Principal's Weekly
Dr. Beth N. Choquette
Bridge Street School
2 Parsons Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
413-587-1460 (phone) 413-587-1474 (fax)
Dr. Beth N. Choquette, Principal bchoquette@northamtpon-k12.us
Elizabeth Peterson, Administrative Assistant epeterson@northampton-k12.us
Jordan Celino, Secretary jcelino@northampton-k12.us
Nora DeJasu, Head Teacher ndejasu@northampton-k12.us
Translation of the Principal's Weekly
At the top of the weekly email, there's a link that reads "View it in your browser," click that and it takes you to the post on a webpage.
Scroll to the bottom where there's a black menu bar and pick the option that says "Translate."
Select the language you would like it translated in and it will then translate it on the webpage.
Traducción del semanario del director
Le gustaría traducir esta carta de noticias? Aquí están los pasos para traducirlo:
En la parte superior del correo electrónico semanal, hay un enlace que dice "Verlo en su navegador", haga clic en eso y lo llevará a la publicación en una página web.
Desplázate hacia la parte inferior donde hay una barra de menú negra y elige la opción que dice "Traducir".
Seleccione el idioma en el que desea traducirlo y luego lo traducirá en la página web.
A Message from Principal Choquette
By now your children should have brought home the order forms for their school picture. Picture day is scheduled for May 21st and will be held outside. If you did not receive an order form, please contact your child's teacher. You can also order pictures online at grynnternet.com.
Although we can't have a "typical" field day this year. Classroom teachers are planning a one-hour extra fun time outdoors that will have activities and games. These will be done together as a grade level. Once we have a date(s) finalized, we will let you know. We are also planning to have something special such as an ice cream sundae table during recesses or during the grade levels extra fun time. We will keep you posted as to the exact dates.
The City of Northampton is planning a sidewalk and wheelchair curb-cut improvements project as part of a Safe Routes to School program for the Bridge Street School and for better pedestrian access to the neighborhood. This project will allow for safer pedestrian travel to the Bridge Street School, from the Parsons Street and Hawley Street neighborhoods. This also fits into the City’s objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for the families that choose to walk to school or anyone wishing to access neighborhood amenities. MassDOT is hosting our first public meeting regarding this project on June 2nd and I am attaching the public hearing notice. You can find the MassDOT meeting ID here, under the Calendar (they will update closer to the meeting): https://www.mass.gov/massdot-highway-design-public-hearings.
Finally, all third and fourth graders need to make sure they have their Chromebooks and chargers at school starting tomorrow for MCAS testing.
Thank you and I hope you all enjoy your evening. Thank you.
Important Information from Nurse Jessica
Pooled Testing Consent Forms
Vaccine Information
COVID-19 Vaccine is Free!
Walk-in vaccine clinic - You do not need an appointment
9:00am-12:00pm Tuesday, May 18
Location: Northampton Senior Center 67 Conz Street
This is walking-distance from many downtown Northampton businesses.
You do not need health insurance.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is given in two doses.
We will give you your second dose at least 21 days after your first dose.
All people 16 and older are eligible for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
If you do have an ID and/or an insurance card, please bring it to your appointment. You will be able to get your vaccine even if you do not have an ID or insurance.
Questions?
Text a nurse from Northampton Health Department at 413-341-4617
Call the vaccine phone line 413-587-1219 and we will call you back.
National School Nurses Day
MCAS
JSS Electronic Reycling Event
Electronic Recycling Event: Saturday, May 22 (9am-12pm)
Dig deep into those closets and basements to uncover some forgotten treasures! Feel better about yourself when you keep unnecessary trash out of the landfills. Bring your old electronics to Smith Vocational High School on Saturday, May 22nd and recycle responsibly. Check out a price list of acceptable items here. All proceeds to benefit Jackson Street School. Questions? Email: jacksonstreetpto@gmail.com
Chromebook Return
Planning for Next Fall
As we look forward to planning for next fall we are reaching out to all our families to see which children will be here in the fall and who has recently moved or plans to move (or had other changes in their living situations). It's important that we plan for the right number of classes. We would be happy to answer your questions about any recent or pending moves and how that may impact your children attending with us next fall.
Teachers are beginning the process of class placements for next year. As you are aware, caregivers may not "choose" their child's teacher. Our school teams plan very carefully in the placement of students. There are many factors that go into creating classrooms and I ask all of you to respect and honor the decisions that teachers have made. With that said, if you have any concerns or information you think would be helpful in them making placement decisions, please reach out to your child's teacher.
Fifth Grade
The fifth Grade promotion ceremony has been scheduled for June 15th at 9:30 a.m. with a rain date of June 16th. The ceremony will be brief and will take place in Lampron Park. Stephanie Pouliot will be sending home paperwork to be filled out. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, each child will be allowed a maximum of 6 guests and will need to pre-register. Please make sure you fill out the form and send it back as soon as possible so we can plan.
It has been so hard for our fifth graders (this year and last year), they have had to give up so much and I'm sorry for that. I'd like to meet as a final check-in meeting with fifth grade caregivers to check-in on promotion and anything else we need to discuss. I have scheduled a meeting for May 26th from 6-7 p.m. The zoom link is below. Please spread the word to fifth grade families who have not signed up for my weekly. Thank you.
ID: 97753324953
Passcode: 820204
Social Justice Corner
REAL
REAL (Racial Equity and Learning) is hosting its next community conversation on Thursday, May 20, from 7–8:30pm.
Caregivers, educators, students in grades 6 and up, and anyone else connected with the Northampton Public Schools are warmly invited.
Our conversations typically begin with a shared text or video that we use as a launching-off point for discussion. In this upcoming conversation, the texts will be drawn from REAL's story project which, since 2019, has been collecting stories about people's experiences of race, racism, and whiteness in our district. We're excited to see what we can learn, by engaging with these stories, about ourselves, our community, and how we can strengthen our anti-racist work.
Please note that participation requires no advance reading or preparation.
If you're interested, please email lesleyyalen@gmail.com for the zoom link. You can also email Lesley with any questions or concerns you might have.
Annie Salsich