Q&A

(Updated 7/5/19)

 

NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL

 

How are Honors classes for next year determined if based on state testing when scores haven't come out yet?

This will be determined based on scores from the previous two years, with current grades and engagement in classes. Consistency is critical. We are delighted to announce that due to reconfiguration we have added two new Honors Programs, Science and Social Studies. We are utilizing the following data points for placement in honor programming:

What programs are being offered to assist students to assimilate to the new school and their peers?

On April 25, all TK-8 students will participate in an orientation (8:30am - 11:30am) to welcome students to their new school campus and encourage students to get to know each other.  Organized activities, new school spirit wear and bus transportation will be provided. A Student Transition and Orientation Advisory Committee has been formed to review and create various initiatives to help students get acquainted with their new peers and new facilities (including social gatherings, in-school programs, PTA events, and Orientation Day).

 

What will the new Athletics Program comprise?

The competitive sports program at Beverly Vista Middle School will enhance the overall educational experience of the middle school student athlete and introduce students to competitive interscholastic sports in BHUSD. The program will compete in the FIYA League (Foundation for Interscholastic Youth Athletics) and provide opportunities for all students to participate to explore different sports.  It will also provide a basis to help build a foundation for the high school sports programs as well. Proposed offerings are:

• Fall: Flag Football, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Girls Volleyball
• Winter: Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball
• Spring: Boys Volleyball, Boys and Girls Track and Field, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer

 

What is the new Middle School schedule?

Daily schedules for the middle school were reviewed by a committee comprised of middle school department chairs, union representatives and administrators. The committee developed various different schedules that were submitted to BHUSD district administration for final selection and approval by April.

 

Who will the Middle School teachers be?

Tentative staffing placements for the 2019-20 school year have been determined by BHUSD district administration.  Individual staff members were notified the week of February 4 and assignments are subject to change. As is common practice, teaching and staff assignments are a work in progress up until the start of the new school year.  At that time, your student will receive teacher and class assignments. Our school and district websites will also be updated accordingly.

 

Who are the Middle School Assistant Principals and Counselors?

The 3 assistant principals for the new Middle School are:  Richard Waters, Jeanne McCrea, Leonidas Tarca. The 3 counselors are:  Kristen Hartley, Rachel LeGrand and Celeste McDonald.

 

What are the new Middle School electives?

All 6th, 7th, 8th grade students will have 2 elective periods in their schedule. In a collaborative process with middle school department chairs a new offering of robust electives has been created to align with high school pathways. The new Elective Course Guide and Preference Forms were sent on January 28 to all Middle School (incoming 6th, 7th, 8th) families and presented by K-8 Counselors to students. Please follow this link to access the Guide and Form. The preference form is a tool to create the master schedule. Administration will do everything possible to accommodate student preference, however, reserves the right to drop or add an elective at any time while making appropriate placements as deemed necessary. Schedules can accommodate 2 full year electives, 1 full year and 2 semester-long electives, or 4 semester-long electives.

 

What social and emotional support will be offered to students?

A Counselor will be assigned at every grade level to work with the grade level Assistant Principal and collaboratively work to provide a platform for social and emotional health and well-being. BHUSD will continue to develop resources around social-emotional learning and will support teachers as they help their students manage their emotions, cope with stress, effectively use communication skills and mitigate the effect of unhealthy influences. The programs that are currently offered to ensure student welfare will continue.

 

What additional measures are in place regarding a Safety Plan?

As always, safety at every level is our priority. The goal is to ensure the maximum preparation and planning in our district measures as well as continue to work with our city officials, law enforcement and first-responders. The following plans are in place and being refined on an as needed basis:

• System-wide Policy Discipline District Plan
• School-wide Safety Plan designed with local first responders and school administration
• Ongoing disaster planning with administration and faculty

 

What is the plan to deal with Traffic?

A traffic mitigation “drop-off/pick-up” control study for the Beverly Vista Middle School, Hawthorne and Horace Mann schools are underway. PLACEWORKS consulting firm has been contracted to work with our Bond Manager TCDS, Inc., District Legal Counsel, Beverly Hills City Officials, and School Administration. Our “Team” is investigating options and analyzing the best practices for traffic access to our schools, including drop-off and pick-up procedures. The study and recommendations will be shared by end of March to early April.

 

Will there be Outdoor Educational Field Trips?

There will be an outdoor field trip for each grade level. The locations were reviewed by a committee comprised of one representative from each school and two parents. The field trips were approved by the Reconfiguration Steering Committee.  We are in the process of booking specific locations and dates that will be shared in March.

 

How will parents be able to get involved and participate?

The Reconfiguration Steering Committee along with Superintendent Bregy will continue to provide forums for parents to ask questions, volunteer and engage.

 

Will there be an increase in average class size at each grade level?  

The district is committed to maintaining Board of Education class size guidelines (K-3: 23 and 4-8: 29).  In the new model, class sizes will become more balanced while generally remaining below and never exceeding contractual limits.  According to the latest statistics, we have the smallest class sizes in Los Angeles County.

 

Will GATE (Gifted and Talented) be offered at the Middle School?

Yes, the GATE program will continue at the Middle School.

 

Will there be a new Middle School “brand”?

At the BHUSD Board of Education meeting on February 19, 2019, the Board gave direction to disband the Brand Identity Transition Advisory Committee and to discontinue the mandate to review new Middle School name options as part of the reconfiguration process. The Brand Identity Transition Advisory Committee was initially formed under the Reconfiguration Steering Committee to assess all considerations from the community, inclusive of all 4 K-8 schools, for brand identity options for the new Middle School.

 

 

 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (TK-5)

 

What are the districts plans to strengthen our Elementary School Programs?

In addition to core curriculum, Hawthorne and Horace Mann will both have additional special  programming that includes Instrumental Music, Choral Music, Art, Maker Space & Science Lab taught by Specialists.  Students will be taught next generation science standards.  We designed the program as a STEAM inspired program. There will be flexible learning spaces, increased ability to flexibly group students, teacher collaboration and accountability. Separating Middle School kids from the TK-5 environment will allow for more focused resources on expert counseling and social development programs designed for TK-5 students. A broader group of TK-5 students will increase positive social opportunities.

 

Will students be able to be grouped with friends?

As is common practice, each student will be assigned a class teacher based on collaboration between existing teachers and future teachers as well as administration review.  Our goal is to create equally balanced groups of students from both schools at consolidated schools. The staff that know your children will make decisions about how your students will be grouped together.

 

Who will the Elementary teachers be?

Tentative staffing placements for the 2019-20 school year have been determined by BHUSD district administration.  Individual staff members were notified the week of February 4 and assignments are subject to change. As is common practice, teaching and staff assignments are a work in progress up until the start of the new school year.  At that time, your student will receive teacher and class assignments. Our school and district websites will also be updated accordingly.

 

What programs are being offered to assist students to assimilate to the new school and their peers?

On April 25, all TK-8 students will participate in an orientation (8:30am - 11:30am) to welcome students to their new school campus and encourage students to get to know each other.  Organized activities, new school spirit wear and bus transportation will be provided. A Student Transition and Orientation Advisory Committee has been formed to review and create various initiatives to help students get acquainted with their new peers and new facilities (including social gatherings, in-school programs, PTA events, and Orientation Day).

 

Will the daily schedule change?

The Elementary daily schedule will stay the same with “late start Wednesday” and incorporate common planning and collaborative time for teachers within and between grade levels. Kindergarten (8:30am - 1:00pm, 9:30am - 2:00pm), 1st - 3rd (8:30am - 2:40pm), 4th & 5th (8:30am - 3:00pm).  Schools will maintain the same opening and closing hours (7:30am - 4:00pm) with campus supervision until 4:00pm.

 

Who are the Elementary School Principals and Assistant Principals?

Hawthorne:  Principal - Ms. Sarah Kaber, Assistant Principal - Mr. Kevin Painter

Horace Mann:  Principal - Dr. Juliet Fine, Assistant Principals - Mr. Chris Regan and Mr. Craig Bugbee

What additional measures are in place regarding a Safety Plan?As always, safety at every level is our priority. The goal is to ensure the maximum preparation and planning in our district measures as well as continue to work with our city officials, law enforcement and first-responders. The following plans are in place and being refined on an as needed basis:

• System-wide Policy Discipline District Plan
• School-wide Safety Plan designed with local first responders and school administration
• Ongoing disaster planning with administration and faculty

 

What is the plan to deal with Traffic / Drop Off & Pick Up?

A traffic mitigation “drop-off/pick-up” control study for the New Middle School, Hawthorne and Horace Mann schools are underway. PLACEWORKS consulting firm has been contracted to work with our Bond Manager TCDS, Inc., District Legal Counsel, Beverly Hills City Officials, and School Administration. Our “Team” is investigating options and analyzing the best practices for traffic access to our schools, including drop-off and pick-up procedures. The study and recommendations will be shared by end of March to early April.

 

Will there be an increase in average class size at each grade level?  

The district is committed to maintaining Board of Education class size guidelines (K-3: 23 and 4-8: 29).  In the new model, class sizes will become more balanced while generally remaining below and never exceeding current guidelines. According to the latest statistics, we have the smallest class sizes in Los Angeles County.

 

How many classes per grade will be formed?

This will depend on enrollment.

 

When will we find out classroom assignments?

As been done in prior years, classroom assignments will be communicated prior to August 12.  There will be unified processes communicating classroom assignments for Hawthorne and Horace Mann.

 

What will happen to all the library books?

All elementary library books from Beverly Vista, Hawthorne & Horace Mann will be equally distributed between Hawthorne & Horace Mann.  El Rodeo’s books will be stored until the school reopens. Middle school books from Hawthorne and Horace Mann will all be transferred to Beverly Vista.

 

Will students be able to request transfers between Elementary Schools?

Student Enrollment Process - all information is now posted online.  Click here.

• Intent to Return Form is due by March 4 - every student currently enrolled in our school district is required to complete.  Students will then be automatically enrolled from their current school to the new combined Elementary and Middle Schools.
• Intra-District Transfer Requests will open from May 15 to May 30 for Elementary parents/students.  Applications will be available on bhusd.org website to submit electronically.  Parents will be notified in July.

 

Will there be an intervention program?

There will be an intervention program at all sites.

 

How will parents be able to get involved and participate?

The Reconfiguration Steering Committee along with Superintendent Bregy will continue to provide forums for parents to ask questions, volunteer and engage.

 

Will GATE (Gifted and Talented) still be offered at the Elementary Schools?

The GATE program will continue at the Elementary School.

 

What after-school programming will be offered at the Elementary School?

STAR program and Adventure Camp will continue at both Hawthorne and Horace Mann.  An “Extracurricular Transition Advisory Committee” will be formed to review additional opportunities for students to be offered outside of the school day. This could be before and after school or at lunch time. For example: a morning running club, Science Olympiad, Kindness Club, chess, horticulture, or library volunteers.

 

Will there be a Pre-School?

Pre-School and Special Ed Pre-School will be at Hawthorne.