2/14 - Half-Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
2/16 - Blake Student Council
2/17 - Blake GSA
2/21-2/25 - February Vacation
2/28 - DEI Task Force Meeting
Blake’s Question of the Week
To encourage dialogue and reflection about the practices of rethinking and reflection, our question for this week is: What is something that you have known or believed to be true that you are willing to rethink? Rethinking and Reflecting (Week of 2/6/22) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Blake Spirit Week
Student Council cordially invites all staff and students to participate in our February spirit week! Here are the days coming up next week:
Monday 2/14: Valentine's Colors Day (red, white, pink)
Tuesday 2/15: Comfy Cozy Day
Wednesday 2/16: Decade Day/Blast from the Past
Thursday 2/17: Hawaiian/Tourist Day
Friday 2/18: Jersey/Sports Day
Intramural Update
Registration is open for Magic the Gathering (starting next week) and Badminton (starting the first week of March). If you have any questions, please contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]).
Student Connectedness at Blake
‘No Significant learning occurs without a significant relationship’ - Dr. James Comer
It is important to us that every Blake student has a trusted adult at school. Each year we ask our students to fill out this survey - this information will help us to support our students. These are the questions that were asked this week in advisory…
- If you needed help at school with a big or small problem, which adult(s) at Blake would you feel comfortable going to about the issue? Please list the names of the adults. If you do not have any adults that you would feel comfortable going to in our school, you may write “no one”.
- Please explain why you feel comfortable going to these adults. What is it about them that makes them helpful or approachable?
- What do you think the people who work at Blake could do to make you feel more welcomed at school?
Term 2 Family Outreach Period - 1/24-1/28
The week of 1/24-1/28 was the Term 2 Family Outreach week for Blake Middle School. During this week, teachers will send an e-mail to families to notify them if their student is consistently not meeting the standard in an area OR if they do not have sufficient data to assess their student at that point in the term due to absence or missing work. If students are meeting the standards, families will not receive an e-mail from teachers. Please know that you may reach out to teachers or your child's guidance counselor if you have questions or concerns about their progress.
Below please find links to letters from the each grade level team with mid-term messages along with the information about Term 2's Family Outreach Period. If you have any questions about your student's progress, please contact their guidance counselor or teachers directly.
Grade 6 - Winter Family Outreach (Term 2, January 2022)
Grade 7 - Winter Family Outreach (Term 2, January 2022)
Grade 8 - Winter Family Outreach (Term 2, January 2022)
Summer Reading Input?
It's summer at Blake! The summer reading team will meet in early February to begin looking at titles for this summer's reading choices. Have a book you would like to recommend? Please share with Kerry Cowell ([email protected]) and Beth Sancher ([email protected]). Happy Reading!
Notification for Absences/Dismissals
If a student will be absent from school, please call Blake's absence line at (508) 242-8501. If a student needs to be dismissed from school before 2:07 p.m.,an email must be sent by the parent/guardian to [email protected]. Please include the following information:
- Date
- Time of dismissal
- Student name
- Reason for dismissal
- Person picking up
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 Public Schools - Employment Opportunities and look under ‘Substitute Teaching’. Please contact Nat Vaughn at [email protected] with any questions.
Progress Update on Reporting Adaptations
As shared in the e-mail to Blake families in December, our staff has been working to address the recommendations from our Director of Instruction and Innovation's 'Analysis of Standards-Based Reporting Assessment Practices' (Spring, 2021), and an update was shared at the most recent School Committee meeting (Link to recording now available: Medfield School Committee (12-09-2021). We will be sharing these updates via information and educational sessions for families in the new year via a recorded webinar format.
Adaptations to our reporting will take place in Term 3 of 2021-2022, including…
- traditional letter grades on all priority standards for grades 7 and 8
- expansion of a metric scale from the current 1-3 scale by adding a fourth metric of feedback (1-4 scale)
The purpose of reporting on academic progress is to provide feedback on a student’s progress and to help direct future efforts. Effective feedback to students during the learning process is essential to a healthy and productive learning experience. Our overarching goal remains to continue steadfast efforts to provide meaningful, actionable, learner-centered feedback for all of our learners via...
- more descriptive and actionable feedback to students and families
- more meaningful and personalized assessment and grading practices
- greater calibration of expectations and assessment practices between/amongst teachers
Blake Affinity Groups
The purpose of an affinity group is to provide a forum of support for students who may feel a disconnection relative to identity to their larger school community. Such disconnections to identity may include, but not be limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. An affinity group’s goal is to play a vital role in ensuring an inclusive environment where all are valued, included, and empowered to succeed.
An affinity group is open to students across every grade level. It is arranged for students in an affinity group to meet at least once a month during a mutually agreed upon time and the meetings are supervised by at least one staff member at Blake.
As the need for an affinity group may stem from a lack of or weaker connection to the larger Medfield community, efforts will be made to strengthen connections to the community. To this end, members of the community are welcome and at times will be invited to attend affinity group meetings.
For more information about starting or joining an affinity group at Blake, please contact Matt Marenghi, Guidance Counselor: [email protected] or 508-359-2445.
Medfield Outreach is available for consultation appointments. E-mail [email protected] to sign up for a free confidential specific time slot via telehealth.
Create your own little penguin or polar bear (image attached) to love this Valentine's Day with your children or grandchildren at home and attend a virtual Zoom party! Each kit is $20 or 3 for $50, and comes with a penguin or polar bear, stuffing, birth certificate, and other love-ly things
The kits will be delivered to you in time for our LIVE Zoom party Monday, February 14th, with two party times to choose from. Two zoom offerings at 2pm and 3pm. This 45 minute party will also include live sing-a-longs, story telling, and fun seasonal songs performed by our music guests. Perfect for children and their caregivers. If you can't tune in, the video will be available to purchasers on our website after the scheduled event. Don't miss the fun!
Click here for more information and to make your purchase.
MCPE Updates
If you are interested in becoming a MCPE Board Member, we would love to hear from you.
We're looking for candidates who can commit to a 3 year term, attend Board meetings once a month and have an active interest in enriching kids' education in Medfield Schools. This year, we have specific needs for applicants to serve in the treasurer role (no previous experience needed-we’ll train!) and with skills that would be an asset to our grant review team and fundraising events. All skill sets are welcome and we strive to have a board with diverse backgrounds. Visit our website for more info and to apply: https://www.medfieldcoalition.org/volunteer-application-form
MCPE is thrilled to revive several beloved events throughout 2022. The Grade 2-5 Spelling Bee will be held on March 24th at the high school auditorium. Students from Wheelock and students from Dale St will form teams of four to compete against their classmates as they work to spell increasingly complex words. Hosted by beloved teachers, teams dress in themed costumes to add to the fun. This event is marvelous. M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S. Marvelous. Stay tuned for registration information! Finally, brush up on your obscure knowledge and dust off your party attire! We are eagerly looking forward to the return of both our in-person Trivia Night and the highly-anticipated Fall Ball! Details on both events will be released soon!
Webinars of Interest
FRS Virtual Leadership Workshop – Changing the Narrative: Leading a Culture Committed to DEI
Tuesday, 2/15 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Join us for the Changing the Narrative: Leading A Culture Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop – it’s FREE, interactive, and just in time virtual professional learning for you and your team!
Our leadership workshops are designed to meet your district’s unique needs, whether you are new to the Future Ready network or an FRS veteran looking to continue to grow with educational leaders looking to push forward!
High-profile police killings of Black people, the explosion of anti-Asian hate incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising anti-immigrant sentiments have all contributed to the creation of a politically divided and volatile country in recent years. How can educators begin to address these issues and find new, more socially just ways to move forward together? Future Ready Advisor and Principal of the Year, Dr. Henry Turner, suggests that facing racism head-on in elementary and secondary schools and teaching leaders, teachers, and students to talk and think about race critically is an essential first step.
With over 20 years of leading diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as a high school teacher-leader and high school principal in a large high school, Dr. Turner has developed a hands-on guide designed to help school leaders create an antiracist culture in their schools. Based on a framework of Learn, Reflect, Act, Assess, and full of tips, questions, guides, and resources, this workshop will challenge school leaders to develop an antiracist mindset and show them the practical steps to building a culture within their broader school community that is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion so that they can serve all students.
The Askwith Education Forum | How K-12 Schools Can Take Action on Climate Change
Thursday, 2/17 at 1:00 p.m.
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time — and schools have a sizable environmental impact. There are nearly 100,000 public K-12 schools in the United States occupying 2 million acres of land and producing 53,000 tons of food waste. Schools operate one of the largest mass transportation fleets in the country with 480,000 school buses, and they are one of the largest public energy consumers.
We’ll talk with national education leaders — members of an Aspen Institute bipartisan commission that recently released a K12 Climate Action Plan – about how the education sector can be a force toward climate solutions and environmental justice. Join us to talk about how schools and educators can help prepare young people to envision and work toward a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable society.
Speakers:
• John King, Jr., President and CEO, The Education Trust; former U.S. Secretary of Education
• Pedro Martinez, CEO, Chicago Public Schools
• Becky Pringle, President, National Education Association
Moderator: Jennifer Cheatham, Faculty Co-Chair, Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship (ELOE), Harvard Graduate School of Education
Welcome: Bridget Long, Dean and Saris Professor of Economics, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Updates To Our Favorite Tools – ScreencastifyTuesday, 2/22 at 3:30 p.m.
Screencastify has been a fantastic tool to record a computer screen for years. But lately, Screencastify has been adding features to their already awesome platform and creating functionality that is perfect for the classroom. Join EdTechTeacher instructor, Avra Robinson, for a fun show and tell focusing on Screencastify’s latest features.
Spirit Store Info - Blake PTO
Medfield K-8 PTO Announces A Year-Round MEDFIELD SPIRIT WEAR STORE! Thanks to local business Day St Sports, we have answered the question – where can I find Medfield Spirit Wear? Over 100 options currently listed, all proceeds will be donated to the individual school K-8 PTOs. Shipping takes about 3 weeks. Medfield Spirit Wear
Link (Hyperlink to https://ts020252.prospherefanshop.com/)