10/2 - Chinese Music and Culture Presentation (see details below)
10/3 - Canoe Trip - Stripes
SEL Task Force Meeting
10/4 - Canoe Trip - Eagles
10/5 - Half Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
10/8 - Columbus Day (No School)
10/12 - Blake Picture Retake Day
10/17 - SEL Task Force Meeting
10/19 - 7th/8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
10/23-10/26 - Nature's Classroom for 7th Grade
10/25 - 8th Grade to Tri-County
10/29 - Blake Site Council Meeting (3:30 p.m.)
10/31 - Halloween
11/2-11/4 - Blake Middle School Play
11/5 - Winter Athletics Meeting (see details below)
11/13 - AMC 8th Grade Math Test (see details below)
11/16 - MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey (see details below)
11/19 - SEL Task Force Meeting
11/21 - Half Day for Students and Staff
11/22 - Happy Thanksgiving!
11/23 - No School
Topic/Question for the Summer Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the importance of play time, down time, and family time, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What do you do to relax and take a break in your ‘down time’? Time to Play (Week of 9/30/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Chinese Music and Culture Presentation
On Tuesday, 10/2 at 7 p.m. our guests from Bengbu will be performing a Chinese Music and Culture presentation at the Medfield High School Auditorium. All are welcome to attend!
7th and 8th Grade Dance
The first grade 7 & 8 dance is coming - Friday October 19 at 7pm in the Blake gym. ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE A DANCE CONTRACT SIGNED BY PARENTS/GUARDIANS TO ATTEND! Contracts came home in paper form, extras can be found in the main office at Blake, or on the Student Council Website. The cost is $5.00 and students should review the contract with parents/guardians as a reminder of the guidelines!
Grade 6 Food Drive - October
Grade 6 advisories are having a friendly competition - See this link for details!
8th Grade Trip Information
8th Grade Trip packets went home with Grade 8 students on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The trip deposit and signed permission slip are due to your child's Advisory teacher by October 1. On-line registration with our tour company, Worldstrides, is to be completed by October 31. Please see trip packet for details and instructions. For your reference and for more information, here is a link to the 8th grade trip presentation…
Memorials, Monuments, and Museums Presentation Fall 2018
8th Grade American Mathematics Contest
The 8th Grade American Mathematics Contest (AMC 8) is a multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. It is sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. The contest is held yearly in November. Students from all over the country participate in this contest both individually and on a school-wide basis. In the past, students in 8th grade Algebra I accelerated have participated. We will continue this tradition, but would like to extend the opportunity to participate in the AMC8 Contest to all 8th grade math students this year.
The exam will be given during E period on November 13th. Students who do not have math during this time slot will be excused from their class. Although the test is challenging, it certainly allows for a variety of learners to meet success and experience a high level of mathematical thinking. Below are several links that will allow you to explore this contest. All students in Algebra I Accelerated math classes have been registered. If your child is in Math 8 and you are interested in having your child participate in this test, please complete this Google form to sign up. Please note: If your child is in Algebra I Accelerated, they have already been registered.
For information about the AMC 8 Contest, click here.
For sample test questions, click here.
It is important to register by Wednesday October 17, 2018. As always, please do not hesitate to contact your child's math teacher or Susan Bycoff at [email protected] if you have any questions.
MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey - 11/16/18
To make sure we give the best possible education and support to children in Medfield, we want to learn about their attitudes and behaviors with regard to a variety of health issues. In order to accomplish this, students at Blake Middle School are being asked to participate in our 7th biennial survey, the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey. The survey questions cover many topics including alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; violence and safety; nutrition and physical activity; online behaviors; and mental health.This project will help our district develop and enhance its health education and prevention services. We will be giving this survey to grades 6-8 on Friday, November 2, 2018. The survey is anonymous and voluntary. A letter will be emailed to all families on or by October 19th, notifying parents and guardians about the survey, indicating a place where parents may come to school to preview the survey, and information about how to opt their child out of the survey, if desired. High school students will also take the survey on the same day, but their survey has additional questions not asked on the middle school survey (for example, questions related to sexual behaviors and driving.) If you have any questions, please contact Susan Cowell ([email protected]).
Here are a few ways that students' participation in the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey has benefited our community: Regular updates to the health education curriculum to address emerging local health behaviors and attitudes identified by students, the hiring of a school adjustment counselor for grades 6-12, the development of RISE, our transition program for students in grades 6-12, the hiring of addition of guidance counselors at the elementary schools, social emotional learning needs identified and listed as priorities in Superintendent Marsden's Strategic Plan, the creation of the district-wide staff, parent, student Social Emotional Learning Task Force, new school-wide programs such as Medfield Project Happiness at Blake and Mindful Minutes each morning at Dale, the reorganization of the high school wellness classes, efforts to provide a more inclusive environment for marginalized students, an opportunity for staff and the community to discuss the results of each survey over the past 14 years to gain a greater understanding of issues facing teens in Medfield, and many parent programs focused on pertinent needs identified by students on this survey.
Education Event at Wellesley College - 11/1/18
Save the date! I want to highlight a free event at Wellesley College on Thursday, 11/1 - Yong Zhao, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas, will be giving a lecture entitled, What Works May Hurt: Side Effects in Education. This is part of the Diane Ravitch Lecture Series.
Winter Athletics Meeting
On Monday, November 5, at 6:30pm, there will be a meeting held in the gymnasium at the Medfield High School for all athletes and a parent(s) interested in playing high school athletics this coming winter season at Medfield HS and Blake MS. This meeting is very important and will cover many questions and concerns you may have, as well as introductions to all high school coaches and staff. Immediately following this meeting, coaches will meet with their respective sports to speak about the season and answer any questions you may have. If you have any questions, please contact Eric Scott ([email protected]).
*Sports offered for the winter season are:
Medfield High School:
Indoor Track (Boy’s and Girl’s)
Basketball (Boy’s and Girl’s)
Ice Hockey (Boys and Girl’s)
Gymnastics (Girl’s)
Swim and Dive (Co-ed)
*Alpine Ski (co-op through Ashland HS). Meeting TBD @ AHS (stay tuned @MedfieldAD for update)
Blake Middle School:
Basketball (Boys and Girls 8th Grade)
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 Fall Intramurals
The 2018 Fall Intramural offerings are now available at: http://blakemsintramurals.weebly.com/ Please check them out at the following link and let Matt Marenghi (Intramural Director) know if you have any questions or concerns: [email protected].
Media Notification
In order to promote some of the exciting programs and events in the Medfield Public Schools, we plan to continue the use of student photos on our district/school websites, teacher websites, blogs, and district approved Twitter accounts. In addition, there are times when we will have coverage in the local newspaper or on local TV. Please note, your child’s image or name may still appear within the school for classroom projects, hallway postings, in-school presentations, newsletters, yearbooks, and other in-school media. Please contact Nat Vaughn if you have any additional questions.
MCAS Dates for Spring 2019
This spring our Blake students will be participating in the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System). All assessments will be computer-based (students will be using Chromebooks). Below are the administration dates for these assessments...
Grade 6
ELA (4/23, 4/24)
Math (5/3, 5/6)
Grade 7
ELA (4/9, 4/10)
Math (5/14, 5/15)
Grade 8
ELA (4/1, 4/2)
Math (4/29, 4/30)
Sci/Tech/Eng (5/8, 5/9)
Make-up testing will take place when students return from their absence(s), provided that their return takes place within the testing window determined by the Commonwealth. We appreciate your assistance in looking at these dates and being mindful to try and avoid medical/dental appointments or conflicts with these assessments. As always, do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Box Top Collections
Box top collection runs 9/24-10/29. The cluster with the most box tops wins a prize. Homerooms will collect the box tops and they will be brought to the office weekly.
Seventh Grade Trip to Nature's Classroom
The seventh grade will be leaving at 6:30 am on Tuesday, October 23 for the annual trip to Nature's Classroom on Lake George. Students should arrive between 6:10 and 6:20 am and report directly to their bus. You will be contacted if you have any outstanding paperwork or money due. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Silva, [email protected]. In addition, please be sure to contact Tricia Williams regarding any medical needs, allergies, or health concerns ([email protected] or 508-242-8554). We are looking forward to the trip!
Bird Seed Request
With the new school year upon us, Mr. Gow is looking to replenish his bird seed supply for the Exploration classes that he teaches. The most needed bird food is "black oiled sunflower seed." Please contact him at [email protected] or drop off a bag at the front office.
Blake Site Council Book Discussion Group
Over the last two years the Blake Site Council has read several books and we will continue this practice during the 2018-2019 school year. Stay tuned for more information and we hope you can join in these discussions!
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] 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.
Blake PTO News
One position left! Thank you to those who have volunteered to help support Blake. We are still in need of a Hospitality Chair or Co-Chairs. The Chairs help coordinate 3-4 teacher luncheons during the year. It's a great way to get involved an appreciate the wonderful staff at our school. To sign up, please visit the PTO volunteer page or contact Keven Gallagher at [email protected] to learn more about the position. Below is the link to 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