2/4 - Term 2 Interim Reports go home
Sing Off Event at MHS (see details below)
2/5 - Teacher Professional Day (#DLDMedfield) - See details below
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.)
3/23 - Incoming 9th Grade MHS Open House (6:30 p.m.)
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the importance of making connections to help you learn, this week's topic/question for the dinner table is: How can making connections with other people help you learn? Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Making Connections (Week of 1/31/16) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
School Connectedness
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 the last two winters we surveyed students in order to determine whether each child had an adult in our school that s/he felt comfortable seeking out if s/he has a big or small problem and what it was about the person that 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 administered this survey again this year on Wednesday, January 27 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. We will be reviewing the results of the survey and will share more information in the blog. Guidance counselors will be doing personal outreach to families of students who did not identify an 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.
ADL Update
The ADL Peer Leaders will be presented the lesson of "The Diversity Iceberg" to each of the 6th grade advisories on Monday of this week. The focus of the lesson is to emphasize that there is more to know and appreciate about a person than only what you can see. This is the first of three lessons the Peer Leaders will be presenting to the advisories.
Blake Ledger
Be sure to take some time to check out the latest issue of the Blake Ledger!
https://sites.google.com/a/email.medfield.net/the-blake-ledger/home
Digital Learning Day for Blake and Medfield Staff - 2/5/16
The official Digital Learning Day 2016 is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, but in Medfield we are also recognizing it on our professional day next Friday, February 5, 2016. I encourage you to check out our blog, DLD Medfield 2016, and to follow the hashtag #DLDMedfield throughout the next week and on Friday, 2/5/16 to stay current with the Blake and Medfield tweeters. This year we are excited and thrilled to invite parents to experience the event by attending sessions and being part of the day. To register for this free event, click here: Medfield Digital Learning Day 2016 Registration Form. Some of our Blake students will be helping out throughout the day as well. We are excited about this opportunity to learn from one another and expand our understandings of technology integration as we continue to work towards our mission for our students and school.
Volunteer to Help at #DLDMedfield
Please help make Medfield’s Digital Learning Day a success by volunteering and attending a selection of over 75 informative classes on Friday, February 5th.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a054bacab2faa8-medfield/
Thank you in advance for your support!
Please contact Kim Price at [email protected] with any questions.
Term 2 Interim Reports
This Thursday 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.
Theater
On February 5th and 6th @ 7pm, Blake Theater will perform Trumpet of the Swan, based on the E.B. White classic. Doors will open at 6:30pmand audience members will be greeted with the sounds of a special jazz ensemble. Tickets are now on sale for families of cast and crew and will go onsale this Friday. They can be purchased at trumpetoftheswan.brownpapertickets.com with the sale code of KAHOH.
Sing Off on February 4
In total, 11 Blake students will be participating in the Sing Off vocal competition from 7 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4, in the MHS Lowell Mason Auditorium. Tickets are on sale for $5 (students/seniors) and $10 (regular adults) at Park Street Books, and $10 tickets only via www.medfieldmusicassociation.com. In addition, a number of contestants will also be previewing their solos or duets at Italian Groceria on Feb. 2 from about 5:45 to 7 p.m. as part of the MMA’s designated fundraising night where it will earn 30 percent from all sales between 5 and 8 p.m. (At the MMA website noted above, you can also access the list of time slots for Italian Groceria performances.) Here are the Blake Sing Off contestants (*designates Italian Groceria performance too):
Soloists: Peter Clifford*, Sophia Gustafson, Ella Kohler*, Taylor Lahaise, Matthew McGrory*, Zoey Pollard, Emily Rosecrans*
Duets: Catherine Dooley and Mary Orio*, Maria Neafus and Kayla Luczak*
Career Day Planning
The 2015 Career Day for the 8th grade will take place on our half day, March 17th. For this program, we enlist community members and parent volunteers who are interested in sharing about their occupation with our students. We have 3 sessions and each one is about 35 minutes long. Each participant would have the option to speak at one, two or three of the sessions, depending on the individual's schedule. To make this a success, we will need 20 volunteers. If you are interested and available to participate, please contact Debbie Avery ([email protected]) for more information. We welcome past presenters and new volunteers alike.
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!
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 Dates!
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.
Medfield High School Open House
March 23, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Medfield High School is opening its doors to current 8th graders and their parents/guardians to offer an inside look at academics, athletics, and co-/extra-curricular offerings. This will be a casual evening where current clubs and activities will be on display, and high school students will provide tours of the building. Additional information and sign-up process will be posted soon.
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
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.
Cradles to Crayons Pajama Drive
Girl Scout group 74900 is working with Cradles to Crayons who is partnering with the Boston Bruins for a pajama drive.The pajamas are going to kids outside of Boston who can't afford their own pajamas.The pajama drive is taking place from February 1st to March 15th. We only accept new pajamas for this pj drive, if you can't donate a pair of new pajamas then you can donate 10 dollars. Ten dollars covers the cost of one pair of pajamas.Please bring in pajamas from sizes 4-18. Please consider helping kids stay warm at night during the long winter.
K-8 PTO Update
GRANT FUNDED
Drumming Workshop for Eithne Stover and Michael Gow $850 - In the spirit of student enrichment and increasing student engagement, Mr. Gow (social studies department) and Mrs. Stover (music department) have been collaborating on ways to make connections across their respective disciplines. The one day artist-in-residency is an intercultural experience which will engage students with the sights and sounds of Africa and enable students to make cross-curricular connections between the grade six social studies curriculum (culture, cultural traits and cultural diffusion) and music. The artist, Jeremy Cohen of ThisWorldMusic brings the joy and power of African drumming and culture to schools nationwide. Mr. Jeremy Cohen, is a cultural interlocutor who blends his experience as a classroom teacher, conservatory-trained musician and African adventurer to offer insight into the unique shared music and history between the U.S. and Ghana. Four 60-minute hands-on drumming workshops will be offered throughout the day as well as one 60-minute multimedia assembly presentation for all grade six students. Mr. Cohen will tie in grade six social studies themes and objectives into his presentation as well as speak on the role and function of music in Ghana.
MEDFIELD DIGITAL LEARNING DAY – FEBRUARY 5th
Please help make Medfield’s Digital Learning Day a success by volunteering and attending a selection of over 75 informative classes on Friday, February 5th. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a054bacab2faa8-medfield/ Thank you in advance for your support! Please contact Kim Price at [email protected] with any questions.
BIG PUSH - BOX TOPS – DEADLINE 3/1
Please cut out your Box Tops and have your child bring them to the Blake office or their advisory by March 1st. Visithttp://www.boxtops4education.com/coupons for coupons on participating Box Tops products! Don’t Forget! Box Tops just announced that the brand Annie's Homegrown will now have Box Tops on their products! Be on the lookout and visit this linkhttp://www.boxtops4education.com/bonus-box-tops enter to win a bonus 10,000 Box Tops!!! It only takes a second to enter.
RECYCLE INKJET AND TONER CARTRIDGES
Get rid of your trash and help Blake earn cash & supplies by recycling your inkjet and toner cartridges. We accept HP, Brother, Canon and Lexmark cartridges. Collection boxes are located outside of the Library. Thanks for your help! Please contact Donna Knott at [email protected] with any questions.
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!!
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
The next “MCPE Subway Day” will be held THIS Tuesday (February 2nd) from 2:00-8 PM. DON’T cook! Instead, enjoy an easy, tasty meal knowing that TWENTY PERCENT of all proceeds go to enriching your child’s education.
Do you have unused gift cards floating around in your junk drawer? The Teacher Digital Learning Day on Feb 5th could use them! They will be used as prizes for a free teacher raffle at the end of this professional development day. All gift cards welcome (iTunes, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Park St. Books, etc.) Deliver them by THIS THURSDAY (February 4th) to Minta Hissong at 30 Vine Brook Road or email her at [email protected] and she will come pick them up. Thank you for your generosity.
SAVE THESE DATES!! Mark your calendars for THREE upcoming MCPE events: MCPE's 11th Annual Spelling Bee. This very fun, low-key, low stress, team event will take place on Tuesday, April 5th for grades 2-5; Friday, April 29th is the date for an exciting new community event called LCR (Left Center Right Dice Game), and Saturday, September 24, 2016 is the date set for the first-ever MCPE Fall Ball! This extravaganza will be held on Medfield's newest property - the former home of the State Hospital. It is sure to be a terrific town-wide event!
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.