Friday, January 27, 2017

Lurgio News for January 27, 2017

LURGIO NEWS
January 27, 2017
 

Important Dates

January 27 (Friday) - January 28 (Saturday)
PTG Barnes and Noble Days
January 31 (Tuesday)
Parent Teacher Conferences - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
February 2 (Thursday)
BHS Course Selection Information Night - 6pm BHS Theater
February 7 (Tuesday)
Deliberative Session
February 9 (Thursday)
Grandparents’ Day - RSVP necessary
February 10 (Friday) -
February 11 (Saturday)
Lurgio Players Performance - Beauty and the Beast
February 27 - 3/3
Winter Vacation
 

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 Cub is Nick Pellerin. Nick’s teachers describe him as very diligent and kind.  He has shown great determination in his studies and experienced some great success. Nick is also praised for his positive attitude. Thank you Nick for helping make Lurgio such a great place!

The Five Signs
Thanks to BCTV, we have a recording of The Five Major Signs of Emotional Distress with Former Supreme Court Justice John Broderick. Justice Broderick spoke to students, teachers and parents in Bedford about his own experience with mental illness in his family and the need to change our perceptions of mental illness. The show will start running on both the public (16) and school (23) channels starting on January 27. The show will be available on Video on Demand at www.bedfordtv.com.

Parent Teacher Conferences
Our last formal evening of parent-teacher conferences will be held on Jan. 31 from 5:30 - 8:30. If wish to have a conference and have not yet signed up, there’s still to do so [LINK]. Should you have any questions, please contact your student’s homeroom teacher.

BHS Course Registration Night
Course Selection for the 2017-2018 school year will take place from February 3rd-10th. If you would like to learn more about how registration works you’re welcome to attend a presentation this Thursday the 2nd at 6:00pm in the BHS Theater. The BHS principals and academic deans will be on hand to discuss graduation requirements, curriculum progressions, and how to navigate the process via PowerSchool. This video will help as well:

Deliberative Session - Tuesday, February 7
All registered voters in Bedford are invited to participate in the Bedford School District Deliberative Session on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Bedford High School Theater. Voters will discuss the Bedford School Board's Warrant, which includes the proposed budget and articles for contracts with teachers, paraprofessionals, and custodians. The voters will either affirm or revise the School Board Warrant at this meeting. For reference, here is the full budget webpage and the 2017 Warrant.

Calling ALL Moms and Dads - Food Service Substitutes Needed!
We are looking for substitutes to work in Food Service. It’s a great way to get a little physical activity, earn a little cash, and interact with these great students we have, all while helping to support some wonderful ladies with prepping and serving healthy meals to the students of Bedford School District! If you are interested at all, please contact CHRIS GABRIEL at 310-9000 x33418.

Coed Volleyball Concussion Screening - Thursday, February 2
All 7th and 8th grade students interested in trying out for the coed volleyball team must have an ImPACT concussion screening on file with the school. If you have not completed a screening during your time at Lurgio Middle School, please click HERE to register for the next concussion screening which will take place on Thursday, February 2 after school. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Demers at demersb@sau25.net.

Softball Winter Workouts - Saturdays 10AM-12PM
Attention Softball Players: Winter workouts, conducted by the Bedford High School Bulldogs Softball team and coaches, are being held on Saturdays from 10AM to 12PM at St. Elizabeth Seton Activity Center on Meetinghouse Road in Bedford. Any Lurgio Middle School student who is interested in some off-season softball activity is invited to attend. Please contact Coach Jay Brewster by e-mailing coachjayinnh@gmail.com or text to 603-377-0439 for more information and to sign up. These workouts are not mandatory and are not part of any tryout.
Pantene Beautiful Lengths Senior Project
Bedford High School Senior, Molly, McCoole, has organized a hair donation drive as her Senior Project. Middle school students interested in donating their hair to provide free, real hair, wigs to cancer patients is welcome to participate. If you would like your child to participate, please complete the permission form [LINK]. Forms must be returned on Monday, January 30 during homeroom as students will be making donations at 9:15 on Monday. All parents of students who are donating are invited to attend and to photograph the event. Stylists from Molly’s salon will also be available after the donations to style the hair of all donors. If you have any questions, please contact Molly McCoole at mollymccoole@gmail.com.

BHS Band Informational Night - Senior Project
High School Senior, Barry Lewandowski, is hosting an informational night as his Senior Project for students who are considering joining the BHS Band. If your child is considering joining the BHS School Band, and your child is in 7th or 8th grade, you are invited to this event on January 30 at in the BHS Theater from 6:30-8:00. This presentation will feature performances by all three bands. You will also get details on what they do and how to join. Both parents and students are encouraged to attend.

Registration for “You Be The Chemist Challenge”
Lurgio students have the opportunity to participate in the "You Be the Chemist" (YBTC) Challenge, organized by the Chemical Educational Foundation. The YBTC Challenge is a fun and interactive academic competition that engages students in learning about important chemistry concepts, scientific discoveries, and laboratory safety.

To qualify for the state competition, students will take a 25-multiple-choice qualifying exam on Friday, January 27 at 2:30 in the media center. The top students from Lurgio will advance to the state competition on March 11 at Bishop Guertin High School. The top student from the state will win an expenses-paid trip to the National Challenge in Philadelphia in June.

If your child is interested in participating, please fill out this Google Form to register. Registration deadline is Friday, January 20. If you have any questions,  email Mrs. Rockwell at rockwella@bedfordnhk12.net.

To prepare for the exam, CEF recommends students explore all of the study materials at ChemEd, as well as other outside chemistry resources.

Grandparents’ Day
RAL will once again host its annual Grandparent and Senior Citizen’s Visitation Day on Thursday, February 9th. Guests will enjoy the dress rehearsal performance of Beauty and the Beast. Grandchildren will meet their grandparents at the end of the production for a tour of the school followed by a light luncheon in the Media Center. Invite your grandparents to join us for this fun event!
Due to the limited seating for lunch, pre-registration is required for this event. Please complete this form and return to your child’s teacher as soon as possible or electronically to Judy Emmert no later than Friday, February 3.
If you have any questions, please contact Judy Emmert at Judy.emmert@comcast.net. This event is sponsored by the Bedford PTG.

Lurgio Players Present - Beauty and the Beast
Please join us as the Lurgio Players proudly present Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” on Friday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, February 11 at both 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. in the BHS Theater. Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for students, and can be purchased at the door or online at http://www.seatyourself.biz/rosslurgio. We hope to see you there!

Book Buzz
This morning, Books for Breakfast celebrated our BHS guest speaker, published author Autumn McIntyre! Autumn presented today to our B4B group speaking about the evolution of her novel The Element Keepers. Autumn spoke about how she got this idea for a four book series, how she manages to write while balancing Honors courses, how she develops her characters and the conflicts they face, and how she self published. A dynamic Q & A followed and we are planning a return visit due to today’s success! Mrs. Snow purchased copies of The Element Keepers for our library and you can find Autumn's book on Amazon. Autumn even gave Mr. Dorman a shout-out in her acknowledgment page! Congratulations to our Lurgio Lion becoming a successful published author as a sophomore!

Fayre Kingsley is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. She lives in a small town with her dad and rotten stepfamily. All Fayre looks forward to is the day she can leave her town. One summer night, Fayre’s wish is answered. When a mysterious woman shows up on her doorstep, Fayre learns she’s an Element Keeper. Fayre discovers a hidden world of Fairies, Keepers, and creatures she never thought existed. All good things come to a halt when evil arises at Northborough Academy for Element Keepers. A controlling government, random attacks, and intruders launch the school into danger and it’s up to Fayre and her friends to discover the truth about what’s really happening to their beloved school. Join Fayre Kingsley on the first part of her four-year journey, as she learns the truth about her past, herself, and what the future holds. The Element Keepers #1
 

Guidance Corner
RAL Guidance Counselor, Donna LaRue, MA, MLADC, LCMHC posts a weekly, helpful parenting newsletter article, as well as other relevant material on her website. This week she focuses on Service to Others. Check out Ms. LaRue’s web page for weekly Asset newsletters by clicking here.

Executive Functioning Skills:  Executive functioning skills are developmental, meaning that each these skills develop with age, and not on a set schedule. Just as children learn to walk and talk at different times, it is normal for our brains to learn to organize, inhibit, and plan at different times.

We are continuing to teach strategies to assist the students to compensate for not fully developed skills. Even after the lessons are complete, the students may continue to require guidance with specific skills or components of a skill. This unit will be something that we will practice and review throughout the year as needed. Check with Ms. Stone, Behavior Specialist for more information on Executive Functioning Skills.

The most recent unit of our Executive Functioning Skills is Planning and Prioritizing. This is a long unit as this involves multiple tasks which are not always easy to understand and implement.

Some of the lessons that comprise this unit entail:
  • How to follow a rubric
  • Breaking down large tasks into smaller assignments
  • How to estimate how much time your homework requires
  • How to plan schedule time for homework and activities
  • How to prioritize assignments by importance and date due.

For information on two simple and specific strategies for Planning, check Skill of the Week:  Planning and Prioritizing

Lurgio Tech Corner Update
If your child is having issues with their chromebook, please have them come and see us in the Tech Corner in the back of the Media Center and Mrs. Dennis or Mrs. Manley will help to resolve their issue. It is important if they accidentally damage their chromebook (and you have purchased insurance through us), that they are able to tell us the date and what incident caused the damage to happen. These details are important and required in order for a claim to be filed and accepted.

Bonus Box Tops for our School
Help us win 50,000 Bonus Box Tops for our school! Thanks to General Mills and Walmart, every Walmart-exclusive Box Tops Certificate that we clip and collect until 3/1/17 earns our school a chance to be one of 20 winners of 50,000 Bonus Box Tops - that’s $5,000 for our classrooms!

With your help, we can make a difference for our school! Spread the word and do what you can to help clip and collect more Box Tops than ever. You or your child can just bring them into the main office. Thanks for all your hard work and support!


 
Yoga Club
The yoga club meets every Friday morning in the RAL Gymnasium. For more information, click [HERE].

Take Time for School Breakfast:

Eating breakfast at school helps children perform better. Studies show that children who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to be overweight and have a better quality of nutrient intake.
We serve breakfast daily at Ross A. Lurgio Middle School between 8:15-8:50 am. A complete Grab N Go breakfast is offered for $1.25. Students may use their lunch account to purchase a Grab N Go breakfast. Options include breakfast sandwiches, whole grain muffins, bagels, and pancakes, just to name a few. All breakfasts include a variety of fresh fruit and low-fat milk.

Custom Lurgio Wear Available
Did you know that you can order custom Lurgio wear in our new school colors? Check out the BedfordWear website to see all they have to choose from.

Ecosmith Recycle Bins for Destination Imagination
Did you know that every school in the district has an Ecosmith Recycle Bin? This is a great way to donate/recycle old clothes, while helping raise funds for our teams who advance to Global Finals each year. You can put any kind of fabrics in these bins, towels and stuffed animals too. Ripped shirts and pants with holes are fine, as well as well worn shoes. Bedford DI greatly appreciates your continued participation in this program.

Bedford Community Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame Committee, consisting of ten school personnel and community members, is seeking nominations for Bedford’s inaugural class of the newly formed Bedford Hall of Fame.

The mission of the Hall of Fame is to recognize and honor those residents who have attended the Bedford School District (including West High) who have made truly exceptional contributions to the school, community, or society in general.

We are planning a formal recognition dinner at the high school for the induction of our inaugural class on the evening before the Homecoming football game in the fall of 2017. Each inductee will also be recognized during half-time announcement at the Homecoming football game. Inductees will be honored for their unique contributions, awarded a plaque recognizing those contributions, and have a permanent commemoration placed in the “Hall of Fame” located in the main hallway at the High School.

You can access the Hall of Fame nomination information and application on all school and SAU websites under the “Community” tab. There is also a button on the front page of the BHS website. There you will find more specific information about the process. Nomination applications can be submitted online or in hard copy and sent care of Chip McGee Superintendent of Schools in Bedford. Applications must be completed in full and received by the end of May 2017 to be considered for this inaugural class. Applications not chosen this year will be kept on file and automatically considered for subsequent classes along with all new applications.

We are excited to have this recognition program in place and look forward to reviewing the many applications we hope to receive. Should you have questions please direct them to Bill Hagen at hagenw@sau25.net or Mark Elmendorf at elmendorfm@sau25.net.

PTG Corner:
Volunteer Opportunities - We are feeding the teachers during conferences again! If you are interested in donating please check out our signup here. The teachers always enjoy all the food and goodies that everyone brings in. We are also looking for help setting up for Grandparent's Day. If you're interested please check out the opportunities here. Thank you for helping!

Looking for a good winter read? Join the PTG at Barnes and Noble on South Willow Street January 26th - January 29th. Shop books, games, music, puzzles and more, and simply let them know you support the Bedford PTG or show this flyer at checkout and the PTG will receive a portion of the sales. We will also have a district wide art show on Friday - Sunday, the McKelvie chorus will perform Friday evening, and elementary school staff will be leading story times Friday - Saturday (click here for schedule). Can’t make the sale? Visit bn.com/bookfairs from January 27th - February 2nd and enter Bookfair ID 12075552 at checkout. We appreciate your support!

The PTG is hosting a “New Family Welcome Coffee” for all families that are new to the Bedford School District this school year. The event is being held on Monday, February 6th at the Bedford Town Library (lower level). Your children are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. If you are interested in attending this event or if you would like more information please contact Aneesa Fallon at aa4f@comcast.net

We would like to thank NH Supreme Court Justice Broderick for speaking to our community on January 19th about the importance of knowing the "5 Signs" that may mean someone needs help, and of ending the stigma surrounding Mental Illness. For more information about this initiative please visit www.changedirection.org/nh
The Bedford PTG was a proud co-sponsor of this event with BeBOLD and the Bedford School District.

Got cabin fever? Our next “First Thursday's at Shorty’s” on Route 101 in Bedford will be on February 2nd. If you are eating in or dining out, please let your server know that you support the PTG or show them this flyer and we will receive a portion of the total sales (including beverages), good all day long.