8/21 - Blake New Student Orientation (10 a.m.)
8/26-8/27 - Teacher Professional Days
8/28 - Welcome back!
Delayed Start for 7th/8th Grade
8/30 - 1/2 Day for Students and Staff
9/2 - Labor Day - No School
9/4 - Grade 8 Trip Info Session (6 p.m.)
Grade 8 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/5 - Grade 6 Music Ensemble Info Sessions (6 p.m.)
Grade 6 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/12 - Blake Picture Day
Grade 7 Nature’s Classroom Info Session (6 p.m.)
Grade 7 Parent Night (6:30 p.m.)
9/30 - Rosh Hashanah - No School
10/9 - Yom Kippur - No School
10/14 - Columbus Day - No School
10/15 - 1/2 Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
10/21 - Blake Picture Retake Day
10/22-10/25 - 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 2019) (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 21 at 10 a.m. Please contact Beth Ladouceur at (508) 242-8713 or via e-mail ([email protected]) regarding any questions about registration. Information regarding registration can be found at these links...
http://www.medfield.net/district-information/student-registration
http://blakeguidancepage.weebly.com/new-student-information.html
Theme of Courage for 2019-2020
Our theme for the next academic year at Blake is one of Courage. We believe that this theme will extend the work we have done over the last seven years with our themes of Community, Perseverance, Creativity, Acceptance, Collaboration, Empathy, Diversity, and Happiness. 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]).
Summer Reading Info for Incoming 6th-8th Grade Families
Each summer we ask Blake Middle School Students to read a minimum of two books. Students should read one book from their grade level Core Book Reading list and also choose a minimum of one book from their Suggested List as well. Students also have the option to read another age-appropriate book, that they haven’t read before, instead.
Blake Summer Reading 2019
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 - June 2019
2019-2020 iPad Planning Inventory
As you know we are continuing with our mobile learning program at Blake for the entire 6th-8th grade for the 2019-2020 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 2019-2020 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 as soon as possible: iPad Planning Inventory at Blake Middle School for 2019-2020. 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, 2019. 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 who choose to borrow the devices from the district.
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 19-20
Blake Mobile Learning Initiative Participation Options
iPad Program Estimated Lease-to-Own Pricing Structure 19-20
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.
#MedfieldChat Twitter Chats
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!
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.
Message from Medfield HS Music Department
The Medfield High School Music Department will be holding a mattress fundraiser next fall on Sunday, September 22nd. Today, I'll be visiting each school to put a flyer in your mailbox with some information on the sale. These flyers are simply to let everyone know that the sale is happening and that if you'd be looking to purchase a mattress in the next few months, you may want to hold off to take advantage of our sale to save some money and support our students. The athletic department held this sale several years ago and raised over $7,000 to help fund its new sound system for the high school gym. The proceeds from this sale will provide financial aid for students attending our Music Department Trip next year and help fund a major purchases for our String and Choral Programs. If you have any questions about the sale, don't hesitate to contact me.
Thanks!
Mr. Jason Bielik, K-12 Director of Music
Blake PTO Update
THANK YOU for those who contributed to our annual appeal this year! If you didn't get to send in your contribution yet, don't worry, there's still time! Donate here http://www.medfieldk8pto.com/blake.html or you can mail a check to Blake Middle School (24 Pound St Medfield MA 02052) or send it in with your child. Checks should be made out to Blake Middle School PTO. Your contributions allow our students and teachers to benefit over the next year, as the students and teachers did before them. We thank you in advance for your financial support of the Blake PTO.
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