The past month has been filled with exciting activities and learning opportunities! Students have been working hard in the classroom, jumped into recess clubs and activities, and finished their fall benchmark assessments. Our Cross Country team ran their final race last week, and our 4th grade band students have started their lessons.

At our October assemblies last week we celebrated our September successes, set new goals, and Ms. Aberle taught students our new focus theme: Perseverance. Last week BIS also celebrated Scrabble Day and our Dens had a friendly competition for forming as many words as they could with their Scrabble letters.

This time of the year is a great opportunity to learn about your child’s progress and set school and home goals for the coming months. Open communication and collaboration are key, so please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns. Parent Teacher Conferences are also right around the corner! Keep an eye out for sign-up information in the coming weeks. This is a great opportunity to find out what your child is working on, celebrate their successes, and learn about their goals for the school year.

We have had a lot of fun this fall and look forward to everything else around the corner. Click the link below to see more snapshots from our school year so far!

Mrs. Nadeau

Don't forget these events on your calendars!

October

• Mon, Oct 28 - Wear Red for Red Ribbon Week
• Sat, Oct 26 - Odyssey of the Mind Family Fun Day
• Thurs, Oct 31 - Wacky Hair Day

November

• Sun, Nov 3 - Daylight Savings Time ends (Clocks back 1 hour)
• Mon, Nov 4 - Fri, Nov 8 - BIS Book Fair
• Wed, Nov 6 - Early Release (dismissed @ 12:00pm); Picture Retakes; Parent/Teacher Conferences; Book Fair (4:00-7:00pm)
• Mon, Nov 11 - No School
• Fri, Nov 15 - Silly Socks/Mismatch Day
• Tues, Nov 26 - Early Release (dismissed @ 12:00pm)
• Wed, Nov 27 - Fri, Nov 29 - No School

BIS will be taking part in an annual, national initiative called Red Ribbon Week (RRW). Red Ribbon Week promotes and encourages students to choose to be drug free. RRW was established to honor D.E.A. agent Enrique Camarena who lost his life in the fight against drugs. Today, the program continues across the U.S. to celebrate living life free of drugs and harmful substances. The national theme this year is “Life is a Movie…Film Drug Free”.

This year's theme will help amplify the campaign's mission to encourage children, families and communities to make responsible choices and live healthy, happy and drug-free lives. It also serves as a reminder that we are all empowered with shaping the communities around us through positivity, bravery and strength. Students and staff are encouraged to wear red on Monday, October 28th to kick-off our week long event!

At BIS, we will focus on the many aspects of maintaining healthy bodies and healthy minds. Announcements will be made every day during Red Ribbon Week with important messages for drug prevention. In addition, school wide lessons will touch on the importance of self-care and developing healthy coping skills. By working together to deliver a unified message, we can help our children grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

We are encouraging families to have open dialogues at home with children of all ages, and discuss issues like peer pressure, making healthy choices, and establishing strong, healthy coping skills. Feel free to use the topics below to guide your conversations at home.

Dear Families,

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to connect

with your child over the thrill of bringing home new books to dive into again and again. Studies show that kids read more when they choose books for themselves. And fostering a love of independent reading leads to a wide variety of benefits—including academic success and improved mental health.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. If you are interested in volunteering at our Book Fair, we would love your help! Please reach out to Erin Campbell at ecampbell@biddefordschools.me for more information. We are looking for volunteers for during the school day and during parent teacher conferences.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: November 4-8

Location: Biddeford Intermediate School Library

Family Event schedule and location: Wednesday, November 6 (4:00-7:00pm)

There’s even more info on our school’s Book Fair homepage:

www.scholasticbookfairs.com Fair ID#: 5649661

While you’re there, set up a Book Fair eWallet, the digital payment account that allows your child to

shop for books at the Fair without cash. Then share your eWallet link so friends and extended family can add funds. When you fund an eWallet, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to a giving initiative called Share the FairTM. Your contributions directly support our students who need help buying books from the Fair.

Many of us still remember the rush of finding the perfect book at a Scholastic Book Fair. I hope you’ll join your child at our school’s Fair and share a reading experience they’ll remember forever.

Happy reading!

PS: Need one more reason to visit the Book Fair? Every purchase at the Fair benefits our school!

THIRD GRADE - Third grade students are learning to sing in a round, learning to decode rhythms, and playing the large Drumtastik balls in music class. They are reading and writing rhythms and then playing those rhythms.

FOURTH GRADE- Fourth grade students are learning about spirituals, learning to sing in harmony and playing the large Drumtastik balls. They are reading complex patterns and composing rhythms.

CHORUS CLUB - Our chorus club meets once a week during recess. We are learning 4 different songs that we will perform at various school events.

We started the school year learning about the 12 different types of genre that we have in the library. Currently, we are in the middle of a 6-week program on Digital Citizenship. So far, we have learned about “Media Balance and Well Being,” "Privacy and Security,” and "Digital Footprints.”

THIRD: This month, we focus on developing essential learning skills, including respectful classroom behavior, positive self-talk for better focus, assertive communication to express needs, and effective learning through planning. We are also practicing different breathing techniques to help us calm down and refocus our minds when we get frustrated in class.

FOURTH: This month, we are focusing on practicing empathy, respect, and assertive communication in the classroom. Students will learn what it means to be respectful learners and how to advocate for their needs by using assertive communication. Additionally, breathing techniques for emotional regulation will be taught as a coping mechanism for practicing patience.

With an amazing September start to the school year in PE, October provides a great chance to keep the ball rolling! We’re working hard to create a go to list, or “toolbox” of small area games for students to pull from when at recess, home, the park or with friends. Our focus is on introducing fun games and activities that require little in the way of space, equipment or people to play and enjoy! Our growing list of awesome activities includes The Lions Den and Hungry Wolf to name a few, we’ll be adding many more so stay tuned!

Art to Remember Fundraiser Update: We’ve finished creating beautiful artwork that will be submitted to Art To Remember, a keepsake program. You’ll be able to order a wide range of items printed with your child’s original artwork! You can expect to get catalogs and order forms before our November Break. You’ll have an online order code that allows you to view your child’s artwork and to place orders. These personalized keepsakes make great gifts and will be in your hands before our winter break!

3rd grade classes will start our land art lesson. We’ll watch Rivers and Tides, a documentary about Artist Andy Goldworthy and then go outside to make our own land art.

4th grade classes will start artworks about fall leaves. They’ll also get a chance to go outside to collect and draw leaves.

This week we began celebrating our students’ voice and choice by starting our Someday surprises! Students will be surprised throughout the school year with their Someday wish. We celebrated students this week by playing a special game, having an extra recess with a friend, and making a fun craft.

BIS is partnering with Tooth Protectors Inc. to offer Preventative Dental Care here at school on December 5 & 6. Services are available for students WITH or WITHOUT dental insurance.

Services are FREE to those with MaineCare, self-pay fees are listed on the permission form, and other dental insurance can be billed. To participate, please fill out this form or click on the below button to complete it online.

The Telling Room’s annual creative Writing Contest invites youth from all over Maine, ages 6 - 18, to show off their writing. A panel of professional writers and youth selects one grand prize winner, a winner from each of Maine’s participating 16 counties, and submissions are considered for publication. All forms of creative writing are considered, including poetry, prose, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, playwriting, and songwriting. All submissions must be submitted by November 15th, and all the details are listed on The Telling Room’s website.

The Biddeford Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to announce its 7th Annual Pillars of Pride Dinner and Silent Auction. The event is scheduled for October 19th at 6:00 pm at The Lincoln Hotel in Biddeford. This year, the guest of honor will be the Rotary Club of Biddeford Saco. This charitable organization has not only provided substantial donations for scholarships, programming, and students in need but also contributes countless volunteer hours to make our school system a better place, and we are excited to celebrate their members.

Tickets are on sale for $50 each, which includes entry to the event hors d’ouevres and one drink ticket. All proceeds support the needs of students that fall outside of the regular school budget. Through grant monies and fundraising efforts, the BEF is able to provide food, clothing, rent relief, and teacher mini-grants to enrich students' educational experiences.

Click Here to Purchase Tickets.

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

Lindsey Nadeau, Principal

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