BIS Newsletter
February 2023
Message from the Principal
Happy February BIS families,
Last month we celebrated Decades Day, which was a lot of fun! It was exciting to see the various ways students represented the decades with their bright colors and fun patterns. The '80s were definitely a student favorite. This Friday, we will have our February Fun Friday with Patterns Day. We also celebrated the 100th day of School at BIS on Monday! Our classes acknowledged the day in their own ways by including 100-themed activities in their schedules. As a school, students reflected on the various things they've learned in the past 100 days. It was a fun start to our week!
Our 3rd graders had a special visit from Sparks Ark last week. Our visiting Southern Maine Wildlife Expert specializes in humane animal removal, rehabilitation, and rehoming. He brought an exciting selection of critters to BIS to educate our students on animal adaptations and caring for wildlife.
Parent Pick-up/Drop-off: We have worked very hard to make our morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up as quick as possible while maintaining student safety as the priority. Please be sure to pull forward as far as possible, have your child ready, and remain in the line even after your child has exited or entered your vehicle. We have noticed several cars trying to pass in the inside lane, while creates safety concerns for students getting out of, or into, the cars.
Read to ME Vacation Challenge: Any students who participate in the Read to ME challenge over vacation by taking photos or videos of them reading over February break should send them to BIS Literacy Specialist Karen Quigley at kquigley@biddefordschools.me to be recognized at BIS after the break. Photos will be posted on the BIS Facebook Page. We hope to have a long list of kids to shout out for their dedication to reading over vacation! More info about the Read to ME Challenge is below.
We hope you have a safe, healthy, and wonderful February break!
Sincerely,
Lindsey Nadeau
Biddeford Intermediate School Principal
DATES TO REMEMBER
BIS IMPORTANT DATES
- February 17: Fun Friday - Patterns Day!
- February 20-24: February Break - No School
- March 8: Early Release Day (students dismiss at 12:00pm)
- March 15: District-Wide K-12 Art Show Opening Night (4:30-7pm) @ BMS
COMMUNITY DATES
- February 15: Youth Full Maine Food Distribution (10am-12pm) @ Rotary Park
- March 8: School Committee Meeting (5pm) @ BHS Little Theater
- March 15: Youth Full Maine Food Distribution (10am-12pm) @ Rotary Park
- March 24 & 25: Spring Musical: Beauty & The Beast Jr. (6:30pm) @ BMS Performing Arts Center
District-Wide K-12 Art Show
The art show will take place March 13-16 but please join us for the opening celebration on Wednesday March 15th!
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023, 04:30 PM
Biddeford Middle School, Tiger Drive, Biddeford, ME, USA
WHAT'S GOING ON AT BIS?
Guidance
Did you know that Random Act of Kindness Day is Friday, February 17th?! What better way to ring in vacation than with a day filled with kindness?
This month, we’re learning all about Growth Mindset! All BIS students learned about having a growth mindset at JFK and BPS, we’re just reminding them that their brains and knowledge are always growing. At our monthly assembly, students were reminded that although they are learning a TON of new information these days, with practice and a positive mindset, they can overcome any obstacle!
Music
3rd grade students - We have completed our animal raps. I’ll send those papers home in the next few weeks and kids can share what they wrote with families:) After February break we will return to the pianos to start learning about improvising. Students will learn a scale and then have a chance to improvise over that scale:)
4th grade students - We have completed our nursery raps. I’ll send those papers home in the next few weeks and kids can share what they wrote with families:) I’ll use some of those wraps in my kindergarten classes. For our next project we’re going to compose a Theme and Variation. Students will get to work on pianos- always a treat! We’ll learn about the form and then get a chance to create our own song.
Art
We’ve been busy preparing for the District-Wide Art Show on March 13-16.
All families are invited to attend the opening celebration on Wednesday, March 15th.
3rd grade has begun using oil pastels to draw Maine seabirds in their natural habitats. They enjoyed learning about four different seabirds and watching videos of each bird before choosing one bird to focus on.
4th grade is finishing up our printmaking unit. We began with a fun introduction lesson using vegetable and tempera paint to stamp designs. This was followed by a lesson on relief printing.
Library
Physical Education
Someday at BIS...
This month we continued celebrating our students through Somedays! Some of the Somedays we have celebrated this month were - being Mrs. Nadeau’s helper for the day, playing dodgeball, having lunch with friends, enjoying a class movie, and having extra recess!
READ TO ME CHALLENGE KICKS OFF IN FEBRUARY
This month, we encourage the community to join our district in the Read to ME Challenge by reading to/with a child for at least 15 minutes. Reading aloud to children not only provides a bonding experience with caring adults, but the simple act of reading aloud to a child 15 minutes a day for five years results in 27,375 minutes of language exposure which can put children on the path to high literacy achievement. Reading also builds attention span and emotional development, improves concentration and focus, reduces stress and anxiety, and stimulates creativity and imagination.
Snap a photo or short video (15-30 seconds) and post it with your challenge to others to read aloud for 15 minutes to a child they know. Use hashtag #ReadtoME and tag others.
BIS CHALLENGE:
Any students who take photos or videos of them reading over February break should also send them to BIS Literacy Specialist Karen Quigley at kquigley@biddefordschools.me to be recognized at BIS after the break. Photos will be posted on the BIS Facebook Page. We hope to have a long list of kids to shout out for their dedication to reading over vacation!
Odyssey of the Mind Fundraiser
FREE ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITIES
Our Social-Emotional Support Team
Please reach out to our team throughout the year for support with your child. We are eager to work with you and your child while they are at BIS.
Ms. Mckenzie: emckenzie@biddefordschools.me
Mrs. Guay: aguay@biddefordschools.me
Ms. Aberle: jaberle@biddefordschools.me
Contact Us
Email: lnadeau@biddefordschools.me
Website: https://biddefordme.sites.thrillshare.com/o/bis
Location: 335 Hill Street, Biddeford, ME, USA
Phone: 207-282-5957
Facebook: facebook.com/biddefordintermediate