BSE BULLETIN

Hi Friends,

A few weeks ago at a staff meting our Principal, Hayley Gilmore, asked a question she poses at each gathering. "Does anybody have anything special that they would like to share?" From the side of the room a hand went up. It was Eva Goldman. She said, "I'd like to thank Angela Schatz (pictured) for saving my life."

The room sat in stunned silence for several moments and then Eva began to tell her story.

She told us that while eating lunch one day she swallowed wrong and mouthful of Raman noodles became lodged in her wind pipe. The trouble was, she was alone in her room and the door was closed. Panic began to overtake her and she had no idea what to do.

Unbelievably, at this very instant the door opened and in walked Angela. Unable to speak, Eva put her hands up to her throat. Angela instantly recognized that she was choking and immediately moved to her location and asked if she needed help. Eva could only nod in agreement. Moving with muscle memory that she later said came from her experience as a lifeguard and taking yearly lifesaving classes, Angela moved behind Eva and began using the Heimlich Maneuver.

Nothing happened on the first attempt. The second failed as well. On the third try the noodles were finally dislodged from Eva's windpipe and she was once again able to breathe and her life had been saved by a colleague who just happened to be walking by.

What I found most extraordinary about this story was that the event happened toward the end of the last school year and until this meeting neither had shared the tale. This speaks to the quality of both of these individual's character. Angela, who in my mind is now a hero, never expected to be publicly acknowledged. She humbly stated that she has trained for these situations since she became a lifeguard at age 15. It also took Eva courage to process the event, revisit the experience, and speak about it to others.

I invite each of you to view the short Heimlich Maneuver video produced by Mass General Brigham's Hospital attached below. One day, your knowledge, like Angela's, may help save a life.

Seriously,

Mr. Joe

Dates to Remember

Monday, October 12, Indigenous Peoples' Day No School

Friday, October 16, School Picture Day

Wednesday, October 21, 12:30 Early Release

Monday, November 2, No School Professional Development

Click to View Before and After School Care Information

Click View the October Lunch Menu

Click to View the 2026-2027 MTRSD Calendar

Warm the Children Program

From The School Counselor's Ofice

We have just heard from the organizers of Warm the Children in Franklin County (ie, Community Action Pioneer Valley & Greenfield Recorder). We rely on school staff to help us register children for this program. Thank you in advance for your outreach efforts!

This year eligible children will receive a $75 gift card to Target to be used to purchase warm clothing for winter - hats, mittens, coats, etc.

Mary Lyon Foundation has been designated 100 slots to fill. The first 100 children to be registered via this form will receive a gift card. I will keep a waiting list and if any additional spots become available to us, children will be added in the order they were registered.

This program is for children who are between the ages of 1 and 12 on September 1, 2026. That means eligible children are born between September 2, 2013 and September 1, 2025.

Caregivers or school staff can complete this form to register children. Please complete one form per eligible child.

Unfortunately, there's not much time to spread the word about the program. Registration deadline is noon on Wednesday, October 14.

I'm including school nurses on this email too since they typically facilitate outreach with families or sign up students directly - thank you!

Please keep in mind: Warm the Children is not a program run by the Mary Lyon Foundation. We are a hub that is approved to register children for the program. We don't have any control over eligibility requirements, the number of children served, amount of gift cards, or when we receive the gift cards.