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 Soutra, Senior Clerk nsoutra@northampton-k12.us
Nora DeJasu, Head Teacher ndejasu@northampton-k12.us
A Message From Principal Choquette 12/2/18
This week we are celebrating National Inclusive Schools Week. This year, the theme is “Kaleidoscope of Friends.” As described on their website, inclusiveschools.org, if you look into a kaleidoscope, you see an infinite array of patterns of brilliant light created by repeated reflection. Kaleidoscope comes from two Greek words: kalos, meaning “beautiful,” and eidos, “shape.” And indeed, education takes on a beautiful shape when all children belong and are valued as contributing members of the school community. That is the vision of inclusive education; it drives decisions, actions, and core beliefs. Repeated reflection helps shape effective practices to meet the needs of all students. When we add the word “friends” to that image, the result is a myriad of relationships that provide opportunities for the support and growth of all children.
I am happy to say that I have officially completed my first year and a half of my doctoral program. As I get ready to embark on my last year and a half, I will be focused on my dissertation. With an overarching theme of Social Justice Leadership, I am narrowing my focus down to social justice leadership in trauma-informed schools. There is currently a substantial amount of research on social justice leadership and trauma-informed schools as two separate topics, however, there is very little on the intersection of the two, which is is where I would like to focus my research. When we look at social justice we typically look at it around race, ethnicity, disability, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. I feel that trauma should also fall into the realm of social justice as students who have experienced trauma can also experience bullying, poor academic achievement, behavior challenges, and can be disproportionately placed . If leaders look at trauma through the lens of social justice, then we will create an environment that is socially just for students who have experienced trauma. I am very excited about this work, and thank everyone for their support as I head into the next and final stage of my studies.
Have a wonderful evening.
Santa's Trains at Look Park
Parenting Workshop
Northampton Area Pediatrics, LLP
PARENTING WORKSHOP
When Worrying Takes Over:
Managing Anxiety in your Child or Teen
with Sharon Saline, Psy.D.
and Jonathan Schwab, M.D.
Sunday, December 2nd
4pm to 5:30pm
193 Locust St., Northampton
PTO
The next PTO meeting will be on December 12th at 6:30 p.m.
Principal's Chats
K-5 Celebration
Important Dates
12/6/18 Principal's Chat 3:15-4:00 p.m.
12/12/18 PTO Meeting 6:30 p.m.
12/22/18-1/1/19 No School, Holiday break
1/2/19-First day of the New Year.