11/20 - SEPAC Meeting - 7 p.m. (Blake LMC)
11/21 - Half Day for Students and Staff
11/22 - Happy Thanksgiving!
11/23 - No School
11/26 - Blake Site Council Meeting - 3:30 p.m.
'Medfield Talks' - 7 p.m. (see details below)
11/27 - Angel Run Poster Party
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 practice of gratitude and Thanksgiving, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What are you thankful for this year? Time for Gratitude (Week of 11/18/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
'Medfield Talks' - 11/26 at 7 p.m.
The first "Medfield Talks" presentation of the 2018-2019 school year will be next Monday, November 26th at 7:00PM in the Lowell Mason Auditorium at Medfield High School. We are thrilled to have Jim McCauley discussing Mental Health: How to Reduce Risk and Enhance Resilience. This talk is directed to all parents PreK-12.
Sports journalist and author, Mike Lupica spoke with our 6th and 7th graders last Tuesday. He’s currently touring in support of his new book, No Slam Dunk. Mike spoke of his youth in Nashua, New Hampshire and his time at Boston College, where he honed his sports reporting skills. After graduation, he started working for the New York Post and later for the Daily News and ESPN.
All was well with his career until the day his oldest son told him he’d been cut from his town’s middle school travel basketball team because he was “too small.” The next day, while reporting on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, he recounted the story to head coach, Jeff Van Gundy. The coach replied that a great story would be forming a new team made up of all the kids who were cut from the travel team who then went on to win the league championship. Mike did form the team. They didn’t win the championship but they did provide him with the inspiration to write his first book for young readers, Travel Team. which was published 15 years ago. He’s since written over 30 books.
One of the main themes in all his books is the idea that in sports and in life, everyone is going to fall down and that the most important thing is to keep getting back up. Perseverance is everything both on and off the court.
Mike used as an example his own attempts with Travel Team. He sat at his computer for months but wasn’t happy with anything that was coming out. But one day he typed: “He knew he was small. He just didn’t think he was small. Big difference.” Elements of those Travel Team opening lines infuse all of his work - he’d found his young readers voice. Thanks to Mike and to Wellesley Books for this excellent complementary presentation.
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.
Hearing and Vision Screening Info
Hearing and vision screening will be held the week following Thanksgiving for all 7th grade students as mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The purpose of this screening is to identify students who may have hearing or vision issues requiring medical follow up. Our school nurses, Tricia Williams and Aimie Keigan, will be conducting the screenings during physical education classes assisted by other trained nurses. If your child has prescribed contact lenses or glasses, please be sure your child wears his/her contacts or brings his/her glasses to school to use during the vision portion of the screening. Please contact Tricia Williams via e-mail if you prefer your child not participate in the school’s hearing/vision screening. Please e-mail Tricia directly at [email protected] If you have any questions or concerns about the screening process, both Tricia and Aimie can be reached at 508-242-8554. You will be contacted directly if your child does not pass the screenings and requires medical evaluation.
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.
Turkey Bowl for 8th Grade Students
On Wednesday, November 21st, Blake Middle School will once again be hosting the 8th grade Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is a four on four touch football tournament designed to raise awareness and supplies for the Medfield Food Cupboard. Students will create their own four player teams and register at the Blake Middle School PE office in the gym. Participants are encouraged to bring in at least one non-perishable food item and place it in the donation box by the PE office. We are hoping for a high level of participation again this year, as it is always a great event.
EveryDay Blakers - Check it out!
Episode 1 of season 2 for Everyday Blakers is back! This episode features much more student voice - from some public speaking students in 7th grade, kids from all grades sharing about project happiness and 8th graders sharing about the canoe trip! The episode also includes an interview with Megan Thress - our new 6th grade science teacher for the Koalas! You can listen to the full episode by clicking the full episode link below or there are also links to separate segments to choose which pieces you'd like to hear. Subscribe to us in iTunes or Google Play Store. Thanks for listening!
- Full episode (26:57)
- 2:15-8:35 Clockwise Tech Talks with Public Speaking Students in 7th grade
- 8:40-14:17 Project Happiness (introduced by Max McGary!) other students and teachers from various advisories
- 20:20- 22:19 Canoe Trip 8th grade students, Mr. Hellerstein and Mrs. Shaw
- 22:23- 25:09 Spotlight on Ms. Thress!
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
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.
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 look forward to seeing you at the next Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) meeting on Tuesday, November 20th at 7pm in the Blake library. Items on the agenda: SEL task force discussion with Dr. Worthley, district updates wtih Mary Bruhl, voting to fill vacant SEPAC positions, and other business and events. We are also 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/
Blake PTO News
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