1.25.20 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

This was a short but busy week at McKelvie School! We continued this month's theme of Inclusion and Diversity in our Connections Lesson, by doing an activity that focussed on appreciating each others strengths and differences. Next week students will be creating quotes or “precepts” about kindness and inclusion to be displayed throughout our classrooms.  There are a lot of pictures from this week, at the bottom of this post!

Upcoming Events:
January 28th Geography Bee at 9:30
February 11th No School-Primary Voting Day
February 24th-28th Winter Break

Library News:
A HUGE thank you to Mary-Jo Smith and her mother, Mary Selvoski, who made slipcovers for our well-used library camp-style chairs! I am so grateful for these as I can now wash the covers as needed! Click HERE to a one of the library chairs before one of the slipcovers was put on and click HERE to see one of the new slipcovers. Mary-Jo and Mary, THANK YOU! A big thank you as well to Sonya van der Meer and the Bedford PTG for putting me in touch with Mary-Jo Smith!

I am happy to report that our school library just acquired 54 new books! As soon as they are processed, they will be available for students to borrow. Many have already been put on display or have been checked out. These new purchases include fiction novels, picture books, graphic novels, as well as nonfiction titles, including biographies. The McKelvie Library strives to get high-demand books into the students' hands.

Click HERE to see an image of students who created a structure using our Keva Planks in the library! They were very proud of their creation.

I had to share a quote made by a 5th grade student about the library. Last Friday, Jack came and said, "Mrs. Cote, you should decorate the library like a tropical island because it is like paradise in here!" This warmed my heart as I strive to create an atmosphere of "paradise" for our readers and researchers.

Have a great weekend! ~Mrs. Cote

Bedford Strings Opportunity:
Session two of the Manchester Community Music School's strings program begins in February. Click the link below for more information and to register for strings. The deadline to register is February 11th. The term runs from February 18th - June 2nd for 14 weeks.

Parents can sign up by using the online link: https://mcmusicschool.org/bedford-strings-program/

PTG News:
THANK YOU - MINDFULNESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT SEMINAR: A big thank to Terri Hamilton for teaching parents of children in Grades K-6 about the benefits of Mindfulness and simple ways to incorporate it into our daily lives.

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS: The PTG has a busy spring planned with community speakers, book fair, district art show and of course, the Color Blast Fun Run/Walk. Stay tuned for more details!

STAY CONNECTED TO THE PTG: Please visit our PTG WEBSITE and follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) to see all the exciting things happening in our schools. Thank you for your support!

McKelvie Pics:

Ms. Hayward's Science Class

Mr. Robinson's Class playing playing the Royal Game of Ur from ancient Sumer

Mrs. Mazzella's class working on Mission Control problem solving.

Mr. Facque's Class during Connections

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen Asdot

1.17.20 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

I can't believe we are already in the third quarter! Quarter 2 report cards are now available online. If you have a question about the report card, please call or email your child's teacher. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see this week's McKelvie pictures!

Upcoming Events:
January 20th-No School for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 11th-No School for the NH Primary Voting Day

Parent Drop Off/Pickup:
Please remember to be extremely cautious when picking up and dropping off students. Traffic is a bit of a nightmare, particularly at afternoon pick-up. Please pull up as far as possible on both the Liberty Hill and County Road sides, and watch out for kids. I highly encourage taking the bus.

SOUPer Bowl Food Drive:
In conjunction with this year’s “Soup”er Bowl, we will be hosting a food drive during the 2 weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. While the focus will be to collect soup cans, we will accept all non-perishables. We will be collecting donations from Tuesday, January 21 to Friday, January 31. Please brings donations to your homeroom. Thank you for helping with the SOUPer Bowl!

Bedford Strings Opportunity:
Session two of the Manchester Community Music School's strings program begins in February. Click the link below for more information and to register for strings. The deadline to register is February 11th. The term runs from February 18th - June 2nd for 14 weeks.

Parents can sign up by using the online link:  https://mcmusicschool.org/bedford-strings-program/

MIS Kitchen News:
The breakfast program will be featuring a delicious and nutritious tropical orange smoothie. It’s loaded with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant beta carotene and probiotics. This smoothie will help boost the immune system, provide some healthy gut bacteria, nourish the skin and promote good eye health. In addition to breakfast combo meals, the kitchen will be offering a homemade carrot cake 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 breakfast cart will also be featuring NEW breakfast snack packs! These snack packs include assorted flavored fruit leathers, homemade trail mix or whole grain bug bites graham crackers, and honey roasted sunflower seeds or sunbutter dipping cups.

Shopping Coordinator Update:

 PLEASE HELP YOUR SCHOOL REACH ITS GOAL! As the Box Top Program moves toward digital box tops, we need to download the app and start scanning your receipts. This month, McKelvie will get 50 bonus box tops if you shop at Market Basket when you buy 5 General Mills Box Top participating products by 2/3/20. Make sure you add the homeroom teacher’s name to the Credit for the classroom competitions. 

PTG News:

PRINCIPAL WINTER READING NIGHT - REGISTER TODAY! 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 next week, Thursday, January 23rd at the McKelvie Intermediate School cafeteria. Choose between two session times, 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., click HERE for more details. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by January 17th, by filling out this registration form.

COMMUNITY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION with Superintendent Fournier: Join us on Wednesday, January 22nd at 9:30 a.m. at the Bedford Town Library for a small round table discussion with Superintendent Fournier. We will discuss the school budget and other items on the upcoming March ballot, as well as other district happenings. Come and share your questions and feedback about our school district, we’d love to hear from you! If you are able to attend, please RSVP HERE.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - Program Research Coordinator: Help the PTG find new educational and enriching programs to bring into our schools, and relevant speakers to bring to our community. The PTG funds author visits, artists, performance groups, animal encounters and so much more. We are looking for someone to help us research new ideas and speakers. Please email BedfordNHPTG@gmail.com if you are interested in this role.

McKelvie Pics:

PE Classes


Design Engineering


Mrs. Francis and Mrs. Bernier's Class 

Mrs. Kelly's Math Class


Book Club in Mrs. Mail's Class


Learning about Martin Luther King Jr.

Poetry and Tea






I hope everyone enjoys this long and chilly weekend!
Jen Asdot

1.11.20 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

The kids survived their first full week back! This week during our Connections activity, kids worked of setting goals for the second half of the year. Next week's lesson will focus on appreciated the different strengths and weaknesses we all have. We are really seeing the benefits of our kids spending 30 minutes each Thursday, working on targeted social emotional skills that promote building relationships with one another.

This year as a district we are really focussing on stress and anxiety as it pertains to our kids. The PTG is sponsoring a workshop on Mindfulness and Stress Management on Tuesday night, January 14th at 7:00 in the McKelvie cafeteria.  The workshop is for parents of children in grades K-6, to 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.

Upcoming Events:

January 14th-Mindfulness and Stress Management Seminar at McKelvie at 7:00pm
January 20th-No School for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 11th-No School for the NH Primary Voting Day

Middle School Years:
Click HERE for this month's edition of Middle School Years, for helpful tips and information specific to this age.

Library News:
The new year brings new books to our school library! Please click HERE to see some new additions to our library. Many of these have already been checked out and are circulating among our patrons. It is so affirming when purchases do not even make it to the shelves or a display case before you hear, "Is that something I can check out?"

In addition to our new purchases, we also have a StickTogether mosaic that students have been collaboratively completing along with broken crayon art! HERE is an Adobe Spark of our before and after snowflake sticker mosaic and HERE is an example of broken crayon art based on the samples provided by Debbi Ridpath Ohi (children's book illustrator). Students are creating so many interesting mixed media illustrations based on Debbi's art examples.

I hope everyone enjoys the winter warm-up forecasted for this weekend! ~Mrs. Cote

PTG News:
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 the McKelvie Intermediate School cafeteria. Choose between two session times, 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., click HERE for more details. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by January 17th, by filling out this registration form.

COMMUNITY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION with Superintendent Fournier: Join us on Wednesday, January 22nd at 9:30 a.m. at the Bedford Town Library for a small round table discussion with Superintendent Fournier. We will discuss the school budget and other items on the upcoming March ballot, as well as other district happenings. Come and share your questions and feedback about our school district, we’d love to hear from you! If you are able to attend, please RSVP HERE.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - Program Research Coordinator: Help the PTG find new educational and enriching programs to bring into our schools, and relevant speakers to bring to our community. The PTG funds author visits, artists, performance groups, animal encounters and so much more. We are looking for someone to help us research new ideas and speakers. Please email BedfordNHPTG@gmail.com by January 10th if you are interested in this role.

McKelvie Pics:
Students learning about geography and landmarks around the world with Virtual Reality.




Students programming Spheros.




Students in music class.




Density Lab




Fun with Gus in the library!


Decorations for Principals' Winter Read Night!


Students on a Museum Walk




Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen Asdot

Q3 Intramural Sign Ups

INTRAMURALS:
It's time to sign up for Quarter 3 Intramurals. Due to a high number of students on the waitlist for Yoga and Ultimate Sports, those two intramurals will not be open for enrollment during the third quarter. Priority will be given to those students on the waitlist. We will be opening Floor Hockey and Indoor Soccer. Quarter 3 intramurals will run from January 13th - March 13th. Sign-ups will open on Wednesday, January 8th at 7:00p.m. Please direct any questions to Amy Francis (francisa@sau25.net) or Jaclyn Parolin (parolinj@sau25.net). Thank you!

Jen Asdot

1.3.20 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

Happy New Year! This was a really short week but perfect for getting kids back into the swing of school. Yesterday we spent time as a school focussing on going over classroom/school expectations during our Connections activity. Today we had an all school assembly to listen to motivational speaker David Flood. David is a father of two, whose son has autism. His message focussed on being kind, empathetic, and inclusive of one another. Students were really engaged with the assembly. Thank you to the Bedford Bobcats Special Olympics Team for sponsoring this terrific event! Click HERE to see a video of David Flood.

Upcoming Events:

January 20th-No School for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 11th-No School for the NH Primary Voting Day

Library News:
Happy 2020, McKelvie! During vacation, the 4th "Search Slip" raffle was held for the month of December! 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! December's raffle winner was from Mrs. Ramsey's homeroom. Meagan received a $5.00 gift certificate for a sweet treat. Click HERE to see Meagan.

Is it too early to think about spring and baseball? McKelvie is registered to participate in the 20 Fisher Cats Reading Challenge presented by Velcro companies! Look for the bookmark/form coming home with your child next week which promotes reading for enjoyment! 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. You can select 1 of the 6 games that your child would like to attend on this form! The forms are due to the Fisher Cats on or before Friday, March 13, 2020.

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 Mckelvie Library. Reading and baseball make a great team! ~Mrs. Cote

Shopping Coordinator Update:
We have raised $470.10 to date toward this year’s fundraiser. We are now underway with our winter competition. Download the app “Box Tops for Education” and start to scan your receipts. Be sure to give “credit” to your homeroom teacher. Each classroom should now have their collection envelopes for the students to place their box tops. The classroom with the most scans will win a hot cocoa party as well as the classroom with the most physical box tops. Good luck everyone!

MIS Kitchen News:
The breakfast program will be featuring a delicious and nutritious Triple Berry Smoothie. It’s loaded with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas and a boost of protein with vanilla Greek yogurt. Berries are naturally low in sugar and carbohydrates, but are full of beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals. They also contain health-promoting antioxidants. In addition to breakfast combo meals, the kitchen will be offering a homemade pineapple muffin with a coconut streusel topping. 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 lunch program has a couple exciting and delicious meals coming up next week that students won’t want to miss. On January 8th, locally sourced from the Gulf of Maine, a crispy potato chip crusted fish filet will be offered with homemade tartar sauce, homemade veggie slaw and oven baked crinkle fries. On January 9th, build a mac n cheese bowl with creamy homemade mac n cheese. Choose from shredded chicken or bbq pulled pork, steamed fresh broccoli, diced tomatoes, green peas or sliced jalapenos, topped with crunchy chickpeas and chives. Lastly on Friday ,January 10th, the perfect winter meal of tasty grilled cheese sandwiches and Hurricane’s Cafe nutritious tomato soup. These meals with great quality healthy ingredients are just too amazing to pass up.

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.

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!

Thank you and have a terrific weekend!
Jen Asdot