Dear BPS Community,
Please find below my first Superintendent Weekly Update for the 2025-26 School Year below. Wishing everyone a great week ahead!

In partnership,
Iris White
Superintendent of Schools

Attendance Awareness:

Regular attendance is one of the most powerful predictors of student achievement. When students are in school consistently, they are more likely to stay on track academically, develop positive habits, and build strong relationships with peers and educators. 

Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of the school year — can have a lasting impact, even in the early grades, and may create gaps that are difficult to close.

Once again, our district is proud to be focusing on improving attendance across all schools. We are working together to identify and address the barriers that prevent students from attending school, whether those challenges are academic, social, emotional, or logistical in nature. This work involves not only our schools but also our families and community partners.

I encourage families to continue to make attendance a top priority and to reach out to your child’s school if you need support. Together, we can build a strong foundation for student success—one day at a time.
Let’s make every day count.  The attached flyers provide tips for families on keeping their children on track this school year.

Bristol Education Foundation (BEF) Trivia Night:

The Bristol Education Foundation will hold its annual Trivia Night on October 24, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Double Tree Hotel.  All proceeds benefit BEF's efforts to award mini-grants to BPS teachers and support innovative practices.  Hope you will consider attending.  Please see the attached flyer for more information. 

Coffee with the Superintendent:

Starting Friday, September 26th at 8:00 a.m. I will begin holding Coffee with the Superintendent on the last Friday of the month. Locations to Be Determined.  This informal series of gatherings will offer a relaxed setting for parents, guardians, and community members to come together, ask questions, share ideas, and engage in meaningful conversations about our schools. Whether you have a concern, a suggestion, or simply want to stay connected to what’s happening in the district, I welcome your voice at the table.  These sessions are designed to strengthen the partnership between our schools and the community we serve.  More information will be shared soon.



Student Presentation at Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) Back to School Meeting:

The CSDE Bureau of Special Education invited students from our outstanding Community Vocational Education Program at BAIMS and Bristol Central to perform at the Annual Back-to-School State Meeting last Friday, September 5th. They sang the National Anthem and "Be The Light".   We collaborated with the American School for the Deaf and took turns performing.  Special thanks to Dr. Jess Lemos, Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services; teachers Kara Banda and Colin Sonstrom; BAIMS Principal Lea McCabe; and General and Choral Music Teacher Theresa MacDonald for their support of the singing performance.

Later, our students in the Community Vocational Program led a presentation on 'Student Voice,' highlighting all that they had learned throughout the year and their culminating reverse career fair.  There were also recently graduated students in the Lobby, handing out resources.  These students represented BPS with confidence, passion, and pride. Their performance was moving and inspiring, and their reflections on the initiatives they’ve been part of—and all they’ve learned along the way—left a lasting impression on everyone in the room.  They served as true ambassadors for what is possible when we support every learner and provide opportunities for all students to shine.

Commissioner of Education Visit

This past Friday, Commissioner of Education Charlene M. Russell-Tucker and Attendance Works Executive Director Hedy Chang filmed a video segment on the importance of student attendance in the beautiful classroom of Stafford Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Morgan Matos.