Friday, April 21, 2017

Lurgio News for April 21, 2017


LURGIO NEWS
April 21, 2017
 

Dear Parents,

Many of you may have seen the Union Leader article today about the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. This program deals with the very difficult and complicated issue of suicide. Please take a look at our Guidance Corner in this edition of the Lurgio News for more information about the series itself and how our middle school students may perceive it, whether they themselves watch it, hear about it from friends, or encounter it in the news.

I hope that you and your families have a relaxing and rejuvenating week. Enjoy the break. We hit the ground running for the final push after our return in May.

Best,

Ed Joyce

Important Dates

April 24 - 28
No School - Spring Vacation
May 26 (Friday)
Teacher Workshop - No School for Students
May 29 (Monday)
No School - Memorial Day
 

Guidance Corner

Important Information About the Netflix Series: 13 Reasons Why
It has come to our attention that some Lurgio Middle School students have seen or heard about the current Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why. This series is rated TV-MA and contains scenes of adolescent bullying, rejection, heartbreak, sexual assault, abuse, revenge, depression, and suicide. It is our view that this fictionalized series of events oversimplifies a very complex mental health issue, and it carries with it the dangerous potential of sensationalizing teen suicide. Please note that we are not recommending that students view this series; it is intended only to provide you with information we feel is relevant to the health and well-being of your students. Previewing the episodes yourself will provide the opportunity for you to decide if your child should view this series. If you do decide to allow your child to watch the series, we do recommend you view it with them. Please contact your Lurgio guidance counselor if you have any questions.

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

Claudette Stone, RAL Behavior Specialist, posts helpful information about executive functioning skills, which are developmental, meaning that each of 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.  More information can be found at Mrs. Stone's Website--Executive Functioning Skills

Jack Slatoff Ph.D. is a retired clinical child psychologist with over 55 years of practice in southern New Hampshire.  Specializing in therapy for adolescents and consultation with their parents, Dr. Slatoff has been a psychological consultant for the Bedford School District for 35 years.  He continues to consult weekly at Ross A. Lurgio Middle School, and he now writes a weekly column for our news: Ask Dr. Jack [LINK].

8th Graders To Compete in the finals of the National History Bee

Congratulations to 8th Grade Lions Sarah Avampato and Caleb Richmond. They made it to the top 8 of the regional National History Bee. Lurgio was the only school with 2 finalists! Great job Caleb and Sarah. They are both off to Atlanta in June to compete in the National finals.

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.  Students whose chromebooks are out being repaired should check their school email for updates on the status of any repairs.

PTG ColorBlast 5K Registration is OPEN
The PTG is excited to announce that registration for our first annual ColorBlast 5K Run/Walk is open! Register today and mark your calendar, Sunday, June 4th @ 10:00am, for a super-fun, family event! Not a runner? That’s OK. You can walk, skip, hop, twirl, dance or stroll your way through six color stations along the 5K route that starts at Lurgio Middle school on the BHS/RAL campus. Be sure to wear white for maximum color effect (you will be blasted with food safe colorful powder). All funds raised from this event will go back into our schools!
We are looking for volunteers and sponsors for this great event. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring the event or volunteering, please contact us at bedfordcolorblast@gmail.com, or for more information please visit www.bedfordptg.org. This event is presented by Derry Medical Center.

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.

PTG Corner:
We’re planning to celebrate the teachers & staff at Lurgio during National Teacher Appreciation week May 1st - 5th. Please check out the sign ups below for opportunities. Volunteers, baked goods, and raffle items are needed for our Mobile Coffee Cart on May 2nd, and we’re hosting a Texas Sized Tex Mex Luncheon on May 4th. We appreciate your time and any donations!

COMMUNITY MEETING - Join the PTG and the Principals from all six schools for a community forum on Tuesday, May 9th@ 9:30 at BCTV (10 Meetinghouse Road). Email us with your questions or with topics you’d like to hear about from our principals. Would you like to know about the process for classroom placement? What are competencies? How to use power school or an explanation on the grading system as your child changes schools? Let us know and that’s what we’ll talk about! This is a great opportunity to interact with the principals in a small group setting and get the facts! Email Lisa Nash at lisa@eight-stars.com with your questions and topic suggestions.

Register today for the first annual PTG COLOR BLAST 5K Fun run/walk, and mark your calendar for a super-fun and colorful, family event! Not a runner? That’s OK. You can walk, skip, hop, dance or stroll your way through six color stations along the 5K route that starts at Lurgio Middle school on the BHS/RAL campus on June 4th at 10:00a.m.. Race kits available through May 5th only.

YANKEE CANDLE: Due to parent interest we have reopened our Yankee Candle sale for online ordering only. Yankee Candles make great gifts for Mother’s Day, Appreciation or Just Because. Direct shipping is free on orders $100. April 20- April 23rd50% of sales go back to the PTG, after April 23rd, 40% of sales come back to the PTG. Online ordering is available throughJune 1st. Group Code #999965479

We wish you a relaxing and safe April vacation!

Bedford Food Pantry – Items Needed for Children
Food Insecurity is a growing concern across the nation and right here in our own backyard.  Nearly 350 adults and children in Bedford qualify for food stamps and more than 167 families in Bedford meet the income standards for the government’s free school lunch program.

In light of these numbers, the Bedford Food Pantry has started a new program, School Lunch Plus, to provide students in Bedford who face food insecurity two lunches each weekend (with complete privacy/anonymity).  In order to provide two lunches for each student in need, the Food Pantry is looking for donations of these specific items.  

If you are able to donate these items (these are ongoing donations), please bring them by the Bedford Food Pantry at the Bedford Presbyterian Church, 4 Church Road, Bedford, NH. Parents/guardians, please contact the school guidance counselor or school nurse if you would like your child to participate in this program.

UPDATED 2017-2018 School Calendar
There is one change in the calendar and the updated 2017/18 calendar is now attached 2017-18 School Calendar. The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 29.

BHS Summer Course Registration
If you elected to take one of the Summer In Writing courses (Enrichment or Hybrid Enrichment), please register for summer school! This is the second step of registration, after selecting a summer course during course selection in February. Course dates, times, payment information, and the online registration form can be found here.

Registration for BASE Camp (a week-long orientation program at BHS) is also live. This summer, BASE Camp will be the week of 7/31-8/4. Please visit the BASE Camp website for more information.

Friday, April 14, 2017

Lurgio News for April 14, 2017


LURGIO NEWS
April 14, 2017
 
Dear Parents,

Welcome to Spring.  With temperatures climbing in the 80’s by Sunday, it is going to be a very nice weekend. Let’s all hope that this warm weather will green up our fields for our Spring athletes.

Enjoy,
Ed Joyce

Important Dates
April 17 (Monday)
Last Day to Order Yearbooks
April 24 - 28
No School - Spring Vacation
May 26 (Friday)
Teacher Workshop - No School for Students
May 29 (Monday)
No School - Memorial Day
 

 

8th Graders To Compete in the finals of the National History Bee

Congratulations to 8th Grade Lions Sarah Avampato and Caleb Richmond. They made it to the top 8 of the regional National History Bee. Lurgio was the only school with 2 finalists! Great job Caleb and Sarah. They are both off to Atlanta in June to compete in the National finals.

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.  Students whose chromebooks are out being repaired should check their school email for updates on the status of any repairs.

Destination Imagination Upcoming Fundraising Events
Bedford DI will be having a Bake Sale outside Harvest Market tomorrow, Saturday, 10am-3pm.
Tuesday, April 18th is Shorty's Fair Share for DI, so save yourself cooking on Tuesday!
There will also be a concession at the RAL Track & Field Meet this Thursday and the
Ecosmith shoes, bags and belt donations continue thru mid-May!  Bedford DI appreciate your support to help these teams with their fundraising efforts for travel to Global Finals in Knoxville, TN in May.

Yearbook Order Window EXTENDED!
Last day to order yearbooks is Monday, April 17 for $25*.
Cash or check orders can be turned into Mrs. Dennis in the Tech Corner in the back of the Media Center.

Online orders can be placed until 11:59pm Monday, April 17.
To placed online orders:

* A limited number of yearbooks might be available for sale in June for $30.

Questions? Contact Donna Dennis (dennisd@sau25.net)

PTG ColorBlast 5K Registration is OPEN
The PTG is excited to announce that registration for our first annual ColorBlast 5K Run/Walk is open! Register today and mark your calendar, Sunday, June 4th @ 10:00am, for a super-fun, family event! Not a runner? That’s OK. You can walk, skip, hop, twirl, dance or stroll your way through six color stations along the 5K route that starts at Lurgio Middle school on the BHS/RAL campus. Be sure to wear white for maximum color effect (you will be blasted with food safe colorful powder). All funds raised from this event will go back into our schools!
We are looking for volunteers and sponsors for this great event. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring the event or volunteering, please contact us at bedfordcolorblast@gmail.com, or for more information please visit www.bedfordptg.org. This event is presented by Derry Medical Center.

Book Buzz
Books for Breakfast Cafe hosted another Author Skype event this week with The Changelings author Christina Soontornvat. Step into spring with this exciting fantasy novel!

All Izzy wants is for something interesting to happen in her sleepy little town. But her wish becomes all too real when a mysterious song floats through the woods and lures her little sister Hen into the forest... where she vanishes. A frantic search leads to a strange hole in the ground that Izzy enters. But on the other side, she discovers that the hole was not a hole, this place is not Earth, and Hen is not lost. She's been stolen away to the land of Faerie, and it's up to Izzy to bring her home. But inside Faerie trouble is brewing, and Izzy is in way over her head. A ragtag group of outlaw Changelings offer to help, but she must decide whether a boulder that comes to life, a girl who looks like a ghost, and a boy who is also a stag can help her save Hen before it's too late.
 

BHS Senior Projects
Art Supplies Donation
For her senior project Bedford High School student, Julie Vyhanek, is accepting donations of new/lightly used art supplies.  The supplies will be donated to the Elliot Hospital and will be used for Art Therapy.  For information about her project, click here.  

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

Claudette Stone, RAL Behavior Specialist, posts helpful information about executive functioning skills, which are developmental, meaning that each of 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.  More information can be found at Mrs. Stone's Website--Executive Functioning Skills

The Executive Functioning “Skill of the Week” is Working Memory. This is the ability to hold information in your head while performing multi-step tasks.  This is more than just remembering something, but rather using that information while also completing a complex task.  If you find your child has difficulties remembering to pack his water bottle and mouthguard in his gym bag for basketball practice or often forgets to bring her completed math paper back to school, there are tried-and-true strategies that you can introduce to him or her to help. For more information and specific strategies on how to help your son or daughter develop stronger Working Memory skills, visit Skill of the Week:  Working Memory

Jack Slatoff Ph.D. is a retired clinical child psychologist with over 55 years of practice in southern New Hampshire.  Specializing in therapy for adolescents and consultation with their parents, Dr. Slatoff has been a psychological consultant for the Bedford School District for 35 years.  He continues to consult weekly at Ross A. Lurgio Middle School, and he now writes a weekly column for our news: Ask Dr. Jack [LINK].

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.

Bedford High School Graduation Set for June 10
We are proud to announce that the students in the class of 2017 at Bedford High School will be graduating on June 10, 2017.

PTG Corner:
We just want to shout a huge THANK YOU to all the parents that helped make Midnight Madness a huge success.

Volunteer opportunities:  Teacher Appreciation Week is coming and we need your help!  Please take a look at our Texas sized lunch signup and our Coffee Cart signup.  We are also still looking for a couple people to be greeters for our Science Career Day presenters.  Please check out that signup here.  

Volunteers Needed for Stand By Me:  Lurgio Middle School is hosting the 28th year of Stand By Me on Friday, May 19th @ SNHU. This event for all seventh grade students and their parents is in need of volunteers. Since 7th grade families are participating in the event we are looking for volunteers from other grades to help. This is a great event and volunteering is good way to get a sneak peak at what it’s all about. Various shifts and volunteer opportunities available. Click here for more information or to sign up. Thank you!

Haven’t signed up for the PTG Color Blast 5K yet? All participants that register BEFORE May 5th will be entered to win raffle prizes including a $100 gift card to Copper Door Restaurant. In addition, if you register by May 5th you can purchase a race kit for only $10. A race kit comes in a reusable drawstring bag and includes a Color Blast 5K t-shirt in your size, sunglasses to keep the powder out of your eyes and an individual powder packet to use at the race start “color explosion”. Register today for the most colorful, family friendly, fun run around! June 4th @10:00 a.m. at BHS/RAL campus, event presented by Derry Medical Center.

YANKEE CANDLE: Due to parent interest we have reopened our Yankee Candle sale for online ordering only. Yankee Candle offers a variety of quality products and ship direct. Feel free to share the online shopping link with friends and family, near and far, that love Yankee Candle. Shipping is free on orders $100 or more and 40% of sales go back to the PTG. Online ordering is available through June 1st. Group Code #999965479

Upcoming PTG Event: Save the date for our annual spring "Year in Review, Coffee with the Principals” on May 9th @ 9:30a.m. at BCTV.  

Bedford Food Pantry – Items Needed for Children
Food Insecurity is a growing concern across the nation and right here in our own backyard.  Nearly 350 adults and children in Bedford qualify for food stamps and more than 167 families in Bedford meet the income standards for the government’s free school lunch program.

In light of these numbers, the Bedford Food Pantry has started a new program, School Lunch Plus, to provide students in Bedford who face food insecurity two lunches each weekend (with complete privacy/anonymity).  In order to provide two lunches for each student in need, the Food Pantry is looking for donations of these specific items.  

If you are able to donate these items (these are ongoing donations), please bring them by the Bedford Food Pantry at the Bedford Presbyterian Church, 4 Church Road, Bedford, NH. Parents/guardians, please contact the school guidance counselor or school nurse if you would like your child to participate in this program.

UPDATED 2017-2018 School Calendar
There is one change in the calendar and the updated 2017/18 calendar is now attached 2017-18 School Calendar. The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 29.

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.

BHS Summer Course Registration
If you elected to take one of the Summer In Writing courses (Enrichment or Hybrid Enrichment), please register for summer school! This is the second step of registration, after selecting a summer course during course selection in February. Course dates, times, payment information, and the online registration form can be found here.

Registration for BASE Camp (a week-long orientation program at BHS) is also live. This summer, BASE Camp will be the week of 7/31-8/4. Please visit the BASE Camp website for more information.