Message from the Superintendent
Dear Bloomfield School Community;
I wanted to begin my weekly message by sharing an important update on New York State Graduation Requirements. You may have recently seen that New York State is moving forward with significant changes to high school graduation requirements.
Beginning with students graduating in 2028, New York will transition to one statewide high school diploma, and students will no longer be required to pass a specific set of Regents exams in order to graduate. Regents exams are not going away. They will continue to be rigorous assessments of New York State learning standards and will remain an important measure of student achievement. Schools will also use multiple sources of information, including classroom assessments, student work, projects, and other learning experiences to understand student progress and achievement.
The State is still developing the specific regulations and guidance for these changes, with additional details expected as the implementation process continues.
Our district is already working to ensure we are prepared. We are closely monitoring guidance from the New York State Education Department, reviewing our current programs and assessment practices, and planning for the changes so that we can provide students and families with clear information and continued support throughout the transition.
We will continue to share important updates with families as more information from the state becomes available.
As we complete the first full week of the school year, I also want to take a moment to share some of the wonderful things happening throughout our schools. One of the things that makes Bloomfield such a special place is the way our staff, students, families, and community partners work together to support learning and growth.
Partnership with SJF
We are proud of the partnerships we have developed with organizations in our community and beyond. This is our second year partnering with St. John Fisher University through its teacher apprenticeship program. The program provides a pre-service teacher with the opportunity to spend a full year working alongside one of our experienced teachers. The apprentice gains valuable hands-on experience, while our students benefit from having another caring adult in the classroom supporting their learning and development. It is also a meaningful way for us to provide this experience at a low cost to the district.
This year, Miss Tori Cruz is serving as an apprentice in Mrs. Kaitlyn Guertin's first-grade classroom. She has already established a wonderful rapport with the learners in the classroom. That connection was evident when she took the lead during morning meeting earlier this week. We look forward to watching Miss Cruz continue to grow as an educator throughout this experience.
First-Year Teachers
The first year of teaching is filled with new experiences, learning, and opportunities to build relationships, and two of our newest teachers, Miss Riley and Miss Milne, are off and running!
Miss Milne is our new art teacher, serving students in both the Elementary School as well as the Middle/High School. This week, she introduced a graphite drawing project to one of her high school classes. She demonstrated a genuine passion for the medium while encouraging students to carefully observe, discuss, and evaluate different works of art.
Miss Riley is our new ELA teacher at the Middle-High School. This week, she worked with her seventh-grade students on figures of speech, with a focus on creating similes and metaphors. I also enjoyed seeing the expectations she has established for each class. The expectations were co-created with students and are displayed in meme form, a creative way to give students ownership of their classroom environment while making expectations clear and accessible.
Elementary Principal Search
Our elementary school is also off and running under the leadership of our interim principal, Dr. Tracy Marchionda. At the same time, our faculty and staff are actively involved in the process of selecting our next elementary principal. Two rounds of interviews have already taken place, with another scheduled for next week. We remain on track to recommend a candidate to the Board of Education for appointment at the end of September, with an anticipated start date toward the end of October.
We often say that Bloomfield is a special place, and the response to our principal search has been another reminder of that. We received a large number of highly qualified applicants who were interested in leading our elementary school. It is encouraging to see that the qualities we value so much in our school community are recognized by educators beyond Bloomfield as well.
Real-World Writing Class
Our PPS Director, Mrs. Rosdahl, also had the opportunity to spend some time in the Real-World Writing class with Miss Riley and Mr. Bishop. Students were working on SMART goals and developing plans to help them reach those goals. She was particularly impressed by the way Miss Riley held students to high expectations when writing their goals. Rather than accepting a general goal such as "become an electrician," she challenged students to make their goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Mr. Bishop provided individual, one-on-one support to students when needed as they developed their plans, while students themselves became resources for one another. When a student had knowledge about a topic another classmate was exploring, they shared that knowledge and helped each other develop their plans. It was a great example of students taking ownership of their learning while supporting one another.
Recognitions and Thank You’s
Mrs. Rosdahl also wanted to recognize our primary 12:1:1 team, who came together to discuss student successes and needs. It is wonderful to hear that students are settling into routines and building confidence. One student has been advocating for themselves and their needs using their words, and yesterday the class successfully participated in learning centers. These may seem like small moments, but they represent meaningful growth and are exactly the kinds of successes our staff work so hard to support.
Our Middle-High School department leaders also took time to recognize students for the strong start they have made to the school year. They shared that students are following the internet-enabled devices policy and instructional routines, coming prepared with their agenda books and blue folders, and arriving to class engaged and ready to learn. We appreciate our students' efforts and the consistency of our staff in establishing these expectations.
Dr. Marchionda shared that they have had another great week at the Elementary School. She is especially thankful for the hard work of our transportation department as they continue to work through routes and student bus assignments while demonstrating kindness and patience with all of our elementary students.
She would also like to give a big shout-out to Tina LaPiana this week. Mrs. LaPiana demonstrates the true meaning of inclusive education by showing respect for all and ensuring that every student has a sense of belonging. During lunchtime, she finds unique ways for students to interact socially while creating a fun and enjoyable environment. We appreciate her willingness over the past few weeks to do whatever is needed to support our students.
Mrs. Schroeder Receives Award
Finally, I want to extend a very special congratulations to our elementary school psychologist, Jenn Schroeder. Mrs. Schroeder recently received the Ruth Steegmann Chapter D School Psychologist of the Year Award and is now in consideration for the NYASP statewide Frank Plumeau School Psychologist of the Year Award. She is one of only 15 school psychologists across New York State in consideration for this recognition.
We are incredibly thankful to have Mrs. Schroeder as part of our Bloomfield team. Her dedication to our students and families is evident every day, and this recognition is a wonderful reflection of the care and commitment she brings to her work.
There is a lot happening across our schools, and I am grateful for the opportunity to see so many examples of students learning, teachers growing, staff collaborating, and our community coming together. Thank you to our families for the partnership and support you provide each day. We are looking forward to a wonderful school year together.
As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership. If you have any questions or need anything throughout the year, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Andy Doell
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Photo of the Week: This week is National Arts in Education Week, a chance to celebrate how special our arts and music programs are at Bloomfield.
