Message of the Month
Self Advocacy - (The Power of Your Words)
Important Dates
- December 10-11 – 4th Grade Ellis Island Simulation
- December 16 – Spirit Day for Group A (Pajama/Comfy Clothes Day)
- December 18 – Spirit Day for Group B & Remote Students (Pajama/Comfy Clothes Day)
- December 24-January 1 – Holiday Recess
- January 15 – End of Quarter 2
- January 18 – No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observance
- January 22 – Report Cards Released Online
Weekly Schedule
A-B-A-B-B
Friday, December 18: Group B (L-Z)
Parent Resource Documents
K-8 Hybrid Calendar
Hybrid Parent Guide
Remote Parent Guide
Bedford Reopening Plan
Fourth Grade Ellis Island Reenactment
2020 has thrown us some unique challenges, but we were able to overcome them and make our annual Ellis Island Day happen! On Thursday and Friday, our fourth graders stepped into the shoes of immigrants traveling to America in the year 1900. The gym was transformed into a (physically distant) Great Hall, where inspectors, played by Memorial staff, asked students questions and checked their passports and suitcases. Remote students enthusiastically participated in their own Google Meet version of Ellis Island, too. The students were very eager to learn about part of the history of American immigration. Ms. Davison would like to give a huge thank you to the students, families, teachers and staff for their effort in making Ellis Island Day a success!
Concurrent Learning
(A message from our Asst. Superintendent Laliberte)
The Bedford School District continues to adapt our practices to support the needs of learners. As you are aware, the state of New Hampshire has seen increased positive COVID-19 cases. As a result, we have had more students who have been required to quarantine and are unable to attend school in person. To support these students, our K-8 schools will offer synchronous opportunities, when appropriate, for students to connect with their teachers. For some, this will be in the form of concurrent learning. Teachers will determine when and how students join concurrently, and will work with parents as to what will be best in those situations.
Concurrent learning occurs when students who are receiving instruction in the classroom are joined by their peers who are in a virtual setting. This is more difficult for the teacher to navigate; however, they have been offered training opportunities in order to assist quarantined students who would otherwise not have direct access to their teachers while at home. Please find the expectations for students and parents in THIS document.
Feel free to contact your building leaders and teachers with any questions.
Teachers Preparing Work for Students at HomeIt is important to know that teachers do not automatically have work set aside for your child if they are not in school. If your child is quarantining it is important to work out the details with their classroom teacher how work will be handled. When teachers take the time to prepare work to go home it is placed on a table right inside the front doors. Please pick up this work in a timely manner so that your child is not overwhelmed with the amount. Working together, we will be able to make the best out of a less than ideal situation.
Thank you!
Memorial Remote and Hybrid Learning Success Site
On this site you will find a wide variety of resources to assist you and your child while away from school, whether that is remote learning or on their distance days. These resources are meant to be used as a framework; every student learns differently. If a resource doesn't fit perfectly for them, please feel free to edit it to make them as successful as possible.
Here is the LINK to the website.
Stuff the Turkey Food Drive
We truly appreciate the response to our "Stuff the Turkey" Holiday Food Drive! For the first half of the drive, we have now collected over 2000 items for the Bedford Community Food Pantry at Bedford Presbyterian Church. We can't thank you enough for your generosity. The drive ends on Friday, 12/18.
Thanks for helping us support Bedford families!Many of our families lists are full in the Adopt-A-Family Program. Through the generous donations of others in our school community, we have been helping families through the holidays. We strive to ensure that all Memorial students have an opportunity to have positive experiences with friends and family during these times. We do still have some items in need. Please click HERE to see how you can contribute to make the holidays extra special for our families.
The CDC recently recommended that families DO NOT TRAVEL for the Holidays. Please keep in mind that individual decisions made by all members of our community can have a direct impact on one another. The Bedford School District humbly asks that each of us do our part to stay safe, flatten the curve, and maintain open schools.
New Quarantine Guidelines
The Bedford School District follows the guidelines of DHHS. DHHS follows CDC recommendations and adjusts them to meet NH’s needs. Click HERE for the updated guidance.
Please notify Anna Cook, school nurse at 627-1776 X-23204, if you intend to travel outside New England.Memorial's Wellness Team helps provide the Memorial community of parents and teachers with support and tools that we're using to educate our students. The newsletter is updated every week with resources and ideas for everyone to enjoy. Please click HERE to access the Wellness blog. You'll also receive a friendly reminder over the weekend.
Mrs. Davison's Enrichment Riddle of the Week
Brainstorm as a family and have fun with this. Mrs. Davison has added her "Riddle of the Week" to her blog and it includes a form where people can submit answers. Check it out HERE.
IT’S A G.A.S PROGRAM: The Great Artists Have Returned! The PTG is excited to announce the return of the (Virtual) It’s a G.A.S. program to our elementary schools. The Great Artists Series is a beloved arts-enrichment program in the elementary schools. We wanted to find a way to continue to share the life and works of some of the world’s greatest and most loved artists in our new hybrid and remote learning models. So we have adapted our program by creating monthly video presentations and at-home art projects exploring the lives and works of artists ranging from the old masters to some of today’s most popular artists. Be on the lookout for information and links to the virtual It’s a G.A.S. Program from your child’s teacher. A huge thank you to Kenn Archibald our, It’s a Gas District Coordinator, for updating the artists and making this program available virtually.
PTG FEATURED IN BEDFORD LIVING MAGAZINE: PTG is excited to be featured in the December issue of Bedford Living Magazine. Be sure to read all about the PTG…how we operate in a usual year and how you can help during this unique year.
AMAZON SMILE: Did you know that everytime you make a purchase on Amazon you can support the PTG? Visit AmazonSmile, and select "Bedford NH PTG" as the organization that you wish to support or simply go to Bedford PTG's unique link HERE. We recommend that you bookmark this unique link as only purchases made at smile.amazon.com are eligible for donations. Now everytime you shop at Amazon a percentage of your purchase price is donated to the Bedford PTG! Reminders
A Shift in Contact Tracing
NH DHHS has informed us that they are no longer able to do contact tracing for positive COVID cases that originate outside of school. It is now up to schools to assist with the tracing and set the return date for students in these cases. As such, we are relying heavily on parents/guardians reporting positive cases of family members or others with whom their child has had close contact to our school nurses. We greatly appreciate you working with us to keep our schools a safe place to teach and learn.
Governor's Mask Order
Yesterday, the Governor issued a mask order for NH. Click HERE to see that order. While K-12 schools are considered exempt from that order, the Bedford School District will be adhering to it in the areas where we had not been before. The rationale behind this decision is two-fold. 1. An added layer of mitigation is prudent given the rising cases of Covid and transmission rates around us. 2. This additional measure supports our ongoing effort to keep our schools open. Thank you for your support during these challenging times.
Hybrid through the Holidays
The Bedford School District will remain in our hybrid model of education through the holiday season. Our layered approach to mitigate Covid has proven successful since the start of school. While we have seen many individual cases throughout the district, we have not experienced transmission, clusters or outbreaks. Bedford would consider a move to fully remote learning under 3 conditions:
1. Governor's Order
2. Transmission in a school or schools that we are unable to contain
3 Lack of staffing to keep a school open
Important reminders from the Health Office:
If your child misses school and the absence is related to illness please call the absentee line (school nurse monitors absentee line). Please leave a reason for the absence (this helps school nurse with decreasing calls she has to make). If the illness, even mild symptoms or singular symptoms, is related to the covid screening criteria the recommendation is to get tested for covid. Please leave a message on the absentee line to the nurse if you plan to have your child tested and then follow up with the nurse about the results. If your child is ill please keep them home and have them tested. Please call the school nurse with any questions.
Please click HERE for specific information on how Bedford and DHHS are working in concert to keep our students and staff healthy. This information includes school exclusion thresholds, testing sites, and an updated dismissal note.
Dressing for the Weather - Recess
Our goal is to have students will go outside for recess (after eating lunch) as often as possible. Please make sure to send your child to school with a warm coat, hat, mittens/gloves, snow pants and boots (when appropriate). Snow will be coming and we want all our students to be prepared by staying warm while having fun.
Cancellations and Delays
If school is to be canceled or if there is a delayed opening, the District will notify parents/guardians using the School Messenger Notification Service. This system will send a telephone call to the primary emergency number, email message and/or text message designated by the parents/guardians at approximately 5:30 AM. In addition, the following television stations will be contacted: WMUR TV (Channel 9, Manchester), and BCTV (Channels 16 and 22). It is also posted under News and Notes on the District website and District Facebook page.
If it is necessary to call a 2-hour delay at the start of school, buses will make their normal pickups 2 hours later than the usual time and the morning kindergarten and BEEP classes will be cancelled. The school day will end at the regular time.
School Attendance on Distance Learning Days
As is outlined in our reopening plan during Distance Learning Day students are expected to complete tasks assigned by their teachers for the purposes of extended learning, practice, review, and reinforcement. These are school days so if you are planning on not having your child participate on these days they will be marked absent from school for that day. Please notify the office by calling the Attendance Line at 627-1776 Option #1 if your child is unable to attend or participate. Thank you!
