RBS Principal’s Notes
September 22, 2017
IN THE NEWS:
Change in Practice
Regarding Student Absences and Excuses – IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
Superintendent McGee sent
the message below to parents in late August, but I wanted to follow up as well.
Overall, our attendance
rates are very high. Thank you! It is very helpful to have our students present
and ready to learn every day. At the same time, we have a small number of
students who struggle to get to school for a variety of reasons. In order to
address those situations more effectively, we have adjusted our practice
regarding attendance.
- If a student reaches 10 days (20 half days)
absent in a school year, we will promptly send a letter home that will
require parents/guardians to provide appropriate written documentation for
all future absences in that school year.
- If a student reaches 15 days (30 half days)
absent in a school year, we will require a meeting to establish a plan for
the student to return to regular attendance.
Our goal is to work
together with families to help all students attend regularly. The full
procedure is in each of the School Handbooks and can be found directly here.
Two additional points:
·
If parents do
not call in to our attendance line or write a note to their child’s teacher, it
will be considered an unexcused absence.
·
Because I
wanted to make sure that parents saw this information (in my Principal’s
Notes), we will begin on October 1, 2017.
Picture Retake Day –
October 18th
If
you would like your child to have his/her school picture retaken, please take a
look HERE
for more information.
Harvest Festival Calendar Raffle
Information and ticket
sheets for our annual calendar raffle were sent home this week. Each
student received 5 tickets (attached to each calendar). Tickets cost $10 apiece.
If additional sheets are needed, please feel free to call the office or
click on the flyer below. We have $1,500 worth of prizes to give away
during the month of October...feel free to enter as many times as you'd like!
There will be a winner each
school day until October 27th, and a there is even a chance to win $500 at the
Harvest Festival! Raffle tickets will be collected until October 27th,
and the homeroom that sells the most raffle tickets in each grade level will
win an extra recess!
Bedford Hall of Fame Induction
Ceremony
Please join us as we
recognize the Inaugural Class of the Bedford
Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take
place on Homecoming Day - Saturday, October 21st at 2:00 PM - in the Bedford High
School Dining Commons. For more information, and to order tickets, please
click HERE.
Special Education Parent Focus Group
The district is looking to
expand the parent volunteers in the Special Education Parent Focus Group, a
formal partnership between special education parents and the school community.
Parent participants represent each of the schools and encompass all grade
levels. Meetings are held monthly on the third Wednesday from 9-10
AM at the SAU office. Discussion and activities support family engagement
and improvements in the district special education initiatives. Please contact
Chris Lassonde, Director of Special Services (lassondec@sau25.net). We would love to
have more parents join us!
PTG News and Information
Meadow Farms Gifts,
Wrap and More: Looking for
quality gift wrap, everyday gifts and gourmet mixes? Our popular Gifts, Wrap & More fundraiser
starts Monday 9/18. Brochures, with
ordering details, should have come home with elementary students this
week. Families, students, and staff at McKelvie, RAL and BHS will be able
to order online via this link McK-RAL-BHS Ordering
Link
All orders are due
by Monday, 10/2 and product will direct to your home. 40%
of sales are donated back to our schools!
Wonder what the PTG is
and what we do? Check us out
at Bedford Olde Towne Day on Saturday, September 23rd from 10am-3pm.
Learn more about school programs and community events sponsored by the PTG,
meet our Bulldog, and see how you can be involved.
Support the PTG: Our support drive is under way and if you’d
like to make a donation to the PTG you can do so via PayPal by visiting our
website www.bedfordptg.org. Donations via check can be made out to Bedford
PTG and returned to school with students in the PTG support envelops that have
been sent home. With your support we are
able to put over $65,000/year in programs and events into our schools!!
Meet the
Principals Event: You are invited to join the PTG and the Principals from
all six schools at our annual "Coffee with the Principals" event
on Wednesday, September 27th from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. at BCTV
(10 Meetinghouse Road). This is a great
opportunity to hear what each school has in store for the year. There will be a Q & A following the
presentation. Light refreshments will be
served and your young children are welcome to attend.
Looking To
Volunteer: Volunteer forms
were sent home with students in grades K - 8. Please be sure to return these forms in order
to receive notifications of volunteer opportunities in your school. Volunteer forms can be downloaded from
the PTG
website. PTG volunteers logged over 23,000 hours last year, earning
each of the six schools the Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in volunteering. We'd love to have you join us!
New To Bedford? The PTG will host a welcome for all new
families to Bedford. This open house style event will take place on Wednesday,
October 4th at the Bedford Town Library at 9:30 AM or
6:30 PM. Families new to the district
will be receiving invitations in the mail. Representatives and/or Administration from all
6 schools will be on hand. Families can
learn about school events/programs and town happenings. Light refreshments will be served and your children
are welcome to attend. If you have any
questions or would like to attend this event please contact Aneesa Fallon
at aaf4@comcast.net
Destination
Imagination – Registration Closes September 29th
Destination Imagination is
a fun academic program that teaches creativity, problem-solving, collaboration,
critical thinking, and management skills through project-based
Challenges. These are key skills that all businesses (and colleges) are
looking for – the ability to identify challenges and solve them, while
leveraging the talents on your team. Designed to complement K-12
education, we offer seven new academic Challenges in the fields of STEM
(science, technology, engineering and mathematics), fine arts, service
learning, and early learning. In solving
a challenge, students learn the creative process from imagination to innovation
and the skills needed to thrive in school, their careers and beyond. Teams
can be made up of 2-7 members and must have an adult Team Manager i.e. - a
parent or two. We need volunteers and we will train you! The 2017-18
registration is open through Friday, September 29th. For
more info., check out www.nh-di.org;
Bedford DI on Facebook, or contact our district coordinator, Marie Russell
at www.bedfordrocksdi@gmail.com.
Registration link
https://goo.gl/forms/jIdyNwvAp24wVnFt2
Child ID Kit
If you are interested in a
child ID kit, the Bedford Fire and Police Departments are offering an
opportunity for parents this Sunday.
Please click HERE
for more information.
REMINDERS:
Harlem Wizards v.
Lurgio Lions Fundraiser - Tickets on Sale Now!
On September 22, at 6:30
PM in the Bedford High School Gymnasium, staff from the Bedford School District
will face-off against the Harlem Wizards basketball team. All funds raised from this event will go
towards extracurricular programs at Lurgio Middle School. Click [HERE]
to watch a video about the event then click [HERE] to buy
your tickets. You won’t want to miss out
on this extraordinary community event!
Bedford Old Home Day
The whole community of
Bedford will be celebrating Old Home Day on Saturday September
23 from 10 - 3 at Riley Field. Please join us! Click
here for details.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
September 27 – PTG Coffee with the Principals (9:30 AM BCTV)
September 29-30 – Yom Kippur
October 4 – PTG New Family Welcome (9:30 AM Bedford Town
Library)
October 6 – Workshop Day (No School for Students)
October 9 – Columbus Day Observance – NO SCHOOL
October 14 – RBS Harvest Festival (More info. to come)
October 18 – RBS Picture Retake Day
November 2 – PTG Shorty’s Night
November 10 – Veterans Day Observance – NO SCHOOL
November 18 – PTG Ski and Skate Sale
November 22-24 – Thanksgiving Break
December 1 – Grade 4 Ellis Island Day
