2 Parsons Street

Northampton, Massachusetts 01060

413-587-1460 (phone) 413-587-1484 (fax)

Beth N. Choquette, Principal bchoquette@northamtpon-k12.us

Elizabeth Peterson, Administrative Assistant epeterson@northampton-k12.us

Nicole Sawula, Senior Clerk nsawula@northampton-k12.us

Good afternoon. I'd like to start by thanking all of the parents that joined us for the parent forum last Friday. It was an incredibly difficult meeting but one that needed to happen. I know how much courage it takes to stand up and express your feelings in front of many people. So thank you.

Over the past 6 years that I've been at Bridge Street School, one of the many things I've enjoyed is the feeling of community and family. I love how we've worked together to make the best school for our kids. We have now hit a rough patch and I want to fix it, but I can't do it by myself, we need to work together. To work together we all have to be willing to listen to each other, we have to be willing to hear the facts, we have to be flexible, we have to look at a situation from all sides, but most of all, we have to do it together without passing judgement on each other. We MUST assume the best intentions.

In the meeting I heard frustration about the lack of communication. I am sorry for that and I pledge to do my best to keep you updated on the inclusion model as well as the budget. I will also keep you informed as to any changes that are to come. It is heartbreaking to only hear the negative and to read only about the negative in the paper when there are are so many positives to share about our students and our school.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of watching the best high school musicians in Western Massachusetts perform at UMass. I was struck by something the choir director said to the audience, which I shared with my faculty and staff. He said, "We are all part of an ensemble, and an ensemble is another word for community. An ensemble works together to build people up so that they can make beautiful music together." That quote made me think of our school community because we too are an ensemble and if we work together we will build each other up to make our wonderful school even more wonderful.

Thank you for your continuous support of BSS!

Bridge Street K-5 Students will be visiting Historic Northampton next week to see a real live Oxen team! Students will also learn about how Oxen are used for Oxen logging. Please be on the lookout for a permission slip. The date for this walk over to Historic Northampton is January 23rd. More details about the time will be in the permission slip. How exciting for our students!

VINS (Volunteers in Northampton Schools, Inc.) is an organization that places valuable volunteers in our classrooms to enhance the offerings of the teaching staff. If you would like to volunteer your time, please contact the coordinator at 587-1332.

I know parking has been an ongoing issue at BSS, but I am getting complaints from the bus/van drivers that folks are parking on both sides of Parsons Street. If people park on both sides the buses/vans can't get through. I have no control over parking tickets. If you are in walking distance, the walking school bus is a great opportunity to walk to school with a community of students and families. You can get more information on the PTO's website regarding the walking school bus. The school administration in conjunction with the parents and city council have been working to come up with solutions to help the traffic and parking situation at BSS. The walking school bus is one way we are hoping to decrease the traffic during the arrival time.

The winter benchmark session runs from January 2nd-19th. Students have been getting tested in math and reading using our Aimsweb Plus assessment as well as the BAS (benchmark assessment system).

Earlier this week I sent a notice home regarding the expiration of our IXL license. Due to the numerous online programs we pay for, we can no longer pay for the IXL license. Students can access their Symphony Math accounts from home. If you need the username and password for your child's account, please contact your classroom teacher.

Thank you Nurse Jessica. Check it out!

As I stated in my Principal's Chat this week, I will be providing an update to families and staff regarding the implementation of the inclusion model on a weekly basis. To start off this week, I wanted to encourage all families to review the communication that was sent home yesterday, if you have not already. There is an electronic version of the letter to families available on the Bridge Street School website.

In addition to the information shared within the letter, I wanted to share with you that our School Council has asked to chair a school-wide meeting for families on January 25th at 6:00 p.m. in the library. Our School Council consists of teachers, parents, as well as myself. We have also asked district administrators to attend to answer questions. This meeting is designed to help you better understand the data that was sent home.

Additionally, on Wednesday, January 24th, our Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), as well as our Outreach Social Worker will be hosting two workshops for our faculty and staff. The topics of these workshops include De-escalation and Behavioral Support Strategies, as well as Communicating Effectively with Children. These topics are being offered to all of our teachers, as well as our staff. These topics were chosen from feedback provided by our educational support professionals (ESPs) in an online survey, as well as from conversations with our faculty who have asked for the opportunity to have more training on de-escalation strategies.

Also, as discussed in the parent meeting held last Friday, we have extended an invitation to our faculty and staff to join district administrators, as well as myself in a collaborative discussion about the needs of our students, as well as the deployment of current resources on the upcoming Teacher Workday. The feedback I received from our families and teachers during that meeting is that a joint brainstorming session would allow everyone's ideas and voices to be heard as we determine how best to allocate our current resources and to identify the specific additional resources that would be helpful to our school community.

Finally, I want to assure you of my commitment to meeting the needs of our students. While we have had some real struggles, many of our students experience success everyday. We are a community who cares so deeply for our children and I'm grateful that our School Council has offered to help us come together more collaboratively as we plan for our students this year and next.

This year Dr. Provost has added two more additional staff to our school. The additional person in one of the first grades, as well as the additional person to help in the kindergarten and other classrooms. He has also given the okay to hire a long-term substitute (licensed teacher) to take the place of one of our third grade co-teachers in order to provide better IEP services for some of our students. This has not been decided yet. Carol Ruyffelaert has been helping with that when she can as she is dually certified in both special education and general education, however, we are still discussing how we want to implement this and who will provide the services on a more permanent basis.

Next year I am hoping to add more behavioral support/tiered support as well as more support at lunch/recess. The budget process for next year is just beginning so we will see if we can make the funding work.

The school council and I turned in our hopes for the expenditures and supplemental accounts next year. Again, we are just beginning the budget process, so where we will end up, I don't know yet. The biggest change we are hoping for is being able to pay teachers to have more time to plan/collaborate together. We also added a bit more to the supply budget in order for teachers to have more money for supplies they need in their classrooms.

As you know, on January 8th we had to call a stay in place due to an ill teacher needing transport to the hospital. Fourth grade families were informed that that teacher, Ms. Paixao, would be absent for an indefinite amount of time. During her absence we have had a consistent substitute in the classroom, have offered support to the students who have been worried about their teacher, as well as offering that class lunches with Mrs. Sperry, Miss Nora, or myself. I will be posting for a long-term substitute who has a teaching license.

Mr. Zyskowski and Mr. Merritt, as well as other faculty members, have also been helping to support the students and the substitute.

Although there may be questions in regards to Ms. Paixao and her health, I ask that you please honor the district policy around employee privacy and confidentiality.

I will keep you posted as new information becomes available.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Break out the pajamas and blankets and head to Bridge Street for a FREE Family Movie Night on Friday, January 26th in the BSS cafeteria! Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and The Emoji Movie will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Popcorn and drinks will be available for purchase. This is not a drop off event--students must be accompanied by an adult.

The PTO is is need of volunteers to help set up and clean up Movie Night. We also need volunteers willing to sell popcorn and drinks. Please contact Stephanie Pouliot at spouliot2009@gmail.com if you are able to help with this event.

The annual Bridge Street School Science Fair will be held on Wednesday, March 14 from 6-7:30 p.m. (snow date March 15)! This is a great community event and a wonderful opportunity for our students in Grades 1-5 to explore science and showcase their work to family, peers and Science Fair visitors! Registration forms are being sent home in student folders and are due back to the Bridge Street School office by Friday, January 26th. If you would like to help with the Science Fair, please contact Stephanie Pouliot at spouliot2009@gmail.com for more information.

Jan. 24-No school, teacher work day

Jan. 25-Special School Council meeting for the public 6:00-7:00 p.m. Library

Jan. 26-Movie Night. Doors open at 6:00. School Cafeteria

Upcoming Principal's Chats

Feb. 7th 3:30-4:30 p.m. Library

Mar. 6th 6:00-7:00 p.m. Library

Apr. 11th 8:35-9:30 a.m. Library

May 8th 3:30-4:30 p.m. Library

June 5th- 6:00-7:00 p.m. Library

Principal Choquette's Spring Semester Doctoral Dates:

Jan. 19

Feb. 9

Mar. 16

Apr. 6

Apr. 27

Snow Date: May 4