Principal's Weekly
Principal Beth N. Choquette, Bridge Street School
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
Nicole Sawula, Senior Clerk nsawula@northampton-k12.us
A Message from Principal Choquette 2/2/18
IMPORTANT: As you know we have been trying to make pick-up and drop-off easier for families. We started the walking school bus, which has been successful, but we are looking for more students to join. Starting Monday, Feb. 5th, we are moving our K-5 van drop-off and pick-up to the back parking lot. Students will get dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon by the cafeteria door closest to the playground. This means that the vans will park underneath the basketball hoops and that those spots need to be open in the morning and afternoon. Also, cars will not be able to go through the back parking lot while the vans are there with there flashing lights on. We are hoping this will help with any congestion along Union Street. I met with the Director of Transportation and with Vanpool this past week to see if this would be feasible. They both thought it could be and that we should give it a try.
I will be hosting a Principal's Chat on Wednesday, Feb. 7th from 3:30-4:30 p.m. My chats are designed for you to come and talk about what you want, there is no agenda, this is your time to talk with me about new initiatives, concerns, or anything else you'd like. I hope to see you on Wednesday.
The nurse would like to encourage parents to notify us for absences and specifically state if their child has the flu or flu-like symptoms (not just saying "they're sick". The nurses are keeping data regarding positive flu confirmations from both lab results and per parents. Nurse Jessica also has information regarding the flu on her website.
Finally, just a reminder that celebrations will now be held on Thursdays. Our next celebration will be on Thursday, February 8th at 9:00 a.m.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Family Bingo Night
Join other Bridge Street families for a fun (and free!) night of BINGO for the whole family on Friday, February 9th, from5:30-7:30!
There will be prizes from local businesses, including The Roost, Local Burger, Captain Candy, A2Z Science & Learning Store, Herrell's, Absolute Zero, and many more!
A delicious dinner from Bueno Y Sano Northampton will be provided by the PTO!
Please contact Jen Dieringer if you would like to volunteer your time to help with this community event.
Jump Rope for Heart
Hello, Bridge Street Family!!!!
I'm really excited to be a volunteer this year for the American Heart Association as I lead our school to participate in Jump Rope For Heart. Leading up to our event, I will teach students how the heart works and that exercise can be fun! We also ask them to raise money to support the heart association's research and education initiatives that save lives in our community.
Additionally, the school earns money for PE equipment so we can keep our kids MOVING!
I have challenged our students to get at least 10 donations and I believe that it's important to lead by example and match that challenge. Please join my efforts and make an online donation to our school fundraising page today! Each gift, no matter the amount, is extremely appreciated!
Thank you, I know I can count on your support. Together, we can create a nation of healthier kids and help save lives!
Make an online donation today by following the third link below to my school page.
***Did you know you might be able to double your gift to the American Heart Association? Ask your employer if you have an Employee Matching Gift program, or search for your company at http://matchinggifts.com/aha. If your employer has a Matching Gift program, just complete your employer' form and send it to me.
Thank you in advance for helping our school community meet their goal of $1,500.00.
Kathy Flaherty
Bridge Street School
Physical Education
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run (GOTR) will be back at Bridge Street School this March!
GOTR is an innovative after school program that inspires girls in grades 3-5 to be joyful, confident and healthy, while using an experienced-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. The program encourages girls to recognize their individual strengths and celebrate connections with others: it's about girl power. No prior running experience necessary!
The program will run for ten weeks Tuesdays and Wednesdays 3-4:30 p.m. at Bridge Street starting in March and going until early June. There is a generous sliding scale for this program and financial aid is available for everyone - no girl will be turned away. And, if you're already enrolled in BASE, you can pro-rate the session so you can seamlessly do both programs!
We are still looking for two more volunteers who can help coach. We cannot open registration or run the program until we have these coaches. The deadline to recruit two more coaches if Friday February 9th. We hope you'll consider joining 3rd grade Mom Alex and 5th grade Dad Rob in volunteering with this awesome program.
Coaches can be a parent or a community member (doesn't just have to be a BSS person). GOTR will host a coaches training that preps volunteer coaches with a curriculum guide that we can follow each day. Once we have coaches confirmed, we can open registration.
Please send Alex a note if you are interested in coaching, know someone who may want to coach or just curious to learn more: alexandra.russellb@gmail.com
K-5 Celebration THURSDAY, Feb. 8th
Thursday, Feb 8, 2018, 09:00 AM
Bridge Street School Cafeteria
Nurse Jessica has a new website!
Inclusion Update
The staff and I will continue to talk about reorganization for next year as well as any changes we want to try this year.
Thank you all for your ongoing support and working with us. Moving forward in a positive and productive way is what's best for our students, faculty and staff, and community.
Budget Update
As I continue to request more support, I will also discuss with the faculty and staff, the type of support they envision for next year.
4th Grade Update
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.
BASE Registration
Science Fair
Important Dates
Feb. 5th- Science Fair Orientation Session 6:30 p.m.Library
Feb. 6th-PTO Meeting 3:15-4:15 p.m. Library
Feb. 7th-Principal's Chat 3:30-4:30 p.m. Library
Feb. 8th-Science Fair Orientation Session 3:15 p.m. Library
Feb. 9th-Family Bingo Night 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cafeteria
February 5th-April 6th New Base Session
February 19th-23rd No School-Winter Break
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:
Feb. 9
Mar. 16
Apr. 6
Apr. 27
Snow Date: May 4