BIS Newsletter

May 2023

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Message from the Principal

Happy May BIS Families!

We have had a busy few weeks at BIS. Our students have finished up their spring state assessments in reading and math and worked incredibly hard! Students participated in a school-wide raffle throughout testing, which acknowledged hard work and resilience and we continue to be amazed by their perseverance.

Last week we celebrated our Special Olympians, and select classes were able to cheer on their classmates alongside their families and staff. Our 4th-grade band students also had an outstanding performance, and we are so proud of their progress this year. Thank you to Mr Stebbins, our 4th grade classroom teachers, and of course, our families for supporting their participation in the band program! We are very lucky to be able to provide our students the opportunity to find passion in the arts.

We are looking forward to additional fun events at BIS in the coming weeks! BIS is heading to the Portland Sea Dogs on Thursday, and we are so excited about our end-of-year events.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Nadeau

Biddeford Intermediate School Principal

DATES TO REMEMBER

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BIS IMPORTANT DATES

May 25: BIS goes to the Sea Dogs
May 26: Fun Friday - Wear Red White & Blue!
May 29: Memorial Day (No School)
June 1: Family Fun Night for Grades PreK-4 (4:00-7:00 pm) @ BPS
June 8/9: 4th Grade Field Trip (Maine Wildlife Park)
June 15: BIS Color Derby/Field Day
June 16: Last day of school

COMMUNITY DATES

May 24: Biddeford School Committee Meeting (7pm) @ BHS Little Theater
June 7: Biddeford Adult Education Graduation (6pm) @ BHS Little Theater
June 12: Biddeford’s Step-Up Day (12:30pm) District-Wide
June 13: Biddeford VOTE on School Budget (7am-8pm) @ BHS Tiger Gym
June 14: Biddeford School Committee Meeting (5pm) @ BHS Little Theater
June 16: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL - Early Release

COMMUNITY, DISTRICT & SCHOOL EVENTS

WHAT'S GOING ON AT BIS?

Guidance/Social Work

Mrs. Guay, Ms. Aberle, and Ms. McKenzie want to thank all of our BIS families for their support this school year! Mental health work is not easy, but it’s critical for academic success and beyond. Our students have worked so hard this year identifying their feelings, learning coping skills, how to be a friend, practicing self-advocacy, and so much more!

Our monthly team for the month of May is Mindfulness! This theme could not have come at a better time as we encouraged students to be mindful as they take their final state assessment of the year! At our monthly assembly, we took a trip to the beach through some guided imagery and explained to BIS students how important it is to be mindful and focused on the task at hand.

We will wrap up the year with a final assembly in the first week of June, where we’ll focus on health and wellness! Students will be encouraged to turn off the video games and get outside to enjoy a beautiful Maine summer- there’s nothing better than spending the day swimming and enjoying the sunshine and wrapping it up with a s’more by the fire! We wish all BIS students and families a fun-filled summer vacation!

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Art

This month all students have wrapped up their sculpture projects and have spent some time making sure they’ve finished all past work. All of this is being sent home now. Our last project will be a lighthearted and imaginative drawing designing our own theme parks. Can’t wait to see what silly themes our students come up with!

Music

3rd-grade students - Students in 3rd grade have been working hard to learn to play the recorder. We have also been trying out a few different instruments to prepare us for band sign-ups in the fall. Recorders (and music) will go home sometime in June. By then all students should be able to play a few basic songs - so exciting!

4th-grade students - Students have been bringing in lots of jingles! Here are some: Nationwide is on your side, Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar, O-O-O-O’Reilly’s autoparts! The next step is for students to create their own jingle:)

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Library

This month in the library, we continued to read best-selling author, Adam Rubin’s stories, with “Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel”. We also laughed our way through “Pigsty”, by Mark Teague, about a boy who does not like to clean his room. We have begun to collect books that are out or overdue to prepare for the end of the school year. Please return any overdue books to the library. Thank you for your help!

Physical Education

The month of May has PE focused on student leadership and on activities that students can use on their own, at home, in the park, or anywhere with friends and family. As we start closing in on the end of the school year, our hope is to provide students with activities they will remember and play during the summer months or whenever the opportunity arises. Next up in this group of activities is the fast-paced favorite called SPEEDWAY!!! Students will compete using a variety of locomotor skills, traveling fast around the “speedway” racing against other teams in an attempt to reach the finish line first!