Lane Notes

January 8 - Student Council Meeting - 7:30 AM, Multipurpose Room

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

January 17 - Stuffed Animal Day

January 20 - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 30 - Green Team Meeting - 7:30 AM, Multipurpose Room

February 4 - ZERO Trash Day

February 5 - Student Council Meeting - 7:30 AM, Multipurpose Room

February 7 - Term 1 report cards available for viewing in Aspen

February 12 - Vocal Vertical Concert - 7:00 PM, Bedford High School

February 13 - Early Dismissal at 11:30 AM (NO LUNCH served)

February 14 - Pajama Day and The Trashin' Show (more info to come)

February 17 - 21 - NO SCHOOL - February break

DESE Integrated Monitoring Review of Bedford Public Schools - Week of February 3, 2025

During the week of February 3, 2025, The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct an Integrated Monitoring Review of Bedford Public Schools. For more information about this process, please click here.

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.

Toiletry Drive for the Wish Project

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 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!