BHS News February 21, 2020

BHS News February 21, 2020

 

Hi Parents,
 

Even though vacation week is here and I want you to spend time with your kids, I still needed to put some timely things in this week’s news. Please take a moment to review the info below. Enjoy the week!

Bob

New

 

All Parents

We are in the midst of completing our five year self-study required as an IB world school. Jon Cannon, our AP & IB Coordinator, is looking for parent feedback as part of that self study. The survey is designed for parents of graduates (including the soon to be graduated class of 2020). Please take a few minutes to answer the survey questions.
 

Students who have selected Manchester School of Technology programs as part of their course selections for next year must also turn in an MST Application to Ms. Woods in room 229. Please return those applications when we return to school the week of March 2nd.

It’s time for another culling of the lost and found items. As before, they are organized on racks and shelves and are displayed in the hallway to the Commons. Items that remain there on Wednesday, March 11 will be donated to Families in Transition. Encourage your kids to take a look if they have lost any clothing, water bottles, hats, sneakers, or lunch bags.  Other items (e.g. jewelry, electronics, car keys) are housed at the main office and those are not donated. 

Parents of Seniors

Nothing this week.

Parents of Juniors

This spring, students at every school will participate in New Hampshire’s statewide assessments. At BHS, juniors take the SAT with essay and the NH SAS science assessment. The dates are listed below. We find value in the results of these tests because they help guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment choices, however, state law allows for parents to opt-out their children from state testing. If you choose to have your son/daughter not take these tests, please read the letter from Assistant Superintendent Laliberte and follow the directions for opting out.

If you are looking for opportunities to prepare your son or daughter for the SAT, there are a several options: the college board offers SAT prep through Khan Academy, there is an SAT Math Prep Class offered on campus (run by BHS teachers but not run by BHS), SAT prep materials are available at the town library in the college section, Sylvan Learning offers SAT prep here in Bedford, and students can use their PSAT booklet for review.

Destination College, hosted by St. Anselm College, takes place on Saturday, March 28 and is an event designed to help juniors and their families prepare for college. This annual, statewide convention is held every spring through the collaborative efforts of The NHHEAF Network and New Hampshire colleges and universities. All of the day's events are free.

Parents of Sophomores

Please see the MST note above.

Parents of Freshmen

Nothing this week.

Important Dates

 

Sat. Feb 22 - Mar 1	No School, Winter Vacation.
Tuesday, Mar 10	No School. Go Vote!
Wednesday, Mar 25	Junior SAT taken at school.
Thursday, Mar 26	Sophomore PSAT 10 taken at school.
Friday, Mar 27	Withdraw deadline for Semester 2 courses.
Tuesday, Mar 31	Intelligent Lives, Theater. 6:30pm.
Tuesday, April 7	Junior State Science Test taken at school.

 

Weekly Features

 

Bulldogs of the Week: Students

Jack Elliott for offering to help flip ALL the chairs in the entire Library after school on Friday.  I have also witnessed on several occasions that he picks up trash (that isn't his). By taking pride in his school, he demonstrates his true bulldog spirit. We hope his example becomes a reminder to other students to keep our school clean.  We appreciate his help so much. Congratulations Jack!

Bulldogs of the Week: Staff

I want to thank all the "snow fairies" (you know who you are) that cleaned off other staff members’ cars on Tuesday after school.  It was a lovely surprise coming out to a cleaned off car. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Reminders

 

Bedford School District, in partnership with Amherst School District, Merrimack School District, Manchester School District, the Bedford PTG, and St. Anselm’s Meelia Center, is hosting a screening of the film Intelligent Lives. The film stars three young adults with Intellectual Disabilities who challenge the perception of intelligence as they find their way through high school, college, and the workforce. The screening will take place on March 31st at 6:30pm in the BHS Theater. Following the film, there will be a question and answer session led by the filmmaker, Dan Habib. Free tickets can be reserved at Eventbrite.   

Yearbook orders are due by March 1st and can be ordered here. A small number of additional books will be ordered and they will be sold on a first come first served basis in May. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Gilcreast at gilcreastj@sau25.net.

All After School Activities CANCELED for TONIGHT February 18, 2020

All After School Activities CANCELED for TONIGHT
This includes Sports and BHS Conferences

BHS News February 14, 2020

BHS News February 14, 2020

 

Hi Parents,
 

A very strange week with only three days of school and every one of them feeling like a Monday. We’re all hoping for one full week before vacation just to have a little consistency. This is the point in the year when time starts to feel different for each class. Things are going to move very fast for seniors when we get back from vacation. It’ll also seem to speed up for juniors too because they are starting to think about next year and the year beyond. For sophomores and freshmen, the pace remains normal. Just be aware that depending upon what year your son or daughter is will cause time to feel different as we head into the spring. Seems weird but it's true. 

Bob
 

New

All Parents

Bedford School District, in partnership with Amherst School District, Merrimack School District, Manchester School District, the Bedford PTG, and St. Anselm’s Meelia Center, is hosting a screening of the film Intelligent Lives. The film stars three young adults with Intellectual Disabilities who challenge the perception of intelligence as they find their way through high school, college, and the workforce. The screening will take place on March 31st at 6:30pm in the BHS Theater. Following the film, there will be a question and answer session led by the filmmaker, Dan Habib. Free tickets can be reserved at Eventbrite.   

Parents of Seniors

Nothing this week.

Parents of Juniors
Nothing this week.

Parents of Sophomores
Nothing this week.

Parents of Freshmen

If you are attending Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences on Tuesday, be sure to discuss your son/daughter’s Self-Management progress. All 9th graders are working on planning, performing, and reflecting on self-management goals in nearly all of their 9th grade classes.
 

Important Dates

 

Tuesday, Feb 18	Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences, 3:00-6:00pm.
Sat. Feb 22 - Mar 1	No School, Winter Vacation.
Tuesday, Mar 10	No School. Go Vote!
Wednesday, Mar 25	Junior SAT taken at school.
Thursday, Mar 26	Sophomore PSAT 10 taken at school.
Friday, Mar 27	Withdraw deadline for Semester 2 courses.
Tuesday, Mar 31	Intelligent Lives, Theater. 6:30pm.

 

Weekly Features

Bulldogs of the Week: Students

The unified courses and athletic programs attended the Unified Snowball at Londonderry High School this past weekend. This is the third year we were invited as a group- we have gone from having eight students attend in our first year to 36 this year. The Top Dogs in this group have been students who promote partnerships, friendships, and inclusivity with respect and kindness. Together they have developed this program in a way that seems effortless (even though it is not!) because they have all shown the greatest character and core throughout their time at BHS, whether they are freshmen or seniors. The students that attended and danced the night aware were: Amanda Altemus, Garret Anderson, Chamberlaine Bell, Juliana Braga, Bethany Bursey, Annette Carter, Riley Chou, Alicia Cosio, Courtney Dermody, Anne Eby, Marlee Gallin, Amanda Hapgood, Lauren Karolian, Morgan Koellmer, Tadan Leach, Lauren Lepage, Lily Lepage, Max Lubelczyk, Stephen Lussier, Riley Martin, Julia McCahill, Elle Monfried, Regan O'Brien, Matthew Penick, Lorelai Rice, Nicholas Richard, Madison Riso, Vincent Riso, Madison Sarsfield, Rachel Sledjeski, Olivia Stavropoulos, Alieu Taal, Shaylin Tombs, Olivia Toolin, and Nitya Upadrasta. Congrats to you all!
 

Bulldogs of the Week: Staff

Jeff Lukach for noticing that one of my students in the Academic Center was having a rough day; he went with the student on a walk to help the student decompress. When Jeff realized the student needed some one-on-one time outside of the classroom, he took it upon himself to help the student work through a math assignment in the library for the remainder of the block. Jeff always puts the well-being of students first, and this is just one example of how he consistently steps up to help make BHS a better place for all of us.

Sean Carnegie for organizing and communicating about a Freshman dodgeball tournament. Sean was very receptive and thoughtful about including everyone in the tournament and organized a bracket for all to play. Thanks Sean!
 

Reminders

 

Just like I did in the first semester, I’d like you to think of Tuesday’s conference as Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences.  In a perfect world, all students would attend these conferences because it’s their learning that gets discussed. I would want parents to attend conferences with their 9th and 10th graders, and as students become juniors and then certainly as seniors, I would love students to schedule their own conferences and attend without their parents.  As they head into the world after BHS, I want them to be confident, self-advocates who can reflect on their own learning. To help us get to that perfect world, I encourage you to explain to your son or daughter why they should be at those conferences and then have them accompany you. 
 

Yearbook orders are due by March 1st and can be ordered here. A small number of additional books will be ordered and they will be sold on a first come first served basis in May. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Gilcreast at gilcreastj@sau25.net.

 

BHS News February 7, 2020

BHS News February 7, 2020

 

A heartbreaking week here at BHS and in the Bedford community. There’s no perfect way to navigate the death of a student. Through the caring work of a lot of people we are doing our best to look after the family, friends, classmates, and teachers of Dan who need it. You should know that we were offered a lot of support from parents, community groups, and all the other schools, and that outpouring of care makes a big difference. Thank you to all of you who stopped in, wrote a note, sent an email, and shared your compassion.

Bob

New

 

All Parents

Just like I did in the first semester, I’d like you to think of the upcoming conferences as Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences.  In a perfect world, all students would attend these conferences because it’s their learning that gets discussed. I would want parents to attend conferences with their 9th and 10th graders, and as students become juniors and then certainly as seniors, I would love students to schedule their own conferences and attend without their parents.  As they head into the world after BHS, I want them to be confident, self-advocates who can reflect on their own learning. To help us get to that perfect world, I encourage you to explain to your son or daughter why they should be at those conferences and then have them accompany you. 

Yearbook orders are due by March 1st and can be ordered here. A small number of additional books will be ordered and they will be sold on a first come first served basis in May. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Gilcreast at gilcreastj@sau25.net.

Parents of Seniors

Nothing this week.

Parents of Juniors

Nothing this week.

Parents of Sophomores

Nothing this week.

Parents of Freshmen

If you are attending Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences, be sure to discuss your son/daughter’s Self-Management progress. All 9th graders are working on planning, performing, and reflecting on self-management goals in nearly all of their 9th grade classes.

Important Dates

 

Sunday, Feb 9	Parent-Student-Teacher Conference sign up window closes.
Monday, Feb 10	Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences, 4:30-7:30pm.
Tuesday, Feb 11	No School. Go Vote!
Tuesday, Feb 18	Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences, 3:00-6:00pm.
Sat. Feb 22 - Mar 1	No School, Winter Vacation.
Tuesday, Mar 10	No School, teacher workshop day.

 

Weekly Features

 

Bulldogs of the Week: Students

Maryum Khan for taking it upon herself, outside of any class requirement, to enter the 2019-2020 American Legion High School Oratorical contest. This annual contest is designed to develop leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and to ensure participants are better prepared for the acceptance of the duties, responsibilities, rights, and privileges of American citizenship. Maryum delivered a prepared speech of between 8-10 minutes on the Second Amendment on January 18th, at the District 4 Contest in Londonderry, and she placed third in the district. Congratulations to Maryum on her success!

Karen Boccia, Kathy Campbell Kelly, Kaite Carmody, Mary McCarthy, Cathy Medeiros, Gerrit Morse, Jon Roth, and Christine Zimmer for spending their Saturday night supporting and chaperoning BHS students at the annual Unified Snowball Dance at Londonderry High School. This is the third year that our group was invited to the event. This is a hugely celebratory night for our Unified courses and athletic programs. These programs have grown from 8 students to 36 students attending the dance in the last three years. Having the support of these adults who selflessly dedicate time, energy, and good vibes to promote the partnerships, friendships, and respectful and meaningful inclusion is so important to the culture of BHS.

Mary Paquin for coming to my aid without hesitation to help set up for an early presentation in the Theater. She was helpful to both me and the presenter, making sure that he was all set and returning before he left. I appreciate Mary for taking the time out of her busy day. She is always available and willing to lend a helping hand to both staff and students. Thanks for all you do.

Reminders

 

I’ve compiled your responses as well as student responses about stress. There’s a side by side comparison in this presentation. The next step is visiting with Advisories to dig a little deeper into some of the areas of stress that students reported.

The Prom Committee has started their Krispy Kreme Fundraiser. Donuts are $10 per dozen. Use this link to pre-order. You can pick up your order or purchase more outside the gym on February 11 when you come to vote.

Don’t do this. It’s dangerous. I’ve had lots of complaints. We’re all busy. We all have important things to do. During dismissal time, we all have to practice being patient. This same video and same message is being shared with staff and students, and if you’re one of the ones that has stayed in line, thank you.

Parents of seniors, be on the lookout for an email from our Yearbook Advisor, Jess Gilcreast, who will be sending the final proof of your son/daughter’s picture in the yearbook to you so you have one last check.

Parents of seniors can create a parent send-off ad for the 2020 yearbook. Deadline to place the ad is February 13th. You can create and order them here. If you have any questions, email Mrs. Gilcreast at gilcreastj@sau25.net.