Bob Connors Letter

BOZEMAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

404 West Main, PO Box 520 Bozeman, MT 59771- 0520 www.bsd7.org Phone: 406.522.6001 ~ Fax: 406.522.6091

WELCOME BACK!

BOB CONNORS Superintendent

bob.connors@bsd7.org

What an incredible opportunity for all of us here in Bozeman; we are, and will continue to redefine education. John F Kennedy stated, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” Our desire is to get students and staff back into the actual classrooms five days per week as quickly and safely as the COVID-19 pandemic allows. We are working with GCCHD to come up with Bozeman School District data points.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. While this school year looks different than any we have experienced in the past, it will define the future. We take our role in educating our students very seriously. I read somewhere that we may never know if we went too slow as we re-enter school this year, but we will know if we go too fast. We all have a responsibility to do our very best to make our schools as safe as possible. It is the responsibility of all of our students, families, and staff to work together and individually to practice appropriate measures, including wearing cloth face coverings, washing hands often, and practicing social distancing. These practices are what we need to do to take care of ourselves and each other.

The District will have a few changes in administrators as we enter the school year. Patrick McClellan moved from Longfellow Elementary School to Chief Joseph Middle School. Laura Conwell is now the Longfellow Elementary principal after moving from Helena last year. Cate Suit will be the new principal at Hawthorne Elementary School. Cate comes to Bozeman from Belgrade. She replaces Casey Bertram, who moved over to the Central Office as the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & Technology. We are excited about the opportunities for these four educators and their school communities.

These past months have also reminded me of the commitment that Bozeman has in our school community. Thank you for all of your positive comments and interactions; it humbles one to think of all of the lives BSD7 touches. Please continue to Zoom in on our Board meetings and email comments to our trustees (trustees@bsd7.org). We may not completely understand how COVID-19 will affect us as we reenter, please know we will continue to try to make the best decision with the information that is available at that time.

As we all know, it takes a village to raise a child. We need our village to make sure “our most valuable resource” can get back to our new normal. Together we can make the most out of this unique opportunity.