1/21 - Jessica Cox Community Presentation (see details below)
1/22 - Jessica Cox School Presentations (see details below)
2/4 - Term 2 Interim Reports go home
2/5 - Teacher Professional Day (#DLDMedfield)
2/5 and 2/6 - Blake Play
2/8 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
How to Raise an Adult Book Group (4:30 p.m.)
2/14 - Happy Valentine's Day!
2/15-2/19 - School Vacation
2/22 - School Resumes
2/24 - Incoming 6th Grade PIN (6:30 p.m.)
2/25 - Incoming 9th Grade PIN at Medfield High School (6:30 p.m.)
3/3 - Incoming 8th Grade PIN (6:30 p.m.)
3/10 - Incoming 7th Grade PIN (6:30 p.m.)
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the structures and factors that help us learn, this week's topic/question for the dinner table is: What type of feedback works best for you to help you learn?
Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: What Helps You Learn? (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Jessica Cox - Assembly for Students and Community
Thanks to the generous support of the Helping Hands Foundation, Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE), Blake PTO, and Medfield SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council), we are pleased to host Jessica Cox for a community presentation on Thursday, January 21. Blake students and the Medfield community have been offered a wonderful opportunity to meet Jessica Cox and hear all about her incredible story of courage and perseverance. Jessica is an energetic, positive motivational speaker who was born without arms but did not let that stop her from becoming the World's 1st Armless Pilot and the 1st Armless Black-belt in the U.S. She will present to Blake Middle School student on Friday, January 22nd, during assembly period. In addition (as a preview to the assemblies), Jessica will share her trials and triumphs with the Medfield community on Thursday, January 21st, at 7 p.m. in Blake Middle School Auditorium. Please see this Jessica Cox Community Event for more information, and check out the link to a trailer to a film about her story - Jessica Cox Film Trailer. We strongly encourage you seize the chance to meet Jessica and learn about her amazing accomplishments despite her physical constraints. Spread the word and order your free tickets now before they are gone! E-mail (your name, address, # of tickets) to: [email protected]
Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend - No Homework Weekend for Blake
Thank you to all of the Blake staff for their support and help in making our 'No Homework Weekend' this past weekend a reality. This effort was part of our continued work to provide down time for students, staff, and families.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Thank you to Cynthia McClelland for spearheading and organizing the 'Day of Service' and Blood Drive at Blake. It was a wonderful scene on Monday, as student and staff volunteers worked together, and we are thrilled that this has become a tradition for our community.
Geography Bee Wrap-Up
For the 28th year, the National Geographic Society is holding the National Geographic Bee in thousands of schools across the United States. Blake students participated in the Geo Bee in their Social Studies classes upon returning from winter break. Winners from each Social Studies class advanced to the grade-wide level of competitions, held in the auditorium.
Representing the Otters Cluster were Noah Wilson (6th grade champ), Meghan McCarthy, Grenne Campbell, and Connor Nee. The Koalas on stage were John Marcucci, Julia Wilson, Elli Langton, and Anna Trotter. For the Sea Turtles, Nicolas Rodriguez, Morgan Reilly, and Victoria Hajj were on hand. In the 7th grade, Liam Frazier and Catherine Bergland were the winners from Mrs. Bissell's classes. Mr. Keohan's class champs included Tristan Marble (7th grade champ), Ryan Murray, Maddie Hogardt, and Reid Marble. Advancing from Ms. Manning's class were Garrett Compston, Peter Moiseyev, Naomi Lung, Abby Frankel, and Jake Kraemer. For the 8th graders, Mrs. McClelland's representatives were Anna DeBettencourt, Cam Connelley, MaryGrace Colabella, and Jack McCordic. Mr. Sullivan sent Dylan Brunelli, Luca Leger, Cam Sullivan, and Joe Freeman to the grade-wide competition. Mr. Taliaferro advanced eventual school champ Ben Rothstein, Colby Gonser, Derek Stevens, and Drew Gordon.
Grade level winners (Noah Wilson for 6th grade, Tristan Marble for 7th grade, and Ben Rothstein for 8th grade) met in the LMC after school on Wednesday, January 13th for the final showdown. After an exciting and competitive match, 8th grader Ben Rothstein was the last contestant left standing. We are delighted to announce that Ben will advance to the next level of competition, a qualifying test to determine state competitors. All school champions are eligible to win the national championship and its first prize, a $50,000 college scholarship, at the national championship May 22-25, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
General Reminders for Parents/Guardians
If your child will be absent or arriving after 8:00 am, please call the absence/tardy line at 508-242-8501 to report this. Calls to the absence line rather than the main office help keep the main phone line free to handle other calls.
To dismiss your child early from school, they are required to have a note from home, which should be dropped off in the main office first thing in the morning. Students are asked to report to the main office at their dismissal time. We suggest setting your child's dismissal time a few minutes early to allow time for them to arrive in the main office, as it is not possible for us to have them waiting for you in advance.
School Survey
The Blake Site Council has taken time to review the data collected from last year's survey and an Executive Summary will be distributed to families in the coming weeks. Focus areas on the survey centered on the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. Our intent is to distribute the 2014-2015 survey in early February in the hopes of gathering the data by February vacation. Stay tuned!
#MedfieldPS Twitter Chats
I encourage everyone to check out the 'storify' archives of our district-wide #MedfieldPS chats below. 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!
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-twitter-chat-resolutions-and-reflection
(Resolutions and Reflection)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-december-2015-twitter-chat-relevance
(Relevance)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-november-2015-twitter-chat
(DLD Focus)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-october-2015-twitter-chat
(Homework Focus)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-august-2015-twitter-chat
(Back to School)
Coat Drive Thanks
The Community Service Club would like to thank those who participated in this year's coat drive. Our annual drive yielded 35 coats which were donated to Anton's Cleaners for cleaning and distribution to needed families.
Parent Information Nights - Mark Your Calendars!
2/24 - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming sixth grade (current fifth grade) students. We will be presenting information about the 6th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year along with an overview of the middle school. A more detailed presentation about the logistics of the 2016-2017 academic year's iPad Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
3/3 - Incoming 8th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming eighth grade (current seventh grade) students. We will be presenting information about the 8th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year. A more detailed presentation about the logistics of the 2016-2017 academic year's iPad Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
3/10 - Incoming 7th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming seventh grade (current sixth grade) students. We will be sharing information about the 7th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year. We will also be presenting information about the 7th grade's field trip to Nature's Classroom. A more detailed presentation about the logistics of the 2016-2017 academic year's iPad Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
8th Grade Families - Save the Date!
February 25, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
High School Auditorium
Please join members of the high school faculty as they present an overview of the Medfield High School academic curriculum. Additional information will be sent home as the date becomes closer. If you have any questions prior to the event, please contact Heather Mandosa, Assistant Principal at [email protected] or Stephanie Worthley, Guidance Content Specialist at [email protected] or call the high school at (508) 359-4367.
Cradles to Crayons - 7th Grade
In January/February of 2016 our 7th grade will be running a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. Please set aside any clothing donations in advance. Thank you!
6th Grade Parents - Save the Date!
Seventh grade trip to Nature's Classroom 2016 will be Monday 9/26 to Thursday 9/29. More information will be shared at the Incoming Parent Night on 3/10.
Grade 6 Standards Based Reporting Pilot and Focus Group
Thank you to all sixth grade parents/guardians who were able to come to one of our Standards Based Reporting information sessions. As promised, here is the link to the presentation...
Standards Based Reporting Presentation Fall 2015
We are also looking for parents/guardians to be part of our parent focus group. This group will be comprised of the 6th grade science teachers, administration, and parents and will meet throughout the year (Fridays at 12:30 p.m.) to discuss the work that is taking place and provide feedback. The dates that have been set for these meetings are: 2/26, 4/1, and 6/3. If you are interested, please complete the form below...
Standards Based Reporting Focus Group Sign-Up
How to Raise an Adult - Book Discussion Group for Parents
Please join the Blake Site Council will be reading and discussing HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims. For more information, here is a book review from The New York Times...
HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims. We will be reading it throughout the year, taking time to discuss the ideas presented and have a common, shared experience. The discussions will take place at the end of each Site Council meeting (our third book group meeting will be 4:30 p.m. on Monday, 2/8). All parents are invited to join us. If you are interested in joining the book discussions, please fill out this Google Form: How to Raise an Adult Blake Book Group
The breakdown for the readings is as follows...
- For 2/8 Meeting - Read Chapters 12-17 (143-227)
- For 3/7 Meeting - Finish book (228-305)
Blake Science Fair
This is the first middle school science fair ever for Medfield. It’s a great opportunity to get involved in an extracurricular activity while having fun with friends. This project by high school junior Emma Twer was created to promote communication and speech skills for students. Being part of a science fair develops important attributes needed for the high school. Come show your creativity through science! Work sessions are available as a lead up to the fair on February 26.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6WieI40e5TlVnAxNDY4N1NpNVU/view?usp=sharing
Work Sessions: 2:30-3:30 on January 20, February 3
Fair: February 26 from 3:30- 5:30
K-8 PTO Update
GRANTS FUNDED
· A performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the 6th grade class in the amount of $1,160.
· A classroom set of 25 trapezoidal desks in the amount of $2,315
· Co-funded Jessica Cox, motivational speaker $500
BAY STATE TEXTILES
Recycle clothing, shoes, household linens and stuffed animals at one of the Bay State Textile boxes at your school or the Transfer Station. Recycle and help the schools!!
BOX TOPS
Please cut out your Box Tops and have your child bring them to the Blake office or their advisory. Visit http://www.boxtops4education.com/coupons for coupons on participating Box Tops products!
MEDFIELD SPIRIT WEAR
Customize EVERYTHING from text to colors and designs from sports to drama to music. Choose from t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, pants, bags, hats, blankets & more.
Spend $85 or more and get a free customized t-shirt. 12% of proceeds from each order will go to your school’s PTO. This is all you have to do:
· Go to shop.mylocker.net
· Enter your school locker number - BLAKE BD979
· Use promo code b2g6dTK1 to receive $10 off every order you place
NOTE: Due to different branding sizes, make sure to check all size charts when ordering to ensure you get a great fit for each product. Use MyLocker to create apparel for your teams, clubs, service groups, and more. The possibilities are endless! Please contact Laura Zaher [email protected] with any questions.
ZEBRA’S FLATBREAD FRIDAYS FUNDRAISER
No need to cook on a Friday night after a crazy week! Enjoy a delicious flatbread from Zebra’s and support the Medfield Public Schools at the same time. 10% of the proceeds from flatbreads sold via take-out or in the restaurant on Friday evenings will be donated to the Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE) and Medfield K-8 PTO. Please contact Kim Price [email protected] with any questions.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Please like us on Facebook Medfield K-8 PTO , follow us on Twitter MedfieldK8PTO and check out our website http://medfieldpto.weebly.com
MCPE Update
Jessica Cox: On January 21 and 22 Jessica Cox will be visiting the Medfield and Blake communities for presentations. Born without arms, Jessica is the world's first armless pilot and first armless black-belt in America. She is an author, motivational speaker and a courageous young woman who inspires people to reach beyond their perceived limitations and believes that the way we think has a greater impact on our lives than our physical constraints. She holds the Guinness World Record as the first armless person in aviation history to earn a pilot’s certificate.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend a community assembly on Thursday, January 21 at 7:00 PM in the Blake auditorium.
For more information about Jessica, please read this article about her and her upcoming visit in the Hometown Weekly:http://hometownweekly.net/jessica-cox-to-tell-incredible-st…
MCPE, SEPAC and the Blake PTO have all contributed funding towards the presentations/experience.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.