IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2019

Brentwood Borough School District SUPERINTENDENT’S M E S S A G E BY DR . AMY M. BURCH Charting the Course and the Meaning of #Brentwoodproud! Earlier this year a businessman asked me to join him for lunch. We were midway through our meal when he very pointedly posed the question, “What does it really mean to be #Brentwoodproud?” I nearly choked on my chicken avocado salad. Living in Brentwood for ten years and working in the district for nearly twelve, I thought everyone knew that answer! I cleared my throat and quickly realized from his blank expression that he truly did not know about the amazing people and extensive district program offerings. This lunch conversation combined with a board member’s participation in a statewide conference led to the birth of Charting the Course. The Board of School Directors and the Administration have been discussing facility and programming needs for the past two years. Recognizing the importance of including the community in the process approximately one hundred people were invited to our Charting the Course event held in the Spring. The evening included a tour of the middle/high school building, a performance from our high school musical students, and a joint presentation from the Board and the Administration. The comment most prevalent in the feedback we received was to provide regular updates on the process. n IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF STUDENTS AND STAFF The District has been a leader in safety and security in the region. Sallyports were installed several years ago to assist with the visitor access in each of the buildings. Security cameras monitor activity throughout the district. Emergency drill training has been offered to teachers, support staff, administration, and students. Moving forward discussions about the type of replacement windows, especially at the lower levels of the buildings are taking place. Additional cameras will be installed throughout the buildings. School police officers will continue to circulate through the buildings and will also offer classes to our students and staff. n REPAIRING AND REPLACING BUILDING ENVELOPES The most recent renovations took place in the late 1990’s. This past year our buildings sustained significant damage from the severe weather. The impact on our buildings was so severe that it caused the district to close for a day. The roofs, windows, doors, and masonry need replaced or repaired at all three buildings. The Board and Administration have been intimately involved in the selection of materials to ensure that the repairs will last for at least thirty years. Phase one of the renovations will take place this summer. The Message from the School Board highlights more in-depth the current condition of the facilities and the summer plans to address the roof at the middle/high school, waterproofing at Moore elementary, and upgrades to the district-wide fire and 60 BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL phone systems. We encourage the public to attend our monthly board meetings to ask questions and learn more about Charting the Course. n STRENGTHENING THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING We also devoted time to reflect on what the District was doing well. We discovered that our alumni have gone on to become attorneys, public school administrators, sports and entertainment media reporters, soldiers, health care professionals, medical professionals, business owners, Fulbright scholars, college athletes, and tradesmen. The Brentwood Borough SD encourages students to pursue their passions and assists with the transition to post-secondary education which may require attendance at a four-year college, two-year college, technical education, or military enlistment. We are seeing an increase number of our students directly enter the workforce because they obtained their certifications and applied for their licenses after attending Steel Center. Moving forward we recognize our students’ interest in exploring newly formed jobs and careers. To meet those demands we must strengthen our educational programming. At the elementary levels we are redesigning the special schedule to operate on a six-day rotation. This will begin with the 2019-2020 school year. The goal is to promote Science Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) opportunities across the curriculum and not in silos. We are encouraging teachers to co-plan and co- teach across content areas. At the middle and high school, we

IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2019 | Page 62