BC News

District actively planning for Eagle's opening
Release Date: March 7, 2008

The Bethlehem Central School District hasn’t opened a new school in more than 50 years, so district officials are working hard to get it right.

The district is actively planning for 2008-09 to ensure that Eagle — just like Clarksville, Elsmere, Glenmont, Hamagrael and Slingerlands — is top-flight when it welcomes students in September 2008. This includes making decisions about not just staffing and equipping the school, but also establishing opportunities for parent participation and communication and activities so that students will have a positive transition and are excited about entering the new school.

In January, the district hired Eagle’s first principal, longtime district educator Dianna Reagan, who, in her roles as a BC teacher, assistant principal and elementary ELA supervisor, has worked with Bethlehem parents and students for more than 18 years.

“I hope all students and parents are looking forward to opening Eagle and growing the school together,” Mrs. Reagan said. “The district is working very hard on all fronts to ensure that Eagle is the success that we all know it will be.”

In February, central office administrators and all of the elementary principals, including Mrs. Reagan, concluded the process of establishing the regular classroom teachers for each elementary school next year. In the coming weeks, the special subject teachers and special education assignments will also be made. The classroom teacher assignments have been posted on each of the school’s Web sites, including Eagle, which can be found online at http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/EAGLE/EAGLE.htm.

This new Eagle site, launched in February, will feature regular updates from Mrs. Reagan about upcoming events, photos of the school under construction, and “Ask the Principal” a place where parents can ask questions and read the answers to frequently asked questions as the schools opening approaches.

A few events, meetings and activities have already been planned:

• March 10-14: Mrs. Reagan will visit each of the other five elementary schools during lunch and/or recess time so students at those schools who will attend Eagle next year can meet their new principal. (Visit Eagle’s Web site for scheduling details).

• March 10: All parents are invited to attend a meeting of the Eagle Parent Leadership Committee. This group will be a precursor to the establishment of a formal PTA. The meeting will be held at the district offices, 90 Adams Place, Delmar, at 7 p.m.

• March 25: All parents and students are invited to an informal “Meet the Principal Open House,” an opportunity to meet Mrs. Reagan and learn more about plans for Eagle. This event will be held in the BCHS cafeteria at 7 p.m.

• Saturday, May 10: All Eagle parents and students, as well as all members of the BC community, are invited to an Eagle Family Gathering, which will include guided tours of the school. Tours will begin at 2 p.m.

Preparations for Eagle will also figure heavily in the upcoming 2008-09 budget process, which formally gets underway at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 3.

Although the district does not need to hire any additional teachers to open the school, proposed budget additions will include main office staffing (principal and clerical), custodial positions, a school nurse, librarian and staffing for special subjects instruction.

In addition, the district is anticipating budgeting for equipping the school library, art and music rooms and playground, and furnishing spaces such as the main office and kitchen. The majority of these expenses will be paid for through the capital construction funding.

Please visit the district’s Web site, http://bcsd.k12.ny.us for updates on the budget process, and click on the link for Eagle Elementary to read the latest school news, updates and event/activity announcements.

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