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

Would you like this news letter translated? Here are the steps to have it translated:

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.

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.

It is the vision of Bridge Street School to promote educational excellence and equity for ALL students. Promoting educational excellence and equity will prepare and motivate students to be engaged learners and critical thinkers who strive for high academic achievement, listen to all perspectives, value the multicultural and diverse world we live in, and actively participate in eliminating racial and social injustices so that all people are able to reach their full potential.

Bridge Street School’s faculty and staff, caregivers, and community are committed to providing educational excellence and equity to its students by challenging the injustices that create barriers to high academic achievement, to access and opportunities to learn, to high-quality teaching and learning, and to a climate of belonging. This commitment to educational equity, where all children are successful regardless of their personal, social, or cultural contexts, is at the core of our practices, structures, and policies.

Good evening, I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I'm sending this out tonight because we are headed to Boston for the day tomorrow to visit my son to celebrate his 20th birthday. I can't believe my youngest is 20 already. Hold on to these years with your children, it goes by so fast.

Important Reminder: The Liftoff Learning programs ends this week and the last day will be on Wednesday not Thursday. If you have not made arrangements for how your children will now be going home starting Thursday, please do so and if there are arrangements the office and your child's teacher need to know, please let them know ahead of time. The last day of the Liftoff Learning Program will be this Wednesday, April 13th. In addition, there will be no extended care preschool on Thursday, April 14th.

I will not be sending out a weekly newsletter next weekend due to the vacation week. I hope you all have a wonderful vacation week. The April vacation week is a nice time to rejuvenate, rest, and get ready for the remainder of the school year. June will be a long month due to getting out so late. Currently our last day of school is on Monday, June 27th with the four-day preschool program ending on Thursday, June 23rd and the five-day program ending on Friday, June 24th.

The weather is getting nicer and we are now able to do activities we haven't been able to in the past couple of years. We are looking forward to field trips, field day, 5th grade promotion, and the 5th grade Nature Week. We are excited for these things to happen and look forward to our remaining 3 months of school with your children.

Thank you and have a wonderful rest of your weekend.

Please see the attached documents for last weeks Covid-19 numbers.

On April 8th our Diversity and Equity Committee organized the Disability Read-In. Below is the slideshow shared with all classrooms. Thank you to all who participated in helping to increase access and opportunity and for raising awareness.

BSS Art News

5th Grade:

The fifth graders created a mask from paper mache glue and brown paper. After completing the first layers of glue and paper the students added 3-D objects to make horns, ears, noses and other details to make their masks individualized. They came out Amazing! (The lesson I shared last month was not accurate and I apologize for any confusion!)

4th Grade:

The fourth graders sculpted a pinch pot combined with clay coils to make a functional cup, bowl or vase. They will finish glazing them and then they will be coming home soon.
As with any pottery please be sure to hand wash them and wash before using. Enjoy!

3rd Grade:

The third graders have been creating several works of art by using a variety of painting techniques. For example they painted a Tree of Life using acrylic metallic paints. Now they are learning to mix one color of paint with Tints: Black and White Paints. They are creating a Value Scale by mixing the paints as instructed right onto the paper. They are coming along beautifully!

2nd Grade:

The second graders sculpted a pinch pot that they incised or sculpted a face on the pot. They were able to glaze them as well so you can use them to drink out of. They were inspired by the artist: Kimmy Cantrel. As with any pottery please be sure to hand wash them and wash before using. Enjoy!

1st Grade:

The first graders learned about the French Artist: Henri Rousseau, who was a self taught artist. They painted a jungle scene with wild animals peeking out behind the foliage.

Kindergarten:

The kindergarteners are learning about the artist: Eric Carle, who is famous for his collaged book illustrations. They painted papers using a variety of geometric shapes, and then scratched into the wet paint to create texture. The next class the students began cutting and collaging their painted shapes to make a new work of art!

Hello 5th grade families and caregivers,

Happy Spring to all of you!

There are several things happening at BSS for the 5th grade and lots of opportunities to volunteer, including:

- Fundraising – we need to raise funds for the yearbook, Nature Week, promotion (graduation), and a class gift to the school. Attached is a flyer that you can distribute to your friends and family. If you are willing and able, you can make your own donation here: Bridge Street School, Northampton, 5th Grade (givebutter.com). We will also be asking community businesses (Herrels, Big Y, etc.) to show their support of their local school with donations. If you have a personal connection with a business that may be able might help us please contact motownjen@yahoo.com. We hope to raise at least $2,500.

- Volunteers are needed to work on fundraising, promotion, and the yearbook. If you’d like to volunteer, please sign up here or contact Stacey Dakai at sdakai@gmail.com.

- Promotion date is June 23 at 9:00 AM with a rain date of June 24 at 9:00 AM.

- Yearbook – Please provide 6-8 photos of your child(ren) for the yearbook. You can drop the photos in here. There is a folder for each child in 5th grade; click on your child(ren)’s teacher and find the correct folder to put photos in. Also, please provide your name and email address on the BSS 5th Grade Yearbook spreadsheet so that folks working on the yearbook can contact you, if necessary. If you have questions about the yearbook, contact Catarina at costawofford@gmail.com.

- Nature Week is scheduled for the week of May 9 – 14. There are currently two days scheduled at BSS with the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and one day with Nature on Wheels. The other two day are in the process of being coordinated.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Stacey Dakai at sdakai@gmail.com

April 18-22: No School-Spring Break

My name is Amelia Durbin, and I'm an 8th grader at JFK Middle School. This spring, I'm planning to do a kids clothing drive for Northampton, in partnership with Project 351 and Cradles 2 Crayons. I am hoping that you might send a virtual flyer out to the parents and caregivers at your schools.

English Flyer

Spanish Flyer

Dear BSS Families, (Mensaje en español abajo)

We’re thrilled to be launching BSS Kids Zootopia. As a way to get to know all the fab students of BSS we’re inviting you to submit a brief video introducing your favorite stuffie or pet. We’ll compile these into a gorgeous video that showcases all the sweetness and creativity of our student body. Learn more and submit your video here!

You can always stay connected to your BSS pals through the family directory. You can find contact info for your classmates here with password bridgestreet21-22. If you don’t see your info, or need to update it, feel free to reach out to president@bsspto.org.

Thanks for all you do!
Your PTO

Queridas familias de BSS,

Estamos encantados de lanzar BSS Kids Zootopia. Como una forma de conocer a todos los estudiantes fabulosos de BSS estamos invitando a presentar un breve video presentando su stuffie favorito o mascota. Los recopilaremos en un magnífico vídeo que muestre toda la dulzura y creatividad de nuestro alumnado. Para más información y para enviar tu vídeo, haz clic aquí.


Siempre puedes estar conectado con tus compañeros de BSS a través del directorio familiar. Puedes encontrar la información de contacto de tus compañeros aquí con la contraseña bridgestreet21-22. Si no ves tu información, o necesitas actualizarla, no dudes en ponerte en contacto con president@bsspto.org.

¡Gracias por todo lo que hacen!
Su PTO

Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor www.DeepL.com/Translator

SAVE THE DATES

• Tuesday, April 12 at 2:30 PM - PTO Meeting
• Tuesday, May 10at 6:00 PM - PTO Meeting
• Tuesday, June 14 at 2:30 PM - PTO Meeting

Link to District Calendar

YOUR PTO BOARD

• Ayana Morse (third and fourth-grade parent) and Cait Mahoney (third-grade and kindergarten parent): Co-presidents
• KeriAnne Gaffney (fourth-grade parent): Treasurer
• Sienna Baskin (first-grade parent): Clerk

It is our hope as a board that Bridge Street School continues to be a warm, fun, loving, and safe environment for the children, teachers, and staff. If you have any ideas on how to keep building and strengthening this community, don’t be shy! Come to a meeting or introduce yourself to us on the playground. Feel free to be in touch to president@bsspto.org.

I provided some resources below both for educators and caregivers to help with discussing different types of disabilities with your students/children. At Bridge Street School work hard every day to create an inclusive environment where all students feel cared for, loved, and that they belong. Please use these resources to talk with your children about different types of disabilities and how they can be advocates for those who may learn, act, and look different than they do. A caregiver shared a link to the book and guide for, We Move Together, which I also included below. Thank you.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/classroom-resources/lessons/what-is-a-disability

https://www.learningforjustice.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_learning_about_disabilities.pdf

https://www.learningforjustice.org/the-moment/july-13-2021-celebrate-disability-pride-month

https://wemovetogether.ca/

https://wemovetogether.ca/resources/WMT-LearningGuide-v01.pdf

Link to district website re: State At-Home Covid Testing Consent/Information

https://northamptonschools.org/additional-covid-screening-options-consent-needed/

Welcome to our first volume of the NPS Elementary Curriculum Corner!I In this monthly newsletter, we will share curriculum news, offer a view into a different grade levels and curriculum, and share the many reasons we are grateful for the amazing NPS educators and all of the joy and learning taking place among the wonderful students in our schools!

Newsletter Link:

https://www.smore.com/4c1m2-nps-elementary-curriculum-corner?ref=email-content#w-5799051425

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