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Homeless:
See Students in Transition
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The state open enrollment law allows parents to enroll their children in a district other than the one they live in without having to pay tuition. Bismarck Public Schools still accepts students from other districts, but they may not be able to enroll at a particular school if the building or classroom is too crowded. The deadline for open enrollment is March 1. Application forms are available from the Business Manager at (701) 323-4057. Bismarck Schools does not provide transportation for students accepted under this policy.
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Head Start:
See BECEP
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Health Curriculum:
Bismarck Public Schools uses a comprehensive health curriculum called Health and Wellness in grades K-6. These materials cover growth and nutrition, personal health and safety, drugs and disease prevention, community and environmental health, and mental, emotional and social health. The elementary health curriculum also includes Toward-No-Tobacco, a supplement in 5th and 6th grade that addresses tobacco issues, and LIFESKILLS, which teaches values such as caring, truthfulness, and responsibility.
In middle school, each eighth grade student is required to take a one semester health course, which covers such topics as drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex education, AIDS, stress, suicide, and death. There is also a new program called LIFESKILLS for all students in grades 7-9. Senior high students in grades 10, 11 and 12 may elect to take a more in-depth health class, which also includes family and parenting education. Health on the high school level is also integrated throughout the physical education curriculum. For more information on the health curriculum, call (701) 323-4290.
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Home Education:
The State of North Dakota provides an option for parents through which they can educate their own children at home. Public schools are charged with the responsibility of administering the program and, if needed, providing monitors. More details can be found in our Home Education Handbook and by calling (701) 323-4054.
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Indian Education:
The Title VII and Johnson O'Malley (JOM) Indian education programs are designed to meet the special academic, liaison, cultural, and social needs of the American Indian students in grades K-12. Services for students in the form of tutorial services, home/school liaison, and cultural programs are offered through these federally funded programs. For information, call (701) 323-4050.
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Interactive Television:
Bismarck, Century, and South Central High Schools are part of an interactive television network (Great Western Network) with approximately 40 area school districts. Through the use of fiber optic cable and video equipment, Bismarck staff can teach high school courses to students in these schools or BPS students may receive courses from other school districts. Teachers and students hear and see each other in real time and operate just like traditional classrooms, except that their classmates and teachers are located in different towns. For more information, call the BPS Technology Director, (701) 323-4041, or visit www.greatwesternnetwork.com.
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The school system offers a free full day, every day kindergarten program for children who are five years old on or before August 31 of that school year. Registration is in January and a kindergarten round up is held in the spring before school starts. To learn more, visit your neighborhood public school and bring your child's immunization record, birth certificate and social security number. At the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, 835 kindergarten children were enrolled in the school district.
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Library:
All Bismarck School libraries are staffed with certified library media specialists. In grades K-6, there are 8.20 elementary library media specialists serving 15 elementary schools. Rita Murphy and Northridge elementary schools, the three middle schools, and the two high schools each have full-time library media specialists. All the school libraries have at least one library aide. The middle and high school libraries are open before and after school every day, and the elementary libraries are open after school on the days the library media specialist is there. The district library web page is at http://www.bismarckschools.org/library/. Individual school library web pages have a link from the district library web page and also at the top of each school's home page. For more information on library media services, call (701) 323-4076.
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Lunch:
See Food Service
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Bismarck has three schools serving grades 7-9: Horizon, Simle and Wachter. They each serve between 800 and 900 students, for a total population at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year of 2,553 students. For information on curriculum in these schools, contact the school offices or the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary and Curriculum/Instruction, (701) 323-4073.
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Music:
The district employs trained music teachers to provide one hour of instruction each week for all students in grades K-6. In addition, students in grades 4-6 may participate in an extracurricular string instructional program. Band instrument instruction is available for fifth and sixth graders. Middle school and senior high students can choose a variety of band, choir and orchestra electives as part of their regular class schedule. They may also take additional music courses as extracurriculars. Parents are invited to concerts throughout the school year. These concerts are free at the elementary and middle school level; there is a charge at the senior highs but booster tickets are available. To learn more, call the Fine Arts Office, (701) 323-4083.
See also Extracurricular
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Noon Hours:
Lunch times vary from school to school. Middle school students must stay on campus during the noon hour; senior highs have an open campus policy.
See also Food Service
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Nurses:
Bismarck Public Schools receives special funding for 12 part-time public health nurses and one full-time nurse to serve our 15 elementary schools. To learn more, call (701) 323-4024 or call Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health, 355-1540.
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