October 17 - Student Vaccine Clinic (pre-registration was required and is now closed)

November 5 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Development

November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans' Day

November 27 - Early Dismissal at 11:30 AM (no lunch served)

November 28-29 - NO SCHOOL

December 23 - January 1 - NO SCHOOL - December break

The number of sweatshirts in our Lost & Found has far exceeded the number of hangers and hanging space we have. Cool mornings and warmer recess times means a lot of outer clothing is shed while playing and then forgotten. Please remind your child to check the Lost & Found or come by and check it yourself. Thank you!

A message from the Bedford Public School District

Dear Bedford Community,

As we do each October, we are asking for parent/guardian cooperation in filling out a survey form to meet the requirements of Public Law 874. Under the provisions of Public Law 874, Bedford Public Schools must conduct an annual Military Impact Aid Survey.

The Town of Bedford receives a substantial sum of money under this provision, which lowers the cost of education to the taxpayers. Please help us identify all federally connected students whose families are Active Duty Military, live on Hanscom AFB, work on federal facilities (including Hanscom AFB, Bedford VA, Boston VA, Lincoln Public School on HAFB, Lincoln Labs, Mitre) or are Active Duty Military!

Our yearly survey is fully electronic with e-signature.

Parents/Guardians were emailed a unique survey for each enrolled child. It is very important that all surveys are completed and electronically signed for each student, as reimbursement is made for all eligible students on a per pupil basis.

We thank you very much for your assistance with this important annual survey.

Sincerely,

Cliff Chuang 莊 宏 毅

Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools

Lane Families:

As we begin the new school year please remember to keep your children home if they are sick and symptomatic. If they have a fever, they need to remain home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication per BPS policy. A mask is advised for the first 5 days post Covid.

We are asking for your help to be extra diligent in following our illness guidelines throughout the school year. You can help out by alerting the absence line and the school nurse directly if your child is ever diagnosed with any specific communicable diseases during the school year to include Strep, Flu, RSV, Covid etc.

Please review our illness policy and CDC guidance at the links below. COVID kits are available from your school nurses and the board of health office.

Lorene Simoneau, BSN, RN, NCSN

lorene_simoneau@bedfordps.org

https://www.bedfordps.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif2786/f/uploads/illness_guidelines.pdf

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.

We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we work with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Bedford Police to manage traffic flow in and out of Lane School. As construction progresses along Sweetwater Ave over the next month, adjustments may be necessary. For now, parents should continue to line up on Hayden Lane unless directed otherwise by the police.

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).

BEST PTO Annual Meeting
Wednesday, October 16th, 7:00PM
In Person at Energy Plus in Bedford or via Zoom
All parents and guardians of students and Davis and Lane elementary schools are invited to attend the BEST PTO's Annual Meeting. If joining in person, feel free to come by 6:30PM to order some food. If joining via zoom, please see information below:

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81062732876?pwd=oK1bb6XSoMn0jA4pqfnmzs4GabGOYW.1

Meeting ID: 810 6273 2876

Passcode: 678164

Support needed for Staff Hospitality Event at Davis and Lane Schools

Tuesday, October 22nd

The BEST PTO is coordinating our first Teacher Hospitality event of the school year on Tuesday, October 22nd. Please review the sign ups below for each school.

• Lane School items will need to be delivered by 7:45AM - Sign up here
• Davis School items will need to be delivered by 8:15AM - Sign up here

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.

Bedford Education Foundation (BEF)

Happy Fall, Y'all! We hope everyone has been enjoying the start of the school year. The BEF has already started discussing plans for SY24-25, but we REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!! We have been fundraising and grant making very successfully, but our numbers have been declining. We all know how important our work is, but we need more hands to make lighter work and keep things going! Check out the info below and spread the word - there are many ways to lend a hand, and we'd love to hear from you! If you are interested or want to learn more, reach out to Jen Kelly, BEF President at president@bedfordeducation.org.

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!