By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools
This has been a summer like no other with full summer school and credit recovery programs at all of our schools and plenty of professional development for our faculty and staff. We are excited, however, at all of the opportunities this summer has given us to recover learning loss associated with the pandemic and we believe the summer programs will set a fantastic foundation for our 2021-2022 school year.
As we approach the new school year, I’d like to make sure you’re in the loop with some of the changes and updates you can expect.
By the time you read this, the School Board will most likely have adopted a new dress code for our students and you’ll be able to find that on our website at www.bay.k12.fl.us.
Our newest school, A. Gary Walsingham Academy, opens for students in grades K-2 this year and we’re so excited about this amazing facility. We have a small ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for August 5th but we’re planning a HUGE open house and cookout for the community in late February and we hope all of you will join us to tour our newest facility. The school is being built with collaboration in mind so there are a plethora of shared spaces for students and teachers and lots of outdoor learning settings as well.
The school calendar for 2021-2022 has been available for about a year and can be found on our website at https://www.bay.k12.fl.us/uploads/2021-2022%20Calendar%20Board%20Approved%20111020.pdf.
We hope you’ll take time this month to update your Parent Portal account to ensure we have all of the correct contact information for you. We send weekly district updates through PeachJar but can only reach those parents/guardians for whom we have accurate email addresses. Likewise, in the event of an emergency, we use our automated phone system to make sure you’re in the loop but we can only connect with those families for whom we have accurate phone numbers.
Orientations are being scheduled as I write this article and by the time you read this, you’ll be able to find those on our social media pages or by contacting your student’s school. Typically orientation/meet the teacher events are held in the week before school starts so don’t panic if you haven’t heard anything just yet.
School supply lists are also available on our social media pages and website. Again, if you have questions, all you need to do is call your child’s school. Our schools are open Monday-Thursday, from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., throughout the summer so help is just a phone call or an email away.
Last year was a difficult year for everyone and I know we’re all glad to close the books on 2020-2021 so we can look ahead to a more “normal” school year for our students, our families, and our employees. This year we will be able to permit visitors and volunteers again and so we look forward to welcoming you to our campuses.
Thank you for your continued support and partnerships. We have a strong and successful school system in our community because of parents, guardians, and stakeholders who believe in us and who support us in our mission to do the very best job we can for every student every day.
