• Here is a list of the sporting events for this week
• School Lunch Menu - Click Here

This Week:

6/9 (M) Breakfast is served

6/9 (M) Grade 5 Parent Information Night 6pm @JGMS

6/13 (F) 6th Grade - Level 99 (Departing 9:50) - Students will go to A block and then go to B

Next Week (So Far):

6/16 (M) A Block - 8th grade Yearbook handout

6/16 (M) B Block, Chromebook collection

6/16 (M) 7th Grade - Kimball's Farm

6/16 (M) 8th Grade Field Day

6/16 (M) 8th Grade Moving On Ceremony; 5:00-6:00pm

6/16 (M) 8th Grade Moving On Celebration; 6:00-7:30pm

6/17 (T) A Block 6th and 7th Grade Yearbook Handout

6/17 (T) 8th grade - Canobie Lake Park

6/17 (T) 6th Grade Field Day

6/17 (T) 7th Grade Field Day

6/18 (W) Amy Budka Variety Show

6/18 (W) Last Day of School Dismissal 11:05am

1) [NEW] Washington, DC Trip Review

2) [REMINDER] Rising 6th-8th Grade Parent Input Forms and Attendance/Music Selections and Grade 5 Information

3) [NEW] Breakfast

4) [NEW] EL Awards

5) [UPDATE] Book Drive

6) [REMINDER] Virtual Therapy - Cartwheel

Before getting to the Washington, DC trip summary I want to say thank you to Ms. Tracy Fernald and our nursing staff for supporting the trip and all the medical needs of our students. Preparing for the trips was a huge undertaking which was done in addition to their daily responsibilities. We are so fortunate to have the support and caring health care professionals who care so much about our students.

In addition to our nurses, this trip does not occur without the careful planning of our trip coordinator, Joe Casey. Mr. Casey and his colleagues put in months of work to prepare this trip for our students. We are grateful for his effort to make the trip safe and special for all who attended.

Finally, the chaperones who volunteer their time to make the trip special deserve a big thanks! Thank you to:

Joe Casey

Vanessa Mangini,

Kelsey Little
Michael Grassi
Marie Mallott
Vincent McGrath
Renee Anderson
Tyler Wilson
Justin Brooks

Ms. Marchesini - Nurse

Kasie Costopulos

Heidi Scaltreto

This is the 47th year the trip to Washington, DC has run at JGMS and it has become a beloved end-of-the-year experience for our 8th-graders. Highlights of the trip included visiting many memorials in and around DC including the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, MLK Memorial, National Museum of U.S. Army, National Archives, National Cathedral, Natural History Museum, 9/11 Memorial @ Pentagon Building, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Library of Congress, U.S. Air Force Memorial, and Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery including the Kennedy Gravesite, and the Tomb of Unknown Soldier which included a viewing of The Changing of the Guard.

At Arlington National Cemetery, four JGMS students participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of former JGMS/ Bedford alum John Hart who was killed in Iraq in 2003. To learn more about John please navigate to The Military Times John Hart of Bedford, MA.

For the past decade we have been honoring John by choosing four students (2 from each team) to participate in this ceremony.

The four students chosen exemplify all the qualities that John possessed: Kids of character, that are good to others, work hard and are a pleasure to have in class. Quinn Hadden, Nate Bongiovanni, Karis Kime, and Alex Mandell were our chosen students and we are proud of how they conduct themselves on a daily basis.

We are so excited to transition your 6th or 7th grader (and if you have a 5th grader too!) to the next grade level at JGMS! Throughout the spring, our staff at JGMS will be collaborating about students and how we can best meet their needs. Since you know your 6th or 7th grader the best, we are also hoping to learn from you as well.

Please take a moment to read this Parent/Guardian Student Input Form letter and the applicable survey that is linked within.

We will have free breakfast served Monday, June 9. Students who want to participate in the free breakfast program will pick up a breakfast at two points of sale and eat it during their morning announcements and start of A block.

See below of information about the English Language Learner awards. If you can make it, please consider attending.

Our Book Drive was a big success. Please see below for a note of appreciation:

Thank you so much for all your support in donating books for our book drive! We ended up raising over 500 books, crushing our initial goal of only 100. As previously mentioned, these books will be going to an underprivileged school in Waltham, and they appreciate all of your generosity very much. We are overjoyed with our results, and we could not have done it without your help. Thank you! A group of high school AP Spanish students in Bedford are collecting books to give them to an underprivileged school in Waltham. Lightly used or new books at the K-5 level are welcome. A box is located in the main office to accept all donations. This is for their AP with WE project dedicated to helping break the cycle between lack of education and poverty. Thank you for your support!

We are committed to supporting the overall well-being of our students and believe mental health is an important part of overall health. We partner with Cartwheel to provide virtual therapy with licensed clinicians to support our students' mental health needs. Until now, our school team has had to identify and refer a student for these services. Now, parents/guardians can express interest directly in mental health services for their child by filling out this form.

Our school counselors can still refer a student to Cartwheel with parental/guardian consent.

Check out this flyer or click the picture to learn more about this mental health program. Here are some signs to look for to determine if your student might benefit from mental health support:

• Changes in mood or behavior
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
• Declining academic performance
• Withdrawal from friends or activities Increased anxiety or stress
• Expressing feelings of sadness or hopelessness
• Experiencing transition (related to life, family, peers, school)
• Exposure to a traumatic event

Contact a member of your school counseling team or me to learn more.

Tips to Managing Our Children's Phone

Please note, social media apps have minimum ages, most often the age of 13. Do not provide consent for your child to create an account when they are below the minimum age. Each social media platform has methods to report accounts of children under the age of 13.

Below is a note I have shared since 2022-2023 school year in an effort to support each other and our children's phone use. My children are now 10,8, and 7 and the struggle around devices is as real now as it was then. Personally, I believe I am doing ok and mainly because I have not provided a phone. I only have given a watch to my two oldest and I am dreading the day one of their friends gets a phone because then I know it's the beginning of a real challenge.

When I am not acting as the principal at JGMS, I am the father of three daughters of 3, 6, and 8 years old. I admit, I use my phone to keep my children busy at times and unfortunately, they became aware of how to find things I thought I was preventing. I noticed they kept finding their way into YouTube or games I thought deleted numerous times. Turns out I would "Remove" the App (removing isn't deleting apparently), just to find out it was in the Library. Then I would delete the app, just to find out they could download a previously purchased app without a password. My kids were taking control of their electronic usage and I couldn't keep up. After hearing from families about their concerns with phone and social media use, and also managing it at school, I felt compelled to post this note and includes tricks to blocking certain privileges or basic monitoring clues. I am proud to say that I was successful in navigating the technology, I deleted and prevented apps from coming back, the 6 and 8 year old accepted their fate rather quickly, and my wife and I survived the meltdown of my 3 year old.

Now many of you have likely figured out how to permanently delete apps, block privileges, and limit time on devices and you don't need the help of a novice like me. I do wonder however if some could use a bit of advice from each other. So in the spirit of a partnership, I created a document with tips to gaining control over our children's device. I have given anyone access to read and/or edit the document. This way we all can view the advice and also can add ideas that may be helpful. I am an iPhone user and I started the document with 3 seemingly basic iPhone suggestions. Please feel free to add any tip you found helpful in navigating technology with your children's phone. Together I would like to think we can support all children to be model citizens in both the physical and digital world.

As many may know through school committee meetings, at JGMS we were able to shift an existing STEM teacher into a position vacated by a retirement and avoid an additional 1.0 FTE reduction. With this decision at JGMS comes the challenge of adjusting to the change.

Below represents the new format for the schedule for 7th and 8th graders next year.

• PE
• Will meet every day for 2 terms on team.
• 7th and 8th grade students will have PE terms 1 and 3 or Term 2 and 4.

• Art
• Will meet every day for 1 term on team.
• 7th grade students will have Art Term 1 or 2.
• 8th grade students will have Art Term 3 or 4.
• Additionally, 7th and 8th grade students will have an additional day of art 1x/cycle for the whole year.

• STEM
• Will meet every day for 1 term on team.
• 7th grade students will have STEM Term 3 or 4.
• 8th grade students will have STEM Term 1 or 2.

• Music
• 7th and 8th grade General Music, Band, Chorus, and Orchestra will continue to meet 2x/cycle.

• Health
• 7th and 8th grade Health will continue to meet 2x/cycle.

• Core Classes
• 7th and 8th grade Math, Science, SS, ELA, and World Language will continue to meet every day for the whole year.

While we recognize that any staffing change brings uncertainty, the adjustments we made were made thoughtfully to strengthen support for students. By placing more teachers on a team and reducing their caseloads during each term, we create more meaningful opportunities for teachers to know students and their needs well as well as form deeper relationships. Embedding staff fully on one team also enhances communication and collaboration, leading to a more cohesive and responsive experience for students. We believe this model allows us to preserve what matters most: a team model with strong connections and effective support for every learner.

Everyone has been sent an email requesting information about their music selection. Please see the core Arts/Wellness programming Letter that went home with information about the Arts/Wellness Programming per grade.

As always, my office is open to you. Please reach out to me with any questions.

Please see the grade 5 to 6 transition plans including dates for students and parents. Just recently added is the Rising 6th Grade Parent information night which will be held at JGMS on Monday, June 9, 2025 in the auditorium at 6pm.

We are so excited to transition your 6th or 7th grader (and if you have a 5th grader too!) to the next grade level at JGMS! Throughout the spring, our staff at JGMS will be collaborating about students and how we can best meet their needs. Since you know your 6th or 7th grader the best, we are also hoping to learn from you as well.

Please take a moment to read this Parent/Guardian Student Input Form letter and the applicable survey that is linked within.

In addition to the input forms described above, I will be sending attendance and music selection forms this week as well. The Attendance/Music Selection form is to confirm attendance at JGMS next year and if applicable, music selections. We ask all families to fill out the form.

Finally, we have scheduled the following Step Up Day Events for Grade 5 students.

JGMS students visit Lane:

This event is for students to visit grade 5 classrooms and share details of JGMS and answer many questions. JGMS students will be supervised by a JGMS adult at all times and support them to answer questions. We will communicate with students who are asked to attend. This will take place on Thursday May 22 10 to 11:10.

Lane students to JGMS

This event is for Lane students to tour JGMS. Lane students will be greeted by JGMS Principal Jon Hartunian. Students will be provided an overview of the school and then taken on a tour. Lane teachers will be with their class for the duration of the visit. This will take place on Wednesday June 4, 8:50-10:10 am. Please note, June 12 is a rain date in case a Lane field trip is delayed on June 3.

Parent Information Night

Rising 6th Grade Parent information night will be held at JGMS on Monday, June 9, 2025 in the auditorium at 6pm

Locker Day

To be scheduled in mid August. Please note, there is no requirement to attend the locker day. However, if a student is unable to attend and wants to see their locker, we set additional days after we know how many were unable to attend the scheduled day.

Moving On 2025 is scheduled for Monday, June 16, 2025.

The ceremony will be held on the E-Field outfield (next to Kid’s Club) in Bedford at 5:00 pm on Monday, June 16, 2025. Parents and extended family are invited to attend. Following the ceremony there will be an 8th Grade Student-Only Celebration in the rear parking lot and fields of JGMS from 6:00 pm -7:30 pm. The event will be chaperoned by JGMS staff and will include a cookout dinner, yard games, DJ, and a photo booth.

The events of Moving On will be “tropical summer” themed, and we encourage all who attend to dress in festive attire. Parents are encouraged to bring a blanket to sit on for the ceremony (on the field). In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the BHS gym and the party will be held inside JGMS (with limited capacity for the ceremony).

More information from MSPA is forthcoming. Please see accessibility information below

A group of high school AP Spanish students in Bedford are collecting books to give them to an underprivileged school in Waltham. Lightly used or new books at the K-5 level are welcome. A box is located in the main office to accept all donations. This is for their AP with WE project dedicated to helping break the cycle between lack of education and poverty. Thank you for your support!

For students who want to compete in sports at JGMS, please visit this site to sign up.

JGMS has a variety of clubs and sports that meet outside of school hours. The list of clubs and the times they will meet have been finalized and are posted.

CLUBS

Please see this Link for a list of clubs and activities.

SPORTS

Sports Opportunities at JGMS: Students have a variety of options. Here is a list of sports that we offer at JGMS throughout the year.

Coaching Staff: JGMS offers four sports in the fall. Please contact the JGMS coach with questions. Please contact your child's coach via email for information regarding games, practices, or changes to schedules. Sports schedules can be found each week at the link at the top of bulletin listed as "This week's sports schedule - Click "view Schedules" on right to find Middle School schedules. Practice/Tryout information for sports are listed below.

GENERAL:

JGMS Athletic Coordinator: Ken Norling

FALL:

JGMS Cross Country: Ken Norling

JGMS Boys Soccer: Vincent McGrath

JGMS Girls Soccer: Paul Harrington

JGMS Field Hockey: Lisa Gocht

JGMS Football: Joe Curran

*Email not set up yet. Please reach out to Ken Norling with questions

WINTER:

JGMS Boys Basketball: Vinnie McGrath

JGMS Girls Basketball: Greg Hinz

SPRING:

JGMS Boys Baseball: Eric Driscoll

JGMS Girls Softball: TBD

JGMS Co-Ed Outdoor Track: Ken Norling

Please see the following message from some ambitious and helpful high school students.

Are you struggling with math? Join our math tutoring! We are high school tutors who want to help! Get personalized support from high school student tutors and conquer any tough problem with confidence. Say hello to success! We will tutor students Tuesday after school while under the supervision of a JGMS math teacher. Reserve time today, by filling out this form:

https://forms.gle/MAxarnqn15s3gCbm7

Looking forward to seeing your child there!

Please click on the picture for consequences that we impose for students who are caught with phones. At this time, we are being lenient on the use of smart watches. We are taking time to remind students that they cannot be worn and asking them to put them in their locker at their next locker visit. Come November we will treat smart watches as we have been treating cell phones.

Welcome to the new school year! Below are a few quick items of interest.

1. Please contact me via phone call or email to report any changes in your child’s health status. It is important for us to have the most up-to-date information to ensure we can provide the best care and support for your child’s well-being at school.

1. Permission for your student to be able to receive acetaminophen and or ibuprofen during the school day may be granted by completing the 2024-2025 JGMS Parent/Guardian Consent for Tylenol/Ibuprofen. Please take a moment to do this now, before your student has a need. Please note this is required for each school year.

1. Please provide medications and the required medication permission form signed by both provider and parent, to the nurse's office asap. This includes scheduled daily medications as well as, inhalers, seizure rescue, diabetes medications.

1. For students with life-threatening allergies and have an epinephrine device, please send in the device along with the updated allergy action plan asap at the start of the school year. The Allergy Anaphylaxis plan is required to be completed each year.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. The direct line to the nurses office is 781-275-3165.

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. 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.

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.