The Bedford Buccaneer

Previous Issue of the Bedford Buccaneer

📨 Please note our school office email address: bhsstudentoffice@bedfordps.org 📨

• Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22: Fall Play, Peter and the Starcatcher
• Tuesday, November 25: Homecoming Dance (Students)
• Wednesday, November 26: Community Day & Early Release (Students)
• Thursday, December 4: Teacher/Caregiver Conferences (Parents)
• December 24 - January 2: No School (Winter Break)
• Thursday, December 11: Concert (Chorus)
• Thursday, January 8: National Honor Society Induction
• Monday, January 19: No School (MLK Jr. Day)
• Friday, January 23: End Term 2
• Tuesday, March 24 & Wednesday, March 25: ELA MCAS (delayed start)
• Monday, April 6: End Term 3
• Wednesday, May 19 & Thursday, May 20: Math MCAS (delayed start)
• Thursday, May 21: Junior Prom
• Thursday, May 28: Senior Prom
• Tuesday, June 2 & Wednesday, June 3: Science MCAS (regular start)
• Tuesday, June 16: Last Day of School /End Term 4 (tentative)

The Lunch Menu can be found here.

The full Bedford High School calendar can be found here.

The Athletic Department schedules can be found here.

The Bedford Public School District calendar can be found here.

With Homecoming just around the corner, we want to remind parents and students to take a few minutes to review the 2025-26 Student Handbook, and complete a Handbook Acknowledgement Form.

Important: Students will not be permitted to attend the Homecoming Dance unless both the student and the parent have submitted their acknowledgements.

• Review the Student Handbook

• Students need to complete the Student Handbook Acknowledgement form - see below (you must be logged into the BPS network in order to access the form)

• Parents, complete the Parent Handbook Acknowledgment (you'll be able to include multiple students, so you only need to fill it out once per family)

Thank you for prompt attention to this important requirement. Completing the handbook agreement helps us ensure that all students and families understand school expectations for the year.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with Assistant Principals, Mr. Kohut or Ms. O'Grady.

The AP Exam registration and payment period has ended as of Thursday, November 13th. No additional exams may be ordered at this time.

If you or your student is no longer interested in taking an exam, cancelations are processed through the Total Registration portal. Partial refunds are available until March 2nd, 2026, after which no refunds will be made available leading up to the exams. For more information regarding the refund policy, please see the confirmation email sent by Total Registration following your completed order.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please reach out to AP Coordinator Samantha Thyne (samantha_thyne@bedfordps.org).

Friday, November 21 @ 7 pm | Saturday, November 22 @ 1 pm / 7 pm

Purchase tickets at: https://sites.google.com/bedfordps.org/bhstheater/tickets ($10/students & senior citizens; $12/adults)

“Peter and the Starcatcher” is a play by Rick Elice based on the young adult novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson that serves as a prequel to J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.” Music is by Wayne Barker. It was originally produced on Broadway by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price, Tom Smedes, and Disney Theatrical Productions. This 2004 middle grade fantasy novel follows a heroine named Molly, who is a “Starcatcher.” Molly is responsible for catching “starstuff” — magical dust that falls from

the sky — so that evil people do not get their hands on it. Along the way, Molly meets Peter, an orphan boy, and together they save the world.

This play is about two hours long with an intermission. Concessions will be sold by POMS.

“Peter and the Starcatcher” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. Licensed by Music Theatre International.

Fundraising Sub-Committee Meeting - Tuesday, November 18 | 7:00 pm | Red Heat Tavern

Full ANG Committee Meeting - Tuesday, January 6 | 7:00 pm | BHS Library

The All Night Graduation Committee is gearing up for another great event this year to celebrate the Class of 2026! Each year, the Bedford community hosts a special celebration for Bedford High School graduates on the night of their graduation. This safe, substance-free, and chaperoned event is often a highlight of high school that students remember fondly for years to come!

We will have our first full committee meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the BHS Library. New volunteers are welcome and encouraged to attend. We will also be hosting a meeting for all those interested in the Fundraising subcommittee on Tuesday, November 18th from 7:00-8:30 at Red Heat Tavern.

Fundraising is a great volunteer opportunity for anyone who is interested in helping, but especially senior parents who want to ensure that their kids get the most spectacular event possible!

RSVP for the Fundraising meeting to BedfordANG@gmail.com by November 11th so that we can reserve a table in advance.

Bedford Dollars for Scholars awards scholarships, based on the success of their annual fundraising campaigns, to graduating seniors from Bedford and Hanscom Air Force Base.

CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars has helped 3,770 students by awarding $3.7 million since their inception in 1965. In 2025, they awarded $197,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors from Bedford High School, as well as residents graduating from other high school programs. Thank you for helping them continue this tradition!

🌐MAKE A DONATION or send a check to: Bedford Scholars for Dollars, PO Box 585, Bedford, MA 01730. Please write "Fall Appeal" on the memo line.

Other upcoming events to support Bedford Dollars for Scholars are:

• Ken's NY Deli & Brick Oven Pizzeria Fundraiser - Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | 4 pm - 9 pm
• Trivia Night - February 7, 2026
• Mail-A-Thon - March & April 2026

Order Deadline: December 31, 2025

Order your yearbook online (school code:13423) or by phone 1-866-287-3096.

SIGN UPS ARE DUE BY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH AT 12:55 PM!!!

SIGN UP HERE >>> Link to Google Form

The school-wide pep rally is on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH during Community Day and Student Government members are looking for students to participate in the activities. This year, the activities in the pep rally will be...

• Hungry Hungry Hippos
• Musical Dots
• Senior & Staff Dances
• Human Tic-Tac-Toe (filler activity - will be cut if running behind on time)
• Tug-of-War
• Karaoke (filler activity - will be cut if running behind on time)

In case you missed it during Advisory, here is the video on each of the activities.

Reminders mentioned in the form...

• This sign up does not guarantee you will be participating; we will be randomly selecting students when they sign up. You will be notified via email if you are chosen by Friday 11/21.
• Pay attention to which activities require you to sign up with a partner (Hungry Hungry Hippos, Senior & Staff Dances, and Karaoke). The team activities (like Human Tic-Tac-Toe & Tug of War) will have randomly selected teams by grade level. Musical Dots is a solo activity.
• Some activities are "filler" activities. This means that if we are short on time, this activity will be cut. Please keep this in mind when signing up!
• You will only be allowed to participate in one activity, unless sign ups are low.

Please consider signing up to be part of this year's pep rally!

Order thru December 3

Orders for frozen cookie dough and other baked goods can be placed. Orders will arrive on 12/17.

Friday, November 28 | 11:00 am | The Edge, Lower Rink

Keeping the tradition alive, the Bedford Bucs Hockey team will face off against the Bedford Hockey Alumni/ Firefighters on Friday November 28th 12:00 at the Bedford Edge. This will be a fundraiser event for the Bedford Hockey Team.

Please come out and support your team and see old friends compete in the turkey shoot out. Raffle baskets from various local businesses available for donations of 1$ per ticket. 5$ at the door to get in, or 7$ and receive 3 raffle tickets. This is a great way to visit friends who have come home for the holiday along with supporting your team.

Apply by March 1, 2026

To apply for the Seal of Biliteracy, students must complete this form: Seal of Biliteracy application by March 1, 2026. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Adam Bailey, World Languages Program Director, at 📧adam_bailey@bedfordps.org or call 📞(781) 275-1700, x4522.

Monday, December 1 & Tuesday, December 2 - Individual Auditions

Thursday, December 4 - Dance Auditions

More Information can be found here.

Register for Winter / Spring sports

Saturday, November 22

Football (JV) vs. Burlington

Yearbook Orders

Order your yearbook online by going to YearbookOrderCenter.com and using the school code 13423 or call 1-866-287-3096.

Deadline: December 31

Senior Prom

Thursday, May 28, 2026 | 6:00 pm | Gibbet Hill

If there is a mental health emergency, please call: 🌐Advocates Psychiatric Emergency Services (available 24 hours) at 📞(800) 640-5432, or Massachusetts Behavioral Health Helpline (available 24 hours) at 📞833-773-2445 (call or text), or Call 📞911.

Bedford Youth & Family Services

Check out the services available to BPS students and their families.

Cartwheel

Families can now raise their hand directly for mental health support with Cartwheel – we’re here when you need us. Whether your child is struggling with anxiety, having a hard time with back-to-school transitions, or needs someone to talk to, Cartwheel is here to help.

🌐https://www.cartwheel.org/district/bedford-public-schools

Hearing/Vision Screening

10th grade students will begin having hearing and vision screenings in the health office. Parents will be notified if further evaluation by a physician is necessary. Heights and weights will also be done at this time.

Height/Weight Screening

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires the annual height and weight screening protocols to include the calculation on a Body Mass Index (BMI) and percentile for grades 1, 4, 7, and 10. Each child's height and weight will be used to calculate their BMI. The results will be kept confidential in each student's school health record.

BMI is a "weight for height for age" index that can be a useful tool in early identification of possible health risk factors among children and youth. Please feel free to call if you have any questions or concerns.

If you do not want your child to participate in any or all of these screenings, please contact school nurse, Annmarie Vaughan at Annmarie_vaughan@bedfordps.org or 781-918-4416.

Additional information about children's wellness and fitness is available at www.mass.gov/massinmotion

Please keep your student home from school if any one of the following occurs:

• Vomiting or diarrhea within 24 hours.
• Temperature of 100 degrees F or higher within the last 24 hours. Students with fevers may return to school after being fever-free for 24 hours, without fever-reducing medication.
• Positive throat culture for strep. Students may return 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun.
• Any symptoms of acute illness, such as a persistent cough, runny nose, and body aches.

Respiratory / COVID Guidelines

If Your Student Gets Sick at School, they should come to the health office to see the nurse. If your student calls a parent/guardian to be picked up and the student has not been evaluated in the health office, it will be considered a parent dismissal.

Reporting Communicable Illnesses: Please report all communicable illnesses to the attendance line or contact the health office directly at 📞781-918-4416.

Questions? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Reach out to Nurse Vaughan at: 📞781-275-1700-4416, or email 📧bhsnurse@bedfordps.org