11/24 - 8th Grade Turkey Bowl (see details below)
Celebration of Voice Assembly
11/25 - No School
11/26 - Happy Thanksgiving!
11/27 - No School
11/30 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
12/1 - Grade 6 Chorus and Grades 6-8 Orchestra Concert (7 p.m.)
12/4 - Term 1 Ends
7th/8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
12/7 - Blake Band Concert
12/9 - Spaghetti with Santa
12/10 - Grades 7/8 Chorus Concert (7 p.m.)
12/11 - Hour of Code at Blake
Term 1 Report Cards go home
12/16 - 1/2 Day for Students
12/23 - 7th Grade to A Christmas Carol
12/24-1/1 - Vacation
1/1 - Happy New Year!
1/4 - School Resumes
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
Working to Think Deeper
George Couros (@gcouros) says, "This does not mean that we get rid of something we have done for a couple of years for what is new. Sometimes it means going deeper." From these options, for you what feels like the right way to be 'going deeper'?
- Create alternative digital assignment options for students
- Keep the same assignment, and implement a digital component to the assignment
- Give students a choice to do self created assignments that mirror the skills you wish to assess
- Implement a post self assessment component to the assignment (whether the same one or a new/revised one), where students determine the value of an assignment and/or what they can do with what they learned from the assignment
Cradles to Crayons - 7th Grade
In January/February of 2016 our 7th grade will be running a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. Please set aside any clothing donations in advance. Thank you!
26 Days of Kindness
We have enjoyed a great first week of 26 Days of Kindness at Blake. The students and staff are enjoying the small, 'easy' gestures that foster a culture of kindness as well as build a stronger school culture. As we head into the Thanksgiving break, please continue to send Marissa Gumas ([email protected]) any pictures, videos, or feedback of/on your student's participation in the daily activities. She will be putting a visual representation of all the wonderful things our community is doing.
How to Raise an Adult - Book Discussion Group for Parents
Please join the Blake Site Council will be reading and discussing HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims. For more information, here is a book review from The New York Times...
HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims. We will be reading it throughout the year, taking time to discuss the ideas presented and have a common, shared experience. The discussions will take place at the end of each Site Council meeting (more information/details to come - our first book group will be 4:30 p.m. on Monday, 11/30). All parents are invited to join us. If you are interested in joining the book discussions, please fill out this Google Form: How to Raise an Adult Blake Book Group
The breakdown for the readings is as follows...
- For 11/30 Meeting - Read Introduction and Part 1 (Pages 1-74)
- For 1/4 Meeting - Read Part II (Pages 77-139)
- For 2/1 Meeting - Read Chapters 12-17 (143-227)
- For 3/7 Meeting - Finish book (228-305)
Blake Magazine Drive Information
What a wonderfully supportive community we have! Thanks to your very generous support, the Magazine Drive has raised a record-setting amount this year - more than $14,000 and counting! These funds will give us the opportunity to plan many special school activities and student events that will make your child's Blake experience even more memorable.
Winter Dance Information from Student Council
Our Winter Wonderland dance for 7th and 8th grade students is Friday, December 4 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the gym. The cost to enter is $5.00. Attire for this dance is 'dressy optional' - we recognize that some students do desire to dress up for this dance, but this is NOT a requirement and the dance is NOT a semi-formal. For ALL of our dances, students are expected to abide by the guidelines of decency, cleanliness, and safety at all times. The use of mobile phones is prohibited, except in the designated 'Cell-Phone Use' zone outside the gym. If a student has not yet turned in a dance contract for the 2015-16 academic year, he/she should see Mrs. Ruminski or Ms. Hurley before Friday, December 4.
Operation Delta Dog Wrapup
Thank you all for your help with the Operation Delta Dog Fundraiser. We are proud to announce that we raised $400! Training each dog for a veteran costs a lot of money. We did not reach enough to train a dog, but we helped the charity a lot. Our school was very supportive, and we would like to thank everyone who bought a wristband and supported Operation Delta Dog. Thank you!
Parent iPad Survey Fall 2015
As you know we are continually working on assessing our programs and are looking to gain insight from our students and parents to provide feedback. We have developed a survey that is being distributed electronically to all 6th-8th grade students and parents as part of a data collection assessment for the iPad Initiative. The questions will hopefully serve as a pre-assessment (beginning of year) tool and we will be administering similar surveys mid-year and at the end of the year as well. The questions have to do with organizational skills, executive functioning, and comfort with technology. Questions are being sent to all three grades. The survey is not an evaluative tool of the teachers or the students; rather, it is a tool that we believe will help us gain insight about the initiative, our programming, and technology. The questionnaire is anonymous, and your identity can not and will not be discovered through the completion of this survey. Please take the time to complete a unique survey for each student you have at Blake Middle School. You will see that the survey is for both students and parents, and students will be given time in school to complete it. It is important we only get one response per student. We sincerely appreciate your honest responses and are hoping for 100% participation from the student body and parents. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes of your time. Your sincere responses are essential to our information-gathering vision and mission. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Link to the survey: Student/Parent iPad Survey Fall 2015
Private School Information
For those families looking to apply to private school for next year, please make sure all materials (all teacher recommendation forms, transcript request, an 8x11 envelope and 4 stamps per envelope) are to the guidance office at least 3 weeks prior to the application due date. We want to make sure the teachers have sufficient time to provide thoughtful letters for all students applying. If the forms will be sent electronically to the teachers, please email Mrs. Avery and your student's guidance counselor to inform them. Mrs. Avery tracks all applications and makes sure they get out in time. Any questions, please contact Ms. Allen (6th), Mrs. Dondero (7th) or Mr. Marenghi (8th).
Winter Basketball Information
The Blake boys basketball team practices will begin practicing on Monday, November 30 at 2:15 p.m. Please contact Jeff Cincotta ([email protected]) with any questions. The girls team will begin practicing on Monday, December 7 at 3:30 in the Blake gymnasium. Please contact Nancy Avery ([email protected]) with any questions.
Message from MHS National Honor Society
Please stop by Medfield High School on December 12th, 2015 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM to support this MHS National Honor Society dual event. At the main entrance (by the office) of the school, the society will be partnering with the organization Big Brother Big Sister to collect the following items:
* Gently used clothing & shoes (adults & kids - all sizes; all seasons)
* Small household items
* Gently used bed linens, spreads/quilts
* (note that BBBS can no longer accept electronics, large appliances, or furniture)
Not only will you be helping the recipients of your donations, but you will also be helping members of the class of 2016. For every pound of donations collected, BBBS will award NHS with 5, 10, or 20 cents (depending on the total lbs collected). This money will be applied to the NHS scholarship fund for graduating seniors! In the school cafeteria (on the other side of the building) other NHS members will be participating in our annual holiday gift-wrap event. Gift wrapping is FREE but we gladly accept donations. All donations will go towards the National Honor Society fund. Thank you in advance for your support! Please invite local friends and family to this event to spread the word. Contact MHS National Honor Society advisor, Ms. Bethany Sancher at [email protected]t with any further questions or concerns.
Angel Run News
It is Week 9 Angel Run Trainers! Use the holiday to get in a training run before the run on the turkey. Three times this week run for 20 minutes, walk for 1 if needed, run for 10 minutes. This time next week you will be planning your final two training runs before your two pre-race rest days. You are an angel for participating. Student help needed to make posters for the Angel Run! Come make posters at the annual Angel Run Poster Making Party on Tuesday, 12/1 from 2:15-3:15 in the BMS Cafeteria. All materials provided. Come for all or a portion of the time. Artists and non-artists welcome!
Medfield Parks and Rec Ski Club for Blake Students
Medfield Parks and Recreation would like to invite students from Blake Middle School to two exciting events in 2016. The first is the Nashoba Valley Ski Club, which will run on the four Thursdays in January. Registration is available for the ski club, but space is extremely limited. To register, go here. The second event is the annual Snow Tubing trip to Nashoba Valley, which will take place onFriday, Feb. 5. This annual event always sells out! This is a no school day in Medfield, so take full advantage with a fun trip to go tubing with friends! Registration for this event just went live, and you can signup here. Some of you may need to create an account before registering if you have not done an activity with Parks & Rec over the past few years since we upgraded to a new software program. That process should take no more than 5 minutes. To register an account on our Web site simply go tocreate an account. Any questions, or to volunteer for either program (CHAPARONES ARE NEEDED FOR BOTH TO RUN!!!), please email Kevin Ryder, Director of Parks & Recreation, at[email protected].
K-8 PTO News
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM SCRIP
Scrip will be placing one last online order for the holiday season! The program is closing, but one last online order will be placed at noon on Friday November 27th! If you are interested in placing an order for holiday gifts, teachers, etc., you may do so online atwww.shopwithscrip.com no later than 12 noon November 27th. You may pay for your order by check or online payment. If you choose to pay by check, please drop your check of at Park Street Books prior to November 24th. Any check not received for an order will result in the order not being placed. If you choose to pay with online payment through your existing account, the order may be placed up until 12 noon on November 27th. SCRIP cards are still available at the Park Street Books Box. Please stop buy and purchase cards on hand for the holidays. We would like to thank all of you who have supported the SCRIP program over the years!
MEDFIELD SPIRIT WEAR – AMAZING HOLIDAY GIFTS!
Place your order before December 10th to assure on time holiday delivery. Customize EVERYTHING from text to colors and designs from sports to drama to music. Choose from t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, pants, bags, hats, blankets & more. Spend $85 or more and get a free customized t-shirt. 12% of proceeds from each order will go to your school’s PTO. This is all you have to do:
Go to shop.mylocker.net
Enter your school locker number - BLAKE BD979
Use promo code b2g6dTK1 to receive $10 off every order you place
NOTE: Due to different branding sizes, make sure to check all size charts when ordering to ensure you get a great fit for each product. Use MyLocker to create apparel for your teams, clubs, service groups, and more. The possibilities are endless! Please contact Laura Zaher [email protected] with any questions.
ZEBRA’S GINGERBREAD HOUSE FUNDRAISER
Zebra’s will donate 10% of the gingerbread house ticket sales to PTO and MCPE for the classes on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29. Tickets can be purchased at the Zebra’s website, under events, “Gingerbread”. Please enter MCPE or PTO in the discount code box and 10% of the ticket price will be donated to MCPE and PTO. Classes are in the range of $69-$99 depending upon how many people are part of the reservation, and if the gingerbread house is ordered pre-built or not.
ZEBRA’S FLATBREAD FRIDAYS FUNDRAISER
No need to cook on a Friday night after a crazy week! Enjoy a delicious flatbread from Zebra’s and support the Medfield Public Schools at the same time. 10% of the proceeds from flatbreads sold via take-out or in the restaurant on Friday evenings will be donated to the Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE) and Medfield K-8 PTO. Please contact Kim Price [email protected] with any questions.
THANK YOU FUND
Are you looking for a way to thank your child’s teacher? Make a contribution to their THANK YOU FUND! Anyone may contribute a financial gift to any teacher’s THANK YOU FUND. The teacher can use these funds to purchase books, games, supplies and other things for their classroom as needed. This is a great way to give your child’s teacher a little extra something that will benefit both the teacher and the children in their class. This is particularly useful for “specials” teachers that do not receive classroom gifts. This is all you need to do to contribute to a teacher’s THANK YOU FUND:
Write a check payable to BLAKE PTO with a note in the memo line designating which teacher’s fund you are contributing to
Send the check to school in an envelope with your child and include Erika Clarke’s name on the envelope
You can also mail the check directly to Erika Clarke at 10 Knollwood Rd.
You will be given a note that your child can give to their teacher letting them know you contributed to their fund or a note can be sent on your behalf
Please contact Blake PTO Treasurer, Erika Clarke [email protected] with questions.
TWO OPEN VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Eversource Co-Chair to shadow the current Chair for the light bulb fundraiser. This fundraiser coincides with Earth Day and will run this Spring. Local Business Coordinator - This is the liaison that works with Subway, Go Fresh and La Groceria for Blake dinner nights. Please contact Maura Gerardi at [email protected] if you are interested in either position.
BAY STATE TEXTILES
Just a reminder that the textile bins accept clothing, shoes, pocketbooks, linens, accessories, and stuffed animals are as long as they are in clean and dry condition. This helps the PTO fundraise, helps the town save on disposal fees and helps the environment! Last year we raised $3,000 for our schools! Please keep those donations coming! If the bin at your school is full, please feel free to drop off at any school or at the bin at the Transfer Station.
BOX TOPS
Please cut out your Box Tops and have your child bring them to the Blake office or their advisory. Visithttp://www.boxtops4education.com/coupons for coupons on participating Box Tops products!
MEETING MINUTES
Please find the 10/22/15 Blake PTO meeting minutes in the Thursday Packet or click here 10/22/15 Blake PTO meeting minutes
NEXT BLAKE PTO MEETING
Tuesday, December 15th @ 7:00 pm in the Blake LMC.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Please like us on Facebook Medfield K-8 PTO , follow us on Twitter MedfieldK8PTO and check out our website
http://medfieldpto.weebly.com
MCPE News
Cyber Monday is approaching quickly! Mark your calendars for the return of MCPE's much anticipated online auction of “Treasured Experiences”. Featuring unique opportunities for students to spend time with their favorite teachers, this online auction will run from Monday, November 30-December 4th. Be sure to start your holiday shopping medfieldcoalition.org.
Are you looking for a way to let your child's teacher, a school staff member, a coach, a bus driver or an administrator know just how much you and your child appreciate them? Consider MCPE's Blue Ribbon Program. It is an easy and thoughtful way to recognize the efforts of a member of our school community during the holiday season. Each person recognized with a donation will receive a card, customized with a thank you note from you, indicating that a donation was made in his or her honor. To learn more, please click on: medfieldcoalition.org/events-programs/blue-ribbon-program/.
We are thankful for the incredible support the Medfield community has given to the Coalition in the past. As 2015 comes to a close, we hope you will consider making MCPE part of your family’s annual charity gift giving. Please help us continue our mission of funding grants that support academic enrichment programs not covered by the school budget. To donate to our annual appeal, please click here: medfieldcoalition.org/donate-now/.
Holiday shopping? The Medfield Coalition for Public Education is pleased to announce an easy way to raise money for the Medfield Public Schools through AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support MCPE every time you shop at Amazon (with or without Amazon Prime) at no cost to you. Once registered, every time you shop Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to MCPE. To learn more about and/or register at AmazonSmile, go to medfieldcoalition.org/events-programs/amazonsmile/.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.