Friday, October 27, 2017

October 27, 2017

RBS Principal’s Notes
October 27, 2017


IN THE NEWS:
Morning Drop Off
As a reminder… please DO NOT pass cars in front of you when dropping off your child in the morning.  Instead, please be patient and wait your turn to pull out.  I understand that parents need to get to work (or elsewhere), but please remember that our school is a very busy place in the morning, and there are many children out and about during this time.

Raffle Winners
This week’s Calendar Raffle winners:
Monday, October 23rd – Laura Gibson (sold by Hailey Dunkerley) – $50 to Chipotle
Tuesday, October 24th – Jennifer Stead (sold by Charlotte Stead) – $50 to Target
Wednesday, October 25th – Alison Olsen (sold by Elyse Olsen)– $50 to Dunkin’ Donuts
Thursday, October 26th – Galit Mohel (sold by Yair Mohel) – $50 to Marshall’s
Friday, October 27th – Kristen Wydom (sold by Taylor Wydom) – $50 to Toys R Us

Math and Science Parent Volunteers Needed
If you are interested in becoming trained to be a math and/or science volunteer, please click HERE for more information.

PTG New and Announcements 
COFFEE WITH SUPERINTENDENT CHIP MCGEE - All are welcome to join us on Thursday, November 2nd 9:30 – 10:30am at BCTV (10 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford).  Our special guest, Superintendent Chip McGee, will discuss the current happenings in our district followed by a Q&A.  Light refreshments will be served and your children are welcome to attend.  If you are unable to attend, but would like your questions answered, please send them to bedfordnhptg@gmail.com ahead of time and we will ask them for you!

PTG NIGHT OUT AT PANERA BREAD - The Bedford PTG would like to announce our new monthly event which will take place on the first Thursday of each month beginning November 2nd 4-8PM.  If you choose to dine at Panera at Colby Court, a percentage of the proceeds will be donated back to the Bedford School District.  A hardcopy of their flyer must be turned in and electronic versions are not accepted.  You can find a copy of the flyer herePanera Flyer

GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER - It’s getting to be that time of year for buying gifts and the Bedford PTG is here to help with our ANNUAL GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER!  A gift card is the perfect gift for any occasion!  For every gift card you buy, the sponsoring retailer to our schools donates a percentage of the value of the card while 100% of the value of the card that you purchased is available for you to spend!  Order forms will be sent home with children in grades K-8 on October 20th.  For those students attending BHS, or for those who would like to download an order form please click here, Gift Card Order Form.  For more information about this program, click here Gift Card Program.  HAPPY SHOPPING!

AMAZON SMILE!  Speaking of buying gifts, did you know that every time you buy on Amazon, you can support the Bedford PTG?  Simply visit https://smile.amazon.com/ and select “Bedford NH PTG” as the organization that you’d like to support.  Now, every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Bedford PTG.  

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! - Our annual Ski and Skate Sale will take place on Saturday, November 18th from 9AM-2PM at Bedford High School.  Drop off items for consignment on Friday, November 17th from 5PM - 8PM.  Visit our Ski and Skate Sale page to find out more information.

HELP THE PTG - Help the PTG continue to bring exciting programs/speakers to our schools like Eyes on Owls, Abenaki Story Tellers, T.I.G.E.R. Anti-Bullying performance, Ed Gerety Youth Speaker, and Chris Herren Motivational Speaker.  These events cannot happen without the support from parents and teachers in the Bedford community.  There is still time to help, simply click on the PayPal link at www.bedfordptg.org to make a donation or send in a check payable to Bedford PTG in an enveloped marked “PTG Support” with your name, email address and child’s school.  Bedford PTG appreciates your support.

REMINDERS:
Halloween Parade
We are bringing back the RBS Halloween Parade!  This year, the event will take place on Halloween (Tuesday) at 1:30 PM. (Morning Kindergarten students who do not go to K+ are welcome to join us!).  Given the magnitude of the event, below are some guidelines to follow:
  • Due to lack of space and time, costumes that slip on right over your child’s clothes are necessary.  Try to imagine 120 kids all waiting to use the three stalls in the bathroom...yikes, talk about scary!
  • No weapons or accessories that need to be carried (swords, guns, witches’ brooms, magic wands)
  • No make-up, please.  We will not have time to apply it at school.
  • In order to respect the sensitivities of all our K-4 students, please do not send in costumes or masks with blood, guts or gore (masks that “leak” blood).  Very scary or gory masks will not be allowed to be worn.
  • Send your child’s costume to school in a clearly labeled bag.  You may also want to label the costume.
  • If parents would like to see the parade, please arrive at our schoolyard before 1:30 because we will be closing our parking lot entrance at that time. 
  • Parents can stand on the playground to see the parade. 
  • We ask that you not sign your child out early.  It becomes very chaotic in the office and difficult for our office staff sign each child out and to call up to all of the classrooms as we need to do it one at a time.
  • If your child will be going to parent pick up, please enter through the gym as you normally do.

Food Drive – October 23 – November 17
The Food Pantry at Bedford Presbyterian Church is a valuable resource for those in our community who are facing hunger or food insecurity.  The Food Pantry is a 501(c)3 organization that is a well-coordinated effort between 5 area churches, local organizations, including the Bedford Lion's Club and the Boy Scouts, and individuals and families in Bedford. 

They are always in need of THESE FOOD ITEMS.  At RBS, we would like to make a concerted effort to collect these items for our food drive.  If you are able to make a donation, I know the Food Pantry would GREATLY appreciate it! 

*Donations of cash are also welcomed in order to purchase food from the NH Food Bank (checks made out to Bedford Presbyterian Church). 

On Tuesday, November 21st the boxes will be donated as a contribution from the Riddle Brook School community.  Therefore, we will need all donations by Friday, November 17th.  Our Principal’s Advisory Group will be organizing and packing the donations on Monday, November 20th.

A Message from Mrs. Parker (Enrichment Teacher)
Please click HERE to read a message from Mrs. Parker about a recycling project, which will be the focus of an upcoming All School Meeting.

Report Cards
As an FYI to our new parents and a reminder to our returning parents:
Student report cards are available online only in the PowerSchool Parent Access Portal.  To access your child's report card online, log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal and you will see a Report Cards icon in the left hand pane.  When you click on this icon your child's report card will appear on the screen.  You can scroll to see the entire report card and choose to print it, if you'd like.  Anytime you click on the Report Cards icon, the most recent report card will generate.  Quarter 1 report cards will be available to view on Thursday, November 9th at 2:30 PM.

BeBOLD Speaker Series
Dr. Carolyn Morgan will be presenting her “Growing Resilience Program” at the Bedford Public Library on Monday, October 30th from 7pm to 8pm.  Click HERE for more info.

Bedford Goes Red
Join the Bedford Community and support our efforts in battling addiction.  Let’s light up our homes and businesses in red between 10/23 - 10/31.  Click HERE for more information.

RBS Box Tops for Education
Please click HERE for information on the program at our school.

8thAnnual Witch Way to the 5K - REGISTRATION OPEN
Join us for the 8th annual Witch Way to the 5K on Saturday, October 28, 2017.  The kid’s 1K race starts at 9:30AM and the adult race begins at 10AM at Lurgio Middle School.  Click here to register.  We are also always looking for sponsors - for more information click here.

Pat’s Peak Learn to Ski and Ride Program
This is a five-week Learn to Ski or Snowboard series for students in grades 1-8.  The program runs Friday, January 5, 12, 19, 26 and February 2.  Rentals are available.  You must provide your own transportation.  To sign up:  www.patspeak.com/LTSR . Select "Learn to Ski and Ride.”
Login info:
3:30 PM lessons: bedford3302018  
4:30 PM lessons: bedford4302018 

Registration deadline will be November 15th.  Contact Kim Ahnen at kim.ahnen@comcast.net or at 918-0110 with any questions.  Join the Bedford NH Pats Peak Ski and Ride 2018 Facebook page for more information.

RBS Clothing
You can order Riddle Brook School clothing online!  Please go to www.bedfordwear.com.  Hover over Schools in the menu bar, and select Riddle Brook School.  An order typically takes 7-10 business days to be delivered.  You can order in a variety of colors and styles.  We have a few samples hanging in the office area so you can get an idea of what is offered.  Also, there is a size chart on the website for your reference.  10% of profits come back to the school.

Bedford Education Foundation
The BEF is holding their annual fundraising event on November 17th from 7pm to 10pm at the Bedford Village Inn.  The theme is Nostalgic November.  For more information on the event and how to purchase tickets, click HERE. Questions can be directed to info@befnh.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 2 – Coffee with the Superintendent (9:30 AM @ BCTV)
November 3 – End of Quarter 1
November 9 – Report Cards Released on Power School (2:30 PM)
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
December 13 – RBS Winter Concert – 6:30 PM RBS Gym (Snow date:  December 20)
December 12-20 - Hanukkah
December 25-January 1 – Holiday Recess





Friday, October 20, 2017

October 20, 2017

RBS Principal’s Notes
October 20, 2017


IN THE NEWS:
Food Drive – October 23 – November 17
The Food Pantry at Bedford Presbyterian Church is a valuable resource for those in our community who are facing hunger or food insecurity.  The Food Pantry is a 501(c)3 organization that is a well-coordinated effort between 5 area churches, local organizations, including the Bedford Lion's Club and the Boy Scouts, and individuals and families in Bedford. 

They are always in need of THESE FOOD ITEMS.  At RBS, we would like to make a concerted effort to collect these items for our food drive.  If you are able to make a donation, I know the Food Pantry would GREATLY appreciate it! 

*Donations of cash are also welcomed in order to purchase food from the NH Food Bank (checks made out to Bedford Presbyterian Church). 

On Tuesday, November 21st the boxes will be donated as a contribution from the Riddle Brook School community.  Therefore, we will need all donations by Friday, November 17th.  Our Principal’s Advisory Group will be organizing and packing the donations on Monday, November 20th.

A Message from Mrs. Parker (Enrichment Teacher)
Please click HERE to read a message from Mrs. Parker about a recycling project, which will be the focus of an upcoming All School Meeting.

Harvest Festival
Our 5th annual Harvest Festival was a great success!  Thank you for participating and supporting our school.  It was a fun day for the Riddle Brook School Community!  Contest winner information:
  1. Chili Contest Winners:
Best Overall – “King of all Chilis” (Mrs. Blaine)
Most Original – “Brunswick Almost Chili” (Mrs. Effenberger)
Spiciest – “Gilley’s Chili” (Mrs. McCarthy)
Most Kid Friendly – “Sweet Harvest Surprise” (Miss Ferns)

  1. Calendar Contest Grand Prize ($500) – Anne Ekdahl (sold by Casey Wydom)

  1. Harvest Hustle
K-2:
1st Place:  Ethan Alexander (Cardin)
2nd Place:  Sean McGee (Caron)
3rd Place:  Molly Muir (Effenberger)

3 & 4:
1st Place:  Luca Fabrizio (Halloran)
2nd Place:  Sarah Muir (Brennan)
3rd Place:  Camden Santos (Koellmer)

  1. Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Best Butterfly – Gemma Harl (Ortakales)
Scariest – Noella DiPardo (Fortier)
Best Sparkle – Abigail Gregory (Sanclemente)
Best Use of Glitter – Avery O'Sullivan (Blaine)
Best Use of Paint – Valentina Spencer (Cushman)
Best Alien – Saif Ismail (Bennett)
Best Pumpkinhead – Jack Haley (Cushman)
Most Original – Carolyn Kemp (Moskwa)
Most Festive – Owen Sprague (Halloran)
Best Use of Candy – Mary Lenti (Dubreuil)
Best Animal – Jack Vorias (Effenberger)
Best Haunted Scene – Zachary Lange (Winn)
Most Ghoulish – Joseph DiPardo (Brennan)

  1. Costume Winners
1st Place - Molly OBrien (Brennan)
2nd Place - Zachary Lange (Winn)
3rd Place - Bray Kelley (Porat)

Raffle Winners
This week’s Calendar Raffle winners:
Monday, October 16th – Robert Sprague (sold by Owen Sprague) – $50 to Marshall’s
Tuesday, October 17th – Xueyan Wu (sold by Rina Yang) - $50 to Dunkin’ Donuts
Wednesday, October 18th – Zachary Lange (sold by Zachary Lange) - $50 to Target
Thursday, October 19th – Julie Cote (sold by Tripp Cote) – $50 to Toys R Us
Friday, October 20th – Eman Farrag (sold by Saif Ismail)– $50 to Chipotle

Halloween Parade
We are bringing back the RBS Halloween Parade!  This year, the event will take place on Halloween (Tuesday) at 1:30 PM. (Morning Kindergarten students who do not go to K+ are welcome to join us!).  Given the magnitude of the event, below are some guidelines to follow:
  • Due to lack of space and time, costumes that slip on right over your child’s clothes are necessary.  Try to imagine 120 kids all waiting to use the three stalls in the bathroom...yikes, talk about scary!
  • No weapons or accessories that need to be carried (swords, guns, witches’ brooms, magic wands)
  • No make-up, please.  We will not have time to apply it at school.
  • In order to respect the sensitivities of all our K-4 students, please do not send in costumes or masks with blood, guts or gore (masks that “leak” blood).  Very scary or gory masks will not be allowed to be worn.
  • Send your child’s costume to school in a clearly labeled bag.  You may also want to label the costume.
  • If parents would like to see the parade, please arrive at our school yard before 1:30 because we will be closing our parking lot entrance at that time. 
  • Parents can stand on the playground to see the parade. 
  • We ask that you not sign your child out early.  It becomes very chaotic in the office and difficult for our office staff sign each child out and to call up to all of the classrooms as we need to do it one at a time.
  • If your child will be going to parent pick up, please enter through the gym as you normally do.
Report Cards
As an FYI to our new parents and a reminder to our returning parents:
Student report cards are available online only in the PowerSchool Parent Access Portal.  To access your child's report card online, log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal and you will see a Report Cards icon in the left hand pane.  When you click on this icon your child's report card will appear on the screen.  You can scroll to see the entire report card and choose to print it, if you'd like.  Anytime you click on the Report Cards icon, the most recent report card will generate.  Quarter 1 report cards will be available to view on Thursday, November 9th at 2:30 PM.

Volunteer Award
Once again, Riddle Brook School has earned the Blue Ribbon Award (a different Blue Ribbon Award than the National Blue Ribbon Award) for excellence in volunteerism.  A HUGE “thank you” to all of our volunteers for putting in so many valuable hours of volunteering during the 2016-2017 school year.  Thank you especially to our Volunteer Coordinators, Jena Slosberg and Amy Ciruso! 

PTG New and Announcements
GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER - It’s getting to be that time of year for buying gifts and the Bedford PTG is here to help with our ANNUAL GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER!  A gift card is the perfect gift for any occasion!  For every gift card you buy, the sponsoring retailer to our schools donates a percentage of the value of the card while 100% of the value of the card that you purchased is available for you to spend!  Order forms will be sent home with children in grades K-8 on October 20th.  For those students attending BHS, or for those who would like to download an order form please click here, Gift Card Order Form.  For more information about this program, click here Gift Card Program.  HAPPY SHOPPING!

AMAZON SMILE!  Speaking of buying gifts, did you know that every time you buy on Amazon, you can support the Bedford PTG?  Simply visit https://smile.amazon.com/ and select “Bedford NH PTG” as the organization that you’d like to support.  Now, every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Bedford PTG.  

SAVE THE DATE - COFFEE WITH SUPERINTENDENT CHIP MCGEE -Thursday, November 2nd 9:30 – 10:30am.  Join us at BCTV (10 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford), with our special guest Superintendent Chip McGee, for a brief overview of current happenings in the district followed by a Q&A.  Light refreshments will be served and your children are welcome to attend.

PTG NIGHT OUT AT PANERA BREAD - The Bedford PTG would like to announce our new monthly event which will take place on the first Thursday of each month beginning November 2nd 4-8PM.  If you choose to dine at Panera at Colby Court, a percentage of the proceeds will be donated back to the Bedford School District.  A hardcopy of their flyer must be turned in and electronic versions not accepted.  You can find a copy of the flyer here: Panera Flyer

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! - Our annual Ski and Skate Sale will take place on Saturday, November 18th from 9AM-2PM at Bedford High School.  Drop off items for consignment on Friday, November 17th from 5PM - 8PM.  Visit our Ski and Skate Sale page to find out more information.

HELP THE PTG - Help the PTG continue to bring exciting programs/speakers to our schools like Eyes on Owls, Abenaki Story Tellers, T.I.G.E.R. Anti-Bullying performance, Ed Gerety Youth Speaker, and Chris Herren Motivational Speaker.  These events cannot happen without the support from parents and teachers in the Bedford community.  There is still time to help, simply click on the PayPal link at www.bedfordptg.org to make a donation or send in a check payable to Bedford PTG in an enveloped marked “PTG Support” with your name, email address and child’s school.  Bedford PTG appreciates your support.

BeBOLD Speaker Series
Dr. Carolyn Morgan will be presenting her “Growing Resilience Program” at the Bedford Public Library on Monday, October 30th from 7pm to 8pm.  Click HERE for more info.

Bedford Goes Red
Join the Bedford Community and support our efforts in battling addiction.  Let’s light up our homes and businesses in red between 10/23 - 10/31.  Click HERE for more information.

REMINDERS:
RBS Box Tops for Education
Please click HERE for information on the program at our school.

8thAnnual Witch Way to the 5K - REGISTRATION OPEN
Join us for the 8th annual Witch Way to the 5K on Saturday, October 28, 2017.  The kid’s 1K race starts at 9:30AM and the adult race begins at 10AM at Lurgio Middle School.  Click here to register.  We are also always looking for sponsors - for more information click here.

Pat’s Peak Learn to Ski and Ride Program
This is a five-week Learn to Ski or Snowboard series for students in grades 1-8.  The program runs Friday, January 5, 12, 19, 26 and February 2.  Rentals are available.  You must provide your own transportation.  To sign up:  www.patspeak.com/LTSR . Select "Learn to Ski and Ride.”
Login info:
3:30 PM lessons: bedford3302018  
4:30 PM lessons: bedford4302018 

Registration deadline will be November 15th.  Contact Kim Ahnen at kim.ahnen@comcast.net or at 918-0110 with any questions.  Join the Bedford NH Pats Peak Ski and Ride 2018 Facebook page for more information.

Suicide Prevention Training
Bedford School District professionals will be conducting a suicide prevention training, open to all community members, on Thursday, October 26th, 5:30-8:30 PM at BHS.  Please contact Zanna Blaney at blaneyz@sau25.net with any questions regarding this workshop. 

RBS Clothing
You can order Riddle Brook School clothing online!  Please go to www.bedfordwear.com.  Hover over Schools in the menu bar, and select Riddle Brook School.  An order typically takes 7-10 business days to be delivered.  You can order in a variety of colors and styles.  We have a few samples hanging in the office area so you can get an idea of what is offered.  Also, there is a size chart on the website for your reference.  10% of profits come back to the school.

Bedford Education Foundation
The BEF is holding their annual fundraising event on November 17th from 7pm to 10pm at the Bedford Village Inn.  The theme is Nostalgic November.  For more information on the event and how to purchase tickets, click HERE. Questions can be directed to info@befnh.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 2 – Coffee with the Superintendent (9:30 AM @ BCTV)
November 3 – End of Quarter 1
November 9 – Report Cards Released on Power School (2:30 PM)
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
December 13 – RBS Winter Concert – 6:30 PM RBS Gym (Snow date:  December 20)
December 12-20 - Hanukkah
December 25-January 1 – Holiday Recess