On Wednesday, September 4th, the class of 2017 will arrive at BHS to participate in freshmen orientation. When the remaining students join them on Thursday, September 5th, BHS will collectively begin the 2013-2014 school year. We trust that families have had an enjoyable summer vacation and, like us, are looking forward to the excitement and challenges that wait at school. Over the summer, BHS has welcomed a number of new staff members, and added a couple of new teaching positions due to the largesse of the town and the school committee. We particularly thank Mayor Joseph Sullivan for the ongoing commitment and resources that he has helped secure for the education of Braintree’s students.
In terms of staffing, this year we will be joined by alumnus Stephanie O’Brien, who will teach biology in the science department. Melissa Heller will join our foreign language team and Steve Trocki will teach in our special education program. Courtney Wheeler from the middle school will find herself in front of much larger English pupils as she joins our staff, as will Bryan Graveling, who will teach in physical education. Kristen Owens and Matthew Babbitt will serve in long-term substitute positions in physical education and math respectively. We have also had some internal moves which will see Heather Tomassian working with our pre-school, Megan Peterson teaching health, and Laura Lebo transitioning into our special education department. Finally, Lisa Murphy will be returning to the school to continue her work with the English department. We continue to work on filling some last-minute vacancies, but feel confident we will have everyone in place for the start of the new year.
Parents will again be able to follow their child’s academic progress through the use of the parent portal, and information will be coming home to families early this year explaining how to access your child’s account. Progress reports this year will be done through the portal, and we will be communicating with parents further as to this process. The school’s handbook is also available through our school website at http://www.gpvillage.com/bhs/home, as we modernize our communication systems and save countless trees. Parents without adequate access can receive a hard-copy of the handbook through their house office. We will also be starting the New England Association of Schools & Colleges accreditation process, which will involve a survey done by Endicott College of all BHS families, focused on your experiences with Braintree High School. The fall will also see improvements being made to our gymnasium, as new bleachers are to be installed in time for the winter sports season.
We begin the new year with excitement and promise. As the evenings grow noticeably brisker and the sun sets inexorably earlier, the call of the school year is unmistakable. Welcome back to BHS to all of our families. Enjoy the long weekend before you.
