2/28 - Incoming 6th PIN (6:30 p.m.)
3/1 - Incoming 9th PIN (6:30 p.m. at MHS)
3/2 - Blake Science Fair
3/6 - Incoming 7th PIN (6:30 p.m.)
3/8 - Evening with Kwame Alexander
3/12 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
3/13 - SEL Task Force
Band-o-Rama Concert
3/14 - String Fling Concert
3/15 - Incoming 8th PIN (6:30 p.m.)
3/23 - Special Olympics
3/29 - 1/2 Day for Students
3/30 - No School
4/3 - SEL Task Force
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the learning that takes place and the wisdom that is gained through experiences, our topic/question(s) of the week are: What did you learn over vacation? What wisdom did you gain? New Experiences (Week of 2/25/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
For Incoming 6th Grade Parents/Guardians
This Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m., the administration and some of our teachers will present an informational program that will introduce you to many of the programs at Blake. We will also take some time to discuss our technology initiatives and iPad program for students. It is our hope that all parents/guardians attend. During the evening we will highlight aspects of our Program of Studies (Blake Program of Studies 2018-2019), and share information about our world language and music programs. Sixth grade students at Blake will select French, Spanish, or Mandarin and will continue studying their selected choice in seventh and eighth grade. Below please find links to the Course Selection Google Forms that all incoming 6th grade parents/guardians must complete by Friday, March 2...2018-2019 Blake Middle School Music Selection
2018-2019 Blake Middle School World Language Selection
Parent Information Nights - Mark Your Calendars!
2/28 - 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 2018-2019 academic year's iPad Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
3/6 - 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.
3/15 - 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.
8th Grade Families - Save the Date!
March 1, 2018 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.
BMS Science Fair - 3/2/18
The third annual BMS Science Fair will be held at 4:00 pm on Friday March 2, 2018. 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. More information will be forthcoming in the New Year. Check out this resource for some ideas on - How to get kids to love science!
Blake Celebrates Read Across America On Dr. Seuss's Birthday
"Let's create a day to celebrate reading. We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football. We assemble to remember that Character Counts. Why don't we do something to get kids excited about reading? - Read Across America Founders, 1997
Blake will be Reading Across America, along with thousands of other schools in every state, on Friday, March 2. This year students and staff will think of a book they’ve read - either recently or from early childhood days - that they would like to visit. They should be ready to tell their Advisory mates the title of the book and why they would like to pay a visit to the book. Our Read Across America activities will take place over two days during Sustained Silent Reading. On Thursday, March 1, students will share their “visit book”. On Friday the 2nd, students may either read their “visit book” (if they have a copy) or another book, along with participating students from across the country. Please feel free to reminisce with your sons and daughters about books you've read together during their younger years for inspiration.
Blake Volleyball Tournament
Blake Middle School will be holding its annual volleyball tournament for 6th-8th graders on Friday, February 16. Students have been working hard on their volleyball skills over the past few weeks and have been competing against their fellow classmates. We will determine a champion for each grade and that team will then take on the teachers. It promises to be an exciting day and a great way to head into vacation!
Career Day for 8th Grade
Planning for the 8th grade Career Day is underway. Career Day will be held on Friday, May 11, 2018, which is also a half day for students. On this day we will have a morning of presentations given by a variety of professionals from many different occupations. Year after year people return to share their careers with our students but we need additional volunteers to help make this event successful. We invite you to volunteer to participate in this exciting program to enlighten our students about your occupation and career opportunities.
Please consider sharing your experiences regarding your present occupation, stories of interest and personal insights with eighth graders in three informal sessions of approximately 35 minutes each. The sessions run between 8:45 am and 10:35 am. If you are interested in participating, please contact Debbie Avery in the Blake Middle School Guidance Office at 508-359-2445 or email [email protected]. Thank you in advance for helping make our Career Day a continued success. We count on the community to make our program a rewarding and enriching experience for our students.
Term 2 Interim Reports and Reflection
Before vacation in advisory students received their interim reports for Term 2. After receiving their interim reports all students took some time to reflect on their work thus far via a Google Form. Over the next two weeks advisors will be taking time in advisory to conference with advisees. Our hope is that this reflection will help students identify areas of success as well as areas for growth, and to foster more connections with staff and trusted adults. I have outlined the questions below and encourage you to have conversations this week to help bridge the connections between home and school...
- When looking at your interim report, what are you proud of?
- Looking at your interim report, what was not a surprise to you? Why was it not a surprise?
- Finish this sentence: I want to keep working on...
- What surprised you on this interim report? Was this a positive or negative surprise? Explain.
- In addition to your advisor, would you like to check in with one of your teachers?
- If you answered yes to the previous question, which teacher would you like to speak with and about what?
- If you had time to learn about anything you want this year, what would it be?
Spring Athletics Meeting - 3/8 at 6:30 p.m.On Thursday, March 8th, at 6:30pm, there will be a meeting held in the gymnasium at the Medfield High School for all athletes and their parents interested in playing high school (and middle school) athletics this coming spring season at Medfield. This meeting will hopefully address any questions and concerns you may have. Blake parents are encouraged to attend. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email coaches directly (emails below).
Registration is currently open on FamilyID.com. There is a direct link off the Athletics page (under Activities) on Blake Middle School site. To complete registration, I will also need a current (last 13 months) copy of physical exam and a check for $225 (Made out to “Town of Medfield”) or pay online with UniBank (Direct link off FamilyID site. The physical can be dropped off at Blake or the High School main office.
*Blake Middle School Sports offered for the spring season are:
Track & Field (Boy’s and Girl’s – Grades 6-8)
Coach Haycock (Head Boy’s Coach – [email protected]
Coach Graham (Head Girl’s Coach – [email protected]
Softball (8th grade Girls). *
* 7th Graders open to sign up and play if not enough 8th graders to field team).
Coach McClelland - [email protected]
Baseball (8th grade Boys)
Coach Becker – [email protected]
PJ Drive - Cradles to Crayons
The 10th Annual Boston Bruins PJ Drive is here! Cradles to Crayons is working with the Boston Bruins to collect new PJs for local children living in low income and homeless situations. All Medfield Schools will be provided a box to collect PJs in. The drive kicks off on February 7th and runs through March 15th.
Medfield Football Meeting 3/1/18
All students in grades SIX, SEVEN & EIGHT interested in playing football this fall should come to an information meeting on THURSDAY, MARCH 1st at 2:15pm in the Blake cafeteria. This meeting will be 30 minutes in length. If you cannot make the meeting, please see Mr. Gavaghan for more information.
Recess Donations
At the midpoint of the year we are looking to build up our 'supplies' for indoor recess. We are looking for donations from families to provide options for students during this time: table tennis, table football, board games, etc. Any donations are welcome and can be dropped off in the main office - thank you in advance for your help!
iPad Case Reminder
This is a gentle reminder that all students should have cases on their iPads at all times. Three websites that we have found to be useful, as they detail the various covers, rates them, and describes why covers are needed, are:
Recommended by Apple: STM Dux Case
Griffin Survivor Case
Top 5 Rugged iPad Cases
Blake Site Council Survey Executive Summary
The Blake Site Council has taken time to review the data collected from last year's survey. Focus areas on the survey centered on the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. I am sharing the Blake Middle School Executive Summary 16-17 of the compiled data for your reference, and I hope you are able to find some time to read the highlights. This year's survey will be sent out in the near future - stay tuned!
Maker Mondays with Mrs. Horvath (@techmonstah)!
ALL STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO MAKER MONDAYS WORKSHOPS! Maker Mondays are for teachers and students to learn and create together! No sign up is needed. Just show up after school (2:10-3:00ish) to join in!
March 5th - The 3D printer steals the spotlight and gets the most attention from students. Come learn how to start with a simple design and get ideas on how to integrate 3D printing into your curriculum.
March 19th-- TBA Possibly Sew Electronics.. or a yarn/fiber community project
Let's get Making! And please help spread the word to students too!
Blake is Social - Submit Work!
BLAKE IS SOCIAL is our take on the literary magazines of the past! Using Instagram and the blakeissocial.weebly.com website, our hope is to digitally publish all of the creative endeavors that make our community of learners so special. Please encourage students to submit art; photography; poetry, fiction or nonfiction writing; sports photos and/or articles; videos; projects across content areas; musical compositions or performance videos etc. We would love to PUBLISH YOUR WORK.
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", the. Professional Staff Openings. Please contact Kelly Campbell at [email protected] with any questions.
Blake is on Facebook!
Blake is adding Facebook to our social media repertoire! You can now follow our page for the latest announcements, sharing of our school life, glimpses into special events and learning with FB Live and more...
Click this Link: www.facebook.com/BlakeMiddleSchool/ or search for @BlakeMiddleSchool
Update from Blake PTO
BLAKE APPEAL - We need your help so we can continuing funding enrichment programs and future initiatives for the next school year. We are requesting a contribution of $50/child this year. This is a suggested amount but we will gratefully accept any amount you can contribute. Making a donation is easy. You can bring a check to PIN night, or click on the link http://www.medfieldk8pto.com/blake.html and scroll down to the end of the page. Or you can send a check made payable to Blake Middle School PTO to Blake at 24 Pound St. Medfield, MA 02052. Thank you in advance for your support of the Blake PTO. Please feel free to contact Claudia Rosen [email protected] or Keven Gallagher [email protected] with any questions.
GET YOUR MEDFIELD WARRIOR SIGNS, COASTERS, TRAYS, ETC! Rustic Marlin Designs has designed a line of wood-based Medfield Warrior products (signs, coasters, flags, trays, blocks, etc.) that will be carried exclusively at Be Charmed, a new store in town! Be Charmed is located at 70 North Street. 75% of the profits from the sale of the Warrior line will go to both the PTO and MCPE! It’s a great way to get Warrior merchandise while supporting a new local shop and raising money for our schools! GET YOURS TODAY!
STAY IN TOUCH Please 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