The Bedford Buccaneer
May 31, 2022
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, June 2 - Graduation at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell at 6:15pm
Tuesday, June 7-Wednesday, June 8-Grade 9 Physics MCAS
Friday, June 10- Canobie Park field trip-grades 9 and 10
Friday, June 10-Field day grade 11
Wednesday, June 15-Last day of school
Thursday, June 16 and Friday, June 17-Make-up days for 9-11th grade
Can you spare an hour?: All Night Graduation Chaperones and Set-up Volunteers Needed!
All Night Grad is just 2 days away and we have just a few spots left to fill!
Click ANGVolunteers2022 to sign up.
Parents/Caregivers of students in grades 9-11 to chaperone and set-up!
Being a chaperone is a great way to “pay it forward”, and also see what your kids will have to look forward to when they graduate from BHS. Caregivers of seniors cannot chaperone during the event, so caregivers of 9th, 10th and 11th graders are asked to chaperone.
Parents/Caregivers of seniors, we need set-up and clean-up help!
Volunteer slots that need to be filled are as follows:
24 SET-UP VOLUNTEERS on the afternoon/evening of June 2nd (Even if you only have an hour, we could really use your help)
FOUR from 1-3pm
ELEVEN from 2-5:30pm
NINE from 3:30-6:30pm
(Parents and caregivers of seniors will need to leave by 3 in order to make it to graduation, but many volunteers will be needed from 2pm on to finish setting up prior to the students’ arrival)
3 FOOD SERVICE VOLUNTEERS
TWO from 2am-5:30am
ONE from 5am-7:30am
11 GENERAL CHAPERONES - cafeteria, lobby, gym hallway, restrooms, main gym, back gym
THREE from 12:30am-3am
THREE from 3am-5:30am
FIVE from 2:30am-5:30am
8 CLEAN-UP VOLUNTEERS from 5:30-7:30am June 3rd (Parents/Caregivers of seniors)
Questions? Email Dawn and Kerry at BedfordANG@gmail.com
BHS Library News
LIB BOOKS DUE: Please return all library books by June 10th to avoid fees. If you have lost a book, please see Ms Walker for replacement information. Thank you!
SUMMER READING: Looking for summer reading suggestions? The MA Teen Choice Book Awards have nominated 21 Young Adult books, including recommendations for audiobooks as well as graphic novels. Teens are invited to read titles now through summer of 2022 and vote for their favorite books in September. The top choices will be announced in October 2022 at the MA Library Associations' Teen Book Summit. BHS students have FREE access to eBooks and audiobooks all summer through our Sora App. See QR code below.
Faces of Bedford
Want to be part of an exciting project sponsored by Bedford Embraces Diversity? Consider having your family photographed for the “Faces of Bedford” photo exhibit and possibly recorded in an interview. Designed to showcase the diversity of families that call Bedford home, the photo exhibit will include an 8 x 10 photo of your family and a one-page family description. If selected, the interview will take place on Bedford TV and will be based on your family writeup.
BED hopes to highlight families of all types. We would like to include people who have grown up in Bedford and chosen to raise their own families here, as well as more recent additions to our community. We plan to include members of our community who represent a variety of races, generations, educational and economic backgrounds, and belief systems. It is our intention to illustrate the diversity of Bedford. This project hopes to encompass some of the overlooked groups, as well as people who are driving forces within our community. We would like to celebrate this diversity, as it is part of what makes Bedford such a warm, welcoming, and accepting place to live. We would also like to highlight ways that Bedford could be even more welcoming.
This project was inspired by a similar project completed in 2006 by the Violence Prevention Coalition, Sue Baldauf (Youth & Family Services) and photographers Jan Van Steenwijk and Holly Bloomfield. That project looked at the diversity of people living in Bedford at the time and this current project is intended to be an updated look at our town.
We hope to begin showing the interviews on a regular basis this summer and plan to hold an exhibit and reception to celebrate the end of the project next winter.
If you are interested, have questions about the project, or if you would like to recommend someone else to participate, please contact Tricia Anderson at bedfordembracesdiversity@gmail.com.
Bedford Embraces Diversity
Student Volunteers needed for the Elementary PTO color run
Use the link below to sign up
Rome and Sicily-February 2023
Our trip to Rome and Sicily has just been approved by the School Committee for February 2023. This trip will focus on foods of the region with cooking classes, lots of food tastings, adventure and sightseeing; including a boat trip through the Blue Grotto in Capri; an overnight ferry from Italy to Sicily; and a cable car ride over Mt. Aetna in Sicily! For more detailed information on the trip and the itinerary, click on the link below.
If you are interested in coming on this trip, and have looked over the itinerary and discussed this with your parents, please fill out this google form Rome/Sicily Trip Interest Form . Since this trip is coming up soon, there isn't a lot of time to sign up and get everyone registered. We will review the forms by May 20 and registration will begin immediately. Cost of the trip is $4,020 plus $200 collected for tips. I would highly recommend that everyone purchase travel insurance, which is listed on the Explorica site and runs about $12/day. There is a $100 savings if you sign up by June 1. We will try to get everyone on the trip but space will be limited and we will be taking seniors first, so fill out your form as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Arena in C105 or at sandra_arena@bedfordps.org.
Costa Rica - February 2024
Thank you to all BHS students who submitted an application for Costa Rica. Students were notified on Friday, May 27th if they had been selected for the trip or placed on the waitlist. Caregivers who had students apply should check in with their student on information for next steps for both groups.
Travel to Costa Rica with BHS in February 2024! Explore some of Costa Rica's beautiful national parks, go zip lining, visit a local school, challenge yourself with whitewater rafting and more during this 10 day adventure. The cost per traveler is $2874 plus $150 for tips/incidentals just before the trip. A $200 discount is available for travelers that sign up by June 2nd. Check out the full itinerary and additional trip details!
Students who are interested should fill out our online application form. Applications will be accepted through May 25th, with priority being given to students in the Class of 2024 and Class of 2025. Students will be notified of their acceptance status via school email after review of the applications. Students accepted will receive an email on how to register for the trip on Explorica’s website.
If additional spaces are available after May 25th, applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis until the trip is full! We are opening registration early to take advantage of the current discount.
Please reach out to Sarah Leshay at sarah_leshay@bedfordps.org with any questions.
BHS Library closed during lunch starting May 10th
Students who are sick should stay home.
Please be advised that symptoms may be VERY MILD and any symptom of a head cold, sore throat or headache, should not be ignored and should be tested.
Symptomatic Individuals may return to school after they:
Have improvement in symptoms
Have been without fever for at least 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications.
Have received a negative PCR or antigen test result for COVID-19. An antigen test may be self administered and does not need to be proctored or administered by a healthcare professional.
If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, they may return to schools as long as:
Been without fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medications
Have improvement of symptoms
Following the day 5 isolation period, individuals must mask for 5 additional days when around others, other than eating, drinking or outside.
Please be sure to call your child’s pediatrician to report the positive result.
Student athletes need a phone triage and/or in person evaluation by their primary care provider prior to returning to sports.
Please report all cases of COVID-19 (both home tests and tests from a healthcare provider) to your child’s school COVID email:
When reporting that your child has tested positive to COVID-19 to the school nurse, please include the following information:
Name of student
Grade of student
Date of symptom onset (if no symptoms were experienced, please note the date the test was taken) and what the symptoms are.
Date of testing, type of test performed (home, PCR or antigen)
Please email Nancy_Thorsen@bedfordps.org with any questions.
Nancy Thorsen BSN,RN
781-275-1700 ext. 4416
Absence Line: (781)918-4561
or select #1 from the main menu of (781)275-1700
School Lunch
BHSPA News
The BHSPA meets monthly over Zoom on the 4th Thursday of the month at 8am. If you are interested in attending the meeting or learning more about what the BHSPA does, please email: bhsbucsparents@gmail.com Every donation made to the BHSPA goes directly to our BHS community through programs, enrichment and activities.
Recent BHSPA Funding:
- Funding of 10 new picnic tables accommodating outdoor lunches, classrooms, meetings, etc.
- Ice cream socials for each class to re-connect upon returning to in-person classes in 2021. It was the first time the classes were together as a whole in over a year!
- Teacher/Student grants to fund school projects including technology equipment for BHS NOW, funding grade specific initiatives and club requests.
- Preparation and distribution of Student Directories (this year it will include a teacher directory with email addresses!) - coming soon!
- Sponsorship of Teacher/Staff Appreciation events
and so much more
Please check out BHSPA.org for more information!
Counseling Corner
MAY JUNIOR TIMELINE
Complete the Student Questionnaire for Counselor Statement in SCOIR
Due June by 30th
Plan visits to colleges during the summer.
Review summer options: performing community service, work, internship, summer programs, etc.
Decide which teachers you will ask to write a letter of recommendation.
MAY SENIOR TIMELINE & TASKS
Thank teachers and counselors who wrote college recommendations
Follow up with potential outside scholarships.
New Resource for our graduates:
Mr. Charles Alperin, school adjustment counselor put together this list of resources to support our graduates' mental health after high school. Click the doc. Postgraduate resources for college, community, and your family.
Parents/Guardians
The Parent/Guardian Questionnaire (brag sheet) for the Counselor Statement in SCOIR
The information you provide on this form will add to the counselor's understanding of your student, which will help us write a more comprehensive counselor statement. We truly value your insights. Thank you very much! ***Please return by June 30th of the junior year***
College Guidance Network
Date: Thursday, June 16th at 7:30 pm
Topic: Challenge Accepted! College Admission and Your Future
Event Description: The college search is a window into the next phase of life for students and those who support them. It can be exciting and full of opportunity and will also likely challenge you at some point. In this interactive Q&A, you’ll:"
Get a framework for dealing with those inevitable challenges
Gain perspective that will help tamp down anxiety about college admissions
Learn what meatloaf has to do with any of this
Register: Here
Career Pathways Program at Bedford High School
Bedford High School is partnering with the local business community to expose our students to a variety of career paths. Students become motivated and self-directed when they discover a potential career field of interest. Hands-on exposure and information to careers help students make informed post high school plans.
There are three aspects to our Career Pathways and Planning Program:
Career Speakers: We host two Career Speakers per month. They will be held via ZOOM during the student's Flex Block Period (10:22am-11:30am). Interested students sign up ahead of time. Sessions are approximately 40 minutes in length. Topics our speakers cover include, but are not limited to: a day in the life, the personal journey (what was your path like), necessary education, advice for high school students, what you enjoy most, and then questions.
- Job Shadow Program: Provide students with a half-day immersive experience on a job site, allowing students to observe, interact, and learn from experts in the field. Students can be placed individually or in small groups depending on the business/occupation. Prior to being placed students take a Career Aptitude Test to help them determine a particular area of interest. The Job Shadow Program would happen once a year for our sophomore class in early spring.
- Internships: Would only be offered to seniors who have a demonstrated interest in a particular field. The internships would provide real world experience and responsibility, students must complete an interview with the participating company. Students would be placed based on company approval. Internships can occur during or after the school day. (More information to follow on our Internship Program).
If you would like to participate in our Career Program, please complete the following GOOGLE form or contact Brian DeChellis at 781 275-1700 ext. 4414 or brian_dechellis@bedfordps.org
Google Form Link:
Required Volunteer Hours to Graduate: Worrisome or Wonderful?
“Did you turn in your volunteer hours yet?”
“Be sure to document the hours you volunteered!’
“Don’t forget your service hours are due!”
“Get those hours done or you can’t graduate!”
Parents of high schoolers, do those statements sound at all familiar? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. Click here to read more.
https://grownandflown.com/volunteer-hours-graduation-requirement/
Join our Bedford Challenge Success community on social media!
Twitter: @chalsuccessbhs
Instagram: @challengesuccessbhs
Facebook: Challenge Success Bedford High School (this is a closed group)
For more information about BHS-Challenge Success please contact Cynthia Vitti (cynhere@comcast.net) or Lori Popkewitz Alper (lorialper@gmail.com)
BEDFORD SEPAC (Special Education Parental Advisory Council)
All parents & guardians of Bedford special education welcome!
Bedford Public Schools and SEPAC are hosting Special Education transition meetings for parents who have children transitioning to Lane, JGMS and BHS. We hope you are able to join us!
Transition meeting (Special Education) - Incoming Lane Students (grade 2 transitioning to grade 3)
June 1 from 2-3 PM at the Lane School
June End of Year SEPAC Outing
Thursday, June 9, 2022, at 7 PM at Red Heat Tavern
Please join us to celebrate the year end at Red Heat Tavern. All parents and guardians of special education students welcome.
Not mandatory but please RSVP if possible to coreenita@yahoo.com.
BEDFORD SEPAC (Special Education Parental Advisory Council)
All parents & guardians of Bedford special education welcome!
Web: bedfordsepac.com
Facebook group: https://www.facebook. com/groups/BEDFORDMASEPAC/
2021/2022 SEPAC Monthly Meeting dates
June 9
Meetings begin at 7 PM
*Location and/or Zoom to be shared 2 weeks prior to meetings on SEPAC Facebook and webpage
Senior Dates and Deadlines
Yearbook Orders: After January 21 the cost will be $100.00.
You may place your order here
Please make checks out to BHS 2021/2022 yearbook.
Important Information for the Class of 2022
Please help us to have a successful yearbook by getting an early start.
Send all pictures that you would like to be considered for the yearbook to www.hjeshare.com. Enter the school code: Bedford (capital B). Please identify who the students are in the pictures. Please use full names not nicknames when you submit your baby picture. Please only submit one baby picture. If you do not identify your baby picture you run the risk of not being in the yearbook.
The official photographer for the senior portraits is Mark Lawrence Photographers. Their phone number is 603-882-0116. Please contact them for an appointment. If you have any questions in regards to any of the information. Please contact Mrs. Santos. Her email is karen_santos@bedfordps.org
If you decide to take your own pictures. Please be aware of the size. It must be 2.5 X 3 with a DPI of 300. Yearbook staff will contact you if your picture does not follow these guidelines.
If you have any questions in regards to any of the information. Please contact Mrs. Santos. at karen_santos@bedfordps.org
Past Due Dates
October 22nd- Senior Portraits-Please contact Mark Lawrence Photography @603-882-0116 to make your appointment.
October 8th- Senior Class Photo
The senior class photo will be taken on the football field. The picture will take place during flex block that day. (10:22-11:32) It will not take the whole time. Seniors please listen for the announcement on that day. Let Mrs Santos know if you have any questions.
October 8th- Individual baby pictures/Elementary photos. Please make sure when you upload your baby picture to include your name, first and last. If there is no name you run the risk of not being in the yearbook. Send to: www.hjeshare.com
Enter the code: Bedford(capital letter “B”)
October 8th- “Senior Thanks” (limit of 175 words) Please note: Text slang and most abbreviations are not acceptable. Drug or alcohol references are not acceptable. Send your “senior thanks” in a word document to: bhs2022yearbook@gmail.com
December 10th- Business Ads- Anyone with 2 business ads gets a free yearbook.
December 10th- Parent Ads. The 2021-2022 forms will be sent to the parents.
Grad signs are on SALE NOW. The deadline to Order is FRIDAY, APRIL 15th. Signs will be delivered in May. Click here: https://bit.ly/3LidVMU
Note: If you experience challenges with the link, please try again in a few days as the company that services the link nationwide has been having issues.
It's that time of year...
Senior students, please complete the form with the Cap and Gown order link above to order your cap & gown for graduation by December 21, 2021!
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks,
Nicole Myles M.Ed
Class of 2022 Advisor
Graduation is Thursday, June 2, 2022
Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
6:15pm
There are no tickets for the event as there is ample seating for all friends and family members. Mark your calendars. It will be here sooner than you think!
Need a student parking sticker?
How do I...
Get dismissed? Please bring a note to the main office in the morning. (or call 781-275-1700) Students will be given a dismissal pass to show the teacher and head right out of class at the dismissal time. This helps us to reduce the number of class disruptions.
Get a locker? Your Advisor will supply you with a lock. You will select a locker, then your Advisor will record your locker number and combination just in case you forget it. It happens!
Get my Aspen ID? If you need your ID or are having trouble logging in please contact tech_support@bedfordps.org
Find my lost items? The lost and found bin can be found in the student office.
Pick up a dropped off item? Please stop by the student office and look for the student drop off area sign. (Parents/Guardians, please label item your dropping with name) Please note; we do not interrupt classes for drop offs. Please stop by between classes to check for your item.
Find out more about grading and courses? You may find this and many other helpful pieces of information in your Program of Studies found here
Know who to contact for help? (please see page 6)
Get a parking sticker? You will not need a sticker until the end of September. Please fill out the Google Form here and your Assistant Principal will deliver it to your lunch or Advisory. There is no fee for parking at Bedford High School.
Bedford High School
Bedford High School Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 7:45am - 2:24pm
Wednesday 7:45 am - 12:55 pm
9 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA 01730
Phone: 781-275-1700
Absence Line: 781-918-4561
Fax: 781-275-6664