Superintendent Conrad’s weekly message for March 24, 2023.
Ramadan
Ramadan Mubarak! To all those who are celebrating The Holy Month of Ramadan. The Holy Month began on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at sundown. Ramadan is a month of fasting, introspection, and prayer for Muslims around the world. The celebration commemorates the month in which the prophet Muhammad received the initial revelations which became the Quran. The Holy month will end with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr which is a major holiday for Muslims. More information is available at https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/ramadan
METCO and HAFB representatives for School Committee UPDATE
The School Committee has two (2) openings for non-voting members, one each from the Hanscom Air Force Community and the other from the METCO community. If you have children in the Bedford Public Schools and live in one of those two locations and would like to represent that portion of our community on the school committee in a non-voting capacity please send a letter of interest to [email protected] no later than today, Friday, March 24, 2023.
Professional Development Day
On Friday, March 17, 2023, the faculty and staff of all of our schools spent the day working on professional responsibilities in order to better prepare themselves for working with all of our students. Thank you to all of our teachers for a wonderful day of professional development. Staff worked on curriculum enhancements, diversification, individualization, and engagement.
METCO Advocacy Day
On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, School Committee Member Sarah Scoville and I participated in the METCO Day of Advocacy on Beacon Hill. The highlight of the day was the integrated step group from the Lincoln Public Schools which featured students from first through eighth grade. There were also legislators, parents, and school administrators who spoke about the importance of METCO for all of our students. We also met with legislators and their staff.
In Representative Ken Gordon’s office, we met with Seda Korrach, BHS Class of 2018, who is now a Legislative Aide. It was nice to see that Representative Gordon’s staff come from the district. This is a huge advantage for us! Representative Gordon and Senator Barrett continue to be huge supporters of the Bedford Public Schools and we are grateful for that support!
MS Tenacity Challenge
Saturday was a wonderful day for the 7th annual MS Tenacity Challenge. The event was hosted at BHS and included seventeen (17) teams from Needham, Sudbury, Wakefield, Dracut, Newton, Walpole, Westwood, Concord, and Bedford. The keynote speaker for this incredible event was BHS alum, Danae Bucci, Class of 2015, who currently works for WCVB Channel 5 News. Thank you to everyone who attended and congratulations to the students who participated. We hope to see you all at the HS Tenacity Challenge at BHS on Saturday, April 29, 2023. The event will be held at BHS.
Field Trip to NACAC National College Fair
The BHS School Counseling Department is inviting the entire 11th grade to attend the Boston NACAC National College Fair, which will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Over 375 institutions will be in attendance all in one location. It’s a great way for students to connect with hundreds of colleges in a short amount of time to learn about majors, scholarships, and more. A signed waiver form is required and is available to students in the Class of 2024 Google Classroom. The waiver form is due ASAP. Students can explore what other college fairs are available through www.nacacfairs.org and www.collegefairguide.com.
Frozen Jr
The John Glenn Middle School Performing Arts Department will perform Frozen Jr. The performances will begin with a sensory-friendly performance on Wednesday, for more information on this performance please see below. The performances will continue on Thursday, March 30th at 7 pm, Friday, March 31st at 7 pm, Saturday, April 1st at 2 pm, and Saturday, April 1st at 7 pm. The performance on Friday, March 31st at 7 pm will also be live-streamed. All of the performances will be held in the JGMS Auditorium. There will be a special Meet the Princesses event prior to the Saturday matinee starting at 1:30 pm. Come meet Elsa, Anna, and the rest of the cast!
All tickets can be purchased at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/23538 or by searching John Glenn Middle School on the ShowTix4U website. All seats are reserved and are $10 plus fees.
Sensory-Friendly Performances of Frozen Jr
Please note that there will be a “sensory-friendly” performance of Frozen Jr on Wednesday, March 29th at 2:30 PM in the JGMS auditorium. The house lights will be dimmed instead of off and movement and noise from the audience are welcomed. A chill zone will be offered that is quieter with coloring for attendees who need to take a break from the show. The cast and crew are excited to provide this performance to their peers and hope they enjoy the show.
If you are interested in attending this performance, please email [email protected] to receive the code to reserve your free tickets. Once you receive the code, you can reserve your tickets at: https://www.showtix4u.com/events/23538
Additionally, the Friday, March 31st performance at 7:00 PM will be streamed. You can purchase tickets for the streaming performance here: https://www.showtix4u.com/events/23538. If you have any questions about accessibility or requests for accommodations, please email [email protected], thank you.
Women of Science 2023
On Saturday, April 1, 2023, from 7:00 AM- 2:00 PM Bedford High School will be hosting the Twentieth Annual Women of Science Scholarship Competition! The competition involves about forty teams of junior and senior high school women scientists competing in four science and engineering events. All events involve knowledge based in the areas of biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, math, and physics. Teams compete as a group in each of the four events. The idea of creating a competition for female students, only, is guided by the interest to have more women enter science-related fields by celebrating women in science and spawning interest in science-related fields. For more information about the program please free to explore The Women of Science Website
27th Annual Regional High School Exhibit
The Visual Arts Department is excited to announce their participation in the 27th Annual Regional HS Art Exhibition to take place at the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society (LexArt) building at 130 Waltham Street in Lexington from Saturday, March 4, 2023, through Sunday, April 2, 2023. The show will feature the work of students from Bedford, Burlington, Lexington, Minuteman, Waltham, and Winchester high schools.
Annual Town Meeting
The 2022 Annual Town Meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 27, 2023, in the Bedford High School Auditorium (9 Mudge Way). Citizens may check in beginning at 5:30 p.m. All Bedford registered voters are eligible to vote at Town Meeting, and everyone is welcome to attend. The Town Meeting webpage at bedfordma.gov/town-meeting contains the warrant and other background materials. For more information please contact the Town Manager’s Office at 781-275-1111 or by email at [email protected] with any questions about Town Meeting.
Dollars for Scholars Fundraiser
The Citizens Scholarship of Bedford is proud to announce the 58th Annual Dollars for Scholars Fundraising Campaign. The campaign is now underway. Bedford High students have recently prepared the Mail-a-thon letters. The letters have recently been mailed to Bedford neighbors in hopes that we will all support the Mail-a-thon as we have in the past. Please continue your wonderful support to help make this year’s scholarships for the Class of 2023 the largest awards yet. In May 2022, CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars awarded almost $165,000 to graduating seniors. Thank you to everyone at CSF of Bedford for all that they do to support our students! For additional information, please see their website, bedfordma.dollarsforscholars.org
The Science of Well-being for Teens FREE Online Course
As many of you know, our RULER program at JGMS is based on the work of Marc Brackett, a professor at Yale University. Dr. Brackett is the founder of Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. One of Dr. Brackett’s colleagues Dr. Laurie Santos, the professor who created Yale’s most popular class Psychology and the Good Life has retooled her course into a free online course for teenagers. The six-week course The Science of Well-being for Teens uses short videos to highlight common misconceptions about happiness and teaches teens about the behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that produce mental well-being. The course is free and available to all. While I have not taken the course I do expect that many teens and families may be interested in this important topic. Enrollment opened on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. For more information about the course please visit a Washington Post article about the course or the course enrollment page at The Science of Well-being for Teens
Spring Paving
We’ve received an alert from the Bedford DPW about the schedule for the first paving project of the year. The paving project will take place on South Road from Railroad Avenue to the south of Hartwell Road. The work is tentatively scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The project involves reclaiming (pulverizing) the existing pavement, grading, and putting down the first (binder) course of asphalt. The project should take about a week to complete. The road will be closed during work days except for emergency vehicles and local traffic. The good news is that the time period is during April School Vacation Week. For more information please go to the DPW Website at https://www.bedfordma.gov/378/Public-Works
Lane School Sign
The entrance to Lane Elementary School has received a facelift! The Facilities Department unveiled a new sign welcoming you to Lane School. The new sign was installed on Thursday, March 23, 2023. The new sign is Bedford blue with white lettering on granite posts. The area around the sign has also been raked and mulched. This sign replaces the wooden sign that was installed twenty years ago. Thank you to the facilities department for working with us to design, procure, and install the new sign.
As always, thank you for your patience, your participation, and your continued commitment to our schools.
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