1/2 - School Resumes
Blake Site Council (3:30 p.m.)
1/3 - Blake Student Council
1/4 - MAC Meeting
1/8 - Pride Alliance Mtg
1/9 - Blake PTO Mtg
1/10 - Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council
Blake Student Council
1/11 - MAC Meeting
1/15 - Dr. MLK, Jr. Day
No School
Day of Service Blood Drive
1/17 - Blake Student Council
1/18 - MAC Meeting
1/22 - Pride Alliance
1/23 - ½ Day for Students
Professional Afternoon
1/24 - Blake Student Council
Blake’s Question of the Week
To encourage dialogue and reflection about our own paths of learning and growth over the past year, our question for the week is: When thinking back on 2023, what have you learned about yourself and how have you grown as a learner? Marking Progress (Week of 1/1/24) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
January Reading Challenge at Blake
Hi Blake Families, start the new year off by participating in the reading challenge! January’s theme is great for the whole family - a book under 100 pages. The real challenge this month might be finding a book that qualifies. Do you have a favorite picture book you would like to revisit? Some chapter books we have found in our library are: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Hub fans bid Kid adieu by John Updike, or All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World, by Lori Alexander and illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger. In our graphic novels section we have found quite a few, some of the most popular being the nonfiction books by Don Brown, and the Olympians series. Can you find any other titles? When a Blaker reads a book that qualifies for the challenge they can go to the library website and fill out a google form. Thanks for joining in!
Blake Theater - Re-Save the Dates!
Re-save the dates. Blake's second theatrical production, Pure Imagination, will now take place Saturday, February 10th (1pm and 7pm) and Sunday, February 11th (1pm). Ticket information coming soon.
The Winter Intramural session is loosely set to run from mid January until the beginning of April. Be on the lookout for the offerings shortly after we return from winter break. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]).
Calling all K-12 student space and science enthusiasts!
NASA wants to hear where and how you’d explore space with the Power to Explore Student Challenge.
Students are challenged to research Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), a type of nuclear “battery” used in space exploration, and dream up a new RPS-powered space mission to a destination with limited or obstructed access to light. Write about where your RPS-powered mission would go, the mission goal(s), the advantages of using RPS, and a unique power you have to help achieve mission success. In total, your submission is limited to 250 words.
Entries will be judged in three grade-level categories: K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Every student who submits an entry will receive a digital certificate and an invitation to a virtual event with NASA experts, where students will learn about what powers the NASA workforce to dream big and explore. Fifteen national semifinalists in each grade category (45 winners total) will receive a NASA RPS Prize pack, three national finalists in each grade category will (9 finalists total) will receive a virtual session with a NASA RPS expert, and one grand prize winner from each grade category (3 total) will receive a trip for two to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Learn more at the Challenge website. Entries due January 26, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET.
Multicultural Awareness Club - 1/4/24
Blake's Multicultural Awareness Club (MAC) will meet Thursday after school in Mr. Gow's room, room 513. MAC will be looking to organize an opportunity for students to attend the Dr. Martin Luther King Youth Conference at Framingham State University on Saturday, January 13 - more info to come! ALL ARE WELCOME!
Thank You to MCPE and PTO
Thank you to the Blake PTO and MCPE (Medfield Coalition for Public Education) for their generous support of our endeavors/grants. We greatly appreciate the contributions as we look to provide unique and innovative experiences for our students!
Pride Alliance
At Pride Alliance, we strive to create a safe space for people in the community, those who want to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community, and also those who wish to learn how to become a better ally. Everyone is welcome to join, regardless of identity. Meetings for Pride Alliance will take place on Mondays from 2:15-2:45 in room #309. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jen Dondero ([email protected]) and Kristin Manning ([email protected]).
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 ([email protected]) with any questions.
Update from SEPAC
This year, give yourself the gift of connection by joining one of the parent connection groups coordinated by Medfield SEPAC volunteers. A SEPAC parent volunteer will coordinate each, focusing on a different diagnosis. These informal groups will connect parents and caregivers of children of all ages with the specific diagnosis to share experiences and resources.
Our Parent Connection Group, focusing on Down Syndrome, will hold its meetings on the third Thursday of the month (1/18, 2/15, 3/21, 4/18, 5/16) from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Medfield Public Library. If you want to join this group, please get in touch with Michelle, this group's parent volunteer, at [email protected].
We are getting close to forming groups for the following diagnoses: ADHD, Dyslexia + Language-based Learning Disabilities, and Autism Spectrum. If you want to join one of these groups, please email [email protected] to connect with our parent volunteers for more information.
As requested, we are offering our Communications Workshop in January, where participants will learn to create a one-page snapshot of their child. This resource is helpful for teachers, coaches, babysitters, and anyone who interacts with your child. Our Co-President, Melissa Lowry, will lead this workshop and has offered to host it at a time convenient for the majority. So, if you are interested, please indicate which times work best for you in this doodle poll. https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/bovNZvBa Thank you!
Check out our website, Facebook, and Instagram social media pages. We share area events and more!
-- At Memorial School… New decodable texts to enrich the reading experience in school and at home plus new Phonetic Awareness tools for Kindergarten, intended to foster literacy development among our youngest readers.
-- At Wheelock School… New slant boards for student use to facilitate better handwriting and increased attention plus 3-D Doodle pens for the Wheelock MakerSpace that will provide students an avenue for creativity and allow students to make projects they can take with them.
-- At Dale Street School… New “Read, Ride and Rejuvenate” stationary bicycles in the library to give more students the ability to move during their day, helping with focus and emotional regulation plus additional flexible seating options for fourth grade that allow students to participate fully, collaborate, and engage in critical thinking.
-- At Blake Middle School… additional tools for the Blake MakerSpace like a large-scale printer and a button maker plus a new professional development opportunity at Blake and the High School focused on community empowerment through inclusion.
-- At Medfield High School… A new TV production/video studio that will be used by students to create content that can be shared within the school and the town at large via Medfield TV and the department’s YouTube channel.
Attending events like Fall Fest isn’t the only way you can support MCPE! Community donations throughout the year are also critical so that we can fund more projects in future grant cycles. As a designated non-profit organization, donations to MCPE are tax-deductible, and you can contribute either at our website medfieldcoalition.org or through Venmo: mcpe_medfield. Thank you and happy holidays!
Message from Blake PTO
Reminder that the PTO serves to support Blake teachers through financial grants, hands-on support, and ongoing teacher appreciation efforts on behalf of all parents. If you have not already, please consider donating $50 for the year (or whatever amount feels appropriate) through Venmo @MedfieldTownwide-PTO or a check made out to Blake PTO. If you are interested in volunteering once or twice a month during the school day to help teachers with photocopying or bulletin boards, please email [email protected]
From MHS PTO - Harlem Wizards - 1/31 at 7 p.m.!
The FUNTASTIC AND HIGH-FLYING Harlem Wizards are returning to Medfield High School, Wednesday, January 31st 2024 at 7pm!! This event promises to be high energy, fun-filled, great for kids and adults and will guarantee to put a smile on all your faces! Extremely talented basketball players will play against your teachers from all Medfield District Schools. (We say ‘play', but we all know they’ll run circles around them in a very entertaining way!!)
The event is a fundraiser for the Medfield High School PTO, to help raise funds for scholarships, deserving awards, inspirational speakers, grant requests to enrich classroom experiences and so much more. Please help support us buy purchasing tickets to this great show, bringing the whole community together. Tickets would make great Holiday Gifts giving you all something to look forward to in the New Year!
TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED HERE - Hurry before they sell out!
Thank you for your support.
VIEW QUICK EVENT PROMO
Mindfulness, Resilience and Recovery in Today's World
Wednesday, 1/10 at 7 p.m.
Join us for a virtual webinar led by Harvard psychologist Dr. Chris Willard, where he shares expert clinical insights and provides you with practical tools for resilience through mindfulness, positive psychology, and neuroscience in challenging times. All ages are invited to join this engaging webinar.
Moderator:
Dr. Catharina Armstrong, MD
Associate Director,
NWH Substance Use Service
Speaker:
Dr. Chris Willard, Harvard Medical School Faculty, Author, Psychologist, and Consultant
Audience Q&A:
Dr. Antje Barreveld, MD
Medical Director, NWH Pain Service
FREE WEBINAR: "Inquiry Hub: The Dream, Create, Learn School" with Principal Dave Truss | BQI Community
Wednesday, 1/17 at 7 p.m.
Join us for this important overview of a compelling school model that highlights the power of project-based learning.
Inquiry Hub is a small Coquitlam School District (BC) high school that is unique in its approach and delivery. Known as the Dream – Create – Learn school, Inquiry Hub was born out of the idea that students don’t need to spend every minute of their day siloed into individual courses, without any unstructured time. It has evolved into a community of students who work both together and individually to complete the required curriculum while also designing some of their courses and their day around inquiries and passion projects that they want to pursue.
Grade 9’s and 10’s do cross-curricular projects using SCRUM project management, collaborating to get work done efficiently and effectively, and they also take an Inquiry Course designed around developing strong presentation skills and documenting their learning journeys, doing passion projects that they design. Grade 11’s and 12’s construct year-long IDS – Independent Directed Studies courses where they delve deep into their interests.
A key component of the program is DCL time, coined after the Dream – Create – Learn motto, where students are not in a structured class, but rather have unstructured time to work on their class projects, homework and assignments, and/or on their passion projects. Central to this is creating a community of learners who are eager to help each other and who have learned that failure is part of learning. Projects can be too big, too challenging, too overwhelming, but still result in a final product or presentation that exceeds expectations.
RSVP now to join us for this important session with principal Dave Truss and teacher Dr. John Sarte.
Success Reimagined - Exploring Intergenerational Perspectives on Life's Purpose
Thursday, 1/25 at 7 p.m.
Join Challenge Success Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor, Denise Pope, and New York Times Bestselling Author, Chip Conley, for a thought-provoking fireside chat as we delve into the complex concept of success from intergenerational viewpoints. “Success Reimagined” brings together individuals of different ages and backgrounds to discuss and explore life’s purpose and the evolving definition of success in our rapidly changing world.
Chip Conley was Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary transformation from fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand. He then went on to create Modern Elder Academy (MEA) – the world’s first ‘midlife wisdom school.’ Dedicated to reframing the concept of aging, MEA supports adults to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. His new book, Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age, was recently profiled on Good Morning, America.
Chip’s mission aligns directly with Challenge Success’ beliefs that there are many roads to success for students, and lots of ups and downs along the way. We are challenging the narrow notion of success that often leads to high stress, overload, and a lack of well-being for middle and high school students. Challenge Success partners with school communities to elevate student voice and implement research-based, equity-centered strategies that improve student well-being, belonging, and engagement. Our vision is that educational systems value each student for their unique identities, assets, and individual definitions of success and effectively prepare them for the variety of opportunities and challenges they will encounter in school and beyond.
A recording of the event will be sent to all registrants on January 26th.
CASCD Webinar - AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Tuesday, 2/27 at 7 p.m.
Join Dr. Douglas Reeves and expert panelists as they discuss how AI can support every level from the state department to the classroom. In this interactive webinar, participants learned what AI really is and how educators can maximize its use. Additionally, panelists addressed specific AI pain points that are submitted by participants.