2/1 - Tri-County Interviews
1/2 Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
2/5 - Term 2 Interim Reports go home
Blake Site Council Meeting (3:30 p.m.)
2/7 - Stars to Worcester Art Museum
2/8 - Stripes to Worcester Art Museum
2/9 - Eagles to Worcester Art Museum
2/13 - SEL Task Force Meeting
2/14 - Happy Valentine's Day!
2/16 - Blake Volleyball Tournament
2/19-2/23 - February Vacation
2/28 - Incoming 6th PIN (6:30 p.m.)
3/1 - Incoming 9th PIN (6:00 p.m. at MHS)
3/2 - Blake Science Fair
3/6 - Incoming 7th PIN (6:30 p.m.)
3/12 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
3/14 - String Fling Concert
3/15 - Incoming 8th PIN (6:30 p.m.)
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the ways that we can help ourselves and others learn and grow, our topic/question of the week is: How are you fostering and furthering learning for yourself and others? Fostering and Furthering Learning (Week of 1/28/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
School Connectedness at Blake
School connectedness, or how connected a child feels to his or her school community, is a topic that is important to us at Blake. Some families may recall that in past years we surveyed students in order to determine whether each child had an adult in our school that they felt comfortable seeking out if they have a big or small problem and what quality about that person made them approachable. This information helps us to identify students who may be in need of more connections at school and gives us a sense of how connected our student body is feeling in general. It also gives us important information about the qualities that are important to middle school students. We administered this survey again last week during advisory. Please take a few minutes to ask your child how it went, how they felt about it, and talk in general about their feelings of connectedness at school. Once we have had a chance to look at results, a guidance counselor will be in contact with families of children who indicate that they do not have a connected adult at school. As always, please be sure to reach out to a guidance counselor, Kelly Campbell or any of your child's teachers if you have a question or concern.
Term 2 Interim Reports
Next Monday students will be bringing home their interim reports for the second term. They will be spending time in their advisories reflecting upon the work they have accomplished thus far, and setting healthy/measured goals for the second half of the term. Our hope is that this communication tool will give you an update on the progress your child is making in school. If you have any questions about your child's work or the reports, please start by having a conversation with your own child. If questions still exist, you should contact the teacher directly to gain more insight.
#MedfieldPS Chat Follow Up - 'Resolutions, Reflection, & Growth'
I encourage everyone to check out the #storify archive of our district-wide #MedfieldPS chat - last week's chat had a focus on Resolutions, Reflection, and Growth. The goal of these chats is to bring the five schools together (staff and administration) to discuss pertinent topics in education, initiatives, and ideas to collaborate around and share. Hopefully you will be able to follow along, lurk, or join in one of our future chats!
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-chat-resolutions-reflection-and-growth
(Resolutions, Reflection, & Growth)
Maker Mondays with Mrs. Horvath (@techmonstah)!
ALL STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO MAKER MONDAYS WORKSHOPS! Maker Mondays are for teachers and students to learn and create together! No sign up is needed. Just show up after school (2:10-3:00ish) to join in!
February 12th - Digital Portfolios and Google Sites. With all Middle School students developing digital portfolios, you might need a little extra help learning how this all happens with Google Sites. This Maker Monday will focus on just that!
March 5th - The 3D printer steals the spotlight and gets the most attention from students. Come learn how to start with a simple design and get ideas on how to integrate 3D printing into your curriculum. March 19th-- TBA Possibly Sew Electronics.. or a yarn/fiber community project
Let's get Making! And please help spread the word to students too!
Blake is Social - Submit Work!
BLAKE IS SOCIAL is our take on the literary magazines of the past! Using Instagram and the blakeissocial.weebly.com website, our hope is to digitally publish all of the creative endeavors that make our community of learners so special. Please encourage students to submit art; photography; poetry, fiction or nonfiction writing; sports photos and/or articles; videos; projects across content areas; musical compositions or performance videos etc. We would love to PUBLISH YOUR WORK.
Tri-County Interview Information for 8th Grade Families
On February 1, Tri-County will be hosting their interviews for applicants. The interviews are approximately 15-20 minutes. Sample questions can be found here http://www.tri-county.us/node/271. The purpose of the interview is to clarify the student’s reason for attending Tri-County, choice of program areas, career goals, interests and motivation. In the case of student absence on the interview day, or in the case of a late applicant, the interview schedule will be mutually agreed upon between the Director of Guidance and the student’s counselor and/or parent(s)/guardian.
Blake Blood Drive Thank You
From Cynthia McClelland:The Blake middle school has put on a Martin Luther King day of service for six years. We do this as a school because we think it is important to give students the opportunity to honor the holiday as intended--a day to serve. When I initially envisioned this day of community service for Blake, included was a blood drive. I knew this could be one of the most impactful ways we could serve our community here at the school. It was not easy, but after 2 years of asking the American Red Cross decided to give us a shot. Our first year it was hard to get students interested. The concept was so new, I don’t think students really understood what it was about. I had four incredible students join the team and together we ran a blood drive that produced 69 donors, our goal was 45. The next year, 2016, I had a similar student turn out, but with four strong we again pulled off another fantastic blood drive. It had snowed 3 inches that morning and because of that we collected 54 donations. The American Red Cross put our goal at 50, but we wanted to beat our previous year’s numbers, not just the Red Cross goal. The nurse running the blood drive told our crew that lower numbers were normal, and to expect the drive to continue to dwindle. The blood drive committee and myself knew it was the snow and not lack of support that lowered our numbers, so we went into 2017 determined to prove her wrong. In 2017 not only did we have a larger personal goal, but we had a larger committee. Twelve students joined including highschool students who served on the committee while in middle school. After much convincing the Red Cross gave us a goal of 65 units and our committee successfully recruited 77 donations, our highest yet. So many people from the Blake community came to donate that the Red Cross was unable to keep up with the numbers. We were now considered a growing success. This year 2018 our committee contained twenty two middle and high school students combined. The committee exceeded all expectations by bringing in 104 donations, many of whom were first time donors. In addition to that these students created a unique drive that provided a mother’s helper station for parents with small children, baked goods, and sat with them as they recover. As the adult heading up the committee I really want you to know that the students were the ones who did most of the work. They are the ones who made recruitment signs, got the message out, and ran the check-in tables, recovery tables, mother’s helper stations, independently. Each student was profoundly proud of what they did as they should be, they made it happen. A week after the blood drive the committee met again. They recorded what went right and how they want to improve next year, continuing their commitment to making this blood drive more successful than the last. The committee and myself would like to thank the Medfield community for coming out and donating blood. Your gift of blood not only saved lives, but you helped to instill a sense a pride within our school, that we are a part of something great. I will end this with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. “Remember all you need is a heart to serve”. Thank you!
Parent Information Nights - Mark Your Calendars!
2/28 - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming sixth grade (current fifth grade) students. We will be presenting information about the 6th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year along with an overview of the middle school. A more detailed presentation about the logistics of the 2018-2019 academic year's iPad Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
3/6 - Incoming 7th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming seventh grade (current sixth grade) students. We will be sharing information about the 7th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year. We will also be presenting information about the 7th grade's field trip to Nature's Classroom.
3/15 - Incoming 8th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming eighth grade (current seventh grade) students. We will be presenting information about the 8th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year.
School Survey
The Blake Site Council has taken time to review the data collected from last year's survey and an Executive Summary will be distributed to families in the coming weeks. Focus areas on the survey centered on the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. Our intent is to distribute the 2017-2018 survey in early February in the hopes of gathering the data by February vacation. Stay tuned!
Boston ECG Project - 2/10 at MHS
Please see important content (video and attachments) below for ECG screening performed by Boston ECG that is being offered to all Tri-Valley League schools and their families (ages 12 years and older). Medfield High School will be hosting the 1st of these screening on Saturday, February 10th from 10am-6pm in the MHS cafeteria. Please register by emailing Cindy Glennon at:
[email protected]Video link: EKG Screenings Can Protect Young Hearts
Substitute Applications
Blake is always looking for substitute teacher applicants. Applicants need not have teaching licensure but should be energetic, flexible and enjoy working with children. For more information or to apply, please visit medfield.net and find applications under the tab "employment opportunities", the. Professional Staff Openings. Please contact Kelly Campbell at [email protected] with any questions.
8th Grade Families - Save the Date!
March 1, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
High School Auditorium
Please join members of the high school faculty as they present an overview of the Medfield High School academic curriculum. Additional information will be sent home as the date becomes closer. If you have any questions prior to the event, please contact Heather Mandosa, Assistant Principal at [email protected] or Stephanie Worthley, Guidance Content Specialist at [email protected] or call the high school at (508) 359-4367.
BMS Science Fair - 3/2/18
The third annual BMS Science Fair will be held at 4:00 pm on Friday March 2, 2018. All BMS students are invited to participate as individuals or in groups (single or multi grade) and show their passion for or interest in answering some question or learning more about a particular topic. More information will be forthcoming in the New Year. Check out this resource for some ideas on - How to get kids to love science!
Reminder about Locks
All Blake students are required to be using a combination lock to lock their hallway lockers. As this is the time of year when students can begin to be lax about using their locks and keeping them locked during the day, we appreciate your reminders at home as well. A photo of locks that fit on Blake lockers can be found on the school supply list page (School Supply Lists).
Donations Welcome
There is a collection box outside the Blake library for items for two homeless shelters, Father Bill's in Quincy and Mainspring in Brockton. We would like the students of Blake Middle School to help out these families because we believe nobody should be homeless. Please support these shelters by donating items such as the following... New winter coats, heavy socks, sweatpants or sweatshirts Toiletries like Shampoo, toothbrushes & toothpaste etc Dish soap and kitchen cleaning products Baby products And Gift cards to Target, Walmart and grocery stores All items should be placed in the box outside the LMC but please give any gift cards to the office. A complete list of the items needed can be found on the flyers you will see hanging throughout the school. The donation deadline is February 9th! The Service Stars and Father Bill’s and Mainspring thank you for your support!
Blake is on Facebook!
Blake is adding Facebook to our social media repertoire! You can now follow our page for the latest announcements, sharing of our school life, glimpses into special events and learning with FB Live and more...
Click this Link: www.facebook.com/BlakeMiddleSchool/ or search for @BlakeMiddleSchool
Update from Blake PTO
GET YOUR MEDFIELD WARRIOR SIGNS, COASTERS, TRAYS, ETC! Rustic Marlin Designs has designed a line of wood-based Medfield Warrior products (signs, coasters, flags, trays, blocks, etc.) that will be carried exclusively at Be Charmed, a new store in town! Be Charmed is located at 70 North Street. 75% of the profits from the sale of the Warrior line will go to both the PTO and MCPE! It’s a great way to get Warrior merchandise while supporting a new local shop and raising money for our schools! GET YOURS TODAY!
ONGOING BLAKE APPEAL - We need your help so we can continuing funding enrichment programs and future initiatives for the 2017 - 2018 school year. We are requesting a contribution of $50/child this year. This is a suggested amount but we will gratefully accept any amount you can contribute. Making a donation is easy. Simply click on the link http://www.medfieldk8pto.com/blake.html and scroll down to the end of the page or send a check made payable to Blake Middle School PTO to Blake at 24 Pound St. Medfield, MA 02052. Thank you in advance for your support of the Blake PTO. Please feel free to contact Claudia Rosen [email protected] or Keven Gallagher [email protected] with any questions.
STAY IN TOUCH Please like us on Facebook Medfield K-8 PTO and follow us on Twitter @MedfieldK8PTO. And for more information and calendar of events, please check out our website medfieldk8pto.com
Update from MCPE
The annual MCPE Treasured Experiences Auction opens on Thursday January 25th! We have over 160 items to bid on across the 5 schools. A few highlights from Blake include: 6 VIP Tickets to 8th grade graduation and Starbucks with Mr. Vaughn! The auction closes at 8pm on Friday February 2nd. Bid often and good luck! To register to start bidding visit https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/mcpe-treasured-experiences-auction-2018-3710 Bid site can also be accessed from our website www.medfieldcoalition.org