Principal's Notes 9/4/20

Message of the Month
Safety- Safe Body/Safe Words/Safe student behavior

Important Dates

• September 7 – NO SCHOOL in observance of  Labor Day
• September 8 – NO SCHOOL due to the NH State Primary
• September 9 – School Pictures Group A (A-K) *including Remote students
• September 10 – School Pictures Group B (L-Z) *including Remote students
• September 25 – PTG Coffee with the Principals (9:30 AM)
• September 25 – Virtual Open House
• October 12 –  NO SCHOOL- Columbus Day Observance 
• October 30 – End of Quarter 1
• October 31 – Happy Halloween!

Parent Resource Documents

K-8 Hybrid Calendar

Hybrid Parent Guide 

Remote Parent Guide

Bedford Reopening Plan

Memorial School Welcome & Orientation Video

Daily Health Screening for Students 

COVID-19 Overview Dashboard

Reminder…there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 7^th (Labor Day) or Tuesday, September 8^th (NH Primary Election).  We will see our Group A students (A-K) in school on Wednesday, September 9^th.

Travel Reminder

As we enter the long Labor Day weekend, please keep in mind the NH DHHS travel regulations, which the Bedford School District is following:

NH residents...traveling to/from areas outside of New England...need to self-quarantine for the first 14 days.…(starting from the last day of their travel outside of New England). This recommendation is irrespective of the mode of transportation for travel. 

 

Also, students cannot test out of quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test.  They must complete the entire 14 days. Please take a look at our Quarantining Protocol/Flowchart for more information.

 

In order to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, it is essential that we adhere to the policies and procedures outlined in our Hybrid plan.

Outdoor Classroom Areas

Thank you for the generous donations allowing us to set up our outdoor classroom areas for our students.  We now have a total of 27 picnic tables scattered on the grounds for kids to use.

 

Morning Announcements for Distance Learning & Remote Students

We have begun streaming our morning announcements in order for our Distance Learning and Remote students to have access to in-school Morning Announcements.  This is an effort to bring everyone together as it better connects students to the school as well as provides some routine on their "home" days.  This will be done using a Google Meet invitation that teachers will embed into their Google Classroom doc. It will take place each day at approximately 8:05 AM.  It is not required and there’s nothing for parents to do.  

Distance Learning Days and Remote Instruction

During Distance Learning Days students are expected to complete the assignments as they would on any typical school day.  Assignments should take students approximately two to two and a half hours to complete.  More information on Distance Learning can be found HERE.  

Remote Learning can take place in a variety of methods. The central goal of remote instruction is to continue student learning. Students will continue to be given instructional opportunities and demonstrate competency in a variety of ways. Please see the Remote Parent Guide linked above for more information.

Anti-Bullying Partnership Agreement

Please keep an eye out for a document going home with your child next week about bullying. The District Bullying Task Force developed a Partnership Agreement among students, teachers, and families to better understand and address student conflict, and what is and is not considered bullying.  We are asking all families to read, discuss, and sign this document to help ensure a happy, safe, and nurturing environment for all. Please click HERE if you would like an electronic copy of that agreement.

In addition to the above agreement, teachers will be having a discussion with students about expectations and following "the Golden Rule" of treating everyone the way they would want to be treated.  

BSD Food Service Announcement: 

Food Service has received a formal waiver from the USDA to provide FREE breakfast and lunch to all children ages 2-18 in the community through December 31, 2020. Meals will be offered at each school when students are on site and at the drive through pick-up located at the high school gym entrance for distance & remote learning students. Please continue to pre-order lunch through:  https://www.sendmoneytoschool.com/. Monthly menus can be found on the district Food Service website. Breakfast is available at MIS, RAL & BHS in the morning and at the drive through pick-up service. Please contact Emily Murphy, Director of School Nutrition with any questions,  murphye@bedfordnhk12.net.

Open House

Our teachers will be providing a virtual Open House on Friday, September 25^th.  The goal is to inform parents of what’s going on in the classroom, expectations and other information.  In addition, there will be a mechanism for you to ask your child’s teacher questions, and he/she will get back to you in a timely manner.  Your child’s teacher will be in touch with you to let you know what format to expect (video, slideshow, Google Meet, etc.).  In addition, we will send home one document containing Open House videos or slideshows from our specialists as well as Mrs. Purcell and me.

Remote Strings lessons for Memorial students

We are, once again, offering violin lessons for our students in conjunction with the Manchester School of Music using ZOOM.  Please click HERE for more information including days and times.

Infosnap
If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to complete the Infosnap process. If you do not have the email with the link/snapcode that was sent to you this summer, please contact the school office.

BACK TO SCHOOL GREETINGS FROM THE PTG! As we embark on a very unique school year, the PTG is dedicated to embracing its challenges while continuing to cherish and celebrate past traditions. Let's make it another great year for our students, staff and families!

 

SUPPORT THE PTG: Although our funding for programming and enrichment opportunities may look different this year, we will be working directly with the district to focus on what the classroom, teacher/staff, student and school needs are based on the current environment.

We know these may be trying economic times for many people so we ask if you are interested and able, please support the PTG by making a donation via PayPal by clicking HERE or by checks made out to Bedford PTG (turn into your child’s school or mail to PO Box 10077 Bedford, NH). Through our Support Drive, 100% of your donation goes directly to the schools and students of Bedford.

 

LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER: We will have information about volunteering for Bedford Schools in the upcoming weeks. Links to a Volunteer Google Form for each school will be available at that time. You will need to fill this form out in order to hear about volunteer opportunities at the schools or district wide. Currently, some schools are looking to fill open school coordinator level roles.

 

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION with Superintendent Fournier: Hosted by the PTG, Superintendent Mike Fournier invites you for a “Community Conversation” on Friday, September 11th, 9:30 a.m. at the SAU Building. This will be a small, informal gathering to discuss Bedford School District happenings. Questions and comments are encouraged. You must RSVP to attend. Seating is limited (adhering to social distancing guidelines) and masks are required. Click HERE to sign up.

 

MEET THE PRINCIPALS EVENT SEPTEMBER 25TH: You are invited to watch the Principals from all six schools at our annual "Meet the Principals" event on Friday, September 25th from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. It will be broadcast live on BCTV. This is a great opportunity to hear what each school has in store for the year. Please email questions before Sept. 23 for the Q&A session that follows the presentation to bedfordnhptg@gmail.com.

Reminders

Picture Days

Picture days will be the 9th and 10th for all students.  If you are a parent of a Remote Student we will have envelopes at the school for you to pick up.  Pictures will be taken outside using the safety precautions and under a pop-up tent.

From the Health Office

Click to read A few notes from Mrs. Cook, our School Nurse.

Please be prepared for children to be sent home if they are ill or display any symptoms of COVID-19.  We ask that you display patience with our school nurse during these instances.

If you are curious what to expect if you receive a positive COVID test you can read the 5 Steps to expect if a student tests positive for COVID-19

Mask Requirement

Masks are required when physical distancing is not possible (i.e. bus, hallways, bathrooms) and are recommended at all times.  Please send in a cloth mask (preferable) with your child each day.  Gaiters, bandanas and shields are discouraged.

 

Quarantine Protocols

Please adhere to this FLOWCHART for protocols.

 

Layers of protection

CDC has a new video posted to their site explaining layers of protection.  

layers of protection

 

Pre-Ordering Student Lunches

Families are required to pre-order meals using the online system. Online ordering will be through www.sendmoneytoschool.com.  Please click HERE for other important lunch information.

Information about Girl Scouts

Click HERE for upcoming opportunities with the Girl Scout

NH Tackles Hunger fundraiser 

In previous years WMUR has partnered with the NH Food Bank and 57 NH High School football teams to collect food and monetary donations for pantries and programs around the state. The food drive/fundraiser is known as Tackles Hunger. This year’s Tackles Hunger food drive is going to be quite different due to several factors surrounding 2020. This year the program is open to all 89 high schools in the state of NH and only monetary donations are being collected via the NH Food Bank website. All high schools have been paired with a pantry or program in their town or region, and your program is one such recipient! You can see the full list of schools and their partnering program here. https://www.nhfoodbank.org/nh-tackles-hunger/

Over the next month, residents of NH, businesses, schools and more will make monetary donations via this same website link, and any funds that are collected for your assigned school will be credited to your Food Bank account at the conclusion of the drive. We will notify you then as to how much money was donated to your program via the high school.
We are excited about this virtual food drive and hope that you are too. If for any reason you feel that you do not want to participate in this virtual food drive/fund raiser please let us know. Thanks so much.