Lane Notes

December 12 - Literacy Night for K-5 Parents/Caregivers - 6:00 - 7:00 PM, Davis School (see more information below)

December 18 - Lane Winter Concert (Orchestra, Band and Grade 5 Chorus) - 7:00 pm, Bedford High School

December 20 - Ugly Sweater Day and Early Dismissal at 11:30 AM (NO LUNCH served)

December 23 - January 1 - NO SCHOOL - December break

January 9 - RESCHEDULED Grade 4 Field Trip to Worcester Art Museum (Colpoys, Shu, Perrotta, Maniatis)

January 17 - Stuffed Animal Day

First and foremost, a huge thank you for the amazing outreach and support for our “Thanksgiving Support” program. I am always heartened by the generosity of our community, to support each other! We've launched “Phase two” of our Holiday Initiative Program. Please see the memo below for more information. This program is in its sixth year and like each previous year, we look forward to making smiles happen in our community during the holidays!

Second Holiday Initiative Program

As part of our continued effort to support our local school community, Lane School will be collecting gift card donations (see below) and monetary donations that will be used to provide for those who otherwise may go without during the holidays. We are asking for donations that will help provide holiday cheer for those that need it most. Our program is designed to be fully anonymous.

This year we are proud to be working with the Bedford Community Santa Program as well who will help us in collecting and purchasing gift cards!

Donations will be collected through Monday, December 16th and they can be sent directly to the Lane School Office or via Venmo.

Forms of helpful Donations:
Gift Card Ideas- Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, Amazon, Marshalls, TJ Maxx
Monetary Donations - Cash, checks (made out to Lane School) or Venmo @LaneGoodCheer

Please note "Holiday Support" in the memo line of both checks and Venmo donations

*Not knowing how much support we will get, we want to point out that any additional funds (if any) will be set aside and used for next year’s holiday support.*

If you or someone you know from our direct school community can benefit from this program, please reach out to me or one of our guidance counselors (listed below). This information will be kept confidential.

Audrey_Jackson@bedfordps.org
Francesca_Shaw@bedfordps.org
Kristen_Lerra@bedfordps.org
Samantha_Cormier@bedfordps.org

As always, please reach out to me directly with any questions. Also, if you find yourself in need, please call or email me.

Respectfully,
Kevin Smaldone
Assistant Principal - Lane School

The 5th Annual Lane Ugly Sweater Design Challenge

Now - December 20th

'Tis the season for our annual Ugly Sweater Design Challenge! This artmaking opportunity is just for fun (NOT a contest) and a chance for members of our community to celebrate the season in their own unique way. Everyone in our school community - from students to staff to family members - is invited to participate and show their seasonal cheer! Please see this flyer for information regarding how to submit and display artwork, and for details about Ugly Sweater Day at Lane School on Friday, December 20th. For questions, please reach out to Mrs. Ferrari at jennifer_ferrari@bedfordps.org

Dear Bedford Public Schools Elementary Families,

We are writing to let you know that on Friday, December 20, 2024, and Thursday, February 13, 2025, Davis and Lane Schools will have early dismissals (12:05 pm for Davis and 11:30 am for Lane). The school committee has approved these early dismissals in order to provide classroom K-5 classroom teachers extended periods of time to review upcoming units and develop consistent plans for implementation of the new CKLA literacy curriculum. The Preschool program, JGMS and BHS will run on a normal schedule on these days.

These changes have been made in our school year calendar, which you will find at SY25 District Calendar. Elementary teachers have shared how helpful additional extended collaborative time has been, and they will continue this collaborative work on the previously scheduled professional development day on March 14 to support implementation for the remainder of the year.

We understand that this change in schedule may pose an inconvenience to some families, but based on feedback from our educators, we believe that these strategically timed sessions for additional teacher collaboration will result in a stronger educational experience for our elementary readers in the second half of this first year of CKLA implementation. We have also worked with our partners at Bedford Recreation to extend programming to support families.

Thank you in advance for your support of this important effort and please don’t hesitate to contact your building principal with questions.

Best,

Cliff Chuang 莊 宏 毅

Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools

Dear Davis and Lane School Families,

As we wrap up our first semester using the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum, we wanted to take a moment to share how things are going. Our K-5 teachers have been working diligently to successfully implement this new curriculum's skills and knowledge components.

Students have been learning and strengthening their foundational reading skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, and grammar. This learning has been embedded in units grounded in the human body, ancient civilizations, Greek myths, and medieval times, to name a few units covered so far K-5. The CKLA curriculum provides a solid foundation in literacy, and our students are already beginning to show the benefits of this rich, integrated approach to reading, writing, and listening.

Adopting a new curriculum brings its share of challenges, from adjusting schedules to unwrapping new lessons and teaching strategies. However, our educators have been approaching these changes with a collaborative mindset, working in grade-level and building-based teams to problem-solve, reflect, and refine their practice.

We look forward to continuing this journey together and will keep you updated as we progress through the year. Thank you for your support as we continue to strengthen our literacy instruction and foster a love of learning for all our students.

If you would like to learn more about CKLA, we invite you to a literacy night for parents/caregivers being held at the Davis School on December 12, 2024 @ 6:00 - 7:00 pm. This night will focus on the components of CKLA, how skills and knowledge are taught, and an overview of each grade-level’s units. We hope you can join us.

Sincerely,

Rob Ackerman, Lane Principal

Jess Colby, Davis Principal

Andrea Salipante, English Language Arts Coordinator

All absences must be reported to the office. We realize that many families travel during the holidays. Please remember to call the office and let us know about your child's upcoming absences, or you may email Becky Ricci, mailto:rebecca_ricci@bedfordps.org, and Karen Lua, mailto:karen_lua@bedfordps.org

Upgrade to Reusable Cafeteria Lunch Trays

You may have seen in the Superintendent Update that our schools were gifted 1600 stainless steel cafeteria trays from Plastic Free Restaurants.org (A value of almost $15,000!). Starting in December, these will replace the single-use "styrofoam" trays & Co-Polymer plastic trays at Lane. Students have had their opinions solicited for their opinion on the trays, and were overwhelmingly in support of the change, citing: "larger size, more sturdy, not eating plastics, better for the environment, savings for the school".

The Lane impact: almost 74,000 polystyrene disposable trays annually removed from the trash, budget savings, healthier for children & environment, and over 1,500 lbs. of plastic not sent to incineration. Learn about the stainless trays and why the switch below.

We are grateful for the gift and our Food Service department's move to a reusable option!

Dear Lane School Parents/Guardians,
The Lane School Nurses will complete the following Massachusetts mandated school-based health screenings on students starting on January 2nd.
Since many pediatricians perform these same screenings at annual well visits, or if your child is already under the care of a specialist, you may opt-out of any/all school screenings for your student.

• **If you DO NOT want your child to participate in any of the planned screenings, please notify me via email, Lorene_Simoneau@bedfordps.org, by December 20th**

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* 3rd Grade: Hearing and Vision (Near, Distance, and Stereopsis)

* 4th and 5th Grades: Distance Vision Only

**Please have your children bring their glasses to school. The tests are used as a screening tool only; if a student is not able to pass the screening then your child will need to be evaluated by the appropriate health care specialist and a referral will be sent home. If you do not hear from me that means that your child passed the screenings.

*Body Mass Index (BMI) will also be done in January for 4th grade students only.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health currently mandates annual height and weight screening for grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. Each child’s height and weight will be used to calculate the BMI. BMI is a “weight to height for age” index that can be a useful tool in early identification of possible health risk factors among children and youth. Additional information about children’s wellness and fitness is available at www.mass.gov/massinmotion/.

Please feel free to contact me at the nurse’s office with any questions about the screenings.

Thank You,
Lorene Simoneau BSN,RN,NCSN
|Lane School Nurse
(781) 275-7623
Lorene_Simoneau@bedfordps.org

Lane School keeps a supply of snacks for students whose families may be experiencing financial hardship or other extenuating circumstances, and the occasional student that forgets a snack. BEST/PTO assists us with this effort and we also appreciate donations from families. Donations need to be store bought snacks, that are individually wrapped, nut-free, and be able to be stored without refrigeration. Please drop off any donations in the main office. Thank you.

Support needed for Staff Hospitality Event at Davis and Lane Schools

The BEST PTO is coordinating our December Staff Hospitality on Wednesday, December 11th at Davis and Lane Schools. Volunteers are needed for food contributions, set up and clean up. Donations made to the Appreciation Fund are also welcomed, as that helps cover the costs of additional funding for hospitality events.
Please review the sign ups below for each school.

Lane School Sign Up here (items will need to be delivered by 7:35AM)

Davis School Sign Up here (items will need to be delivered by 8:00AM)

The Wish Project Collection
BEST PTO is running a winter clothing drive to benefit The Wish Project. There is a collection box at the main entrance of Lane School for donations, through December 20th. Please see the attached flyer for a list of needed items.

BEST Volunteer Opportunities - Art and Library at Davis and Lane

Are you looking for an in-school volunteer opportunity? BEST PTO is looking for volunteers at Davis and Lane Schools to help out in the library and art rooms this year. Before volunteering with the Bedford Public Schools, all volunteers will need to complete a CORI Form that can be downloaded by clicking here.

• Davis Library Volunteers
• Davis Art Room Volunteers
• Lane Art Room Volunteers
  

Update your Membership Toolkit Information

BEST PTO uses Membership Toolkit (MTK) for our organization's communication and directory access. Please update your student(s) details with the Current Teacher's Name, so that your student(s) name appears in the class roster in the directory.

All adults (over 18 years of age) that are volunteering and/or visiting the school for programming must now fill out a CORI, SORI, and sign a confidentiality agreement. To be in full compliance with our HR Department and the State, all CORI/SORI forms MUST BE SUBMITTED in person, with a valid picture ID, ONLY by the person whose name appears on the form. Forms will not be accepted via kid mail, email, or spouse, etc. The district requires parent volunteers (chaperones on field trips, room parents, helpers in the classroom, etc.) to complete this paperwork each school year.
Please come to the office and complete these forms well ahead of needing them, so that you don’t get stuck and then are prohibited from volunteering. Forms are applicable for all 4 schools in the district, so you only need to fill out forms at one school (i.e. if you fill out forms at Davis, you do not need to fill out forms at Lane).

Bedford Education Foundation (BEF)

Happy Fall, Y'all! We hope everyone has been enjoying the start of the school year. The BEF has already started discussing plans for SY24-25, but we REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!! We have been fundraising and grant making very successfully, but our numbers have been declining. We all know how important our work is, but we need more hands to make lighter work and keep things going! Check out the info below and spread the word - there are many ways to lend a hand, and we'd love to hear from you! If you are interested or want to learn more, reach out to Jen Kelly, BEF President at president@bedfordeducation.org.

BEDFORD SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)
SEPAC is a group of parents & caregivers of children receiving special education support and/or children with disabilities. All parents & caregivers welcome! We meet for support, education, networking and resource sharing.
Email: bedfordmasepac@gmail.com
Web: bedfordmasepac.org
Facebook group: https://www.facebook. com/groups/BEDFORDMASEPAC/

Absences and Late Arrivals and Early Dismissals
Please note that ALL absences and late arrivals must be reported to the office, by 9 am on the day of. If it is a planned absence/late arrival, you can let us know ahead of time so you don’t have to remember the day of. You may call the main number, 781-275-7606, and leave a message on the Absence Line at any time of day or night (if your child will be arriving late, the message can be left on the Absence line as well). Your message should include your name and a call back number, your child’s name & teacher, and the reason for the absence or late arrival. Alternatively, you may email the information to Becky Ricci rebecca_ricci@bedfordps.org and Karen Lua karen_lua@bedfordps.org
If we do not have notification from you regarding an absence, you may receive an automated call, email, and text message from School Messenger, asking you to call the office as soon as possible.
Early Dismissals
Please also let the office and your child's teacher know about early dismissals the morning of (or earlier). You may send in a note with your child (which the teacher will send to the office) or you may email or call first thing in the morning. This way the teacher and your child can be prepared for the dismissal time, and not rush to get homework assignments and get their belongings packed up. When you arrive at the office, we will call your child's classroom and have them come to the office to meet you.

Exempt Absences
When a student is absent for medical reasons (doctor’s note required), religious observance (parent call required), court appearance (court documentation required), funeral, or suspensions from school, then that student’s absence is classified as exempt. An exempt absence does NOT count toward the allotted absences of Chapter 76, section 1 of the Massachusetts General Laws. (Please see the Lane Family Handbook for more information)

Bus Policy
Please note that it is district policy to bus Lane students to their home address or to that of a regularly scheduled caregiver. Bus transportation is not to be used for play dates or extra-curricular activities.

Dismissal Changes
At the start of the school year, all students were given a yellow Lane Transportation Plan form for caregivers to fill out and return to the school. If, on a given day, your child’s dismissal is different from what you have indicated on the yellow Lane Transportation Plan sheet you turned in, please notify the main office via:
- a note sent in with your child
- email Becky Ricci rebecca_ricci@bedfordps.org and Karen Lua karen_lua@bedfordps.org (you can also copy your child’s teacher)
OR
a phone call 781-275-7606.

If your child is attending an after school program, a music lesson, etc. after school, in addition to notifying the office, please remind your child in the morning of their dismissal plan in the afternoon. Thank you!