1) [NEW] Sister's First Day
This week we welcome a new staff member named Sister to our school. Sister is a Great Dane Service Dog and she comes to us from the Service Dog Project and will be assigned to a student. I know you join me in welcoming Sister to JGMS.
Some bullet points:
-Sister is a 2 year old Great Dane (Dec 25 birthday)
-Sister is a mobility dog and supports people with mobility and struggle with balance
-She is not full grown and Sister will grow with the 7th grader.
-Mobility dogs balance the handler. If the handler starts to fall one way or the other, Sister is trained to balance the handler
-If the handler falls, Sister is trained to support the handler to stand.
-If the handler falls, let the dog do its job and help the handler stand. Don’t try to help the handler or the dog.
-Sister will match the handler’s gait and supports the handler up and down stairs.
Ins and Outs of Service Dogs
-When dogs are in vest, you don’t talk, make eye contact, do “cute doggy talk.”
-The dog is at work and focused on the handler and if the dog is getting rubs and kisses the dog isn’t focused on the handler. If the handler falls, the dog will not be as responsive because the dog is distracted.
-The example given was if some random person came up to you in the middle of a lesson and started telling you how great you are and how cute you are and starting letting your head you may think “what a creep!” That’s what the dog will be thinking.
-According to the the trainer “Vest means hands off”
-Dog goes everywhere with handler (including bathroom)
-In class the dog will need a place
-The dog will go to PE and depending on the activity the dog can be involved in a small game if the handler chooses and it’s feasible (walking or a small soccer game). Other than that, the dog will be off the side and watching.
-The dog will be toileted by the handler and arrangements will be made.
-dog gets zoomies out in morning
- Allergies should be discussed with the nurse. Others will not be in contact with the dog. Sister is low dander.
-Sister has been in training since 3 months
-Sister is currently 128 lbs and growing
[REMINDER] Women of Science Co-chairs Lisa Morrison & Heather Kurzman
Each spring Bedford High School hosts the Women of Science Scholarship Competition. This year we are looking to develop new community partnerships with local science and technology companies. Corporate sponsors can help us create opportunities for students to gain access to role models they may not otherwise have through providing financial support and/or female volunteers.
If you work in a technology-/science-related field and feel that your company would be a good fit as a corporate sponsor please reach out to us at: Lisa_Morrison@bedfordps.org or Heather_Kurzman@bedfordps.org
[REMINDER] Important Information for JGMS Caregivers from the MSPA (Middle School Parents Association)
Welcome to the 2023-24 school year. We are excited to announce that the MSPA will be using Membership Tool Kit (MTK) this year. The BEST/PTO successfully launched use of MTK last year, so families with younger students may already be familiar with the name.
The Middle School Parents Association (MSPA) and the Bedford High School Parents Association (BHSPA) are coming together to provide a one-stop information center for caregivers of both John Glenn Middle School (JGMS) and Bedford High School (BHS) students. Caregivers will be able to stay in-the-know with school-specific communications, a combined JGMS & BHS Student Directory (later in the fall), and much more, please register at our new site.
We invite you to visit us at: https://www.bedfordpco.org/, where you will be prompted to login and then create an account. If you already have a Membership Toolkit account login with another organization, you can use the same log-in on our site.
Register Today!
- Go to: https://www.bedfordpco.org/
- Click the Register/Login button.
- If you already have an account with another organization that uses Membership Toolkit you can use the same email and password to login. Then proceed to steps 7 & 8 below. If not,
- If you do not have an account with another organization that uses Membership Toolkit, select "Create Account" and fill in the name, email, and password information.
- Click "verify my email" and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.
- Once you have verified your email address, log back in and finish the registration process.
- Complete the Parent/Family and Student Information.; once done, click the "Save" button.
- Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences; once done, click the "Save" button.
Once the Primary Account is set up, the Primary User can add other email addresses to their account, which will allow a Secondary User to have their own login information, with access to the family account.
Please note that our site is active, but under construction. While under construction, both parent associations' websites will continue to be up and running separately.
Questions? - Please don't hesitate to contact us at jgmsparents@gmail.com.
