RBS Principal’s Notes
October 23, 2020
Parent Resources
K-8 Hybrid Calendar Daily Health Screening for Students
RBS Hybrid Parent Guide Quarantine Protocols/Flowchart
RBS Remote Parent Guide RBS Welcome & Orientation Video
Bedford Reopening Plan COVID-19 Schools Dashboard
Monthly Friday Schedule
October 30: Group B (L-Z)
November 6: Group A (A-K)
November 13: Group B (L-Z)
November 20: Group A (A-K)
If you need to report a case of COVID-19 over the weekend or during off hours, please email me at mccarthym@sau25.net. I am checking my email often, and this will allow me to start the contact tracing in a timely manner.
IN THE NEWS:
Picture Retake Day (REVISED)
Rather than having to travel to a central site, Geskus Photography has agreed to come to Bedford schools for retakes on Monday, November 23rd, which is an A-K day. However, L-Z and Remote families are welcome to come in for retakes during that time as well. The photographers intend to arrive at approximately 10:00 AM and be here 1.5 hours or so. For planning purposes, it would be helpful to know how many students will be having retakes, so that we can put together a rough schedule. Please fill out THIS FORM if you would like your child to have a retake. You will need to fill it out for each of your children who will be having a retake.
The form will be closed at 3PM on Friday November 20th.
Please see THIS FLYER for ordering information.
Pictures will be taken inside in rooms 216/218.
We will maintain our distancing and mask protocols.
The photographer will fill out our HEALTH SCREENING FORM prior to being allowed in our building.
Red Ribbon Week
From October 23-31, schools all around the nation will observe Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is dedicated to drug prevention. However, at Riddle Brook we are going to take this opportunity to teach students the benefits of building lifelong healthy habits. We will focus on eating healthy, staying active, managing stress, and unplugging (or at least cutting back on technology use).
Each day as part of Morning Announcements, we will start off by talking about a different healthy habit and challenging the students to engage in that habit. Some teachers may also choose to expand on the daily announcement by incorporating it into their day.
Raffle Winners
This week’s Calendar Raffle winners:
Monday, October 19 – Ashley Elias (sold by Liliana Elias) – $50 to Amazon
Tuesday, October 20 – Beth Robbins (sold by Avery Tipping) – $50 to Target
Wednesday, October 21 – Alyssa Zink (sold by Oliver Zink)– $50 to Lowe’s
Thursday, October 22 – Alicia Gittleman (sold by Gabby Gittleman) – $50 to Barnes & Noble
Friday, October 23 – Rick Babineau (sold by Kaitlyn Laramie) – $50 to Bed, Bath & Beyond
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 Friday, November 6th at 2:45 PM. For quarter 1, report cards are issued in grades 2-4 only. Grade 1 will receive report cards in quarter 2.
Trick-or-Treating in Bedford
Trick-or-Treating in Bedford is on Halloween evening between 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Have fun and stay safe! For more information, please read THIS FLYER.
Enrichment Riddle of the Week
Ms. Babine will post a new riddle each Friday (below) and reveal the answer the following Thursday. Families are encouraged to think together and come up with as many creative solutions as possible, and can submit responses through the Google Form link included on my website.
PTG News and Information
MEADOW FARMS GIFTS, WRAP AND MORE:
Bringing you quality gift wrap, unique gifts, home & kitchen items, gourmet food, Kringle Candles and more. Our popular GIFTS, WRAP, AND MORE fundraiser is happening now. Brochures with ordering details were sent home with elementary students. Elementary remote families should have received ordering information from their teachers. Families, students, and staff at McKelvie, RAL and BHS can order HERE Online ordering only this year. 40% of sales will go back to our schools and orders ship directly to home! Students in elementary schools who sell at least 5 items earn a coupon for a free ice cream at Inside Scoop. Online orders must be placed by October 23rd.
COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH SUPERINTENDENT FOURNIER:
**New Date** You are invited for an evening Community Conversation with Superintendent Mike Fournier. This is the place to get up to date information directly from our Superintendent on issues impacting our district. Ask your questions, share your opinions or just come to listen!
Thursday, October 29th: 6.30P.M. at the SAU Office (Boardroom)
RSVP required. Please click HERE if you’d like to attend.
Due to limited seating we are unable to accommodate children at this meeting. Apologies for this inconvenience. Social distancing and masks are required.
NATIONAL PRINCIPALS MONTH:
October is "National Principals Month" and we think we have some of the best here in Bedford! A huge thank you to all our Principals and Assistant Principals who work tirelessly for our students and staff! We are forever grateful for your leadership and dedication to our schools.
LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER: The schools and the PTG appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to focus on the safety of staff and students while minimizing volunteers in the buildings at this time. In order to hear about volunteer opportunities either IN SCHOOL or available REMOTELY you will need to fill out a Volunteer Google Form for each school that you have a child in. We will communicate volunteer needs as the PTG is made aware of them. To access the form click HERE or you can find them on the PTG website www.bedfordptg.org under PTG Forms.
REMINDERS:
Travel Reminder
As you begin to plan for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season, please keep in mind the NH DHHS Travel Guidance, which the Bedford School District is following:
If a staff member or student travels outside of New England, do they need to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return to New Hampshire? Yes. The general recommendation from the NH DHHS General and Employee Travel Guidance is that those who have traveled outside of New England need to self-quarantine and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days upon their return to New Hampshire. Exceptions to this recommendation can be made for “essential employees” or for staff who have to conduct “essential travel” as outlined in the public health guidance linked above, and the Universal Guidelines. Schools/districts should develop policies to address situations in which students may need to travel for child custody and/or education related purposes (e.g., visiting colleges). You can find a link to this document HERE (pg. 6).
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.
Food Drive – October 19 – November 20
This year more than ever, the Bedford Community Food Pantry 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, but any nonperishable food items are welcomed. 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! We will donate the food items just in time for Thanksgiving.
*Monetary donations are also welcomed in order to purchase food from the NH Food Bank (checks made out to Bedford Community Food Pantry).
Harvest Festival Raffle Calendar
Information about our annual calendar raffle can be found HERE. The raffle will run from Monday, October 19-Thursday, November 12. The grand prize ($500) will be drawn on Friday, November 13th.
Permanent Sub Position at RBS
Each school in the district is looking for a permanent substitute to work in our buildings 4 days/week. If anyone is interested in this position for RBS, please feel free to apply. If you have any questions about it, please reach out to Mr. Munsey or me. We’d be happy to answer your questions. The position is advertised on the district’s website, and the job description is as follows:
Description: Riddle Brook School is seeking a qualified candidate for the role of a School Assigned Substitute Teacher for the 2020-2021 School Year. Substitute will be assigned to Riddle Brook School four days each week. Schedule to be established by school. Successful candidates will be required to work in-person as well as remotely during the school year.
Schedule is as follows:
4 days a week
Rate of pay $110/day
This assignment is for the 2020-2021 school year.
Job Duties: Substitute teachers are responsible for implementing lesson plans and daily duties of the absent teacher.
Qualifications: Bachelor's degree preferred and prior experience working with school age students preferred. NH Dept of Education certification in elementary education preferred
Application Procedure: Apply Online
From the School Health Office
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.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
October 30 – End of Quarter 1
October 31 – Happy Halloween!
November 3 – Presidential Election – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
November 6 – Report Cards Released Online (Grades 2-4)
November 11 – Veterans’ Day Observance – NO SCHOOL
November 25-27 – Thanksgiving Break
December 10-18 – Happy Hanukkah!
December 14-18 – Ellis Island Week (Grade 4)
December 24-January 1 – Holiday Recess
December 25 – Merry Christmas!
January 15 – End of Quarter 2
January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observance
January 22 – Report Cards Released Online
February 14 – Happy Valentine’s Day!
February 22-26 – Winter Vacation
March 9 – District Workshop Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
March 27-April 3 – Passover
April 2 – End of Quarter 3
April 2 – Good Friday
April 4 – Happy Easter!
April 9 – Report Cards Released Online
April 26-30 – Spring Vacation
May 31 – Memorial Day Observed – NO SCHOOL
June 11 – Tentative Last Day of School
