On January 30th and January 31st at Bulkeley’s south campus, BHS held its first On Track Conferences. On Track Conferences, a format developed by the 9th Grade Team, are a different type of conference than both BHS Student Led Conferences and the traditional Parent Teacher Conference. Students, parents, and even whole families came to the gym at South Campus, where they were greeted and welcomed by members of Student Council and staff members. What they saw as they entered the gym was all of south campus’ teachers at desks around the room by the walls, and a table full of water and snacks against the stage. Mr. Ramirez and Mrs. Cunningham, seated at the front desk in front of the entrance, gave each student a paper copy of their grades and attendance. From there they either went or were guided to a table with a staff member, where they had their conference. Students and families were able to have conferences with teachers the students had, or that they did not have. After the conference was done, students and families then had the freedom to either speak with more staff members by walking around the room, grab a snack, or head home. This created many opportunities for students and families to comfortably and at their own pace have enjoyable conversations about student’s progress. Despite being in the gym it was never too loud and conversations still felt confidential. There was always a low din of laughter and conversation as staff and families interacted, which created an atmosphere of community that everyone enjoyed. While some families kept to their schedules and left right after their conferences, some families stayed for more than an hour to talk to all their students’ teachers! It all made for a great evening and afternoon, and we at BHS are looking forward to MP3. We can’t wait to see you at the next one!
First, thank you to all the families who came and supported your students. You are a pillar of the BHS community, and are so important to your children and to us at BHS. Thank you to Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Cunningham for organizing the successful On Track Conferences! Thank you to Mr. Ramirez and Mrs. Cunningham for giving out grades at the door. Thank you to the student council for being wonderful hosts. Thank you to all the staff who dedicated their time and hard work at On Track Conferences and every day at school! Thank you to the students for coming and participating in conferences; you matter to all of us.
