Notes from the Superintendent’s Update – Friday, January 5

This is a portion of the Superintendent’s Update by Superintendent Cliff Chuang mailed to Bedford Public School community on Friday, January 5. Please find this week’s full issue of Superintendent’s Update and back issues at bedfordps.org.

Cliff’s Notes – New Beginnings for 2024

Dear Bedford Public Schools Community,

ICYMI, here’s my holiday greeting–Bedford Superintendent Chuang’s Holiday Musical Message: Wishing you peace, joy, and love (youtube.com)–Happy New Year! The holidays for some families continue; read reflections from two BPS team members about how they celebrate January 6 in their families and culture. Also, in honor of new beginnings in a new year, I wanted to share a clip of Star Wars (with light saber bows!) from the JGMS Beginner’s Orchestra performance (arranged and led by JGMS orchestra instructor Lauren Hart) at the winter instrumental concert in December. I had the chance to speak with Lauren and her students, who shared about wanting to learn a new instrument or to take more time to learn the fundamentals of their instrument in a supportive setting. I am inspired by their willingness to try new things and work on improving their skills.

Sincerely,
Cliff Chuang 莊宏毅
Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools

Click to play: Bedford JGMS Beginning Strings Orchestra Star Wars Performance
Click to play: Bedford Superintendent Chuang’s Holiday Musical Message: Wishing you peace, joy, and love

Upcoming Events

January 6, 2024: Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) (see reflection below)
January 6, 2024: Orthodox Christmas
January 9, 2024, 6:00 pm: Resiliency Discussion with Dr. Alex Hirshberg & Principal Benoit (see below)
January 9, 2024, 8:00 pm: School Committee Meeting
January 10, 2024: Modeling Matters: What Parents Need to Know (and Do) to Decrease Stress, Worry, and Anxiety – Lynn Lyons
January 15, 2024: Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No School; 10 am- 12 noon King Holiday Celebration Planned for Jan. 15 at College, including celebration of 50 years of METCO in Bedford
January 16, 2024: School Committee Meeting
January 23, 2024: School Committee Meeting – FY25 Open Budget Hearing

School Committee Meeting

January 9, 2024 at 8:00pm (note later start time due to the Town Caucus)

The next School Committee meeting is Tuesday, January 9th at 8:00pm in the Select Board Room at Town Hall and via Zoom Webinar. At this meeting they will discuss:

SY25 District Calendar (2nd Read & Vote)
FY25 Budget Line Item Review
The agenda is available at: Meeting Schedule & Supporting Documents – Bedford Public Schools.

The FY25 Open Budget Hearing will take place at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 23rd.

January 9: Resiliency Discussion with Dr. Alex Hirshberg & Principal Benoit

January 9, 2024 from 6:00-7:00 pm at Davis School

Dr Alex Hirshberg and Principal Beth Benoit are hosting a discussion with parents/guardians on January 9th from 6:00pm – 7:00pm. The purpose of this evening is to build off of the well-received presentation he did for the community in September (Prepare the Child for the Road, Not the Road for the Child: Building Resilience to Emotional Distress”; recording can be found here) around resiliency in children. This discussion will focus on the emotional needs in the early elementary grades and how to support all students within the community. Dr. Hirshberg is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Hirshberg Behavioral Health Services. He has spent the last several years providing consultation, professional development and assessment services for dozens of districts across Massachusetts. Over the past year, he has worked closely with Bedford Schools providing consultation and professional development, including special education social emotional programs across the district. We are thrilled to bring him back to work with our parent/guardian community with a focus on students in the primary grades. This is an adult only event. A small group of High School students will be available if you can’t arrange child care. Please fill out this form, need for childcare, by Monday 1/8/24 if you plan to bring your child and have them stay in the Davis Library during the meeting.

January 10: Lynn Lyons, LICSW is coming to Bedford

Modeling Matters: What Parents Need to Know (and Do) to Decrease Stress, Worry, and Anxiety
Join Bedford SEPAC on January 10, 2024, from 7-9 pm at the BHS Auditorium for a Lenora Campoli Speaker Series event featuring Lynn Lyons, LICSW!

The current news about young people and mental health has created warranted concern, but the information can be overwhelming and hard to sort through. Parents need strategies to help their children manage their anxiety, moods, and social pressures. Based on current research and over 30 years of clinical experience, Lynn Lyons will talk about the common traps adults fall into and the key adjustments needed to prevent and help mental health challenges in our kids. Lynn Lyons is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in Concord, New Hampshire. She has been in private practice for 30 years specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders in adults and children.