Welcome Back!

The First Week

"Buses and Lunch"

Buses - There is an expression among principals the first week of school often referred to as buses and lunch. These two important items represent the majority of concerns that arise during the opening week each year and this year is no different. The traffic pattern entering and exiting BMHS has changed significantly this year and will take a little while for everyone to become acclimated/comfortable. Last Wednesday was the first day of regular arrival involving all students arriving at the same time. The buses completed their drop off by 7:10 a.m. as they adjusted to the new stops on their routes. By Friday all buses had departed by 7:05 a.m. and the parent drop off line had dissipated by 7:10 a.m. After all buses have dropped off in the morning we will open the bus lane for parent drop off. We will continue to have people outside assisting everyone during both drop off and pick up. In the afternoon our buses arrive in waves because the high school is picked up after all Middle School students have been brought home. The first wave usually departs the high school by 2:10 p.m. while the second wave departs by 2:15 p.m. Bus #3 is typically the last bus to arrive because they have the Middle School run which transports students to the Pinehurst area before returning to the high school for pick up. Bus #3 usually arrives by 2:20 p.m. After all buses have picked up our students in the afternoon, we will again open the bus lane for parents.

Lunches - Last spring we experimented with the elimination of our second lunch sitting "B lunch." The experiment was well received as it eliminated the need to split class time and was the least attended lunch for that same reason. We decided we would continue with the experiment during the beginning of this school year. We worked in conjunction with Food Services to ensure that they could manage all the students in a timely manner and we had enough seats for all students. During the first week, we have had all administrators in the café during lunch time to make sure we had a first hand account of how things were running. The early returns have been mixed. The Food Service Department has done a terrific job with lunch lines and minimizing wait times. Currently, the wait times this year have been quicker than last year with three lunches. We verified that we would have enough seats for all students (with some extra), but the challenge has been students wanting to sit at certain tables that have limited seats available. By reducing from three to two lunches students have improved their chances of having lunch with their friends from 33% to 50%. We have not heard the typical concern of not having any friends at lunch. Instead we are hearing there are not enough seats. During each lunch we have had at least 1 table open. I fully acknowledge that students may have difficulty sitting next to people they may not know and some have spent the first few days trying to identify the best place to sit with friends. The courtyard (adjacent to the café) has been open for students to go during lunch as well as the Innovation Café (in the library/media center). We have increased the lunch time for students as well. The bell releasing the students to lunch provides them 5 minutes to arrive at the café before the lunch period officially begins. Some students may take the full 5 minutes to arrive, but the majority do not need the 5 minutes. The official lunch period is 25 minutes before the bell rings providing them another 5 minutes to travel back to class. Therefore the least amount of time students have is 25 minutes, while many others will have more than 30 minutes. We will continue to monitor the lunch period to make sure there are available seats and students have enough time to eat. We left the B lunch period in the schedule in case we need to implement during the school year.

Billerica Blast

For the new members of the BMHS Community the Billerica Blast is an all night event for our graduating seniors following Graduation. The Blast Committee raises funds throughout the year to support the events that take place during the evening. This year the committee will be selling lawn signs during Yankee Doodle Weekend. Feel free to stop by their table and support our Class of 2017.

 

$10 each....all four years available. Cash and carry what is in stock.  Then order.  

Any sport/club available. Orders will be taken at Yankee Doodle or can be sent to the BLAST box at the main office. 

New Security Protocols

The new security protocols implemented for BMHS have begun with minimal issues. Just a reminder that you need to enter through the main entrance (under the awning) nearest the Fire Station off Tom Glavine Way. The security officer on duty will require a state issued ID to allow entry into the building. We are also working to employ student guides since we know the building is not the most user friendly for those that visit infrequently.

Technology

If anyone has an AOL email account they may not be receiving email from the school district. If you have an AOL account, please contact the school to ensure you are able to receive email communication

The district will be moving away from Edline as an educational partner. A new web site has been under development and will be launching this fall. The goal is to minimize the number of locations parents and students will have to visit to access pertinent information for the academics, athletics, and co-curricular activities. Since most people access information through their smart phones I am providing some apps that may be helpful this year.

• Twitter - There a number of Twitter accounts for BMHS that provide timely information. @BMHSIndians is our main feed and @BMHS_Athletics provides timely coverage of games, practices, and results. There are more than 25 Twitter accounts for BMHS classes, clubs, and teams.
• ASMobile - this app is connected to rSchool Today and provides schedules for all athletic teams' as well as rosters and standings.
• Aspen X2 has a mobile platform, but does not have a separate app. If you use your phone's web browser it will load Aspen in a mobile friendly platform.
• Google Apps for Education (GAPE) - All students have a Google account that allows them to access email and the platform of Google apps available to the district.

School Picture Day

Monday, September 19 will be school picture day. Students will be receiving order forms in Advisory this Tuesday to bring home. Since I have a high school student at home I am aware that not everything that the school asks the students to bring home actually makes it there. There will be forms that can be downloaded from the BMHS web site - BMHS Picture Day

Summer Reading Discussion Groups

This Friday we will be hosting our annual summer reading discussion groups.

Students should go online to sign up for their summer reading group before the end of the day on Monday. The link was emailed to all students and is available on the school website. All students should sign up for a book that a teacher read, or should use the last sign up option if they read something else. Book discussion groups will take place on Friday, September 16. Students should speak with their English teacher or Mrs. Dyer if they have questions.

This Week In Athletics

Monday, Sep 12, 2016
Time	Event	Details
3:30pm	Golf: JV Match	vs. Burlington @ Billerica Country Club
3:30pm	Golf: Varsity Match	Lowell Catholic @ Pine Valley Country Club
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016
Time	Event	Details
3:30pm	Swimming:Girls Varsity Meet	vs. Chelmsford @ Billerica Memorial High School
3:45pm	Soccer:Girls Varsity Game	vs. Chelmsford @ Billerica Memorial High School Alumni Field
3:45pm	Soccer:Girls JV Game	vs. Chelmsford @ Marshall Middle School
5:00pm	Soccer:Boys JV Game	Chelmsford @ Simonian Stadium, Chelmsford
6:30pm	Soccer:Boys Varsity Game	Chelmsford @ Simonian Stadium, Chelmsford
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016
Time	Event	Details
3:30pm	Cross Country:Girls Varsity Meet	vs. Lowell @ Vietnam Veteran's Park Cross Country
3:30pm	Cross Country:Boys Varsity Meet	vs. Lowell @ Vietnam Veteran's Park Cross Country
3:45pm	Volleyball:Girls Freshman Game	Andover @ Andover High School
3:45pm	Volleyball:Girls JV Game	Andover @ Andover High School
5:00pm	Volleyball:Girls Varsity Game	Andover @ Andover High School
Thursday, Sep 15, 2016
Time	Event	Details
3:30pm	Golf: Varsity Match	vs. Haverhill @ Billerica Country Club
3:45pm	Football: Sophomore Game	vs. Central Catholic @ Marshall Middle School Calabrese Stadium
Friday, Sep 16, 2016
Time	Event	Details
3:30pm	Swimming:Girls Varsity Meet	Dracut Senior @ Greater Lowell Technical School
3:45pm	Football:Boys Freshman Game	vs. Andover @ Billerica Memorial High School Calabrese Stadium
4:00pm	Soccer:Girls Freshman Game	vs. Lowell @ Dutile Elementary School
4:00pm	Volleyball:Girls JV Game	vs. Chelmsford @ Billerica Memorial High School
4:00pm	Volleyball:Girls Freshman Game	vs. Chelmsford @ Billerica Memorial High School
5:00pm	Volleyball:Girls Varsity Game	vs. Chelmsford @ Billerica Memorial High School
5:15pm	Soccer:Boys Freshman Game	vs. Lowell @ Dutile Elementary School
7:00pm	Cheerleading: Varsity Game	Andover @ Lovely Field
7:00pm	Football: Varsity Game	Andover @ Lovely Field
Saturday, Sep 17, 2016
Time	Event	Details
9:00am	Cross Country:Boys Varsity Invitational	Tewksbury Memorial High School @ Livingston Street Fields
9:00am	Cross Country:Girls Varsity Invitational	Tewksbury Memorial High School @ Livingston Street Fields
10:00am	Soccer:Girls Varsity Game	vs. Woburn @ Billerica Memorial High School Alumni Field
10:00am	Soccer:Girls JV Game	vs. Woburn @ Dutile Elementary School