Notes from the Superintendent’s Update – Friday, March 8

This is a portion of the Superintendent’s Update by Superintendent Cliff Chuang mailed to Bedford Public School community on Friday, March 8. Please find this week’s full issue of Superintendent’s Update and back issues at bedfordps.org.

Cliff’s Notes – Strategic Planning Survey #1 – Action Requested!

Dear Bedford Public Schools Community,

At the next School Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, I am excited to share my Entry Plan Findings Report with the community, which will be posted to the BPS website the following day. I am committed to creating ongoing opportunities for parents, students, and staff to provide feedback as we embark on the strategic planning process, so I ask anyone interested in engaging in this process to complete this 2-minute Strategic Planning Survey #1 to help me determine if this weekly Superintendent Update (which yields ~5000 views per update) is a helpful way to gather feedback. Because I want to ensure feedback is as representative as possible across all of our stakeholders, I ask you to identify your role/demographic characteristics to the maximal extent possible. I look forward to the next season of our work together.

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 9: Annual Town Election
March 9: 7:00pm – BEF Denim & Diamonds Bash (Cafe Escadrille, 26 Cambridge St., Burlington, MA)
March 12: School Committee Meeting – School Choice Vote 2024-2025 & Superintendent Chuang’s Entry Report Presentation
March 13-16: BHS Presents: The Addams Family musical, Bedford High School, Bedford High School
March 14: Women in Science Day at Lane School
March 15: No School – Staff Professional Day

School Committee Meeting Update

The next School Committee meeting is Tuesday, March 12th at 7:00pm at the Select Board Room at Town Hall and via Zoom Webinar. Topics include:

2024-2025 School Choice Vote
Update on the English Learner Program
Superintendent’s Entry Plan Findings

Full supporting materials can be found here: School Committee – Meeting Schedule & Supporting Documents. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

District Literacy Leadership Team (DLLT) March 2024

By Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford, Ed. D.

The District Literacy Leadership Team (DLLT) has met twice during the past three weeks, once on January 25th and again on February 15th. During the meeting on January 25th the DLLT started off our meeting with team introductions (approximately 30 members), and establishing meeting norms. We also discussed the BPS District Literacy Plan, and developed our own ideas around a shared vision for the work of the DLLT…Read more at Assistant Superintendent’s Blog.

March 14: Women in Science day at Lane School + Lane Kids Sharing Science

March is Women’s History Month. As reported by Kaitlin Curran, 3rd grade teacher and elementary science coordinator, female scientists will be visiting the Lane School on March 14 to share about their careers. Research has shown that exposing children to real-world professionals who are enthusiastic about their fields can have a profound impact on their aspirations and goals for the future. Our goal is to support our students in shifting their perceptions of what it means (and takes) to be a scientist. By connecting them with real scientists in their community, we hope to demonstrate that the world of science and technology is open to everyone, regardless of gender. We have female scientists visiting the Lane school on March 14th and we are deeply grateful to the community for their support.

Erin Campbell, a Lane School helped to organize the participation of 4 Lane School students in 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 second video features Amy (pictured above) at 0:23 and 10:15 in the video.

2024 Bedford Dollars for Scholars Mail-a-Thon

CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars awards Dollars for Scholars scholarships to graduating seniors from Bedford and Hanscom Air Force Base based on the success of our annual fundraising campaigns. Scholarship Awards are granted based on merit, with the amount determined by need. ‘Merit’ can include: academic, athletic, artistic, interpersonal, civic and community achievements. The objective is to increase opportunities for students who may otherwise have difficulty paying for higher education to achieve their goals. For more information, please visit Dollars For Scholars – CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars.