Aggie Weekly- August 28th

Good Morning Students, Parents, and Community Members:

As we prepare to go back to school (Hooray!), we held two virtual meetings last night to help clarify our expectations.  Please watch the video(es) if you were not able to attend the live sessions.  There is valuable information that was discussed and the audience asked excellent questions that you may also have asked.  We look forward to seeing our students in person (Freshman and Seniors) and virtually (Sophomores and Juniors) on September 17th.  Stay tuned for more information.  

BCAHS Fall Reentry Plan (Updated 8.28.20)

Virtual Town Hall Meeting 8.27.20:   It was a great meeting with you virtually yesterday through Zoom and FB live.  Thank you for attending. We had approximately 130 students and parents joining us.  Here are the resources from the meeting: 

• Virtual Town Hall Presentation

• Recorded Zoom Town Hall Meeting

• Top 5 Need to Know Topics (see video and presentation for more details)

• Face Mask Policy

• Bring Your Own Device Policy

• Hybrid Schedule

• Transportation and Dining

• What happens if someone gets COVID?

• DUE Sunday, August 30th @ 9:00 pm

• Bristol Aggie Student Return Plan

• Beginning of the Year Paperwork (PPI) 

• BCAHS Device Request (only complete if you are requesting a device)

• Student Driver Application (Must have license and a car to drive)

• Bristol Aggie Student Return Plan- Every student must complete the form by Sunday, August 30th at 9:00 pm.  You are selecting for the entire first quarter.  Please watch the video from the meeting for more information.  

• Beginning of the Year Paperwork (PPI) Due Sunday, August 30th at 9:00 pm.  This is all virtual.  Do not send in signed paperwork as we are trying to limit paper contact. 

• BCAHS Device Request: If you need a loaned device from the school, please fill out this form.  If you have a device from last spring, please drop it off the week of Monday, August 31-Thursday, September 3 from 8:00-3:00 pm so we can update the computer.  

• Transportation Routes and Parent Letter 

• Virtual Tours/Directions: Basement, First Floor, Second Floor

• Free and Reduced Application

• Drop Off/Pick Up (Virtual Town Hall Presentation Slide 12): Please watch the presentation before contacting the main office with questions. 

Gilbert Hall Hallway Diagrams (Virtual Town Hall Presentation Slide 16): Videos are embedded into the arrows to provide more clarification.  NOTE: Links do not work on the images below as they are screenshots.  Please access the Virtual Town Hall Presentation starting on slide 16.  

Freshman Orientation 8.27.20: 

• Freshman Orientation Presentation

• Freshman Orientation Zoom Recorded Link

• Stay Informed: 

• School Website

• Check PowerSchool at minimum every two weeks (that’s when teachers are required to update their grades)

• Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, and the Blog which hosts our weekly newsletter.  Please see directions below on how to stay connected. The blog also features our Twitter and Facebook so you can stay informed about both at the same time.  

• Expectations: 

• Cell Phones: Off/Out of Sight → Saturday Detention

• Attendance: Students are allowed 3 unexcused absences/ 4 unexcused = Saturday Detention

• Dress Code: No low cut tops, ripped jeans, and wear boots in the shop (hard soled boots).  Remember when you come to BA, you come to work!

• PTO: Join the PTO and get involved. Stay tuned for more information on how you can get involved.  Online apparel website coming soon.

• Why did you choose BA?: 

• Remember we have high expectations.  Don’t ask us to break our rules for your child. 

• Discipline is fair, firm, and consistent. 

• It Takes a Village: We need your help! Stay involved and don’t think that just because your child is in high school you do not need to be involved.  Check grades ever 2 weeks on PowerSchool.  If you do not have access, contact Mr. Higgins (BHiggins@bcahs.com). 

• In addition to your continued support our determination as a staff, and our core values allow us to build students who have grit and strong ethic.  

• Rigorous Academics: 

• 100% Graduation rate

• 100% pass the MCAS

• Advanced Placement = college credit

• ELA: AP Literature

• History: AP World

• Science: AP Biology

• Math: AP Statistics (2021)

• BA After Dark: Once after school activities resume, we encourage students to get involved.

• Fresh Start: You get to decide who you want to be. We offer several opportunities for success.  Seize the moment.  Remember you were 120 out of 420 applicants.

• Transportation Services:

•  Families Transportation Letter 

• Bus Routes will be available at https://bristolaggie.org/transportation/ by Friday September 4, 2020 

• Review your Bus routes and stops!  Understand due to the DESE Guidance for Transportation and the limitation of Seating capacity on the Buses Bristol Aggie will not have much flexibility to make any changes to bus stops. 

• Everyone must wear a mask at the bus stop and on the bus. 

• Please pre-screen your child prior to going to the bus stop

• We cover 500 square miles so specific bus stop requests will make it very difficult to accommodate. 

• Central locations: Families are required to provide transportation to the hubs if your local city or town does not provide transportation (Assonet, Attleboro, Freetwown, Dighton/Rehoboth, Swansea, New Bedford, Westport)

• Mandatory Bus Transportation Form due after Bus routes are provided to parents.  The form also needs to be complete regardless of using Bristol Aggie Buses. I.e. if your child is dropped off and picked up, driving themselves to school or walking the form needs to be completed by September 30, 2020. Returned back to the Main office.  

• Food Service: 

• Cost: 

• Breakfast: $1.50 (reduced $.30)

• Lunch: $3.00 (reduced $.40)

• Pre-pay system coming soon! 

• Lunch Schedule (Hybrid Re-entry Model):

• Monday & Thursday Rotation (Freshman/Senior)

• 1st Lunch (Freshman): 10:30-11:15 am

• 2nd Lunch (Seniors):  11:25-12:10 pm

• Tuesday & Friday Rotation (Soph/Junior)

• 1st Lunch (Soph): 10:30-11:15 am

• 2nd Lunch (Junior):  11:25-12:10 pm

• Assigned Seating 

• Students on the first day will choose their seat and then the seat will be assigned for the term.  This will allow for dismissals for Lunch service and social distancing during periods when the students are moving around in the indoor or outdoor seating areas of the cafe. 

• Student Services: 

• Join the SEPAC- Stay tuned for more information

• Any medications need to go through the nurse (CCourville@bcahs.com)

• After School Programs: Temporarily on hold

• EXTENDS: Academic support

• MCAS Boot Camp: Students are identified and invited to attend

• Wednesday: All teachers are available to provide support (on hold/will be done virtually)

Stay Connected! Stay Informed!

We have instituted an additional means of communication through the Bristol Aggie Blog.  This blog allows students, parents, staff, and community members to stay informed of what is happening at Bristol Aggie.  You can sign up for daily emails to ensure you don’t miss anything! You can also view the calendar feature which lists all the events that are happening at BA daily.  During Parent & Freshman Orientation yesterday, we encouraged parents to sign up for the blog! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Braga (KBraga@bcahs.com). 

Freshman Academy: Click here for the full article in the Sun Chronicle

DIGHTON — On Monday, for the first time in over five months, Bristol County Agricultural High School welcomed incoming freshmen for a socially distanced introduction to the campus.

Students were able to meet their classmates, review their schedules and log on to their school accounts.

“In a school like Bristol Aggie, it is really important for students to make connections with their classmates before walking in on the first day of school,” said Assistant Principal Brian Higgins, who organized Monday’s Freshmen Academy.

“The class of 2024 pulls from 29 local cities and towns throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. The class is so diverse geographically that connecting with just a few classmates at this event makes a major impact, especially during times like these,” he said.

The students were greeted by Assistant Superintendent/Principal Kevin Braga, who stressed how “exciting it was to have students back on campus. Students are what bring this campus to life.”

Bristol Aggie will begin its school year in the middle of September using a hybrid model. Only half of the student population will return to school on designated days for in-person learning while the other half is learning remotely.

Before the start of the Freshmen Academy, Bristol Aggie Superintendent, Adele Sands greeted the students by saying they were “entering into a new school with a new way of learning and it is going to offer you endless possibilities and an incredibly unique learning opportunity.

“I cannot wait to see what you do with this opportunity.”

MSBA Update: As we prepare for the start of the school year, new (temporary) pavement has been added to Gilbert Hall for staff and student parking.  The CSE and Student Commons have come a long way since March.  We are looking forward to the completion in January when we will transition into that new space.  

Aggie Weekly- Summer Edition

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

We hope that everyone has had a safe and enjoyable summer break.  We wanted to share some updates since we last sent out information in June.  The campus is under construction and we were still able to host graduation for the Class of 2020 on Sunday, July 19th.  See some of the photos below as well as the Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony Slideshow.  

On Monday, July 27th, the Commissioner of Education shortened the school year to 170 school days for students. We will be releasing an updated school calendar very soon.  These 10 days will be used to train staff for all three plans for fall reentry as well as a focus on social emotional learning and curriculum development that is linked to the MA state standards. 

Fall Reentry Information: 

We hope that you and your family are doing well during this summer recess.  We wanted to reach out to inform you that we are continuing to work on our three plans that are required by the Department of Education (DESE) for reentry in September.  Our top priority is the health, safety, and well-being of the Bristol Aggie community.  As Commissioner Riley has stated: we can “mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19 for in-person school programs and prevent the significant consequences of keeping students out of school and isolated.”  The medical community “supports the return of our students to in-person learning, with appropriate health and safety guardrails in place. 

The DESE guidance documents (see below) provide us with guidelines and recommendations for reentry.  We want to be clear that we will be developing a plan that works for Bristol Aggie.  This plan may not work in other communities, as well as other communities plans may not work at Bristol Aggie.  We will need to exercise patience and flexibility as we understand that we are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 trends and plans may change depending on rates of infection.  

Since our last correspondence on July 1st, the Fall Reentry Team has been working on our initial reopening plan that will need to be submitted to DESE by Friday, July 31st.  This plan is a general overview of the reentry plan.  A comprehensive plan will need to be submitted by mid August.  Prior to the submission of the final plan we will host a Zoom meeting with parents and students on Wednesday, August 5th at 3:00 pm.  The meeting will be recorded (our max capacity is 100) and sent to students and families. We encourage students and parents to use one login to allow for more guests to attend.   Please check your email for the Zoom details (login and password).  Please understand that we will not have all the answers in this meeting, but the goal will be to share the work of the Fall Reentry Team and gather feedback from students and parents. 

 Below are some of the DESE guidelines we are using to build our framework: 

1. DESE Reentry Guidance (6/25/20)
2. DESE Protocols to Responding to COVID 19 (7/17/20) 
3. DESE Transportation Guidance (7/22/20)
4. DESE Facilities Reopening Guidance (7/22/20)
5. DESE Fall Remote Learning Guidance (7/24/20)
6. DESE Guidance for Courses Req Additional Safety Considerations (7/24/20)
7. DESE Memo on Additional Staff Training Days (7/27/20)

1. In-person learning with new safety requirements: For the fall, the box in light blue represents our goal to get as many students as possible back into schools for in-person learning—safely. In this model, all students return in person to school settings that are appropriately modified to accommodate the health and safety requirements outlined above. Examples of modifications could include altered classroom configurations, setting up additional learning spaces, and schedule changes. 

2. Hybrid learning: In addition, all districts/schools must create a plan for a hybrid model in the event they are unable to bring all students back to school under the health and safety requirements despite their best efforts, or in case of COVID-19 related circumstances. A hybrid model means that students would alternate between in-person and remote learning. For instance, students could switch between in-person and remote learning on alternating weeks or days of the week. 

3. Remote learning: All districts and schools are required to have a plan for operating a remote learning program. This model must be available for individual students who cannot yet return in-person, and for all students in the event of future classroom or school closures due to COVID-19. Additional guidance on statewide support and resources for remote learning will be provided in the coming weeks. 

We will continue to monitor COVID trends and adhere to both local and state guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of our Bristol Aggie community.  Please stay tuned for additional opportunities for input such as surveys to help us better prepare for September.  Please see information below on Zoom information.  

• How to use Zoom: 
• Go to. www.zoom.us At the top right of the screen, click "Join a Meeting"
• You will need the following information to join the meeting:
• Meeting ID: see email for details
• Password: see email for details
• You may be asked to create a username (if you do not have a Zoom account).  This username is what will be displayed during our meeting. 
• On Wednesday, August 5th, starting at 2:30 pm, the “Waiting Room” will open prior to the meeting getting started to help with the transition.  Please ensure that your login name is identifiable.  I will be screening each member that requests to enter the “Waiting Room.”  
• You can enable/disable video when entering the meeting (see below).  
• Upon entry everyone’s microphone will be muted during the meeting.  
• See below for helpful links
• How to join a Zoom meeting
• Waiting Room function

Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremony:  Click here to request the official pictures from LifeTouch

• Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony Slideshow (by Mrs. Van Rotz) We wanted to provide our graduates with one last video remembering their achievements and time spent at Bristol Aggie.  We miss you already! 

The Sharp Family post graduation: from left to right: Jameson Sharp (Ag Mechanics), Mrs. Sharp (mom), Dacia Sharp (Class of 2017/sister), Mr. Sharp (dad), and James Sharp (Arboriculture).  

Bristol Aggie Return to School Poll: We would like to thank everyone for answering our quick poll that will assist us with the initial planning for reopening school in the fall.  As we stated, we may be sending another survey in the next couple of weeks that will ask more in depth information.  Below are the results we have collected to date.  

College Board SATs: 

We know this is a particularly stressful time if you’re applying for college, and the coronavirus has heightened this stress for many. To ensure we’re providing you opportunities to support your path to college, we want to remind you registration for the SAT is open to all students for the 2020-21 school year. This year, many centers will have fewer seats because of social distancing guidelines and may encounter unexpected closures. College Board is working with local high schools, colleges, and other sites to increase seating capacity in areas where registration is filling up. If you can't find a nearby test center with availability on your preferred test date, be sure to check other dates. Change fees will be waived through the end of July should your plans change. Colleges are rightfully being flexible with their application requirements. In some cases, they're extending deadlines and/or allowing students to submit scores after deadlines pass. Check college websites to get the most accurate information on their policies and deadlines. Colleges are now: Accepting scores as late as possible in their admissions process, especially by extending score deadlines for early action and early decision to take some pressure off and give students more time to test and send their scores. Giving equal consideration for admission to students who are unable to take the exam due to the coronavirus as those who submitted scores. (The College Board will keep colleges up to date on testing availability.) Recognizing that students who do submit scores may not have been able to take the test more than once (e.g., taking into account that students who tested as high school juniors but couldn't test as seniors would've likely achieved score gains). Upcoming SAT Dates:  August 29, 2020 September 26, 2020 October 3, 2020 November 7, 2020 December 5, 2020

MSBA Update: We started a “Rendering vs Reality” series on our Twitter account.  We take a picture each week from the same viewpoint to see our progress vs the rendering that was provided two years ago by our architects HMFH.  See below for the few weeks.   July 1st July 15th July 22nd