Welcome back to a new and exciting school year! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer and are as eager as we are to dive into another fantastic year of learning and growth. We are thrilled to welcome our new and returning students, as well as our dedicated staff who are ready to make this year a memorable one.

Our third and fourth graders spent the first few days establishing new routines in their classrooms and building their classroom communities for the year. Students attended team assemblies this week to learn more about our BIS Tiger Dens, school expectations, and other exciting opportunities around the school.

Attendance Matters: Regular attendance is key to student success. Please ensure your child arrives on time and attends school daily. If your child is ill or has an appointment, please notify the school as soon as possible.

School Start Time: Our school day begins at 7:50am with the morning announcements. Students who arrive after 7:50am need to be dropped off at the front office and are marked tardy. Please help us start your child's day on a positive note. When students arrive late, they miss out on important announcements, valuable classroom routines, and the chance to start their day with a focused mindset. We appreciate your efforts in helping your child develop this important habit. Together, we can ensure that every student has a strong start to their school day!

Here’s to a wonderful year ahead!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nadeau

Tiger Pride has become synonymous with our way of life in Biddeford. In many places, schools receive support from families of students, but Biddeford transcends that support. As a community, we are invested in local sports and school events. We’re renovating schools, building programs, and rewarding the Tiger Pride in our community by the way we honor our students.

In step with Biddeford Tiger Pride, we are embracing the tiger as, not only our mascot, but our identity. Biddeford Intermediate School has shifted our previous "team" names and school initiatives to honor the Tiger Pride in all of us.

Not all tigers are the same -- Just as a tiger’s stripes serve to identify them as an individual the way our fingerprints identify each one of us, our Tiger Dens will each represent a different species of tiger. Our teams will have the opportunity to learn about their unique tiger and how its life reflects the qualities that define Tiger Pride; perseverance, respect, inclusion, determination and empathy, qualities that every genuine Biddeford Tiger is honored to cultivate and demonstrate.

You are invited to be part of our school community! Biddeford Intermediate School is looking for interested parents/community members to serve on our School Council. We are invested in increasing and strengthening our parent/community connection. Being part of our School Council will give you the opportunity to learn more about school and be involved in goal setting to benefit our student body.

The School Council will meet every other month starting on October 9th at BIS. Meetings will be at 6:30pm and the team will alternate between in-person and Zoom. If you would like more information about becoming part of our school community, please email Mrs. Nadeau at lnadeau@biddefordschools.me for more information and a link to the first zoom meeting. Thank you for your consideration.

Don't forget these events on your calendars!

September

• Wednesday, Sept 11 - Early Release (BIS dismissal @ 12:00)
• Tuesday, Sept 24 - Picture Day
• Thursday, Sept 26 - BIS Flu Shot Clinic

October

• Wednesday, Oct 2 - Early Release (BIS dismissal @ 12:00)
• Wednesday, Oct 9 - Parent Council @ 6:30pm
• Thursday, Oct 10 - Fundraiser Closes
• Friday, Oct 11 - No School for Students
• Monday, Oct 14 - Indigenous Peoples' Day (No School)
• Mon, Oct 28 - Wear Red for Red Ribbon Week
• Thursday, Oct 31 - Wacky Hair Day

Biddeford Intermediate School will have an influenza (Flu) vaccination clinic on Thursday, 9/26/24. We will be partnering with Northern Light Home Care & Hospice to provide this clinic to our students.

Please click here to complete the consent form by Thursday, 9/19/24 at 12 Noon. You must complete all fields. Although the vaccine is provided at no charge, there is a cost to administer the vaccine. We appreciate it if you included accurate insurance information. There is no out-of-pocket cost, and those without insurance will be vaccinated with the appropriate form completed. Children presenting with an incomplete form will not receive their vaccine.

• You will be notified if there is a change in the planned dates of school flu clinics.

• The Vaccine Information Sheets are included in the link after the consent form. Please take a minute to read these.

• If you need a translated form or are unable to complete an electronic form, please let the school nurse know, and we will send a paper form home.

All clinics will have injectable vaccine. In addition, FluMist (nasal spray) may be available at some clinics. We cannot guarantee it for all clinics. Unless you clearly mark which type of vaccine you prefer, and there is no contraindication to either type of vaccine, the nurse at the clinic will determine which type of vaccine to use for your child.

For information about flu and the vaccine, click here. For questions about the flu vaccine, call Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) at 1-800-867-4775, Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm. For questions about the vaccine clinics at our school, please call the Nurse Lexi at 207-282-5957.

Interested in Odyssey of the Mind? The new season of OM will begin soon. A tentative information meeting will occur on September 30th depending on interest.

Please sign up to learn more by completing this form.

For more updates, follow their Facebook Page.

Our backpack program is in place to help keep our students fed! A bag of assorted food and snack items is sent home with enrolled students every week, typically Friday afternoons.

If you would like to enroll your child in the program, please reach out to their teacher or contact:

Ms. McKenzie (Social Worker) - emckenzie@biddefordschools.me

Ms. Aberle (Resiliency) - jaberle@biddefordschools.me

This week, Mrs. Michaud hosted a Book Tasting for her third grade class! Students had the opportunity to sample different books from a variety of genres. Just like tasting new foods, this was a fun way to "taste" different kinds of stories and discover new favorites. Students were very excited and had a great time. Thank you Mrs. Michaud!

Our School Counselor Mrs. Guay is on maternity leave this fall. While she is at home snuggling her little one, we are thrilled to be able to kick off some of her programming through support from our Resiliency Coordinator and Social Worker. While many of the student groups will start after she returns, we would love your input to set the stage for a successful year!

A letter went home earlier this week asking parents for input on enrolling their students in small groups to learn about friendship, coping skills, mindfulness, and dealing with worry and/or family changes. Small groups are part of our comprehensive school counseling program, which is available to all students. If you did not receive the letter or would like to talk about small groups further, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Aberle at jaberle@biddefordschools.me or by calling BIS directly.

We may send text alerts in addition to email messages regarding important changes in the school day. Texts will be coming from a 98900 number. Please be advised this is a legitimate number, and blocking it could affect future messaging.

The School District has partnered with Talking Points to bring families a two-way translated communication tool. Please see the information below for more information and how to download the app.

• Android users: Download the app here

• Apple users: Download the app here

Email: lnadeau@biddefordschools.me
Website: www.biddefordschools.me
Location: 335 Hill Street, Biddeford, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 282-5957
Facebook: www.facebook.com/biddefordintermediate