Dear Beacon Community:

Happy Juneteenth!

Next year we are very excited that Juneteenth will be an official BCSD school holiday on our calendar.  It looks like it might become a federal holiday as well.  I have listed below some resources to learn more about the holiday.   Our equity and diversity work continues this summer.  The Beacon City School District is partnering with Dutchess BOCES to have our entire administrative team participate in Undoing Racism workshops this summer.   Some of our teachers will be participants in professional development workshops on developing a more equitable curriculum in our district.  There are other professional development programs that we are putting together as well.  We will keep everyone updated as this work expands this summer and next school year.

From the Smithsonian National Musem of African-American History and Culture:

“Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas...The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up during uncertain times.”

From the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture

https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth

Watch this local news link from Houston, TX about Juneteenth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz2ke1a-WiM

An article from National Geographic about Juneteenth: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/juneteenth

An article from the History Channel:

https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth

Reopening Thoughts for the 21-22 School Year

We are planning on a full reopening next school year.  That means five days of school a week, full after-school activities, and fully functioning schools.  We are awaiting guidelines from the New York State Department of Health on school health mandates relating to COVID and we will communicate those to families and staff over the summer.  We are also awaiting what the state regulations on remote learning will be.  Our hope is that all of our students can return to in-person schooling but we will be in touch with everyone when we learn more about what the state expects of us.  

The key to our full reopening for next year is communication.  Please expect the same level of communication this upcoming summer that we provided last summer.  We will do Zoom town halls when necessary and communicate via email and robocall whenever there is important news to share.

Wellness Committee

The next Wellness Committee is Wednesday, June 23 at 3:30 via Zoom.  We will post the Zoom link on the website on the morning of the 23rd.  At the meeting, we will make plans for the committee work for the upcoming school year.

Calico Ball-

Our Calico Ball this year is on Youtube!  It is amazing and there was so much work that went into it.  I give huge thanks to the Vanaver Caravan, third-grade teachers, and our third-grade students for making all of this possible.  

Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-jkoy3REks

Have a great weekend!

Matt Landahl

Superintendent Update - Friday, May 21, 2021

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I just wanted to quickly remind everyone about the school calendar the next two weeks and share some community updates.

Calendar Reminders-

Next week, students will be in school Monday, May 24th-Thursday, May 27th.  There is no school on Friday, May 28th.  There is no remote Wednesday on the 26th, it is an in-person school day.

The following week, there is no school on Monday, May 31 for Memorial Day, and students will be in school Tuesday, June 1-Friday, June 4.  There is no remote Wednesday on Wednesday, June 2, it is an in-person school day.

Community Updates

Support Beacon’s Parks & Kid’s Programming

Wee Play Community Project is holding it’s 17th Annual Ree-Play Sale 

Children’s clothing, toys, baby & toddler equipment, books, music, games, maternity clothes, children’s sports clothing & equipment. 

May 21-23 (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), 724 Wolcott Avenue, 9D, Beacon, NY 12508

Masks must be worn over nose and mouth - Practice Social Distancing

Beacon Hebrew Alliance at Lewis Tompkins Hose - Blood Drive

The Beacon Hebrew Alliance is holding a Blood Drive at Lewis Tompkins Hose

13 South Avenue, Beacon, NY  12508

Sunday, June 6, 2021 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Walk-Ins are Welcome)

Please contact Rebecca Ostrovsky at ostrovskyrebecca@gmail.com with any questions

Superintendent Update  April 30, 2021

The 2021-2022 Academic Calendar has been approved

Earlier this week the BCSD Board of Education adopted the calendar for next year.  We are planning a return to full, in-person, five days a week instruction as is evidenced by the calendar and our current planning.  We also await state guidance on issues like health regulations and the possibility of remote instruction for next year and we will communicate with everyone regularly over the next few months as we plan for next year.

You can view the calendar on our website or click here

Zoom Town Hall on the School Budget

I will be hosting a Zoom Town Hall on the proposed 2021-2022 School budget on Thursday, May 6th at 7:00.  We will share the link via email and on the website early next week.  We will share highlights of the budget and also answer questions people have.  We will also touch on the American Rescue Plan’s impact on the BCSD and also share where we are with the development of the upcoming Capital Project we hope to bring to a vote in October, 2021.

Budget Vote and Board Elections

Our budget vote is on Tuesday, May 18th from 6:00am to 9:00pm.  We have four candidates running for four open seats on the board.  The order (chosen randomly) that will appear on the ballot is John Galloway Jr., Flora Stadler, Jasmine Johnson, and Elissa Betterbid.