Friday, January 27, 2017

1/27/17

Dear McKelvie Families ~

This week’s note is quite long (my apologies).  There are so many activities and opportunities happening at McKelvie, it is a challenge to fit in everything.  My suggestion: get a cup of coffee or tea, take a break and sift through.  Honestly, there is something for everyone.  I hope you have an outstanding weekend.  Below are this week’s notes:

Q2 Report Cards
Digital Report Cards are now available.  Report Cards can be accessed using the Parent Portal.  If you do not have one, click HERE.

McKelvie Geography Bee Winners!
Congratulations to Pranav Rohit for being the McKelvie Geography Bee Champion!  Congratulations, also, to Charlie Zink for being runner up.  Great job!!!  Click HERE to see a picture of our winners with Enrichment Teacher, Mrs. Poisson.

School Counselor Week
Next week we will be celebrating National School Counseling Week!  Our counselors, Priscilla McGinty and Jodi Parsons will be raising awareness of school counseling services, and focus on ways to help students realize their potential.  Daily themes include friendship, kindness, career goals, healthy choices, and Mustang pride! If you have any questions about what guidance services are available at McKelvie please contact our guidance department.  The office can be reached at 472-3951 x 22219.

Grade 5 Mathemagician
On Thursday, February 9, the 5th grade looks forward to welcoming Dennis Regling, the Math Magician, to McKelvie. Students will attend one of two morning assemblies as Mr. Regling presents a curriculum-based, fun assembly. The 5th-grade thanks the Bedford PTG for supporting and sponsoring this event.

McKelvie Maskers Presents Alice In Wonderland
Auditions for this year’s play will take place on February 10th & 13th from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.  If your child is interested in auditioning, please click HERE.  Please know that there are 30 spots for this play.  Questions can be directed to Nate Sawyer (nate.sawyer@yahoo.com) or Becky Coughlin (coughlinr@sau25.net).



School Lunch Plus Program - for the Weekends
McKelvie families have been given access to a  resource that provides students with meals for the weekend.  This program is especially geared towards families who are currently accessing the school's free and reduced lunch program.   If this is something you would like more information regarding please contact the school counseling department (472-3951 ext. 22226).  All requests will be kept confidential.


From the Library
The response to the messages sent earlier regarding Legos needed has been overwhelming! We are no longer in need of Lego donations but are grateful for all of the generous support. Thank you!

The McKelvie Library continues to be a busy location! Click on here to see some of the recently added images of students and staff using the space. The most current images will be at the beginning of the Google Slide presentation. Enjoy!

Grandparent’s Day - CHANGE OF DATE
We recently learned that both McKelvie and Peter Woodbury were scheduled to have Grandparent’s Day on Friday May 12th.  Due to this conflict, we have rescheduled ours for Friday, May 19th.  Our apologies for the inconvenience.

McKelvie FCCLA Carnation Sale
The McKelvie FCCLA chapter will be hosting a Valentine Carnation Sale to help defray our cost of attending the state FCCLA STAR event competitions. Flowers are $1 each and the colors are: Pink, Red, or White. If you order 6 or more flowers they will be wrapped/bundled. Give your prepaid order to your homeroom teacher by Feb 3rd. They will be delivered on Valentine’s Day in homeroom. We are taking only prepaid orders for carnations. Questions should be directed to Mrs. Trudel at trudels@sau25.net.

AM Drop Off Reminder - IMPORTANT
Just a reminder that unless you are registered for the Before School Program, drop off does not start until 8:20am.  If you drop your child off earlier, there is no adult present and your child is completely unsupervised.

K-Z Pick Up - SAFETY ISSUE
If there is one rule for after school pick up it is this:  Please do not block the intersection. Click HERE for other options in the event that you find yourself in that situation.

New Chemistry Club Offered!
If you want to learn more about chemistry, join the Catalyst Chemistry Club! We will be preparing for the You Be the Chemist Challenge®, which will take place on March 11. All students in grades 5 and 6 are eligible to compete and attend. Meetings will be after school on Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 in Room 1, starting on February 6. Prompt pickup will be at the main entrance at 4:30. Please click HERE for more information.

McKelvie Chorus Students Honored
This year, NHMEA (NH Music Educators Association) will be hosting an Elementary Honors Chorus. Students were nominated and then selected from 19 schools around NH to participate. The students will be directed by Michele Adams from the Boston Children's Chorus. Congratulations to: Seth Berry, Nick Boucher, Ashley Gutwillig, Ronan Wolf, Liam Kenny, & Maeve Joyce.  Click HERE to see their smiling faces!

Gordon Korman Author Visit
Mark Your Calendars! Children and young adult author Gordon Korman will be coming to McKelvie on Monday, March 6!  He will spend the day presenting to and working with students and teachers.  In addition, there will be an after school book signing and presentation with Mr. Korman.  For more information on the after school event, please follow this link.  A big thank you to the Bedford PTG for sponsoring this event!

In conjunction with Mr. Korman's visit, next week we will begin our whole-school read of Mr. Korman's first book in the  Masterminds series. Students gather in small groups for thirty minutes a day to enjoy and grow from a read aloud experience.  For more about this project, follow this link.  Questions?  Please contact, Lee Webb, Reading Specialist, at webbl@sau25.net.

Bedford School District Deliberative Session February 7
All registered voters in Bedford are invited to participate in the Bedford School District Deliberative Session on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Bedford High School Theater. Voters will discuss the Bedford School Board's Warrant, which included the proposed budget and articles for contracts with teachers, paraprofessionals, and custodians. The voters will either affirm or revise the School Board Warrant at this meeting. For reference, here is the full budget webpage and the 2017 Warrant.

Kitchen Work - OPPORTUNITY
Are you interested in slowly getting back to work while keeping the hours of your children?  If so, click HERE.  
Food Drive Thank You!
A HUGE thank you to everyone who contributed to our food drive for the NH Food Bank. The boxes will remain at McKelvie until next Tuesday if you would still like to contribute.

Barnes and Noble Days
Looking for a good winter read? Join the PTG at Barnes and Noble on South Willow Street January 26th - January 29th. Shop books, games, music, puzzles and more, and simply let them know you support the Bedford PTG or show this flyer at checkout and the PTG will receive a portion of the sales. We will also have a district wide art show on Friday - Sunday, the McKelvie chorus will perform Friday evening, and elementary school staff will be leading story times Friday - Saturday (click here for schedule). Can’t make the sale? Visit bn.com/bookfairs from January 27th - February 2nd and enter Bookfair ID 12075552 at checkout. We appreciate your support!
New Family Welcome
The PTG is hosting a “New Family Welcome Coffee” for all families that are new to the Bedford School District this school year. The event is being held on Monday, February 6th at the Bedford Town Library (lower level). Your children are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. If you are interested in attending this event or if you would like more information please contact Aneesa Fallon at aa4f@comcast.net
Community Event Thanks
We would like to thank NH Supreme Court Justice Broderick for speaking to our community on January 19th  about the importance of knowing the "5 Signs" that may mean someone needs help, and of ending the stigma surrounding Mental Illness. For more information about this initiative please visit www.changedirection.org/nh The Bedford PTG was a proud co-sponsor of this event with BeBOLD

The Five Signs
Thanks to BCTV, we have a recording of The Five Major Signs of Emotional Distress with Former Supreme Court Justice John Broderick. Justice Broderick spoke to students, teachers and parents in Bedford about his own experience with mental illness in his family and the need to change our perceptions of mental illness. The show will start running on both the public (16) and school (23) channels starting on January 27. The show will be available on Video on Demand at www.bedfordtv.com.

Have a great weekend,

Michael Fournier
Principal
McKelvie Intermediate School
108 Liberty Hill Road
Bedford, NH 03110
603.472.3951 (W)
603.472.4503 (F)
"Like" us on Facebook!

BeBOLD Board Member

Friday, January 20, 2017

1/20/17

Dear McKelvie Families ~

Thank you for being gracious with me sending out that last minute Jersey Day idea.  I debated for a minute or two, then decided it was worth the risk! :)  Also - I had the opportunity to attend the John Broderick presentation on Thursday evening.  It was a very good message about mental illness and the 5 signs to look for.  Did you know that 50% of those with mental illness show symptoms by the age of 13?  Click HERE to learn more.  This week’s notes are below:

Q3 Intramurals- January 30 – March 31, 2017 - ACTION ITEM
Sign-ups for third quarter intramurals will be held from January 20th at 4:00 PM - Sunday, January 29th at 3 PM.  You will be able to sign up on the McKelvie website under the intramural tab.   Space is limited so be sure to sign up.  Any questions, please contact geddesa@sau25.net.

McKelvie Maskers (Drama Club)
This year, McKelvie will be performing Alice in Wonderland under the direction of Nate Sawyer and Becky Coughlin.  Audition information as well as performance dates will be published next week.

Geography Bee Finalists!
Congratulations to the following students who were finalists in the school Geography Bee: Pranav Rohit, Sam O’Leary, Charlie Zink, Benjamin Nguyen, Kiaben Kennedy, Pablo Salazar, Limenwa Kennedy, Tracy Xie, Mathias Wrede, & Nick Boucher

Gordon Korman Author Visit
We are thrilled to announce that amazing children's author Gordon Korman will be coming to McKelvie on Monday, March 6!  He will be offering one presentation for each grade level, and will spend the rest of the day interacting with students and staff and working with small groups.  In addition, there will be an after school book signing and presentation with Mr. Korman.  The afternoon presentation will be different content from the day time assemblies.  In addition, we will offer pre-sale of Mr. Korman's books.  Stay tuned!  More information will be coming...

In conjunction with Mr. Korman's visit, next month we will begin our whole-school read of Mr. Korman's book Masterminds. Students gather in small groups for thirty minutes a day to enjoy and grow from a read aloud experience.  For more about this project, follow this link.  

Questions?  Please contact, Lee Webb, Reading Specialist, at webbl@sau25.net.

From the Library
Thank you to all of the McKelvie families who donated Legos! They will be put to good use soon.

Is is too early to think about spring and baseball? McKelvie was registered to participate in the 2016-2017 Fisher Cats Reading Challenge presented by Velcro companies!

Look for the bookmark/form coming home with your child and promote pleasure reading! On the perforated bookmark, there is a spot for your child to write 5 reading level appropriate book titles. Follow the instructions on the form. After mailing the form in the 2 FREE tickets will be mailed to the address you list! There is a $3.00 processing fee ONLY if additional tickets are PURCHASED.

If you have any questions I can be reached at cotej@sau25.net. If your child needs a form, please have them come to the MIS Library. Reading and baseball make a great team!

PTG 5K Color Fun Run
Bedford PTG is excited to be planning our first ever 5K Color Run. If you’d like to be involved with planning this fun event please contact Kim Beekman at kimbeekman@comcast.net. Lots of volunteers will be needed to put together this exciting run! Our next team meeting will be Friday January 27th, at Lurgio in the Conference Room at 11:15am.

In Previous News…

FCCLA Carnation Sale
The McKelvie FCCLA is once again taking orders for Valentine carnations.
Info: Colors: Pink, Red, or White
Prices: $1.00 per flower, pre-pay to your homeroom teacher
Week: Jan 30th - Feb 3rd, you will get them on Valentine’s Day
Questions: Mrs. Sue Trudel (trudels@sau25.net)

Student Council Food Drive
The McKelvie Student Council is proud to support the New Hampshire Food Bank.  This year we will be hosting a food drive the week of January 23rd.  Each day we will target a valued item. We certainly accept all non-perishable food items regardless of the theme of the day.  We appreciate your support and generosity.  
Monday, Jan. 23rd = Mac & Cheese
Tuesday, Jan. 24th = Tuna
Wednesday, Jan. 25th = Peanut Butter
Thursday, Jan. 26th = Personal Care Items
Friday, Jan. 27th = Juice (no glass please)
Questions: Mr. Mike Brown (brownm@sau25.net) & Mrs. Carolyn Mail (mailc@sau25.net)

Upcoming Monarchs Game
The next Community Night at the Manchester Monarchs will take place on Saturday, January 21st at 6p.m.. Enjoy discounted ticket prices in a family friendly atmosphere as the Monarchs take on the Elmira Jackals. Students can participate in the high-5 tunnel and the first 3,000 fans in attendance get a free bobble-head. Click here for order form.
Stand By Me Opportunity
The Stand By Me Event Planning Committee will be meeting on Thursday, January 19th at the RAL front office from 9:15 - 10:30. You do not need a 7th grader to be a part of this committee. For more information on Stand By Me please visit: www.sau25.net/standbyme

Grade 6 Families - Save the Date!
6th to 7th Registration Information Night: March 21, 6PM in the RAL Media Center
6th to 7th Parent Move Up Night: May 25, 6PM in the RAL Dining Hall

Yearbook - NOTICE
Please be aware that the Yearbook Club will be using photos of all students for our 2016/2017 yearbook.  If you do not want your child's photo in the yearbook, please email one of our advisors, Susan Cavanaugh (cavanaughs@sau25.net) or Deb Kelly (kellyd@sau25.net). Otherwise, every child gets in the yearbook.

Earbud Purchase Option
With the introduction of 1:1 Chromebooks this year, students were asked to bring in a pair of inexpensive headphones/earbuds to leave at school. Because many students have forgotten to bring them in, they will now have an option to purchase a pair of inexpensive earbuds (similar in quality to what you would purchase on a plane) from the library for $1.

Have a great weekend,

Michael Fournier
Principal
McKelvie Intermediate School
108 Liberty Hill Road
Bedford, NH 03110
603.472.3951 (W)
603.472.4503 (F)
"Like" us on Facebook!
BeBOLD Board Member

Friday, January 13, 2017

1/13/17

Dear McKelvie Families ~

It feels like we have hit a heat wave recently.  I hope this has not interrupted your winter sledding and ski activities.  I must say that I have enjoyed the warm-up!  As usual, your children are doing incredible things at McKelvie!  I will be highlighting specifics in the next few weeks.  Below are the notes for this week:

NO SCHOOL
Just a reminder that there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Craftworkers’ Guild Award Winners
Congratulations to Mr. Flint and Ms. Lemear on being recipients of $500 and $200 grants (respectively) for their work with McKelvie students.  We are proud of their work!
Click HERE to see Mr. Flint
Click HERE to see Ms. Lemear

FCCLA Carnation Sale
The McKelvie FCCLA is once again taking orders for Valentine carnations.
Info: Colors: Pink, Red, or White
Prices: $1.00 per flower, pre-pay to your homeroom teacher
Week: Jan 30th - Feb 3rd, you will get them on Valentine’s Day
Questions: Mrs. Sue Trudel (trudels@sau25.net)

Student Council Food Drive
The McKelvie Student Council is proud to support the New Hampshire Food Bank.  This year we will be hosting a food drive the week of January 23rd.  Each day we will target a valued item. We certainly accept all non-perishable food items regardless of the theme of the day.  We appreciate your support and generosity.  
Monday, Jan. 23rd = Mac & Cheese
Tuesday, Jan. 24th = Tuna
Wednesday, Jan. 25th = Peanut Butter
Thursday, Jan. 26th = Personal Care Items
Friday, Jan. 27th = Juice (no glass please)
Questions: Mr. Mike Brown (brownm@sau25.net) & Mrs. Carolyn Mail (mailc@sau25.net)

Lego Donations Needed
Donations wanted PLEASE. The McKelvie Library is looking for LEGOS (not DUPLO). Any clean, gently used LEGOS would be appreciated. If you can donate, have your student drop them off in the library. These LEGOS will be put to good use. Questions can be directed to Julie Cote @ cotej@sau25.net.

Community Event
Please join us on January 19th, 2017, 6p.m. - 8p.m. in the Lurgio Middle School Media Center.  Retired NH Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick will present “Mental Health: A Little Knowledge Can Go a Long Way”. Chief Justice Broderick is leading a statewide campaign to bring mental illness out of the shadows. He will share his own story and will lead a discussion on ways to address this important issue here in Bedford. Space is limited, please come early. The PTG is proud to be co-sponsoring this must see event with the Bedford School District and BeBOLD.
Upcoming Monarchs Game
The next Community Night at the Manchester Monarchs will take place on Saturday, January 21st at 6p.m.. Enjoy discounted ticket prices in a family friendly atmosphere as the Monarchs take on the Elmira Jackals. Students can participate in the high-5 tunnel and the first 3,000 fans in attendance get a free bobble-head. Click here for order form.
Stand By Me Opportunity
The Stand By Me Event Planning Committee will be meeting on Thursday, January 19th at the RAL front office from 9:15 - 10:30. You do not need a 7th grader to be a part of this committee. For more information on Stand By Me please visit: www.sau25.net/standbyme

In Previous News...

Ski NH Snow Passports
4th and 5th grade students are eligible for a passport booklet containing vouchers for lift tickets and trail passes in New Hampshire.  Click HERE for more information.

New McKelvie Signage
After receiving feedback that finding the Main Entrance can be a challenge, we finally installed a sign at McKelvie!  A BIG thank you to Guidance Secretary, Leanne Gould for acting as “Project Manager” for us.  Click HERE or drive by to check it out! Funds from last year’s school directory were used to help make this happen.

Grade 6 Families - Save the Date!
6th to 7th Registration Information Night: March 21, 6PM in the RAL Media Center
6th to 7th Parent Move Up Night: May 25, 6PM in the RAL Dining Hall

Yearbook - NOTICE
Please be aware that the Yearbook Club will be using photos of all students for our 2016/2017 yearbook.  If you do not want your child's photo in the yearbook, please email one of our advisors, Susan Cavanaugh (cavanaughs@sau25.net) or Deb Kelly (kellyd@sau25.net). Otherwise, every child gets in the yearbook.

Earbud Purchase Option
With the introduction of 1:1 Chromebooks this year, students were asked to bring in a pair of inexpensive headphones/earbuds to leave at school. Because many students have forgotten to bring them in, they will now have an option to purchase a pair of inexpensive earbuds (similar in quality to what you would purchase on a plane) from the library for $1.

Have a great weekend,

Michael Fournier
Principal
McKelvie Intermediate School
108 Liberty Hill Road
Bedford, NH 03110
603.472.3951 (W)
603.472.4503 (F)
"Like" us on Facebook!
BeBOLD Board Member