BIDDEFORD HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Dear Biddeford High School Students, Families, and Staff,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I find myself reflecting on how much we have to be grateful for as a school community. This season is a wonderful reminder to pause, acknowledge our accomplishments, and appreciate the collective effort that makes Biddeford High School such a special place. Thank you for the dedication, resilience, and support each of you contributes every day.

We are also excited to kick off our winter sports season. Our student-athletes have been working hard, and we look forward to cheering them on as they represent our school with pride, skill, and sportsmanship. I encourage everyone to come out and support our teams—it’s a great way to stay connected and celebrate the spirit of BHS.

As we continue through the second quarter, I want to highlight the importance of regular attendance and arriving on time. Being present and punctual has a direct impact on learning, achievement, and overall school success. Further down in this newsletter, we will begin sharing information about new procedures related to tardiness that will go into effect after our winter break. These updates are designed to better support students in developing consistent routines and ensuring instructional time is maximized.

I hope you all enjoy a restful and meaningful holiday with loved ones, and I look forward to the continued growth and progress we will make together.

Warm regards,

Martha Murray

Principal

• November 25: Early Release 12:25pm Dismissal

• November 26-28: NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

• December 1-5: Mean Girls (High School Edition) Auditions

• December 10: Early Release 12:25pm Dismissal

• December 22 - January 2: NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)

• January 14: Early Release 12:25pm Dismissal

• January 14-16: Midterm/Final Exams

• January 16: End of 2nd Quarter

• January 19: NO SCHOOL (MLK Day)

The Biddeford High School Student Council has set a goal to feed 100 families in the Biddeford, Dayton, and Saco communities to make this holiday season a little brighter. Students have organized a class competition to collect the items needed to fill those boxes by November 21st. If you would like to support this effort, please contact a BHS student or staff member or drop items off at Biddeford High School directly. Grocery store gift cards or a donation to the Biddeford Education Foundation are also appreciated so students can shop for the remaining supplies needed. Donations can be made online by clicking here or checks can be made payable to the Biddeford Education Foundation (please note Thanksgiving).

The BHS students have organized items by class:

• 8th Graders - Canned Green Beans and Cranberry Sauce

• Freshmen - Canned Peas and Boxed Stuffing

• Sophomores - Canned Corn and Boxed Brownie Mix

• Juniors - Canned Carrots and Foil Turkey Roasting Pan

• Seniors - Bisquick Mix and Turkey Gravy Mix Packets

• Staff/Community - Turkeys

• The Biddeford Education Foundation (BEF) and Aid for Saco Kids (ASK) Foundation will purchase 5lb bags of potatoes for the meal baskets.

If you need a Thanksgiving meal this year, please reach out to the Resiliency Coordinator at your child’s school for more information.

Any delayed start, cancellation, or early release will be communicated as early as possible in the following manner:

• Email, phone call, and text message through our school communication system

• District Website: www.biddefordschools.me

• District Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/biddefordschooldepartment

• Mobile App Notifications: Opt-in Required (Download Biddeford Schools App)

• Apple / Android

• TV Stations: WCSH 6, WMTW 8, WGME 13 - Please sign up for alerts

Regular daily attendance and punctuality are essential to your child’s success in high school. Each day builds on the one before it, and when students are present and on time, they are better able to understand lessons, participate in class discussions, keep up with assignments, and develop meaningful connections at school. Consistent attendance also helps students develop strong habits—such as responsibility, time management, and perseverance—that are vital not only for academic achievement but also for future college and career readiness. When students arrive late or miss school, they can quickly fall behind, which may lead to added stress and gaps in learning. By encouraging punctuality and ensuring your child attends school every day, you are giving them the foundation they need to thrive both now and in the years ahead.

Unfortunately, nation-wide and at Biddeford High School, chronic tardiness and absenteeism rates are significantly higher now than they ever were before the pandemic. As a school and community, we need to reinvest in building awareness around the importance of daily attendance and commit to following school procedures to support strong punctuality and attendance. We are enlisting your help as caregivers in the following ways.

• Please review the bell schedule, and help your child get to school before 8:30am.

• Please review the Attendance Works PDF below for tips to support strong attendance.

• If/when your child is struggling with attendance or reaches chronic absenteeism, please reach out for support from our staff and/or complete our School Attendance Self-Assessment.

• Please note that we will be updating our “tardy unexcused” procedures beginning on January 5th, 2026. Similarly, starting on that same date, we will be asking parents to fill out a Google Form for any excused absences. More information to come on this.

• Please review the state law that outlines what constitutes an excused absence. Unless one of those reasons is true for your child, please make every effort to send them to school. We have ample resources here to support them.

Strong collaboration between home and school helps ensure that students maintain consistent attendance, allowing them to stay engaged and on track academically. When families and educators work together, students receive the support and encouragement they need to build positive habits that lead to long-term success. We look forward to working with you to reduce our chronic tardiness and absenteeism rates over the next few months.

Congratulations Andrew Pelletier! Andrew was selected among the students nominated for the Saco Bay Rotary Club's October Student of the Month. He was recognized at one of their morning meetings for his hard work.

All Orders Due by 11/28/25

Biddeford High School's National Honor Society (NHS) members have been busy spreading school spirit and community cheer this fall!

To read the full article, click here.

• No cell phones during class.

• Enter classroom = put cell phone in provided container.

• It stays there until the block ends (bell to bell).

• If you temporarily leave the room, it still stays in the room.

• You can leave it in your locker or leave it at home.

• This is school board policy.

High School Parking and Center of Technology Transportation:

• For Students Traveling to/from the Center of Technology: Students should plan for additional travel time due to construction delays throughout the city.

• All student parking must be in the designated lot across from the high school

• ALL parking on the school side of Maplewood Avenue is PROHIBITED

• No parking is permitted in fire lanes or pick-up/drop-off areas

• Allow extra time for walking from the parking area

Enforcement:

• Vehicles parked in prohibited areas will be towed or ticketed

• These restrictions are necessary for school safety and emergency access

• Violations create serious safety hazards for students and staff

Our school is partnering with Tooth Protectors Inc. to offer Preventative Dental Care here at school on December 2 & 3. Services are available for students WITH or WITHOUT dental insurance.

Services are FREE to those with MaineCare, self-pay fees are listed on the permission form, and other dental insurance can be billed. To participate, please print and complete the consent form (linked here) or click on the button below to complete it online.

It is very important for parents to complete the registration process in order to stay connected and informed about your child(ren)’s education. If you have not yet set up your Infinite Campus Parent Portal, or need to make any edits to your information, please do so by clicking on the link below. Step-by-step instructions are available by clicking here.

District-related text alerts are sent from the number 98900, and while families are legally allowed to opt out of receiving these messages, doing so means you will no longer receive emergency updates via text—only by email. If you’ve previously opted out and would like to start receiving text alerts again, simply text START to 98900. Please note that it can take up to 48 business hours for the change to take effect.

Every student will be assigned a school-owned device for the 2025-2026 school year, with the expectation that students and/or parents will be responsible for returning them in similar condition.

The Device Protection Plan is strongly recommended as students are allowed to take home their devices and may use the same device for several years. Device Protection Plan and cost details here.

For Problems/Issues with Devices:

Students/parents should immediately inform the school, who will contact the Technology Department.

In an effort to continue to build awareness around attendance and our procedures at Biddeford High School, we would like to remind you that any student and family that has a planned absence should be filling out out school planned absence form, having teachers sign the form and returning it to the Main Office. The form is also available in the Main Office at BHS.

Stay informed by downloading the Biddeford Schools mobile app! It will allow parents to choose Biddeford High School and receive notifications from us, access the live feed, important documents, emergency notifications, and more! Simply download the relevant app at the link below:

• Download for Android: https://bit.ly/3fu8z4q
  
• Download for iPhone: https://apple.co/2QFUBST
  

The Maine Department of Education has opened applications for the 2025‑2026 Student Cabinet. This is an opportunity for students in grades 4-12 and first-year college students to help shape educational policy and practice. The deadline to apply is Thursday, November 20th. Click here to learn more.

Elias Fletcher, Assistant Principal

Adam Flynn, Assistant Principal

Dennis Walton, Athletic & Activities Administrator

Email: mmurray@biddefordschools.me
Website: https://biddefordme.sites.thrillshare.com/o/bhs-apc
Location: 20 Maplewood Avenue, Biddeford, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 282-1596
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biddefordhighschooltigers
Twitter: @BHSTigers3