Peoples' Day (no school)
• Friday, October 28: Non-student day (grading day / conference prep for teachers)
• Thursday, November 3 and Friday, November 4: student-led parent/teacher conferences (no school)
• Friday, November 11: Veterans Day (no school)
• Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving break (no school)

Download the academic calendar at www.BremertonSchools.org/Calendar

Providing reliable and safe transportation to and from school each day is a priority for the Bremerton School District. We know many of our families rely on District transportation to get their students to and from school.

As you likely know, we are facing a driver shortage that has led to routes being canceled or combined. This means:

• Some students are experiencing longer bus rides than in previous years;

• Some of our buses are more full than in previous years;

• Buses are running late and pick-up and drop-off times are not consistent, creating challenges for our families;

• We don’t always have bus transportation available for sports and other extracurricular activities.

We know these changes - especially last-minute ones - can be frustrating for our families. We are committed to communicating with families when we have changes or delays. We encourage you to check the daily transportation updates on the District website (BremertonSchools.org/BusUpdates).

Hiring bus drivers is not easy. We are in constant recruitment mode. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about becoming a bus driver or substitute bus driver, please call or email me directly (contact information below). I’m happy to answer your questions. You can also apply online at BremertonSchools.org/Jobs.

Our hope is to hire enough drivers that we can “reverse” some of the route changes we’ve had to make, and provide more consistent transportation for our after-school activities and field trips.

Should you have concerns about your child’s transportation schedule, route, or experience on the bus, please contact my office at 360-473-0507. There may be days when all of the transportation office staff are driving buses and unable to answer calls. Please leave a message and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Again - thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve the bus riding experience for our students.

Sincerely,

Transportation Director
Bremerton School District
360-473-0507
Marco.DiCicco@BremertonSchools.org

Later this month, the Bremerton School Board will launch its stakeholder survey to gather important input from BSD staff, families as well as community members. We hope you will take a moment to participate in this important survey that will guide the Board in their important work of hiring the next Bremerton School District superintendent.

Learn more about about this process at BremertonSchools.org/SupSearch.

You have likely heard or read about about the increase in Fentanyl in our community. The US Drug Enforcement agency recently issued a warning about brightly-colored fentanyl created to target children and youth (see photo >>).

Fentanyl poses a serious risk to our community and our students. Below is some important information about fentanyl and opioid use from the Kitsap Public Health District.

Opioid overdose trends in Kitsap

Opioid-related deaths have increased significantly in Kitsap County, driven in part by the widespread distribution of fentanyl. More than 30 opioid deaths were reported in Kitsap in each of the past two years, and our county’s rate of opioid deaths by population has tripled since 2002. Fentanyl was involved in two out of every three opioid-related deaths reported last year. Find more substance use statistics at kitsappublichealth.org/data.

Everyone in our community can take steps to help prevent overdoses and save lives:

• Assume any pill or powder that is not from a pharmacy could contain fentanyl.
• Know the signs of an opioid overdose, including inability to wake up; slow or no breathing; and blue, gray, or ashy skin, lips or fingernails.
• Carry Naloxone (also called Narcan). Naloxone is a safe and simple medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Naloxone is available at pharmacies without a prescription and can be ordered for free.
• Dispose of unwanted or expired medications using a medication return service

We encourage you to talk to your children about the dangers of fentanyl and opioid use. Below are some additional resources:

• Stopoverdose.org
• Lacedandlethal.org (King County overdose prevention campaign for youth)
• Find treatment options and get more information for you or a loved one by calling the Washington Recovery Helpline at 1-866-789-1511
• Find more local resources on Kitsap County's substance abuse and prevention page

Our principal email addresses are: First.Last@BremertonSchools.org

Please click the graphics below to enlarge!

This month-long event is a time for communities nationwide to prevent bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion through events, activities, and education. Learn more at:

• Stopbullying.gov/
  

• National Bullying Prevention Month from youth.gov

• World Bullying Prevention Month #BlueUp from Stomp Out Bullying

Please contact your child's school or communications@bremertonschools.org

Background photo: The stairwells at Mountain View Middle School's featuring flags from community colleges in the state of Washington.

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, John Welsh at 360.473.1012. 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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