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

Would you like this news letter translated? Here are the steps to have it translated:

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.

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.

Good evening. I hope you all had a wonderful vacation. We are looking forward to welcoming students back in the building tomorrow. It's hard to believe it's the last week of February with spring around the corner (hopefully).

Just a few reminders. Please review the protocols and logistics for returning to school. All students must do the daily checklist every morning before coming to school. Please do not send students to school if they have any symptoms at all. Before the vacation I sent out the protocol for what we do in school if a student has a symptom. Classrooms have to be displaced and move to another room, regardless of the symptom, and the room gets a thorough cleaning. It is a disruption to the day, and takes time away from learning. I know it is hard to keep kids home when you have to work, but the only way to stop the spread and keep everyone healthy and safe is to stay home if you have any symptoms.

Please make sure students come to school dressed for the snow. They will not be allowed to play in the snow unless they have snow pants and boots. If you need assistance with winter clothing, please reach out me. Students should dress warm as they will be outside in the morning, at recess, and during their extra recess/mask break time.

Please checkout communications from your child's classroom teachers to see if you will have materials to pick-up on Fridays between 9-3. If the weather is bad on Fridays, pick-up day gets moved to the following Monday.

The 2021-2022 school calendar has been approved by the school committee. Please see it below.

I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record with this, but please do not park on the cemetery side of Parson's street, at the median, or in the bus loop. Parking is available on the side streets around the school or on Bridge Street. If there are construction workers parked by the cemetery, please do not park on Parson's Street at all. Both sides of Parsons Street has no parking signs, however, we allow it for 5 minutes on the Lampron Park side only for pick-up and drop-off when there is not a lot of snow and there is enough room to allow the busses to get through, usually in the spring and fall. It is getting impossible for the busses to get out and is a safety concern having kids in the road. The police will be monitoring the area and based off of past experiences, they will ticket. We had a car get hit by the bus a couple of years ago, because it was parked too close to the bus loop in a no parking zone. This is a problem every year and I know it is an inconvenience. The school does not make parking decisions or parking rules, it is the city, so please don't get upset with those of us monitoring the traffic from the school. Safety of our students is our priority. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of the kids this week!

Thank you and have a wonderful week.

Hello Bridge Street School Families.

I would like to give a big Thank You to the BSS PTO for funding clay for the children in

art class. After the February break I will have a small brown paper bag with your child’s

name on it ready for pick-up. Inside you will find packages of self-hardening clay along

with other items to be used only during art class. When you do pick up the supplies be

sure to only pick the bag with your child/children’s name on it, and save it for the next

time they have art. I will guide the children on what to do with everything that is in the

bag, including the bag itself. So please save everything for Art Class.

Thank You!

Ms. Lilly

Open Enrollment Program Applications (for resident students) will be available Feb 1 from our website under the ABOUT link. This program allows resident students the ability to attend a school outside of the assigned zone. Seats are limited and not all grades or schools will availability. Seats are filled through a lottery process. If applying for an incoming kindergarten child, please submit the application along with your registration paperwork (or if your child is already registered and attending our preschool program, please send the application in before the deadline). More information is on our website. Questions: (413) 587-1328 or jtowler@northampton-k12.us

REAL (Racial Equity & Learning) has been working with the JFK Students of Color Alliance (SOCA) and Joseph Krupczynski, an architect/designer with expertise in public exhibition/installations that inspire community conversations around identity, to build an interactive digital exhibition in spring 2021 drawing from stories shared by people about their experiences with race, racism, and whiteness in NPS. Why? Because REAL wants to support conversations about what people are experiencing in our district with regard to these essential topics, as an important step toward creating an anti-racist school district.

Wondering what we mean by story? We mean experiences, observations, thoughts, and visions; tellings of resistance, racism, whiteness, and solidarity... We continue to receive stories--some a single sentence, others much longer--from students, teachers, staff, parents/caregivers, and others with a connection to the district. If you’d like, check out some examples.

We invite you to share your own story using our secure form. We treat everything submitted to us with respect and care, and we will never share a person’s story unless they give us permission to do so.

Reach out to Deborah Keisch with any questions.

Please see the attached for information.