Notes from the Superintendent’s Update – Friday, March 15

This is a portion of the Superintendent’s Update by Superintendent Cliff Chuang mailed to Bedford Public School community on Friday, March 15. Please find this week’s full issue of Superintendent’s Update and back issues at bedfordps.org.

Cliff’s Notes

Dear Bedford Public Schools Community,

Winter sports concluded on Tuesday with a valiant effort by the BHS boys basketball team in the state semifinal; congrats to all of our winter athletes for a great season. Spring sports begin on Monday! As we transition from winter to spring, I am pleased to share my Report of Entry Plan findings, which kicks off the final phase of my entry process of collaborative strategic planning. I will share more details in the coming weeks about how to engage in the process, but for now, I am sharing the initial Strategic Planning Survey #1 one more time. Also, as has been my habit, I am sharing a musical message that I hope will serve as call to action for the open-minded discourse and both/and-disposition that I am hoping for as we work together to determine strategic priorities for the next three years. Please enjoy Both Sides Now (featuring two BHS students, Yoana Dimitrova and Hayden McAllister–who are also performing in the BHS Addams Family musical this weekend).

Onward,
Cliff Chuang 莊宏毅
Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools

Upcoming Events

March: Women’s History Month
March 2-17: 2024 Annual Regional High School Exhibit (lexart.org)
March 1-29: Minute Madness – A Reading Competition Between Libraries
March 10-April 9: Ramadan
March 13-16: BHS Presents: The Addams Family musical, Bedford High School, Bedford High School
March 15: No School – Staff Professional Day
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
March 19: First Day of Spring (Vernal Equinox)
March 23: 22nd Annual Women of Science Scholarship Competition @JGMS
March 23: Purim
March 25: Holi
March 31: Easter Sunday
March 31: Transgender Day of Visibility

School Committee Meeting Update

The School Committee meeting on March 12th was postponed to March 13th to allow our Bedford community to support the BHS Boys Basketball team. A brief virtual-only meeting was held on March 13th at which Sarah Scoville was appointed to Chair the committee for the remainder of the current year and the Special Education Stabilization Fund policy was approved. The next School Committee meeting is Tuesday, March 26th at 7:00pm at the Select Board Room at Town Hall and via Zoom Webinar, which will include a formal presentation of Superintendent Chuang’s Report of Entry Plan findings. Full supporting materials can be found here: School Committee – Meeting Schedule & Supporting Documents. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

March 23: Women of Science Competition Volunteers & Lane Kids Sharing Science

Bedford Public Schools is proud to host the 22nd Annual Women of Science Scholarship Competition on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at John Glenn Middle School. This year’s theme is Women Moving Mountains. Each year we try to provide a positive input to committing more women to engage in STEM fields. This scholarship competition is brought to you with the help of our sponsors: the University of Massachusetts Lowell, MilliporeSigma, Sanofi, the Bedford Education Association, and the Bedford Public School. The day consists of 4 events: a pre-build engineering event, a mystery event requiring students to problem solve as a team in the moment, a trivia contest where questions range from various interpretations of “Women Moving Mountains”, and an Anything Goes event consisting of ten stations that challenge students to apply their skills in science. The day celebrates Women of Science and helps spawn interest in the STEM fields. Over a casual lunch, teams meet with women currently working in STEM fields who share their personal experiences with the students. Scholarships are awarded to the overall winning teams. Last year, the top four teams earned scholarships.

We encourage you to visit our website for more information or to register as a volunteer: BPS Women of Science Competition.

We are also continuing to share Every Rock Has a Story, a YouTube series by Ethan Baxter, a geology professor at Boston College, who came to visit the fourth grade at Lane to teach about the stories of rocks. This third video features Tate (pictured above) at 0:27 and 9:47 in the video.