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A message from Secondary School Principal
Tom McGurl
October 5, 2009
Dear Parents and Community:
As we now have our first month of school behind us, I
would like to congratulate the students, faculty and staff on a
successful start to the 2009-2010 school year. The beginning of
school has been very busy; fall sports are well underway,
classes have moved from the review of last year’s material to
the beginning of new information and our students have begun the
difficult adjustment from the carefree days of summer to the
demands of school.
I would like to try and
use this forum as an additional means to keep you informed of
upcoming events, changes at the HS/MS and highlights of recent
events. As always, if you have questions or concerns about the
HS/MS, programs or issues involving your child, please do not
hesitate to contact me. As I said at Open House, this is your
school and you have entrusted your most precious commodity to
us. We will do our best to challenge your child to excel at
every stage, but we cannot do it alone. Together, I believe that
we can and will accomplish the difficult tasks ahead.
If you are a member of the community who does not currently have
a child in our school, but would like to tour our facility or
discuss our program, please feel free to contact the Main Office
at 872-1487 to arrange a tour and/or meeting.
Regards,
Tom McGurl
September Highlights
Open House
Open house was held the evening of 9/17. The event was sponsored
by the PTA. I would like to thank BOE President Sikule,
Superintendent LaBelle and our Guidance Department for their
time and thoughts during the opening assembly. In addition, I
would like to thank Mrs. May and Mrs. Clark for all of the work
that they put into the program and scheduling for the evening.
The PTA, BOE, Tobacco Free Schools, Booster Club and Families
Together were all on hand to provide information about their
role in the school. The evening followed the traditional format
of a modified student schedule. For parents who needed it, the
BKW Cheerleading Team provided childcare and several of the
National Honor Society members were available to assist parents
in navigating from one classroom to the next. I truly appreciate
all of the parents who took the time to attend. It was a
pleasure to meet and speak with you. The faculty and I felt that
this was a very positive start to the year. It is my hope that
we can continue to increase attendance and involvement in the
years to come. Please let me know if you have suggestions for
future improvements or additions to the program.
Opening Assemblies
Students in Grades 7-12 met at different times in the auditorium
to receive their agendas, Student Code of Conduct and
information about changes in the building for the year. The
message was clear; come to school to be a student. Treat school
as a job when you are here. Challenge yourself at every
opportunity. When things get tough, seek help and when you find
success celebrate it. We will provide students with every
resource possible, but only they can do the work.
Discipline Code
We have adapted the Student Code of Conduct this year to achieve
a very clear and unambiguous infraction and consequence format.
Students are all being held to the same criteria in this new
format. It is clear and concrete. Students know where they stand
before hand, and can use that knowledge to guide their behavior.
The consequences are progressive in nature and are always used
in conjunction with the goal of improving student behavior. Now
that Mr. Keller has joined my administrative team, you can
expect a high degree of consistency and communication throughout
the year.
PEAKS Program
The PEAKS (PATH to EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVMENT KNOWLEDGE SUCCESS)
Program is a new effort that is working to address the needs of
our students by combining academic support and small class
instruction. The concept is faculty generated and administered.
Faculty Team Members received training this summer, and are
working hard to make the program a successful part of our
school. If you have questions regarding the PEAKS Program,
please contact the HS Guidance Office for additional
information.
Distance Learning Lab
Our Distance Learning Lab had been completely revamped for the
2009-2010 school year. The renovations were possible largely
from grant funds. The new lab allows our student to join other
schools in live video conference style classes on a daily basis.
We are currently offering courses on the Civil War, Holocaust,
sociology and psychology. It is our hope that these course
offerings can be augmented in years to come.
Senior Lounge/ Senior Privileges
The Senior Class should be commended for their adjustment to the
changes in the Senior privileges for this year. The Seniors are
enjoying their new lounge and will soon have a Wii fitness
system to enjoy during the day. I have had informal meetings
with the Seniors to begin to look at additional privileges that
they can earn throughout the school year, also the conditions
under which they can be obtained or lost. More to follow in the
weeks and months to come!!
Senior Honor Parking
By the suggestion of members of the Senior Class, one of the two
parking spaces outside the main entrance reserved for the Senior
with the first and second highest average in a 5 week period,
will now be for the Senior with the most improvement in a five
week period. This was a great idea that I had not considered. It
just goes to show that the more people thinking about a problem
or issue, the better the solution. The highest average space
will be assigned after the first 5 week marks are released and
the most improved space will be assigned at 10 weeks.
Parking Issues
Currently both Seniors and Juniors are parking in the original
“Senior Lot” and the new lot next to the bus garage. When
construction begins, the first 47 Seniors registered to park
will be able to do so in the new lot, and the original lot will
be closed. At that time, juniors will not have parking spaces in
the new lot due to a high number of Senior drivers.
In addition, it is important for students to remember that
parking on campus is a privilege and not a right. Unsafe
operation of a vehicle on school property will not be tolerated.
Actions that jeopardize the safety of others will be addressed
with the individual immediately. Student drivers must realize
that their parking privileges can and will be removed, if
needed.
Changes to VOTEC Transportation
We have adjusted the times of the VOTEC transportation to allow
students a reasonable time to obtain a lunch on campus, while
meeting their course needs. In addition, the adjustment has
allowed for less downtime between both school settings.
Out of concern for student safety, students are not allowed to
drive on a regular basis to the Albany or Schoharie Programs. If
a special circumstance exists, students can obtain written
permission from their VOTEC Program, parent and BKW to drive on
a day by day basis. Please understand that student safety is our
number one concern and it is our obligation to do our best to
ensure it.
Department Meetings
The academic Department Chairpersons, Guidance and I have begun
meeting to discuss courses and course offerings for next year.
It is our desire to give BKW students all the opportunities of a
large school in a small school setting. We would like our
students to have an academic experience that goes beyond the
basics and the sets the stage for a lifetime of learning. By
creating courses that utilize rich curriculum and dynamic
presentation, our students will move from a mindset of having to
take a course to wanting to take a course. The latter of which
is our ultimate goal.
Highlights to date:
Congratulations to senior Michael Galgay.
Michael was recently named as a commended student by the
National Merit Scholarship Program. This is an award for
exceptional academic promise demonstrated by Michael’s
outstanding performance on his qualifying test. Michael’s
accomplishment should serve as a model for all of our students.
Varsity Golf Team
Finished the season with a perfect 16-0 record
Southern WAC Champion
3rd Place WAC League
Member of the team include seniors Paolo Audino, Josh Rebeor,
Sean Flanagan, Jr. Joe Kalina, and sophomore Matt Casullo.
Sectionals will take place on Wednesday, October 7th at
Schenectady Municipal Golf Course.
Varsity Girls Soccer Team
Winner of the Ft. Plain Tournament
Current Record 7 – 1
BKW’s Marian Bates is the #1 Goal Scorer in Section II
Boys Cross Country Team
The boy’s team is currently tied for 1st place in the WAC League
with Mayfield and Fonda Fultonville
Individual Accomplishments:
Guilderland Invitational (9/12): - 2nd Place Connor Devine
3rd Place Sean Reynolds
7th Place Derek Struck
Ft. Plain (9/19): 1st Place Connor Devine
At the Queensbury Invitational last weekend, Dominic Woodmansee
and Elijah Murphy earned a spot on the next varsity race.
Girls Cross Country Team
The girls’ team is currently tied for 1st place in the WAC
League with Duanesburg and Fonda Fultonville.
Recent Individual Accomplishments:
Guilderland Invitational: 1st Place Courtney Tedeschi
Ft. Plain Invitational on 9/19 Allie Tedeschi and Logan Flavell
earned a spot on the varsity at this meet
Volleyball
The BKW Varsity Volleyball Team competed in the Voorheesville
Volleyfest on Saturday, Sept. 26th. The team defeated
Schenectady Christian to make the tournament semi-finals and
finished third when they were outlasted by Class AA Catholic
Central. Sophomore Christina North was named to the All
Tournament Team.
Congratulations to all our athletes. Your hard work and skills
are a pleasure to watch on the field of play and during the
school day.
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