LURGIO NEWS

August 31, 2018

Dear Parents,

The first week of school for students is always one of my favorite times of the year. After all of the summer preparation, we finally have students back, and the school begins to once again feel like much more than mere brick and mortar. The excitement that both our students and our teachers bring to this annual reopening is always invigorating, and this year was no different.

Speaking of the invigorating excitement of teaching and learning, we have a big vacancy in an important role that supports Lurgio. We are looking for a Lurgio PTG Volunteer Coordinator to work with us this year. This building-level position coordinates our Lurgio volunteers for school-wide events like Cardigan food organization, Read-a-Thon, Midnight Madness, and the 8th Grade Feast. If you are interested in this vital role, please email our Lurgio PTG Liaison amandaund@gmail.com.

Thank you to all for sending your bright and eager children back to us this week. Here’s to another wonderful year!

Best,

Ed Joyce

Principal

Important Dates

September 3 (Mon)	Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
September 4 (Tues)	Tryouts Begin for Cross-Country (3:30PM)
September 5 (Wed)	Fall Athletics Meet-the-Coaches (6:00PM)
September 6 (Thu)	Open House (6:00PM-8:00PM)
September 7 (Fri)	School Picture Day
September 10 (Mon)	Tennis Begins (3:30PM)
September 27 (Thu)	Meet the Principals Event (9:30-10:30 AM BCTV)

New News

Bedford Education Foundation (BEF) Annual Fall Fundraiser

Buy Your Tickets Now

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 7 PM @ Noah's Event Center in Bedford

This event features the RAL Jazz Band and Mr. Michael Fournier as our Master of Ceremonies!

Tickets are limited and sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Find more information about the Bedford Education Foundation on our website, or follow us on Facebook. If you have questions or would like to get involved, please email info@befnh.org.

Weekly Features

PTG Corner

Prominent Volunteer Role at RAL

We are seeking 1 or 2 individuals to fill the Volunteer Coordinator position at RAL for this school year. Your role will include monitoring the volunteer database (simplified greatly this year using google forms) and providing lists of volunteers for various events, helping with Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week and Read-A-Thon, as well as interacting with teachers regarding any volunteer needs they may have. Please email Mandy Underwood at amandaund@gmail.com if you are interested!

Back to School Greeting from the PTG!

We are looking forward to another great school year full of fantastic programs and events for our students, staff and families.

Support the PTG

Help the PTG continue to bring exciting programs/speakers to our schools like Eyes on Owls, Native American Story Tellers, T.I.G.E.R. Anti-Bullying Performance, Ed Gerety Youth Speaker, and Chris Herren Motivational Speaker. If you’d like to make a donation, simply click on the PayPal link at www.bedfordptg.org or send in a check payable to Bedford PTG in the support envelopes that have been sent home (K-8). Click HERE for more information on the PTG and programs we fund with your support. Thank You!

Lynn Lyons Event

The Bedford PTG is proud to co-sponsor Lynn Lyons, licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, on September 12th, 6:30pm at BHS Theater as she presents “Interrupting the Worry Cycle: Skills We Can (and Should!) Teach Our Children.” MARK YOUR CALENDARS! You won’t want to miss this insightful presentation!

Lynn Lyons Flyer

Looking for Volunteers

Bedford PTG is excited to introduce a new, faster, paperless way to share your information for volunteering for Bedford Schools. Instead of sending home a paper volunteer form to fill out and return, we will now offer a Volunteer Google Form for each school. To access the RAL form click HERE, or check school websites, or the PTG website www.bedfordptg.org under helpful links/forms.

PTG District-level Volunteer Opportunities

Looking for some great opportunities to volunteer this year? The PTG has several district-level and committee positions available:

Ski and Skate Committee members - Due to the success of our annual Ski and Skate Sale, we are looking for new members to be part of the planning committee.

Color Blast Co-Coordinator and Committee Members: Get in on the Colorful Fun and be part of planning this amazing community event!! Color Blast is looking for 2 volunteers to share the role of event coordinator (responsible for the overall organization of the committee and event) along with anyone that might be interested in being involved with the planning and execution of this event.

District Gift Wrap Coordinator-Work with PTG VP Fundraising and our current Gift Wrap supplier (Meadow Farms) to set up and organize the fundraiser. Coordinate with school level coordinators the distribution, collection and processing of order forms.

If you are interested in any of these roles or would like more information please email bedfordnhptg@gmail.com

Meet the Principals Event - September 27

You are invited to join the PTG and the Principals from all six schools at our annual "Coffee with the Principals" event on Thursday, September 27th from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. at BCTV (10 Meetinghouse Road). This is a great opportunity to hear what each school has in store for the year. There will be a Q & A following the presentation. Light refreshments will be served and your young children are welcome to attend.

RAL Kitchen News

Farm to School Program

We are kicking off the year with an exciting Farm to School Program! Currently the Food and Nutrition Department is partnering with Brookdale Farm in Hollis NH for lots of local produce and Brookford Farm in Canterbury NH for organic local meats, assorted cheeses and yogurt. Come have lunch on September 10th and enjoy a local grass fed burger! Or come check out our daily local offerings that include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, peaches and apples. The very popular build your own burrito bowls are back on the menu on September 18th with lots of great toppings so come enjoy a great nutritional lunch!.

Update on Compostable Lunch Trays

For the 2018-2019 school year, the Bedford Food Service Department planned to purchase compostable lunch trays per the approved petition warrant article. In performing comprehensive research into companies that provide these trays, the Food Service Department, in collaboration with the NHDES, located a new and upcoming company, Grow Plastics, to provide the new lunch trays. After much development in creating a partnership with Grow Plastics and our current paper supplier Central Paper, it has been determined that the new compostable lunch trays will not be available at the start of the 2018-19 school year. However, Grow Plastics has informed the Food Service Department that the lunch trays will be available sometime this fall, and at the very latest January 2019. The Food Service Department continues to work diligently with Grow Plastics and Central Paper on our new and exciting program.

RAL Breakfast Program

Starting on Wednesday and Thursday we will be having some yummy taste testing of new homemade recipes for the breakfast program! So stop by our new breakfast cart and taste a sample of our Zucchini Muffins using local zucchini or our Banana Streusel Muffins and let us know what you think!

Thank you,

Emily Murray

Director of Food Services

Reminders

2018 Fall Sports Information

Information, including coach contact information and the athletics calendar, can be found here on our website. If you have a student who is participating in fall athletics, you are invited to attend our fall Meet-the-Coaches Night on Wednesday, September 5 at 6PM in our Dining Hall.

From the Nurse

Hello 7th and 8th grade Lurgio Parents!

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer! Here are just a few important reminders as we start this new school year. If you have any questions, please send me an email at chessiee@bedfordnhk12.net

For all incoming 7th graders please provide a current physical for your student. If your 7th or 8th grade student plan on participating in athletics, the physicals are good for two years and must be on file in the Health Office. Please feel free to contact me if you are unsure of your student's status concerning his/her physical.

Please bring all inhalers, epi-pens and daily medications along with MD orders and allergy/asthma action plans prior to the start of school. Health forms can be downloaded from the district website and are found under the Health Services tab. Please complete forms and if possible, please attach a recent photo to allergy action plans.

Current Diabetes management plans and supplies may also be dropped off to the nurse’s office at your convenience.

Also, for incoming 7th grade students who received a letter from Mrs. Stefekos concerning the TDAP vaccine, please drop off or fax (472-5090) the updated Immunization record with the school required TDAP vaccine prior to the start of school.

I am looking forward to seeing your children on August 28th! Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Enjoy the last days of summer!

--Evelyn Chessie, RN, School Nurse

Communication

As we begin the new school year, the staff at Lurgio would like to express our fundamental belief that clear and consistent communication is essential to fostering and maintaining strong relationships between the staff and the community.

We communicate with students and parents/guardians using a variety of tools. From phone calls and emails to our website and Facebook/Twitter, we consistently strive to make all necessary information public and accessible at all times. Below are links to some of our communication resources.

General Information:

Visit our Website: www.sau25.net/ral

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LurgioMiddle

Of course, there may always be questions or concerns that we have not anticipated and therefore have not addressed in our public communications. If and when these do arise, we will make every effort to answer and address those questions and concerns quickly and professionally. It is important to understand that it is always best to begin any inquiry at the level of staff most intimately involved with the situation. In order to make any inquiry process as smooth as possible, we ask that you start at the appropriate level of the relevant chain of communication. Those closest to an issue will be able to give the best information.

For all matters regarding classroom curriculum, instruction, procedures, and discipline, please follow the Lurgio Chain of Educational Communications:

Teachers
Guidance Counselors
1. Students with Last Name A-G: Al Fredette
2. Students with Last Name H-R: Sarah Demers
3. Students with Last Name S-Z: Donna LaRue
Assistant Principal
1. 7th Grade Specific: Kristen Gauthier
2. 8th Grade Specific: Nate Fellman
Principal
Director of Special Education (when applicable)
Assistant Superintendent
Superintendent of Schools
School Board

For all matters regarding athletics and extracurricular activities, please follow the Lurgio Chain of Extracurricular Communications:

Coaches/Advisors
Athletics Director (Kristen Gauthier)/Activities Director (Nate Fellman)
Principal
Superintendent of Schools
School Board

Traffic Pattern for Drop-off and Pick-up

Anyone familiar with the traffic at the BHS/RAL campus knows that things can get a little hectic during the morning and afternoon drop off and pick up. That said, we have made significant improvements over the past year. Please click here to review the drop off and pick up practices at Lurgio.

Please note:
- The direction of the Parent Pick Up and Drop Off Area so parents do not need to make left turns at the two main intersections.
- The two-way traffic extends to the concession stand ending at the West Parking Lot; traffic should exit Parent Pick Up and Drop Off making a left to exit the campus.
- The central loop area is closed during parent pick up and drop off (except for buses and students with special needs).
As always, we ask all drivers to do the following:
- Yield to pedestrians at all times when on campus.
- Take turns at the main intersections when congestion is high.
- Be patient.

Before School Program

The Lurgio Middle School Bedford School Program is available to all families from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. daily. A one-time fee of $100.00 entitles your child to attend as often as necessary for the entire school year. Participants will be serviced by school staff in a designated area; arrangements for extra help should still be made directly with your child’s teachers.

If your child plans on attending the Before School Program regularly or only occasionally during this school year, please complete the registration form and return it, along with your payment, to the Lurgio Middle School Main Office or the Lurgio Middle School Before School Program by Friday, September 1, 2017. If there is a financial concern, please call the office at 310-9100 and it will be handled confidentially. Click [HERE] to download the Before School Program registration form.

Cardigan Chaperones Needed

We are looking for chaperones for the 45th annual trip to Mt. Cardigan. If you are interested in an all-expenses paid hiking and camping vacation this Fall, please register to be a volunteer by completing our online volunteer form [HERE]. The Cardigan trip is an essential part of the academic experience for our 8th grade students. Taking nearly 400 students up a mountain each year is no easy feat, and we could not do it without the generous support of our parent and community volunteers.

Parent Portal

If you do not know how to access the Powerschool Parent Portal, click HERE. If you have difficulty with accessing the portal, please contact Denise Boyle in the Lurgio Main Office at 603-310-9100.

Friday, August 31, 2018

Lurgio News for August 31, 2018