11/10 - MWAHS Administration (see details below)
Blake Student Council Meeting
11/11- Veterans Day (No School)
11/15 - DEI Task Force Meeting
11/16 - Half-Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
11/17 - Blake Student Council Meeting
11/18 - School Committee Meeting
11/23 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
11/24 - Half-Day for Students and Staff
11/25 - Happy Thanksgiving!
11/26 - No School
Question of the Week
To encourage dialogue and reflection about the future and the ways that we can allow ourselves to grow and learn, our question for the week is: What are you looking forward to in the near future? Why? Embracing the Future (Week of 11/7/21) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Veterans Day Recognition at Blake - 11/10
America honors Veterans on Thursday 11/11, so Student Council invites staff & students to join in a show of respect for those who've served our country by wearing Respectful RED, WHITE and BLUE on Wednesday, 11/10 to school. Grade 6 has some local veterans visiting that day and it would mean a lot for our community to show our support and patriotism.
MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey Info - 11/10/21
To make sure we are delivering the best possible education and services to students 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 attending Blake Middle School are being asked to participate in a survey called the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey. Blake Middle School has been participating in this survey since 2006. The questions on the survey 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 programs. We will be giving this online survey to students in grades 6-8 during our Advisory block on November 10, 2021.
The survey is anonymous - your student will not be asked to provide their name and no one will know how they respond. There will be no identifying information collected on the survey, and there will be no way to link your child’s responses to their identity.
Completing this survey is voluntary, and has no connection to your student's grades. Your student can also decide to not take the survey, or may skip any question they do not wish to answer.
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment is a Federal Law that requires us to notify you ahead of time about the survey and give you an opportunity to look at it if you so choose. If you would like to see the survey before it is administered, a copy will be available in the main office from November 3 through November 9th. Please email me to set up an appointment as drop-ins cannot be accomodated.
If you DO NOT want your student to take part in the survey, please email me by Tuesday, November 9th. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mary Fitzgerald at 508-359-2396.
Sincerely,
Mary Fitzgerald
Wellness Department Chair K-12
Blake Theater Update
Blake Theater's production of Disney's The Descendants will take place November 19th (7pm), 20th (1pm and 7pm), and 21st (1pm). Ticket information coming soon.
Coats for Kids Drive
Starting this week we will be collecting winter coats for those in need. The coat drive is called “Coats for Kids”, but coats for all ages are more than welcomed. The collection box will be located in the Blake front lobby. Please ask your parents if you have any coats that your family no longer needs that can be donated. The collection will run up until winter vacation. Thank you for supporting this great cause!
Interdisciplinary AI Project Mentorship Opportunity (Beginner-Friendly) by MIT Graduates
Inspirit AI is a 25-hour enrichment program that introduces middle and high school students to fundamental artificial intelligence concepts in order to work through socially impactful projects in areas including art, healthcare, education, and more. Developed and taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford and MIT, students receive a personalized, interdisciplinary learning experience with a student-instructor ratio of 5:1, and custom curriculum appropriate for complete beginners to more advanced students. Applications for our Winter 2021 programs are now open and due November 20th. For our high school program, you can find more course information here and our HS application here. For our middle school programs, you can find our flyer here and our MS application here. Please contact Program Manager, Aidan Goltra at [email protected] or call our team at +1 (240) 226-1366 with any questions. Thank you!
Author Visit for Grade 6
Grade 6 English classes will host a virtual visit with the amazing author, Sharon Draper, on 11/15/21! During this visit, Sharon will talk about her new book Out of My Heart, the stunning sequel to the acclaimed New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind. Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Meditalker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp.
Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. She now lives in Florida.
The Unlikely Story bookstore is sponsoring this event for us. If you would like to purchase a copy of Sharon's newest book (or other books too!), please use this link eventbrite.com/e/blake-middle-school-sharon-draper-order-form-tickets-201080034797
Orders should be placed by Monday, November 22nd and books will be shipped to your school about two weeks after the virtual visit. Any questions? Please email Kerry Cowell, [email protected] Thank you!
Private School Applications
If your child is applying to private school, please notify your child's guidance counselor by Tuesday, November 30th. This will give us an appropriate amount of time to complete any recommendation forms and enusre we meet all of the application deadlines. For more information, please visit the Guidance Website.
New Student Club Offering!!
Recently your student viewed the Say Something program in advisory. The program teaches middle and high school students to recognize the warning signs of someone at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to say something to a trusted adult to get help.
A student club is being offered, at the middle and high school levels, to allow for ongoing discussion with students about building and nurturing inclusive welcoming environments for all. Part of the club will include opportunities to learn about being empathic, increasing social skills, how to identify problems and how to engage in responsible decision making.
Advisors for this club include Medfield Outreach mental health clinicians, Kathy McDonald, M.Ed, MSW, LICSW and Chelsea Goldstein-Walsh, LICSW as well as Medfield’s Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, Meri Haas.
If you think your student may be interested in joining, please have them fill out this google form. Parents/guardians will be asked to sign a permission form if their child expresses interest.
Feedback and Reporting Update
This year the Blake faculty is continuing and expanding our work and efforts to provide effective methods of formal and informal feedback for students. The purpose of reporting on academic progress is to provide feedback on a student’s progress and to help direct future efforts. Effective feedback to students during the learning process is essential to a healthy and productive learning experience. Formal grade reports are issued at the end of each trimester. In lieu of traditional grades, students at Blake receive feedback in the form of Standards Based Reporting (SBR).**
Students will receive feedback in two major areas: (1) Content Standards and (2) Learning Skills. The Content Standards feedback provides information on the student's progress on meeting content area curriculum standards addressed by each department. Learning Skills feedback gives information on the student's progress on acquiring skills important for life-long learning that we strive to foster and help develop in our students. SBR has enabled us to provide:
- more descriptive and actionable feedback to students and families
- more meaningful and personalized grading practices
- greater calibration of expectations and assessment practices between teachers
** In the spring of 2021, the Director of Instruction and Innovation shared an 'Analysis of Standards-Based Reporting Assessment Practices' at Blake Middle School. The report made several recommendations, including some adaptations to the system for grades 7 and 8. A cross-discipline/grade level team was established to explore and collect potential strategies and models to bring to the greater Blake staff and community for the fall of 2021. The research team was tasked with exploring, researching, and brainstorming various methods to address the recommendations within the report. This will help to lay the foundation to guide and structure the work going forward. Updates to our system of reporting will be shared with families throughout the 2021-2022 school year. Our overarching goal remains to continue steadfast efforts to provide meaningful, actionable, learner-centered feedback for all of our learners.
Blake Affinity Groups
The purpose of an affinity group is to provide a forum of support for students who may feel a disconnection relative to identity to their larger school community. Such disconnections to identity may include, but not be limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. An affinity group’s goal is to play a vital role in ensuring an inclusive environment where all are valued, included, and empowered to succeed.
An affinity group is open to students across every grade level. It is arranged for students in an affinity group to meet at least once a month during a mutually agreed upon time and the meetings are supervised by at least one staff member at Blake.
As the need for an affinity group may stem from a lack of or weaker connection to the larger Medfield community, efforts will be made to strengthen connections to the community. To this end, members of the community are welcome and at times will be invited to attend affinity group meetings.
For more information about starting or joining an affinity group at Blake, please contact Matt Marenghi, Guidance Counselor: [email protected] or 508-359-2445.
The MHS Theatre Society is hard at work preparing to perform A Wrinkle in Time on November 19-20. The play follows the story of a teenage girl named Meg Murry. In this staged retelling of Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved young adult novel, A Wrinkle in Time, Meg embarks on an extraordinary adventure through time and space. Along with her younger brother Charles Wallace, their friend Calvin, and the guidance of various mysterious celestial beings, Meg attempts to locate her father and, perhaps, to save the world from a force of darkness beyond recognition.
Below please find links to letters from the cluster teachers with mid-term messages along with the information about Term 1's Family Outreach Period. I am also re-sharing a link to Blake's 'Info Night' videos from the teachers...
2021-22 Blake Middle School PIN
If you have any questions about your student's progress, please contact their guidance counselor or teachers directly.
Grade 6 - Fall Family Outreach (Middle of Term 1)
Grade 7 - Fall Family Outreach (Middle of Term 1)
Grade 8 - Fall Family Outreach (Middle of Term 1)
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 Public Schools - Employment Opportunities and look under ‘Substitute Teaching’. Please contact Kelly Campbell at [email protected] with any questions.
Medfield Outreach
Medfield Outreach is available for consultation appointments. E-mail [email protected] to sign up for a free confidential specific time slot via telehealth.
Webinars of Interest
How to Have Difficult Conversations (with Kindness)
Tuesday, 11/16 at 7:00 p.m.
Hosted by Spark Kindness
For parents, caregivers, educators and community members of all ages
Though conflict is part of life, many of us struggle with how to communicate during challenging situations. In this program, Roxy Manning, PhD, psychologist and expert in Nonviolent Communication, will offer strategies to address conflict (and stand up for ourselves and others) with a compassionate approach.
ASL interpretation will be provided at this event.
About our Presenter
Roxy Manning’s life experience as an Afro-Caribbean immigrant to the US combined with her academic training and professional work as a licensed clinical psychologist and CNVC Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication have cultivated a deep passion in her for work that supports social change at the personal, interpersonal, and systemic levels. She is a collaborative Trainer with BayNVC, a Lead Consultant with the Center for Efficient Collaboration, and a member of the Educational Services Team with CNVC.
Roxy is delighted whenever she is helping opposing voices hear each other and see past individual hurt and struggles to the structures that contribute to those challenges. Visit roxannemanning.com to read Roxy’s articles or view several brief videos of her teaching.
Education Now | Early Education Challenges — and Innovations
Wednesday, 11/17 at 3:00 p.m.
The early learning landscape continues to shift under the weight of pandemic impacts. We’ll take a look at where things stand, where we’re headed, and how we can help our little ones adjust to constant change.
Host: Junlei Li, Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Co-Chair, Human Development and Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Speakers include:
Stephanie Jones, Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Spirit Store Info - Blake PTO
Medfield K-8 PTO Announces A Year-Round MEDFIELD SPIRIT WEAR STORE! Thanks to local business Day St Sports, we have answered the question – where can I find Medfield Spirit Wear? Over 100 options currently listed, all proceeds will be donated to the individual school K-8 PTOs. Shipping takes about 3 weeks, so please plan ahead for the holiday season. Medfield Spirit Wear
Link (Hyperlink to https://ts020252.prospherefanshop.com/)
Medfield Music Association’s Annual Wreath & Amaryllis Sale
Order your winter décor and holiday hostess gifts and support the Medfield Music Program!
20” Mixed Greens Wreath - The noble fir wreath features incense cedar, juniper, and ponderosa cone accents. Made in Oregon, this high-quality wreath is known for excellent needle retention. The cost is $30 each.
Amaryllis Bulb Kit - The amaryllis flowers will bloom in one of six assorted colors – maroon, red, red/white, white, pink, or pink/white. Unfortunately, we are not able to control which color you get--so part of the fun will be waiting to see what appears! The cost is $15 each.
• Please place all orders online at: https://www.medfieldmusicassociation.com/shop
• Wreaths & bulb kits will be delivered to your home in Medfield the Saturday following Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2021).
Proceeds from our wreath and bulb sales will help the MMA support the Music Department’s needs across all five schools.