Aug. 19, 2011
Dear Parents, Students, Faculty and Staff:
It is my pleasure to welcome you back to another exciting school year. Summer is a time for rest, relaxation and preparation for the year ahead. I trust that your summer vacation has provided you with all three.
It is extremely important as we begin the new year, that we do so with a preset goal and purpose. The mission of any public school is clear. It is, in brief, to fully develop the social, emotional, academic and physical strengths and talents of the student body for the betterment of our society as a whole. In order to be successful in this undertaking, it is my opinion that each member of our school community has a vital role to play. Our students must come to school prepared for the challenges set before them, willing to take risks and push the boundaries of their comfort zones in order to achieve mastery. At the same time, the faculty must come to school ready to deliver a rich and diverse curriculum that will afford the students a deeper understanding of the world around them and prepare them for their role in it. For our parents, it is essential that you value and fervently promote your children and their pursuits at BKW. This can be accomplished in many ways, but nothing is more valuable than your involvement on a daily basis in your children’s lives both during and after the school day.
Gone are the days where we can accept mediocrity. The notion of “good enough” or “I passed” cannot be accepted. Rather they need to be replaced with “I can and will do better next time.” This must be followed by the hard work and commitment that it takes to bring success to fruition. This goes for each and every one of us. Our children, students, school and in fact nation depends on this and I know that we can achieve it!
We have made several adjustments and additions to the schedule, course offerings and resources available for this year to provide the best opportunities for our students.
To name a few:
• NovaNet has expanded from 5 to 10 ports allowing more students to regain credit during the school year.
• Electives have been created to give students additional opportunities for academic course work and more choices in how to pursue it.
• BKW Connects (Parent Portal) has left the pilot phase and is now available to all families in grades 6-12. This will give parents current academic and demographic information about their children and their progress thus facilitating improved communications about the successes and challenges that arise.
• The secondary curriculum is currently outlined and identified to meet the New York learning standards. We are continuing to adjust and improve our program to better meet the student’s needs in an ever changing world.
Aside from our aforementioned aspirations, there is also the very important and real aspect of having our community take pride in our school. Assisting with this is our facility expansion and overhaul. This summer has been a very busy time on campus. For those of you who have not been by school, the building project is in full swing. The campus has been a beehive of activity in order to maximize the amount of work that can be completed during the summer thereby minimizing its impact during the school year. As a result, the project has taken great strides forward. The new locker rooms and weight room are nearly completed as are the renovations to the auditorium. The new addition is also closed in and work is well underway for the renovations to the gymnasium. It has been very exciting to see the progress that has taken place in a very short time. As anyone who has been involved with any building project knows, the benefits often come with brief periods of noise and inconvenience. With that in mind, please rest assured that we will do our very best to keep any impact to our academic and athletic program to an absolute minimum.
In closing, I would ask for each of you to give some thought prior to September 9th about how you can and will work to make our school a shining example of the power of a common purpose, a collective effort and a relentless pursuit of mastery. We all have a role in this. The key is to finding your role and committing to it regardless of how difficult or challenging it may become.
I look forward to seeing you all at Open House on September 15, at 6:30 p.m. if not sooner.
Tom McGurl
Secondary School Principal
District HOME
