Superintendent DeBarbieri's announcements for August 23, 2023

August 23, 2023

Dear Parents, Guardians and Staff,

Two weeks from today is the start of the 2023-2024 school year! We are excited to welcome our new and returning students and families. We hope you have a successful year and we are here to support you as you work toward your goals!
 
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a few important updates:

• The 2023-2024 bus information, class lists, schedules, and teacher assignments for students will be available in the Parent Portal this Friday – August 25th. For help using Parent Portal, visit our User Guide.
• You should receive the Hive in the mail later this week. Please take the time to review it because it contains several important forms for the 2023-2024 school year. You should have received the District Calendar earlier this week. Prior to 2020, important forms were delivered with the calendar. Now all forms are included in the Hive, including the No Image Request Form and Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application. Both forms need to be filled out every year. The Hive is also available online on our website.
• Our district has switched to a new communication platform called ParentSquare to communicate with families. With ParentSquare, a unified app for school communication, parents and guardians can now receive all announcements from the district, their children’s schools and teachers in one place, with options to specify how and when they are notified. On August 7th and August 21st, the district sent out an email invitation for parents and guardians to activate their ParentSquare account. Learn more about ParentSquare on our website.
• The Back to School Quick Reference Guide is posted on our website. Please review it and let us know if you have any questions. You can email questions about the guide, Hive or District Calendar to sbuckshot@bville.org.
• School Nursing Supervisor Katie Cazzolli has some COVID-19 and health reminders to share with parents/guardians: 
  • If your child is symptomatic, do not send the child to school. If the child has or has had a fever in the last 24 hours the child must remain home until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. COVID-19 testing for symptomatic individuals is recommended, but not required for return to school/work. Report all absences to the school attendance office.
  • There is no longer a universal masking mandate. Masks are not required in any of our schools, district buildings, or on school buses. If a student or staff member wears a mask, whether by choice, expectation, or requirement, they will be allowed to do so. It is expected that each individual’s right to mask or not is free from stigmatization, bullying, or being made to feel uncomfortable.
  • If your child tests positive for COVID-19 isolation is required for 5 days following the start of symptoms. Report all absences to the school attendance office. The child can return to school on day 6 if symptoms are improving and the child has been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. A mask should be worn on days 6-10. CDC Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19
  • At-home test kits are available at any school building for your convenience.

With the start of the school year fastly approaching our Bees are already in action. Make sure you check out the following:

• Jude Langstaff, an incoming 8th grade student at Durgee Junior High School  will be playing in the Little League Challenger game as part of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. The game will be televised locally on WCNY and nationally on ESPN at 10:30 a.m. on August 26th.
• Fall athletic contests and competitions begin the week of August 27th! Go Bees!
• Our Marching Band will perform at four special events parades as part of the New York State Fair on Friday, August 25, Monday, August 28, Tuesday, August 29, and Thursday, August 31. 
• Our Marching Bees will also be in action on Saturday, September 2nd. They will perform at SUNY Cortland as the Red Dragons football team takes on the Delaware Valley Aggies at noon. The Marching Band performs during the pregame show. 

We are looking forward to the first day of school on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Please continue to check your email and our website, www.bville.org, for updates. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Enjoy the rest of the summer break. See you in two weeks!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools