BPS District Newsletter
Honoring a Hero
(Pictured L-R School Committee Chair Emily Berry, Mr. Kelsch and his family and Superintendent Dr. Kerri Quinlan-Zhou)
Bourne Middle School employee John Kelsch was recognized at tonight’s School Committee meeting for the heroism he recently exhibited. On September 9th while at his home residence, he rescued a driver that had hit a tree and their vehicle was on fire. We are certainly proud of Mr. Kelsch actions.
Welcome Back!
Dear BPS Families,,
As we begin the process of creating our district’s new 5-year Strategic Plan, I found myself reflecting on the tremendous growth and strides we have made over the past few years as we have reimagined education at the Bourne Public Schools.
Through the work of our incredible educators and support personnel, BPS provides innovative educational programming and more opportunities for our students. However, we are never satisfied with where we stand and are always striving to improve the ways in which we educate and develop our students and the services and instruction we provide.
The new Strategic Plan will serve as the blueprint and foundation for our success over the next five years and from residents to alumni to parents and families, the Bourne community will play a vital role in its creation.
This plan will not be built by one person or group of people. It will be built by all of you who have a stake in our success. We are looking at a variety of ways in which to gather your input and feedback throughout this process, including surveys, focus groups, and a steering committee.
A Parent/Community Member Focus Group will be held Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. in the BHS Media Center and all are welcome to attend. A community survey will also be sent out in early October.
We want to hear about what you are proud of and where you think we need to be focusing our energies in the coming years.
Although many in our community are familiar with the great changes and innovations we have made recently, it is always a pleasure to discuss how great our schools are. Personally, I believe that the Bourne Public Schools is a hidden gem and one of Cape Cod’s best-kept secrets.
While there have been many positive changes throughout the district, the most dramatic changes can be seen at the high school with several DESE-recognized Innovation Pathways and multiple College and Career Pathways to graduation. Every student now takes Career Explorations, Financial Literacy, and First Aid classes, and a Senior Internship that prepares each to be successful upon graduation. We are also continuing to strengthen important partnerships with organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Mass. Maritime, and local businesses.
We are proud to announce that Bourne is one of 15 school districts in the state selected to work in the prestigious MIT Media Lab, where teachers will be learning about the impact of Artificial Intelligence in education.
As we move forward, we will not lose sight of what makes BPS so special. We will always foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. We actively help students to feel safe in our schools and strive to engage students, families, and the community through our Building Bridges engagement initiative.
We have continued our outstanding performing and visual arts programs at all levels including our award-winning musicians and drama productions.
We have also carried on our strong traditions in athletics with multiple conference and state championships.
Students in grades K-12 have hands-on experiential learning in subjects like STEAM, library and computer science. And, we have a personalized approach to learning in our What I Need (WIN) groupings that meet every learner where they are and push them to become better.
As we forge new paths forward, I ask that you join us in celebrating the strides we have made and help us build a brighter future. Together we can continue to reimagine education at the Bourne Public Schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Zhou
All Smiles for the First Weeks of School
BMS students ready to go
BES Students using math manipulatives
BIS students on the first spirit day
BIS Staff
SROs and K9 Officer Callie
BHS Students using the Anamonage Tables
Student Achievement
Melanie Luecke is Awarded for Artistic Achievement
Melanie a junior at BHS has been awarded the Judges Choice Award in the Fish Category for her original artwork in the 2024 Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME) Art Contest. This contest, which has been running for over 20 years, is co-sponsored by several prestigious research entities, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) - Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and the Ocean Genome Project, Northeastern University.
This original piece was created by Melanie in Mr. Silva's Independent Advanced Art II course. It was also exhibited in the BHS 2024 Art Show and featured in the BHS 2024 yearbook. Her achievement is a reflection not only of her technical skill, but of her incredible drive for originality and intense passion for traditional fine arts, which she has pursued with immense dedication and enthusiasm at BHS.
BHS and BMS Recognized by Special Olympics
Bourne High School Girls Volleyball Team Earns 2024 AVCA Team Academic Award
The Bourne High School girls volleyball team has earned
the 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.
The AVCA Team Academic Award is distributed to collegiate and high school varsity
volleyball programs whose members maintain a year-long grade-point average of at
least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale) during the recently completed
academic year. This award demonstrates each teammate's dedication to classroom
excellence during the volleyball season.
The Bourne High School girls volleyball team also received the distinction of AVCA
Team Academic Honor Roll, representing the top 20 percent of GPAs in their
division. To read the entire story click here.
Canalmen Athletics Round up
The athletic season is off to a great start. Student-athletes have been working hard, developing dynamic team chemistry and emulating our B2B expectations. The athletic teams have seamlessly integrated our grade 8 athletes into competitive high school sport situations. This is in large part due to the outstanding leadership skills of our upperclassmen. Meet the Coach Night set the tone for our fall season. Our keynote speakers Mark and Quinton Champagne of Champagne Talks inc. discussed the importance of mental health and opening up constructive dialogue between athletes and coaches. The feedback from both students and parents was overwhelmingly positive. Good luck to our teams this fall.
Fall
Cross Country- Coach Ziehl
Football-Coach McIntyre
Golf-Coach Weston
Boys Soccer-Coach Arki
Girls Soccer-Coach Sullivan
Volleyball-Coach Moore
Field Hockey-Co-op with Wareham
Unified Basketball
Welcome to our New Coaches:
Football-Rick Paling assistant
Girls Soccer- Taylor Murkland assistant
Volleyball-Nealyn Dunlop assistant
School Committee Update
School Improvement Plans (SIPs) for the current school year were presented and approved for all four schools. These yearly plans outline how each school will continue to build community, provide equity and strive for excellence. Approved plans can be viewed at the following links:
In addition to discussing the Summer Enrichment and Extended School Year via a slide show Update, there were extensive presentations about the opening of the 2024-2025 school year.
In other business, the School Committee proclaimed September 21 through September 29, 2024, as Blue Star Families Welcome Week to recognize new military families to our community. They also heard the proclamation from the Bourne Board of Select about Sucide Prevention Month and heard information about Bourne High school’s new Hope Squad chapter. Addison Dion was introduced as the Student Advisory representative to the School Committee and John Kelsh was recognized for his bravery.
Next School Committee Meeting is October 2, 2024
All meetings can be found on the BPS website on the School Committee tab as well as the Town of Bourne website. All School Committee meetings are open to the public and can also be viewed live and on demand on Bourne TV.In case you missed it...
Press Release: Bourne Public Schools Announces Ellen McLaughlin as New Bourne Elementary School Assistant Principal & Pre-K Coordinator
Press Release: Bourne Public Schools Announces Stephanie Burns as New Elementary Special Education Coordinator
Press Release: Bourne Public Schools Appoints Ellen Trott as New Assistant Principal of Bourne Intermediate School
Informational Email: Benchmark Assessments 2024-2025
Informational Email: Military Survey
Upcoming Events
September 19, 2024,10-11AM, Building Bridges Canal Walk (see flyer)
September 19, 2024,5:00-8:00 PM, BIS Back to School Night
September 24, 2024,6:00-7:00 PM, National Honor Society Induction Ceremony
September 26, 2024, Step Up and College & Career Day Sept 26th
September 26, 2024,5:30-7:00 PM, BMS Back to School Night
September 30, 2024,5:30-6:30, BIS, EL Parent/Family Night
September 30-Oct. 4, 2024, Canalmen Spirit Week!
October 2, 2024, Custodian Appreciation Day
October 3, 2024,4:00-7:00 PM, BHS, Parent Teacher Conferences
October 3, 2024,7:00 PM, BHS Jackson Field, Homecoming Game
See the BPS District Events Calendar on the website for all upcoming events