12.22.19 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday break! Click HERE to see a holiday card from McKelvie Administration.

Important Dates:
December 23rd-January 1st: Holiday Break
January 2nd-Back to School!!
January 20th-No School Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Spelling Bee Champion:
Congratulations to 6th grader, Advika Govindaraju- McKelvie School’s newest spelling bee champion! We will be proud to have Advika represent our school at the state-wide spelling bee in Concord in February. Best of luck to her!


Library News:
Season's Readings from the MIS Library! I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. Cherish the time with your family, child(ren), and good friends. Enjoy all the magic that the holidays bring. Be sure to take some time to curl up with a good book! Click HERE to see our door decorated for the winter season. Books have a lot to say! Click HERE to see Gus, our certified therapy dog who visits on Fridays, posing for a holiday photo! Happy 2020, McKelvie!

PTG News:

The Bedford PTG would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy Winter Break!

MINDFULNESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT SEMINAR: Tuesday, January 14th, 7:00 p.m. at McKelvie, for parents of children in Grades K-6. Come learn about the benefits of Mindfulness including increased focus for learning and stress management for life. Terri Hamilton, a Mindfulness & Stress Management Coach and former teacher and Guidance Counselor, will be sharing her expertise.

Click HERE for more information.

PRINCIPAL WINTER READING NIGHT: Dress in your PJ’s, bring a blanket and come listen to the Bedford principals read you a story! This fun-filled family event will be held on Thursday, January 23rd at McKelvie in the Cafeteria. Choose between two session times, 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Details on how to register for the event coming soon.

PTG INFORMATIONAL VIDEO: Curious to know more about the PTG? Ever wonder where the "G" in PTG came from? Where do your donations go? How do fundraisers work? How to get involved? And more...watch this short PTG INFORMATIONAL VIDEO for the answers to all of your PTG questions.

HANNAFORD HELPS REUSABLE BAG PROGRAM: During the month of December, the PTG will receive a $1.00 donation for every Hannaford Community Bag sold at the Jenkins Road location.

Save the Date - next COFFEE AND CONVERSATION with Superintendent Fournier: Wednesday, January 22nd, 9:30 a.m. at the Town Library. Stay tuned for more details!

McKelvie Pics:

Move-A-Thon Police Car Ride winner...Hannah Amirault and her guest Raissa Caridade




Mrs. Parnell and Mrs. Opitz receiving an award from the Craftworkers' Guild.


Door decorating contestants!






Caroling at Carlyle Place




Have a Happy New Year!

Jen Asdot

12.14.19 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

It was wonderful seeing so many families at last night's chorus and band concert! The kids have been working really hard all year, and put on a great show. Thank you to all of the parents for supporting the music department and also to Becky Coughlin our Choral Director and Christa Wickham our Band Director for the incredible work they do for McKelvie Students. Check out BCTV to see last night's concert.

Important Dates:
December 17th-Spelling Bee at 9:30 in cafe
December 23rd-January 1st: Holiday Break
January 2nd-Back to School!!
January 20th-No School Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Holiday Coffee Cart for Teachers and Staff:
Please click on the link below to contribute a holiday treat! They should be dropped off by 8:30 am on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Thank you!

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090f45ada92eaaf85-holiday2

Lost and Found:

All items in Lost and Found will be donated over vacation.  Please encourage your child to look in lost and found this coming week.

Library News:
Happy weekend, McKelvie! Five more days until our break. The library has been bustling with activity! Our 225 Rubik's Cubes are solved thanks to Madame Taccini and several helpers and are on their way back to the lending company! Several 5th grade classes have been to the library for a lesson on the importance of note taking, there has been a steady stream of students coming to borrow books, and we have had students continue to personalize scratch art bookmarks!

Thank you to the Bedford PTG for bringing the bulldog back to our library. We love when he visits. Click HERE to see the Bedford PTG Bulldog ready for the season.

We did it! This has been a work in progress for several weeks, but as a community, we solved a 1,000 piece puzzle of the United States. Click HERE to see the puzzle solved.

Have a great weekend! ~Mrs. Cote

A message from the Bedford Education Foundation:

Have a child that could use a parking spot at Bedford High School? The Bedford Education Foundation is raffling off your chance to win a front row parking spot to use from January 1, 2020 through June 2021! Yep! That's a year and a half! Raffle tickets are $25 each through Venmo. (Each time you make a $25 Venmo payment to The BEF, your name is added to our drawing.) Purchase now through Sunday, December 22nd at 8 pm. Venmo @Bedford-EducationFoundation. We will contact you through the VENMO app if you are the winner! Thanks for supporting excellence in our public schools, and please check out our website to learn more about our work in the Bedford School District!

MIS Kitchen News:
The breakfast program will be featuring a delicious and nutritious Strawberry Banana Smoothie. It’s filled with strawberries, bananas and vanilla Greek yogurt. This fresh and naturally sweet combination of fruit and yogurt is a perfect way to give the brain and body a beneficial boost of energy. Additionally, this smoothie provides a healthy dose of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, all essential nutrients for the body. In addition to breakfast combo meals, the kitchen will be offering a homemade cinnamon roll muffin. This lovely, healthy treat will keep you feeling full and satisfied with lots of long lasting energy from whole grain complex carbohydrates. Our from scratch baking also helps to limit unhealthy ingredients and removes processed and artificial preservatives. Start the school day off with a bang and don't miss out on these healthy, wholesome NEW breakfast items.

The hot lunch program has an exceptionally tasty and healthy meal on Tuesday, December 17th. We will be offering a Burger Bar! The bar includes a local grass fed organic patty from Brookford Farms in Canterbury or a veggie burger. Toppings include cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion & pickles. It will be paired with sweet potato fries, fresh radishes and carrot sticks, fresh fruit and milk. Why should our students be eating grass fed beef? There are a number of nutritional benefits when comparing conventional grain fed beef and grass fed beef, the major one being the fat profile. Grass fed beef is a great source of beneficial brain boosting omega 3 fatty acids. The beef is also organic and sourced locally so don't miss out on this delicious lunch!

PTG News:
MINDFULNESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT SEMINAR: Tuesday, January 14th, 7:00 p.m. at McKelvie, for parents of children in Grades K-6. Come learn about the benefits of Mindfulness including increased focus for learning and stress management for life. Terri Hamilton, a Mindfulness & Stress Management Coach and former teacher and Guidance Counselor, will be sharing her expertise.

Click HERE for more information.

PRINCIPAL WINTER READING NIGHT: Dress in your PJ’s, bring a blanket and come listen to the Bedford principals read you a story! This fun-filled family event will be held on Thursday, January 23rd at McKelvie in the Cafeteria. Choose between two session times, 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Details on how to register for the event coming soon.

PTG INFORMATIONAL VIDEO: Curious to know more about the PTG? Ever wonder where the "G" in PTG came from? Where do your donations go? How do fundraisers work? How to get involved? And more...watch this short PTG INFORMATIONAL VIDEO for the answers to all of your PTG questions.

HANNAFORD HELPS REUSABLE BAG PROGRAM: During the month of December, the PTG will receive a $1.00 donation for every Hannaford Community Bag sold at the Jenkins Road location.

AMAZON SMILE! Did you know that every time you buy on Amazon, you can support the Bedford PTG? Simply visit AmazonSmile and select “Bedford NH PTG” as the organization that you’d like to support. Now, every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Bedford PTG. Thank you for your support!

McKelvie Pictures:

BHS Leadership Fair at McKelvie






Hour of Code






Move-A-Thon Limo Winners




Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Jen Asdot

12.7.19 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

It was another short but productive week at McKelvie School! Hopefully the weather holds out for the next two weeks, before the holiday break.

The lost and found will be donated to a local charity over vacation week. Please encourage your child to retrieve any missing items prior to December 21st.

Important Dates:
December 10th-Afternoon at the Movies-ELF
December 13th: Winter Concert at 6:30pm
December 23rd-January 1st: Holiday Break

Middle School Years-December Edition:
Click HERE for the December edition of Middle School Years.

Toys for Tots 2019:
Just a reminder, we are collecting toys through December 13th for Toys for Tots. If you are able to provide a donation, we are accepting new, unwrapped toys/goods to benefit kids of all ages (toddlers through teens). Any questions, contact crowellm@sau25.net.

Afternoon at the Movies: Student Council is showing Elf
Dec. 10th 3:30-5:15
Pickup at 5:15 sharp (A-J Main Entrance and K-Z at canopy)
Free to get in. Donations appreciated ($2.00 is great!)
$1 each for snacks and water
Must bring this completed permission slip/ticket by December 10th.

Library News:
Happy December, McKelvie! Although it was a short, snowy week, the library was busy with excited students! There are many images I would like to share with you this week.

Click HERE to see our final Rubik's Cube Mosaic completed Tuesday afternoon before our 7-day break! The turkey was a collaborative effort!

Congratulations to Laysa C. in Mrs. Steere's homeroom! She was the third Search Slip winner of the school year! Please click HERE to see Laysa, her completed Search Slip and her prize. The next winner will be announced in 2020!

The library has a new scratch art bookmark making station! I purchased enough scratch art bookmarks for each student to make and take their own. Click HERE to see one of the first creations made on Wednesday. Be sure to ask your child what they created.

The McKelvie Library has two additional images that I would like to share. One is the display case in the hallway outside of the library and the other stands tall on one of the shelves in our space. Click HERE and HERE to see these images.

Thank you so much to Worthen's Mobil in Bedford for the very generous $500.00 gift to put towards math and science purchases made through the McKelvie Library!

I also want to thank the Kaneland Family for the donation of wipes. During the winter months, I am especially diligent about wiping down the tables and keyboards in our library.

PTG News:
SKI, SKATE AND MORE THANK YOU: The Bedford PTG would like to send a BIG THANK YOU to all who helped support the PTG and the Bedford School District at our Annual Ski, Skate & More Sale.

Thank you to the Ski and Skate committee and volunteers for all their time and effort; BHS and RAL for their support and assistance; Consignors and Vendors for all the great merchandise; and our community for coming out and shopping!

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION with Superintendent Fournier: Tuesday, December 10th, 6:30pm at the SAU building (103 County Road). Join Superintendent Fournier for an informal gathering to discuss Bedford School District happenings. This event is designed to discuss topics of interest to parents, so questions/comments are encouraged.

Please click HERE to RSVP if you wish to attend.

HANNAFORD HELPS REUSEABLE BAG PROGRAM: During the month of December, PTG will receive a $1.00 donation for every Hannaford Community Bag sold at the Jenkins Road location.

AMAZON SMILE! Did you know that every time you buy on Amazon, you can support the Bedford PTG? Simply visit AmazonSmile and select “Bedford NH PTG” as the organization that you’d like to support. Now, every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Bedford PTG. Thank you for your support.

McKelvie Pics:

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Jen Asdot

12.2.19 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! This edition is short and sweet, but there are a lot of great pictures at the end.

Delayed Openings:
When there is a 2 hour delayed opening, the before school program opens at 9:30 for those students that are registered. For all other students, AM drop off begins at 10:20.

Snow Play:
Students who play in the snow are HIGHLY encouraged to wear snow pants, gloves, and boots. Kids not wearing appropriate snow gear will have a hard time for the remainder of the day if their feet and clothes are cold and wet. I also highly encourage parents to label everything.  Judging from the size of our lost and found, kids are losing more than they are finding. If items are labeled we get them back to their rightful owners more often than not.

Toys for Tots 2019:
We are hosting our annual Salvation Army Toys for Tots drive beginning Monday, December 2nd through Friday, December 13th. If you are able to provide a donation, we are accepting new, unwrapped toys/goods to benefit kids of all ages (toddlers through teens). Any questions, contact crowellm@sau25.net.

BHS Leadership Activity at MIS:
The BHS Leadership Class is offering a Leadership Fair during 5th and 6th grade recesses on December 10th. BHS kids will be playing games and doing various activities with interested students. Click HERE for more information.

Move-A-Thon:
We had our Move-A-Thon assembly on Tuesday and there were a bunch of winners! Thank you again to all of the volunteers, parents, families, and kids that made this year such a big success. We were able to raise just over $37,000. There are several pictures from the assembly at the end of this email.

McKelvie Pics:









































Have a wonderful week!

Jen Asdot

11.23.19 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

The upcoming week will be short but packed with a lot of energy and fun at McKelvie School!  Tuesday is our Move-A-Thon assembly.  This past week kids were given their Move-A-Thon raffle tickets to put in the baskets of their choice.  There were nearly 30 baskets to choose from!  All prizes will be raffled off at the assembly.  Tuesday is also twin/triplet/multiple day.  Kids can pair or group up and dress alike.  The fifth and sixth grade classes with the most participation will win a prize!

Important Dates:
November 26th: Move-A-Thon Assembly and Twin/Triplet/Multiple Day
November 27th-29th No School Thanksgiving Break
December 10th-Afternoon at the Movies-ELF
December 13th: Winter Concert
December 23rd-January 1st: Holiday Break

Safety Issue:

Traffic during parent pick-up is continuing to be problematic.  We have had parents drive the wrong way into both the County Rd. and Liberty Hill Rd. parking lots in order to go around the traffic.  Entering through the exit is very dangerous and can cause an accident.  Please enter the parking lots at the appropriate entrances when picking up students.  When possible, you can completely avoid this by using the bus!

Changing Families Group:
The guidance department is running a 6 week "Changing Families" group during the school day for students who are experiencing parental divorce or separation. The purpose of the group is to teach age-appropriate coping skills related to identified problems and stressors resulting from divorce in a non-judgmental and supportive group setting. Please contact the guidance office to sign up or for more information; Kim Galluzzo, galluzzok@sau25.net/472-3951x22216 or Priscilla McGinty, mcgintyp@sau25.net/472-3951x22226.

Yearbook Cover Contest:
Calling all budding artists! The McKelvie Yearbook Club is happy to announce its annual cover contest. One sixth grade and one fifth grade submission will be selected for the front and back covers and those winners will receive a free yearbook. All students are welcome to participate! For contest details and guidelines, visit the Yearbook Club page on the McKelvie website or click HERE. Submissions are due by Monday, December 2nd. Good luck!

Afternoon at the Movies: Student Council is showing Elf
Dec. 10th 3:30-5:15
Pickup at 5:15 sharp (A-J Main Entrance and K-Z at canopy)
Free to get in. Donations appreciated ($2.00 is great!)
$1 each for snacks and water
Must bring this completed permission slip/ticket by December 10th.

Library News:
The Rubik's cube challenge is in full swing! Click HERE to see what has been created so far. We are striving to have the turkey mosaic created before next week's holiday! This mosaic has been a challenge.

I could not resist putting this PSA into the note from the library this week. Please remember to keep your library books safe! With student permission, I captured this image of a book nibbled on by one of her adorable dogs at her house along with an image of one of the culprits. Even furry family members like a good book! To avoid book charges, please remind your child to keep books away from pets.

I want to wish all of the McKelvie community a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Enjoy the time with friends and family. ~Mrs. Cote

From the Book Fair Committee:

Our families, teachers and volunteers at McKelvie are amazing! We sold well over 600 books, smashing our 300 book goal. Thank you for supporting our Scholastic Book Fair and getting more books into the hands of our students. Check out the Yeti and what new books he is reading in the library! Stay tuned for our Spring fair… It’s a Jungle out there…read to survive!



PTG News:
GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER: Final order due date is Wednesday, December 4th. We are featuring many local area merchants, along with your favorite national businesses. Purchasing gift cards through the PTG provides support for the Bedford schools with no additional cost to you! To download an order form please CLICK HERE.

For more information about this program CLICK HERE. HAPPY SHOPPING!

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION with Superintendent Fournier: Tuesday, December 10th, 6:30pm at the SAU building (103 County Road). Join Superintendent Fournier for an informal gathering to discuss Bedford School District happenings. This event is designed to discuss topics of interest to parents, so questions/comments are encouraged.
Please click HERE to RSVP if you wish to attend.

HANNAFORD HELPS REUSEABLE BAG PROGRAM: During the month of December, PTG will receive a $1.00 donation for every Hannaford Community Bag sold at the Jenkins Road location.

AMAZON SMILE! Did you know that every time you buy on Amazon, you can support the Bedford PTG? Simply visit AmazonSmile and select “Bedford NH PTG” as the organization that you’d like to support. Now, every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Bedford PTG. Thank you for your support.

I hope everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving break!

Jen Asdot

11.17.19 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! With the really cold weather this past week, I want to remind parents that unless it falls below 20 degrees, kids are going outside for recess. Hats and jackets are highly recommended. If your child has lost their jacket it is likely in lost and found as there are about 100 jackets, sweatshirts, and other clothing items waiting to be found!

Mrs. Sevilla Prepared for Recess!

Important Dates:
November 26th: Move-A-Thon Assembly
November 27th-29th No School Thanksgiving Break
December 13th: Winter Concert

Afternoon at the Movies: 
Student Council is excited to offer a viewing of the holiday classic, Elf, on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019!

Our viewing will begin after school in the cafeteria (approximately 3:30 pm) and will end by 5:15 pm. Please make arrangements to have your child(ren) picked up by 5:15 pm at where they would normally be picked up, last names A - J front office and K - Z canopy. There is no fee for this event, but a suggested donation of $2.00 would be greatly appreciated. “Snack Shop” novelty ice cream treats and water will be available for $1 each. Students may bring money to purchase a snack or bring the snack of his or her choice. Proceeds will benefit our school through promoting Student Council activities.

In order to attend, students must bring this completed permission slip/ticket to his or her homeroom teacher by December 10th.

From the Special Education Department:

It is that time of year again where the snow days and delays will become a part of our next 4 months! Please note that if you have a special education meeting scheduled during a snow day it will be rescheduled for another date and time. Similarly, if there is a meeting scheduled during the hours of 8-11 with a delayed opening, your meeting will be rescheduled for another date and time. Thank you for your understanding!

~Lisa Horne, Special Education Facilitator

Library News:
The library was a bustling place this short week! We had classes in the library taking notes for an upcoming Westward Expansion unit. Chef Cote hosted a book tasting with the fantasy books we have here at the McKelvie Library and two classes were introduced to Flipgrid with Mrs. Cavanaugh in conjunction with Mrs. Opitz and Mrs. Cote. This social learning platform allows students to video record responses. In this case, the two 5th grade classes will be creating video responses to books they have read! Students also came to relax and read, create with origami, work on a puzzle, and begin to work on a second Rubik's Cube Challenge! It is almost turkey time! The mosaic that we are going to currently be working on is that of a turkey. Stay tuned for images.

During the week, the library acquired 62 new books from Follett (an educational product vendor) as well as several books from our generous PTG! All of these books are currently checked out or are available for circulation. These books include fiction, nonfiction, biographies, and professional titles. We also received a generous donation from our PTG Scholastic Book Fair. These titles are also circulating!

Click HERE to see one of our new decorations for Thanksgiving created by Lisa Haynes, one of our library assistants.

Have a wonderful weekend! ~Mrs. Cote

Shopping Coordinator Update:
Congratulations once again to the winning classroom for the hot chocolate party, Mrs. Mail. She also had the most scanned receipts. The school has earned $67.20 in scanned receipts this year. We are still waiting for the clipped box tops to be accepted and posted to our account. We should see that soon.

Please take 47 seconds to watch THIS video I made that will show you how easy it is to scan your receipts. All receipts scanned between 11/1/2019 and the next competition will be counted in the next contest. The next competition may be the classroom with the most scans.

PTG News:
BEDFORD PTG SKI, SKATE & MORE SALE-Saturday, November 23rd, 9-2pm at BHS:
SAVE on Winter Gear and Clothing: New and used ski equipment, snowboards, winter boots, outerwear and more will be on sale from local area merchants and consignors. More sale info HERE
SELL Your Winter Gear and Clothing: Drop off your pre-tagged items at the BHS Gymnasium on Friday, November 22, between 5PM – 8PM. If you need to print your tags on site at BHS during equipment drop off there will be a $1.00 charge per tag. More consigning info HERE
VOLUNTEER: Many volunteers are needed to make this event a success. Volunteers can pre-shop Saturday morning (wristband required) before the doors open to the public! This is a great perk to volunteering! Click HERE to get involved.
BAKE SALE: Interested in donating an item (homemade or store bought) for the Bake Sale click HERE

CARDIGAN CORNER at SKI, SKATE and MORE SALE: PTG is excited to again offer “Cardigan Corner” at the Ski, Skate and More Sale. For families whose kids have conquered Lurgio’s Mt. Cardigan experience as part of the RAL 8th grade environmental unit of study and have gear to consign, or for those looking for a good deal on quality used items for the upcoming adventure…Cardigan Corner is for you!

SKI, SKATE AND MORE SALE MERCHANTS: Joining the sale are ski merchants Rodgers Ski and Sport, Bob and Terry’s Ski & Sports Outlet, Ski & Snowboard Liquidation Center, Sport Thoma, and S&W Sports They will bring NEW and USED equipment at HUGE savings along with their expertise in fitting the right ski, board and boots to your ability. Also joining us will be BedFoRd wOOL offering handmade wool mittens and Donation*Imagination*Creation selling unique products (benches, bookshelves, coat racks, etc) made from recycled winter equipment.

GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER: Final order due date is December 6th. We are featuring many local area merchants, along with your favorite national businesses. Purchasing gift cards through the PTG provides support for the Bedford schools with no additional cost to you! To download an order form please CLICK HERE.
For more information about this program CLICK HERE. HAPPY SHOPPING!

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION with Superintendent Fournier: Tuesday, December 10th, 6:30pm at the SAU building (103 County Road). Join Superintendent Fournier for an informal gathering to discuss Bedford School District happenings. This event is designed to discuss topics of interest to parents, so questions/comments are encouraged.
Please click HERE to RSVP if you wish to attend.

AMAZON SMILE! Did you know that every time you buy on Amazon, you can support the Bedford PTG? Simply visit AmazonSmile and select “Bedford NH PTG” as the organization that you’d like to support. Now, every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Bedford PTG. Thank you for your support.

McKelvie Pics and Videos:

Click HERE to see Jack Dooley's Flip Grid on "The Hero Two Doors Down" by Sharon Robinson.

Have a terrific week!

Jen Asdot