Email sent to all students / parents on 4/3/2020 at 2:15pm 

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We hope you are starting to get accustomed to doing your studies and connecting with your teachers in a distance setting.  Given the asynchronous makeup of this work, attendance is going to look and work much different than it looked when you came to the building and followed a scheduled routine.    During this time of distance learning, attendance will be recorded as an unexcused absence if you are not completing work assigned by your teacher(s) or not connecting with your teacher(s) to work through reasons for non-completion.   You can think about this as a simple checklist:

1.   Follow the schedule your teacher has posted and complete your work by the timeline stated on the schedule
2.   If you are unable to complete your assignment on time due to circumstance (illness, funeral, etc.) or you need your teachers assistance to work through the task, connect with them to make arrangements for completion.
3.   If either of these two points are satisfied, you will not be marked absent. 

One of the biggest differences you will experience with this attendance model is the increased amount of responsibility expected of you to maintain pace with your studies.  When we meet face to face, you have the constant interaction with teachers to remind you of and reiterate deadlines. With the absence of constant interaction, you need to study your schedules and organize/prioritize your time accordingly.  Moreover, overpreparing and working ahead any opportunity you have will help alleviate the anxiety of upcoming deadlines.   

In closing, since responsibility is a key foundation to growth and development in your formative years,  our hope is that unexcused absences are minimal or non-existent. If it does occur, do know an unexcused absence during this distance learning time has the same implications as an unexcused absence throughout the normal school year.  Also know, you will have differences in the frequency in which attendance is taken in your classes. By studying your schedules and timelines, the completion dates of content should give you much insight into this frequency. 

Finish up your assignments and enjoy the weekend!  

Students and parents,

Starting on Monday we’ll begin our new adventure in Distance Learning.  We know this is new to students and teachers, so there will be a learning curve which we all understand.

Students, during this distance learning time, you will have a Google Classroom or Moodle for each of your classes.  The teachers will assign homework with due dates, and you will be responsible for completing the work in the time allotted. Teachers may deliver lecture through videos that are shared in the online classroom, but there is no set time for your classes.  Each teacher will have certain office hours throughout the week where they will be available to answer your questions through email or chats.  Frequently check your email and online class. Assignments and materials will be available on Monday for the current week.

Although students will not be “in” class every day, it is important to set aside time each day to work on assignments and ask teachers for assistance, if needed. Today, we encourage you to log into your BPS apps account to make sure you are able to log in and be ready to go on Monday. If you are unable to access your Google or Moodle classroom, please contact your teacher through email right away.

The staff at BHS misses you, and even though we are not able to be together at the school, it’s still a GREAT day to be a Demon!

BHS Admin team
David Wisthoff
Ryan Johnson
Lynette Johnson

Students,

On Wednesday, March 25^th, you will be allowed back into the building to pick up your Chromebook or charger. We are limiting this to Chromebooks and chargers due to the guidelines around social distancing, and we want to do our part to keep our community safe.

Please enter through the 8^th street entrance (main door on the east side of the building).

12:00-1:00 pm

Last names beginning with A-G

1:15-2:15 pm

Last names beginning with H-P

2:30-3:30 pm

Last names beginning with Q-Z

BHS Family,

We hope you are safe during these difficult times. This week teachers will be calling families to check-in. If you get a call from a “restricted number” or “no caller id”, please answer the phone.

You will also receive an email from the district regarding date/time that students can come into the school to collect personal items; medicine, chrome book, locker items, musical instrument, etc.

The communication coming from the district is your main source of information. We understand you may have a lot more questions on what will happen with upcoming activities (prom, graduation, etc.) but these decisions have not been decided yet. We need to continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the governor. If you have any questions you can call BHS at 323-4800 or email bhs_secretary@bismarckschools.org and we will try to answer your questions.

Stay safe.

Good Morning students & staff – today is Monday, April 6, 2020

Congratulations to:  Gabby Belanger – she was Tribune Student of the week and well deserved.

Please remember to check your emails daily, last week a new Attendance policy was sent explaining how attendance will be monitored and you will be accountable.

To be successful with distance learning:

• Your BHS teachers will always post your learning for the week by 9 a.m. on Monday, so check your Google Classroom or LearnBPS right away on Monday mornings to get yourself organized for the week ahead. (if there is no school Monday, it will be the first day of the new week)
• Every teacher has office hours. Office hours are designated times when your teachers will be available to work with you and answer your questions. Your counselors and social workers are available by simply emailing them.

Remember that routine is ‘key’ – good sleep, get up as you would for school, homework – communication with teachers, exercise, fresh air, good diet *routine is key! 

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS for this WEEK go out to:

Mr. Lardy & Mr. Saylor

Elizabeth Eggl / Alexandra Hagen / Keirtsin Wilkins / Payton Foster / Kiyoko (Key O Ko) Gerjets

Isis Greywater /  Jacob Falcon / Brady Feist /  Kendall Herman / Kayden Mertens

Lyndie Donner / Ella Gabel / Dan Neibauer / Ahjahnae (Ah-ja-nah) Smith / Jenna Steinke

Keane Zimmerman / Julie Carlson-Vincent /  Jeremy Hiatt / Isaiah Huus / Riley Moser

Taeghan Rittenbach / Jared Schneider / Abby Greicar / Jacey Schmidt / Logan Triepke

MaKayla Wangen / Joseph Wood / Keetan Eagle / Karlee Schmidt / Mikah Anderson

Mikah Anderson / Scott Barth / Tayla Fischer and Dylan Gjesdal

Lunch Today:

Remember BHS has free lunches handed out from 11:30-12:30 at the loop.

This includes a breakfast bag for the next morning as well

Like Bismarck High School Facebook page

and Instagram - @bismarck_high_school

Remember this Friday and next Monday are part of the Easter holiday break and there will be no school on those days, even with online schooling. 

I’ll see you again next week Tuesday with announcements. 

Have a HOPPY Easter and remember IT’S ALWAYS A GREAT DAY TO BE DEMON!

BPS expanded its food distribution sites to 23 total locations, so review the schedule for locations and times. For frozen food safe handling instructions, click here.

No BPS meals April 10, 13 & 27: There will be NO to-go meals on Good Friday, April 10; Parent-Teacher Conference Day off on Monday, April 13; and the Possible Storm Make Up Day on Monday, April 27.

Donate to Family Assistance Fund
The Bismarck Public Schools Foundation (BPSF) has established a COVID-19 BPS Family Assistance Fund.  Those that wish to donate may do so through the foundation website or by mail. To donate online, go to https://www.bpsfoundation.com/donate/ and click “COVID-19 BPS Family Assistance.” To donate by mail, send checks to the BPS Foundation at 806 N. Washington St., Bismarck, ND 58501 and write “COVID-19” in the memo line. Families seeking assistance are encouraged to reach out to their counselor or social worker who will connect them to established community resources as well as submit requests for funding needs that cannot be met within existing resources. The BPSF thanks those who have already reached out to volunteer and/or provide monetary donations to help those within our community who are struggling.

Donate to Student Feeding Efforts
BPS has had many kind offers to help with student feeding. If you want to make a monetary donation to help feed students in need, go to https://www.bismarckschools.org/Page/3381 and follow the instructions listed. If you are not currently a MyPaymentsPlus user, you can set up an account! 

Our homeless program liaison is helping to collect personal care items for families in need in our community. This includes things like diapers, wipes, tampons, feminine pads, etc. Pick up/drop off times, dates & locations are listed on this poster.

Bismarck-Mandan Area Resources

For Adopt-a-Block information, click here. The Banquet continues to serve to-go meals and distribute perishable food products. Click here for more details.

Bismarck Public Schools will not have classes Friday, April 10 in observance of Good Friday and Monday, April 13 due to parent-teacher conference day off.

Bismarck Public Schools will not have classes Friday, April 10 in observance of Good Friday and Monday, April 13 due to parent-teacher conference day off. 

The Bismarck School Board will meet at 5:15 pm at the City-County Building at 221 N. 5th Street. The public is invited to attend the meeting or watch it LIVE on cable channel 2.