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Principal's Weekly
Dr. Beth N. Choquette
Bridge Street School
2 Parsons Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
413-587-1460 (phone) 413-587-1474 (fax)
Dr. Beth N. Choquette, Principal bchoquette@northamtpon-k12.us
Elizabeth Peterson, Administrative Assistant epeterson@northampton-k12.us
Jordan Celino, Secretary jcelino@northampton-k12.us
Nora DeJasu, Head Teacher ndejasu@northampton-k12.us
Translation of the Principal's Weekly
At the top of the weekly email, there's a link that reads "View it in your browser," click that and it takes you to the post on a webpage.
Scroll to the bottom where there's a black menu bar and pick the option that says "Translate."
Select the language you would like it translated in and it will then translate it on the webpage.
Traducción del semanario del director
Le gustaría traducir esta carta de noticias? Aquí están los pasos para traducirlo:
En la parte superior del correo electrónico semanal, hay un enlace que dice "Verlo en su navegador", haga clic en eso y lo llevará a la publicación en una página web.
Desplázate hacia la parte inferior donde hay una barra de menú negra y elige la opción que dice "Traducir".
Seleccione el idioma en el que desea traducirlo y luego lo traducirá en la página web.
Bridge Street School Vision and Mission Statements
Bridge Street School’s faculty and staff, caregivers, and community are committed to providing educational excellence and equity to its students by challenging the injustices that create barriers to high academic achievement, to access and opportunities to learn, to high-quality teaching and learning, and to a climate of belonging. This commitment to educational equity, where all children are successful regardless of their personal, social, or cultural contexts, is at the core of our practices, structures, and policies.
A Message from Principal Choquette
Good evening. I'm sorry I'm sending this out later than I usually do. We are moving this week and need to be out of our house by Wednesday. So today was our last full day to pack! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, despite the surge. Please take care of yourselves and stay healthy.
If you did not hear Dr. Provost's robocall today, here is the text of that call:
"From the start of the pooled testing program we have been reporting positive cases at the district level to avoid inadvertently disclosing any individual's status. During the current surge, the risk of an inadvertent disclosure is much lower because there are so many individuals out of school. Therefore we will be reporting positives at the school level until rates subside. Results of last weeks pooled testing were as follows:
NHS four positives
JFK three positives
Bridge Street four positives
Ryan Road two positives
Individual PCR lab results from Jackson Street and Leeds have not been received from the Broad Institute at this time. We will conduct Binax Now testing for everyone in the positive pools at those two schools tomorrow morning.
Given this level of virus activity, cloth masks will continue to be banned and higher filtration surgical or KN95 masks will be required until further notice."
We are going to try to do as many caregiver conferences via zoom unless a caregiver does not have access to the internet. Due to the surge, we feel this is this safest way to conduct conferences at this point. You child's teacher will reach out to you to schedule your day/time. Please also note that there is NO BASE programming from January 24-January 31st due to early release days for parent conferences and teacher work days. The regular BASE program will resume on Tuesday, February 1st. There will also be no LLP during the conference week.
There is a menu change for this week:
- Pizza will be served on Tuesday 1/11/22 at all schools.
- Tacos will be on Friday 1/14/22 at all schools. We will not have pizza on Friday 1/14/22.
It is going to be very cold this week. We will go out if it is 15 or above. Please make sure your child dresses for the cold.
Finally, please make sure you read the school reopening communication below regarding testing, mask requirements, and other important information regarding Covid-19 protocols. Please remind your children about mask wearing, washing hands, the 1 person at a time in the bathroom rule, and the 3 feet of distancing requirements. I instituted last week a "silent lunch." What this means is while food is at the table and students are eating, they may not talk. Once the table is done eating and cleaned up, they may talk with their masks on. We are trying our very best to limit opportunities for germs to spread. Please help us by reminding your students about the temporary lunch rule. This is only while we are seeing the surge in cases. Thank you for your cooperation.
Have a safe, healthy, and good week.
MLK Booster Clinic for ages 12-17
Dear NPS Community:
On January 6, 2022 the CDC expanded the recommendation for Pfizer booster doses to include ages 12 and older. The Northampton Health Department and Northampton Public Schools strongly recommend these booster doses as an important way to help our community stay healthy.
The Northampton Health Department will offer appointments for booster doses to Northampton Public School students ages 12-17 on Monday January 17th, the Martin Luther King Day holiday. You will need an appointment; walk-ins cannot be accommodated. This clinic will take place at the Elks Lodge at 17 Spring Street in Florence.
The Pfizer booster should be given a minimum of 5 months after the original series was completed. This means at least five months after the second dose of Pfizer vaccine. If your child will be eligible for a booster by January 17th, please take advantage of this opportunity.
To make an appointment for your child on the January 17th clinic, use this link:
https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/northampton?calendar=e4287dfd-fe16-4d89-a7e9-d9f50f44fd95
Information about all ongoing clinics and how to make appointments for all ages are available on the Northampton Health Department Vaccine Clinics webpage: https://www.northamptonma.gov/2219/Vaccine-Clinics
CDC Statement on Boosters for ages 12 and older
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0105-Booster-Shot.html
CDC Materials on Pfizer vaccine for 12 and older
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/bioNTech-purple-cap-12-and-over.html
Sincerely,
John A. Provost, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
Lisa Safron, BSN, RN, NCSN Director of Health, Safety & Equity Programs
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7 de enero de 2022
Estimada Comunidad de NPS:
El 6 de enero de 2022, el CDC amplió la recomendación de las dosis de vacunas de refuerzo de Pfizer para incluir las edades de 12 años en adelante. El Departamento de Salud de Northampton y las Escuelas Públicas de Northampton recomiendan fuertemente estas dosis de refuerzo como una forma importante de ayudar a nuestra comunidad a mantenerse saludable.
El Departamento de Salud de Northampton ofrecerá citas a los estudiantes de 12 a 17 años de las Escuelas Públicas de Northampton para recibir las dosis de refuerzo el lunes 17 de enero, día festivo de Martin Luther King. Usted necesitará tener una cita. No podemos acomodar a quienes lleguen sin cita previa. Esta clínica tendrá lugar en Elks Lodge, ubicada en 17 Spring Street, Florence.
La dosis de refuerzo de Pfizer debe administrarse un mínimo de 5 meses después de haber completado la serie original de vacunaciones. Esto significa al menos cinco meses después de la segunda dosis de la vacuna de Pfizer. Si su hijo/a es elegible para recibir un refuerzo antes del 17 de enero, por favor aproveche esta oportunidad.
Para pedir una cita para su hijo/a en la clínica del 17 de enero, utilice este enlace:
https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/northampton?calendar=e4287dfd-fe16-4d89-a7e9-d9f50f44fd95
En la página web del Departamento de Salud de Northampton hay información sobre todas las clínicas disponibles y cómo concertar citas para todas las edades: https://www.northamptonma.gov/2219/Vaccine-Clinics
Declaración de los CDC sobre las dosis de refuerzo para los mayores de 12 años
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0105-Booster-Shot.html
Materiales de los CDC sobre la vacuna de Pfizer para los mayores de 12 años
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/bioNTech-purple-cap-12-and-over.html
Atentamente,
John A. Provost, Ed.D. Superintendente de Escuelas
Lisa Safron, BSN, RN, NCSN Directora de Programas de Salud, Seguridad y Equidad
Important BASE Information/Changes
IMPORTANT School Reopening Communication
Important Dates
January 10: BASE New Session Begins
January 17: No School-MLK Jr. Day
January 24-27 & 31: 1/2 days for Caregiver/Teacher Conferences **Teachers will contact you to schedule. Preschool-please see schedule below.
January 28: No School-Teacher Work Day
February 9: 1/2 Day-Teacher Work Day
February 21-25: No School Winter Recess
Preschool Caregiver Conference Week
A.M. session students and full-day students only.
Wednesday and Thursday (January 26th and 27th)
P.M. session students and full-day students only.
Friday, January 28th NO Preschool
Monday, January 31st will be the same as Monday, January 24th.
Preschool teachers will contact you with the arrival and dismissal times as well as your conference day/time.
Important Health Update from Dr. Provost and Lisa Safron (English and Spanish)
Rooftop Solar Arrays for Bridge Street School, Leeds, and RK Finn Ryan Road
PTO Save The Date
- Tuesday, January 11 at 6:00 PM - PTO Meeting
- Tuesday, February 8 at 2:30 PM - PTO Meeting
- Tuesday, March 8 at 6:00 PM - PTO Meeting
- Tuesday, April 12 at 2:30 PM - PTO Meeting
- Tuesday, May 10at 6:00 PM - PTO Meeting
- Tuesday, June 14 at 2:30 PM - PTO Meeting
Final K Information Night January 20th
BSS Art News
BSS Art News
5th Grade:
The fifth graders learned about the Japanese artist: Katsushika Hokusai, who is famous for making The Great Wave off Kanagawa.They carved a Linoleum Block using sharp tools similar to Hokusai; then printed with ink to make multiple copies of their carved block.
4th Grade:
The fourth graders painted two papers, one using only cool colors and the other using warm colors. They created a paper weaving inspired by the Zuni Indian, We Wa, who was famous for their weavings and pottery from the late 1800’s.
3rd Grade:
The third graders learned about the 101 year old living artist, Wayne Thiebaud, who painted luscious cakes, pies and pastries.They used paints layered with white paint and other colors to create a thick frosting texture.
2nd Grade:
The second graders learned about Skyscrapers and various unique architectural buildings. They constructed their own cities using a variety of wooden shapes and painted them with Metallic paints. They look amazing all together!
1st Grade:
The first graders learned about the New Orleans artist, George Rodrique, who created the iconic Blue Dog, (who isn’t always Blue). Their Blue Dogs are popping off the paper to create a 3-Dimensional effect.
Kindergarten:
The kindergarteners are learning about abstract Art, using shapes, lines and patterns to create several works of art. They created a Sunset Sky using watercolors, and then used brown tempera paint to paint a tree with varied lines. They then built a vertical ladder and horizontal steps to reach up to a tree house. They look awesome!
New Curriculum Newsletter from Karen Albano
Welcome to our first volume of the NPS Elementary Curriculum Corner!I In this monthly newsletter, we will share curriculum news, offer a view into a different grade levels and curriculum, and share the many reasons we are grateful for the amazing NPS educators and all of the joy and learning taking place among the wonderful students in our schools!
Newsletter Link:
https://www.smore.com/4c1m2-nps-elementary-curriculum-corner?ref=email-content#w-5799051425
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