#JodyMonroe #BCSDSuperintendentOfSchools #LetterToTheEditor #YourVoice #SpotlightNews
Dear BC family:
Before we say farewell to the Class of 2018, I want to express my deep gratitude to the entire Bethlehem Central School District community for its support of our schools.
We recently learned that BC has been named the #1 school district in the Capital Region for the second year in a row. This exciting news comes as part of the annual Schools Report published by the Albany Business Review. Bethlehem received a perfect score of 100 in a ranking of 92 districts across 11 counties. The primary source of data used to compare districts — test scores, graduation rates, and more — came from the New York State Education Department’s School Report Card for the school year 2016-17.
I am pleased to see the district recognized in this way. It reflects the consistent, outstanding academic achievement of our students and the hard work of our faculty and staff.
However, these types of rankings only tell part of the story.
You may have seen this snapshot taken Wednesday at Eagle Elementary School. In the photo, students and staff are pictured with their arms locked together, circled around the outside of the building, giving a “goodbye hug” to Eagle, a school they love. It was a fun last-day-of-school activity for students and staff. What that image also captures is the kind of community spirit that is unique to Bethlehem. It is that spirit of community that helped Eagle cope with the unthinkable loss of fifth-grade teacher Chris Porter last fall, and which allowed the district to sustain a continuity of leadership during a challenging year. This could not have been done without the support of parents, teachers, staff and our amazing students.
Helping to keep things running smoothly during the year were our Elementary Administrator for RTI & K-5 Technology Laurel Jones, who stepped up to fill in as interim principal at Eagle, ELA Supervisor Andy Baker, who filled the same role at Elsmere, and Dave Palmer, who was asked to oversee K-12 English language arts during the school year. All three did an outstanding job!
I think most would agree the Bethlehem community has a special connection to its schools and is proud of its investment in education. We have seen it in the overwhelming support for our annual budget, which this year and last, was approved by more than 80 percent of voters. District residents continue to turn out in numbers that exceed those in other communities and my guess is that it is not because of any kind of rating or ranking. I believe that what makes BC special is what I see day in and day out: a community of people dedicated to educating students and providing a nurturing environment in ways that are truly second to none.
Thank you for your continued support of our schools, and especially of our students, teachers and staff. Have a wonderful summer!
Jody Monroe
Bethlehem Central
Superintendent of Schools