Dear Lurgio Families,
As we head into Thanksgiving week, I am feeling very thankful. Even in these trying times when we may not be able to gather in our usual ways, I am thankful for the health of family, friends, and our school community.
Students, I am thankful for all the ways you have stepped up to maintain our health during a pandemic. Constant face coverings, social distancing, and cohort restrictions, are all incredibly difficult tasks, particularly for you, our middle schoolers. You have stepped up to those challenges with grace and acceptance that shows a maturity that is well beyond your years.
Parents, thank you for your support on the homefront. While I have always acknowledged you as our students' first teachers, the pandemic has required you to take a much bigger role on our distant learning days. Your support of your students and our school is noticed and appreciated.
Lurgio staff, thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students and each other. Since August, you have worked to exhaustion and sometimes tears to create the best situation possible for our students. I am humbled by your perseverance and passion for our community.
While we still have a few days of school next week, I wish to take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. You have all worked extremely hard over the last months and deserve a well earned break. Be well and stay safe over the holiday!
Best,
Ed Joyce
Parent Resources
K-8 Hybrid Calendar Daily Health Screening for Students
RAL Hybrid Parent Guide Quarantine Protocols/Flowchart
RAL Remote Parent Guide RAL Welcome & Orientation Video
Bedford Reopening Plan COVID-19 Schools Dashboard
Important Dates
Holiday Travel Guidance
Please notify the school nurse of any upcoming travel plans outside of New England to determine dates of quarantine and confirm a return to school date. Please click HERE for travel restrictions from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Click HERE for definitions of Isolation, Quarantine, and Self-Observation.
Lurgio Offices Closed
All Lurgio offices will be closed during the Thanksgiving recess from Wednesday, November 25 through Friday, November 27. Offices will reopen for normal hours (7:30AM-4:00PM) on Monday, November 30.
News from Superintendent Fournier
A Shift in Contact Tracing
NH DHHS has informed us that they are no longer able to do contact tracing for positive COVID cases that originate outside of school. It is now up to schools to assist with the tracing and set the return date for students in these cases. As such, we are relying heavily on parents/guardians reporting positive cases of family members or others with whom their child has had close contact to our school nurses. We greatly appreciate you working with us to keep our schools a safe place to teach and learn.
Governor's Mask Order
Yesterday, the Governor issued a mask order for NH. Click HERE to see that order. While K-12 schools are considered exempt from that order, the Bedford School District will be adhering to it in the areas where we had not been before. The rationale behind this decision is two-fold. 1. An added layer of mitigation is prudent given the rising cases of COVID and transmission rates around us. 2. This additional measure supports our ongoing effort to keep our schools open. Thank you for your support during these challenging times.
Hybrid through the Holidays
The Bedford School District will remain in our hybrid model of education through the holiday season. Our layered approach to mitigate Covid has proven successful since the start of school. While we have seen many individual cases throughout the district, we have not experienced transmission, clusters or outbreaks. Bedford would consider a move to fully remote learning under 3 conditions:
1. Governor's Order
2. Transmission in a school or schools that we are unable to contain
3 Lack of staffing to keep a school open
Holiday Travel
The CDC recently recommended that families DO NOT TRAVEL for Thanksgiving. Please keep in mind that individual decisions made by all members of our community can have a direct impact on one another. The Bedford School District humbly asks that each of us do our part to stay safe, flatten the curve, and maintain open schools.
Physical Education/Gym Classes
School Picture Retakes
If you wish to have your school picture retaken or if you were unable to make it to our first picture days back in October, Geskus will be returning on Monday, November 23rd from 8:30-9:30AM. Unlike previous years, Geskus is offering the opportunity to pre-order, as there may be many learners who did not see the camera on picture day, not just a retake. Please see attached a JPG outlining instructions on how your students can pre-order their photos taken on retake picture day as well as information on what to do if they previously ordered photos on original day! This JPG includes your retake day as well as the unique code they will need for online ordering.
If your student is learning remotely or has a distance learning schedule on that day, they can be brought to school for retakes and return home afterwards.
Middle School Parenting Group
Parenting adolescents can be challenging in normal times, and the current pandemic has only made it more complex. As a school community, we are looking for new ways to help families navigate these new waters. In that spirit, we are looking to start a group composed of parents and school staff that will get together—virtually or in person—to discuss how to best support our students through these most challenging and uncertain times. We will delve into an array of issues including working on academic readiness and organization, developing social and emotional skills, and promoting positive, healthy habits. We’re happy to welcome anyone who is willing to share what’s been working, who is looking to learn from others, or who is just seeking to connect with other parents in a positive and productive forum. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Mrs. Fitzgerald in the main office at fitzgeraldb@sau25.net.
Contact Tracing through NH DHHS
It has been the district’s experience lately that NH DHHS is very delayed in contacting families with contact tracing information, and as a result, it’s possible that students come to school without knowing they have been in close contact with a COVID positive person (and should be quarantining). Please know that if your child has been contact traced as a result of contact within school, you will be called by the school (most likely, Evelyn Chessie, our nurse) rather than wait for DHHS. However, if the contact happens outside of school, we will not know about it. My ask is that if your child tests positive, you contact the parents/guardians of any child who has been contact traced as a result of outside of school activities, so that the child can quarantine and/or get tested in a timely fashion. Hopefully, things will slow down soon at DHHS. Thank you!
RAL Extracurriculars Update
Are you looking to get involved in something here at Lurgio? Then be sure to listen to the daily announcements (print version), check out the RAL Latest News section of the Lurgio Website and your school email for more information about what is starting up. Here are five extracurriculars that have recently started: Booked for Breakfast Club, Lion’s Den School Newspaper, Lurgio FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics, and Technology Student Association (TSA)
Staying Safe Outside of School Hours
We know it isn’t always easy, but we are encouraging students to continue using mitigation strategies outside of school hours. This means that students should be wearing masks and maintaining distance when arriving to school, departing school, and attending after school activities and athletics. Let’s work together to keep everyone healthy, safe, learning, and playing.
From the School Health Office
Please click HERE for specific information on how Bedford and DHHS are working in concert to keep our students and staff healthy. This information includes school exclusion thresholds, testing sites, and an updated dismissal note.
Updated Band and Chorus Information
The Band and Chorus are continuing to hold their rehearsals virtually through Google Meet.
Band Schedule
Concert Band meets Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 4:30-5:00 p.m.
Jazz Band meets Friday from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Chorus Schedule
Students can check the Chorus Google Classroom for their assigned Group):
On A-K in person (L-Z Remote) Days:
10:25 - 11:10 - Group 1
11:10 - 11:55 - Group 2
12:40 - 1:25 - Group 3
1:25 - 2:10 - Group 4
2:10 - 2:55 - Group 5
On L-Z in person (A-K Remote) Days:
1:25 - 2:10 - Group 6
3:00 - 3:45 - Group 7
The Band and Chorus have a combined (optional) Friday Fun Meet every Friday afternoon from 4:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Flu Shots - and Bedford's Response to Symptoms
If a student receives a flu shot and develops mild symptoms (muscle aches, low fever, etc.,) is it ok to accept a doctor’s note to explain the new symptoms?
This must be a case-by-case decision. We cannot be certain if symptoms are due to COVID-19 without testing. It is reasonable to associate symptoms with recent vaccine administration if your child usually has symptoms after vaccination; however, this is not certain. In circumstances where it is not clear whether a person’s symptoms are new and unexplained, and in the absence of documentation to explain chronic or recurring symptoms, DPHS recommends exclusion through testing for COVID-19.
BSD Food Service
Food Service has received a formal waiver from the USDA to provide FREE breakfast and lunch to all children ages 2-18 in the community through December 31, 2020. Meals will be offered at each school when students are on site and at the drive through pick-up located at the high school gym entrance for distance & remote learning students. Please continue to pre-order lunch through: https://www.sendmoneytoschool.
Breakfast is being offered every morning in the RAL cafeteria from 7:30-9. Students don't miss out! Come down to the cafe and grab a healthy, nutritious breakfast to start your school day!
COVID-19 Positive Test Protocols
Please see the following information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and New Hampshire Department of Education regarding procedures that take place if a member of our school community tests positive for COVID-19.
Athletics Corner
Winter Sports
Please view this letter regarding the upcoming Lurgio winter sports season.
Enrichment Corner
Are you looking for a challenge? Do you have an interest or hobby you would like to explore in more depth? Let Ms. Rockwell, our enrichment coordinator, help! Check out her website below for more information about the enrichment opportunities offered at Lurgio. Just click on the “enrichment opportunities” tab and fill out the application to get started.
Note: If you are interested in exploring some things on your own, check out the “resources” tab on the website.
National Contests
Interested in doing historical research on a topic of your choosing and getting involved in National History Day? Learn more about National History Day on the website and sign up to learn more.
Is chemistry more your thing? Check out the You Be The Chemist Challenge!
All information can be found at the Lurgio Enrichment Corner.
Hybrid Instruction Corner
Hybrid Schedule Calendar
We know that the new hybrid schedule can be confusing at times. In general, students with last names A-K come to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and alternating Fridays. Students with last names L-Z come to school on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and alternating Fridays. Here is a handy color-coded district calendar for kindergarten through grade 8 to help your family plan in advance.
Distance Learning Days
On Distance Learning Days, hybrid students should be engaged in different types of work assigned by their teachers on their in-person days. Students are not expected to sit in front of a computer screen for 6.5 hours, but they will be expected to complete tasks to create a bridge between their in-person days. Google Classroom is a resource for students to check assignments and tasks when they are working independently. Teachers are not immediately available to answer questions or work synchronously with students because they are instructing students in person every day. Teachers will answer questions via email if and when they are available.
Remote Instruction Corner
Google Meet Expectations:
We strive to provide the best possible education and support for our students, while maintaining the privacy within each home. We are respectfully requesting that, if possible, when your child meets in small groups or one-to-one with an educator, that those meetings take place in a public part of your home. We thank you for your consideration as we continue to support students in productive and engaging experiences.
Please find the Google Meet Expectations in the link.
Guidance Corner
The Food Pantry at Bedford Presbyterian Church provides our school with free weekend lunch bags for students who are facing hunger or food insecurity. Please contact our Guidance Secretary, Lisa Mullen, for this confidential aid.
DEA National Prescription Drug TAKE BACK Day
The Bedford Police Department is our local collection site. They will be accepting your unused and expired Rx Meds from 10am to 2pm. Click here for the DEA website highlighting other site locators, historical results, and treatment information.
Tech Corner
It is important that students restart their chromebooks on a frequent basis as Google pushes chrome updates out on a regular basis.
Please be sure that your child brings their charged chromebook to school every day they are here at Lurgio. If students are having technical issues, they should complete a BSD Help Desk Ticket.
Book Buzz
Booked for Breakfast celebrated Ann Rinaldi books for our historical fiction readers.
Another author who also researches well for historical fiction is Ruta Sepetys. We talked about two of her books: Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.
Hope you find a historical fiction book from our list today. Come to Booked for Breakfast after Thanksgiving.
PTG Corner
Upcoming: Hannaford Community Bag Program
For the month of November, Bedford PTG will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable Community Bag at the Hannaford store located on KILTON ROAD.
Amazon Smile
Make a purchase on Amazon and support the PTG! Visit AmazonSmile, and select "Bedford NH PTG" as the organization that you wish to support or simply go to Bedford PTG's unique link HERE. Bookmark this unique link as only purchases made at smile.amazon.com are eligible for donations. Now everytime you shop at Amazon a percentage of your purchase price is donated to the Bedford PTG!
Happy Thanksgiving from the PTG
We wish you a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! We are thankful for the amazing support we receive from families, staff and the community.
