11.22.2020 Principal Notes

 Dear McKelvie Families~

This next week is a short one!  I hope everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving Break!

Parent Resources:

K-8 Hybrid Calendar                     Daily Health Screening 
MIS Hybrid Parent Guide            Bedford Reopening Plan 
MIS Remote Parent Guide           Bedford Metrics Website

School Schedule-November 23rd-24th:
A-K at MIS on Monday
L-Z at MIS on Tuesday

Important Dates:

November 23rd-Picture Retake Day
November 25th-27th No School-Thanksgiving Break

From the Health Office:

Please notify the school nurse of any upcoming travel plans outside of New England to determine dates of quarantine and confirm a return to school date.  HERE is additional information. 

Reminder of Picture Retake Day:

Picture Retake Day will be Monday, November 23rd. Remote and Distance Learning students will have their pictures taken between noon and 2:45.  Pictures will be taken at McKelvie in Room 17.   A parent/guardian may walk their child to the Main Office (Fully Remote and Distance Learning students) and students will then proceed down to room 17.  In-person students (A-K) will have their pictures taken during the school day.  Please see THIS FLYER from Geskus, with instructions on how you can pre-order student photos if your child did not have pictures taken earlier or if you need a retake.

Library News:

Click HERE to read the McKelvie Library News blog for the week. Stay well and safe! ~Mrs. Cote

Chop Chop:

Looking for something fun do do over Thanksgiving break?  Check out Chop Chop Kids, a fun online program for kids to learn about nutrition and cooking!

A Shift in Contact Tracing:

NH DHHS has informed us that they are no longer able to do contact tracing for positive COVID cases that originate outside of school.  It is now up to schools to assist with the tracing and set the return date for students in these cases.  As such, we are relying heavily on parents/guardians reporting positive cases of family members or others with whom their child has had close contact to our school nurses.  We greatly appreciate you working with us to keep our schools a safe place to teach and learn.

Governor's Mask Order:

Yesterday, the Governor issued a mask order for NH.  Click HERE to see that order.  While K-12 schools are considered exempt from that order, the Bedford School District will be adhering to it in the areas where we had not been before.  The rationale behind this decision is two-fold.  1.  An added layer of mitigation is prudent given the rising cases of Covid and transmission rates around us.  2.  This additional measure supports our ongoing effort to keep our schools open.  Thank you for your support during these challenging times.  

Hybrid through the Holidays:

The Bedford School District will remain in our hybrid model of education through the holiday season.  Our layered approach to mitigate Covid has proven successful since the start of school.  While we have seen many individual cases throughout the district, we have not experienced transmission, clusters or outbreaks.  Bedford would consider a move to fully remote learning under 3 conditions:

1.  Governor's Order

2.  Transmission in a school or schools that we are unable to contain

3  Lack of staffing to keep a school open

Holiday Travel:

The CDC  recently recommended that families DO NOT TRAVEL for Thanksgiving.  Please keep in mind that individual decisions made by all members of our community can have a direct impact on one another.  The Bedford School District humbly asks that each of us do our part to stay safe, flatten the curve, and maintain open schools.

PTG News:
HANNAFORD COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM: During November, the PTG will receive a $1.00 donation for each purchase of the Community Reusable Bag (cost of bag is $2.50) at the Hannaford store located on KILTON ROAD.

AMAZON SMILE: Make a purchase on Amazon and support the PTG! Visit AmazonSmile, and select "Bedford NH PTG" as the organization that you wish to support or simply go to Bedford PTG's unique link HERE. Bookmark this unique link as only purchases made at smile.amazon.com are eligible for donations. Now every time you shop at Amazon a percentage of your purchase price is donated to the Bedford PTG!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE PTG: We wish you a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! We are thankful for the amazing support we receive from families, staff and the community.

Have a great week!

Jen Asdot

11.15.2020 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.  Scroll to the end to see pictures from last week!

Parent Resources:

K-8 Hybrid Calendar                     Daily Health Screening 
MIS Hybrid Parent Guide            Bedford Reopening Plan 
MIS Remote Parent Guide           Bedford Metrics Website

School Schedule-November 16th to November 20th:
A-K at MIS on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
L-Z at MIS on Tuesday, Thursday

Important Dates:

November 23rd-Picture Retake Day
November 25th-27th No School-Thanksgiving Break

Library News:

Click HERE to read the McKelvie Library News blog for the week. To all of the Veterans or active Servicepeople, thank you for your loyalty and dedication in protecting our country and its people. 

Reminder of Picture Retake Day:

Picture Retake Day will be Monday, November 23rd. Remote and Distance Learning students will have their pictures taken between noon and 2:45.  Pictures will be taken at McKelvie in Room 17.   A parent/guardian may walk their child to the Main Office (Fully Remote and Distance Learning students) and students will then proceed down to room 17.  In-person students (A-K) will have their pictures taken during the school day.  Please see THIS FLYER from Geskus, with instructions on how you can pre-order student photos if your child did not have pictures taken earlier or if you need a retake.

PTG News:

GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER: ONE order only this year (order due date is November 20th). Get a head start on holiday shopping! 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!

For more information about this program on the PTG’s website click HERE.

For Hybrid Student Families: To download an order form and memo with program information, please click HERE.

For Remote Student Families: To download an order form and memo with program information, please click HERE.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

HANNAFORD COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM: For the month of November, the PTG will receive a donation of $1 for each purchase of the Community Reusable Bag (cost of bag is $2.50) at the Hannaford store located on KILTON ROAD.

AMAZON SMILE: Did you know that every time you make a purchase on Amazon you can support the PTG? Visit AmazonSmile, and select "Bedford NH PTG" as the organization that you wish to support or simply go to Bedford PTG's unique link  HERE. We recommend that you bookmark this unique link as only purchases made at smile.amazon.com are eligible for donations. Now every time you shop at Amazon a percentage of your purchase price is donated to the Bedford PTG!

McKelvie Pics:

New Bulletin Board!

5th Grade, Painting Keith Haring Clay Figures 

Investigative question: How does the amount of force change when the

mass increases? This is comparing shooting a 6 pound basketball versus

a 1 pound basketball.

Science lab: What happens to acceleration when the force is the same

but mass changes?

Have a super week!

Jen Asdot

11.08.2020 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

What a beautiful stretch of weather we are having!  Report cards are available online.  If you are having trouble viewing your child's report card, give the main office a call.  There are a lot of pictures from this week, so be sure and scroll to the end!

Parent Resources:

K-8 Hybrid Calendar                     Daily Health Screening 
MIS Hybrid Parent Guide            Bedford Reopening Plan 
MIS Remote Parent Guide           Bedford Metrics Website

School Schedule-November 9th to November 13th:
A-K at MIS on Monday
L-Z at MIS on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

Important Dates:
November 11th-No School-Veteran's Day

November 23rd-Picture Retake Day
November 25th-27th No School-Thanksgiving Break

Picture Retake Day:
Picture Retake Day will be Monday, November 23rd. Remote and Distance Learning students will have their pictures taken between noon and 2:45.  Pictures will be taken at McKelvie in Room 17.   A parent/guardian may walk their child to the Main Office (Fully Remote and Distance Learning students) and students will then proceed down to room 17.  In-person students (A-K) will have their pictures taken during the school day.  Please see THIS FLYER from Geskus, with instructions on how you can pre-order student photos if your child did not have pictures taken earlier or if you need a retake.

If your student is Fully Remote or on a Distance Learning day and cannot come to McKelvie on November 23rd, Geskus is also offering an OPEN RETAKE DAY.  The date will be November 14, 2020 at several locations throughout our school communities from 9am-3pm by appointment only.  Please see THIS FLYER for details.

The facilities do have strict COVID-19 guidelines for safety of all; to reduce the risk of contact between individuals. If gatherings are too large, we will unfortunately be forced to end this event.  Please adhere to these rules:

• Please remain in your vehicle until your scheduled appointment time.

• Only one person allowed in building with student.

• If you are not present at your scheduled time, we will not be able to accommodate your appointment.

Library News:

Click HERE to read the McKelvie Library News blog for the week.  I hope you all enjoy the warm fall temperatures expected this weekend! ~Mrs. Cote

PTG News:
GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER: ONE order only this year (order due date is November 20th). Get a head start on holiday shopping! 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!

For more information about this program on the PTG’s website click HERE.

For Hybrid Student Families: To download an order form and memo with program information, please click HERE.

For Remote Student Families: To download an order form and memo with program information, please click HERE.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

HANNAFORD COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM: For the month of November, the PTG will receive a donation of $1 for each purchase of the Community Reusable Bag (cost of bag is $2.50) at the Hannaford store located on KILTON ROAD.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT 9/11 MINI-GRANTS PROGRAM: The Bedford PTG is the proud recipient of the Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grants Program funded by Harvard Pilgrim. This $500 grant was awarded due to the generous nomination of a Bedford family.

McKelvie Pics:

Grade 6 Students building shelters as a part of the early man social studies unit.

Grade 5 students playing Bocce in PE class.

Grade 6 Students working on math problems in one of our outdoor spaces!

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day!

Jen Asdot

11.01.2020 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

I hope everyone is enjoying this chilly weekend!  It's hard to believe we have finished Quarter 1 and that it's already November!  Teachers will be sending out information about virtual parent-teacher conferences this week, if they have not already done so.  Online report cards will be available on Friday.  Please scroll to the bottom to see some fun pictures from this week!

Parent Resources:

K-8 Hybrid Calendar                     Daily Health Screening 
MIS Hybrid Parent Guide            Bedford Reopening Plan 
MIS Remote Parent Guide           Bedford Metrics Website

School Schedule-November 2nd to November 5th:
A-K at MIS on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
L-Z at MIS on Thursday

Important Dates:
November 3rd-No School-Election Day
November 11th-No School-Veteran's Day
November 25th-27th No School-Thanksgiving Break

Contact Tracing through NH DHHS:
It has been the district’s experience lately that NH DHHS is very delayed in contacting families with contact tracing information, and as a result, it’s possible that students come to school without knowing they have been in close contact with a COVID positive person (and should be quarantining). Please know that if your child has been contact traced as a result of contact within school, you will be called by the school (most likely, Ruthanne Stefekos, our nurse) rather than wait for DHHS. However, if the contact happens outside of school, we will not know about it. My ask is that if your child tests positive, you contact the parents/guardians of any child who has been contact traced as a result of outside of school activities, so that the child can quarantine and/or get tested in a timely fashion. Hopefully, things will slow down soon at DHHS. Thank you!

Library News:
Wow! The weather has certainly turned. This is a perfect time of year to snuggle up with a great read! Click HERE to read the McKelvie Library News blog for the week.  I hope you enjoy more treats than tricks this weekend! ~Mrs. Cote

PTG News:

UPCOMING: ANNUAL PTG GIFT CARD PROGRAM: Ready to get a head start on holiday shopping? For every gift card you buy through PTG’s Gift Card program, a percentage of the purchase price will be donated to our schools! We are featuring local area merchants, along with your favorite national businesses. Ordering details coming soon. 

**NEW THIS YEAR: ONE ORDER ONLY! ORDERS DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH**

UPCOMING: HANNAFORD COMMUNITY BAG PROGRAM:For the month of November, Bedford PTG will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable Community Bag at the Hannaford store located on KILTON ROAD

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH SUPERINTENDENT FOURNIER: Thank you to everyone who attended Community Conversation on October 29th. A special thank you to Superintendent Fournier for taking the time to listen and discuss the community's questions and concerns.

NATIONAL PRINCIPALS' MONTH: October is "National Principals' Month" and we think we have some of the best here in Bedford! A huge thank you to all our Principals and Assistant Principals who work tirelessly for our students and staff! We are forever grateful for your leadership and dedication to our schools.

McKelvie Pics:

Enjoy the rest of this weekend and have a terrific week!

Jen Asdot