Departments

BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

The following administrators and staff members at Burlington High School are pleased to serve Burlington students, families, and community members:

Sabrina Westdijk, Interim Principal

Heather Win, Assistant Principal

Jada Payea, Interim Assistant Principal

KasCandra Dougherty, Director of School Counseling

Transcript Requests
Please see the School Counseling page for directions.

Burlington High School Health Office

Welcome to the BHS Health Office

Downtown BHS Room 105B,
67 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: (802) 864 8586 || Fax: (802) 864-2167

Open Monday-Friday 7:30am –  3:30pm (closed vacations and summer).

Your Burlington High School Nurse is: 

• Jessica Valin, RN, MSN   jvalin@bsdvt.org           Monday- Friday

What we do

The BHS nurses work with compassion and skill to provide support to students, families and staff on a wide range of health topics. We are available to provide nursing assessment, care and planning, answer health questions, administer medications, provide routine screenings and respond to emergencies. When students are ill and need to go home we contact their parents/guardians to ensure optimal communication and safety.

In addition, the nurses take an active role in leadership such as participating in school safety and mental health committees and supporting students to navigate the healthcare system. Each spring the BHS school nurses plan and host a Health and Wellness Fair to celebrate and support student access to community resources. It is our pleasure to be here for the students, families and staff of BHS.

Annual Health Update and Immunizations

It is required that parents/guardians fill out the health information section of PowerSchool each year to ensure that nurses have the most up-to-date information of health status, immunizations, medications and emergency contact information for each student. Please contact Carolyn Magi at cmagri@bsdvt.org   if you have questions about this vital information.

Sports Physicals

In order for students to participate in school athletics, including use of the weight room outside of regular school hours, a current sports physical is required. The forms for sports physicals can be found here:  Athletics Well-Exam Form (burlingtonathletics.com), or on the BHS Athletics website.  The physical must be updated by the student’s Primary Care Provider (PCP) at least every two years. The updated forms can be emailed to sportshealthforms@bsdvt.org or mailed/dropped off at the Athletic Office. Please remember to request a sports physical during your student’s annual wellness visits with their PCP.

Special Health Considerations

Students with known special health considerations such as Asthma, Diabetes, Seizures, Cystic Fibrosis or Severe Allergies to foods or bee stings need to have a special health plan on file. Documentation from the student’s provider is required to plan for special health considerations and can be faxed directly to the health office at fax # (802) 864-2167. Please keep in mind that special health consideration plans need to be updated annually. 

Medications at School

Students requiring prescription medications during the school day are required to have a Medication Permission Form on file that is signed by both the parent/guardian and the prescribing physician. The form indicates the medication, the dosage, and any special instructions regarding administration. Please keep in mind that medications must be picked up or sent home at the end of the school year and that a new medication permission form is needed annually.

Dental Program/Tooth Tutor Program

Tracy Towers                   ttowers@bsdvt.org

The goal of this program is to make sure all students have access to a dentist and are seen at least once a year.  All Burlington School District students, or siblings of students, who are enrolled in Medicaid (Dr. Dinosaur) or are low-income and uninsured and have not been seen in the last year are welcome at CHCB’s Dental Center.

It’s easy, just fill out a registration form (one for each child), sign it, and send it back to our Dental Hygienist or School Nurse.  CHC will then contact you with an appointment.  Once your child is signed up, the school and CHC will take care of everything else.  Transportation is provided by SSTA. They will pick-up your child at school, bring them to their appointment and safely return them back to school after their appointment is complete.

Parents are welcome to attend their child’s appointment.

For more information contact the school nurses.

School Based Health Center

The SBHC is an optional resource for students at BHS. It is staffed by Libby MacDonald, APRN, and Dr. Heather Link who are providers from the University Medical Center-Pediatric Primary Care Office. Reasons for visits can include:

• Sick Visits – colds/flu, stomach illness, ear infections, strep tests
• Assessment and treatment of chronic illnesses – asthma, allergies, skin issues, ADHD, headaches
• Orthopedic assessment
• Behavioral, psychosocial, nutritional issues
• Bowel and urinary issues
• Family outreach, support and follow up care

The Details

• Students do not need to be patients of University Pediatrics, clinic visit notes will be sent to their primary doctor.
• Participation is voluntary
• There is an application which needs to be filled out prior to the first visit, you may request the form from the School Nurses.
• Walk-in’s are welcome or schedule an appointment with the School Nurse​

BSD Diversity and Equity site

Burlington School District Equity Statement 

In the Burlington School District, equity means meeting the needs of ALL members of our educational community. Educational equity is a districtwide and individual commitment to an assets-based approach defined by personalized support and equitable access to opportunity. In the BSD, we strive to ensure that everyone receives the support needed to develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually inclusive of race, class, ability, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, language, culture, and creed.

The means to achieve the goal of educational equity in our schools includes:

• Actively work to remove the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any social, racial or cultural factors.
• Acknowledge and address bias and discrimination that negatively affect our students, their families, and our staff
• Work to dismantle systems of oppression and white supremacy culture in schools.  
• Continually examine  and re-examine biases to interrupt and replace inequitable systems, practices, policies, and procedures with those that are just and equitable;
• Create inclusive, anti-racist, culturally relevant curriculum and school environments for adults and children;
• Redistribute District resources based on academic, social and economic data to better serve our most marginalized students and families; 
• Partner with students, families and community members to build a truly inclusive community where all voices are included

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Henri Sparks, Director of Equity & Safe/Inclusive Schools
Contact Information: hsparks@bsdvt.org

The Burlington High School Library is a dynamic, student-centered program that promotes reading and cultivates inquiry, collaboration, content curation, inclusion, exploration and engagement.  Our DtBHS space includes interactive/collaboration zones as well as a quiet study area/open access computer lab/classroom.  Our Library supports the academic, intellectual, and cultural life of the BHS community by:

• Promoting information skills and critical thinking.
• Developing responsive, user-centered services and information resources.
• Maintaining comfortable spaces for focused study and collaboration.
• Providing friendly, professional staff and a welcoming atmosphere.
• Curating a collection of print, physical and digital tools for academic growth and to support personal interest and exploration.

BHS holdings consist of more than 18,000 print volumes; electronic resources including periodicals, e-books and e-reference sources and primary sources through JSTOR, Teen Health and Wellness, Vermont Online Library and SWANK K-12 Streaming films; plus a growing collection of tools for building schema and communicating new knowledge:

• Glowforge 40 watt CO2 laser cutter;
• Cricut Maker electronic cutter for x/y plotter cutting of vinyl +;
• green screen video; microphones; podcasting tools
• arduino microcontrollers + microbit and circuit playground boards;
• prototyping tools: littleBits electronic building blocks;
• 3D Doodlers.

Library services are built on AASL’s Student Standards, anchored by six Shared Foundations—Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage—which highlight our core educational concepts.

Come check us out!

At BHS, there are a number of extracurricular activities to get involved with. For information about athletics, visit our BHS athletics website.

Activities & Clubs at BHS Include:
Above the Influence Prevention Group
Bowling
Debate Club
Detour: Art and Literary Magazine
Drama
D&D
Gardening
International Club
Math League
Model United Nations
National Honors Society

Pep Band
Library: Tech & Design (Makerspace, Game Design +)
Yearbook
Scholars’ Bowl
Student Council

Our dedicated IT staff works to keep our systems working at BHS and throughout our District. The help desk is available to answer questions related to student devices and accounts. Reach the help desk at 864-8437.

Our nationally recognized farm to table food service program and team work to serve up tasty and nutritious meals to students. To learn more about the Burlington School Food Project, please visit the program’s website.

The property services team works to keep the BHS/BTC campus in excellent shape and all of our building operational systems functioning.

The English Department expects all students to develop and demonstrate comprehensive communication skills as outlined in the Vermont Framework of Standards. Learning opportunities in listening, speaking, reading, writing, interpreting literature, and information processing are included in all course offerings. The courses follow a scope and sequence with increasing skill proficiency expected as the student moves from ninth to twelfth grades.

Please note: Students must pass the previous year’s English class before moving on to the next grade. Each successive year is built upon the skills of the previous year. Students who fail English may repeat English once in summer or night school in order to move on with their class with approval from the principal. Students may not double up English until their fourth year of high school.

BHS Graduation Requirement

The Burlington High School graduate is able to construct and interpret the English language in a variety of situations and texts.

To achieve the graduation requirement, a student must:

• demonstrate breadth and depth of reading and listening
• demonstrate fluency in speaking and writing from narrative to exposition and argument

The mission of the Fine Arts Department of Burlington High School is to encourage students to appreciate and become life-long participants in a wide range of artistic expression in the visual and performing arts.

BHS Graduation Requirement

The Burlington High School graduate demonstrates an understanding of cultural and aesthetic differences in a variety of art forms.

To achieve the graduation requirement, a student must

• perform or create with expression and accuracy in a variety of art forms
• investigate the creative possibilities inherent in composing, arranging and improvising with insight, reason and technical proficiency;
• demonstrate some understanding of historical and cultural aspects of creative expression and their relationship to other disciplines
• develop an informed personal aesthetic
• improve upon product and performance through self-reflection and group critique

The general purpose of a history and social studies education is to help students develop the skills and basic knowledge needed to be responsible, contributing members of both our democratic, pluralistic society and the increasingly interdependent global society. By studying the past and present, and by learning how to anticipate the future, students can begin to better understand the general workings of all societies, the specific aspects of existing societies, and the role they play as individuals in their community and in the world.

The three-year required sequence of Civics and World Societies, World and US History, and Twentieth Century World and U.S. History gives students an opportunity to hone their understanding of America’s pluralistic society along with world geography and other societies, and to identify major historical eras and trends throughout history, from both western and non-western perspectives.

Students, in the first year of the sequence, spend a semester focused on American Civics – the history and workings of our American form of government. During the second semester, students focus on mastering their understanding of world geography as they begin their exploration of how various societies develop different political, economic and cultural structures. This first-year course in Civics and World Societies provides students with the foundation they need to move into their studies of global history.

The last two years of the sequence focus on World and US history, giving students an opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills by analyzing periods of transition and by interpreting the political, economic, and social influences of the past on the present. Students also will learn to identify and analyze the various time periods on all continents. The program reinforces student knowledge of major geographic features of the world, and has students analyze the relationships among geography, historical events, and economic development throughout the world, including the United States.

The study of citizenship, conflicts and their resolutions and relations among different nations and people enables students to learn how to interpret, evaluate and analyze information so they can make effective choices and decisions in their own lives. Finally, through the study of history and the role individuals have played in change – both evolutionary and revolutionary – students will better understand their role and responsibility in our democratic, pluralistic society.

In addition to the required three-year sequence, students are encouraged to elect other history and social studies courses that give focus to specific areas of history and the social sciences. Electives offer students a chance to pursue areas of personal interest while continuing to hone their critical thinking skills.

BHS Graduation Requirement

The Burlington High School graduate analyzes problems and the role of citizens using perspectives that reflect the differences among cultures and peoples by the application of knowledge and strategies learned from history and social studies.

To achieve the graduation requirement, a student must:

• use historical evidence to formulate positions, viewpoints, and to understand current issues;
• apply geographical principles;
• explain democratic and constitutional principles and practices, compare them to other forms of governments, and demonstrate the ability to take action within the political system;
• explain how different cultures express, communicate, and instill their most important ideas;
• analyze basic economic problems confronting individuals, nations, and the world.

The program in mathematics offers to all students a preparation in the knowledge and skills necessary for competence in mathematics, as well as preparation for further training. All courses aim to increase understanding of the basic concepts in mathematics. Attention will be given to providing a deeper knowledge of our number system, experience with quantitative reasoning, study of the nature of proof and of the techniques of critical thinking, and knowledge of the contributions mathematics has made and is making to the progress of civilization. An appreciation and enjoyment of mathematics as a way of thinking is sought.

BHS Graduation Requirement

The Burlington High School graduate uses a variety of mathematical methods and appropriate technology to solve problems and functions confidently in a mathematically sophisticated world.

To achieve the graduation requirement, a student must

• use mathematical reasoning in problem solving;
• communicate mathematics by using language, graphing symbols, concrete models, visuals, and technology to express and comprehend mathematical ideas;
• make mathematical connections;
• demonstrate a quantitative sense;
• demonstrate a spatial sense;
• demonstrate knowledge of arithmetic/algebraic properties;
• demonstrate an effective use of the basic concepts of probability and statistics.

Physical Education and Health courses are designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead a healthy and active life style. In Physical Education, students are exposed to many different types of activities to encourage a life long pursuit of personal fitness. In Health, students learn a variety of topics included in the five main units: Mental Health, Nutrition, Eating Disorders, Substance Prevention and Abuse, and Sexuality and Relationships.  Students will be provided factual information, based on current information available, to be able to make informed decisions regarding their own health.

BHS Graduation Requirements

The Burlington High School graduate accepts responsibility for personal fitness by demonstrating the relationship between nutrition, physical activity, and personal lifestyles in determining health and life choices.

To achieve the graduation requirement in Physical Education, a student must:

·         Understand and apply both fundamental and complex motor skills and movement patters that can be transferred to a variety of activities (Vermont Standards 2.3, 3.6)

·         Understand and apply movement concepts and principles, sports vocabulary, and strategies and tactics related to physical activities

·         Understand and apply fitness concepts to the five components of health-related fitness (Vermont Standards 3.1,3.5,3.6)

·         Practice safe and responsible behaviors that promote personal and group success in all physical activity settings (Vermont Standards 1.13,1.15,3.3,3.5.3.11)

·         Participate regularly in a variety of individual and group physical activities which promote enjoyment, self-confidence, and personal accomplishment, that lead to an active lifestyle.

To achieve the graduation requirement in Health, a student must:

·         Understand concepts and practice skills related to Health promotion and disease control and prevention (Vermont Standards 3.4,3.5,3.6)

·         Understand how to access accurate Health information (Vermont Standards 3.5)

·         Recognize the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors in Health (Vermont Standards 3.5, 5.14)

·         Communicate effectively to enhance Health-promoting habits and respectful interactions (Vermont Standards 1.15,3.3,3.4,3.5)

·         Use goal setting and decision making skills to enhance Health (Vermont Standards 3.1,3.5,3.6,3.7)

Science and technology offerings are designed to equip students with scientific understanding of the natural world through knowledge of the basic concepts of science, scientific and technological modes of inquiry, the nature of scientific and technological work and the historical and social contexts of science and technology. Students will understand the basic concepts of the particular discipline they study, will be able to apply them to aspects of their own lives, and will be able to utilize them in combination with skills and knowledge obtained from other fields. The scientific and technological literacy they develop will enable them to make informed decisions in the home, community and workplace. In addition, all programs are designed to offer students experiences to develop a solid foundation and the advanced skills necessary to succeed in future careers in science and technology.

BHS Graduation Requirement

The Burlington graduate understands and applies scientific and technological concepts to explain and demonstrate an understanding of the world.

To achieve the graduation requirement, a student must

• demonstrate an understanding of and apply the basic principles, concepts and language of the biological earth and physical sciences.
• understand the historic development and dynamic nature of scientific thought;
• demonstrate the ability to work safely and effective with laboratory measuring, manipulating and sensing devices;
• identify and design techniques for solving problems in science or technology.

Offerings have changed from previous years as instructional support services are shifting to support students directly within the general education environment.   Instructional support services are designed to support student learning and academic progress in mainstream classes along with intervention classes that provide targeted instruction.    In addition, students have access to instructional courses within reading and learning labs where individualized instruction across the basic skill areas will be delivered.  Students can earn elective credit for learning lab and intervention courses.

Effective communication based on knowledge of language and cultures is important to students living in a world that will be dramatically different from that of their parents and grandparents. The opportunity for learning a language other than English is available to all Burlington students with an emphasis on culture and communication. Students may choose to study Latin, French, German, or Spanish throughout their high school years.

BHS Graduation Requirement

The Burlington High School graduate understands and communicates at a basic level in at least one language in addition to English.

To achieve the graduation requirement, generally at the end of Level 2, a student must:

• communicate through a series of learned phrases and vocabulary related to self
• demonstrate some understanding of social and cultural aspects associated with the language
• understand some ideas and familiar details when listening to uncomplicated speech or reading short texts.

Students who begin a new language at BHS should expect to take that language for a minimum of two years in order to attain the graduation requirement.

Students who are interested in attending a four-year college or university, and wish to become more independent users of language, should attain a grade in the B range in Level 2 and plan to take a three to four year sequence of language study while at BHS.

Students aspiring to a level of proficiency in which they can read and comprehend relatively sophisticated texts, and speak and write with greater confidence and fewer hesitations, are encouraged to continue into Honors and AP classes throughout their high school career.

English Language Learning (ELL) is offered to non-native speakers needing instruction in the English language. The goals of this program are to help these students to become successful learners and to be able to reach Burlington High School Graduation Standards.

Students will be assessed annually to determine English proficiency in all four language domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Assessment results will determine placement in ELL classes. Students may be required to take more than one English class, including another ELL or regular English class.

ELL Exit Requirements: The State of Vermont requires students to score an overall composite proficiency level of 5.0 or higher on the ACCESS for ELLs®, plus a minimum proficiency level of 4.0 or higher on both the reading and writing domains, in order to “attain” proficiency. Students are assessed annually in English; these scores will determine if a student exits from direct ELL instruction and service.

ELL Prerequisites: English language proficiency level (WIDA LEVEL) is based on the ACCESS for ELLs®, annual assessment, and ELL teacher recommendation.

Driver Education, including both classroom and driving instruction, is offered as a regular course at BHS during the school year and as a summer class (mid June- late July). Students are required to complete 36 class hours, 6 driving hours, and 6 behind-the-wheel observation hours. Some driving hours may be completed during the school day if a student has an unscheduled block of time.

Instruction is most effective when students are at the height of their own motivation to learn, and it is most valuable when they will soon be able to apply what has been learned. Therefore, we recommend that a student not be enrolled until such time that he or she will have reached the legal licensing age by the time of the course completion. Enrollment for those who lack sufficient maturity to accept the responsibilities involved should be delayed to a later date.

Non-BHS students.  BHS students are served before others are eligible.  If any slots are available after signing up BHS students, in-district non-BHS students will be considered for the course on a first come, first served basis.

Students must present a valid learner’s permit at the time of registration. Depending on the number of students requesting Drivers Education, selection to the program will be decided by the date on the learner’s permit, with students having their permit the longest being chosen first for the program. Students must be residents of Burlington to take the course. In addition, it is required that a student have a minimum of ten hours of practice driving with a parent or a legal guardian before driving with a BHS instructor.

Sign Ups

Sign ups for Driver Education during the school year, is done through Bob Hill, at rhill@bsdvt.org.