BHS Parents Group

Dear BHS Community,

Community. Community means so many things. I play ice hockey for fun, after learning to skate out here on the Peninsula three decades ago. I watched the Olympics Gold Medal games with pride. Then in the locker room, recounting some of the highlights, I realized a fraction of my teammates were Canadian and mourning the silver medals in their country’s national sport. (I also learned their schools allowed them to watch the women’s game during class!) We found a way to honor both of our experiences, without gloating, and with compassion for our friends whose team didn’t win. 

This reminds me of the college acceptance conversations which have been occurring and will intensify as the UCs and privates roll out their decisions in the next few weeks. How will your child celebrate their own admissions while their friends receive a rejection letter? How will your child deal with the bad news of their own rejection to their top choice college? Especially if their friend is admitted? Have you talked through these scenarios with your children? Discussing challenging situations while they are hypothetical may be easier, and serve as good preparation for that moment when they open their email in the next few weeks.  

Beyond college applications, our community faces numerous ups and downs, often in private. Being a good friend, or even just smiling at someone when they’re having a bad day can make the difference. Students tend to freak out a bit more when facing other stressful situations like a mid-term or a deadline for a major assignment, so they may react out-of-the-ordinary, and this could be a sign for an extra hug from mom or dad. I talk so frequently about the movie Inside Out 2 that I rewatched it this weekend and still find it to be so helpful to articulate the complex emotions facing our teenagers in puberty. Naming our emotions often helps to get them under control. March is THE longest month in the school year, or at least it feels that way. Take some steps now to prepare yourself.

Finally, please discuss next year’s courses with your children. Note the warnings about AP World, AP US History, AP Government/AP Macroeconomics. Students will not be permitted to drop in the middle of the semester, nor will the teachers offer re-takes or test corrections. This generation doesn’t appear to read very much, and these courses require significant reading. Nationally, almost half of AP test takers pass these subjects, so I would expect BHS students to easily pass. If these are not your child’s favorite subjects, choose other courses. Especially AP Government/Economics--ask current seniors whether they really want to study for and take the AP Government exam a whole semester into their senioritis. 

Go Panthers!

Principal Jen Fong

jenfong@smuhsd.org

February 22, 2026

Dear Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined us—either in person or on Zoom—for our information-packed Parent Group meeting. We heard from Dom Bigue and Joshua Dyl (SMUHSD), along with Jamie Cheng (Parent and School Site Representative), about how AI is being used in the classroom and why families are encouraged to explore its many benefits. Please take a moment to review the slide deck from the meeting for more information.

We also shared updates from the Parent Group and want to extend a huge thank you to our community for helping us reach 86% of our fundraising goal. Each day, we move closer to our $588K goal, which supports our school and students through special projects, programs like Breaking Down the Walls, and essential staffing.

Principal Jen also shared more about her decision to retire at the end of this school year. She will be actively involved in the hiring process for both the Assistant Principal and her successor and will remain on hand to support a smooth transition. We have been truly fortunate to have Principal Jen as our leader, cheerleader, advocate, and friend. We wish her all the best as she begins this next chapter.

As we begin planning for the upcoming year, we are recruiting volunteers to help build a diverse Parent Group that reflects our student community. We are currently seeking someone to join the Nominating Committee, as well as parents interested in serving on the Parent Group Board. Please reach out if you would like to get involved—we would love to hear from you!

Finally, thank you to everyone who helped support our staff with the much-deserved breakfast treats at Friday’s coffee cart. Our staff truly felt the love and appreciation from this amazing community.

Warmly,

Ingrid Gauthier, BHS Parents Group President

ingridgauthier@bhsparentsgroup.org