Start with confidence. We are highly qualified educators with a passion and commitment to the Bremerton community. We know how to teach and empower our students. We all made it through the spring. We will persevere and thrive in the fall. Let’s look at this as a once in a lifetime opportunity rather than an obstacle. We’ve got this!

Focus on relationships and engagement. For years we have been focused on building relational capacity, engagement, and a sense of belonging. This year those skills will be needed more than ever to welcome our students and families, make them feel connected, loved, and supported. We’ve got this!

Be courageous, flexible, and kind. Perfection isn’t going to happen this year. Let’s commit to being brave and learning from our marvelous mistakes. Let’s be understanding and flexible we we don’t have all the answers or when things change in an instant… because they will. Let’s remember that we are a family. we are Bremerton, we are in this together. We’ve got this!

This upcoming school year might be the toughest ever to be an educator.

It might also be the most exciting an revolutionary year ever.

Mindset will be critical.

Teachers focus on SEL, relationships, and engagement activities for the first two weeks of school.

• Strong educator-student relationships is the ultimate engagement strategy which is needed now more than ever before in history.

• Relationships lead to increased sense of belonging and trust as well as greater achievement and motivation.

We’ve curated a set of activities and lessons you can use choose to use during the first day and weeks of school.

Back to School / Fall Start:

The Board held a special meeting (via Zoom) on August 18th to approve the plan for reopening Bremerton Schools in September. Districts received a template and guidance from OSPI that included information on health and safety from the Dept. of Health and L&I. The District then surveyed families and staff and, considering all information received, the superintendent’s committee of over 50 staff, community, student and family members, produced a plan to begin the school year remotely. The deadline to submit this to OSPI and the State Board of Education was two weeks before the first day of school.

Regular Meeting – August 20

The consent agenda included the renewal of the Washington Youth Academy Working Agreement and an extension of the Project Management Services Agreement with CKSD for the West Sound Tech modernization project.

Policy News

New! Policy 3220, Freedom of Expression, was adopted by the Board. All staff should review this policy. If you have questions, please contact your supervisor or Assistant Superintendent Iva Scott.

Human Resources presented a revision to Policy 5010, Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action for Board review. This policy will come back to the Board for adoption at the September 3rd meeting.

In alignment with one of their new official Goals for the year, the Board passed Resolution #33, Educational Equity, resolving to "foster an inclusive educational environment where every student, teacher, support professional, parent, and community member is treated with dignity and respect," as well as reinforcing their commitment to "continue fighting for racial justice and human and civil rights for all."

The Board held its first review of the book; How to be Less Stupid about Race by Crystal Erin Fleming. A good conversation about the first two chapters. Their chat at the September 17th meeting will be in review of chapters 3 through 5.

The Bremerton Education Association and the District agreed to minor changes to last year’s Cooperative Working Agreement and roll it over to the coming year with a renewed salary schedule.

The Board also has adopted the District budget for the 2020/2021 school year.

To view any of these documents, visit https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/wabrsd/Board.

Compiled by Ioanna Cossack, Board Secretary

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Both YKids and the Boys & Girls Club have capacity for students for full-day childcare in the fall. YKids will be operating at Crownhill and Armin Jahr. The Boys & Girls Club will be operating out of View Ridge.

For YKids information, call 360-813-1813. See Boys & Girls Club info below.

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Kaiser Permanente is hosting a series of virtual learning webinars, “Here’s to Your Health." Each 30-minute session will focus on how to optimize your personal health in the midst of COVID-19. These webinars will be held on Wednesdays beginning August 26, 2020 and ending November 18, 2020.

The events are offered at no cost and are open to anyone interested in learning about how to engage in healthy activities and learn about resources available.

Participants must register for the webinars HERE.

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• Staff Updates newsletter archives
• Submit ideas or content for the Staff Updates newsletter to: Karen.Bevers@BremertonSchools.org

BSD Staff Updates Newsletter 2019-20 / Issue #24 : 8/26/2020

Website: www.bremertonschools.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BremertonSchools/
Twitter: @BremertonSD