Author Archives: mwmcallister
Skype Cameras at Davis and Lane
Thank you to Progress Software! Progress Software funded a grant for 16 Skype cameras to be used in second and third grade classrooms at Davis and Lane Schools.
The cameras will enhance typical curriculum goals in Social Studies.
Specific benefits include:
- Developing partnerships between second and third grade classrooms.
Each second grade class at Davis will be partnered with a third grade class at Lane. This will help ease the second graders transition to Lane as well as increase the third graders’ leadership skills and self-esteem, as they mentor their second grade partners. - Expanding students’ knowledge of video conferencing etiquette
- Communicating with classrooms within the United States and around the world
Pajama Party
The BEF High School Board and the Integrated Preschool present a fun-filled fundraiser to support the establishment of an Integrated Preschool Scholarship and the BEF’s ongoing grant-giving efforts funding teachers’ innovative, and self-sustaining projects.
When: Friday, April 26th from 6:00-7:30pm
Who: preschoolers to 2nd graders
Where: Davis School gym
Cost: $15 per child or $20 per family
Click on our PJ Party Flyer for more details.
Questions? Contact Zoe Kipp at zkipp21@mac.com
BEF Top Ten List
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We are a volunteer group that includes parents with and without children currently in the Bedford school system, community members and corporate partners. |
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Most of our members have been actively involved in the PTO’s of Davis, Lane, JGMS and BHS, so you may recognize some friends from over the years. |
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There are no membership dues or secret handshakes. |
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We welcome and need new members to continue our mission. Many of our members have children in upper grades or who are ready to move on to college. To stay relevant, we need parents of children representing all grade levels and in particular, we’d like a greater parent representation from the elementary schools. |
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We meet once a month for 75 minutes – starting and ending on time. |
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Our mission is to pilot, encourage and fund the creative and innovative ideas of teachers and administrators that may not be currently implemented in our Bedford schools. |
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We review and award grant requests three times during the year: February, July and October. We support and fund grants for all of the Bedford public schools: Davis, Lane, JGMS and BHS. |
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We have funded 105 grant requests since the Fall of 2008. We piloted grants for SmartBoards, iPads, Robotics, vegetable and herb gardens at Davis and Lane, stability balls, a “green screen” for the BHS communications students (just like they have in major tv stations!), Skype cameras, Nooks, digital microscopes, and many more items that have enhanced the classroom experience. |
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We have awarded $92,755 to teachers since the Fall of 2008. Our funds come from our fundraising events (i.e. Bedford’s Got Talent Show, BEF Winter Bash, Bedford Day Box Lunch Special) and from private and corporate donors. |
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We have a terrific and valuable mission, a committed small core of volunteers with passion who have truly made a difference in the quality of education for our children in the classroom and their talented teachers. All we need is YOU. |
BEF Student Board Fundraiser
If you have a 4th or 5th grader, consider signing them up for the Kids for Kids “Let’s Play!” Fundraiser.
On Tuesday, April 2, students from our high school board will lead the 4th and 5th graders in playing fun games like Matball, Crackabout, Backboard, and Knockout.
Date: Tuesday, April 2
Time: 2:45 to 4:00pm
Place: Lane School
Cost: a $10 donation to the Bedford Education Foundation
Please click the link for our flyer and registration details: Let’s Play Fundraiser
Guard Up and the BEF
If you are looking for a camp for April break or during summer vacation, consider Guard Up! Family Swordsmanship in Burlington, MA.
If you make a $20 donation to the Bedford Education Foundation, you’ll receive a $45 discount on full-day Adventures at Guard Up!
For more information, visit www.WizardsAndWarriorsCamp.com.
Call (781) 270-4800 for discount details.
Click here to view our flyer: Guard Up flyer
Thank you for your support
Thank you to the Bedford community who supported the Barnes & Noble Book Fair sponsored by the BEF, BHSPA, MSPA and BEST on December 13th & 14th.
We also thank the many performers from our schools who made the Book Fair so special — the Grade 2 readers, BEF BHS Board members who worked with the Grade 2 students, Davis School Principal Nancy Peterson and Lane School Principal Rob Ackerman who held Story Time, Katherine Parker who directed the Lane Student Chorus and the Combined Davis and Lane Teachers & Staff Chorus, the Bedford High School String Quartet and Santa Bob.
Ackerman Reports on BEF Grant
We’d like to share a note from Rob Ackerman about the success of a project we funded at Lane School.
Evernote is a suite of software and services designed for notetaking and archiving. A “note” can be a piece of formatted text, a full webpage or webpage excerpt, a photograph, a voice memo, or a handwritten “ink” note. Notes can also have file attachments. Notes can be sorted into folders, then tagged, annotated, edited, given comments, searched and exported as part of a notebook.
Bookfair Schedule of Events
Here is a schedule of events for our Barnes & Noble Bookfair on December 13 and 14.
Thursday, December 13th
4:00 Davis School 2nd Grade Readers Theater
4:20 Davis & Lane Principals’ Story Time
4:30 Lane & Davis Teachers’ Combined Choir
7:00 BHS String Quartet
Friday, December 14th
5:00-6:00 Visit with Santa
6:00 Pianist
Book Fair hours are 9:00 am – 10:00 pm on Thursday and 9:00 am – 11:00 pm on Friday. Don’t forget to say “BEDFORD” at the register so your purchases will count toward our total. Thank you for shopping to support our schools!
For our Bookfair flyer, click here.
Click here for details about how to make online purchases count!
BEF Winter Bash
Thanks for making the Bash a Success!
Our Winter Bash at Waxy O’Connors on December 1 was a great success. We raised over $12,000 to support creativity and innovation in the Bedford Public Schools by auctioning and raffling over 70 items, including airline tickets, front row Red Sox tickets, a gourmet dinner at Fitch Tavern, and a number of themed baskets. One lucky attendee walked away with a brand new iPad Mini from our $5 raffle.
The BEF would like to thank the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of the Bedford Public Schools who helped support the night’s event. We are especially appreciative of the generous donations by many local businesses and residents who helped provide so many opportunities to raise money and awareness of BEF’s mission during the night.
Please mark your calendars for next December for our annual Winter Bash, where we will again gather to celebrate and support the students and teachers of the Bedford Public Schools.
For more photos from the event, please visit our BEF Winter Bash 2012 page on the Events tab.
Bedford Education Foundation 