Weekly Parent News

Upcoming Dates

February 27 - March 8: BCHS Musical, Newsies
March 5&6: College and Trades Fair at Caledonia High School
March 10: Parent Teacher Conferences

Spring Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent teacher conferences are an important opportunity for us to partner together in supporting your child’s academic and personal growth. We invite you to join us for conferences on Tuesday, March 10, from 4-7pm.

We encourage all families to attend conferences. They are a great opportunity to:

Build relationships with your child’s teachers
Celebrate your child’s progress
Learn about your child’s strength and weaknesses
Discuss academic goals and next steps
Ensure you and your child’s teachers are on the same page about your expectations for how your child acts, performs, and treats others
Learn the ways you can best support your child’s success at home

We understand that family schedules can be busy, but even a few minutes spent connecting with your child’s teachers can make a meaningful difference. Our teachers truly value the opportunity to meet with you, celebrate your child’s progress, and discuss ways to continue supporting their success. Please use School Bookings to select times that work best for your family. If asked for a code, please use e6fxz.

In addition to traditional conferences, Principal Troy Reedy and School Counselor Libby Bonnell will be giving a presentation called Helping Your Student Build the Right Schedule from 4-4:30pm in the Van Singel Fine Arts Center. If you’re interested in learning more about high school scheduling, post secondary planning and how to best support your student in these processes, please plan to attend!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we can ensure your student continues to learn, grow and thrive.

Annual Education Report (AER) Now Available

The Annual Education Report (AER) is now available for each BCPS school on their respective website, as well as in each school office. AERs contain detailed data on state-provided school accountability, student assessment results, national assessment, educator qualifications, school improvement funds and strategies, and civil rights information. The current year AER reports on this data from the previous school year. To access the AER online, please visit the school website and navigate to the “Annual Report” tab. If you have any questions regarding the report, please contact your building principal.

Byron Center High School 25-26 AER Report

Spring State Assessment Information

As we prepare for the upcoming spring state assessments, we want to ensure that both students and parents are well-informed about the testing schedule and the importance of these assessments. Families will receive more information through email that is specific to their students' grade level in the upcoming weeks.

11th Grade Testing Dates:

April 14 - Accommodated SAT
April 15 - SAT (12:15 Dismissal)
April 16 - M-Step (11:15 Dismissal)
April 21 - Make-up SAT
April 23 - WIN
April 28 - Make-up WIN

9^th and 10^th grade Testing Dates:

April 15 - PSAT 9 and PSAT 10 (12:15 Dismissal)
April 21 - Make-up PSAT 9 and PSAT 10

Tutors Needed

We are currently looking for students who are interested in tutoring after school and/or during Flex time. Students who are interested in becoming a tutor, should stop by the Learning Commons to see Mrs. West or email her at cwest@bcpsk12.net.

Tutoring is a great way to support fellow peers, build leadership skills, and earn service hours toward a service award.

Teen Poetry Contest with KDL

Kent District Library is currently accepting entries to the annual Write Michigan Teen Poetry Contest, open to teens in grades 6-12 living or attending school in Kent County. This is a great opportunity for teens to share their writing and win a cool prize. Teens are encouraged to submit up to two poems by April 1 to be eligible to win a $50 gift card to Meijer. Learn more at writemichigan.org/teen-poetry-contest.

German Program

Scheduling for next year has officially begun, and we are excited to invite students to sign up for our growing German program! Beyond just learning a new language, students will explore vibrant cultures and gain a competitive edge for future college applications and global career opportunities. From engineering and business to music and the arts, German is the key to a world of innovation. No prior experience is necessary—just a curiosity to learn and grow. Sign up for German 1 for the 2026-2027 school year! Contact Mrs. Finkbeiner at jfinkbeiner@bcpsk12.net with any questions about the German program!

Detention Policy Update

The second semester will have some updates to our detention policy, designed to give families more flexibility while maintaining consistent expectations and accountability.

Key Updates:

Students will now be assigned a two-week window during which they must serve their detention, rather than a specific date. Detention will still be running on Tuesday morning, Tuesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon. This provides seven opportunities to serve within the detention window. Given the multiple options, students will no longer receive one reschedule per semester.
If a student does not serve their detention within the assigned window, they will be required to serve In-School Suspension (ISS) the next school day.
Students with multiple detentions within the same window may serve them consecutively if they choose.
Students must remain for the full duration of their assigned detention time for it to count.
Students may serve a one hour detention at HWS on any day during their assigned window.
Students will continue to receive an email from Mrs. Wilkins or Mrs. Valente when they are assigned a detention. Please encourage students to check their email regularly to make sure they do not miss key instructions and reminders about their detention.

We believe this structure will support clearer expectations, increased student responsibility and more consistent follow-through.

If you have any questions about the updated policy, please feel free to contact our office.

From the Nurse's Office

As we enter cold/flu season, the nurses wanted to send a few helpful reminders of when to keep your child home from school. Please see this flyer for more detailed recommendations.