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 2/9/18
On Wednesday our library committee will be meeting to review a proposal for our library renovation. We are very excited to be moving ahead with this and are so very grateful to Dr. Hershkowitz for his generous donation. We are also working on a Maker Space endowment grant for our library. Maker Space will provide STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities for our students that are hands-on and engaging for all ages. Thank you to Jen Dieringer for taking on the writing of the NEF endowment grant.
We are looking for some donations of simple sensory items such as bubble wrap, velcro, different textured fabrics, etc. Parent Annie Salsich and I are creating sensory bulletin boards for our students in the main hallway of the school. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. You can drop them off in the main office.
I would like to remind families that there is no parking or driving through the back parking lot during van drop-off and pick-up. We are trying out the vans in back to see if it helps with congestion on Union Street. Please help us to keep the parking lot clear for our students and staff out at the vans. Driving by vans or buses with the flashing lights on is against the law and puts our students and staff at risk.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
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-2 Celebration
**Ms. Hurd's class presentation has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 1st.
Thursday, Feb 15, 2018, 09:00 AM
Bridge Street School Cafeteria
Nurse Jessica has a new website!
VINS
13th Annual VINS Dog Show
Saturday, March 3, 2018
12-3 pm. at NHS
Fun for all!!!
Inclusion Update
So if your child comes home and says that they had to be evacuated, you can explain to them that the teacher does that so the class can keep learning, so everyone is safe, and so that the student who is having a hard time can have privacy and not have their peers watch them go through a difficult time.
I'd like to thank Dr. Provost for his 90-Day Inclusion Update at the School Committee meeting last night. I am proud to see the growth our BSS students have made in the first 90 days of the school year and will continue to support teachers and our students in their teaching and learning.
Budget Update
The leadership team continues to get input from our teachers in order to give input to Dr. Provost in preparation of his budget presentation.
For BSS we are trying to get a full-time BCBA with an esp to work alongside our tiered support specialist and adjustment counselor. We are also discussing the possibility of having a "flex space suite" in order to provide a space for students to de-escalate, take movement breaks, have quiet time, have work space, or to have a sensory break. The suite would be where our tiered support and additional BCBA and esp would be housed and work with our students.
Again, this is all dependent on the budget process and approval.
Spotlight on 1st Grade
In first grade they have been learning about how to write. They have been talking about the steps for how to build a snowman, how to make a bouncing egg, how to brush your teeth, how to make a sandwich, and how to make a pizza.
In reading they have earned our word detective badges. Ask your first grader how they earned their badge!
One of my favorite things to see our first graders doing is working with their 4th grade reading buddies. It gives me such joy to see our young 1st graders listening/reading to our 4th graders. It also reminds me that it wasn't that long ago when our 4th graders were in the 1st grade and seeing the progress they've made in just a few years fills my heart with joy.
Science Fair
Important Dates
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
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