Important Dates
6/12 - Bike Trip for Stars Cluster
6/13 - 7th Grade Creature Field Trip
6/14 - 8th Grade Closing Ceremony (6:30 p.m.)
6/15 - Transition Day
6/18 - Last Day of School
6/19 - Happy Summer!
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about reflection and this past year of learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How/why was this a good year for you as a learner? Process of Reflection (Week of 6/10/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
8th Grade Closing Ceremony
Our 8th grade closing ceremony and goodbye evening will be on Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. This evening will be our opportunity to thank and recognize our 8th graders for their years at Blake and wish them well as they head off to high school. Families are welcome, and there will be a reception with refreshments, including allergen-free treats, in the cafeteria following the ceremony. We are hoping for a 'cool weather' evening.
Cluster/Advisory Placement Letters
Tentative cluster and advisory assignments will be shared with students/families via a letter that students will receive at the end of the school day on Thursday, June 14. Transition Day is Friday, June 15 and on that day students will get the opportunity to meet their teachers and get a preview of next year's curriculum and grade level events. Clusters and advisories are always subject to change based on budget, staffing, and curricular needs, as well as the possible influx of new students.
Extra Yearbooks are Available
There is a limited number of extra yearbooks for sale. They will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Please bring a check before Friday, June 15 for $30 (made out to: BLAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL) to Mrs. Skerry in the main office and place you on a list for a book.
Blake Site Council Survey - Please Complete
The Blake Site Council has been working on the development of our annual survey to students and parents. A similar survey has been administered the last six years and we are committed to having parents and students take it each year as part of our continual efforts to examine our programming. Please complete the Blake Site Council survey for each child you have at Blake, and base your responses on your student's experiences this year. The survey should take about 10 minutes of your time. The questionnaire is anonymous, and your identity can not and will not be discovered through the completion of this survey. Focus areas include the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. The results will help us to gather information and examine our current practices to better meet the needs of our students and assess progress towards our mission.
We sincerely appreciate your honest responses and are hoping for 100% participation from the Blake community. If you have any questions or have difficulty accessing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me directly (nvaughn@email.medfield.net).
Link to the survey: Blake Middle School Parent Survey May 2018
2018-2019 iPad Planning Inventory
As you know we are continuing with our mobile learning program at Blake for the entire 6th-8th grade for the 2018-2019 academic year. To help us effectively plan for next year, we are asking all current 5th-7th grade parents/guardians (incoming 6th-8th grade parents/guardians for the 2018-2019 academic year) to let us know your plans for your student (Lease-to-Own, Bring an iPad from home, Borrow) for next year, by completing this brief survey by Friday, June 1: iPad Planning Inventory at Blake Middle School for 2018-2019. Please fill out this inventory for each child that will be attending Blake next year. This decision is not binding and we recognize that your plans may change - confirmation and final decisions will be made by mid-late June, 2018. I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to complete this brief inventory and am hoping for 100% participation.
We have outlined the Blake Mobile Learning Initiative Participation Options (Lease-to-Own, Bring an iPad from home, Borrow) for Blake students for this program. We are committed to providing an equitable learning experience for our students and appreciate the shared commitment and investment in the education of our students. As such we have a system in place for families with demonstrated financial need.
The device selected by the students/families will suffice for the students' needs in school as long as Apple continues to update the OS (operating system) on that device. If your family intends to purchase a new device this year, these are all models that Apple has identified for continual OS updates: iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad 5th Gen, iPad Pro, iPad Pro 2, and iPad 6th Gen. We are committed to making the experience meaningful and viable for all of our students, troubleshooting challenges that arise in a thoughtful and inclusive manner. Our work over the last five years has provided a foundation as our teachers and staff continue to thoughtfully implement and review the effectiveness of this initiative. It is important to keep in mind that teachers and students will be following the same curriculum frameworks and the common core Blake curriculum.
For your reference I am sharing links below to documents about our initiative/program...Blake Mobile Learning General Information (has articles, background information, and philosophy)
Blake Mobile Learning FAQs 18-19
Blake Mobile Learning Initiative Participation Options
iPad Program Estimated Lease-to-Own Pricing Structure 18-19
In the fall we will be planning an iPad/Mobile Learning/Innovation Highlights and Information Session for all Blake families. Our hope is for the entire Blake community of parents and guardians to hear and see highlights from teachers and students, answer questions, and gain an understanding of the work that is taking place. Stay tuned for more information! We are excited about the prospects that lie ahead as we work to provide your students with the opportunity to learn with meaningful technology and are hopeful that we can foster and promote a positive and relevant learning experience. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me directly (nvaughn@email.medfield.net) with any questions, concerns, or thoughts that you may have.
Great East Music Festival
Congratulations to our music ensembles under the direction of Ryan, Brenna, Ann Marie, and Margo for their accomplishments last Friday at the Great East Music Festival. Here is a summary...The students had a wonderful day at the Great East Festival and Six Flags New England on Friday. After an early 5:00 AM start to the day, we traveled to Springfield Central High School where the 7th & 8th grade chorus, orchestra, band and BMS jazz ensemble gave outstanding performances. All of the large ensembles received a Gold rating! Thank you to our students, directors, chaperones and our school nurse, Mrs. Williams, for making this year's music trip one to remember! Please take time to congratulate the students on their accomplishments!
Technovation Challenge Update
Technovation is a global entrepreneurial competition for middle school and high schools girls to collaboratively work in teams of 2-5 to help solve a community issue or problem through app development. In Blake's 4th year with participating teams, we were proud to have the following 3 teams compete tackling a range of issues from obesity to providing access to art and promoting community-based inclusive fitness opportunities. A special congrats goes out to Team Egg-Cellent for being selected to the semi-finalist round. We are wishing them luck and hope they get to move forward to the final World pitch round in San Francisco, which will be announced in a few weeks.
Team Donuts to Apples (Mia Remington and Emma Mascari)
App: Cakes to Grapes
Our vision for our app, is to have it be the go to app for kids struggling with childhood obesity, or kids that just want to be healthy in general. In the future we would like to add things like veggies, proteins, grains, and dairy, to the Eat Instead. This way kids can get a whole meal every time they click instead of just a fruit. Technovation was a great opportunity to learn how to code and how you can work together and turn your idea into an app!
Team: iT&Bit
Team Members: Rachel Parry, Isabella Iannone, Bitsy Crowley
App: Bounze
We participated in the 2018 Technovation Challenge and created an app called Bounze. The goal of our app was to get kids outside and active, while also giving them an opportunity to be social. To do this, our app let teens create and join local pickup games. Technovation taught us how to code, as well as organization and time management. We really enjoyed participating in Technovation.
Team: Team Egg-cellent
Team Members: Maeve Kennedy (CTO, CEO), Thalia Tayara (CMO, COO) Julia Wall (CRO), Caeli Sheehan (CHRO)
App: Outlet Art
We created an app designed to combat the detrimental lack of art education in America’s modern public school system. Our app, Outlet Art, provides classes, which are posted by art teachers, to students without access to art education, and allows students’ pieces to be critiqued by peers and teachers. By doing this, we will best emulate art classes. In our app, students can have access to art education, even without an art room. Teachers can help their community by sharing their knowledge, and schools undergoing budget cuts can provide our service to their students at a much lower cost than hiring an art teacher. Our team was selected out of 40 as one of the top 3 Middle School teams at our Regional Pitch, and are now semi-finalists in the Technovation Challenge. We are hopeful to one day release our app to the Google Play store and improve the lives of students everywhere.
For Incoming 6th Grade Families
Rising 6th grade families - If your student would benefit from a tour of Blake before school starts, please sign up for an August tour time slot. Ms. Allen will be in the office the week of August 20th. Feel free to bring your student on his/her own or with a small group of friends. If you'd like the tour between June 20 and August 20, please contact the main office. Mr. Vaughn or Mrs. Campbell will be happy to take you around in July or early August. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094bada922a4ff2-6thgrade …
Peabody Essex Museum - Grade 6
Sixth Grade students attended the Peabody Essex Museum last week. Each cluster traveled on separate days but each received the same two programs. The first program was a visit and lesson on the Yin Yu Tang House. This house was dismantled in a small village in China, shipped across the world, and reassembled in Salem, MA at the museum. Kids were able to walk through the structure and learn about Chinese history and culture. The second program was all about America's trade connections with Asia. This portion of the field trip ties in with our current unit on Trade. Students discovered that merchants collected and brought back artifacts to the museum from their trips overseas. As the kids are learning now, the trade connection established hundreds of years ago is alive today. To help foster a connection between the old and the new, students stayed with their Advisory on days of the field trip and learned about modern trade. Kids discovered about containers, container ships, ports, and new ways to use old containers no longer needed for trade. Overall, the connections students make between PEM and their lives is important. Kids should see how the world they live in today is somewhat similar to the world of 200 hundred years ago. Places in our world have always been closely linked with one another. The uniting factor was and will always be through trade.
Creature Feature Field Trip - 7th Grade
7th graders are preparing their creatures for the trip to the elementary schools. 7th graders will be visiting younger siblings or previous teachers with their creatures and stories. The creatures even come alive with the inclusion of Little Bits circuits to make them light up, move or make noise.
#MedfieldPS Twitter Chat Follow Up
We held our district-wide end-of-year Twitter chat Thursday, 6/7 at 8 p.m. with a focus on Reflections on Student Learning 17-18...
https://twitter.com/i/moments/989296272535408640
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. We hope you can join in and participate in future chats!
6/12 - Bike Trip for Stars Cluster
6/13 - 7th Grade Creature Field Trip
6/14 - 8th Grade Closing Ceremony (6:30 p.m.)
6/15 - Transition Day
6/18 - Last Day of School
6/19 - Happy Summer!
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about reflection and this past year of learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How/why was this a good year for you as a learner? Process of Reflection (Week of 6/10/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
8th Grade Closing Ceremony
Our 8th grade closing ceremony and goodbye evening will be on Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. This evening will be our opportunity to thank and recognize our 8th graders for their years at Blake and wish them well as they head off to high school. Families are welcome, and there will be a reception with refreshments, including allergen-free treats, in the cafeteria following the ceremony. We are hoping for a 'cool weather' evening.
Cluster/Advisory Placement Letters
Tentative cluster and advisory assignments will be shared with students/families via a letter that students will receive at the end of the school day on Thursday, June 14. Transition Day is Friday, June 15 and on that day students will get the opportunity to meet their teachers and get a preview of next year's curriculum and grade level events. Clusters and advisories are always subject to change based on budget, staffing, and curricular needs, as well as the possible influx of new students.
Extra Yearbooks are Available
There is a limited number of extra yearbooks for sale. They will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Please bring a check before Friday, June 15 for $30 (made out to: BLAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL) to Mrs. Skerry in the main office and place you on a list for a book.
Blake Site Council Survey - Please Complete
The Blake Site Council has been working on the development of our annual survey to students and parents. A similar survey has been administered the last six years and we are committed to having parents and students take it each year as part of our continual efforts to examine our programming. Please complete the Blake Site Council survey for each child you have at Blake, and base your responses on your student's experiences this year. The survey should take about 10 minutes of your time. The questionnaire is anonymous, and your identity can not and will not be discovered through the completion of this survey. Focus areas include the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. The results will help us to gather information and examine our current practices to better meet the needs of our students and assess progress towards our mission.
We sincerely appreciate your honest responses and are hoping for 100% participation from the Blake community. If you have any questions or have difficulty accessing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me directly (nvaughn@email.medfield.net).
Link to the survey: Blake Middle School Parent Survey May 2018
2018-2019 iPad Planning Inventory
As you know we are continuing with our mobile learning program at Blake for the entire 6th-8th grade for the 2018-2019 academic year. To help us effectively plan for next year, we are asking all current 5th-7th grade parents/guardians (incoming 6th-8th grade parents/guardians for the 2018-2019 academic year) to let us know your plans for your student (Lease-to-Own, Bring an iPad from home, Borrow) for next year, by completing this brief survey by Friday, June 1: iPad Planning Inventory at Blake Middle School for 2018-2019. Please fill out this inventory for each child that will be attending Blake next year. This decision is not binding and we recognize that your plans may change - confirmation and final decisions will be made by mid-late June, 2018. I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to complete this brief inventory and am hoping for 100% participation.
We have outlined the Blake Mobile Learning Initiative Participation Options (Lease-to-Own, Bring an iPad from home, Borrow) for Blake students for this program. We are committed to providing an equitable learning experience for our students and appreciate the shared commitment and investment in the education of our students. As such we have a system in place for families with demonstrated financial need.
The device selected by the students/families will suffice for the students' needs in school as long as Apple continues to update the OS (operating system) on that device. If your family intends to purchase a new device this year, these are all models that Apple has identified for continual OS updates: iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad 5th Gen, iPad Pro, iPad Pro 2, and iPad 6th Gen. We are committed to making the experience meaningful and viable for all of our students, troubleshooting challenges that arise in a thoughtful and inclusive manner. Our work over the last five years has provided a foundation as our teachers and staff continue to thoughtfully implement and review the effectiveness of this initiative. It is important to keep in mind that teachers and students will be following the same curriculum frameworks and the common core Blake curriculum.
For your reference I am sharing links below to documents about our initiative/program...Blake Mobile Learning General Information (has articles, background information, and philosophy)
Blake Mobile Learning FAQs 18-19
Blake Mobile Learning Initiative Participation Options
iPad Program Estimated Lease-to-Own Pricing Structure 18-19
In the fall we will be planning an iPad/Mobile Learning/Innovation Highlights and Information Session for all Blake families. Our hope is for the entire Blake community of parents and guardians to hear and see highlights from teachers and students, answer questions, and gain an understanding of the work that is taking place. Stay tuned for more information! We are excited about the prospects that lie ahead as we work to provide your students with the opportunity to learn with meaningful technology and are hopeful that we can foster and promote a positive and relevant learning experience. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me directly (nvaughn@email.medfield.net) with any questions, concerns, or thoughts that you may have.
Great East Music Festival
Congratulations to our music ensembles under the direction of Ryan, Brenna, Ann Marie, and Margo for their accomplishments last Friday at the Great East Music Festival. Here is a summary...The students had a wonderful day at the Great East Festival and Six Flags New England on Friday. After an early 5:00 AM start to the day, we traveled to Springfield Central High School where the 7th & 8th grade chorus, orchestra, band and BMS jazz ensemble gave outstanding performances. All of the large ensembles received a Gold rating! Thank you to our students, directors, chaperones and our school nurse, Mrs. Williams, for making this year's music trip one to remember! Please take time to congratulate the students on their accomplishments!
Technovation Challenge Update
Technovation is a global entrepreneurial competition for middle school and high schools girls to collaboratively work in teams of 2-5 to help solve a community issue or problem through app development. In Blake's 4th year with participating teams, we were proud to have the following 3 teams compete tackling a range of issues from obesity to providing access to art and promoting community-based inclusive fitness opportunities. A special congrats goes out to Team Egg-Cellent for being selected to the semi-finalist round. We are wishing them luck and hope they get to move forward to the final World pitch round in San Francisco, which will be announced in a few weeks.
Team Donuts to Apples (Mia Remington and Emma Mascari)
App: Cakes to Grapes
Our vision for our app, is to have it be the go to app for kids struggling with childhood obesity, or kids that just want to be healthy in general. In the future we would like to add things like veggies, proteins, grains, and dairy, to the Eat Instead. This way kids can get a whole meal every time they click instead of just a fruit. Technovation was a great opportunity to learn how to code and how you can work together and turn your idea into an app!
Team: iT&Bit
Team Members: Rachel Parry, Isabella Iannone, Bitsy Crowley
App: Bounze
We participated in the 2018 Technovation Challenge and created an app called Bounze. The goal of our app was to get kids outside and active, while also giving them an opportunity to be social. To do this, our app let teens create and join local pickup games. Technovation taught us how to code, as well as organization and time management. We really enjoyed participating in Technovation.
Team: Team Egg-cellent
Team Members: Maeve Kennedy (CTO, CEO), Thalia Tayara (CMO, COO) Julia Wall (CRO), Caeli Sheehan (CHRO)
App: Outlet Art
We created an app designed to combat the detrimental lack of art education in America’s modern public school system. Our app, Outlet Art, provides classes, which are posted by art teachers, to students without access to art education, and allows students’ pieces to be critiqued by peers and teachers. By doing this, we will best emulate art classes. In our app, students can have access to art education, even without an art room. Teachers can help their community by sharing their knowledge, and schools undergoing budget cuts can provide our service to their students at a much lower cost than hiring an art teacher. Our team was selected out of 40 as one of the top 3 Middle School teams at our Regional Pitch, and are now semi-finalists in the Technovation Challenge. We are hopeful to one day release our app to the Google Play store and improve the lives of students everywhere.
For Incoming 6th Grade Families
Rising 6th grade families - If your student would benefit from a tour of Blake before school starts, please sign up for an August tour time slot. Ms. Allen will be in the office the week of August 20th. Feel free to bring your student on his/her own or with a small group of friends. If you'd like the tour between June 20 and August 20, please contact the main office. Mr. Vaughn or Mrs. Campbell will be happy to take you around in July or early August. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094bada922a4ff2-6thgrade …
Peabody Essex Museum - Grade 6
Sixth Grade students attended the Peabody Essex Museum last week. Each cluster traveled on separate days but each received the same two programs. The first program was a visit and lesson on the Yin Yu Tang House. This house was dismantled in a small village in China, shipped across the world, and reassembled in Salem, MA at the museum. Kids were able to walk through the structure and learn about Chinese history and culture. The second program was all about America's trade connections with Asia. This portion of the field trip ties in with our current unit on Trade. Students discovered that merchants collected and brought back artifacts to the museum from their trips overseas. As the kids are learning now, the trade connection established hundreds of years ago is alive today. To help foster a connection between the old and the new, students stayed with their Advisory on days of the field trip and learned about modern trade. Kids discovered about containers, container ships, ports, and new ways to use old containers no longer needed for trade. Overall, the connections students make between PEM and their lives is important. Kids should see how the world they live in today is somewhat similar to the world of 200 hundred years ago. Places in our world have always been closely linked with one another. The uniting factor was and will always be through trade.
Creature Feature Field Trip - 7th Grade
7th graders are preparing their creatures for the trip to the elementary schools. 7th graders will be visiting younger siblings or previous teachers with their creatures and stories. The creatures even come alive with the inclusion of Little Bits circuits to make them light up, move or make noise.
#MedfieldPS Twitter Chat Follow Up
We held our district-wide end-of-year Twitter chat Thursday, 6/7 at 8 p.m. with a focus on Reflections on Student Learning 17-18...
https://twitter.com/i/moments/989296272535408640
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. We hope you can join in and participate in future chats!
8th Grade Cookout - 6/15/18
The 8th grade cookout will take place Friday, June 15. Students will be outside and should be prepared with sunscreen and hats.
8th Grade Bike Trip
Over the last week our 8th grade students have been exploring interesting historical sites in Medfield this week by taking guided bicycle tours to notable locations around town. The students will learn about people who have contributed to and enhanced our lives, and will learn about historic events that have happened in Medfield; as far back as 350 years ago.
New Student Registration at Blake
Blake would like to welcome any families with middle school students moving to Medfield to attend our Blake Registration Day Wednesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. Please call the guidance office at 508-359-2445 and speak with Debbie Avery to make an appointment to register. (After June 18, please call the main office at 508-359-2396 and speak to Mrs. Skerry). Paperwork needed to complete registration is listed on the guidance page - http://blakeguidancepage.weebly.com/new-student-information.html.
Theme of Diversity for 2018-2019
Our theme for the next academic year at Blake is one of Happiness. We believe that this theme will extend the work we have done over the last six years with our themes of Community, Perseverance, Creativity, Acceptance, Collaboration, Empathy, and Diversity. As a staff we have begun brainstorming ideas and I encourage all families to join us in the brainstorming process as well. As ideas and thoughts come to mind, do not hesitate to e-mail me (nvaughn@email.medfield.net) or Kelly C. (kcampbell@email.medfield.net).
Lost and Found Items
The number of items in our Lost and Found has certainly increased! We will be clearing out the Lost and Found after school gets out - I encourage all students and parents/guardians to come take a look.
Library Reminder
This is a reminder for all families that all library books are now due back in the Blake Library. Students with checked out items were notified last week. Please encourage your child to return any library books promptly so that we can get the Library back in order before the end of the year. If the Library books are not returned, we will unfortunately have to ask for payment. Thanks for your help.
Help Request from Community Service Club
Sixth grade teacher and Community Service Advisor Mr. Gow, is looking for a parent or scout group who is/are willing to assist in the construction of an outdoor classroom space at the back of the school. he is in need of trail clearing assistance and the clearing of the outdoor classroom space. Additionally, he is looking for either a wooden shed or plastic shed to store the outdoor classroom furniture and supplies. Please contact Michael Gow at mgow@email.medfield.net for further information.
Blake GSA Information
The Blake Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) meets every Tuesday from 2:15 - 3:00 in room 101. The GSA provides a space for open dialogue about topics such as how to be better ally and how to make our school a safe place for LGBTQ students and families. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please feel free to contact Russ Becker (rbecker@email.medfield.net) or Amy Reynolds (areynolds@email.medfield.net) with any questions or concerns you may have.
Mindful Mornings at Blake
Looking for a way to ease into the school day? Come to Mindful Mornings on Mondays and Thursdays at 7am in the auditorium. If you come in late, please just quietly settle in. Staff and students are welcome.
MFI Youth Leader Applications
Interested in philanthropy and giving back to your community? The MFi is currently accepting applications for their Youth Leader Program. Current 8th and 9th graders are encouraged to apply. To learn more about MFi and the youth leader program and to apply please go to http://medfieldfoundation.org/youth-leadership/ . The deadline for applications is June 8th. For more information contact Minta Hissong at minta@verizon.net or Sue Toohey at sotoohey@comcast.net.
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.
Girls Who Care Service Drive
Please support the 10th grade Service Group, Girls Who Care, by donating NEW Personal Care Items to help parents and kids who live in the Medway House, a local shelter for homeless families.
Items needed include: Shampoo/Conditioner, Feminine Hygiene Products, Deodorant, Mouthwash, Body Wash, Toothpaste, Lotion, Hair Brushes/Hair Care Products, Kids’ shampoo/body wash/bubble bath, Kids’ toothpaste & toothbrushes, Baby lotion, baby shampoo, baby oil, baby bath/wash, baby soap, baby wipes, diaper rash ointment, Diapers (especially sizes 5 & 6)
A donation box is located in the front office. Donations will be accepted through June 13th. Thank you for your support!
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 kcampbell@email.medfield.net with any questions.
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
The Blake PTO would like to thank all of the volunteers, donors and supporters who made this year such a success! We couldn’t have done it without you. We hope you have a great summer, and look forward to another fun and successful year ahead.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR NEXT YEAR! Please visit the Medfield K-8 PTO website or click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVH6fbiK1-cVI5r7yu42e6szW5bnuT2EUO9qk3CLc-l9A8UQ/viewform and sign-up to volunteer for the 2018-2019 school year! We need volunteers for events like teacher luncheons, 8th grade Cookout and Closing Ceremony Reception (7th grade parents are needed for this event) as well as many others!
We appreciate all your help and support. We couldn’t do it without you! And don’t forget to 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
The 8th grade cookout will take place Friday, June 15. Students will be outside and should be prepared with sunscreen and hats.
8th Grade Bike Trip
Over the last week our 8th grade students have been exploring interesting historical sites in Medfield this week by taking guided bicycle tours to notable locations around town. The students will learn about people who have contributed to and enhanced our lives, and will learn about historic events that have happened in Medfield; as far back as 350 years ago.
New Student Registration at Blake
Blake would like to welcome any families with middle school students moving to Medfield to attend our Blake Registration Day Wednesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. Please call the guidance office at 508-359-2445 and speak with Debbie Avery to make an appointment to register. (After June 18, please call the main office at 508-359-2396 and speak to Mrs. Skerry). Paperwork needed to complete registration is listed on the guidance page - http://blakeguidancepage.weebly.com/new-student-information.html.
Theme of Diversity for 2018-2019
Our theme for the next academic year at Blake is one of Happiness. We believe that this theme will extend the work we have done over the last six years with our themes of Community, Perseverance, Creativity, Acceptance, Collaboration, Empathy, and Diversity. As a staff we have begun brainstorming ideas and I encourage all families to join us in the brainstorming process as well. As ideas and thoughts come to mind, do not hesitate to e-mail me (nvaughn@email.medfield.net) or Kelly C. (kcampbell@email.medfield.net).
Lost and Found Items
The number of items in our Lost and Found has certainly increased! We will be clearing out the Lost and Found after school gets out - I encourage all students and parents/guardians to come take a look.
Library Reminder
This is a reminder for all families that all library books are now due back in the Blake Library. Students with checked out items were notified last week. Please encourage your child to return any library books promptly so that we can get the Library back in order before the end of the year. If the Library books are not returned, we will unfortunately have to ask for payment. Thanks for your help.
Help Request from Community Service Club
Sixth grade teacher and Community Service Advisor Mr. Gow, is looking for a parent or scout group who is/are willing to assist in the construction of an outdoor classroom space at the back of the school. he is in need of trail clearing assistance and the clearing of the outdoor classroom space. Additionally, he is looking for either a wooden shed or plastic shed to store the outdoor classroom furniture and supplies. Please contact Michael Gow at mgow@email.medfield.net for further information.
Blake GSA Information
The Blake Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) meets every Tuesday from 2:15 - 3:00 in room 101. The GSA provides a space for open dialogue about topics such as how to be better ally and how to make our school a safe place for LGBTQ students and families. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please feel free to contact Russ Becker (rbecker@email.medfield.net) or Amy Reynolds (areynolds@email.medfield.net) with any questions or concerns you may have.
Mindful Mornings at Blake
Looking for a way to ease into the school day? Come to Mindful Mornings on Mondays and Thursdays at 7am in the auditorium. If you come in late, please just quietly settle in. Staff and students are welcome.
MFI Youth Leader Applications
Interested in philanthropy and giving back to your community? The MFi is currently accepting applications for their Youth Leader Program. Current 8th and 9th graders are encouraged to apply. To learn more about MFi and the youth leader program and to apply please go to http://medfieldfoundation.org/youth-leadership/ . The deadline for applications is June 8th. For more information contact Minta Hissong at minta@verizon.net or Sue Toohey at sotoohey@comcast.net.
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.
Girls Who Care Service Drive
Please support the 10th grade Service Group, Girls Who Care, by donating NEW Personal Care Items to help parents and kids who live in the Medway House, a local shelter for homeless families.
Items needed include: Shampoo/Conditioner, Feminine Hygiene Products, Deodorant, Mouthwash, Body Wash, Toothpaste, Lotion, Hair Brushes/Hair Care Products, Kids’ shampoo/body wash/bubble bath, Kids’ toothpaste & toothbrushes, Baby lotion, baby shampoo, baby oil, baby bath/wash, baby soap, baby wipes, diaper rash ointment, Diapers (especially sizes 5 & 6)
A donation box is located in the front office. Donations will be accepted through June 13th. Thank you for your support!
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 kcampbell@email.medfield.net with any questions.
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
The Blake PTO would like to thank all of the volunteers, donors and supporters who made this year such a success! We couldn’t have done it without you. We hope you have a great summer, and look forward to another fun and successful year ahead.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR NEXT YEAR! Please visit the Medfield K-8 PTO website or click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVH6fbiK1-cVI5r7yu42e6szW5bnuT2EUO9qk3CLc-l9A8UQ/viewform and sign-up to volunteer for the 2018-2019 school year! We need volunteers for events like teacher luncheons, 8th grade Cookout and Closing Ceremony Reception (7th grade parents are needed for this event) as well as many others!
We appreciate all your help and support. We couldn’t do it without you! And don’t forget to 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
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