BUCCANEER NEWS Vol. #01 8/26/2024

• Here is a list of the sporting events for this week
• Coming Soon - Looking Ahead/Save the Date Calendar Items

This Week:

8/28 (W) First Day for Staff

8/29 (TH) Second Day for Staff

8/30 (F) No School

Next Week (So Far):

9/2 (M) No School - Labor Day

9/3 (TU) 7:30-2:16pm First Day of School for Students

1) [NEW] Opening Remarks

2) [NEW] Student Drop Off and Pick Up

3) [NEW] First Day of School, Schedule Distribution, and School Hours

4) [NEW] Dropping Off Items For Your Child

5) [NEW] JGMS Attendance Policy and Reporting Attendance

6) [NEW] Confirming Team Assignments, Course Requests, Supply List

7) [NEW] Lockers

8) [NEW] 2024 - 2025 Bus Routes, Policies, and Information

9) [NEW] Lunch and Personal Identification Number (PIN):

As we embark on this new school year at JGMS I want to share how excited I am to welcome everyone back to school. Although the quiet is a welcome change in June, come August it starts to feel a bit lonely. Schools are at their best when they are full and it won't be long before the halls are buzzing with students and staff.

A major part of the work this summer was creating teams that are well-balanced with groups of children who can work together, educationally and socially. Creating balanced teams is no easy task. It requires a considerable amount of time, energy, and thought by many staff members who enter and/or consider thousands of data points. In meetings spread out over months and the information collected in the parent input forms, many factors were considered. We kept our promise to maintain parent input as a central part of the placement process because it is our combined thinking that ultimately results in teams that benefit all students. We are excited to introduce your child to their team of educators.

Another major part of the work this summer is operationalizing our JGMS schedule. Our schedule provides opportunities for students to take math, science, English, Social Studies, and World Language every day. In addition, there is more opportunity for students to take Arts/Wellness classes. Most importantly, our students are fully scheduled and in front of teachers who will provide a well rounded education in Team classes, World Language classes, as well as a variety of required and exploratory Arts/Wellness classes.

I want to send a big thank you my colleagues Assistant Principal, Mr. Bacigalupi, Special Education Program Administrator, Andrea Edmunds, Administrative Assistant, Yvonne Cormier, Administrative Assistant, Serena Danielson who worked tirelessly with me to set up an experience that is right for your child. I also want to give a big thank you to my staff of educators who will provide an experience that is right for your child. I also want to thank all of the caretakers who have given us time to do the important work of setting up for a new school year.

The Family Bulletin will serve as my primary communication tool with families around school related information. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. My office is always open to you.

Please be aware and follow the drop off and pick up routines designed to provide a safe environment for entry and exit of students.

DROP OFF: Please see the drop off routines below

Students who:

• walk/bike to school may enter in the front by the School Administration wing or the parking lot door

• ride the bus to school should enter in the front by the School Administration wing

• ride in a car to school should enter in the back parking lot. Caretakers should follow the traffic pattern laid out below in the morning

PICK UP: Please see the pick up routines below

Student who:

• walk/bike from school may exit any door that is most convenient.

• ride the bus from school may exit may exit any door that is most convenient. These students will walk to Bedford High School to pick up the bus. Dismissal at JGMS is at 2:16 and the dismissal at BHS is at 2:24. Busses will depart from Bedford High School at 2:28.

• ride in a car from school should exit the school by the parking lot. Caretakers should follow the traffic pattern laid out below in the afternoon.

The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, September 3, 2024 with our typical dismissal at 2:16pm. So we can maximize the time we need to ensure schedules are accurate and we have time to make adjustments, we will provide hard copies of student schedules on the first day of school.

We will send another communication this week with your child's Advisory Class. This will be the room that students will report to on the first day of school. The students will spend the morning in their Advisory and also attend an orientation in the auditorium with our assistant principal, Mr. Bacigalupi and me. Once students are in their Advisory on the first day of school, the teachers will support them in navigating their locker, their schedule, and their day in general.

Students may enter the building every day starting at 7:10am. School leaders and other staff members will be assisting students starting at 7:10am. Students should plan on entering the building no later than 7:30am.

-Grade 6 students will report to the Auditorium upon arrival. They will be met in the auditorium by their team of teachers and escorted to their advisory classroom after a short introduction to the school.

-Grade 7 & 8 students will report to the Cafeteria upon arrival and be dismissed to their advisory class at 7:30am.

Hours for school are:

7:40am - 2:16pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

7:40am - 12:43pm Wednesday

Just like the first day of school, students may enter the building every day starting at 7:10am. School leaders and other staff members will be assisting students starting at 7:10am. Students should plan on entering the building no later than 7:30am so they can be punctual to their first period class.

Ms. Cormier and Ms. Danielson are happy to ensure your child has what they need to be successful each day. In order to support their efforts we ask you use our cubby system for all items that are not electronic.

When you enter the main door at JGMS you will see a large wooden cubby where we ask families to leave student belongings. Chromebooks or other electronics have their own process however the process begins at the cubby. There are forms that parents can fill out along with instructions. Below are pictures so you will know what to expect.

You will see we ask parents to email their child that an item has been dropped off. Our priority is that our students get what they need in a timely manner and the process is efficient. To ensure the system works as planned, we will teach the students about this system, we will periodically check the cubby for items that need to be picked up, and also ask that you remind your child to check their email periodically during the day (especially if they know you may drop off their item) and check the cubby on their way to lunch.

Attendance Policy: Getting to school on time each day is a way for your child to show they are responsible. We will be working with your child and reminding them to give themselves enough time to get ready and to get to school on time. It is important that students are making a strong effort to come to school on time each and every day.

Please see our attendance policy.

Reporting Attendance: Email is how we prefer families report attendance or dismissals. The email address is available to all office staff and is checked each morning for attendance. Please let us know when your child will be absent, late, or dismissed by emailing JGMS_Attendance@bedfordps.org. Please indicate your child's fist and last name for every correspondence. If for a dismissal, please indicate a time as well. When we know of dismissals ahead of time we will have your child ready when you arrive.

Please note, the phone number that was previously used for absences is no longer being checked and the voicemail will ask you not to leave a message and instead, prompt you to send an email to report attendance. Additionally, you can also send a note with your child which should be dropped off in the main office prior to going to class. We expect this system will be more efficient for not only you, it will allow us to be more efficient in reporting attendance each day.

All course requests for students registered were sent via email on Friday, 8/01/2024 and new students should have been contacted by their counselor and a team assigned at this point. If any student does not know their team assignment or has not seen their course list, please let me know.

Click to access the JGMS School Supply Starter List

Click to access summer team letters including any additional supplies that may be needed.

We are happy to say we had a successful orientation day this August for grade 6 students. Although we could not accommodate all families schedules, this event was not a requirement nor is something that if missed, has put your child at a disadvantage. Our teachers are prepared to support all students with their locker on the first day of school. This includes assigning student lockers and helping students with combinations.

Like it was in the past, Grade 7 and 8 students will get their locker on the first day of school.

Lunch will continue to be provided free of charge to all students throughout the 2024-2025 school year. Details on how students will choose their lunch is forthcoming from Food Services. If students do not have their PIN on the first day of school, it is ok. We will have a list with PINs for students.

Attendance: Please let us know when your child will be absent, late, or dismissed by emailing JGMS_Attendance@bedfordps.org. If for a dismissal, please indicate a time as well. You can also send a note with your child to be dropped off in the main office prior to going to class. If we know of a dismissal ahead of time we will attempt to have your child ready when you arrive.

Religious Holidays: Please follow the directions explained here.

Tech Support: If your child is having technical trouble throughout the school year please send an email to tech_support@bedfordps.org.

Taking the Bus: Please see the guidance on the district’s transportation website. Please review the transportation guidelines with your children as we hope families will choose to ride the bus again.

Sports schedules: Please visit the sports section of the website to access the schedules of the upcoming seasons. You can click on “view schedules” under the calendar on the right. You should look for “middle school” teams when searching for your child’s sport.