BIDDEFORD HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Dear Biddeford High School Staff, Students, and Families,

As we head into the holiday break, I want to take a moment to wish you all a happy, healthy, and restful holiday season. This fall has been a wonderful one at Biddeford High School, filled with hard work, growth, and many moments that reflect the strength and spirit of our school community.

The coming break is an important opportunity to slow down, spend time with loved ones, and take care of ourselves. I encourage everyone to use this time to rest, recharge, and reflect on all that has been accomplished over the past few months.

We look forward to welcoming students and staff back in the new year refreshed, reenergized, and ready to continue the important work ahead. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with our new attendance and tardy procedures as they will be up and running upon our return!

Just a reminder, students should be sitting in their classrooms and ready to learn by 8:30am.

Thank you for your ongoing support, dedication, and partnership in making Biddeford High School such a special place.

Warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Martha

Martha Murray

Principal

• 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)

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 Matthew O'Connor! Matthew was selected among the students nominated for the Saco Bay Rotary Club's October Student of the Month. This is a huge accomplishment as Matthew is a brand new student to BHS and is already making his mark and exemplifying Tiger Pride! He was recognized at one of their morning meetings for his hard work.

The Biddeford Tigers Unified Team is gearing up for another exciting season, and our BHS athletes are inviting the community to show their support through this year’s merchandise fundraiser. Proceeds from each purchase help provide essential equipment, uniforms, and team experiences that make the season meaningful for our student-athletes and partners. Orders are open through January 11 and can be picked up at Brady’s Screen Printing once ready.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 Biddeford Athletics Hall of Honor inductees! Our formal induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in the Biddeford High School Little Theater. Tiger Pride!

• 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

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.

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 Welcome Center is now fully staffed! The Biddeford, Saco and Dayton School Departments are thrilled to welcome Tara Rivera as the Director of Family Engagement. She joins Renata O'Donnell at the Biddeford Middle School after working for the Opportunity Alliance and working several years in the South Portland schools. Tara and Renata will assist families needing extra time and support in registering students to schools, screening ML eligibility, and making best interest determinations for McKinney-Vento (homeless) students. Welcome Tara!

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