Friday, May 27, 2016

Lurgio News for May 27, 2016


LURGIO NEWS
May 27, 2016

Dear Parents,

As we head into the last little break before the big summer break, I want to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day.

Enjoy the weather this weekend!

Sincerely,

Ed

Important Dates

May 30 (Monday)
NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
June 1 (Wednesday)
Teen Drug Prevention:  “Risky Business” BHS Theater 6:30pm presented by nationally renowned Michael Nerney
June 2 (Thursday)
Spring Concert - BHS Theater 7:00pm
June 3 (Friday)
Eighth Grade Dance 7:00-10:00pm
June 8  (Wednesday)
Eighth Grade Awards Night - BHS Theater 6:00pm
June 15 (Wednesday)
Last Day of School 1:15pm Dismissal

RAL Cub of the Week
Each week, teachers nominate students for the Cub of the Week Award. Nominated students are those who have shown exceptional kindness, tolerance, and respect during the week. Each Friday, the Lurgio administration and guidance staff will review all nominees and will select the the “Cub of the Week.” The Cub will be announced in the Lurgio News.

This week’s Cubs of the Week are the Student Council Tour Guides for our 6-7 Grade Transition Night. We had a fantastic night meeting the parents of our incoming seventh graders, but the student-led tours were by far the highlight of the evening. Thank you to all the Student Council students who participated!

Michael Nerney PTG-Sponsored Presentation
The PTG is proud to be bringing nationally-renowned speaker, Michael Nerney, back to Bedford to present: Risky Business, Why Adolescents Love Risk-Taking, and How We Can Help Manage It. The presentation will take place in the Bedford High School Theater, and it begins at 6:30PM on June 1, 2016.

110 mph on the highway, music blaring, open containers, four teens in the car…. Why do adolescents find drinking alcohol and engaging in high-risk behaviors so attractive?  Recent research on the adolescent brain clearly demonstrates that adolescents perceive and process risk assessment in ways that are remarkably unlike adults.  Changes in receptor site numbers and sensitivity, neurotransmitter action, and social-emotional responses all combine to influence how teens evaluate risk.  In this program, Mr. Nerney will offer new ways to think about and talk about adolescent risk reduction, including access to structured risk taking, and the use of “gist” language.  These concepts can be applied across the spectrum of adolescent risky behaviors, including drug and alcohol use, sexual activity, and others.  
Click here for complete description.

2016-2017 Chromebook Program Selection Open
The Bedford District is asking parents of students currently in grades 6 thru 8 to select an option for your student to participate in the District’s Chromebook 1-to-1 Program. We believe this program is a tremendous opportunity for our students and teachers to improve teaching and learning.

Our Chromebook 1-to-1 Website has detailed information for parents regarding the program and we encourage parents to review the 1-to-1 Program and Parent Resources sections.

Parents are asked to purchase a Chromebook device for their student choosing one of the following options:

  • Purchase a Chromebook on your own,
  • Purchase a Chromebook directly from the district (with optional accidental breakage/theft insurance) with a one-time payment,
  • Lease to Own a Chromebook directly from the district with an annual payment for 3 years (accidental breakage/theft insurance included).

For families that do not opt into the Chromebook 1-to-1 Program, a loaner will be provided to the student during the school day.  The loaner must be checked in and out daily and will not be allowed to leave the school.

Please click on this link to select the option for your student to participate in this exciting program. We are asking that parents submit their selection for their child by June 3rd so that we can secure the best pricing and plan for purchasing and deployment.

1:1 Initiative & Student Agendas - NEW INFORMATION
As you probably know, Lurgio will be going 1:1 with Chromebooks for students. We will be working with students in the 1:1 environment on managing their daily lives and due dates using the Google productivity suite. However, we recognize that some students will be more comfortable using a paper agenda planner to stay organized, particularly in the first year of the 1:1 initiative. Therefore, we will be ordering agendas for any student who wants one for next year. ORDERING INFORMATION WILL BE SENT OUT UNDER A SEPARATE EMAIL NEXT WEEK.

Four-way Stops on County Road Continue
​The intersections at Nashua Road and County Road in front of Bedford High School and
​at​ Liberty Hill Road and County Road in front of McKelvie School ​will remain 4-way stop intersections​ through the end of the school year.

On May 25, Bedford Police Department met with the school district, ​the Department of Public Works and our engineering consultant​ and decided to extend the temporary change.  More information can be found on the Bedford Police Department website.

BHS Fall Sports Sign-ups
Attention all 8th grade students interested in fall sports at Bedford High School. There will be sports signups held at Lurgio on Wednesday, June 1st 3:00PM. All students will be finished with signups by dismissal, and no special plans for student transportation need to be arranged. Please click here for a list of sports and sign-up room locations.

Bedford Crew Club Summer Camp
Interested in rowing this summer?  The Bedford Crew Club is once again holding a camp for current 7th and 8th graders (those who will be entering 8th and 9th grade in the fall of 2016).  The camp will be held July 18th – 22nd and is open to anyone in this age group who wants to learn to row or improve his/her current skills.  Campers must be enrolled in the Bedford School District.  Campers will be broken down into groups by experience and ability, no experience is necessary.  Lots of fun and laughs are guaranteed!  It’s a great opportunity to see if rowing is what you might like to do in high school.  Or, if you know it’s what you want to do, it’s a great way to get a head start!  To register, click here:  Bedford Crew/Granite State Rowing Camp Online Registration .  See attached for more information, or email Lori at lashooh@comcast.net.

Lion’s Den
Please check out the latest issue of the student-produced newspaper [LINK].

Media Center Resources
Lurgio’s Library Media Generalist, Mrs. Snow, invites you to visit the Digital Resources and Databases website and explore the variety of resources available to the Lurgio Middle School Community 24/7. Username and password for these resources is “lurgio”.

These databases are the kind of quality resources that the Library Media Center strives to provide the students of Lurgio Middle School as Mrs. Snow works to support the RAL curriculum, promotes information literacy and digital citizenship, and spreads the love of reading.

Guidance Corner
Youth Counselor, Donna LaRue, MA, is a NH Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor as well as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor.  She posts a weekly, helpful parenting newsletter article, as well as other relevant material on her website. Check out Ms. LaRue’s webpage for more information about drug abuse prevention as well as past asset newsletters by clicking here.

On May 24th Lurgio hosted a drug prevention program titled “High and Seek”.  Sinfonia Family Services of NH presented an informative demonstration of the ways in which teenagers hide their drug and alcohol misuse in plain sight.  Using material marketed to drug users from stores such as Amazon, Spencers, Headlines and Spider Bite teenagers store, transport and use drugs and alcohol at home, in cars and at school without adults realizing it.  Practical advice about how to talk to teens if you suspect or know there is alcohol or other drug use going on is available on my webpage (link above).  Click here for a link to this week’s article, including pictures of materials used by drug using teens.

Social Media Apps
Guidance Intern Sarah Demers will be posting information about social media apps that may be popular with students. Click on the link below to access links to all apps posted about so far this year. What's that App: Table of Contents

Social Media: A Predator's Playground
On April 4, the Bedford Police Department's Detective Matt Fleming presented Social Media: A Predator’s Playground to the community.  Here is the video link in case parents want to watch.  Social Media: A Predator's Playground Presented by the NHICAC and the Bedford Police Department, Bedford High School, April 4, 2016
BHS Orientation program (AKA: BASE Camp)
BHS Freshmen Orientation
August 1-5, 2016
8:30am-2:30pm @ BHS

This opportunity will allow your student to be exposed to "life at BHS" prior to the start of school. Teachers and Counselors have created a program that is fun, effective and informative. Topics include but are not limited to:  
-Study skills
-Note-taking & test taking strategies
-Understanding competencies & grading
-Real World Learning hours (your child can also earn these for coming)
-Digital Portfolio & graduation requirements
-Practice with locker and walk-through using their schedules
-Finding balance and managing stress

To register or for more info:

Attention In Writing Summer Course Registrants
Students who registered for an In Writing summer course during course registration now need to fill out the Summer School Registration form. Please register, review summer attendance policies, and note the course calendar on the Summer School tab of the BHS website. Please also note that students will not need their Chromebooks for the In Writing courses! After completing the registration process, you will receive an email with more information and payment instructions.

Spanish Summer Camp
Students entering 2nd grade-8th grade will be exposed to Spanish in fun immersive language environment on July 11th-14th from 8:00am-11:30am at Bedford High School. There will be different themes each day taught by highly trained and certified teachers with teenaged team leaders. Students will be in appropriate age and ability groupings. No Spanish experience is required. Email Laura Chenette at chenettel@sau25.net with questions or to register, spaces are limited.

Tree Clearing and Other Summer Construction Projects
The Bedford School District completes significant maintenance projects every summer. McKelvie is having an older section of roof replaced and getting an upgrade to two student bathrooms in need of replacement.  At Peter Woodbury, the parking lot is being replaced and traffic flow is being reconfigured.  You may notice this project in late June or early July when the trees in front of Peter Woodbury are removed to make way for the expanded parking lot.  

PTG Corner

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY!

Pre-Order your child’s school supplies for next year through the Bedford PTG and SchoolKidz, a Staples Company. Order forms for students entering Kindergarten through 8th grade will be going home with your student in the next week (Riddlebrook 1st and 4th grade not included). This year we are offering pre-packaged grade level specific supply lists, name brand supplies at competitive prices and online ordering (no shipping fees). All supplies will be delivered directly to your students homeroom, clearly labeled, ready to go on the first day of school. Click here for more information.

TWO SPECIAL EVENTS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Please join the Bedford PTG at our last coffee with Superintendent Chip McGee and School Board Chairperson, Bill Kassler on Thursday, June 2nd at BCTV @ 9:30a.m.. There will be a short presentation followed by a Q&A. This is a great opportunity to hear what’s happening at the district level and ask questions. Light refreshments will be served and your young children are welcome to attend. Email your questions ahead to bedfordNHPTG@gmail.com

The PTG is proud to bring back Michael Nerney, international lecturer and teenage risk behavior specialist, to present “Risky Business: Why Adolescents Love Risk Taking and How We can help Manage It”. Join us in the BHS Theater on Wednesday, June 1st at 6:30p.m. for this must see presentation.

A SPECIAL CHANCE TO WIN - GOOD LUCK!

Families of current and entering High School Students, the PTG has a few raffles happening that you may be interested in… We are raffling two Chromebooks at $10/ticket; we have two parking spaces (1 for a rising junior and 1 for a rising senior) at $25/ticket and, in conjunction with the Bedford Education Foundation, we are raffling off 4 sets of 4 seats for graduation seating. There are lots of chances to win and the prizes make great gifts this time of year! For tickets or more information please contact Anna Raike at aleraike@hotmail.com, or Sheila Heald at healds@comcast.net

Friends of Aine Kid’s Try-athlon - August 14, 2016​
Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Friends of Aine Kid’s Try-athlon to be held on Sunday, August 14, 2016. The only event of its kind in the area, the kid’s try-athlon is designed specifically for children ages 4-15 years, in memory of Aine Phillips, who was a student at Riddle Brook School. Beginning at the Bedford town pool and ending at the Bedford High School, participants ages 4-10 years will swim 25 yards, run 1/2 mile and bike 1 mile. Older participants ages 11-15 will swim 50 yards, run 1 mile and bike 2 miles. Official race times for all participants are recorded by Millennium Running. At the finish line, families are invited to enjoy music, a jump rope event, face painting, concessions, raffle prizes and more! The Friends of Aine Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and was established in Aine’s memory to help grieving children. For more information, to make a donation or to register, please visit www.friendsofaine.com or www.facebook.com/friendsofaine.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Lurgio News for May 20, 2016


LURGIO NEWS
May 20, 2016

Dear Parents,

Science NECAP, Early Dismissal Drill, and Stand by Me, oh my! We certainly had quite a week at Lurgio. As we race to the finish over the next four weeks, I am constantly reminded of the dedication of our students, the professionalism of our staff, and the support of our community. I feel truly fortunate to be the principal of such a terrific school.

Sincerely,

Ed

Important Dates

May 20 (Friday)
Final All-school Dance
May 24 (Tuesday)
High and Seek - Adults ONLY - Anti Drug Presentation
May 25 (Wednesday)
6-7 Transition Night
May 27 (Friday)
NO SCHOOL - Teacher Workshop Day
May 30 (Monday)
NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
June 2 (Thursday)
Spring Concert - BHS Theater
June 3 (Friday)
Eighth Grade Dance 7:00-10:00pm
June 8  (Wednesday)
Eighth Grade Awards Night - BHS Theater 6:00pm
June 15 (Wednesday)
Last Day of School

RAL Cub of the Week
Each week, teachers nominate students for the Cub of the Week Award. Nominated students are those who have shown exceptional kindness, tolerance, and respect during the week. Each Friday, the Lurgio administration and guidance staff will review all nominees and will select the the “Cub of the Week.” The Cub will be announced in the Lurgio News.

This week’s Cubs of the Week are the entire Lurgio student body. As you all know, we had an early dismissal on Thursday in the midst of an emergent situation. And while there was never any real danger to students, these events themselves had the potential of creating stress and anxiety among our students. Our students met this stressful and anxious situation with a poise and calm that far exceeds their years. Way to go Lions!

1:1 Initiative & Student Agendas
As you probably know, Lurgio will be going 1:1 with Chromebooks for students. We will be working with students in the 1:1 environment on managing their daily lives and due dates using the Google productivity suite. However, we recognize that some students will be more comfortable using a paper agenda planner to stay organized, particularly in the first year of the 1:1 initiative. Therefore, we will be ordering agendas for any student who wants one for next. Orders will be placed on a prepayment basis, and we will be accepting payments May 31-June 3. We will have specific information about price as soon our final quotes come in from the agenda companies, but these student agendas have typically cost around $2. Please be on the lookout for more information in the Lurgio News next week.

*** IMPORTANT TRAFFIC NOTICE - TEMPORARY TRAFFIC PLAN ***
Please CLICK HERE for information about a temporary traffic plan being implemented by the town of Bedford in order to study traffic patterns at key intersections around the BHS/RAL campus and the McKelvie Intermediate School.

Developmental Asset Survey
We are administering the Developmental Asset Survey (DAP) to students during the week of May 23rd. This survey is anonymous and optional, and the purpose of the survey is to collect information about the positive developmental assets that support successful learners in school. The survey does not ask any questions about risky behaviors. For more information about our administering of the DAP survey, please click here. For a copy of the full survey, please click here. To complete an opt-out form for your child, please click here.

Book Buzz


The following Book Buzz is from a happy anonymous Books for Breakfast participant:
Why not kick off summer with a hilarious book?  Check out The Last Boy at St. Edith's by Lee G. Malone. Seventh grader Jeremy Miner's mom works at an academy that had more girls than boys in their experiment with co-education. Slowly but surely, the boys changed schools until Jeremy was the last boy at St. Edith's. This is a huge problem. He decides that getting expelled by playing hilarious pranks is his ticket out. As you can expect, the silly pranks backfire and Jeremy's problems get even bigger. This is a fun book to read!

BHS Fall Sports Sign-ups
Attention all 8th grade students interested in fall sports at Bedford High School. There will be sports signups held at Lurgio on Friday, June 3rd 3:00PM. All students will be finished with signups by dismissal, and no special plans for student transportation need to be arranged. Please click here for a list of sports and sign-up room locations.

Lion’s Den
Please check out the latest issue of the student-produced newspaper [LINK].

Media Center Resources
Lurgio’s Library Media Generalist, Mrs. Snow, invites you to visit the Digital Resources and Databases website and explore the variety of resources available to the Lurgio Middle School Community 24/7. Username and password for these resources is “lurgio”.

These databases are the kind of quality resources that the Library Media Center strives to provide the students of Lurgio Middle School as Mrs. Snow works to support the RAL curriculum, promotes information literacy and digital citizenship, and spreads the love of reading.

Guidance Corner
As summer approaches consider spending time exploring career and/or college ideas with your kids. Whether you go on a road trip, or check out options online, consider starting having fun planting the seeds now. Click here for this week's article focusing on the asset "Commitment to Learning".


BHS Orientation program (AKA: BASE Camp)
BHS Freshmen Orientation
August 1-5, 2016
8:30am-2:30pm @ BHS

This opportunity will allow your student to be exposed to "life at BHS" prior to the start of school. Teachers and Counselors have created a program that is fun, effective and informative. Topics include but are not limited to:  
-Study skills
-Note-taking & test taking strategies
-Understanding competencies & grading
-Real World Learning hours (your child can also earn these for coming)
-Digital Portfolio & graduation requirements
-Practice with locker and walk-through using their schedules
-Finding balance and managing stress

To register or for more info:

Social Media Apps
Guidance Intern Sarah Demers will be posting information about social media apps that may be popular with students. Click on the link below to access links to all apps posted about so far this year. What's that App: Table of Contents

Attention In Writing Summer Course Registrants
Students who registered for an In Writing summer course during course registration now need to fill out the Summer School Registration form. Please register, review summer attendance policies, and note the course calendar on the Summer School tab of the BHS website. Please also note that students will not need their Chromebooks for the In Writing courses! After completing the registration process, you will receive an email with more information and payment instructions.

Spanish Summer Camp
Students entering 2nd grade-8th grade will be exposed to Spanish in fun immersive language environment on July 11th-14th from 8:00am-11:30am at Bedford High School. There will be different themes each day taught by highly trained and certified teachers with teenaged team leaders. Students will be in appropriate age and ability groupings. No Spanish experience is required. Email Laura Chenette at chenettel@sau25.net with questions or to register, spaces are limited.

PTG Corner
Today we celebrated our last Books for Breakfast Cafe for the school year. Thank you to those parents who volunteered to bring in special treats each month. Students enjoyed meeting to discuss their love for literacy while enjoying a special treat.
Please save the date for two upcoming community events:

The PTG is proud to bring back Michael Nerney, internationally known lecturer and adolescent risk behavior specialist, at the BHS theater on June 1st at 6:30 for his presentation for parents: “Risky Business, Why Adolescents Love Risk-taking and How We Can Help Manage it”.

On Thursday, June 2nd the PTG will be hosting Superintendent Chip McGee and School Board Chairperson Bill Kassler for a “Year in Review” at BCTV, 9:30 - 10:30a.m.. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A. Light refreshments will be served and your young children are welcome to attend. We will be accepting questions via email at bedfordnhptg@gmail.com

Stand by Me 2016
Thank you for taking the time to come and participate in our annual Stand By Me event today. We hope that you all enjoyed spending special time with your child. We want to thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out the evaluation forms in each of your sessions. Your feedback is so very important and we do take your feedback very seriously when planning our event each year. If you have any additional feedback to share, please contact our Co-Chairs Lisa Nash at: lisa@eight-stars.com or Shana Potvin at: shanapotvin@gmail.com. Thank you to all those who volunteered their time to make our event a success.