This fall, BBCS Deans of Students Jerry Meneide and Ryan Thomas have worked closely alongside Walker Cares, an organization providing professional development opportunities for social-emotional learning and youth-facing work. 

Jerry Meneide

Dean of Students

Ryan Thomas

Dean of Students

Walker’s mission is to transform the lives of children and youth who are facing complex emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges by partnering with these children and youth, their families, and communities to nurture hope, build strengths, and develop lifelong skills.

Both in-person and online, our deans learned more about behavioral health and youth mental health first aid. They discussed and applied what they learned in weekly check-ins and seminars with coaching about student wellness, holding restorative conversations, and addressing emotional dysregulation.

What is Social-Emotional Learning?

Rather than immediately implementing punishments and discipline, our deans practice approaches focused on social-emotional learning. To our Deans, social-emotional learning means understanding the child. Nobody can know exactly what a student goes through everyday. When a student arrives at school, there are other circumstances out of their control that can create a barrier to learning. Kids can have a tough time focusing if they are feeling angry, upset, hungry, sad, or confused about something at home. Through using practices and tools taught by Walker, our deans are able to better listen to, and understand, our students at Bridge.

When students are acting out in class, they are often exhibiting attention-seeking behaviors. Our deans seek to understand causes of issues using patience and help students develop emotional awareness. Youths often find difficulty identifying what they’re feeling and don’t always feel comfortable discussing their emotions with adults. Our deans want students at Bridge to know that when they are experiencing intense emotions, Deans are available to listen and understand, rather than immediately punish.

Our Student Support Team, with the help of our parents and community partners, are committed to shape curious, creative and resilient 21st century Scholars who are equipped to make a bold difference in our world.

Walker is pleased to partner with Bridge to promote youth wellness and mental health. Through Walker’s Wellness Coach Project, Bridge staff receive training and ongoing clinical supervision in wellness promotion, behavioral health self-care strategies, and case management. 

This knowledge and skillset are essential for addressing challenges, such as anxiety, depression, while also strengthening social-emotional learning and healthy sleep, nutrition, and exercise habits.

- Jake Murray, Executive Director of Walker Solutions

Dear BBCS Families,

I am pleased to announce that on January 3rd, 2024, we will be having a full day of professional development for all staff members. We will begin the day by having our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging team facilitate restorative circles. This is an initiative that they have been intentionally implementing with our students and staff, and it has been a valuable tool for building community and fostering inclusion.

In the morning, the team will also be working with the POP (Problems of Practice) and LTF (Literacy Task Force) Teams. They will be collaborating and addressing any challenges or areas of improvement as well as instructional support. The rest of the morning will be dedicated to professional development on social-emotional learning (SEL). We will be focusing on our school-wide SEL curriculum, Second Step, as well as using the DESSA (a social-emotional screening tool) to support our students' emotional well-being and growth.

In the afternoon, our professional development will be led by our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Student Support, Dean and Operations Teams. They will be sharing their expertise and insights to further enhance our understanding that drives many aspects of our school culture.

I am excited about the opportunities for growth and learning that this professional development day will provide for all of us. I look forward to exploring these topics together and continuing to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment for our staff and students.

Best regards,

Principal Walker

Join our Next Parent Council Meeting!

• Tuesday, January 16th at 5pm via Zoom
• Learn more about our parent council on our website
• Questions? Reach out to Evelyn Correa

Upcoming Events

• Winter Break - December 22nd - January 4th
• No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 15th
• Boston Charter School Showcase - January 20th
• View the 2024 Basketball schedule

Testing at BBCS

Testing began Dec 18th, however the majority will take place after break.

• Math Fluency: K2-8th, Dec 18-21st
• DIBELS: K2 - 6th Grade Literacy, Dec 18th - Jan 12th
• ACCESS Testing: English Language Learners, Jan 8th - 25th
• iReady: K2-8th, Jan 4th - 12th

Currently at School

Last week, BBCS Library Volunteer Silvia Cooper read The Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds Ms. Cordis and Ms. Ana's first grade class.

This week, Mr. Roberts's Student of the Week from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade was chosen for his:

• Behavior
• Homework Completion
• Class participation

The Student of the Week for the week of December 4th, 2023 is 6th Grader, Jhariel Dejesus!

Coming soon ...

Beginning January 16th, BBCS will be using the app Pickup Patrol to coordinate dismissal with families. More information will come in January.

Food Policy Reminder

This is a reminder that we have a policy about sending food to school for Birthday Celebrations. Please do not bring/send cake, cupcakes, candy, cookies, or other sugary treats. Teachers are great at finding ways to celebrate birthdays in fun ways so there is no need to send anything at all. If you really want to send treats in, please limit it to popcorn, popsicles or non-food items like pencils & stickers. This is the best way that we can assure our students with allergies are taken care of. This also allows us to promote an environment of equity and inclusion.