Principal's Notes 4/12/19

April Messages
Peace Message: Perseverance

Brain Message: There’s a difference between not knowing and not knowing YET!

Important Dates 

• April 22-26 – Spring Vacation
• May 10 – Memorial's Tall/Small Dance 6:30-8:00pm
• May 22 – Grade 1 Orientation and Screenings
• May 31 – Kindergarten Overview; 9:00-10:00 am in the Cafeteria
• May 9 – PTG Coffee with the Principals (9:30 AM @ BCTV)
• May 16 – Grandparents’ Day
• May 21 – PTG Year in Review with the Superintendent (9:30 AM @ BCTV)
• May 22 – McKelvie Parent Information Night (4th to 5th grade)  
• May 23– Spring Concert; 7:00 PM McKelvie Intermediate School
• May 24 – District Workshop Day – No School for Students
• May 27 – Memorial Day Observed – No School
• May 30 – Field Day
• June 2 – PTG Color Blast Run
• June 5 – 4th Grade Musical, Manchester Christian Church 
• June 10 – Tentative Last Day of School/4th Grade Clap Out/Move Up Day

Thanks to everyone who participated in BINGO night! We had over 100 people show up for a fun time.

Spring Book Fair

Thank you students, parents, teachers and volunteers for making this years Spring Book Fair a HUGE success!!!  We were able to give back over 150 books to the school and the classroom libraries thanks to the generous donations generated for the All For Books Coin Drive Campaign and those parents who purchased a book from the teacher baskets!

While the physical book store is closed, the online book fair will stay open until next Friday, April 19th.  If you order online, your purchase will be shipped to the school, free of charge, and we will distribute your order to your student during school hours.  Please follow the link provided to order online:  https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=bedfordmem

Again, thank you for everyone's assistance with running the Fair.

Book Fair Chair,

Mindy Bator

Student Placement
As we move into the final quarter of the school year, we are starting to think about class placement for 2018/19. Please read THIS LETTER, which outlines the process.

Student Surveys
Teachers will be administering the spring edition of Tripod Survey following April Vacation. For more information, please read THIS LETTER.

Small/Tall Dance May 10th
Memorial School's 3rd Annual Small/Tall Dance will be on Friday, May 10th from 6:30 - 8:00pm at the Manchester Community Church, across the street. Each Memorial School student (small) may invite one adult (tall) to join him/her for a evening of fun dancing. Please RSVP no later than Monday, May 3rd. Green flyers with attached envelopes went home either today or will go home on Monday for the Small/Tall Dance.  Cost is per student only (adults do not have a fee).  Families may include all students in one envelope, just list their names on the label. We hope you can join us!

Lost and Found

With the change of seasons we are seeing an increase in the number of items in our Lost and Found. If you are missing anything please ask your child to check the Lost and Found. Items not picked up by April vacation will be donated and no longer available. Thank you.

2019-20 School Calendar
The School Board has approved the 2019-20 School Calendar. Please note The first day for students will be August 27th and the last day of school will be June 12.  In the event of snow days, the first 5 we have will not be made up so unless we have 6 or more snow days we will be no later than June 12.   This should bring some more predictability to the end of the year for families.

Reminders from the health office regarding illness or communicable diseases:
Due to some children having a compromised immune system, we are asking all parents to practice the following guidelines. This will protect everyone from the spread of germs in the classroom. Having a compromised immunity system makes certain children susceptible to becoming ill.
Keep your child home if he/she experiences any of the following symptoms: 

• A fever of a 100 degrees or higher,
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea,
• Respiratory symptoms such as persistent cough, and unclear nasal secretions (green/yellow).

In addition:

• Do not send your child back to school until he/she is symptom free and back to normal (eating sleeping, etc. ) for at least 24 hours.
• If your child is diagnosed with strep or conjunctivitis, do not have him/her return to school until he/she has been on antibiotics for 24 hours, and is feeling better.
• Notify the school nurse of strep or any communicable illness your child may have.

Keeping your child home to rest when he/she is ill prevents the spread of germs and ensures a quicker recovery for your child. You can also decrease your child’s chance of illness by reminding him/her of:

• Good hand-washing techniques, especially before eating and after using bathroom
• Not sharing water bottles
• Covering a cough in his/her sleeve
• Using tissues to blow his/her nose, followed by hand-washing

PTG News and Information

BHS SEEKING PARENT INPUT ON PATHWAYS TO GRADUATION: 

April 20th @ 10AM

In an attempt to provide guidance to the School Board on potential, long-term adjustments to the BHS schedule and staffing for students with diverse learning progressions, Bob Jozokos, Associate Principal at BHS, and Tom Laliberte, Assistant Superintendent, are looking for feedback from parents at all school levels. 

If you are interested in meeting with Bob and Tom on April 20 at 10:00AM at Memorial Elementary School, please contact School Liaisons Kenn Archibald (kennarchibald@gmail.com) or Marc Murai (marcmurai@gmail.com). 

If you are interested, but unable to attend this meeting, an additional evening session will be held on May 6th in the Memorial School Library.

BEDFORD PTG COLOR BLAST FUN RUN/WALK SUNDAY JUNE 2^nd9:30AM -
Don’t miss your chance to get in on the Colorful Fun and Support our Schools. New registration discounts available for returning runners, PLUS children’s price now applies to kids 10 and under and 4-pack of entries available at a reduced rate. Click HEREto register and visit our Color Blast Fun Run/Walk website for event details.

Register by Friday, May 3rd to take advantage of our reduced pricing and purchase a Color Blast t-shirt and swag bag including drawstring bag, sunglasses, bandana, and your own color bag to throw at the start of the race!

**First 250 registrants will be entered for a chance to win a raffle, where two lucky winners will receive a $25.00 Barnes and Noble gift card**

Not participating in the Fun/Run but still want to be involved…click HERE for Volunteer Opportunities.

FISHER CATS DISCOUNTED TICKETS - 
Join the PTG for a fun family evening with the Fisher Cats on Friday May 3rd. Arrive early for the High Five Tunnel and stay late for Fireworks!.

Click HERE for more information and to order DISCOUNTED tickets. Return order form with check payable to NH Fisher Cats to school by April 19th . Tickets will be available at the Will Call window on 5/3.

COMMUNITY MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPALS: Join the Bedford PTG for a community meeting with Principals from all six of our schools on Thursday, May 9th at 9:30am at BCTV. Come hear the success stories of the 2018/19 school year and get information on some important school topics. We are looking to the community for topic ideas you’d like to hear discussed. Please email bedfordnhptg@gmail.com by 5/6 with your questions and topic suggestions.

BHS GRADUATION SEAT RAFFLE - The PTG is raffling off 2 sets of FOUR seats for the June 8th Graduation Ceremony in a prime picture taking spot. Winners will also receive one reserved parking spot that day. $20/Entry or 6 Entries for $100. Click HERE for entry form and details. Entries, with cash or check payable to “Bedford PTG”, are due to BHS school office by JUNE 3rd. Winners will be drawn & announced on June 5th.

BHS PARKING SPACE RAFFLE The PTG is raffling off TWO prime guaranteed parking spaces in the top lot for the 2019-2020 school year. You must have a valid license and a vehicle sometime during the 2019-2020 school year to be eligible to WIN! $10 Donation Per Entry. Click HERE  for entry form and details. Entries, with cash or check payable to “Bedford PTG”, are due to BHS school office by June 3^rd. Winners will be notified before the end of the year. 

4th to 5th Grade Band Information Night
The McKelvie Music Department will be touring the elementary schools on Monday, May 13th. There will be a Band Information Night on Tuesday, May 14th at 6:00pm in the McKelvie Cafeteria. There will be information for parents regarding sign-ups and instrument rentals, and instruments for students to view and hold. Please email Christa Wickham at wickhamc@sau25.net with any questions.

Destination Imagination - Shoe Drive

Bedford DI are having a special shoe drive through Ecosmith Recyclers. From now until May 19th, you can donate all your old paired shoes, boots, flip flops, sneakers, heels and slippers in the marked boxes in your school lobby. These items will then be placed in a special blue bag before being deposited in the Ecosmith bin in the school parking lots. This is a great way to get your spring cleaning under way, while helping raise funds for the teams heading to Global Finals in Kansas City, MO. We would also like to remind you that, clothing, fabrics, stuffed animals etc can always be donated year round in the Ecosmith bin. We appreciate your support.

The Leadership Club’s 1st annual "BULLDOG NIGHT"
WHEN: Wednesday, May 1st 6:30-8:30 PM in the BHS Commons
WHAT: An event for families with games, an art display, crafts, music, snacks, and raffles!
Admission fee: $5 per person or Donate a book for Families in Transition! 

Volleyball Opportunity for Girls 9-12 - BHS Senior Project

Hi everyone! My name is Caroline Robinson and I am a senior at Bedford High School. For my senior Project I am hosting a free volleyball clinic at the Bedford High School Gymnasium on Sunday, April 7th from 3-5 and Sunday, April 14th from 3-5. The age group I am looking to come is girls ages 9-12. This clinic is for girls wanting to learn how to play volleyball or just wanting to improve their game! This is completely free. If anybody has any questions you can reach out to me at 9957805@bedfordnhk12.net . Please let me know if your daughter can come to both sessions, or even just one of them. Please either RSVP via my email or my sign-up genius which can be found here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4DADAB2AA1F49-free

Thank you so much!
Caroline Robinson