Superintendent’s Update: January 20

Superintendent Conrad’s weekly message for January 20, 2023, including Lunar New Year, Lunar New Year Event, DEI Statement, The Help Line, Budget Update, Special Education Update, Performing Arts Update, and Save the Date for the CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars Virtual Trivia Night, District Calendar.

Hello Bedford School Community,

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit

Sunday, January 22, 2023 is the celebration of the Lunar New Year! Lunar New Year is a festival that celebrates the beginning of the new year according to the traditional Chinese calendar. The celebration marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. For more information please visit https://chinesenewyear.net/

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Lunar New Year Event

Want to learn more about Lunar New Year? Head over to the Bedford Free Library at 7 Mudge Way on Saturday, January 21, 2023, from noon until 3:45 pm to take place in a program of music, dance, performances, crafts, and activities. No registration is needed and this is a free event open to all. For more information check the Parent Diversity Facebook page or the Bedford Free Library’s Events Page

DEI Statement

On Tuesday night the School Committee endorsed the Bedford Public Schools Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mission Statement. The statement will assist us as we continue working so that all of our students, families, faculty, and staff feel as they belong within the district. The statement is intended to guide the work we do to create a sense of belonging for our students, caregivers, faculty, and staff. Each building will continue to work on its DEI initiatives within the BPS District Improvement Plan and the BPS DEI Mission Statement. We will also continue working with our community partners to extend these efforts beyond the schools. Keep an eye out for future announcements soon.

The MA Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) Launches

The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health launched the new Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line  on January 3, 2023. The Help Line is available 24/7 to provide assistance across the state and in more than 200 languages to help anyone in need of mental health services connect with a provider. For individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing contact MassRelay at 711 to be connected to The Help Line. The BHHL is free and available to all Massachusetts residents.

Budget Update

The School Committee has scheduled a public hearing and final vote on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. This will be followed by a presentation to the Bedford Finance Committee on Thursday, February 9, 20223. All of the presented budget materials are posted on our BPS website.

Superintendent’s Proposed Fiscal 2024 budget       FY24 Superintendent Budget Presentation

FY24 Preliminary Budget Preview                            FY24 Highlevel Budget Overview

Special Education

Our Special Education Director Marianne Vines recently published the next installment of the  Director’s Update which can be viewed at Director’s Mid-Winter 2023 Update.  The update is full of wonderful information about our Special Education Department and Programs.

Performing Arts Update

The Performing Arts Department is looking forward to the upcoming vertical concerts which will feature students from Lane, JGMS, and BHS who participate in each ensemble type. The Vocal Vertical Concert will be on February 15th, the String Vertical Concert is on March 21st, and the Band Vertical Concert is on March 23rd. All three concerts will be hosted at BHS beginning at 7 pm. An audience favorite is the combined piece involving every student to close each concert. Additionally, rehearsals are already underway for the spring musicals. Keep an eye out for information about “Chicago Teen Edition” at BHS March 15-18 and “Frozen Jr.” at JGMS March 30 – April 1. Thank you for supporting the performing arts in our schools!

Save the Date for the CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars Virtual Trivia Night

Registration is now open for the Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of Bedford Dollars for Scholars Virtual Trivia Night to be held on Friday, February 10, 2023, from 7:30-9:00 pm.

The CSF Dollars for Scholars Trivia event will be a virtual event this year and is brought to you by Sporcle Trivia.  The virtual doors will open at 7:30 pm and the trivia game will run from 8:00 until 9:00 pm.  Teams of 6-10 players (maximum of 10 players per team) at a cost of $25 per person are eligible to participate.  Team players do not need to be in the same location, however, each person counts as a player, even if sharing a device.  The maximum attendance is 200 players, so reserve your spot now! Ticket sales will end on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 8:00 AM or when the maximum number of players sign up, whichever comes first.  

Prizes will be awarded and all proceeds go to support scholarships for Bedford High School graduates.  Team Captains please register your team HERE, or visit the CSP of Bedford website at http://www.bedfordma.dollarsforscholars.org 

District Calendar: 2023-2024

The 2023-2024 District Calendar was re-approved by the School Committee at the January 17, 2023 meeting. You may view the calendar on our website here.

As always, thank you for your patience, your participation, and your continued commitment to our schools.

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