Dear BTWHSPVA families,
As we end our third week of school in this virtual environment, I wanted to reach out and express my deep appreciation for everyone’s commitment to “making it work.” Our theme of CommUNITY has never been more important than it is now.
I hope that your student is connecting with their FlexFam teacher and peers as well as their Conservatory and Academic teachers. We will be continuing to focus on many cultural intelligence and social-emotional learning strategies to support our entire BTW community throughout this pandemic and beyond.
We are extremely proud of our Dean of Arts Conservatories, Mr. M. Scott Tatum. I am pleased to announce that Mr. Tatum was appointed to the Principal position at Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, a magnet middle school here in Dallas ISD! We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Tatum for his five years of service to Booker T. During his tenure, he was instrumental in helping craft our current Strategic Plan, Vision and Mission, Core Values, and Scholar Artist Profile. His commitment to artistic and academic excellence for all students has inspired our community throughout his time with us. Please join me in congratulating Principal Tatum in his new role – we know this isn’t goodbye, as he will always be a part of the BTW family.
I am really excited to welcome our freshmen who have elected to join us in-person on September 28th and 29th. This will give 9th graders the opportunity to get acclimated to the physical environment of our school prior to the return of all grades the week of October 5th. Please pay close attention to the entry points for each conservatory and follow the self-screening guidelines prior to arrival on campus (see below).
Speaking of October 5th, this is the day where our schedule will shift to a Hybrid model, supporting both in-person instruction and virtual learning. Our arts teachers will be teaching in-person classes to those students that chose to be on-campus, while also supporting those that will remain in the remote learning environment. We have prepared a video overview which explains our Hybrid model. Please take a moment to review it by clicking here.
I continue to come back to our vision statement – We are an intersection of innovation and creation. We are a home for the young artists and thinkers that will write the next chapter of our society. Now is our time to innovate and create. These students will transform the arts for their generation. I am humbled to work with such an amazing group of teaching and scholar artists. Thank you for being a part of our BTW CommUNITY!
Sincerely,
Scott M. Rudes, Ph.D
Principal
