RBS Principal’s Notes
February 5, 2021
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
PROCEDURE TO REPORT COVID CASES OR CONTACT TRACES
For reporting purposes during out of school hours:
Please use THIS FORM to report if your child has tested positive for COVID.
Please use THIS FORM to report if your child has been contact traced.
IN THE NEWS:
Protocol Information for Phase 2 of our Reopening Metrics
Additional info. in yellow
The district has now experienced 2 “green weeks.” As a result, the following will occur:
Kindergarten and first grade hybrid students will return for 100% (Monday-Friday) in-person learning beginning Monday, February 8th.
Grades 2-8 hybrid students will return to in-person learning on Fridays, beginning on Friday, February 12th.
Remote students will continue with their remote instruction.
Below is updated protocol information for K/1 (everyday) and all students on Fridays:
Distancing: We will now maintain 3 feet rather than 6 feet of distancing. Staff members will continue to maintain 6 feet of distancing. *NH DHHS still requires 6 feet for contact tracing purposes.
Lunch: Students who are getting a school lunch will enter the cafeteria and get in the lunch line, standing 3-6 ft apart and masked. They will sit 3 to a table, spaced 3 feet apart. 1-2 classes will eat in rooms 216/218, so that we can appropriately space out the students. Lunch tables will continue to be disinfected and rinsed after each lunch period. Please be sure to continue to pre-order meals. This is extremely helpful in the planning and production of meals. Pre-ordering meals can be done through www.sendmoneytoschool.com. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Emily Murphy (603-472-3755 x 21242) email murphye@bedfordnhk12.net. FYI all school meals remain free until the end of the school year.
Recess: Students will play with their classmates in their designated recess areas. Classes will not be mixed.
Drop off/Pick Up: These procedures will remain the same, but will definitely take longer, especially on Fridays. Once we have a baseline for how the procedures are working, we will make adjustments, if necessary.
Pick Up: Starting on Monday, we will be loading 12 cars at a time (we currently load 8), so please pull up to the crosswalk and leave as little space as possible between cars, so that we are able to load more children at once. Hopefully, this will help with the back up.
Buses: Buses, most likely, will be fuller. Students will sit 1 to a seat until they fill up, and then they will sit 2 to a seat. Students will continue to sit by grade level, wear masks and windows will be open/cracked.
Attendance: Kindergarten and K+ are full time programs. Students will not be able to attend kindergarten on a part time basis. The curriculum moves at a full time pace and teachers would not be able to “catch up” students who only attend part time. The same rule and logic applies for grades 1-4. There is no part time option for students to stay home on days that they are scheduled to be in school.
All other mitigation procedures will continue. We will do our best not to mix cohorts outside of the classroom, but there may be some circumstances when that is not possible (i.e. support services, etc.).
**Please take a look at Superintendent Fournier’s note about the implications of bringing the students into school more. You can find it HERE.
Student Socialization During the Pandemic
Our school counselor, Mrs. Blaine, has collected resources and compiled suggestions on ways that our RBS students can connect with peers during the pandemic. Please click HERE for the information. Moving forward, I will include a link to this document in Parent Resources at the top of my Principal’s Notes each week. Mrs. Blaine will add to the document when she comes across new ideas and resources, so please check back from time to time.
Valentine’s Day Read Aloud Room
Here is a February Valentine's Day Room for you to share with your children. Please be sure to let them know that there are "hidden" links to:
8 How to Draw Videos
3 Kindness Videos
1 Kindness Song
Spirit Days
Here is our upcoming schedule:
Friday, Feb. 12 – Valentine’s Day
Friday, Feb. 19 – RBS Spirit Day
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.
Bedford Child Find
The Bedford School District will be conducting a free screening for Bedford Children ages 2 ½ to 6 years old who are suspected to have delays in one or more areas of development. For more information, please click HERE.
PTG News and Information
LOVE YOUR SCHOOL - THIS VALENTINE’S DAY! From now- Feb 12th, “Love Your School” by donating to the Bedford PTG to help us continue our focus on organizing virtual programming and events, enhancing outdoor spaces, COVID mitigation supplies for teachers/classrooms, and assisting with student needs through guidance and nursing department support. Along with these efforts, a portion of funds raised during this drive will be used to do something special for our staff and administration at each school.
To donate via PayPal, click HERE or simply send a check made out to Bedford PTG (turn into your child's school or mail to PO Box 10077 Bedford, NH). Anyone who donates this week will be entered for a chance to win a $50 BVI or $50 T-Bones gift card. We appreciate your continued support!
BLUE RIBBON AWARD: The Bedford School District received the Blue Ribbon Award for each of our six schools.
“The NH Partners in Education (NHPIE) Blue Ribbon Award recognizes the extraordinary efforts of school volunteers for the achievements realized during the previous school year. The 2020 Blue Ribbon Award is given to successful and effective school volunteer programs during the 2019-2020 school year. This is a testament to the extraordinary job our school volunteer coordinators and volunteers do in each of our schools during the school year.”
COLOR BLAST FUN RUN: We're bringing the Color Blast Fun Run/Walk to your front door! Just because things are a little different this year doesn't mean we can't have any fun. Join us for a virtual Color Blast Fun Run/Walk over the week of May 22. We will miss throwing color at you but we'll make sure you have enough color to throw at your family. Registration opens March 22nd. Click HERE for more information.
If you have a business and would like to sponsor the Color Blast click HERE for how you can be involved.
REMINDERS:
Quarantine vs. Elective Travel
As some families start to plan for February Vacation, I wanted to send a reminder about elective travel. Also, if you do plan to travel outside of New England at any time, please make sure that you contact our nurse, Michele Ouellette (in addition to your child’s classroom teacher) as she is responsible for setting quarantine dates for our students and staff members.
Our schools have an obligation to provide an education to students who are required to quarantine and be excluded from school due to exposure. These students are a priority for our teachers (aside from the ones in front of them, of course). Families who elect to stay home or travel will not receive the same service as those students who are required to be excluded.
Kindergarten and 1st Grade Registration (2021 – 2022)
Starting Monday, February 1st, you may download and print out registration packets from the RBS website (under the School Information tab—New Student Registration) or stop by our school to pick one up.
*Forms are being updated, and will not be available until February 1st.
The packets need to be returned to the school by Thursday, March 4th. A $525 deposit is required with the K+ registration (checks made out to Bedford School District).
A child must attain his/her 5th birthday on or before September 30, 2021 to be eligible for kindergarten.
A child must attain his/her 6th birthday on or before September 30, 2021 to be eligible for first grade.
Kindergarten students who are currently enrolled at RBS (or anywhere in the district) do not need to register for 1st grade.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
February 8 – Grades K & 1 (Hybrid) Move to Phase 2 (all in M-F)
February 12 – Grade 2-8 (Hybrid) Move to Phase 2 (all in Fridays)
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 12-25 – Online Scholastic Book Fair (more details to come)
April 26-30 – Spring Vacation
May 31 – Memorial Day Observed – NO SCHOOL
June 11 – Tentative Last Day of School
