June 18, 2021
Dear Bourne Families,
As I write this last Superintendent’s Update of the school year, I remain in awe of the resiliency of our students/staff and the support of the community. Every day I learn another reason why Bourne Public Schools is an incredible place that I am privileged to lead.
Below are a few updates and information that you may find helpful:
End of the School Year
- Over the past few weeks there were many celebrations like graduation, promotion ceremonies, extravaganzas, awards ceremonies and even welcoming our rising kindergarteners. We cannot be prouder of our students for all that they have achieved in a historically difficult year!
- Monday is our last official day for students. It is an early release day.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Our Equity and Inclusion Committee met regularly this school year to explore ways that we can ensure that all students and staff feel a sense of belonging to our school community. As part of this work, educators and community members came together and a created middle school/high school survey to gather input on the student experience. Thank you to students who chose to voluntarily participate so that we can better plan for the next school year.
- As many know, June is celebrated as Pride Month locally and throughout the world. As stated in a recent White House proclamation, “Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration of visibility and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity…During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we recognize the resilience and determination of the many individuals who are fighting to live freely and authentically.” In BPS we value inclusiveness and the diversity of all students and staff. We will continue to seek to promote a welcoming atmosphere where all feel valued and seen.
- Saturday, June 19 marks the holiday of Juneteenth, which is a Massachusetts and federal holiday for the first time this year. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the emancipation of enslaved people and the end of the Civil War. To learn more about this holiday please see this resource from the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
Summer!
- The revamped Summer Reading lists are on-line. Check them out HERE
- Our schools will be buzzing with additional summer programs this year. Information on these can be found HERE
- We are grateful that this summer many teachers and administrators will be participating in all types of professional development, curriculum revision and planning so that next year we can start strong!
Looking ahead…
- BPS is getting a new website! Work should be completed by the fall so stay tuned.
- If you haven’t seen it yet, here is our 2021-2022 School Year Calendar
- We will remain a 1:1 technology district next year. Also, BPS is submitting a grant application to potentially provide all enrolled school age children access to a chrome book for exclusive home use if they do not have access to one. To help us submit the grant application, please fill out this simple survey for each school aged child that resides with you by following this link.
- Starting next year, Bourne High school will complement the academic excellence of our upperclassman offerings with a newly designed freshman experience. To view the presentation about the Pre-AP designation courses please click here. Also, all students at different grade levels will have experiences in career exploration and financial literacy.
- In the next school year we will offer increased support in social and emotional and academic learning through scheduled time where student can receive intervention or enrichment. We are excited to provide individualized learning for all students and will keep families up to date as these positive changes roll out. Additionally, during the summer we will seek your input on the federal ESSER grant application with funding aimed at accelerating student learning.
In closing, to answer the question that I get the most about next year… we are planning for a better than normal school year in the fall. Right now, there are no requirements for masks or distancing and we all sincerely hope that this will not change as the summer progresses.
Have a fantastic summer break and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the fall!
Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou, Ed.D., Superintendent