7/4 - Fourth of July!
8/22 - Blake New Student Orientation (10 a.m.)
8/27 - Professional Day for Teachers
8/28 - Professional Day for Teachers
8/29 - First Day of School
Delayed Start for 7th/8th Grade
8/31 - Half Day
9/3 - Labor Day (No School)
9/5 - Grade 8 Trip Info Session (6 p.m.)
Grade 8 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/6 - Grade 6 Music Ensemble Info Sessions (6 p.m.)
Grade 6 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/7 - Blake Picture Day
9/10 - Rosh Hashanah (No School)
9/11 - Grade 7 Nature's Classroom Info Session (6 p.m.)
Grade 7 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/19 - Yom Kippur (No School)
10/5 - Half Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
10/8 - Columbus Day (No School)
10/12 - Blake Picture Retake Day
10/23-10/26 - Nature's Classroom for 7th Grade
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about PDF (Playtime, Downtime, Family Time), our topic/question for the dinner table is: What are you looking forward to most about summer? Enjoying Summer (Summer 2018) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
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 22 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.
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 …
Theme of Happiness 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 ([email protected]) or Kelly C. ([email protected]).
Blake Social Emotional Learning with Project Happiness (www.projecthappiness.org)
Project Happiness (www.projecthappiness.org) specializes in emotional resilience-building programs which provide proven techniques to empower students and their communities to thrive. Drawing from the three pillars of neuroscience, positive psychology, and mindfulness, all participants learn social and emotional learning skills. Project Happiness is connected to Common Core Standards, which helps students to learn to build a climate of kindness, appreciation, and cooperation. Each lesson fulfills Common Core Standards by teaching skills that allow students to calm themselves when angry, make friends, resolve conflicts respectfully, and make ethical and safe choices.
In May 2016, The MCPE funded the Project Happiness grant which included: Project Happiness Middle School Curriculum, Project Happiness Training Videos, Project Happiness Film, and 20 Project Happiness Books. Medfield Public Schools were recently featured by Project Happiness. http://us9.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=2e45f17d3d4a1ef72e24e6d3f&id=acd6095363
The Summer 2018 Social Emotional Learning @Blake: Project Happiness Team invites Medfield families to
Join us for the July Happiness Challenge @happyblakers
I encourage everyone to participate in the #MedfieldPS Twitter Chats. 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 - stay tuned for a mid-summer chat!
Blake Parent Nights for Fall 2018
The Blake parent nights for this fall have been scheduled...
9/5 - Grade 8 Trip Info Session (6 p.m.)
Grade 8 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/6 - Grade 6 Music Ensemble Info Sessions (6 p.m.)
Grade 6 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/11 - Grade 7 Nature's Classroom Info Session (6 p.m.)
Grade 7 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
Blake Summer Reading
Please refer to the Blake Summer 2018 Reading Lists for copies of the 6th-8th grade reading lists for this summer. If you have any questions, please contact Jon Haycock at [email protected].
Summer Supply Lists
All students should refer to the School Supply Lists located on the Guidance webpage.
Eighth Grade Canoe and Swim Test Information
As part of the eighth grade Charles River Community Awareness Unit offered in the fall, each eighth grade student is required to pass a swimming test during the summer. Each student is required to tread water for five minutes and swim a distance of seventy-five yards. A qualified swim instructor is required to administer the test and sign the form: Swim Test Form. Completed swim tests may be dropped off at the main office of the Middle School Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. throughout the summer. All swim tests must be completed and returned to the student’s new advisory teacher by the first day of school. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. The Charles River Community Awareness Unit is an exciting way for students to begin their eighth grade experience! (FYI: In the past, students have been certified at Hinkley Pond, YMCA and
local swim clubs.)
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 ([email protected]).
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-July, 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 ([email protected]) with any questions, concerns, or thoughts that you may have.
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.
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