From Todd Harrison, Bigelow principal

Our student testing participation level in COVID Pooled Testing is hovering around 50% at Bigelow and about 40% in all schools. We really need to increase participation to 70-80% for testing to be effective.

We NEED YOUR participation to make this work. The more students who participate, the better data we have on infection rates in our community. This means we can:

• Quickly identify infection

• Reduce the risk of in school transmission

• Limit quarantines

• Keep our schools, athletics and other important activities open for the rest of the year

Please note: Testing is now MANDATORY for all high school students participating in athletics or extracurricular activities.

Here’s how to enroll and a few details on the testing:

• Complete the opt-in in Aspen (here’s the link!)

• High school students then create an account at JCM (do it here!) for access to a QR code they use to check in their sample. (Pre-K – 8th grade students will receive their QR code from school staff.)

• This is NOT the “touch your brain” swab! This is a sample taken from the front of your nose with a Q-tip like swab. It’s super-fast and painless.

• Testing is FREE to all families!

Please REMIND your students to turn in their sample when they arrive at school!

For more information, please contact Ms Rice: rices@newton.k12.ma.us 

“We are so excited to be welcoming students back! If you happen to live close enough to school to be able to walk or ride your bike or scooter we’d love to have you to give it a try!

Walking or riding to school is a fun way to get some fresh air and exercise and be ready for learning. It’s also an environmentally friendly way to get to school and decreases the number of cars that are out on our roads.”

Ms. Fitzgerald, Bigelow PE Teacher

Watch Bigelow Walking and Biking to School Video here

Please take a look at the Bigelow SRTS page for more information about: Bike Routes, Bike Parking, Walking to school, Riding the bus, Drop-Off/Pick-Up locations,  Traffic and Parking Regulations

Please remember, the Bus Zone moved to Arlington St. Yellow buses will drop off and pick up students on Arlington St. Please AVOID driving on Arlington as cars cannot pass the buses. See map here.

Dear Bigelow parents/guardians,

First, we would like to thank our wonderful community for the generous donations to our upcoming auction. Thus far we have some awesome sports memorabilia, kitchen gadgets, and pamper yourself items! We are still in need of your help!

There are some decorative boxes at the entrance of the school for themed items. We are still in need of cooking, beach, spa and arts and craft items. The boxes will now be there until Wednesday, May 5th.

We know that this is a busy time for everyone, but we need your help! Not sure what to buy!? No problem-look below for some ideas.

• Grade 6 needs craft items such as foam paper, glue sticks, craft items, DIY kits.
• Grade 7 think of your favorite spa day and pick up some items and drop them off at Bigelow’s front door. Nails, hair, facials, aromatherapy items all are appreciated!!
• Grade 8: thank you for the hot gloves, cookbook and cookie cutters. Still looking for mixing bowls, silicon baking sheets, molds, whisks and spatulas. Items to melt like chocolates or mixes.
• For all grades- thank you for dropping off Beach items; beach balls, ping pong, beach towels sunscreen, frisbees and beach pails.

Currently we have many exciting things to bid on such as a BBQ themed basket, an amazing homemade brunch and passes to spin and yoga classes!

Don’t have time to buy something to donate? Let us do the work for you. Simply click on the link below and make a monetary donation.

$25 – $50 – $75  – $100  – $150  – $200  – $250  – $300

Mark your calendars for May 14th! We will be sending instructions about how to make your bids so don’t miss out!!

You may be wanting to bid on one of the many beautiful gift baskets for either yourself or as a gift for someone else!

Again, we thank you all for your support. Don’t forget Wednesday’s deadline!

Alexia Giannakopoulos (alexiag5@yahoo.com) and Ruth Somers (rsomers201@yahoo.com) Big Night Co-Chairs

Laps at Lunch is a Bigelow program that helps our students get some fresh air and a chance to move around in the middle of the day. During this daily, optional program, students are allowed to walk laps around the inside perimeter of Burr Park once they’re done with their lunch. 

Big Night 2021 is around the corner: beginning May 14 – May 23. We need more donations for our auction!

Please give a creative themed baskets – see below – or anything else that could make the auction successful, such as tickets, gift cards, a custom dinner and more.

• 6th grade: Arts and crafts and a beach themed basket
• 7th grade: Spa day and beach themed basket
• 8th grade: Cooking and wine themed basket

We thought it would be fun and also motivating for the students to bring in an item for the baskets that will then be auctioned off. Please bring your item to the drop off boxes at the school entrance by April 30.

Don’t have time to buy something to donate? Let us do the work for you. Simply click on the link below and make a monetary donation.

$25 – $50 – $75  – $100  – $150  – $200  – $250  – $300

Alexia Giannakopoulos (alexiag5@yahoo.com) and Ruth Somers (rsomers201@yahoo.com) Big Night Co-Chairs

From the Principal’s Office

Monday and Tuesday, April 26-27, are our last two days of the split-hybrid model.  However, as an “on-ramp” to full in-person learning on Wednesday, April 28, we would like Cohort B students to remotely attend their classes during the mornings of Monday and Tuesday, April 26-27.*  Instead of doing asynchronous work on these mornings, we believe it is better to have full hyflex classes, with both the in-person cohort A students and and as many remote cohort B students as possible attending together. 

On Monday afternoon, April 26, during Advisory, we will share a powerpoint presentation with all students about our current and new procedures, e.g. lunches, for the remainder of the year.

*New in-person students who are in cohort B and are signed up for the Orientation Tour on Monday morning, 8:30-9:00am, should still attend the tour.

Below is a message from Newton Health and Human Service on COVID-19 safety during April break.

Newton Public Schools families & staff are urged to do their part to help decrease the spread of COVID-19. Everyone should continue to follow the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), CDC and NPS guidelines related to travel and return to school.

Travel:

CDC recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated, because travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, follow CDC’s recommendations for unvaccinated people. If you choose to travel, be aware of the Massachusetts travel advisory detailed below.

Massachusetts Travel Advisory:

• All visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, are advised to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival.
• Travelers in the following categories are exempt from this quarantine advisory:
  – Travelers who have received a negative COVID-19 result on a test administered no more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts.
  – Travelers may also test out of the quarantine advisory after arrival in Massachusetts as long as they quarantine until receiving a negative test result.
  – Anyone who is entering Massachusetts for fewer than 24 hours, or anyone returning after being out of the State for fewer than 24 hours.
  – Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e., who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 days or more ago) and who do not have symptoms.
  – Travelers who received a positive COVID-19 test result between 10 and 90 days ago and have completed the appropriate isolation period (if more than 90 days prior to arrival in Massachusetts you should quarantine upon arrival or comply with the quarantine/testing advisory).
• Testing for children 10 years and younger, who are traveling with an adult from their household is not necessary. They should follow the quarantine and testing options completed by the household adult they accompanied for travel. If the child is 11 or older, then the child should be tested or should quarantine for 10 days, consistent with the Travel Advisory.

Returning to School:

All staff and students must continue to adhere to the four safety pillars below – even if fully vaccinated:

• Proper mask-wearing
• Maintaining physical distancing – 3 feet in classrooms where desks are arranged in this formation and 6 ft. everywhere else
• Frequent hand hygiene
• Staying home when sick- continue to do the daily health assessment even if you are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19

For any questions, contact your school nurse or Newton Health and Human Services at 617-796-1420

Dear Bigelow Community,

I hope this email finds you well and looking forward to April vacation. The weather looks to be nice so I hope you can enjoy your much deserved break with family and friends.

I am writing you to ask, once again, for your support of the Bigelow Cares Fund. We have a family within our community that has recently been struggling with employment and home loss and we would like to provide assistance as best we can. To that end, I turn to our wonderful and generous Bigelow community and ask you to consider making a donation to this fund.

As always, I am so grateful for the generosity that defines the Bigelow family. I thank you in advance for your support and look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Karen Markson