2/3 - Incoming 9th Grade MHS Webinar - see below
2/4 - Medfield Talks Presentation - see info below
2/8-2/12 - Term 2 Family Outreach Period
2/8 - SEL Task Force Meeting
2/9 - Blake Site Council Meeting - 3:15 p.m.
2/11 - School Committee Meeting
2/15-2/19 - February Vacation
Question of the Week
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the systems and practices that need to be in place to foster lifelong and ‘long life’ learning, our question of the week is: What can we do (or keep doing) to help all learners love to learn? Be specific. Learning to Love Learning (Week of 1/31/21) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
National School Counseling Week
As you may have seen or know, this week (2/1-2/5) is National School Counseling Week - please join me in thanking all of our counselors for their care, support, and guidance they provide for all of us (students, families, staff, and community). Please join me in sharing thanks by sending an e-mail or writing a note to convey your gratitude and appreciation. If you are on social media, the hashtag #NSCW21 is being used on Twitter and Instagram and the website is https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Events-Professional-Development/Events/National-School-Counseling-Week.
Go Block Changes and Reminders - Starting This Week
- Remote GO Block for Cohorts A,B, and C (7:50-8:05 a.m.) will no longer take place at Blake.
- Students are encouraged to use this time at home to get settled and set up for their day prior to zooming in to their first class of the day. Please take a moment to review the details of your child's schedule with them to be sure that they know what time their first class will be starting each day.
- In-Person GO Block will continue to be an important part of our day at Blake.
- Families are reminded that students should arrive at Blake by 7:40, allowing plenty of time to walk to their GO Block classroom and arrive on time for the start of school at 7:50 a.m.
- If you travel by car, please allow plenty of time, especially as it seems many students are being driven on these increasingly cold mornings and we are seeing an increase in tardiness to school.
- All Cohort D students will continue to be expected to attend GO Block with Mr. Gagne and Mr. Sullivan each morning.
This Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 6:30pm, the high school is hosting a webinar to welcome the Class of 2025! Students and parents will hear about academic offerings, high school culture, expectations, timelines, and more! Here is the link to the high school program of studies. Placement tests for ninth grade classes will take place as follows - if you have questions about the process, the names and e-mail addresses of the respective department chairs are below…
- Science - 1/26 and 1/28
- Orla Berry - [email protected]
- English - 2/4-2/9
- Gail Duffy - [email protected]
- Social Studies - 2/8-2/12
- Kathleen Emerson - [email protected]
- Wednesday, February 3 @6:30pm - Incoming 9th Grade Student & Parent Information Webinar
- February 22 - March 3 - Teachers make recommendations in Aspen
- Thursday, March 4th @2:00pm - Aspen will be “Live” for 8th grade students
- March 5 - March 12 - Students make their Course Selections
- March 15 - 25 - HS Guidance Counselors meet with students and go through their student course selections
Medfield Talks - Thursday, 2/4 at 7 p.m.
Join us for a discussion on navigating a crisis, featuring a panel of medical and education professionals. "WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD NEEDS HELP" will feature Christi Barney of B&W Hospital, Kathy McDonald of Medfield Outreach and David Worthley of Medfield Schools. An announcement from the district with log-in details is forthcoming.
Blake Synchronous Learning Letter - January 15, 2021
As always, thank you for your support, flexibility, grace, and understanding as we walk this path together as a community.
- 6th Grade students are required to attend their English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies classes on their remote learning days.
- 7th and 8th Grade students are required to attend their English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and World Language/Reading classes on remote learning days.
- Our expectation is that students maintain the norms and routines that have been set for remote participation in classes, including appropriate usage of the chat feature and respect for all students and staff - Blake's Netiquette Guidelines 2020-2021
- All students should arrive on time and be prepared for their Zoom classes with fully charged devices, materials, and headphones/earbuds.
- All students are expected to have the video enabled, and camera ON during Zoom sessions. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your teacher or guidance counselor.
Black History Month Update
The Black History Month planning team has met to formalize plans to celebrate and honor Black History Month at Blake. Black History Month is a month dedicated to recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the countless contributions Black Americans have made to society. We are looking forward to honoring Black History Month again through some shared learning experiences. We will be holding grade-level assemblies and asking each advisory to decorate their classroom doors by spotlighting a Black American who has made a significant contribution to our society. Stay tuned for more information!
Feedback Request
Thanks to everyone who has completed the Blake Family Monthly Check-In sent on Friday. Our hope is that everyone will be able to take a few minutes to provide some feedback for each child you have at Blake and base your responses on the last four weeks of school. The survey should only take a few minutes of your time. The survey is anonymous, and your identity can not and will not be discovered through the completion of this survey. We sincerely appreciate your honest responses and are hoping for 100% participation from the Blake community. If you have any questions or have difficulty accessing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me directly ([email protected]).
Links to Surveys:
Blake Family Monthly Check-In (1/29/21)
Blake Family Monthly Check-In - Cohort D (1/29/21)
** A couple questions specifically ask about the experience thus far with 'live-streaming'/synchronous Zoom classes. We recognize that the connectivity/Internet issues we are experiencing has been an obstacle and a real challenge for students, families, and teachers.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to your student's teachers, guidance counselor, Kelly C., or myself.
Term 2 Family Outreach Period - 2/8-2/12
The week of 2/8-2/12 is the Term 2 Family Outreach week for Blake Middle School. During this week, teachers will send an e-mail to families to notify them if their student is consistently not meeting the standard in an area OR if they do not have sufficient data to assess their student at that point in the term due to absence or missing work. If students are meeting the standards, families will not receive an e-mail from teachers. No news is good news. Please know that you may reach out to teachers or your child's guidance counselor if you have questions or concerns about their progress.
Challenge Success Update
- Medfield's Challenge Success group, comprised of students, teachers, administrators and parents, will be having a coaching session with Challenge Success mentors on Monday, February 8th. Stay tuned for a recap!
- Feedback on the presentation by Sarah Ward was well-received. Medfield TV will broadcast the presentation on Tuesday 2/9/21 on the EDU Channel Comcast 12 and Verizon 36 as well as the Watch Page www.medfield.tv/watch at 10AM and again at 9PM for those who missed it.
- As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to Kristen Careau at [email protected]
Start With Hello
Start With Hello presented to all Blake Middle School students over the last week via virtual assemblies. Start With Hello teaches students the skills they need to reach out and include those who may be dealing with chronic social isolation and create a culture of inclusion and connectedness within our classrooms and school. Following the assemblies, students had the opportunity to discuss and reflect the presentation with classmates and their advisors. Our Student Council will be involved in brainstorming and implementing ideas for students and our community.
For further information, please visit: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/start-with-hello/. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s Guidance Counselor.
Blake MERJ Update
Stay tuned for a copy of the Blake MERJ February newsletter! The focus for this month will be Black History Month.
Here is the mission statement for the district-wide MERJ group...
Medfield Educators for Racial Justice seeks to promote racial justice and equity within the Medfield Public Schools and the larger Medfield community through staff development and education, curriculum review, design, and implementation, and community outreach and partnership. Through reflection, discussion, and action, we seek to promote an antiracist and anti-bias education in order to better prepare our students, staff, and community members to engage in meaningful dialogue and to ultimately make our schools a more equitable, just, and inclusive learning community.
Summer Reading Input?
It's summer at Blake! The summer reading team will meet in early February to begin looking at titles for this summer's reading choices. Have a book you would like to recommend? Please share with Kerry Cowell ([email protected]) and Kara Gelormini ([email protected]). Happy Reading!
Building Aides Needed at Blake!
Are you or is someone that you know interested in working at Blake Middle School? We are looking for four building aides for the 2020-2021 school year. If you are available Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday to align with your family’s Cohort schedules, that would work as well. Please contact Kelly Campbell ([email protected]) if you are interested or would like more information.
Blake Intramurals
The Winter Intramural Session has begun. Please go to the website for a list of offerings and registration info. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]).
Blake is Social
Blake is Social would love any and all work from students. We love to show off what makes Blake special. We meet every Monday via zoom, if interested please reach out to Mrs. McClelland at [email protected]
Cold Weather Attire
Please remind students to be sure that they dress in layers and bring hats, gloves, and coats to school. We will certainly be mindful of outdoor lunches but will hopefully be having outdoor mask breaks as much as possible.
Blake Battles Bias
Is your 7th or 8th grade student interested in matters of racial justice and other forms of bias? BBB (Blake Battles Bias) meets every other Wednesday from 12-12:30. New members are always welcome. Any interested 7th or 8th grader should reach out to Mrs. Gelormini [email protected]
Blake’s GSA
Come and join our zoom, Thursday from 2:30-3:00. Need the zoom link? Reach out to [email protected] Please feel free to contact Mrs. McClelland, Mrs. Dondero, or Mr. Marenghi with any questions.
Medfield Outreach
Medfield Outreach is offering WEEKLY MENTAL HEALTH DROP IN HOURS. Are you a Medfield parent or student who is feeling extra stressed, down or anxious? Want to talk to someone but you're not sure who or if what you're going through warrants ongoing therapy? We are availble to listen and help! Medfield Outreach is now offering Weekly Drop-In Mental Health Open Hours for STUDENTS on: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 - 3:30pm and ADULTS on: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-11:30am. Email [email protected] to sign up for a free confidential specific time slot via telehealth.
Historically Speaking: Four Hundred Souls – A Conversation With Ibram Kendi And Keisha N. Blain
Tuesday, 2/2 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Renowned scholars Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire have assembled 90 extraordinary writers to document the four-hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present. Entitled Four Hundred Souls, each contributor writes about a five-year period of 400 years of American history using essays, short stories, personal vignettes, and fiery polemics. They approach history from various perspectives: through the eyes of towering historical icons, the untold stories of ordinary people, as well as landmarks, laws, and artifacts. An extraordinary, moderated discussion featuring editors Kendi and Blain will focus on historic eras such as Slavery, Reconstruction, Segregation, and their sustained impact on the United States.
Contributors Herb Boyd, City University of New York, Kali Nicole, Gross, Emory University, Peniel Joseph, University of Texas, and Annette Gordon Reed, Harvard University will join Prof. Kendi and Prof. Blain in a discussion about the impact of the African American community on social justice trajectory of American History. Mary N. Elliot, NMAAHC curator will moderate.
Building Resilience in Middle School Students - SPARK Kindness Event
Wednesday, 2/3 at 7 p.m.
Parenting a middle schooler can be a time of stress and isolation for parents and caregivers. In this talk, psychologist and SPARK team member, Dr. Kristen Aberle will share tools and strategies to make the best of the middle school years and strengthen your child’s mental health and resilience.
Dr. Kristen Aberle is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in working with children, adolescents and families. She has provided services in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and community health clinics. She is also an avid runner and ran the Boston Marathon to support SPARK.
From Passenger to Copilot: Practical Ways to Assess with Our Students
Thursday, 2/4 at 3 p.m.
For far too long, assessment is what we have done to students, not with them. Research suggests the extent to which students understand the process of learning is likely linked to how much they care and feel empowered in the pursuit of it. Join ASCD author Myron Dueck for a webinar featuring his new book, Giving Students a Say: Smarter Assessment Practices to Empower and Engage. This webinar will focus on practical ways that we can invite students into the assessment realm as active copilots rather than disinterested passengers. Key topics will include
- Sharing and cocreating learning targets based on standards.
- Helping students understand and use performance assessments and rubrics.
- Considering the right scale: proficiency levels versus 100 categories.
- Student self-reporting on academics, behaviors, and personal insights.
Friday, 2/5 at 9 a.m.
Join two of Harvard's most innovative higher education leaders to explore the decision-making, curricular changes, pedagogical opportunities, and digital reinventions prompted by the pandemic and the shift to remote learning over the past year. How will the mass experiment on Zoom alter the landscape of higher education in the future, for learners around the world? What are the opportunities for increased engagement, participation, and collaboration? What are the advantages and challenges, and what are the lessons learned, both at Harvard and at institutions around the world?
Host: Mark Elliott, Vice Provost for International Affairs, Harvard University
Moderator: Matthew Miller, Senior Lecturer on Education and Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Panelists:
• Bridget Long, Dean and Saris Professor of Education and Economics, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
• Bharat Anand, Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Vice Provost for Advances in Learning, Harvard University
Great Teaching by Design: From Intention to Implementation
Monday, 2/8 at 6:30 p.m.
John Hattie, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode, and Vince Bustamante present a Free webinar
Why leave student success to chance? By combining your intuition and experience with the latest research on high-impact learning practices, you can evolve your teaching from good to great and make a lasting difference for your students. Join the authors of Great Teaching by Design as they lead you through how to turn good intentions into great practice through a model of implementation.
Participants will learn to:
• Engage in practices of diagnosis/discovery of their learners unique dispositions
• Develop a practice of implementation and evaluation of their impact on student learning
• Use the DIIE model as a system of implementation in their classrooms to measure the impact they have on student learning
Navigating Screen Time, Digital Socializing, and Parenting during COVID-19 with Dr. Jill Walsh
Thursday, 2/11 at 7 p.m.
Join us for a virtual workshop as Dr. Jill Walsh explains best practices around technology consumption. This talk will include:
- the most important conversations to have with your children about technology now
- how to think about screen time during hybrid/ remote learning
- the key tech rules to institute for home learning that will set your child up for success
- understanding the opportunities and challenges that digital socializing provides your child
Racial Trauma: The Psychological Consequences Of Racism Across The Lifespan
Thursday, 2/18 at 7 p.m.
Experiences of racism and racial discrimination have been found to significantly predict racial stress and trauma (e.g., Carter et al., 2013). Despite both the prevalence of racial discrimination (e.g., between 50 and 75% of Black, Hispanic, and Asians reporting experiences of racial discrimination; Lee et al., 2019) and its consistent association with racial stress and trauma, most mental health providers and supports lack the necessary training to assess and treat racial trauma in therapeutic settings (Hemmings & Evans, 2018). As such, this program uses recent and relevant research to facilitate mental health clinicians’ understanding of racial trauma and its sequelae, across the lifespan. The virtual presentation will provide an overview of the history of racial trauma and its proposed recommendations for treatment. Conceptualization of racial trauma as a form of psychological distress arising from experiences of racism and racial discrimination yet, distinct from the traditional trauma framework will be highlighted. Finally, strategies for effective assessment and treatment of racial trauma will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
- Define racial trauma in the context of mental health assessment and treatment.
- Identify the mental and physical health symptoms correlated with significant experiences of racial discrimination and its mental health consequences and integrate clinical tools for assessing the mental health impact of racial discrimination and racial trauma in therapeutic contexts.
- Apply an understanding of the conceptual models of racial socialization and racial identity development to the assessment and treatment planning of racial trauma.
Dr. Jernigan-Noesi brings almost two decades of experience as a health professional. As a clinical-researcher, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi’s contributions to the field of behavioral health have earned recognition from numerous organizations including the Ford Foundation and the American Psychological Association. She is Director of the Intersections Research Lab.
Building Partnerships Inside and Outside the Classroom
Friday, 2/19 at 1 p.m.
CASEL CARES is an initiative for anyone who supports young people to connect to experts in social and emotional learning on key topics during these challenging times.
Authentic school-community partnerships help create and support positive student experiences both in school and out of school. But how do you align in-school and out-of-school work on social and emotional learning? That’s what the Partnerships for Social Emotional Learning Initiative (PSELI) sought to uncover in a multiyear project across six school district communities. (Learn more: http://bit.ly/3qkceEq)
Join CASEL, the Wallace Foundation, and district and community leaders from Palm Beach County as they share findings about how school and out-of-school time partners can work together to align and implement SEL. Recommended for district leaders, school leaders, and community partners, attendees will gain insights about how to support the adults in the community, improve school climate, and create seamless experiences for students.
A New Way Forward - Leaning into a Learner-Centered Mindset in 2021
Thursday, 2/25 at 3 p.m.
What possibilities did the chaos of 2020 expose us to?
2020 is (finally) in the history books, which means we’ve now spent ten months navigating this strange, COVID-19 world—putting our best foot forward to continue providing learner-centered experiences for our young people.
What have we learned since March 2020? What are the bright spots learner-centered education leaders and practitioners have found while navigating this new world? These questions will be driving our third A New Way Forward summit February 25th (3:00pm-5:00pm EST).
By attending this summit, you will gain FREE access to the keynote and workshops hosted by learner-centered leaders who have found success in their learning communities in spite of the many challenges the pandemic has thrown everyone’s way.
Stretch and Movement Break for Students and Families
The Blake Wellness Staff is providing 2 minute "Movement Break" videos for all students and staff to utilize throughout their school day. Whether you are in person learning or remote, you have access to these videos at your grade-level Blake Hybrid Learning Website. You can also visit our Blake Wellness Website for more resources!
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 http://www.medfield.net/o/medfield-public-schools/page/employment-opportunites--7 and find applications under the tab "employment opportunities". Please contact Kelly Campbell at [email protected] with any questions.
Google Classroom Tips for Families
Resharing a resource for families:
Blake Middle School - Google Classroom Tips
‘Go to Site’ for Hybrid Learning at Blake
Please bookmark and utilize our Hybrid Learning site - this is the ‘go to’ resource for students and families - thanks to Diane Horvath, our Technology Integration Specialist, for her work in establishing this resource…
Blake Middle School Hybrid Learning Website - 2020-2021
Resources for Families
CASEL CARES: Permission To Feel for Kids with Dr. Marc Brackett
(57:11)
Blake ‘EdChats’ - Adapting and Learning
We are trying out some ‘edchats’ with Blake teachers/staff as a way to connect and share what we are thinking and talking about as a community of learners. Each chat will have a particular focus and we will take some time to talk through a few questions. Check out our chats…
Adapting and Learning - EdChat # 2 (Learning)
(Maura Batts, Tom Woods, Seth Hellerstein, Marjorie Heim, Michael Gow)
Adapting and Learning - EdChat # 1(Learning)
(Jason Heim, Orla Berry, Brian Gavaghan, Susan Bycoff, Marissa Gumas, and Diane Horvath)
Blake PTO Update
Virtual Class @ Home Cooking New York
Saturday, March 6, 2021 5 PM to 6:30 PM.
The Blake PTO is hosting a pizza party! We will learn how to make homemade dough, sauce, and the sky's the limit on topping choices. All proceeds will go towards the students and staff of Blake Middle School. The cost is $50 per household and we have a max of 60 households that can attend. Details and signups will be coming soon. You'll make: Quick Pizza Dough, Classic Tomato Sauce, Sheet Pan Pizzas.
HOW THESE VIRTUAL CLASS WILL WORK:
1) After registering, you will be sent a link to log into the class at the appointed date/time along with the list of ingredients that you will need to have on hand.
2) One day before the class you will be sent a copy of the recipes we'll be making, so you can cook from them again after the class!