1/9 - Blake Geography Bee School Finals - 2:15 p.m.
Suicide Prevention Workshop - 6:30 p.m. (see details below)
1/11 - 7th/8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
1/15 - SOS Program - 7th Grade (see details below)
SEPAC Meeting - 7 p.m. (Blake LMC)
1/16 - Blake Parent Ed Workshops (see details below)
1/17 - Blake PTO Meeting - 7 p.m. (Blake LMC)
1/18 - 1/2 Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
1/21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School
Day of Service (see details below)
1/23 - Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Meeting - 9:30 a.m.
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
Professional Afternoon for Staff
Topic/Question for the Summer Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about curiosity, learning, and moving forward, our topic/question of the week is: What are you hoping to learn about in 2019?
Moving Forward (Week of 1/6/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Blake Winter Intramurals
Our winter intramurals have begun - if you have any questions, please contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]).
National Geography Bee at Blake
The grade level winners will be competing after school in the LMC at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9 to determine our school representative.
Winter Wonderland Dance - 1/11/19
Our Winter Wonderland dance for 7th and 8th grade students is Friday, January 11 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the gym. The cost to enter is $5.00. Attire for this dance is 'dressy optional' - we recognize that some students do desire to dress up for this dance, but this is NOT a requirement and the dance is NOT a semi-formal. For ALL of our dances, students are expected to abide by the guidelines of decency, cleanliness, and safety at all times. The use of mobile phones is prohibited, except in the designated 'Cell-Phone Use' zone outside the gym. If a student has not yet turned in a dance contract for the 2018-19 academic year, he/she should see Mrs. Ruminski or Mrs. Shaw before Friday, January 11.
#MedfieldProjectHappiness Update
This week in Project Happiness we will be focusing on character strengths! This will be the focus for a few weeks. Students will be creating a definition of "character", watching a video about the science of character, and discussing some of their character strengths and character strength goals. 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 will be representing Blake and the community of Medfield.
Metaphors, Multiplication, and Microscopes (1/16/19)
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 Wednesday, January 16, 2019 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
We hope that you will be able to join us!
SOS Information for 7th Grade Families
Save the Date! Please join us on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. for a Suicide Prevention Workshop presented by Samaritans, Inc. No one wants to think about their child dealing with thoughts of suicide, however, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 years old. This workshop on January 9th will give parents foundational knowledge and practical tools to talk with their children. Led by Samaritans, Inc., topics covered in this workshop will include:
- Suicide risk factors and warning signs
- Coping skills and resiliency building
- Facts, figures, and myth-busting
- Best practices for talking to and helping someone who may be suicidal
- School and community resources
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.-12 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, bookmarks 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 21 a day on! If you have any questions or suggestions, please e-mail Cynthia McClelland at cmcclelland@email.medfield.net.
Medfield Community Blood Drive
We will be holding our 5th annual American Red Cross blood drive on Monday, January 21 at the Blake Middle School gym from 8am-2pm. Many of our Blake Middle School students play a major role in the running of this blood drive and they would love to see you there. The Blake Blood Drive Committee has a goal of 125 donors, and right now we only have 20. Please consider donating blood, the students would be beyond grateful to see you there. It is easy to sign up, just click on the link below and fill out the Google Form, or contact Cynthia McClelland ( [email protected])
Medfield Community Blood Drive Sign-Up
We are a kid friendly blood drive. Parents with smaller children, for you we will have a children’s section in the gym, run by a high school student who specializes in early childhood education. Finally, the students plan on baking you an amazing array of goods for the recovery table in thanks for your generous donation. The Red Cross will gift you with an e-voucher to Dunkin, and you will have the satisfaction of saving lives! It’s a win-win, and on behalf of the Blake Blood Drive Committee we really hope to see you there.
Community Service Club Information - Coat Drive
The Community Service Club of Blake is holding its annual coat drive right now. The drive will conclude in early January. Please donate new or gently used WINTER coats. The donation box can be found at the front of the school. All coats that are donated will be delivered to Medfield's Anton Cleaners who sponsors the drive.
Affinity Group Information
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
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
On February 8, MCPE will host its Annual Trivia Night. Gather your team and get ready to show your collective brainpower. This year's event will be held at Primavera in Millis. In a fun change of format, teams can have up to 8 people, so the competition should be even more lively this year! More details about Trivia night and how to register will be coming soon on our website (www.medfieldcoalition.org). Please contact: [email protected] if you have questions about this changed format.
SEPAC Update
SEPAC has a number of events coming up this month! Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 15th at 7pm in the Blake Library. On Wednesday, January 16th, please join us for a post-holiday social with Millis SEPAC at Our Place Today, 38C Park Street, from 6:30-8:30 pm. This will be a great opportunity to meet other parents and guardians. And on Tuesday, January 22nd, join us at 7pm in the Medfield High School Library to learn about Tapping, a stress-relieving technique, with Holli Bassin. To learn more about SEPAC and these events, please visit our website: https://sites.google.com/mail.medfield.k12.ma.us/sepac/
Blake PTO Update
Our next PTO meeting is January 17 @ 7:00 pm. Want to get involved? There are many positions available for the next school year, including co-President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary! Contact Keven Gallagher ([email protected]) for more information! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook (Medfield K-8 PTO) and follow us on Twitter (@MedfieldK8PTO). And for more information and calendar of events, please check out our website medfieldk8pto.com