2.23.18

Dear McKelvie Families ~

We have arrived at February Vacation.  It is amazing how quickly this year is speeding by!  Whether you are staying in town or traveling to the tropics, I hope that this next week is full of rest and rejuvenation.  We will look forward to bright eyed students on Monday, March 5th.  

Grade 6 Course Information Night - SAVE THE DATE

On March 27th @ 6pm Lurgio will hold an Information Session on how to register your child for 7th grade classes. Location: Lurgio Dining Hall.

An Author is Coming!

We excited to welcome Small As An Elephant author, Jennifer Richard Jacobson to McKelvie Intermediate School on Tuesday, March 6th, following vacation.  This visit has been made possible by generous support from the Bedford PTG and we are grateful for their donation for this author visit.  If your child has a copy of the book, Small As An Elephant, or any book by Jennifer Richard Jacobson that you would like her to sign during her visit to the school, please send the book to the Guidance Office on or before Tuesday.  Please place a sticky note on the outside of the book with "Your Child's Name, Your Child's Homeroom Teacher, and The Name you would like the author to sign the book to."  Please contact Jodi Parsons if you have any questions.

Lost & Found

If your child has lost an item you just can’t find it, please take a moment and check out our Lost and Found.  Items will be donated next Wednesday, February 28th.

World Language Month

Each year our World Language Teachers celebrate WLM in March with all sorts of special activities.  One way we celebrate is by offering new foods from different countries as an option for hot lunch.  Click HERE for a copy of those meals and the dates they are being offered.

From the CAT Team

Thank you to McKelvie students and families for your support of the Community Action Team's Candy Gram sales.  We were pleased to be able to donate $560 to the Boston Children's Hospital 2018 HUG-raiser Campaign.  A donation to his campaign "will help to provide adorable plush dogs to boys and girls at Boston Children's Hospital.  A sick child who is scared or feeling alone will receive this special - huggable gift."  Community Action Team was pleased to contribute to this special drive on behalf of our school community.

From the Library

Click HERE to see students collaboratively working on the latest 1,000 piece lighthouse puzzle. Many students have been working on this puzzle during recess and other opportunities when they have time between assignments!

Just a friendly reminder... The 2018 Fisher Cats' Reading Challenge is coming to a close! Many forms have been requested by both students and homeroom teachers. If you need one, please send your student(s) to the McKelvie Library.

Here are a few important reminders from the Fisher Cats as the 2018 Challenge wraps up:

• Forms are due back by Friday, March 16th.    

• Forms must be filled out with mailing address in order for tickets to be mailed home.  Any forms with incomplete addresses are left at Will Call for the designated game.  

• Students are invited to play catch on the field before each Reading Challenge game, and they’ll receive all the details in a letter they’ll get with their tickets and certificates of completion.
• The number one question I get is “Do we have to pay the $3 processing fee if we only are getting the two free tickets?” Nope, that’s only if you’re purchasing additional tickets!
• The mailing address is:

            NH Fisher Cats, Attn: Reading Challenge

            1 Line Drive, Manchester, NH 03101

Have a GREAT week,

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!

Mr. Fournier's Website

BeBOLD Board Member

2.16.18

Dear McKelvie Families ~

This has been a tough week for our nation given what recently occurred in Florida.  Please know that we remain vigilant in our efforts to keep school safe.  With this in mind, I am grateful for the resources we have in place as well as the support of school and community families.  My goal is to maintain an environment where students feel valued, heard, and safe.  Thank you for working with us towards that endeavor.  This week’s note is below:

Grade 6 Course Information Night - SAVE THE DATE

On March 27th @ 6pm Lurgio will hold an Information Session on how to register your child for 7th grade classes. Location: Lurgio Dining Hall.

Author Visit at McKelvie!

McKelvie is pleased to welcome author Jennifer Richard Jacobson to our school on Tuesday, March 6th.  Ms. Jacobson will be signing copies of her book, and our all-school read, Small As An Elephant, while she is at our school.  If you would like to order a copy of the book for the author to sign please use this FORM and return to school with the purchase price of $7 per book.  (Families are also welcome to send in their own copy of Small As An Elephant.  Please send your copy of the book to the McKelvie guidance office on or before Tuesday 3/6, with a note indicating to whom the book should be signed.)

Spirit Day

Student Council would like to invite all students, faculty, and staff to wear pajamas (dress code applies) to school on Friday the 23rd of February for our annual Pajama Day! Questions can be directed to Carolyn Mail (mailc@sau25.net) or Mike Brown (brownm@sau25.net).

From the Library

Please join some of the McKelvie Staff and Student Council at Cinemagic in Merrimack, NH, on Tuesday, March 13th to view A Wrinkle in Time (PG 1 hr. 53 min.) This is a day off for students due to the scheduled workshop day for staff. We will attend the show that will be scheduled close to 7:00 PM. The exact showtime will not be determined until Friday the 9th due to this being a new movie release.  

This much anticipated movie is based on the beloved, Newbery Award winning novel by Madeleine L’Engle. Click HERE to see the official movie trailer.

Parents/Guardians will be asked to stay at the event with their child as McKelvie staff will be coming to view this movie with their family members and will not be available to supervise students.

Ticket sales will open up online Friday, March 9th through Fandango , Movietickets.com or the Cinemagic website. These sales will be on a first come, first serve basis. We will announce the exact show time Friday, March 9th, through Principals Notes. We hope to see you and your child(ren) at the movies!

Click HERE to see a display of books that the staff at McKelvie loved when they were in 5th & 6th grade! A Google Form was sent to all of the McKelvie staff. The books they loved were pulled and put on display for all to see and checkout. See if you recognize a favorite read!

Jessica Lahey - Save the Date!

Understanding How to Parent So that Children Can Succeed:  Addressing Childhood Anxiety and its Potential Pathway towards Substance Abuse

Special guest speaker Jessica Lahey veteran teacher, journalist, and author of The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed.

Jessica Lahey will provide insight on how to raise kids who are happy and healthy and less likely to turn to destructive coping strategies, including ways to prevent childhood addiction. Lahey will also share research on the most effective ways to parent and support the psycho-social and emotional needs of our children.  Additionally, she will outline risk factors, explain which positive interventions can overcome those risk factors, and offer parents and teachers actionable, useful tools for raising happy, resilient children who will be less likely to turn to unhealthy behaviors when faced with the increasingly toxic stress and anxiety they face at home, in school and in our society. This event is open to all parents/guardians.

The 45-minute presentation will be followed by a 30-minute question and answer session.

McKelvie Yearbooks for Sale - ACTION ITEM

Don't miss out!  Order your 2017-18 McKelvie yearbook now! Softcover yearbooks are only $25 each. Order information can be found on the Yearbook Club website or by clicking HERE.

Box Tops

The next two weeks are prime in collecting box tops.  Please send yours in, if you have some around the house.  We will be submitting soon.  Questions can be directed to Stephanie Richard at spare111778@aol.com.

Bedford Little League

Bedford Little League is still accepting Spring registrations. If your child is interested in playing recreational baseball this spring, please go to bedfordll.com and register. Registration will close Feb 25.

From the PTG

PANERA & PTG – Take a night off from cooking and join us at our Bedford PTG Night at Panera (Colby Court) on Thursday, March 1st anytime between 4-8pm.  Be sure to bring your Panera Flyer with you.  

COLOR BLAST 2018 COMMUNITY EVENT…Save the date Sunday June 3rd! Get Ready for the Most Colorful, Fun-Filled Day of Your Life as PTG hosts another Color Blast Fun Run. Registration opens soon. Stay tuned for more exciting details.

STAY CONNECTED to PTG: Please visit our PTG WEBSITE and be sure to “like” our  FACEBOOK PAGE to see all the exciting things happening at our schools. Thank you for your support!

Enjoy the 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!

Mr. Fournier's Website

BeBOLD Board Member

1.9.18

Dear McKelvie Families ~

I am fearful to tell you the new last day of school.  Providing this information does not seem to
stop snow days from coming. :)  So - it’s likely June 22nd is the new day, but no guarantees!
Below are this week’s notes:

From the Library

On Monday and Tuesday of this past week, there were two "Golden Tickets" found! These were
the first tickets found since the end of October. On Monday, while searching for a book,
Lyla Stein found a "Golden Ticket". On Tuesday, the 7th out of 10 tickets was located. Congrats
to Megan Carroll! Both young ladies received gift certificates to Barnes and Noble. Happy book
shopping! There are still 3 "Golden Tickets" to be found. These are hidden in various fiction and
nonfiction books at the McKelvie Library.

As you know the McKelvie community lost our admired reading specialist, Lee Webb in
November. Lee was a true advocate for children as they learned and navigated the social and
emotional world of the preteen years. In honor of Lee, the generous Bedford Parent Teacher
Group (PTG), donated two copies of Bully by Patricia Polacco. These books each have a book
plate in memory of Lee. The books are treasures that will be enjoyed by many in the years to
come.

Vaping - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

There has been a lot of talk about vaping in recent weeks. This issue is certainly not lost on
families in Bedford.  As a result, I want you to be aware of what some of these devices look like.
Click HERE to see some images.  They do not always look like what we think. THIS ONE is
especially nondescript.  And, no, we have not found any of these devices on students at McKelvie.  This is simply an FYI as they are growing in popularity.

Box Tops

The next two weeks are prime in collecting box tops.  Please send yours in, if you have some
around the house.  We will be submitting soon.  Questions can be directed to Stephanie Richard
at spare111778@aol.com.

From the PTG

YANKEE CANDLE: Yankee Candle fundraiser ends February 16th.

Renowned for their quality and true-to life scents, Yankee® candles are America’s Best Loved
gift to give and get! Full color brochures should have come home in backpacks (K-6) or are
available in the front offices at Lurgio and BHS. Visit Bedford PTG Yankee Candle for more
information and to order online to have it ship directly to your home, 40% of sales go back
to the schools!

COLOR BLAST 2018 COMMUNITY EVENT…Save the date Sunday June 3rd! Get Ready
for the Most Colorful, Fun-Filled Day of Your Life as PTG hosts another Color Blast Fun Run.
Stay tuned for more exciting details.

STAY CONNECTED to PTG: Please visit our PTG WEBSITE and be sure to “like” our
FACEBOOK PAGE to see all the exciting things happening at our schools. Thank you for your
support!

Enjoy the 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!

Mr. Fournier's Website

BeBOLD Board Member

2.2.18

Dear McKelvie Families ~

Your kids looked amazing today - so many Pat’s Jerseys (and a few Eagles)!  

We are now a full week into the 3rd quarter and I hope your children are learning and growing each day.  It is sometimes difficult to see the growth in the daily grind, but I assure you that the effort does pay dividends.  I was taught to work hard, play hard, and rest hard.  It is not always easy, but with encouragement and support each of our McKelvie students can and will succeed!  As always, thank you for your continued support.

Yearbook

Important: Parents, if you are paying for your child's yearbook with a check, please remember to make it payable to McKelvie Intermediate School, not Jostens Yearbook. All yearbook sales information can be found by clicking HERE.

Drama Club - DATE CHANGE

Due to a scheduling conflict, this year’s school performances have been CHANGED to May 4th and 5th.  Click HERE for more information.

5th Graders Represent!

A BIG thank you to Mr. Coughlin, Mrs. Wickham and several 5th grade students who played at Barnes & Noble last weekend!  Click HERE to see a great pic of: Aiden Nguyen , Ashley Van Valkenburg, Haley Hall, Addie Kenny, & Zoey Gagne!

Groundhog Day at McKelvie

Mrs. Kelly’s 5th grade students worked in their “burrows” today in honor of GHD.  Click HERE to see a cute pic! Adorable!

Student Absences

We have reached a place in the school year where student absences are starting to mount.  A reminder that absences beyond 10 days require a note (i.e, medical, bereavement) in order for them to be considered excused.  District procedure is to now send home a 10-day and 15-day letter to families.  Extenuating circumstances can be discussed with school administration or your child’s school counselor.

Candy Grams!

Community Action Team will be selling Candy Grams to raise funds to provide to Boston Children's Hospital.  Candy Grams cost $2 each and you can select a Candy or Non-Candy Option to be delivered to your child's homeroom on Valentine's Day.  Candy Grams will be on sale from now until Friday, 2/9.  Please print and complete the attached form to order a Candy Gram for a special Valentine kid in your life.  Orders can be sent into the school in an envelope marked "CAT" or dropped off at the main office.

From the Library

Our 5th "Search Slip" raffle was held for the month of January this past Wednesday! The "Search Slips" are filled out with the title of the book, the author's last name, and the call number. This is done when students are looking for a book using the online catalog. The student then has an opportunity to write his/her name on the back of the "Search Slip" and enter a monthly raffle! January's raffle winner was ​​from Mrs. Draper's homeroom. Emmerson Gagne received a $5.00 gift certificate for a sweet treat.

Click HERE to see students exploring Mt. Everest using the VR goggles. In the image you will see some students in Mrs. Burke's homeroom experiencing Mt. Everest in 3D. These students are currently reading the first book in what will soon be a trilogy! Peak by Roland Smith is an amazing realistic fiction book that hooks so many, that book two (The Edge) flies off the shelves when they complete book one. Book three (The Ascent) is due to be released on May 8, 2018.

The library just obtained 4 Follett ebook copies of Small as an Elephant, our READ Project selection for this year. These ebook copies are available via Destiny Discover (our search interface). They can be read on a computer or device! If a student is absent, or knows that he/she will be out, they can log in from a computer remotely and read the chapter(s) that will be missed. The students will also be able to read chapter(s) from school. This might be helpful as all students will not have a print copy of our Project READ book.

Bedford School District Deliberative Session February 6​

All registered voters in Bedford are invited to participate in the Bedford School District Deliberative Session on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 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 a special article that would authorize an Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study of all six schools in the district. There is also a Citizen’s Petition Warrant Article regarding school lunch trays. The voters will either affirm or revise the School Board Warrant at this meeting. For reference, here is the full budget webpage.

Student Handbooks

​Over the course of this fall, the Bedford School District made several additions to our student handbooks.

• Notice of Rights under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)
• Teaching about Human Sexuality
• Volunteers in the Bedford School District
• Use of Personal Vehicles for School Business
• Student Use of Electronics on Buses (in the ​Transportation ​H​andbook)

​The handbook for each school can be found on the school website under School Info.

Saturday Softball Clinics

A reminder that there is NO softball for elementary students this Saturday.  Questions can be directed to Jay Brewster at jaypbrewster@gmail.com

From the PTG

THANK YOU From PTG: Thanks to everyone that came out to enjoy stories read by our Principals and Assistant Principals at Principal Winter Reading Night and to those that stopped by Barnes and Noble last weekend to listen to story time with staff from our elementary schools, enjoy an amazing art show, and hear the sounds of singers and musicians from our schools.

YANKEE CANDLE: Yankee Candle fundraiser starts February 2nd and ends February 16th. Renowned for their quality and true-to life scents, Yankee® candles are America’s Best Loved gift to give and get! Full color brochures should have come home in backpacks (K-6) or are available in the front offices at Lurgio and BHS. Visit Bedford PTG Yankee Candle for more information and to order online to have it ship directly to your home, 40% of sales go back to the schools!

COLOR BLAST 2018 COMMUNITY EVENT:Save the date Sunday June 3rd! Get Ready for the Most Colorful, Fun-Filled Day of Your Life as PTG hosts another Color Blast Fun Run. Stay tuned for more exciting details.

STAY CONNECTED to PTG: Please visit our PTG WEBSITE and be sure to “like” our  FACEBOOK PAGE to see all the exciting things happening at our schools. Thank you for your support!

In Previous News…

McKelvie Yearbooks for Sale - ACTION ITEM

Don't miss out!  Order your 2017-18 McKelvie yearbook now! Softcover yearbooks are only $25 each. Order information can be found on the Yearbook Club website or by clicking HERE.

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!

Mr. Fournier's Website

BeBOLD Board Member