Weekly Staff Bulletin #09

• Here is a list of the sporting events for this week
• BPS 2024-2025 District Calendar
• District Wednesday PD Calendar
• Wake Up JGMS Request Form
• Wake Up JGMS Staff Fun Facts

This Week:

10/23 (W) Teacher Day

Next Week (So Far):

10/30 (W) Faculty Meeting

1) [UPDATED] Save the Dates

2) [NEW] Fall Social

3) [UPDATE] Shawsheen Field Trip and Road Show - Friday, November 15, 2024

4) [REMINDER] Music Ensemble Rehearsals

5) [REMINDER] "Buck"aneers are Back!

6) [REMINDER] Smart Watches - Clarity

As a public school district, it is our obligation and legal responsibility to educate students about the history of the United States, current events, and the importance of civic engagement to our democracy. Our educational system is designed not to tell students what to think about issues, but rather, how to gather and examine information, think critically, engage with peers, and draw informed conclusions. We recognize that this community is composed of individuals with different life experiences, backgrounds, and viewpoints. Although all community members may not share the same views, it is imperative that we maintain a safe educational environment that fosters thoughtful academic discourse, protects the rights of those involved, and is conducive to learning. We are committed to preserving school cultures rooted in empathy and support rather than conflict and opposition.

When disputes arise regarding political activity in school, individuals often argue they have a right to free speech under the First Amendment. That Constitutional provision does not, however, give individuals the right to voice any opinion, in any setting, without any consequences. In the case of schools, we have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure speech does not impermissibly influence the political process or create a disruption that would be harmful to students or staff. Thus, in preparation for election day, I am reminding the entire community that the law prohibits campaigning and political fundraising in schools or on school grounds. Furthermore, public employees are prohibited from engaging in any political advocacy on school grounds, or during the school day, and may not use any school property or resources to campaign or raise funds for any candidate or referendum. See M.G.L. c. 268A; M.G.L. c. 55. This includes a prohibition on using school district emails, mailing lists, printers, and office supplies. It is also not permissible for teachers or other staff members to affix signs endorsing a candidate on school walls or advocate for any political candidate in class.

When engaging students in discussion about politics, which should generally be limited to classes in which such discussions are appropriate, educators typically should remain neutral about their own views, while creating a constructive forum for students to explore and discuss the issues.

Finally, verbal or symbolic speech which results in disruption, disorder, or interference with instruction or professional activities is prohibited. If you have questions or concerns about these matters, please feel free to contact superintendentoffice@bedfordps.org

1. (NEW) Tuesday, November 5, 2024: No School for Students. Staff Professional Development
   

2. Wednesday, November 6, 2024 to Friday, November 8, 2024 - 6th Grade Nature's Classroom Trip

3. Friday, November 15, 2024 - 8th Grade Shawsheen Field Trip and Road Show
   

4. Wednesday, November 20, 2024 4:00-7:00pm Parent Teacher Conferences

5. Wednesday, December 18, 2024 2:15-4:15 Parent Teacher Conferences

   
   

Our Fall Social was Friday and the students had a great time. Students were dancing, playing ping pong, basketball, volleyball, and football in the gym, bobbing for donuts, taking pictures in a booth, and crafting. It was a wonderful event. Thanks for Jen and Vinnie for spearheading the event and a thanks to all of our volunteers for their support of the event. From set up, to supervising the event, to breaking down the event, it took a village. I want to acknowledge the volunteers for creating this wonderful opportunity for the students.

Vinnie McGrath

Jennifer Naylor

Rahki Naik

Bonnie Klein

Sarah Kaufman

Renee Georgette

Jonathan Brome

Cliff Chuang

Nick Bacigalupi

Kim Limoli

Karen Burstein

Jen Buckley

Erin Mawhinney

Amanda Raboin

Maureen McDermott

Libbey Beinert

Liz Cowles

Katrina Wright

MSPA representatives

From set up, to supervising the event, to breaking down the event, to feeding the students, it took a village.

SEE UPDATE IN BOLD

On Friday November 15, 2024 our 8th graders will visit Shawsheen Valley Technical High School. Our 8th grade teachers will supervise students on this visit. Our plan is to arrive back at JGMS by 12:10 for lunch. The roadshow that typically comes to JGMS will happen at Shawsheen on 11/15. Order of lunches that day will be

1st Lunch - 6th

2nd Lunch - 7th

3rd Lunch - 8th

I will work with BEA reps on how to best arrange the day to ensure we can provide prep time. After consulting with BEA reps, F and G block times will remain the same.

Concerts are what our orchestra, band, and chorus students prepare for each class and it is an important part of their growth as musicians to perform. Here is a link the concert rehearsal schedule for this year. Please note the changes in the schedule for these events starting at the end of November.

At the end of the day on Friday, you should have found a small stack of blue tickets in your mailbox. These are our school "Buck"aneer Tickets (aka Buc's). Please use these tickets to recognize a student for something positive, making sure that you complete the back of the ticket to let the student know what they did to earn the recognition. This step is super important as the ticket is not valid if the back is not completed by the teacher.

We are also piloting a Google Form system if you are unable to hand write and give the ticket to the student directly. If you would like to recognize a student after the fact, you can also complete the "Buck"aneer Student Recognition form. We will print tickets from all submissions each Wednesday to be distributed on the following school day.

Any student who has earned a "Buck"aneer (Blue Ticket) from a staff member, can partake in purchasing items at the school store. Students will receive a free pencil for their ticket and then are welcome to purchase any other items. The Buc Stop is working on replenishing its inventory and will officially open on October 7th.

The school store hours will be on: Tues/Thur :7:25-7:35am and Wed. : 12:43-12:53pm. In addition, the Buc Drop carts will be visiting classrooms during Advisory time.

Students can also accumulate tickets to use for a variety of privileges. See the attached menu for our current privileges and we are working on adding more in the weeks to come!

No matter the size of the achievement or moment, we hope that these tickets will be a small way for students to know that they are doing great things each and every day.

If you run out of tickets, please let Serena or Yvonne know and they can get you more. Thank you for your help in recognizing our students!

As many of you know, we will be expecting students to place their Smart Watches in their locker. At this time, we are not holding students accountable. We ask that you remind students that we will eventually be shifting to fully include Smart Watches with Smartphones. At the time of a reminder, students don't have to take off the watch, they should just be encouraged to remember to remove it when they go to their locker so that they can get used to it.

In an effort to eliminate unwanted or broken furniture items from our classrooms, while at the same time, potentially find excess chairs to transition classrooms off connected desks, we are asking for your feedback.

Should you have anything you'd like removed, please fill out this Google Form and we flag it to be removed this school year. Facilities will reach out with any questions. Thank you!

As you plan your year, please put absences into Frontline with as much notice as possible. We are competing with daily substitutes in the surrounding area and may be able to lock in subs if our absences are posted when you know you will be out. Serena and Yvonne are even in contact with substitutes who like to plan their weeks ahead of time. If we know of absences early enough, we can work to secure substitutes we know will represent your class well. Additionally, even if an absence is for multiple days, please only post absences as single days as this will allow more substitutes to see open jobs. Finally, all absences should be entered into Frontline by the employee.

Personal Days: The Contracts states: "Personal business days, except in the case of an emergency, should be requested in writing at least 72 hours prior to the date of the absence." Please be sure to enter your absence into Frontline when you know of the need for a personal day.

Co-Teaching Professional Days: To ensure we can manage our absences during Co-Teaching Professional days, Co-Teaching teams should check in with Jon at least 2 weeks prior to scheduling the Co-Teaching day. Jon will work with the team to find a date that is the most optimal for the operation of the building. This means generally approving in house professional development 24 to 72 hours leading up to the requested day based on the number of absences we expect.

Religious Holidays: The Contracts states: "Holidays: In addition to or in lieu of using personal days, a teacher can select to use two (2) accrued sick days with prior written notice to the Superintendent to be absent on a religious holiday. Teachers shall not be required to use a personal day first, and can use the accrued sick day before using personal days." Please be sure to enter your absence into Frontline when you know of the need for a Religious Holiday.

Personal Illness or Family Illness: Please enter the absence into Frontline before 6:00am. If you need to enter an absence after 6:00am, please enter the absence into Frontline so a substitute can see the job and email Nick, Jon, Yvonne, Serena, and Amy (if applicable) so that we can be sure to see it in our planning.

2024-2025 School Calendar: Please see the BPS 2024-2025 District Calendar

Entering an Absence After 6:00am: Please email Nick, Jon, Yvonne, and Serena so that we can be sure to see it in our planning.

Religious Holidays: Please see the School Committee notes and MGL on religious holidays here here.

Tech Support: If students or parents share that they are having technical trouble throughout the school year please direct them send an email to tech_support@bedfordps.org.