October 6, 2017

PWS PrinciPal’s News

Dear PWS Families,

We have reached the end of this first long stretch of school and are now rewarded with our first long weekend of the year. Wherever this extra time takes you we hope that you find rest, enjoyment, and a little bit of relaxation with friends and family. Thank you again for all that you have done to make the beginning of this school year a success for all involved.

Have a great, long weekend,

Cheryl Daley (Principal)

Dan Mitchell (Assistant Principal)

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Mon. Oct. 9th	Columbus Day-No School
Thurs. Oct. 19	Math and Literacy Night- 6:00 PM
Tues. Oct. 24	Picture Retake Day
Thurs. Oct. 26	2nd Grade Scarecrow Jubilee- 6:00 PM
Tues. Oct. 31	Halloween Parade- 1:30 PM

News from PWS

PWS School Yard

As we prepare for the 10th Anniversary of our schoolyard next year, we hope to bring you information, stories, and the plans we have to celebrate this upcoming milestone. To begin, we want to share with you the view of our schoolyard from the perspective of a new family.

“Our family moved to Bedford from New Jersey over the summer and like most people who move here, we were drawn to Bedford specifically for its excellent school system. We were lucky enough to find a house we loved in the Peter Woodbury district, and were excited to bring our girls to play on the playground and get to know their new school. We noticed the famous sandbox first, ringed with natural stone and filled with a variety of sand toys. From there, we followed the girls and they explored the school garden with its lovely entrance, raised beds to help small gardeners care for their plants, and charming garden cottage. We walked past the buddy bench and oversized chair, the monarch garden, dry riverbed, and open air outdoor classroom, and by the time we'd reached the messy materials station, we realized that this was a very special place.

As a prior military family, we have had the distinct pleasure of living in many different places and exploring playgrounds from (literally) coast to coast. We've seen a lot of cool stuff, but nothing like this schoolyard. It just doesn't exist in most places. You might find outdoor instruments, level changes and buddy benches, lovely green and growing things, or a gazebo or two...but not all in the same playground. It can be easy to overlook some of the subtle details that were intentionally planned, like how the fairy garden's flowers all have fairy names, or that there aren't plants around the gazebo because students like to run circles around it, or how there's a place in this schoolyard for each student to relax and refocus in whatever way she or he needs to. In addition to the balancing - swinging - hanging - climbing elements common to most playgrounds, there are rocks to flip over and find cool bugs, wiggly wood towers to build, lots of ways to make noise and make decisions and make believe.

We've been here only a few months, but have been consistently delighted with our new home. We're especially grateful that our younger girls can come to PWS and be part of a community that created a schoolyard like the one they get to use each day. It's so much more than just a cool sandbox.”

Fire Safety and Prevention

Did you know that October is National Fire Safety and Prevention Month? Our students in first and second grades had the opportunity to experience the Fire Prevention safety trailer with the help of the Bedford Fire Department.

News from Mrs. Clark

Please take a moment to check in with all the updates coming from Mrs. Robin Clark, our School Counselor, at her website: Mrs. Clark's Website.

Art News

Congratulations!

Each quarter work from our schools is displayed in the boardroom at the district office. Congratulations to the students from PWS whose work is currently being displayed and can be seen below. More art news here.

From the Superintendent

No news at this time

From the PTG

Thank you

Thank you to everyone that participated in our Gift Wrap & More Fundraiser with Meadow Farms. The PTG will receive 40% of the total sales, which will go right back into programming in our schools!

Gift Card Sale

Our annual Gift Card Sale is coming mid-October. Gift cards make great gifts or you can even use them for your everyday shopping. Order by November 1st for pre-Thanksgiving delivery; order by November 29th for pre-Christmas delivery. We offer gift cards to a wide variety of retailers (local and online) along with locally owned businesses, no expiration dates, and you receive the FULL value of your purchase while supporting the PTG. Look for order forms soon.

Support the PTG

Our support drive is under way and if you’d like to make a donation to the PTG you can do so via PayPal by visiting our website www.bedfordptg.org. Donations via check can be made out to Bedford PTG and returned to school with students in the PTG support envelops that have been sent home. With your support, we are able to put over $65,000/year in programs and events into our schools!!

Stand By Me

Stand By Me is a day long event for all 7th grade students and their parents.  The first event planning meeting is on Friday, October 20th at 9:45 a.m. at the Ross A. Lurgio Middle school front office. If you are interested in finding out more about Stand By Me or would like to join the event planning committee, email Shana Potvin at shanapotvin@gmail.com or simply join us on October 20th. You do NOT need to have a 7th grader to participate on the committee or as a volunteer for the event.

From the Community

No news at this time

Repeated News & Messages

ART CLUB

Art Club offers fourth graders extra creative time after school and involvement in community projects.

To sign your child up, click one of the session choices below. Students may only attend one session each (unless a session does not fill by the deadline). Please sign up for only one session and e-mail Mrs. Piantedosi if your student is interested in another session and she will keep a waiting list.

Session 1 will be held on Mondays October 23rd - December 18th

Session 2 will be held on Thursdays  February 8th - April 12th

Any questions? E-mail Mrs. Piantedosi at piantedosia@sau25.net

Pat’s Peak Learn to Ski and Ride Program

Sign-up information is coming soon! Registration deadline will be November 15th. The program will start on Friday, January 5th, 2018 and is a five-week program. Please contact Kim Peicker at kpeicker@comcast.net with any questions.

Bedford Education Foundation

The BEF is holding their annual fundraising event on November 17th from 7pm to 10pm at the Bedford Village Inn.  The theme is Nostalgic November.  For more information on the event and how to purchase tickets, click HERE. Questions can be directed to info@befnh.org

Box Tops For Education Program

PWS participates in the Box Tops For EducationTM program - which means that we get money for our schools by sending in lots of little teeny- tiny rectangles.  Last year, we earned almost $3000, which went directly to the teachers to purchase items for their classrooms.

Over the next few weeks, classroom volunteers will be introducing the program to our new students and reminding returning students that they can help raise money for items in their classroom. We will collect and mail our Box Tops a few times a year, with the next collection set for Monday, October 16.

What you can do to help:

1.       Clip and Bring: Look for pink Box Tops on products, clip them, and send them to school in your student’s Go Binders.  (Be sure to also include any special Box Top Codes or Bonus Box Tops!)

2.       Ask your Neighbors/Family: Send a note out to your neighbors that don't have school-age kids; they may not be aware that they are throwing away money.

3.       Become a BTFE Member: If you become a member on www.BTFE.com, you can enter PWS into ongoing raffles for free Box Tops, and get exclusive great coupons to products.

For more information on the Box Tops for Education program, including a list of participating products and our school’s progress, visit www.BTFE.com.

Special Education Parent Focus Group

The district is looking to expand the parent volunteers in the Special Education Parent Focus Group, a formal partnership between special education parents and the school community. Parent participants represent each of the schools and encompass all grade levels. Meetings are held monthly on the third Wednesday from 9-10 AM at the SAU office. Discussion and activities support family engagement and improvements in the district special education initiatives. Please contact Chris Lassonde, Director of Special Services (lassondec@sau25.net). We would love to have more parents join us!

Bedford Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Please join us as we recognize the Inaugural Class of the Bedford Hall of Fame.  The ceremony will take place on Homecoming Day - Saturday, October 21st at 2:00 PM - in the Bedford High School Dining Commons.  For more information, and to order tickets, please click HERE.

Crotched Mountain Ski Program

Join old friends and new ones at Crotched Mountain for some after-school skiing this winter! Sign up by November 15 and your student will hit the slopes on five Fridays after the New Year for just $129 – and they’ll also get a Peak Pass on February 20 which will get them out at seven more mountains for no additional cost for the rest of the season! Email Loren Foxx at lofoxx@gmail.com or visit bedfordski.com for more details.