BIS Newsletter

Welcome back! We hope you had an amazing April break! We have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. Our students will complete their state testing, push through their spring coursework, and enjoy all of the activities scheduled for the remainder of the year!

Spring Testing: Our third and fourth grade students will be taking the Maine Through Year State Assessment in Math and Reading in May. BIS students are scheduled to test from May 6-16. During this window, it is especially important that students arrive to school on time so we can ensure they have a comfortable and relaxed testing experience. To support your child in doing their very best, we encourage the recommended hours of sleep, a healthy breakfast at home or at school, and conversations at home about taking their time and doing their best. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any additional questions regarding testing.

Staff Appreciation Week: May 6-10th is National Teacher Appreciation Week, a very special week to recognize the hard work and resilience of our educators. Districtwide we will be finding small ways to extend an additional thank you to our staff for their perseverance and continued dedication to Biddeford students. However, educators do what they do every day because of their commitment to students and the impact they are able to make. Their experiences with kids and families are what drives their passion for education and help make our communities a better place to be. Please join us in sending an extra message of gratitude to the amazing professionals at BIS that support our students every day!

Family Night: Join us at BPS on May 15th from 4:30-6:30 PM for our PreK-Grade 4 Family Night!

Color Derby Volunteers: We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with our Color Derby event in June. Color Derby is our end-of-year celebration and includes 20+ exciting outdoor games. Our parent volunteers are assigned to stations to support students and staff with station activities. If you are interested in participating, please complete the attached form and review form details. Once volunteer spots are filled, you will receive an email confirmation from us! If you have any questions, please email Kelsey Langill (klangill@biddefordschools.me) and Danielle Maragus (dmaragus@biddefordschools.me) for assistance.

Last Day of School: Due to the snow days, the last day of school has been adjusted to Wednesday, June 12th. Please reference the revised District Calendar for the end-of-year dates.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nadeau

Yearbooks are still on sale here: BIS Yearbook

Don't forget these events on your calendars!

April

• April 22 - 26 - District College & Career Week
• April 25 - Junior Achievement visit BIS
• April 26 - Career Day & Fun Friday (Dress Your Best or Dress for Career)
• April 29 - Channel 8 Weather Visits 3rd Grade
• April 30 - Spring Pictures

May

• May 1 - Early Release (students dismiss at 12:00)
• May 2 - Author Rajani LaRocca visits BIS
• May 6-17 - Spring Through Year Testing
• May 9 - BMS Incoming Parent Night
• May 10 - Fun Friday (Luau Day)
• May 14 - Biddeford Rising New Mainers Event
• May 15 - PreK-4 Family Fun Night (4:30-6:30 at BPS)
• May 23 - BIS Band Performance (6:00 at BMS)
• May 24 - Fun Friday (Red White & Blue)
• May 27 - No School - Memorial Day
• May 30-31 - 4th Grade Field Trip (info coming)

This week is our district-wide College & Career Week. This is a fun-filled time of career conversations, goal setting, and self-exploration designed to help inspire and set up our students to meet their potential! On Thursday, over 25 volunteers will be teaching Junior Achievement programs, Our City and Our Region unit at Biddeford Intermediate School. By delivering hands-on and interactive lessons, volunteers encourage students to open their eyes to opportunities like being an entrepreneur, preparing for the workforce, solving problems, and being a leader. Junior Achievement volunteer-led programming fosters work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills, and uses experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and reach their potential.

To wrap up the week, students will participate in our annual BIS Career Day. During this event our school will transform into a bustling hub of inspiration as over 30 passionate community volunteers facilitate career sessions for our eager young minds. From doctors to engineers, artists to entrepreneurs, our students will have the opportunity to peek into diverse worlds of possibilities! We encourage our families to have discussions at home this week about the interests, values, and strengths that can assist in career decisions.

The BIS Literacy Team has been busy planning for another amazing Author visit this spring! Author Rajani LaRocca will be joining us at BIS on Thursday, May 2nd. All students will have the opportunity to listen to her presentation about writing and the writing process!

Learn more about Rajani LaRocca at https://www.rajanilarocca.com/

Our Tiger Den staff would like to thank their fellow co-workers for contributing to the BIS CLYNK account which assists with providing our students with daily snacks. Our staff have donated over 27,000 containers. If parents are interested in participating, please reach out to BIS Social Worker Ellen McKenzie via email at emckenzie@biddefordschools.me.

Here are some positive environmental impacts from their CLYNK usage:

• Saved enough energy to light 36.1 lightbulbs --24 hours a day--for a year.

• Saved the emissions equivalent of driving your car 6,825 miles.

• Diverted enough containers to fill 259.8 lobster traps.

In 2015, the state of Maine passed a law requiring that all public schools must implement Sexual Abuse and Prevention education for grades preK-5. After vacation, our school counselor, Mrs. Guay will teach this very important lesson to all homerooms. At our level, she will focus on the basics of body safety, body boundaries and identifying trusted adults. Please take a look at the letter attached below for more information about this important topic!

What is a Someday? A Someday is when each student at BIS is asked to choose something fun or meaningful they would like to do at school one day. Our staff works together to give them this special moment before the end of the school year. As the weather turns a corner, we continue to celebrate our students here at BIS through Somedays. Here are some of the special moments that we have celebrated recently.

Have my dog visit with my class.

Saturday, May 4th from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Biddeford High School Parking Lot

Don't miss your chance to purchase a parking space for the First Annual Team Letellier of Coldwell Banker Realty Junk in the Trunk rummage sale. The format will be a community yard sale: buy your parking space(s), sell your "junk," and keep your profits! Proceeds from parking space purchases will benefit the Biddeford Education Foundation (BEF).

Click Here to Sign-up Today or visit the Facebook Event linked here for more information.

Be part of our future and remain in our history! Now is your chance to name a bleacher row in Tiger Gym. As part of our deep commitment to providing students with exceptional educational opportunities and diverse extracurriculars, we are looking to acquire a new digital scorer's table to enhance the experience in Tiger Gym. A new score table will improve the gym's functionality and contribute to our events' aesthetics and professionalism. Don't miss your chance to take advantage of this opportunity. To purchase, print the form by clicking on the image and return it with payment, or conveniently purchase your row online: https://bit.ly/3uXe6uN!

Email: lnadeau@biddefordschools.me
Website: www.biddefordschools.me
Location: 335 Hill Street, Biddeford, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 282-5957
Facebook: www.facebook.com/biddefordintermediate