Friday, March 31, 2017

3.31.17

Dear McKelvie Families ~

Each week I have the privilege of summarizing what our kids have been doing and what is on the horizon.  This week I am especially proud and thankful for our World Language students, teachers, and program.  Our four World Language Teachers supplied a month of activity, learning, and enthusiasm for our kids and the school.  A BIG thank you to Laren Carkin, Linda Taccini, Vicki Richardson, and Julie Mannella!  Below are this week’s notes:

Information

BeBOLD Event
This Sunday (4/2) from 6pm to 8pm, BeBOLD will be holding their 2nd annual “Breaking the Silence” Event at the Bedford Presbyterian Church.  There will be a breakout session specifically designed for parents and their children ages 9-13.  Breakout session will be led by School Counselor Jodi Parsons, BPD Officer Danielle Nightingale, and Principal Michael Fournier.

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Please know that we are heading into conference season at McKelvie.  You can expect to hear from your child’s teacher soon (you may have already).  Our goal to to make sure that conferences are held at a mutually convenient time.  If you do not see a slot that works for you, please reach out to your child’s teacher to request one.  While conferences are not mandatory, they are an excellent time to ask questions, gain insight, and connect.

Yearbook Orders - ACTION ITEM
The deadline to purchase a 2016/17 yearbook is approaching quickly. Yearbooks are only $23 and can be ordered online or through the order form that came home with your student. Online order details can be found on the Yearbook Club page under the Order Info tab. Order deadline is Wednesday, April 12th, so order yours today! Questions can be directed to Susan Cavanaugh (cavanaughs@sau25.net) or Deb Kelly (kellyd@sau25.net).

PTG Scholastic Happy Camper Book Fair:
The PTG Book Fair will be at McKelvie April 3rd -6th. We will be open Monday/Wednesday til 5:30 and Tuesday/Thursday til 7pm in room 1.  Students are encouraged to dress in camping gear on Monday to kick the week off, be sure to wear your flannel, hiking boots, and bandanas. Students will all have an opportunity to preview the book fair during the week with their class.  Parents are welcome any time during fair hours to come to shop for great books.  There will also be a staff "wish list" display at the fair.  If a parent/student wants to purchase and donate a book to a teacher classroom or staff member they can do so at the fair. Not able to stop in…shop online starting Thursday, April 6th at www.scholastic.com/bf/mckelvie
iRules: What Every Tech-Healthy Family Needs to Know About Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up.
The Bedford High School Counseling Department is thrilled to welcome international speaker, Janell Burley Hofmann, to campus on Thursday, April 6th! The author of the original iRules Contract will workshop with students throughout the day and will present “Parenting Generation Tech: Educate, Empower, Engage” to parents that evening. This free event will begin at 6:00pm in the BHS Theater and is open to the community.

PTG Day at Shorty’s
Join us Thursday April 6th at Shorty’s in Bedford. Every first Thursday of the month Shorty’s will give the Bedford PTG 15% of all sales when patrons show this flyer or simply let your server know you support the PTG. Good on Dine-in and Take-out, all day long!

Destination Imagination State Tournament
Bedford DI welcomes New Hampshire Destination Imagination (NH-DI) State Tournament to Bedford High School . The tournament has been rescheduled to  Sunday, April 2nd from  8am - 6pm. Please check website for up to date information and a schedule of events - www.nh-di.org. The top scoring teams will be competing for a chance to go to Destination Imagination Global Finals in Knoxville, TN, with almost every state and 20 countries.   Good Luck to the 7 teams representing Bedford DI.

From the Library
It has been a while but the 8th "Golden Ticket" has been found by Kiaben Kennedy who is in Mrs. Cleghorn's 5th grade class! Click HERE is see Kiaben, the book he found the "Golden Ticket" in, and his prize. There are two more "Golden Tickets" hidden in various library books at the McKelvie Library! Will the last two be found before the end of the year?

Celebration


World Language Poster Contest
Each year the state of NH sponsors a student poster contest in the month of March to promote World Language study. This year's theme was "Communication Is the First Step In Changing the World". McKelvie is allowed to send five entries to the contest. We would like to thank all the students who participated in this year's contest. After a very difficult decision, the following students' posters were chosen to send on to the state wide competition: Sofia Elena DiStefano, Chelsea Ongjoco, Olivia King, Lindsay Healey, and Patryk Bidecki. Please see the photo of the students with their winning posters. Best wishes to these students as they go on in the contest.

McKelvie Kids use Ozobots!
Mrs. Kelly's 5th grade classes came to the library last week to explore basic coding with McKelvie's 18 Ozobot Bits! Be sure to check out the budding coders who worked with Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Cavanaugh (Instructional Technology Specialist), and Mrs. Cote. The students were able to program the Ozobots to perform various tasks. There are some future programmers coming up the ranks!

Grade 5 Mathemagician!
On Wednesday, March 29, the entire 5th-grade--both the students and teachers-- enjoyed two performances by Dennis Regling and the Amazing Mysteries of Mathematics.  A big 'thank you'  to Sue Jennato and the PTG for making this performance possible. Mr. Dennis was funny, engaged the students, and left a few math teachers perplexed as to how he did what he did. Click HERE to see a great pic of our students! From left to right: Dennis Regling, Charlie Cariello, Tim Gleason, Maya Park, Audrey Sambrook, Eli Goumas, and Julia Stensgaard.


In Previous News…

2017-18 ​Calendar
As families start planning for next year, we thought it would be helpful to share the 2017-18 School Calendar. The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 29

Bedford High School ​Graduation set for June 10
We are proud to announce that the students in the class of 2017 at Bedford High School will be graduating on June 10, 2017.



Community Presentation-Ed Gerety, top professional youth speaker
The Bedford PTG is proud to co-sponsor an upcoming community presentation featuring professional speaker Ed Gerety. Ed Gerety, one of the top professional youth speakers in the country, will be doing a 60 minute program for parents and their child focusing on how you can work together in your families to help your child reach their full potential, have the right mindset, and achieve their goals. Ed has been a part of the Lurgio Middle School Stand By Me program from its beginning and his programs have always received rave reviews. This program, geared to middle school families, will take place on April 11th in the BHS Theater 6:30 - 7:30p.m.. Save the date for this energetic and inspiring program!  
PTG COLORBLAST 5K Fun run/walk, Sunday, June 4th @ 10:00a.m.
The PTG is excited to announce that registration for our first annual ColorBlast 5K Run/Walk is open! Register today and mark your calendar for a super-fun, family event! Not a runner? That’s OK. You can walk, skip, hop, twirl, dance or stroll your way through six color stations along the 5K route that starts at Lurgio Middle school on the BHS/RAL campus. Be sure to wear white for maximum color affect (you will be blasted with food safe colorful powder). All funds raised from this event will go back into our schools!
We are looking for volunteers and sponsors for this great event. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring the event or volunteering, please contact us at bedfordcolorblast@gmail.com, or for more information please visit www.bedfordptg.org. This event is presented by Derry Medical Center.

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)

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Friday, March 24, 2017

3.24.17

Dear McKelvie Families ~

As you know, spring brings a deluge of information from the schools regarding the end of one year and the start of another.  I will do my best to keep you in the loop with current, accurate, and timely updates.  It is not always easy to keep up, but I will make it as stress-free as possible!  Below are this week’s notes:

Information

6th to 7th Grade Registration
The Middle School sent out a communication today regarding next Tuesday.  Starting next Tuesday evening (3/28), 6th grade parents will be able to register their students for 7th grade classes (Recommendations will be viewable that evening).  There is an information session on Tuesday, March 28th at 6pm in the Media Center at Lurgio School regarding Course Selection.  Questions can be directed to Ed Joyce (joycee@sau25.net).

Last Day of School
For planning purposes, the last day of school is Monday, June 19th.  We will have a Move-Up Day for students on that day (This is where students visit the next grade’s teachers).

Q4 Intramurals- April 3 – May 25, 2017
Sign-ups for fourth quarter intramurals will be held from March 24 at 3:30 PM - Sunday, April 2rd 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.

Community Presentation - Ed Gerety
The Bedford PTG is proud to co-sponsor an upcoming community presentation featuring professional speaker Ed Gerety. Ed Gerety, one of the top professional youth speakers in the country, will be doing a 60 minute program for parents and their child focusing on how you can work together in your families to help your child reach their full potential, have the right mindset, and achieve their goals. This program, geared to middle school families, will take place on April 11th in the BHS Theater 6:30 - 7:30p.m. Save the date for this energetic and inspiring program!  

STEM Event for Girls
A STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Event will be taking place on April 12th after school (3:30 - 5:00). Amber Guilherme, a senior from Bedford High School, will be offering this one night only event that will introduce participants to different aspects of STEM by creating different stations to work/play at in small groups. Students can stay after school with parents' permission to attend this event. No prior knowledge about STEM is required. The event will have a maximum of 20 students. Click HERE to register.

McKelvie Reading Trials Parent Feedback
During the first part of 2017, language arts teachers have been conducting reading "trials" - implementation of a unit from a reading program other than Reading Street.  We would like to hear adult feedback about your child/children's experience(s) as part of these trials.  Students have had the opportunity to give feedback through their own survey and through interactions with adults.  Follow this link to access the survey by Monday, March 27. Questions can be directed to Lee Webb, McKelvie Reading Specialist, at webbl@sau25.net, or Checker Hansen, Bedford Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator, at hansenc@sau25.net. Thank you for your participation!

Celebration

Destination ImagiNation
Congratulations to all the Bedford DI teams who participated in the Goffstown Regional Tournament last weekend. DI-elites and 5 Friends 1 Thought represented McKelvie, along with 6th grader, Aamit Kancherlapalli who was on a Lurgio team. Team 5 Friends 1 Thought placed and will advance to the State Tournament in Bedford High School on April 1st, along with 6 other teams from Bedford DI.  We are so proud of these kids and would like to thank the Team Manager's who worked so hard coaching these kids all season.   For more information on what DI is all about, please check out www.nh-di.org.

In Previous News…

2017-18 ​Calendar
As families start planning for next year, we thought it would be helpful to share the 2017-18 School Calendar. The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 29

Bedford High School ​Graduation set for June 10
We are proud to announce that the students in the class of 2017 at Bedford High School will be graduating on June 10, 2017.

PTG ColorBlast 5K Registration is OPEN
The PTG is excited to announce that registration for our first annual ColorBlast 5K Run/Walk is open! Register today and mark your calendar, Sunday, June 4th @ 10:00am, for a super-fun, family event! Not a runner? That’s OK. You can walk, skip, hop, twirl, dance or stroll your way through six color stations along the 5K route that starts at Lurgio Middle school on the BHS/RAL campus. Be sure to wear white for maximum color affect (you will be blasted with food safe colorful powder). All funds raised from this event will go back into our schools!
We are looking for volunteers and sponsors for this great event. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring the event or volunteering, please contact us at bedfordcolorblast@gmail.com, or for more information please visit www.bedfordptg.org. This event is presented by Derry Medical Center.
PTG Scholastic Happy Camper Book Fair…Coming Soon:
The PTG Book Fair will be at McKelvie April 3rd -6th. We will be open Monday/Wednesday til 5:30 andTuesday/Thursday til 7pm in room 1.
To keep with the “Happy Camper-S’more Fun with Books” theme, we will kick things off with a Camping Spirit Day on Monday, April  3rd. More details to come…

Monarchs Fan Appreciation Night
Join the PTG at FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT as the Manchester Monarchs take on the Elmira Jackals on Saturday, April 1st at 6p.m.. Students can high-five the Monarchs players as they enter the ice. Click here to download your order form and return to your school office by March 27th. This is a great night for groups, teams and families to get discounted ticket prices and enjoy the end of the hockey season.

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, March 17, 2017

3.17.17

Dear McKelvie Families ~

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!  It has been a very green day here at McKelvie.  The sun was out, the kids were active, and there was a buzz of activity all over the school.  In fact, Mr. Rushia’s Excel class taught their classmates about Pi.  Thankyou, Excel students!  It was a great week; albeit abridged.  Below are this week’s notes:

Information

Election Results
Thank you to all the Bedford citizens who voted on Thursday . The school district budget passed and the contracts for our teachers, support staff, and custodians passed. This will make the district's pay scale more competitive and help get health insurance costs under control. The positive results will allow the whole district to continue to focus on our core mission, teaching and learning. Thank you!

2017-18 ​Calendar
As families start planning for next year, we thought it would be helpful to share the 2017-18 School Calendar. The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 29

Bedford High School ​Graduation set for June 10
We are proud to announce that the students in the class of 2017 at Bedford High School will be graduating on June 10, 2017.

Screenagers
All members of the Bedford community are welcome to attend this free event at the high school next week where they will be presenting Screenagers.  The movie will begin the evening at 6:00 PM, and a brief panel of professionals with various perspectives will follow.
PTG ColorBlast 5K Registration is OPEN
The PTG is excited to announce that registration for our first annual ColorBlast 5K Run/Walk is open! Register today and mark your calendar, Sunday, June 4th @ 10:00am, for a super-fun, family event! Not a runner? That’s OK. You can walk, skip, hop, twirl, dance or stroll your way through six color stations along the 5K route that starts at Lurgio Middle school on the BHS/RAL campus. Be sure to wear white for maximum color affect (you will be blasted with food safe colorful powder). All funds raised from this event will go back into our schools!
We are looking for volunteers and sponsors for this great event. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring the event or volunteering, please contact us at bedfordcolorblast@gmail.com, or for more information please visit www.bedfordptg.org. This event is presented by Derry Medical Center.
PTG Scholastic Happy Camper Book Fair…Coming Soon:
The PTG Book Fair will be at McKelvie April 3rd -6th. We will be open Monday/Wednesday til 5:30 andTuesday/Thursday til 7pm in room 1.
To keep with the “Happy Camper-S’more Fun with Books” theme, we will kick things off with a Camping Spirit Day on Monday, April  3rd. More details to come…

McKelvie Reading Trials Parent Feedback
During the first part of 2017, language arts teachers have been conducting reading "trials" - implementation of a unit from a reading program other than Reading Street.  We would like to hear adult feedback about your child/children's experience(s) as part of these trials.  Students have had the opportunity to give feedback through their own survey and through interactions with adults.  Follow this link to access the survey by Monday, March 27. Questions can be directed to Lee Webb, McKelvie Reading Specialist, at webbl@sau25.net, or Checker Hansen, Bedford Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator, at hansenc@sau25.net. Thank you for your participation!

Destination ImagiNation
Bedford DI is sending 19 teams to the Goffstown Regional this weekend.  Good luck to all the teams and their team managers, who have been working hard problem solving and creating solutions since last Fall. For a full schedule of the day, check out the Goffstown Regional at www.NH-DI.org.

From the Library
The Fisher Cats Reading Challenge entries were due today! I spoke to a member of the Fisher Cats Reading Promotional Team today and the tickets for participating in the challenge will go in the mail relative to the game date selected. Be on the lookout for these tickets if you participated!

Last Friday we had two special guests come to the McKelvie Library! Ellen Smith and her amazing service dog, Major, were here to visit with students. Click here to see a picture of a few 6th grade students reading Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp to Major. Thank you Mrs. Lovering for this book recommendation and thank you Ellen and Major for your time!

In honor of National Library Week (April 9th-15th) the students at McKelvie will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite Great Stone Face Book Award Nominee. Please see the tab off of the MIS Library homepage titled "Great Stone Face" for a Google Slides presentation of the 20 nominees. More information will be forthcoming!


Celebration

McKelvie Students Compete in U12 Alpine Racing
Congratulations to Cora Steichen, Audrey Purnell, Tyler Dambach, Cole Wolfinger, & Logan Goldberg for competing last weekend at the NH State Championship for Alpine Racing.  They did an awesome job racing in frigid conditions with 60 mph winds and a wind chill of -23 degrees at Dartmouth Skiway.  They competed in a field of the top 100 boys and top 100 girls in the state racing Giant Slalom on Saturday and Slalom on Sunday. Click HERE to see those AMAZING kids!

Mr. Crowell’s NEW baby
Congratulations to Michael and Renee Crowell.  Olivia Anne Crowell was born on March 13th at 11:35 pm.  She is 6 pounds 13 ounces, 18.25 inches long, she has a ton of dark hair, and she's perfect.  Click HERE for an ADORABLE pic.

NH Food Bank
The McKelvie Student Council received a thank you card from the NH Food Bank for the 997 lbs of donated food that accounts for 831 meals.  Thank YOU for helping us with this drive!

March Book Madness in the Parolin/Francis and Stank/Donahue Pods!
The students in Ms. Parolin's ELA class have been working hard on a March Madness Book Tournament. Stay tuned to see which title will win the #1 spot for March 2017!
Mrs. Stank's March Madness bracket is mimicking the NCAA college basketball tournament. Students have until March 24th to read as many of the sweet sixteen books as possible to qualify them for voting. Sean Donahue is about to bring it alive with statistics in mathematics class. Boom!  Click HERE to see the brackets.

Monarchs Fan Appreciation Night
Join the PTG at FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT as the Manchester Monarchs take on the Elmira Jackals on Saturday, April 1st at 6p.m.. Students can high-five the Monarchs players as they enter the ice. Click here to download your order form and return to your school office by March 27th. This is a great night for groups, teams and families to get discounted ticket prices and enjoy the end of the hockey season.

In Previous News…

6th to 7th Grade Registration & Information Sessions - IMPORTANT
Lurgio Middle School has adjusted their Parent Information session from March 21st to March 28th.  More information to follow.  Questions can be directed to Lurgio Middle School (310-9100).

PTG Color Run Is Coming!
Registration for our first annual Color Blast 5K Run/Walk will open soon. Save the date for June 4th at 10:00a.m. (Kids 1K Color Blast at 9:30) at Lurgio Middle School/Bedford High School complex.

*Art Supplies Donation
As a part of her senior project, Julie Vyhanek, a student at Bedford High School, is accepting donations of new/lightly used art supplies to be donated to the Elliot Hospital for Art Therapy.  A donation box will be placed outside of our main office if you would like to contribute.  Click here for more information.

*Krispy Kreme Fundraiser
Do you love Krispy Kreme doughnuts? Do you wish there was one in NH? You're in luck! The BHS Prom Committee is selling dozens of the Original Glazed for $10 a box at the Town Elections on Tuesday, March 14th (7am-7pm) in the BHS Gym. You can reserve your dozen here, or purchase them at the door. Thank you in advance for your support!

*Mobile App Making Opportunity
The fundraiser is called the NH Appathon and it supports STEM education. It is a one day workshop where kids (4th grade and onwards) will learn to make mobile apps and then participate in a team competition. This event is taking place on Sunday March 19th in Bedford.  Click HERE for more information.


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