1. No category

CONNECTIONS
BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
52 Institute Road, Burlington, VT 05408 802‐864‐8411 www.bhs.bsdvt.org Amy Mellencamp, Principal, amellenc@bsdvt.org Find us on Facebook at Burlington High School MARCH 30, 2015 THIS WEEK! All 11th graders must report to the BHS Auditorium at 8:05 this Wednesday morning, April 1, during Wednesday Choice Time. Students will receive important information regarding the new national/state SBAC Tests, go to their assigned rooms, and practice on assigned computers as part of a trial test. Please report ON TIME at 8:05 as we have a lot to get done in 45 minutes! Next Tuesday and Wednesday: The actual SBAC 11th tests begin at 8:05 a.m. on April 7 and 8 (English) and 14 and 15 (Math). BHS classes will start at 11:00 these days with Block 2 first, then 3, 4, and 1 in order to coordinate the schedules of students attending BTC classes. Seniors who have morning BTC classes should attend those classes starting at 9:30 as usual. GIVE YOUR OPINION The downtown Burlington Town Center mall is being redeveloped. What would you like to see change and happen in the mall in the next couple of years? Submit your comments in the box on the counter in the Main Office. Thanks to BHS students serving on the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council for working to have student voices counted. Contact Mabel Prine for more information at mprine@bsdvt.org. Thank you to the many students and staff members who supported last the Moving Forward event held Saturday, March 21 at BHS to help families new to Burlington to learn more about community services provided by Burlington Police Department, mental health providers, and the Department for Children and Families. There was a great turnout and positive feedback from parents and community organizations. Special thanks go out to the district's Multilingual Liaisons and on‐call interpreters as well as student volunteers who assisted as guides, servers, babysitters, and clean up crew. Thanks also to Partnership for Change for sponsoring the event and to the various school and community partners for their support with food, transportation, technology, t‐shirts and childcare. For more information, see media coverage of the event at: http://video‐
static.clipsyndicate.com/zStorage/syndicaster2/268/2015/03/21/22/52/550df5e6cdd0.mp4?co_id=1307&syndi_f
eed_id=659 Upcoming Dates and Events April 1: 11th Graders Report at 8:05 in the Auditorium for a Required SBAC Orientation and Practice Session  April 3: Fashion Show for Special Olympics 7:00 p.m. Tickets $6 for students, $12 for adults. Over 35 BHS students participating in this event! Here is the BHS Heroes fundraising website: http://www.gofundme.com/Heroes4SOVT. April 7 & 8: 11th Grade English SBAC Testing 8:00 a.m.; Classes Begin 11:00 in this order (Block 2, 3, 4, 1) April 9: Junior College Night at 7:00 p.m. – All 11th Grade Students and Parents Invited April 10: Parent Coffee 7:45‐8:45 a.m. April 14 & 15: 11th Grade Math SBAC Testing 8:00 a.m.; Classes Begin 11:00 (Block 2, 3, 4, 1) April 14: 9/10th Grade Class Meeting on Advisories 10:20 a.m. before Classes Begin at 11:00 





Parent Opportunities 

The next parent meeting is Junior College Night on Thursday, April 9th at 7:00 p.m. dedicated to 11th graders and their parents, although other parents are welcome. Presented by the BHS Guidance Office, the focus is on college admissions including key dates and deadlines, college testing, and ways to approach the college and university search. The next “Parent Coffee with the Principal” is now Friday, April 10 7:45‐8:45 a.m. All are invited to bring questions and topics for discussion. BHS School News On Friday, March 27th, 78 students and 8 staff BHS Heroes participated in the Sleep Out for Spectrum Youth and Family Services, braving colder than expected temperatures and winds to walk the shoes of people who are homeless during the winter. Thank you to so many in the school community for donating to this great cause and raising over $11,000 in funds for Spectrum. Thank you to Domino’s Pizza on North Avenue, Starbucks on Shelburne Road, and the Bagel Café in the North Avenue Shopping Center for their donations and support! Check out a story on the event at: http://www.mychamplainvalley.com/story/d/story/students‐sleepout‐for‐a‐
cause/22969/hBz71BIEd0mjx1hG99Ub4Q The BHS Scholars Bowl Team finished Second in the Vermont State Championship this weekend, defeating S. Burlington and CVU in the quarter‐finals and semi‐finals before narrowly losing to Essex. Congratulations to the entire team and their nimble handling of some very tough questions: Isaiah Mindich, Sterling Ford, Bobby Treadwell, Oscar Smith, Mary Markley, Ben Hunt, and coaches David Rome and Kevin Commo. BHS Register and Oread staff members participated in National High School Journalism Conference at Columbia University in New York City, gaining new ideas and strategies to put into action at BHS. Thanks to teachers David Lamberti and Francesca Villella for taking students to this opportunity. Two BHS students have qualified for the National Chemistry Olympiad Exam at Norwich University: Amila Semic and Kaysi Herrera‐Pujols. Twenty of the top scoring students on this National Exam are invited to a two‐week, chemistry camp in June at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Good luck! Welcome back Jill Kelley, English Teacher, and Molly Dubois, Music Teacher, after their family leaves. We thank Caity Bryant (English) and Marshall Dominguez (Music) for their teaching during these leaves. Molly came back just in time to be recognized for her technology skills and prowess with the State of Vermont Project IGNITE Technology Teacher Award. Thanks to Vitaliy Kulapin, BHS Tech Integrationist, for nominating Molly and her creative work for recognition. Filipe Adamowicz and Gabe Mason were featured on WCAX describing how the BHS Lacrosse Team is taking advantage of new technology to review game films and develop game strategy. Thanks to coach Mike Arcovitch for working with students on this new continuous improvement system: http://www.wcax.com/category/166239/video‐landing‐
page?clipId=11276852&autostart=true. Chemistry teacher Molly Health and Amy Dickson, Teaching Learning Coordinator for Partnership for Change, presented at the New England Secondary Schools Consortium Conference in Massachusetts, an annual gathering of New England high school teachers presenting school transformation work. Molly and Amy provided classroom examples of how proficiency‐based learning works, based on the core principle that students must demonstrate that they have met clear learning expectations in a course at a proficient level, relearning and repeating work as needed until students attain proficiency. Joey Donovan, Burlington State Representative and BHS grandmother, received the Vermont champion award at the conference for her legislative work on flexible pathways, personal learning plans, and school innovation efforts. The BHS History Club had an outstanding 2015 Vermont State History Day Contest. The following students earned top prizes: Khadijo Ibrahim, 1st Place Individual Exhibit; Moriah Lasker, Savannah Blow, Rachel Cohn‐Guthrie and Charles Knoll 1st Place Group Website; Anna Marchessault, Barbara Turnball, and Lucie Hladik 1st Place Group Exhibit; Brooke Hossley and Ena Ibrisimovic, 2nd Place International Award; Javier Nsengiyumva 2nd Place Individual Performance; and William Sutton, Forest Elliot, and Oscar Smith 2nd Place Group Website. Congratulations as well to top performers Lia Burchard and Hannah Fitzgerald; Charlotte Looby; and Nea Arentzen and Natalie Bullock. Thank you to teacher Terry Buehner for all her work in supporting these student accomplishments! College Information Night
for Juniors and their Parents/Guardians
Thursday, April 9, 2015
7:00 pm
BHS Cafeteria





Join us to learn more about the college search and application process.
Hear from a panel of current seniors and parents about what
they have learned from their experiences.
Get information about steps in the process.
Review ACT and SAT requirements.
Learn about resources for college searches and visits.
BHS school counselors will answer frequently asked questions.
Canadian College Fair The Canadian College Fair is April 14 at S. Burlington High School from 6:30‐8:30 (panel discussion 6:30‐7:00, meet with college representatives 7:00‐8:30). There are many high school, financially attractive options for college and university study in Canada. Come check it out! Contact dberetta@sbschool.net for further information. Public Talk to Focus on Life After High School A public talk entitled “Life After High School: What Next?” will be offered at South Burlington High School, Monday, April 13, 6:30‐
8:30 p.m., featuring students, alumni, and educators from South Burlington High School, Big Picture South Burlington, St. Michael’s College, and the University of Vermont. The talk, designed for high school seniors and their parents/guardians, will look at issues that impact 18 to 23 year olds as they transition to life after high school. Topics will include social transitions, responsibility, challenges of being an athlete after high school, personal/social resources, alcohol/other drug issues, helicopter parents, and mental health. A question‐and‐answer period will follow. Refreshments will be served. For further information, please call 238‐1054. This event is a collaboration of South Burlington High School, Big Picture South Burlington, St. Michael’s College, the University of Vermont, and the Junior League of the Champlain Valley. Student Opportunity A new free baseball program for students with physical or intellectual disabilities is forming. Find out the more about the Vermont Challenger League at this site: http://sports.bluesombrero.com/vtd1. BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL: OUR VISION AND MISSION
Burlington High School is an innovative, equitable, and collaborative community of learners inspiring and
shaping a dynamic and sustainable future for Burlington.


We build on the diverse cultures, experiences, and interests of our students and community to support
student-centered learning and foster intellectual growth.
We partner with families and the community at large to help our students develop the skills to become
independent, self-directed, and lifelong learners who contribute responsibly to our world.
Our mission is to challenge all students to achieve at their highest levels and to demonstrate Critical
Thinking and Problem Solving, Effective Communication, Cross-Cultural Understanding and Civic
Engagement, Personal Development, and Curiosity and Creativity.