BPS Will Kick Off Building Bridges Program In September
Bourne Public Schools is introducing a new family engagement initiative called Building Bridges, a program aimed at bringing members of the district together and connecting them with community organizations, information and services.
BPS’s elementary curriculum coordinator Lisa Dix is spearheading the initiative, drawing inspiration from a previous incarnation of the program that she ran at the Sippican School in Marion. Now in her fourth year with BPS, Ms. Dix is ready to bring the program to life in Bourne.
“What I did [at Sippican] was I created events that we invited the entire Marion community to,” Ms. Dix said. These events, she said, were intended to engage families within the district with various goods and services the community had to offer. The meetings were held at various locations around town rather than just at the school buildings, which Ms. Dix believed would boost interest and accessibility.
Bourne Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou was familiar with the program Ms. Dix was involved with in Marion and with the support of BPS administration, Ms. Dix will now be bringing the program to Bourne. A kickoff event is set for Thursday, September 29, at the Bourne Intermediate School from 6 to 7:30 PM.
“I’m in the process now of contacting any businesses, organizations, and clubs that offer goods and services to the folks in the community of Bourne,” Ms. Dix said. “So far, I’ve got about 35 different groups that have confirmed they’re coming.”
The resource fair will be geared toward all BPS students and families at all grade levels. Resources available at the fair will include youth and family recreation, nutrition assistance, housing and clothing, wellness and mental health services, safety, education, and more. Groups confirmed for the September 29 kickoff include the Bourne police and fire departments, the Salvation Army, Walt’s Mobile Closet, and Kind Hearts For Kids, to name a few. Information on these organizations and the services they offer will be available, as well as door prizes donated by local businesses that will be raffled off.
Additional information on the Building Bridges program will be available at the start of the school year. Ms. Dix said that she intends to plan more events throughout the school year with various types of programming.
“[It is] to try to pull the community together somehow and build that bridge between the schools and what is around us, because there are so many really neat services offered by places that families aren’t even aware of,” Ms. Dix said. “That’s basically what it’s all about.”