It might not feel like it with the heat, but fall is nearly upon us — and with it, another school year.
Thursday is the first day for students in the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., as well as those at Columbus Christian School, St. Bartholomew Catholic School and White Creek Lutheran School. St. Peter’s Lutheran starts Wednesday, and Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. begins on Aug. 8.
With that in mind, here are some reminders for BCSC families and other community members as the new year gets underway.
Transportation
Parents can access their children’s bus routes and schedules at ezrouting.com/bcscin, said BCSC transportation director AJ McKeand. Delays will be communicated via text messages.
Parents with additional questions or issues can contact the transportation routing office at 812-376-4246. More information is also available by going to bcscschools.org and clicking on “Bus Information.”
McKeand said that parents should be patient, as the first few days of a new school year can be “very challenging.” Pick-up times will vary during the first week as bus drivers get to know their routes and passengers.
Stop arms
Drivers should be aware of their surroundings, McKeand said.
“When a stop arm is extended and the red lights are flashing, STOP, watch for students, help make sure that our students get to school safely, as well as return home safely,” he said.
In Indiana, it is illegal for motorists to pass a bus that is stopped, with red lights flashing and the stop arm extended. This applies on all roads, with the exception of highways divided by a barrier, such as a cable barrier, concrete wall or grassy median — drivers on those roads only have to stop if traveling in the same direction as the school bus.
All of BCSC’s school buses are equipped with stop arm cameras to help catch violations, McKeand said.
According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, motorists should slow down and prepare to stop when they see a bus with yellow flashing lights, as this indicates that the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children.
Assistance
The Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program provides free, basic supplies for K-12 students attending school in Bartholomew County. The program has flexible income guidelines and is “designed for households experiencing financial need.”
While the BCSSAP had its annual distribution event on July 26, families can still call 812-375-2216 to ask for assistance.
“We would encourage families that may find themselves in extenuating circumstances after the distribution to go ahead and call the number so that we can try to meet the needs the best we can,” said Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center community outreach coordinator Diane Doup.
Information about BCSC food services and applications for free and reduced meals are available at bcscschools.org/foodservices.
Calendar
The school corporation’s 2023-2024 calendar can be viewed at bcscschools.org. There are four professional development days scheduled for staff, with students being out of school on those days. The days are as follows: Sept. 5, Nov. 27, Feb. 19 and Apr. 8.
BCSC had previously scheduled March 28 as the final professional development day of the school year, but the school board voted this past spring to change the date to April 8 in order to coincide with the 2024 total solar eclipse.
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Gina Pleak told the board that the time of totality, for Columbus, would be close to each school’s dismissal time. The concern from city and county officials is that visitors from all over the country will be coming in to view the eclipse, and the phenomenon is expected to halt movement on roadways.
“It is something that people want to come and be part of,” she said. “And we’ll be welcoming many guests to our community on that day.”
High school ‘teams’
Another change is that Columbus North and Columbus East high schools will be debuting new “team” structures this year.
According to Director of Secondary Education Charles Edwards, the idea behind the teams model is that as each class moves up a grade, the same student success team will stay with them in order to increase the focus on a particular set of students.
Each team member will essentially have the same three goals: Get to know each student they are responsible for, become well-acquainted with their parents and work with other team members toward getting each student to graduate.
Both high schools have posted lists of the team members for each grade on their school websites and shared videos about the teams model on social media.
“This year, there have been some interesting changes in the design of our leadership teams,” said North principal David Clark in his school’s video. “We are making these changes because we feel they will enhance the educational opportunities for our students. From entering as freshmen to graduating as seniors and all those special moments in between, we want our students to know we love them and we’re here to help them make the most of their moments.”
