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Principal's Weekly
Dr. Beth N. Choquette
Bridge Street School
2 Parsons Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
413-587-1460 (phone) 413-587-1484 (fax)
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.
A Message From Principal Choquette
Good afternoon. I hope you all had a pleasant weekend.
This week the school committee should be voting on when and if we will be moving to a hybrid model. I will be hosting a town meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 29th from 3:15-4:15 p.m. to discuss what the hybrid model will look like for Bridge Street School. Here is the zoom link for the town hall. I hope you all can join me.
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97746647008 Meeting ID: 977 4664 7008
As a reminder, please make sure you are using the most up-to-date school calendar attached below. There are no half day caregiver/teacher conferences in October, those have been moved to January. There will be 1/2 day caregiver/teacher conferences January 25-29, 2021.
https://zoom.us/j/96487569821 Meeting ID: 964 8756 9821 One tap mobile +13126266799,,96487569821# US (Chicago) +16468769923,,96487569821# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 964 8756 9821 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acGsqNPHAA
Please see the flyer below from Sharon Levy about Outdoor Movement for Kids. She is offering outdoor dance and yoga classes for kids. She is offering a free community class on Saturdays and sliding scale rates for all other classes.
If you have not turned in your school paperwork to the office yet, please do so asap. You can either mail it in, drop it off during school hours, or drop it in the drop box outside of the office door after hours.
Finally, I'd like to welcome the following people to the Bridge Street School Council: Peter Hamelin (caregiver), Bertha Thorman (caregiver and BSS staff), Megan Young (BSS staff), and Annie Salsich (caregiver). They will be joining Carol Ruyffelaert (BSS staff), Brittany Kelly (BSS staff), Nora DeJasu (BSS staff), Sam Hopper (caregiver), Josh Feldman (caregiver), and Becky Shannon (community representative). Our meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month from 3:30-5:00 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. Thank you to everyone serving on the school council. Our next meeting is this Wednesday, October 21st from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Here is the zoom link:
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92221645629 Meeting ID: 922 2164 5629 Passcode: 329903 One tap mobile +13017158592,,92221645629#,,,,,,0#,,329903# US (Germantown) +13126266799,,92221645629#,,,,,,0#,,329903# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 922 2164 5629 Passcode: 329903 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acYkvbkdt3
Thank you, and have a wonderful rest of your weekend.
Important Information from Nurse Jessica
New Flu Vaccine Mandate
Social Justice Corner
Why Being 'Gypped' Hurts The Roma More Than It Hurts You
Last week I used the word 'gypped' when speaking about my education as a child without knowing that the word was offensive. I am sure I am not the only one who did not understand its meaning, so I wanted to share this article with you. Again, my apologies if anyone was offended by my use of the word.
REAL
REAL (Racial Equity & Learning) is an NEF–funded project that brings together Northampton public school teachers, staff, students & caregivers to fulfill the project’s mission: support & strengthen our school community by developing an intentionally anti-racist culture. Check out our website at https://realnorthampton.com and follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/REALNoho) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/real_noho).
REAL will be hosting an open meeting via zoom on Tuesday, October 27 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity for new members to learn more about REAL and for current members to (re)connect in a less structured/more social environment than our current subcommittee meetings.
And REAL’s NPS Community Resource Network Subcommittee (formerly named “NPS Equitable Reopening”) will meet again on Tuesday, October 6 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
If you would like to learn more about REAL and/or receive the zoom link for either of the above meetings, please contact REAL’s Bridge Street School parent representative, Annie Salsich, at salsichannie@gmail.com. Or one of the REAL co-leaders: Jenny Bender at jennybinhbender@gmail.com, Kristen Elde at elde.kristen@gmail.com, or Deborah Keisch at deborahmdk2@gmail.com.
Technology
Important Information-Chromebook Protection Plan
The deadline for enrolling in the district chromebook protection plan is Oct 30th. After that date, repairs will be completed according to the price points indicated in the guidebook. For example, physical damage to a chromebook will cost $89 to be repaired. Please complete the paperwork on the website and send it into the office. Checks can be made out to Northampton Public Schools. Every student who has a school issued device, should have turned in a piece of paper saying if they ARE or ARE NOT enrolling. These forms are on the website at Tech: Chromebook Program.
Single sheet for Elementary Protection Plan | SPANISH single sheet: Acuerdo del Manual del Programa Chromebook
Due to a greater than expected number of chromebook repair requests, to suit the needs of the district we have updated our hours available for appointments.
- Extended Tuesday hours, 9:00-3:30
- Extended Thursday hours, 9:00-3:30
- Added Wednesday, 9:00-3:30
If you need a hotspot, fill out the form on Tech: Student/staff tech needs.
If a chromebook is broken, go to Tech: Chromebook Program fill out the repair form.
It will ask if you have insurance.
If you say yes it will bring you to the calendar to book time to have it swapped by IT.
If you say no, it will ask you to pay if the description you give about the damage is one that needs payment. There is an online option to accept payments and then the calendar link.
The calendar link shows up at the end of the form when it's submitted. If the issue isn't something that requires payment, you'll be able to book a calendar appointment to drop it off at James house (42 Gothic Street).
Second Step
Skills for Learning
We are all learners. The more we practice skills for learning, the stronger our brains will become. The stronger our brains become, the better we are able to learn. This week we will focus on two important skills for learning, listening and focusing attention.
Listening: At our school, we all work hard to be the best learners we can be. One skill for learning is to listen with attention. This is also a great skill for adults. When we listen with attention, our eyes are watching the speaker, our ears are listening, our voices are quiet, and we're still. This week, practice being a great listener.
Focusing attention: Learning happens every day at our school. An important skill for learning is focusing attention. When we focus our attention we use our ears, our eyes, and our brain! This week, put on your attent-o-scopes and notice how they help you listen and learn.