The floors are waxed and polished, the grass is turning green again, the weather is cooling down, teams are on the fields and in gyms practicing, new staff orientation is this week, and NFL football is starting, so of course that means only one thing: it’s Back to School season at Batavia. The perennial return to routines, calendars, events, and most importantly, an opportunity for our students to learn, grow, and improve. Welcome back to the 2025-26 school year!

Without fail, there is always the eternal sense of optimism, hope, and enthusiasm that comes with the onset of a new school year, and certainly, this coming year is no different. Our team has worked hard and successfully all summer to prepare for next week. Hiring is completed, schedules are being finalized, and goals are being established. Soon, the business of learning will be underway—how exciting!

While summer was fairly quiet around our schools, we held summer school programming for enrichment and academic support, provided meals for our families, and began some much-needed roof work on our schools. Our leadership team and teachers attended two local conferences to improve and enhance our skills in our ongoing quest to provide high-quality programming and instruction for all.

As you are aware, New York State schools are required to implement a bell-to-bell ban on all internet-enabled devices (our Code of Conduct also prohibits all phones, whether they are internet-enabled or not). I thank our families for participating in the survey that we used to develop this policy, which our Board of Education recently approved. More information on this may be found on our website, along with some tips designed for families to assist their students in navigating this requirement: Internet-enabled device policy

While this policy is important, it will certainly not define this coming school year. What will define this year will be the success of our students, the dedication of our faculty, administration, and staff, and our collective commitment to excellence and growth.

With that being said, welcome back to the 25-26 school year. We can’t wait to greet our students on the first day of school on Thursday, September 4th!

Go Blue Devils!