3/4 - Incoming 6th Parent/Guardian Info Night (6:30 p.m.)
3/11 - Blake PTO Meeting - 7 p.m.
3/12 - Incoming 7th Grade Nature’s Classroom Info Session (6:00 p.m.)
Incoming 7th/8th Parent/Guardian Info Night (6:30 p.m.)
3/16 - Blake Site Council Mtg - 3:30 p.m.
Safe and Inclusive Parent/Community Presentation (6:00 p.m.) - see details
below
3/17 - Worcester Art Museum Field Trip (White Cluster)
3/18 - Worcester Art Museum Field Trip (Red Cluster)
3/19 - Worcester Art Museum Field Trip (Blue Cluster)
Blake STEM Event (see details below)
3/20 - Term 2 Ends
3/23 - Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Discussions - Grade 6
Screenagers - The Next Chapter (see below)
3/24 - Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Discussions - Grade 7
3/26 - Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Discussions - Grade 8
3/27 - Term 2 Report Cards go home
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the environments and conditions that need to be in place for learning, our topic/question for the week is: What needs to be in place to help you learn? Environments for Learning (Week of 3/2-3/6) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Term 2 Interim Reports
All outstanding interim report 'sign-off' sheets need to be handed into advisors asap.
Parent Information Nights - Mark Your Calendars!
3/4 - 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 2020-2021 academic year’s mobile learning Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
3/12 - Incoming 7th/8th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
** Nature’s Classroom Info Session for Incoming 7th parents starts at 6:00 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 and 8th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year.
Forms for All Incoming 6th-8th Grade Parents/Guardians
All incoming 6th-8th grade parents/guardians must complete these course selection form…
2020-2021 Blake Middle School Music Selection
2020-2021 Blake Middle School World Language Selection
Advisory Update for Blake
In Advisory this week, there will be a team-bulding activity. Each Advisory will choose their activity for this day.
Blake Wednesday Advisory Website
Fostering A Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment for Our Students and Community - Monday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m.
Schools are supposed to be a place where all students can learn. They need to be a place where students can explore who they are and find their strengths and work on their weaknesses. All groups should be accepted so that they can flourish and become contributing members of society. - Peter DeWitt
Please join us for an introductory parent/community presentation and discussion with Colby Swettberg (see bio below) and Blake educators as we discuss how to best foster a safe learning environment for our community, specifically our LGBTQ+ youth and families. As outlined below, this event will lay the foundation for our upcoming work we will be doing with our students, staff, and the greater community to assure an inclusive atmosphere of respect, acceptance, and understanding. It is an opportunity for parents and community members to learn more about this endeavor and get answers to questions that exist. The evening will include...
- Sharing of vocabulary, terminology, and legal updates/implications for schools
- Panel discussion of educators, parents, and mental health providers
- Outline future programming for Blake students (see timeline below)
- Question and answer forum
Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Evening 3/16/20 - Blake Communication
RSVP - Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Parent/Community Evening (3/16/20)
** Colby Swettberg's Bio...
Colby Swettberg (they/them) earned a Masters degree in Education at Harvard's Graduate School of Education with a focus on LGBTQ issues. Colby is a former high school English teacher who started the first gay-straight alliance in the district where Swettberg taught. Colby later went on to help start Waltham House, the first co-ed group home for LGBTQ youth in the country. The Massachusetts Department of Children & Families hired Colby and a team of trainers to conduct LGBTQ sensitivity training for over two thousand social workers in the Commonwealth. This training initiative set a national precedent which Colby has helped other states to replicate. As Colby’s professional focus gravitated toward child welfare, Swettberg returned to graduate school to complete a Master of Social Work and has continued to work with systems involving young people for nearly 20 years.
March is Women’s History Month
March 1 marks the beginning of Women’s History Month. Please share any ideas you have as to how we can recognize this month within the Blake community. Here are a couple of reads of interest…
What Schools Teach About Women’s History Leaves a Lot to Be Desired
The Long & Winding Road to Women’s Rights
Educational resources are available from federal sources and the National Women's History Museum, among others.
Worcester Art Museum Visit - 7th Grade
As part of the 7th grade Social Studies curriculum the 7th graders will be visiting the Worcester Art Museum in March. The White Cluster will visit the Worcester Art Museum on March 17th, Red Cluster, March 18th, and the Blue Cluster will visit on March 19th. As part of the visit the students will enjoy a guided tour of the Museum's Medieval galleries, students will also create their own "illuminated letter" as part of a workshop activity and, in addition, students will enjoy a demonstration of Medieval Armor conducted by Medieval Historian Neal Bourbeau. Students and teachers are excited about the experiential learning opportunities provided by this field trip and look forward to a great visit!
Next Chapter — SCREENAGERS
March 23, 2020 6:30-8:30 p.m. Medfield High School Auditorium
Screenagers: The Next Chapter is a 60 minute film about helping young people thrive in our screen and stress-filled world. The screening of the film will be followed by a panel discussion with experts in the areas of screen time, mental health, and school administration. Parents/guardians and children age 10 and up are invited to attend together.
This film will be shown during the school day of March 19 to all Medfield High School students in Grades 9-11. Please join us to watch the film the following week so that you are able to discuss the content of the film your student. This film is great for parents of any age child, as the content will be applicable to most families at some point in the near future. There is a solid focus on screen time, but also on managing mental health in your soon to be teen/tween.
Math teachers at Blake will soon start the process of course placement for the 2020-2021 school year. The goal of the process is to see that every student is placed in a class that allows them to learn math well while feeling good about their efforts. For current 6th and 7th grade students, decisions on student placement are made by considering current class performance, placement test grades, MCAS scores and teacher recommendations. For current 8th grade students, placement is determined by success in their current class level and teacher recommendation. We are very mindful during this time to consider the whole child while making these decisions. Additionally, it is important to us that parents feel they have a voice in this process. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child's teacher. If your questions involve long-term planning for math, do not hesitate to email Jess Safer, Math Department Chair at [email protected]. Thank you!
Blake STEM Event - 3/19/20
Our fifth annual celebration of our students and STEM will be held at 3:30 pm on Thursday March 19, 2020. 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 - including but not limited to - recent genius hour projects, maker space projects or personal interest projects or investigations. General information was sent to students and their families via email recently.
Parking Reminder
This is a general reminder to all parents to be sure to follow the parking regulations in the parking lots and around the 'flagpole circle'. When dropping off or picking up students, vehicles should not be parked ('stationary' or 'live') in the fire zone. We need to make sure that we are providing a safe environment at all times for our students and community. Thank you for your cooperation.
Blake Softball Interest?
We are looking for 7th and 8th grade girls interested in playing softball. All skill levels are welcome. At the middle school level it is not too late to pick up this sport, so we do welcome those who've never played. If interested please sign up, or reach out to Cynthia McClelland, my email is: [email protected]
Save the Date - Miss Amazing (3/28/20)
Massachusetts Miss Amazing is coming to Medfield High School for its seventh annual event! Miss Amazing’s mission statement reads, “Miss Amazing provides opportunities for girls and women with disabilities to build confidence and self-esteem in a supportive environment.” Join us in supporting this goal and giving these girls and young women an opportunity to shine. This full-day event is Saturday, March 28th, 2020 and will be held in the Medfield High School Auditorium at 6 PM. Ticket sales are open to the public beginning on March 14th at ma.missamazing.org. If you would like to donate, visit https://missamazing.org/donate/. If you want to volunteer with the event, you can sign up to be a buddy, half day volunteer (helping hand), or a right hand man online at https://missamazing.org/volunteer/. If you know a girl or young woman who might want to participate in this event, refer them to the Miss Amazing website so they can learn more! Sign up a participant at https://missamazing.org/participate/. See you there!
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 2019-2020 survey in early Marchin the hopes of gathering the data by the end of March. Stay tuned!
Blake is Social - Any Submissions?
Blake is social is featuring baby pictures of noatible African American's on our story, and we've been asking students if they can guess who they are. As always we are looking for more entries. Our focus for this month is poetry . We just posted an amazing poem regarding depression on our website. If you have a poem to share we would love to have it. Work and submissions can be e-mailed to [email protected] or [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 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.
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.
Blake PTO Update
Our ANNUAL APPEAL is underway! The Appeal, which replaces having the kids fundraise, allows the PTO to support educational activities and initiatives for your children! The PTO will have representatives at each of the upcoming PIN nights to answer any questions. Thank you in advance for your support!
Medfield Music Association
Medfield Music Association's monthly meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 3, at 7pm in the MHS band room. Meeting guest, Superintendent Jeff Marsden, will kick off the session with an overview of the district budgeting process, which will be followed by regular MMA business, including upcoming events and updates from music director Jason Bielik. All current music parents welcome!