11/30 - Term 1 Ends
12/2 - Angel Run
12/3 - Term 2 Begins
12/6 - Blake Bands Concert
12/7 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
12/10 - Blake Orchestras Concert
12/11 - Blake PTO Meeting - 7 p.m. (Blake LMC)
12/12 - 7th Grade A Christmas Carol Field Trip
SEL Task Force Meeting
12/13 - Blake Choruses Concert
12/18 - SEPAC Meeting - 7 p.m. (Blake LMC)
12/21 - 1/2 Day
12/24-1/1 - Vacation
1/2 - School Resumes
Topic/Question for the Summer Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the ways that curiosity and imagination help us learn, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How can curiosity and imagination help you to learn and change? Curiosity, Imagination, and Change (Week of 11/25/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
8th Grade Turkey Bowl Follow Up
8th graders were again invited to take part in the annual 'Turkey Bowl' this past Wednesday morning. With 34 teams and over 130 students, the level of participation was nearly double that of previous years. The students embraced the cold and the icy turf field to take part in the culminating event of the P.E. touch football unit. Each participant was asked to bring in a non-perishable item as a donation to the Medfield Food Cupboard as a ticket to compete. Their offerings resulted in about 8 full grocery bags worth of supplies to be donated. It was anther fun morning made memorable by the fantastic number of participants, exciting game play and the camaraderie events such as this often bring about.
Reminder for all Blake Students and Families
This is a reminder that as a school we will not be orchestrating 'Secret Santa' type activities for students in which gifts are being purchased and/or given. For a number of reasons, school is not the proper forum for the exchange of gifts, and we appreciate your understanding and support.
8th Grade Fundraiser Follow Up
After a great turnout for the exciting student versus staff basketball game, Blake was able to raise close to $1,000 for the 8th grade community service events. Some events supported by the 8th grade include a donation and day of service for Christmas in the City, which is a holiday event for homeless children in Boston, and a holiday dinner for the residents of Tilden Village in Medfield.
Recess Reminder for All Parents/Guardians
This is a gentle reminder to families that students are going outside for recess and should bring weather-appropriate clothing like winter jackets and gloves so that they will be warm outdoors.
Health Information for Current 6th Grade Families
In order to keep your child’s school health record updated per Massachusetts Department of Public Health regulations, please send in a copy of your child’s 6th grade physical including a current immunization record. For students who have already had a physical this past summer or fall (dated from July 1, 2018 on), please send in a copy of your child’s physical by November 30, 2018 if you have not already sent in a copy. For students who are scheduled for their 6th grade physical this winter or spring, please send in a copy of the physical following their appointment. Thank you very much for your assistance. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Food Drive 11/12-11/30
As the holidays approach, it is very important to help those in our community. You can do so by donating to our local Medfield Food Pantry! There will be a collection box outside the library where you can drop off non-perishable foods like canned soup, tuna, fruit, and more, from November 12th until the 30th. Don’t forget to donate!
Message from Medfield Youth Outreach
Having a tough time making ends meet? Are basic resources such as obtaining food and covering the cost of utilities becoming more daunting? Medfield Youth Outreach, a confidential town service, may be able to help. Learn about food and utility resources as well as holiday and birthday programs that help ease the stress during difficult financial times. Reach out at 508-359-7121 to Dawn, Chelsea or the MYO intern Sarah to learn more about what help is available. This office also provides other services which you can learn about here: https://www.town.medfield.net/403/Medfield-Youth-Outreach
Reminder for all Families
As the weather is turning a bit cooler, I am writing with a reminder about after school supervision at Blake. Students are welcome to stay after school with a teacher, in the library, in the fitness center, or to be part of an intramural activity. Supervision of students ends at 3:15 p.m. as that is when our front office staff leaves, library closes, and activities generally conclude. Exceptions may include the theatre program or sports. Students should plan for transportation home by 3:15 and are welcome to wait for rides outside in the area by the circle or in the lobby of the school but should not be wandering around the building, playing in the gym without adult supervision, or hanging out in unsupervised areas. Student safety is our priority so we ask that students be in a supervised activity or make plans to head home.
Challenge Success
I encourage everyone to check out Medfield’s Challenge Success website and introductory video. We look forward to broadening our work and using this ‘platform’ as a way to continue our efforts at Blake to best support and meet the needs of all of our students.
Standards Based Reporting Information Sessions
Thank you to all Blake parents/guardians who were able to come to our Standards Based Reporting information sessions last week. As promised, here is the link to the presentation…
SBR Information Sessions October, 2018
Private School Applications
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 e-mail 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 or Ms. Allen (6th), Mrs. Dondero (7th), or Mr. Marenghi (8th).
Parent/Guardian Sign-Offs
All families should have received an e-mail from '[email protected]' with 'Emergency Contact Information' in the subject line. We are asking all families to complete this digital sign-off for most of the beginning-of-year forms...
- Student Responsible Use Guidelines/Acceptable Use Policy
- School Handbook (and Addendum, where appropriate)
- Free and Reduced Lunch
- Your child's emergency contact information (all students) and additional contact/authorizations (Grades 1 through 5 only).
- Photo release form
#MedfieldProjectHappiness
Thank you to everyone for supporting #MedfieldProjectHappiness - a few notes for your reference...
- The daily inspiration from Project Happiness is included in the morning announcements to staff and students.
- To subscribe: https://www.projecthappiness.org
- To follow on Twitter: @happyblakers #MedfieldProjectHappiness
Blake Site Council Book Discussion Group
Our first Blake Site Council book will be What School Could Be by Ted Dintersmith. We hope you can join in by reading this book - stay tuned for discussion times!
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". Please contact Kelly Campbell at [email protected] with any questions.
Substitute Nurses
As with our teaching positions, from time to time our nurse, Tricia Williams, will be out of the building and we need a substitute nurse for these days. We are fortunate that we have several substitute nurses in the district who are able to work on those days. If you are a registered nurse and have an interest in potentially serving as a substitute throughout the year, please let us know. You can contact me ([email protected]) or Tricia Williams ([email protected]). By the same token, if you have friends in the area who would have an interest in serving as a substitute, please let them know that they can contact us as well. The safety and well-being of our students is always our top priority, and we would appreciate your interest in one of these roles.
SEPAC Update
We are looking for families interested in helping at our Angel Run water station on 12/2--please email [email protected] if you can help. Basic Rights will take place December 18th. To learn more about SEPAC meetings, events, and resources, and contact info, visit our website: https://sites.google.com/mail.medfield.k12.ma.us/sepac/
MCPE Update
Do you know a Medfield teacher, staff member, coach, or administrator who has played an extra special role in your child's life? In this season of giving, donate to MCPE in their honor, and those individuals will be personally thanked and acknowledged in MCPE's annual newsletter. Go to www.medfieldcoalition.org for more information or to donate today. Thank you!
Blake PTO Update
REMINDER: please remember to send in your PTO dues! We recommend $25 per child which helps enable the PTO to fund exciting initiatives and programs throughout the year! If you have any questions please contact medfieldk8pto.com.
There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved! For more information, please visit our website and sign up using the volunteer form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVH6fbiK1-cVI5r7yu42e6szW5bnuT2EUO9qk3CLc-l9A8UQ/viewform
Don’t forget to 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