Bristol County Agricultural High School: September 2022

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

School Assembly: Today we hosted Motivational Speaker Jason Cross who had a great message for our students, "Seize today, so you can own tomorrow!" Feedback from our students and staff was overwhelmingly positive. #BAPride #SetGoals #Discipline #Dedication #Consistency

Special Education

We have partnered with other vocational schools in the area to offer more SEPAC opportunities this year for those who are interested. The first of which will be the Parent Rights Presentation being presented by Diman Regional this coming Thursday. If there are any parents who have ideas and requests for future presentation topics or would like to get more involved in SEPAC please reach out to Mrs. Ashley Dodd Special Education Director at adodd@bcahs.com so you can be connected with other parents and have your thoughts heard!

In the Classroom:

Senior History Class: Bristol Aggie seniors and National Honor Society members Angelina Araujo, Emily Santos and Allison Quinlan, along with other students, served as community service volunteers by helping with the Thai chili pepper harvest at the Watnawamin Thai Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center in Raynham. Angelina and Emily shared pictures with Ms. Peixe's Honors Comparative Philosophies and Religions class, which is currently studying Buddhism. Angelina and Emily particularly noted that the Eightfold Path, which their class had recently learned about, is inscribed on a wall at the temple.

History: On Wednesday, freshmen in Ms. Costa's class were conducting a simulation of the Continental Congress deliberating over the Articles of Confederation. #BAPride

Entomology: On Wednesday, juniors in Mrs. Duffy's entomology class were inspecting leaves for insects. #BAPride

History: On Monday, Seniors in Ms. Hissey's class worked on Hindu designs. #BAPride

Student Services;

Class of 2023 Fundraiser

Family, Friends, and Supporters of BCAHS Class of 2023,

We are officially kicking off our fundraiser with Charleston Wrap® – and we need YOUR help!

With over 2,500 gift ideas there is something for everyone on your holiday gift list which means your support can really help us reach our goal!

Use the link below to shop!

Charleston Wrap

Massachusetts Releases 2022 MCAS and Accountability Results

Additional programs and supports will help with continued recovery

MALDEN – The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released 2022 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results today, providing the state with its second overview of statewide learning since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results on the spring 2022 MCAS tests were mixed, with math and science scores improving since 2021, and English language arts (ELA) scores declining. Overall results when compared to pre-pandemic levels show continued need for improvement.

“These results show that it may take a few years for students to recover academically from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students need more time learning, whether it is in the form of tutoring, acceleration academies, early literacy, after school programs or summer learning,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. “We have committed approximately $130 million in federal and state funds to these efforts. We know school districts are using these funds to increase instructional time and implement other proven strategies for improving student outcomes.”

Since spring 2020, students have lost in-person class time both when their school buildings were closed at the start of the pandemic and, later, if they themselves had COVID-19. The Department introduced the test-and-stay program in August 2021 to keep kids in school after they were exposed to COVID-19. More than 90 percent of schools participated in the test-and-stay program at some point during the 2021-22 school year, which saved more than 1 million days of school.

The Department will continue to use federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to help districts address the effects of the pandemic, and districts can also use their own ESSER funds to do so. In May 2021, DESE released the Acceleration Roadmap, which maps out student support and academic priorities and can be helpful in planning ESSER-funded efforts.

The Department has also helped schools carve out additional time for instruction. Acceleration Academies – voluntary intensive programs held during vacation weeks – existed before the pandemic but have grown to include summer sessions, too. The Department has committed approximately $1 million in state funds and $16 million from the state’s share of federal ESSER funds for Acceleration Academies during the current school year and into next summer.

Other grants and supports include those through the Mass Literacy and Growing Literacy Equity across Massachusetts (GLEAM) initiatives, which are designed to encourage and spread the use of evidence-based strategies for literacy instruction. The Governor also dedicated $13.7 million for early literacy tutoring, screening, and evaluation supports from the federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds.

“We know that with time and the right supports, our students can achieve and exceed their previous successes,” said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley. “We also continue to work with teachers and districts to improve early literacy instruction and, through deeper learning initiatives, make Massachusetts schools more relevant, engaging and creative places to be a student or teacher.”

Also today, DESE released 2022 accountability information, the first since 2019. However, under federal flexibility granted for one year, DESE will report less accountability data than usual. This year’s information includes data on accountability indicators (download) such as graduation and chronic absenteeism rates, and it also includes school percentiles. It does not include determinations of each district and school’s need for assistance or intervention, nor does it include targets for districts or measures of their progress toward those targets. All schools previously identified by the Commissioner as Underperforming or Chronically Underperforming have maintained that status as part of today’s release, and each school’s status will be evaluated by the Commissioner in the coming weeks. Additionally, the Commissioner will not be designating any new schools as Underperforming or Chronically Underperforming.

A note about recent MCAS test administrations: When considering this year’s test results and how to compare them to previous years, it is helpful to remember that, due to the pandemic, there were variations in how MCAS was administered over the last few years:

2019: Full tests in grades 3-8 and high school
2020: No MCAS tests administered
2021: Half tests in grades 3-8, full tests in high school
2022: Full tests in grades 3-8 and high school

MCAS scores will be available online at https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/nextgenmcas.aspx. District and school accountability data will be available at https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/accountability.aspx.

MCAS 2022: Below is the Bristol Aggie data from the spring MCAS. Click here for the school profile.

Homecoming Proposals:

We are back with Part II of our Lunchtime Tips Videos

Once again, a big thanks goes out to students and staff who helped create this helpful YouTube video.

Check it out

Lunch Time Tips Part II: Sorting Food Waste & Recycling

Thank you Tyler!

Thank you Emily!

Thank you Kai!

Thank you Abigail

Thank you Ms. Sylvia!

Thank you to our food service staff!

Some students have taken advantage of good offerings in our school library including many great new fiction and non-fiction titles recently added to our collection.

Catch just some of the students “leafing through” books –Danna, Trent, Tim, Joey, and Jason - thank you for your enthusiasm and interest!