Lane Notes

September 29 - School Pictures (details below)

October 13 - NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 16 - Student Flu Vaccine Clinic 9 - 11 AM (see registration info below - deadline to register October 9)

November 4 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Development Day

November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day

Lane School Picture Day is Monday, September 29, 2025. All students and classes will have their photos taken in the morning, before lunch time. Please see the attached flyer for photo package ordering information. The pre-order option (lower price) will be available until October 2. Please contact Hayward Photography regarding questions about packages and ordering.

Hello Lane School parents/guardians/caregivers,

I hope this email finds you well and your school year is off to a good start! For those of you I haven’t met, I’m Jackie, the Public Health Nurse for the town.

The Health Department will be offering a flu vaccine clinic to Lane School students on Thursday, October 16th during the school day in the multipurpose room. The clinic will offer both the traditional flu vaccine and the intranasal flu vaccine (FluMist). Attached to this email you will find the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) for both vaccines.

It is required that you register your student in advance of the clinic. Please note that there are limited spaces available and registration will close on October 7th.

We do collect insurance. If you are uninsured and experiencing hardship, please feel free to contact me to see if we can make accommodations.

To register for the Lane School flu vaccine clinic, click this link: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/bedford?calendar=bfbd812d-bbcb-4de9-8377-6c304ffe83e3&site=lane-school. Please note that you will have to choose an appointment time as part of the registration process – this is a default in the system. Please choose any time available – students will be called down based on teacher, not based on appointment time.

If you are unable to make this clinic, Bedford Health Department’s Town-Wide Clinic will be offering traditional and intranasal flu vaccine to those 3 years of age and older. The registration link will be posted shortly to the Health Department’s Flu Vaccine Clinic Information – Community page.

Please email me with any questions at jbarmashi@bedfordma.gov or call the Health Department at 781-275-6507.

Sincerely,

Jackie Barmashi, BS, BSN, RN

Public Health Nurse

Town of Bedford

12 Mudge Way

Bedford, MA 01730

phone: 781-275-6507

fax: 781-687-6157

Health Department Hours

Monday: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm

Tues: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Weds: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Thurs: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Fri: Closed

Meals at School

All students are entitled to one free lunch and one free breakfast. If a student wants to purchase more food at lunch time, they can do so with their MySchoolBucks account:

• A second entree can be purchased for $2.50 or an entire full meal for $4.75.
• Milk comes with lunch. If a student wants just milk, they will need to purchase it for $0.75 cents.
• Snacks are available for purchase starting this week (and starting October 1 for Grade 3). Snacks are $1.25 - they can pay with MySchoolBucks funds or they can also bring in cash.

Free & Reduced Meals Application

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Children need healthy meals to learn. Bedford Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day at no cost to all students. We receive funding for this through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Lunch and breakfast at no cost for our students is now permanent. We need your help to keep providing free meals to all students in future years.

Completing the meal benefit application can:

 help sustain free meals for our school(s) by increasing access to Federal funding

 drive funding for educational programs in our community

 help provide free summer meals to all kids, and free meals to kids in childcare in our community.

Families who qualify for free or reduced-price meals for their children can also be qualified for Sun Bucks (formerly Summer EBT) starting in the summer of 2026. Sun Bucks provides extra money for groceries during the summer months when kids aren’t in school. Your participation can help your family and your community. The information you provide is confidential. We follow strict federal rules to keep your information private. If you are not receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and have been approved for free or reduced-price school meals, you may be eligible for SNAP which provides monthly financial assistance to purchase groceries to Massachusetts residents who qualify. Find out if you are eligible for SNAP today by calling Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 and a counselor can help you apply over the phone. You can also apply on your own online at DTA Connect: https://dtaconnect.eohhs.mass.gov/apply

Please see the attached letter, instructions, and application form for more information. Any questions should be directed to Bedford Public School Nutrition Department at 781-275-7588

Printed copies of these forms are available in the Lane School Office.

All adults (over 18 years of age) that are volunteering and/or visiting the school for programming must have a valid CORI, SORI, and signed confidentiality agreement on file before volunteering/visiting.

Starting 9/20/24, the district adopted a 3-year expiration for the CORI/SORI. If your last CORI/SORI was processed on 9/20/24 or after, it is valid for 3 years. If you submitted your most recent CORI/SORI before that date, you will need to fill out new forms this school year, and they will be valid for 3 years. You may call the Lane Office or email us to check if you have a valid CORI/SORI on file.

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.

Please plan ahead and allow at least 1 week for processing, so that you don’t get stuck and 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).

Are you interested in playing a leadership role at Davis or Lane Elementary?
The BEST PTO would like to announce the following openings:

• TWO parent/guardian openings on the Davis School Advisory Council
• ONE community member opening on the Lane School Advisory Council
• ONE parent/guardian opening on the Lane School Advisory Council

If you are interested in applying for any of these positions, please complete the form below. All applicants will need to provide a short bio and response as to why they are interested in this opportunity.

Applications must be submitted no later than Friday, September 26th.

The Advisory Council at each school (Davis Elementary & Lane Elementary) is composed of the school principal, two teachers, three parents, and up to two community representatives.

These Site-Based Councils were created under the Education Reform Act of 1993 to decentralize decision-making and strengthen school communities.

The role of the Site Council is to advise the principal on school-related matters. All members, other than the principals, are elected for two-year terms. The council meets once a month during business hours via Zoom. Community representatives must live in Bedford and cannot be a parent or a guardian of a child in the school.

This is a great opportunity to learn about our elementary schools, contribute to the Bedford elementary school community, and work with the school administration.

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEG3WIxLU9heHCVf00t4U_SWaC3XrEAUabADkxUvmYkWGbKg/viewform

Membership Toolkit

In order to help families stay connected, BEST PTO uses Membership Toolkit (MTK) for all communication and access to our school directory.

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.

How to update your info in MTK:

1. Log in: www.bestpto.org.
2. First Time User: Create an account using your email.
3. Returning User: Log in with your existing credentials.
4. After logging in, you will be prompted to update your family contact information and student’s information. Please click “Update Personal Info”. ***If you do not see this prompt, you can click on "My Account" where you will be redirected to your family's account page.
5. Verify and update your family contact information and click on "Next Step".
6. Confirm active student(s) details and select their current teacher(s) name from the drop-down box.
7. Set your Directory Publish Preferences under Step 2 - This is where you can designate what information want and don't want published in the directory.
8. Click “Save” to finish.

If you encounter any issues with logging in or updating your family information, please email best.pto.bedford@gmail.com

Calling all Room Parents!

We’re looking for this year's awesome Room Parents to help support our teacher and class! Room Parents are an essential part of the BEST PTO, supporting teachers, and linking the school community.

If you’re interested in becoming a Room Parent, sign up using the links below:

BEST PTO: Lane Room Parent Sign-Up 2025–2026 School Year

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll hear from our Room Parent Coordinator, Aditi Sharma, in the next couple of weeks with everything you need to get started.

If you have questions, reach out to roomparent@bestpto.org.

Helps us Clear the List for Davis & Lane Teachers

Teachers at Davis and Lane Schools are getting ready for the 2025–2026 school year and they need our help!

BEST PTO is relaunching its Clear the List event to make sure every classroom is stocked with the supplies our amazing educators deserve.

Teachers have shared their classroom wish lists, and anyone can contribute—whether it’s your child’s teacher or not!

Wish lists will be shared in our newsletter throughout September, and posted on our Facebook page. New submissions are coming in daily, so keep checking back!

Wish Lists can be found here.

Book Drive at The Residence at Bedford

We’re excited to share that BEST PTO and The Residence at Bedford are partnering to host a book drive in support of Davis and Lane Schools. With the new CKLA curriculum in place, this initiative is focused on expanding classroom libraries with high-quality books that spark curiosity, foster the love of reading and strengthen students’ comprehension skills.
We’d greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word through the school newsletter.

How families can support:
Donate books via our curated Amazon Wish Lists
Davis School Wish list
Lane School Wish List

Ship or drop off donations to:
240 South Road
Bedford, MA 01730
Donations accepted through September 30, 2025

For more details, here's a link to the recent Bedford Citizen article.

BEST PTO Volunteer Opportunities

We have so many exciting events and opportunities coming up this year, and we’d love your help! Whether you have a little time or a lot, there’s a place for you to get involved and make a difference in our school community.

Fill out our Volunteer Interest Google Form

Thank you for helping us make this a great year for our students, families, and staff!

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
Facebook group: https://www.facebook. com/groups/BEDFORDMASEPAC/

Cell Phones and Smart Watches

If a student brings a cell phone or smart watch to school, it should stay in their backpack during the day. Of course, we understand that some students may need their devices for medical reasons, and we're always happy to work with families to make the right accommodations.

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.

*On the first day of school, your child will bring home a Lane Transportation Plan form. Please complete this and return it to school the next day. Thank you!

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 form you turned in, please notify the main office via:
- a note sent in with your child
- email Becky Ricci rebecca_ricci@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!

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 can 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
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 your 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)