Principal's Notes 9/3/21

Message of the Month

Be Safe - (Safe body-safe words-safe student behavior)

Parent Resources

BSD Reopening Plan 2021/22

Start of School Letter--Preventing COVID

COVID-19 Schools Dashboard

Important Dates

• September 6- No School in observance of Labor Day
• September 8- Picture Day
• September 9- Picture Day for some of our BEEP students
• September 10- Community Conversations with Superintendent Fournier
• September 14- Open House (Details to follow)
• September 24 - Meet the Principals Event

Drop off and Pick up

Thank you all for your patience as we work towards a safe, smooth, and timely drop off and pick up.

For Drop Off- We realize this can be a difficult time with traffic backing up. Please look for the adults directing traffic as we will do our best to move cars through as timely as possible.  If you can have your child ready to exit the car quickly and independently it will help help with the process. 

For Pick Up- Our preschool students will be brought out to cars in front of the building by adults on duty. As for the rest of you picking up your children we ask that you form 2 lines in our front circle and wait for your students to be brought out to you. Keep an eye on the teachers on duty as they will direct you and bring your child to you.  Having their name in the passenger window to speed up the process will also help. Once the parking lot is full please line up in the church driveway instead of stacking cars on Old Bedford Road.

Thank you!

Open House

This year's Open House on September 14th will run similar to the way we ran our Meet and Greet. Classes will be divided in two sections by students' last names. The exception will be BEEP and Kindergarten where they will come as AM/PM and grade 4 where we will spread parents out in the cafeteria.  

The schedule is as follows:

• 5:30-6:00pm  Morning BEEP Students, AM Kindergarten and Grade 1 A-K
• 6:00-6:30pm  Afternoon BEEP Students, PM Kindergarten and Grade 1 L-Z
• 6:30-7:00pm  Grades 2 and 3 A-K
• 7:00- 7:30pm Grades 2 and 3 L-Z
• 6:45-7:30pm  Grade 4 in the cafeteria
• Specialist teachers available throughout the evening

Picture Day

Scheduled for September 8th and for some of our BEEP students September 9th.  If you choose to order your pictures online you can do it by going to the Geskus Site at www.geskusprint.com and type in our unique code 7PNPGPSP

Library News from Ms. Garcia

Please click HERE to read the September News from the Library.

Outdated Reading Workbooks

We have some old, outdated reading workbooks that are no longer used and available for free to anyone who would like them.  We will have a box inside our main entrance where you can help yourself to what you would like. 

SUPPORT THE PTG: Through our Support Drive, 100% of your donation goes directly to the schools and students of Bedford. Consider supporting 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).

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.

MEET THE PRINCIPALS EVENT SEPTEMBER 24TH: You are invited to meet the Principals from all six schools at our annual "Meet the Principals" event on Friday, September 24th from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. It will also 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. 22 for the Q&A session that follows the presentation to bedfordnhptg@gmail.com.

Reminders

Principal/Parent Communication
As my primary form of communication you will receiving an email and text link to Principal’s Notes, each Friday afternoon. This will include Important Dates for upcoming events, informational news, and action items (highlighted in yellow). I appreciate you reviewing these weekly and taking care of any action items highlighted.

Dismissal

I want you all to be aware that for the first few weeks of school we call our kindergarten and first grade students to the gym prior to the older kids in order to line everyone up and and develop routines. Because of this busses may be delayed 10-15 minutes, however, we feel it is worth the delay as it provides our younger students with a better sense of security and understanding during a somewhat hectic time of day. Thank you for your understanding and patience with this temporary procedure. 

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. 

Anti-Bullying Partnership Agreement

Please keep an eye out for a document coming home with your children this week about bullying. Last year’s 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.

Automated Attendance Call 

Again this year families in the Bedford School District will receive a phone call confirming their child's absence via our "School Messenger" system. Once we have taken attendance, a message will be generated confirming your child's absence. The elementary calls will go out at approximately 9:30 AM, McKelvie and Lurgio will go out at 10:30 AM and the BHS at 11:00 AM. If this call comes to you in error, please contact the Main Office so that we can correct the attendance report.

Strings Program is coming back to Memorial

If you child is interested in learning how to play the violin, viola, or cello, The Manchester School of Music will be offering classes here at Memorial School. Click HERE for more information.

BHS Basketball Clinic:
Calling all basketball players! The Bedford High School girl’s and boy’s basketball teams are hosting clinics for Bedford students in grades 3-8. The two-day clinic will be held on 9/12 and 9/19 in the BHS gymnasium. Registration is $50. Please click HERE for more information. 

Kinship Support (From our District Social Worker)

Support for families involved with Adoption, Foster Care, DCYF, or Legal Guardianship. Waypoint has many services available. Click HERE for more information.

Classroom Support

We are sharing to let you know about classroom programs at Memorial School that will enrich your child’s learning experience throughout year. Teacher resources are continually reviewed and organized to allow for the most comprehensive program for students. During instructional portions of the day, a special educator may be working alongside and in conjunction with your child’s classroom teacher. The help can be in the classroom, and at times, outside the general classroom setting. This type of approach is referred to as a Team Instruction model.

Together, these teachers bring to the classroom a broad range of expertise in all subject areas. This approach allows us the flexibility to work with students in small groups or individually as needed. Typically, both teachers will work within the classroom with students, but may work outside the classroom when appropriate.

We anticipate an exciting year of educational challenge and growth for all!

Q&A session that follows the presentation to bedfordnhptg@gmail.com.