January 14 - Royal Pizza Night for Blake
Grades 4-6 Chorus Concert
January 16-17 - Grade 8 Mathematics Mid-Term
January 16 - Ski Club
January 20 - MLK, Jr. Day (No School)
Day of Service at Blake (see details below)
January 21 - Tilden Village 8th grade dinner (see details below)
January 23 - Ski Club
January 24 - Blake Lip Sync Performances
January 30 - Ski Club
February 3 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:15 p.m. in Blake LMC)
February 5 - Tri-County Interviews
February 11 - Royal Pizza Night for Blake
February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day!
February 17-21 - Winter Vacation
February 18 - Subway Night for Blake
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations about the ideas of being 'present in the moment', our Topic/Questions for the Dinner Table this week is: What do we need to do to allow ourselves to stay 'in the moment' and follow our beliefs?
Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend - No Homework Weekend for Blake
In a continued effort to provide down time for students, staff, and families, the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. will be a 'No Homework Weekend' for all of Blake. No work will be due on Tuesday, January 21 and tests, quizzes, and projects will not be due or given on January 21-22. Thank you to all of the staff for their support and help in making this happen. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man whose goal was to make our country a better place for everyone. While his life was cut short due to assassination, MLK's goal to make our country a better place is still very much alive. On November 2, 1983 President Reagan made January 15th ( MLK Jr'.s birthday) a federal holiday, a day off for all. But a day off to support a man who gave his life to the betterment of our country did not really seem like a fitting honor so on August 23, 1994 President Bill Clinton signed a bill that moved the date of the holiday from MLK, Jr's birthday to the Monday after that day. The bill also stated that it was meant to be a day of service. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a not a day off, but a day on. To honor this day of service Blake Middle School will open its doors from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. to give students an opportunity to serve their community. Some of the activity students will be doing during this day of service will be: beautifying the school, making Valentine's day cards, book marks and paper flowers, for soldiers and those living in the nursing home. Students will also be making bracelets, which we will give to Children's Hospital for ill children. We are always open to new ideas for how we can serve the community and support making Monday, January 21st a day on! If you have any questions or suggestions, please e-mail Cynthia McClelland at [email protected].
Tilden Village - 8th Grade
The annual holiday dinner, postponed due to weather before the holidays, sponsored by the Blake eighth grade has been rescheduled for Tuesday, December 21 at the Tilden Village community center from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Students who have volunteered to make hot dishes are reminded that their food must be dropped off at the community center at around 4:45. Desserts, drinks, and other donations can be brought to school. Students who will serve at the dinner should arrive by 5:00 p.m., and those who will provide music should arrive by 5:15 p.m. Parents can pick up their children after the dinner at about 6:45 p.m.
Photos for Yearbook - 8th Grade!
8th Graders!! We are collecting childhood or baby pictures for a special section in the Yearbook. Write your name on the back of the photo and hand it in to your Advisory teacher by Friday, January 31st. Remember that we DO NOT return the pictures.
Food Drive - 8th Grade
8th Grade is responsible to help replenish the Medfield Food Cupboard with donations for the month of January. Items in need include: Cookies, Applesauce Cups, Raisins, and Juice (Boxed and Canned).
Geography Bee
Thank you once again to the Social Studies teachers for facilitating the Geography Bee this week. I commend all of the students for their participation. The finalists in each grade were as follows:
Grade 6: Anna DeBettencourt, Raphaela Gray, Kate Davignon, Matt Leonard, Nick Chicos, Derek Stevens, Luca Legar, Leah Ravech, Will DePiero, Colby Gonser, Hannah Buzgo
Grade 7: Patrick Thompson, Alyssa Shen, Frannie McCarthy, Nathan Parry, Ella Matthews, Joey Layden, Mark Friscia, Michael Hawley, Bennett DiIanni, Emma Nightingale, Francis Brooke
Grade 8: Gideon Lung, Trevor Ruzzo, Brian Knott, Chris Gauch, Anthony Tristani, Jack Nedell, Ryan MacLean, Mark Fitzpatrick
Grade 6 Winner: Anna DeBettencourt
Grade 7 Winner: Nathan Parry
Grade 8 Winner: Joey Reddy
Congratulations to our all-school winner, Nathan Parry!
Curriculum Highlights - Mathematics and Wellness
This week's curriculum updates come from the mathematics (Susan Bycoff, Content Specialist) and wellness (Susan Cowell, Content Specialist) departments...
Mathematics
It's all about real numbers in 6th grade at Blake. Students are refining their skills in number operations while expanding on their knowledge of factors of multiples. They are learning to use advanced algebraic vocabulary as they work with complex problems. 7th graders have just finished a unit on geometry including area, volume and surface area. They will delve deeper into the study of solids by examining cross-sections. Students will predict shapes that result by slicing 3-dimentional shapes with 2-dimentsional planes. 8th grade students at Blake will take their first mathematics midyear exam on January 16th and 17th. This will give students an opportunity to practices taking Algebra assessments are larger quantities of information. Additionally, students will receive feedback and opportunities for growth. Good luck 8th graders!
Wellness
Physical Education:
This week we are starting our volleyball unit. Once again this year, the volleyball unit will lead into the student v. teacher championship. Within each class, students will be divided into teams. Each player on the team will be assigned a role of either captain, fitness leader, team manager, statistician or spirit leader. We will be spending the first few weeks of the unit going over the basic skills of the forearm pass, the set and the serve. From there we will progress to games and playoffs. Typically, this is one of our most popular units and students really work hard for the chance to play and beat the teacher teams. We are all very excited for volleyball!
Health Education:
The 6th graders have been learning about decision making. They've been discussing the internal and external influences on decision making and learning the 5 step, I.D.E.A.L. way to make decisions. The 7th grade just wrapped up lessons about communication and specifically family communication. Continuing in the unit of social issues, they are now studying stereotyping. Topics being covered include: learning how society developed stereotypes, how they can be unfair and hurtful, and actions to take to try to stop the proliferation of stereotyping. Our 8th grade classes have been discussing respect and have participated in many self-reflection activities about respect. They are now starting a unit about harassment which will include: what harassment is, why people harass, consequences of harassment, types of harassment, and actions to take to prevent, stop and report harassment.
Consumer Science:
We are already approaching the completion of our second rotation!
Sixth graders have learned the following skills:
1. The need for thorough hand-washing and general good hygiene practices
2. How to follow a recipe, including how to appropriately measure and interpret cooking terms
3. How to safely operate and electric blender, the oven, an electric griddle and skillet, and how to safely use a skillet on the stovetop
4. How to thoroughly wash and dry dishes and all food preparation utensils and surfaces by hand
5. How to demonstrate all of these techniques for you at home!
In addition to all of those skills, Seventh graders have also learned the following skills:
1. To safely utilize a chef's knife to chop many vegetables
2. To discuss nutritional information relative to each recipe
3. To understand the need for caution surrounding food allergies
4. To recognize the need for time management in meal preparation
5. To safely and effectively cook using a microwave oven
5. To expand their nutritional potential by consuming a wider range of vegetables
In addition to being able to demonstrate all of those skills safely and effectively, Eighth graders have also learned how to practice safe food preparation regarding raw foods.
Early College Planning Information Night
Mark your calendars! Blake Middle School will be hosting MEFA's Early College Planning Seminar for Parents on Wednesday, May 14th at 7:00pm in the auditorium. Seminar topics include:
- How can I best support my student to make good choices in middle school and high school.
- What is important to understand about admissions and financial aid now?
- How much should we save for college and when is a good time to start saving?
- Will savings affect financial aid?
- If we can't save enough, should we bother saving at all?
Please feel free to contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]) with any questions.
Blake Ski Club Update
First day of Ski Club was great - the students were fantastic! After the trip there are a few reminders; please be sure to e-mail Mrs. Heim as soon as possible if your child can not attend a ski trip date. Also, many students forgot/lost their lift tickets. Please be sure to check in with your son/daughter to ensure they returned the ticket - lost tickets must be paid for.
Winter Intramurals
Winter intramural sign-ups began on Monday, January 13 and will run through Friday, January 17. The intramural offerings are scheduled to begin the week of January 20. The offerings and sign-up sheets will be listed on the Blake home page under intramural information. Hard copies of the offerings and sign-up sheets will also be available in the main office.
Theater Update
Rehearsals have started for both Aladdin and Hounds. Please consult the announcements and the theater webpage for any changes or updates. All commitment letters, activity fees, and clothing measurements (for performers) should be in to Mrs. Caprio and Ms. Allen. You may already have received an email if any of the items are missing. Please let Mrs. Caprio and Ms. Allen know if there are any questions or concerns.
Lip Sync Reminders
On January 8th, we will have our costume check. All performers must attend and every group member must try on and show Mrs. Dondero their costume for approval... NO EXCEPTIONS. The costume check will be in the cafeteria from 2:15-3:15.
On January 15th, we will be having our dress rehearsal. All group members must attend. Students will be required to perform their acts while wearing their costumes. The dress rehearsal will run from 2:15-5:15. Please make arrangements as students are required to stay for the entire rehearsal.
Tickets will go on sale on 15th and 16th for performers and crew during lunch. Each performer/crew member will be allowed to purchase two tickets at that time. Tickets are $5 each. On January 17th tickets will go on sale for the general public, if performers/crew members require more than two tickets they can try and buy additional tickets on the 17th. Tickets always sell out, so please mark your calendars for the 15th and 16th and send your child to school with a check or cash for tickets.
The lip sync will be on January 24th. Performers and crew should arrive between 6:15-6:30.
Doors will open at 6:45 for audience seating. The performance begins at 7pm and should end between 9 and 9:30.
Thanks!
Community Service Club Message
Thank you to everyone who donated coats for our annual Community Service Club Coat Drive. All together, we collected and donated 50 coats. Finally, thank you to Anton's Cleaners for making the drive possible.
Music at Blake - Guess the Blake Pandora Jockey!
We have a new Blake DJ this week. This past week's DJ was Judy Silva and the student winner was Caillian Sheehy. The direct link to the form is: Blake Pandora Jockey Form Encourage your students to participate!
Basketball Updates
The boys played a great game against Hopkinton on Monday, winning 60-45 Hopkinton. They played a fast pace aggressive game from start to finish. The girls, unfortunately lost 35-50. We were down by 6 at the half and couldn't close the gap. Maggie McCarthy was the high scorer with 15 points, and Rachel Constant played amazing defense with 3 steals and 3 rebounds
CSA News
The January 2014 volunteer form is posted. There are some great opportunities to help out in any way you can, large or small. Please take a look at the link below...
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?usp=drive_web&formkey=dDN3U1JpNHRIZVc3b2dEZkhGZldWbVE6MA#gid=0
The Blake CSA has created a new position that we would like to fill:
Blake CSA PR specialist. This person will help communicate BMS CSA's accomplishments, event promotions and general information utilizing social media. The time commitment is minimal, 1-2 hours a month. This is a great opportunity to interact with the BMS administration and learn what's happening at your child's school!
Please support Blake and eat at Royal Pizza this Tuesday the 14th!! Royal Pizza will donate 20% of all proceeds from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Please mention Blake Middle School when ordering!! Thank you to Royal Pizza for supporting our school.
Your trash, Blake's cash! Clip and send in your box tops. Collection box in the office.
MCPE News
MCPE Auction Items Request:
Now is the time to mark your calendars for the MCPE Spring Fling! This exciting fundraising event will be held Friday, May 2nd at the Spring Valley Country Club in Sharon, MA. This event will feature a silent and live auction to benefit our schools. We have a lot of great auction items, but are still looking for a few more "big ticket" items.
If you are interested in donating tax-deductible auction items such as:
• Vacation homes
• Sports tickets
• Theater/concert tickets
• Favorite Restaurant gift cards
• Celebrity experiences (do you know a chef or local personality who may have some time to donate?)
• Country club outings (golf, tennis, dinner, other)
Please contact Michelle Barrette at 359-4140 or at [email protected].
Spring Fling tickets will go on sale Feb 25; at that time you can order your tickets on the MCPE website: www.MedfieldCoalition.org.