Weekly Staff Bulletin #11

• Here is a list of the sporting events for this week
• BPS 2024-2025 District Calendar
• District Wednesday PD Calendar
• Wake Up JGMS Request Form - On Hold
• Wake Up JGMS Staff Fun Facts - On Hold
• 2024-2025 Weekly Student Bulletin Folder
• Weekly Staff and Parent Bulletin Requests
  

This Week:

11/5 (T) All Day District PD 8:30-3:00

11/6 (W) Teacher Day

11/6 (W) Nature's Classroom Trip 6th Grade - All Day

11/7 (Th) Nature's Classroom Trip 6th Grade - All Day

11/8 (F) Nature's Classroom Trip 6th Grade - All Day

Next Week (So Far):

11/11 (M) Veteran's Day - No School

11/13 (W) Department Day 1:15-3:15

1) [NEW] 11/5 PD Day

2) [NEW] 11/5 Voting and Parking

3) [NEW] Conference Room

4) [NEW] Cliff On Site

5) [UPDATE] Alternative to Wake Up JGMS

6) [UPDATE] Field Trips and Events

7) [REMINDER] Grade Posting 8) [REMINDER] Furniture Request From Facilities

9) [REMINDER] Superintendent Update Note Regarding Political Activity

10) [REMINDER] Shawsheen Field Trip and Road Show - Friday, November 15, 2024

11) [REMINDER] Music Ensemble Rehearsals

12) [REMINDER] "Buck"aneers are Back!

13) [REMINDER] Smart Watches - Clarity

1. Tuesday, November 5, 2024: No School for Students. Staff Professional Development
   

2. Wednesday, November 6, 2024 to Friday, November 8, 2024 - 6th Grade Nature's Classroom Trip

3. Friday, November 15, 2024 - 8th Grade Shawsheen Field Trip and Road Show
   

4. Wednesday, November 20, 2024 4:00-7:00pm Parent Teacher Conferences

5. Wednesday, December 18, 2024 2:15-4:15 Parent Teacher Conferences

   
   

Our first district-wide Professional Development Day of the year is fast approaching on November 5, 2024, and we have a fantastic lineup of learning opportunities and collaborative sessions planned for you. This day is designed to support your growth as educators, build upon our shared expertise, and create a space for meaningful conversations around student success. Each of these trainings is aligned with our 2024-2027 BPS Strategic Plan and based on feedback from team members. Whether you are diving into new instructional strategies or participating in workshops on key topics, I’m confident this day will be both valuable and enriching for everyone. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your building administrator, supervisor, or me.

As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline our processes, we’re excited to introduce an electronic sign-in process for tracking attendance and awarding in-service credits. Previously, we required a paper sign-in form, which was both labor-intensive and prone to errors. Moving forward, a QR code will be displayed at the sign-in location on professional development days. Each staff member can simply scan the QR code with their smartphone or device, then follow the prompts to complete the sign-in. This new system will help speed up the check-in process, reduce errors, and make issuing and logging in-service credits more efficient, contributing toward lane changes for Unit A & B members. If you encounter any issues, please feel free to reach out to the HR office. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this update!

To support you throughout the day, lunch arrangements are as follows:

• At Davis and Lane: Lunch will be a Salad Bar.

• For ESPs and counselors located at JGMS: Lunch will be provided by the SEPAC.

• For secondary staff at the high school: The BHSPA and MSPA will be providing lunch.

Please note that breakfast will not be provided.

Thank you for your continued dedication to our students and for embracing these opportunities to grow together. If you have any questions leading up to November 5, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,
Marianne Vines
Interim Director of Student Services

As you know, 11/5 is a voting day and JGMS is the town's voting site. I do my best to work with voting personnel on other elections to not affect our work day and parking. For this election, I ask that you park at BHS and walk to and from JGMS for the day. There will be quite a bit of congestion throughout the day and there is plenty of parking at BHS.

double sided copies

sub plans to main office at all times including rosters.

For those of you who do not know yet, JGMS now has an official conference room. There is a room tucked behind the bathrooms by the cafeteria and it is labeled "Conference Room." Over the last 5 years it has been used as a Covid space, classroom, our instructional coach's office, and Human Resources, and now it is outfitted to have in person meetings. If you need a space for large meetings, please reach out to Yvonne. There are some limits on booking as we do use the space for advisory however Yvonne can work with you to find an in person space if needed.

Cliff is making an effort to be on site in all schools. Although he is officially on site with Central Office attached to JGMS, he will officially have JGMS in his rotation. Cliff will be "on site" in the JGMS Conference Room on 11/25. If you would like to schedule a schedule 20 minute blocks to meet with him please use the link below.

(Cliff at JGMS)

Jon - do you mind reminding staff at your meetings, as well?

UPDATE: Every Monday morning I will update the slides to reflect the following week. If you want the slides from previous weeks to be included please enter the newest slide and comment "Keep." If you want it deleted, please simply delete it. If you do not have a preference or you forget, I will make a decision about the slide based on Thursday mornings and likely keep it for a few weeks if it is relevant week to week.

As you know, Wake Up JGMS is on hold. To ensure our students are able to receive important announcements and staff has a way to get the information to students in a weekly format, I will be sending a "Weekly Student Video Bulletin" each Thursday morning prior to advisory.

Rather than use the Wake Up JGMS Google Form, please click here for access to the 2024-2025 Weekly Student Bulletin Folder. If you would like to make an announcement, please open the most current slideshow, create a new slide, and add your announcement. This link will live at the top of the bulletin.

Recording will occur on Thursday mornings. Slides should be in place by Wednesday evenings to have your announcement included.

UPDATE: We are working hard on coverage for Nature's Classroom Please note that it is quite complex as we have multiple staff attending this trip. Please be patient as Yvonne and I work to complete the task.

As for sub plans, please bring all sub plans in a folder to the main office and include all rosters. Please use one folder for each day you will be out. In the event we use the cafeteria it's important we have all plans in one place.

Please look for an email from Nadine with some expectations for students on 11/6 in the morning.

So our educators and students will be able to plan accordingly for absences, when there is a field trip or event that involves some students in a grade missing classes to attend, please be sure to give me and teachers a heads up at least a week in advance so that the dates can be communicated and included in the bulletins. Feel free to use the Weekly Staff and Parent Bulletin Requests.

In consultation with team leaders, we have adjusted the end of term dates and interim reporting. Please note the adjusted Report Card and Interim Posting Timelines in Aspen for Faculty

Please see the gentle ask below from our custodians.

If you have items you want removed from your space, it would be helpful if you could ask/email Brian before considering moving items out to main hallways. Facilities would prefer to move items out of classrooms than have hallways be where items are stored. For example, they don't always know if a desk is in the hall for students or to be removed. They also don't want an educator to inadvertently get hurt moving things.

Please note, facilities is currently down 2 vehicles, so moves and bigger removals are on hold for the time being.

Thanks for your understanding!

I added this note after posting the bulletin last week. This is either new information or and update depending on when you opened and read the bulletin last week.

As a public school district, it is our obligation and legal responsibility to educate students about the history of the United States, current events, and the importance of civic engagement to our democracy. Our educational system is designed not to tell students what to think about issues, but rather, how to gather and examine information, think critically, engage with peers, and draw informed conclusions. We recognize that this community is composed of individuals with different life experiences, backgrounds, and viewpoints. Although all community members may not share the same views, it is imperative that we maintain a safe educational environment that fosters thoughtful academic discourse, protects the rights of those involved, and is conducive to learning. We are committed to preserving school cultures rooted in empathy and support rather than conflict and opposition.

When disputes arise regarding political activity in school, individuals often argue they have a right to free speech under the First Amendment. That Constitutional provision does not, however, give individuals the right to voice any opinion, in any setting, without any consequences. In the case of schools, we have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure speech does not impermissibly influence the political process or create a disruption that would be harmful to students or staff. Thus, in preparation for election day, I am reminding the entire community that the law prohibits campaigning and political fundraising in schools or on school grounds. Furthermore, public employees are prohibited from engaging in any political advocacy on school grounds, or during the school day, and may not use any school property or resources to campaign or raise funds for any candidate or referendum. See M.G.L. c. 268A; M.G.L. c. 55. This includes a prohibition on using school district emails, mailing lists, printers, and office supplies. It is also not permissible for teachers or other staff members to affix signs endorsing a candidate on school walls or advocate for any political candidate in class.

When engaging students in discussion about politics, which should generally be limited to classes in which such discussions are appropriate, educators typically should remain neutral about their own views, while creating a constructive forum for students to explore and discuss the issues.

Finally, verbal or symbolic speech which results in disruption, disorder, or interference with instruction or professional activities is prohibited. If you have questions or concerns about these matters, please feel free to contact superintendentoffice@bedfordps.org

SEE UPDATE IN BOLD

On Friday November 15, 2024 our 8th graders will visit Shawsheen Valley Technical High School. Our 8th grade teachers will supervise students on this visit. Our plan is to arrive back at JGMS by 12:10 for lunch. The roadshow that typically comes to JGMS will happen at Shawsheen on 11/15. Order of lunches that day will be

1st Lunch - 6th

2nd Lunch - 7th

3rd Lunch - 8th

I will work with BEA reps on how to best arrange the day to ensure we can provide prep time. After consulting with BEA reps, F and G block times will remain the same.

Concerts are what our orchestra, band, and chorus students prepare for each class and it is an important part of their growth as musicians to perform. Here is a link the concert rehearsal schedule for this year. Please note the changes in the schedule for these events starting at the end of November.

At the end of the day on Friday, you should have found a small stack of blue tickets in your mailbox. These are our school "Buck"aneer Tickets (aka Buc's). Please use these tickets to recognize a student for something positive, making sure that you complete the back of the ticket to let the student know what they did to earn the recognition. This step is super important as the ticket is not valid if the back is not completed by the teacher.

We are also piloting a Google Form system if you are unable to hand write and give the ticket to the student directly. If you would like to recognize a student after the fact, you can also complete the "Buck"aneer Student Recognition form. We will print tickets from all submissions each Wednesday to be distributed on the following school day.

Any student who has earned a "Buck"aneer (Blue Ticket) from a staff member, can partake in purchasing items at the school store. Students will receive a free pencil for their ticket and then are welcome to purchase any other items. The Buc Stop is working on replenishing its inventory and will officially open on October 7th.

The school store hours will be on: Tues/Thur :7:25-7:35am and Wed. : 12:43-12:53pm. In addition, the Buc Drop carts will be visiting classrooms during Advisory time.

Students can also accumulate tickets to use for a variety of privileges. See the attached menu for our current privileges and we are working on adding more in the weeks to come!

No matter the size of the achievement or moment, we hope that these tickets will be a small way for students to know that they are doing great things each and every day.

If you run out of tickets, please let Serena or Yvonne know and they can get you more. Thank you for your help in recognizing our students!

As many of you know, we will be expecting students to place their Smart Watches in their locker. At this time, we are not holding students accountable. We ask that you remind students that we will eventually be shifting to fully include Smart Watches with Smartphones. At the time of a reminder, students don't have to take off the watch, they should just be encouraged to remember to remove it when they go to their locker so that they can get used to it.

In an effort to eliminate unwanted or broken furniture items from our classrooms, while at the same time, potentially find excess chairs to transition classrooms off connected desks, we are asking for your feedback.

Should you have anything you'd like removed, please fill out this Google Form and we flag it to be removed this school year. Facilities will reach out with any questions. Thank you!

As you plan your year, please put absences into Frontline with as much notice as possible. We are competing with daily substitutes in the surrounding area and may be able to lock in subs if our absences are posted when you know you will be out. Serena and Yvonne are even in contact with substitutes who like to plan their weeks ahead of time. If we know of absences early enough, we can work to secure substitutes we know will represent your class well. Additionally, even if an absence is for multiple days, please only post absences as single days as this will allow more substitutes to see open jobs. Finally, all absences should be entered into Frontline by the employee.

Personal Days: The Contracts states: "Personal business days, except in the case of an emergency, should be requested in writing at least 72 hours prior to the date of the absence." Please be sure to enter your absence into Frontline when you know of the need for a personal day.

Co-Teaching Professional Days: To ensure we can manage our absences during Co-Teaching Professional days, Co-Teaching teams should check in with Jon at least 2 weeks prior to scheduling the Co-Teaching day. Jon will work with the team to find a date that is the most optimal for the operation of the building. This means generally approving in house professional development 24 to 72 hours leading up to the requested day based on the number of absences we expect.

Religious Holidays: The Contracts states: "Holidays: In addition to or in lieu of using personal days, a teacher can select to use two (2) accrued sick days with prior written notice to the Superintendent to be absent on a religious holiday. Teachers shall not be required to use a personal day first, and can use the accrued sick day before using personal days." Please be sure to enter your absence into Frontline when you know of the need for a Religious Holiday.

Personal Illness or Family Illness: Please enter the absence into Frontline before 6:00am. If you need to enter an absence after 6:00am, please enter the absence into Frontline so a substitute can see the job and email Nick, Jon, Yvonne, Serena, and Amy (if applicable) so that we can be sure to see it in our planning.

2024-2025 School Calendar: Please see the BPS 2024-2025 District Calendar

Entering an Absence After 6:00am: Please email Nick, Jon, Yvonne, and Serena so that we can be sure to see it in our planning.

Religious Holidays: Please see the School Committee notes and MGL on religious holidays here here.

Tech Support: If students or parents share that they are having technical trouble throughout the school year please direct them send an email to tech_support@bedfordps.org.