1/22 - Blake Parent Ed Workshop (see details below)
1/23 - Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Meeting - 9:30 a.m.
1/24 - #MedfieldChat - 8 p.m. (see details below)
2/1 - Term 2 Interim Reports go home
2/4 - Blake Site Council Meeting - 3:30 p.m. (Blake LMC)
2/6 - 1/2 Day for Students
Tri-County Interviews (see info below)
Jessica Minahan Presentation for Parents (see info below)
Professional Afternoon for Staff
2/14 - Happy Valentine’s Day!
Topic/Question for the Summer Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about supporting one another, fostering community, and serving others, our topic/question of the week is: What does it look like to support and serve others? Supporting and Serving Others (Week of 1/20/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
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.
School Connectedness at Blake
School connectedness, or how connected a child feels to his or her school community, is a topic that is important to us at Blake. Some families may recall that in past years we surveyed students in order to determine whether each child had an adult in our school that they felt comfortable seeking out if they have a big or small problem and what quality about that person made them approachable. This information helps us to identify students who may be in need of more connections at school and gives us a sense of how connected our student body is feeling in general. It also gives us important information about the qualities that are important to middle school students. We will be administering this survey again this week during advisory. Please take a few minutes to ask your child how it went, how they felt about it, and talk in general about their feelings of connectedness at school. Once we have had a chance to look at results, a guidance counselor will be in contact with families of children who indicate that they do not have a connected adult at school. As always, please be sure to reach out to a guidance counselor, Kelly Campbell or any of your child's teachers if you have a question or concern.
SOS Information for 7th Grade Families
Last week Samaritans, Inc. presented to all 7th grade students at Blake and students participated in a Signs of Suicide prevention workshop/inventory. Our goals in participating in this program are straightforward:
- To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness, and help them assess whether or not they may have symptoms consistent with depression.
- To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that can occur as a result of untreated depression.
- To provide students training in how to identify serious depression and potential suicidality in a friend.
- To impress upon our students that they can help themselves or a friend by taking a simple step of talking to a responsible adult about their concerns.
Please find the link to the parent slideshow from the Samaritans presentation below. Should you have any questions about the student suicide prevention workshop, please do not hesitate to reach out to either Russ Becker ([email protected]) or Jen Dondero ([email protected]).
Blake Samaritans Presentation 1-9-19
Metaphors, Multiplication, and Microscopes (1/16/19 and 1/22/19) - Rescheduled Evening Session
Join Nat Vaughn (Principal), Orla Berry (Science Department Chair, 6-12), Susan Bycoff (Mathematics Department Chair, 6-12), and Gail Duffy (English Department Chair, 6-12) as we explore student learning. This workshop will share information about English, Mathematics and Science, healthy student learning, meaningful feedback, and classroom and state assessments. Time will be devoted to the discussion of Next Generation MCAS and Legacy MCAS. The day workshop will take place Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. and the evening workshop will be Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. (originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m.).
To RSVP for one of these workshops, please fill out the Google form for each parent/guardian attending...
Blake Parent Ed Workshop - Metaphors, Multiplication, and Microscopes, January 2019 - Rescheduled
We hope that you will be able to join us for one of these workshops!
Parent Presentation with Jessica Minahan
Save the Date!
February 6th 9:00-11:00 am
Wheelock School Cafeteria
On February 6th, Jessica Minahan will visit Medfield Public Schools. In the morning, Jessica will present to parents on student anxiety and stress. She will present to elementary teachers later in the day.
Jessica Minahan is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA), author, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally. Since 2000 she has worked with students who struggle with mental health issues and challenging behavior in public school systems. She specializes in training staff and creating behavior intervention plans for students who demonstrate explosive and unsafe behavior. She also works with students who have emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, or high-functioning Autism. Her particular interest is to serve these students by combining behavioral interventions with a comprehensive knowledge of best practices for those with complex mental health profiles and learning needs.
Jessica Minahan is brought to Medfield through an MCPE grant and a donation from Medfield Talks. Thank you! We look forward to working with Jessica Minahan and hope you are able to attend. Jessica’s book, The Behavior Code will be available for purchase at Park Street Books.
#MedfieldPS Chat - 1/24/19 at 8 p.m. - 'Resolutions, Reflection, & Growth'
Our next district-wide Twitter chat is Thursday, 1/24/19 at 8 p.m.
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 2018-2019 survey in early February in the hopes of gathering the data by February vacation. Stay tuned!
Tri-County Interview Information for 8th Grade Families
On February 6, Tri-County will be hosting their interviews for applicants. The interviews are approximately 15-20 minutes. Sample questions can be found here http://www.tri-county.us/node/271. The purpose of the interview is to clarify the student’s reason for attending Tri-County, choice of program areas, career goals, interests and motivation. In the case of student absence on the interview day, or in the case of a late applicant, the interview schedule will be mutually agreed upon between the Director of Guidance and the student’s counselor and/or parent(s)/guardian.
Save the Date - Miss Amazing!
Save the date! Massachusetts Miss Amazing is coming to Medfield High School for its sixth annual event! Miss Amazing’s mission statement declares that “Miss Amazing provides opportunities for girls and women with disabilities to build confidence and self-esteem in a supportive environment.” Join us in supporting this goal and give these girls and young women an opportunity to shine. The event is March 30th, 2019 and will be held in the Medfield High School Auditorium at 6 PM. Ticket sales are open to the public beginning on March 16th at ma.missamazing.org. If you want to donate, visit https://missamazing.org/donate/. If you want to volunteer with the event, you can sign up to be a buddy, half day volunteer (helping hand), or a right hand man online at https://missamazing.org/volunteer/. If you know a girl or young woman who might want to participate in this event, refer them to the Miss Amazing website so they can learn more! Sign up a participant at https://missamazing.org/participate/. See you there!
Reminder for All Families
Students should not be bringing coffee or outside beverages (beyond water) in school to start the school day. Students should finish their beverages and toss out their cups before heading to first period.
Term 2 Interim Reports
Next Friday students will be bringing home their interim reports for the second term. They will be spending time in their advisories reflecting upon the work they have accomplished thus far, and setting healthy/measured goals for the second half of the term. Our hope is that this communication tool will give you an update on the progress your child is making in school. If you have any questions about your child's work or the reports, please start by having a conversation with your own child. If questions still exist, you should contact the teacher directly to gain more insight.
Blake Winter Intramurals
Our winter intramurals have begun - if you have any questions, please contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]).
Reminder about Locks
All Blake students are required to be using a combination lock to lock their hallway lockers. As this is the time of year when students can begin to be lax about using their locks and keeping them locked during the day, we appreciate your reminders at home as well. A photo of locks that fit on Blake lockers can be found on the school supply list page (School Supply Lists).
Reminder about Bus Notes
All students who would like to ride a different bus may do so for childcare purposes only and need permission from Central Offices. Students should bring a note from home that gives permission to ride another bus, along with the bus number. That note will be sent to Central Offices and approval is granted based on available space on the bus. It is best to have the notes dropped off before the school day starts so that we can get back to students promptly in case they need to make other arrangements. A back up plan is always good to have in case permission is not granted. If you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Montillo at Central Offices ([email protected]).
Blake STEAMers Showcase - 3/6/19
Our fourth annual celebration of our students and STEM - The Blake STEAMers Showcase - will be held at 4:00 pm on Wednesday March 6, 2019. All BMS students are invited to participate as individuals or in groups (single or multi grade) and show their passion for or interest in answering some question or learning more about a particular topic - including but not limited to - recent genius hour projects, maker space projects or personal interest projects or investigations. More information to come via e-mail to students and their families.
#MedfieldProjectHappiness Update
Project Happiness this week will focus on character strengths again. Some students will be working on taking the survey from last week. Other students will be learning more about their strengths and how to develop some desired parts of their character. Students will decide their overall super power and why it is meaningful to them. Be sure to ask your child about it! 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
Project 351
Molly Donovan, one of our eighth grade students, has been selected as Medfield's ambassador for Project 351. Project 351 is a statewide community service project that brings an eighth grader from all 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth together on one single day to perform a service project. Ambassadors should embody the ethic of service and associated values -- humility, integrity, compassion, commitment, and generosity of spirit. In essence, Project 351 celebrates and encourages students' leadership and commitment to others. We are proud and honored that Molly is representing Blake and the community of 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.
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
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.
MCPE Update
Treasured Experiences Auction opens January 24th! Numerous experiences for your Blake student, including outings with teachers and VIP seating to 8th grade graduation. Start bidding on Thursday at www.medfieldcoalition.org
SEPAC Update
Please join us on Tuesday, January 22nd, at 7pm in the High School Library to learn about Tapping, a stress-relieving technique, with Holli Bassin. This is a family event! Our next business meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 12th at 7pm in the Blake Library. The focus of this meeting will be to discuss board roles, learn to navigate our Google Suite, and hear subcommittee updates. Please consider attending if you have any interest in pursuing a leadership position next year. And mark your calendars! March 4th from 7-9pm we will be hosting an Assistive Technology evening for parents and guardians. To learn about SEPAC, please visit our website: https://sites.google.com/mail.medfield.k12.ma.us/sepac/