3/10 - Blake PTO Meeting (7 p.m.)
3/11 - School Committee Meeting
3/24 - MCAP Meeting
3/26 - Teacher Professional Day
No School for Students
4/2 - No School
4/19-4/23 - April Vacation
Question of the Week
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about sharing what we have learned with one another to foster a culture of continuous learning and growth, our question of the week is: Share a piece (or pieces of advice) that you have been given that you would pass on to someone else. Sharing Our Learning (Week of 3/7/21) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Follow Up from Incoming 6th-8th Grade Info Sessions
For your reference, I have copied links to the presentations and handouts from our incoming information sessions for the 2021-2022 school year…
Blake Incoming 6th Info Night March 2021 Presentation - Recording
Passcode: 39KdD!Z!
Blake Incoming 6th Info Night March 2021 Presentation for Families
Blake Incoming 7th/8th Grade Info Night March 2021 Presentation- Recording
Passcode: 6C1v!h%6
Blake Incoming 7th/8th Info Night March 2021 Presentation for Families
Blake Parent/Guardian Resources 2021-2022
Blake Program of Studies 2021-2022
Within the presentation, you can find links to the 'subject specific' videos. Here are direct links to the Special Education Overview and Music Ensemble Videos...
Blake Special Education Overview - Incoming 6th Grade
(8:10)
Music Ensembles at Blake Overview - Incoming 6th Grade
(4:34)
Music Ensembles at Blake Overview - Incoming 7th/8th Grade
(3:55)
Here are direct links to the videos/'talks' shared within the slides...
Sir Ken Robinson on role of a teacher
(2:23)
Nobody is Normal
(1:20)
Cornelius Minor at ILA 2018 - Changing Systems
(2:13)
Author of We Got This, Cornelius Minor Talks About What It Means to be Pro-Kids
(2:09)
Jesse Jackson - I am Somebody
(1:25)
Form for All Incoming 6th-8th Grade Parents/Guardians - Please complete!
All incoming 6th-8th grade parents/guardians must complete this course selection form…
2021-2022 Blake Middle School Music Ensemble Selection
Form for All Incoming 6th Grade Parents/Guardians - Please complete!
All incoming 6th grade parents/guardians must complete this course selection form…
2021-2022 Blake Middle School World Language Selection
Parent/Guardian Input Information for 2020-2021
Parental/guardian input is an important part of our planning purposes for the 2019-2020 academic year. Please refer to this letter regarding our process and guidelines for parents/guardians for the 2020-2021 academic year…
Blake Parent/Guardian Input Letter Spring 2021
If you are interested in sharing information, please submit your thoughts in writing no later than Friday, March 19. As stated in the letter, written requests for specific teachers will not be entertained or accepted. Your letter should be addressed to your child's guidance counselor and Assistant Principal, Kelly Campbell. Guidance counselors for next year will be Tracy Allen (Grade 6), Jen Dondero (Grade 7), and Matt Marenghi (Grade 8).
Blake Logo Contest - Calling All Artists!
Calling all artists! Our Student Council is looking to create some Blake gear for students and staff, and we would love to use a logo created by a Blaker! If you are interested, you can start working on your logo. Insert a pic of the logo to this form when you are done.
Pooled Testing Info from Our Nurses
Please fill out this Consent Form to have your child/student included. We encourage you to sign up to be a part of this data collection tool to keep our students and staff safe and to help us move towards further in person learning. No individual health information is shared.
This is a painless, self-administered front of the nose swab (not the deep naso-pharyngeal swab). It takes a minute or two to complete and we do not anticipate any class time will be missed. If a pool (classroom) of students/staff are negative, we presume all are negative. If there is a positive person in the pool, members of that pool will not miss school. We will use our rapid tests to individually test all students/staff in the positive pool and isolate the positive case.
For additional information, please use this LINK.
If you have any questions, please email us or call in the school nurse's office at (508)242-8554.
School Start Times and Drop-Off Procedures
To help keep the line moving and facilitate a smooth process for traffic flow and on-time arrival, please be sure to let your students out of the car once you arrive at the drop-off spot. We have seen an increased number of students waiting in cars in our drop-off line and this slows down the traffic flow, impacting on-time arrival for other students. As a reminder, the start times for Blake this year are as follows...
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - 7:50 a.m.
** Students may enter Blake at 7:40 a.m.
Wednesday - 8:00 a.m.
** Students may enter Blake at 7:50 a.m.
ATTN: 8th Grade Students & Parents!
Please visit this website for information from the high school. https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/welcome-class-of-2025/home
Here is the link to the high school program of studies. If you have questions about the placement process, the names and e-mail addresses of the respective department chairs are below…
- Science
- Orla Berry - [email protected]
- English
- Gail Duffy - [email protected]
- Mathematics
- Jess Safer - [email protected]
- Social Studies
- Kathleen Emerson - [email protected]
- Mathematics
- Jess Safer - [email protected]
- World Language
- Ellen Toubman - [email protected]
- 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
Building Aides Needed at Blake!
Are you or is someone that you know interested in working at Blake Middle School? We are looking for building aides for the 2020-2021 school year. Please contact Kelly Campbell ([email protected]) if you are interested or would like more information.
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.
Mathematics Placement Process for Incoming 8th Grade
Our seventh grade math teachers at Blake will soon start the process of course placement for the 2021-2022 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 7th grade students, decisions on student placement are made by considering current class performance, placement test 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/guardians 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!
Project 351
I am thrilled to announce that Greta Krauss, 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 Greta will be representing Blake and the community of Medfield.
Blake MERJ Update
As we wrap up our celebration of Black History Month, advisories will be finishing their work decorating their classroom doors by spotlighting a Black individual who made a significant contribution to society. Upon completion of the doors, advisories will participate in a scavenger hunt to learn about the individuals spotlighted by different advisories. Check out our March newsletter...
Blake MERJ March Newsletter
Stay tuned for our April newsletter!
March is Women’s History Month
March 1 marked 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.
Blake is Social
Blake is Social will wrap up our Black History Month Posts by featuring all the lovely doors around the school. And as always we are looking for art work, photographs, videos of any and everything Blake students are up to. Feel free to send them to [email protected]
Blake GSA Update
GSA runs every Thursday from 2:30- 3:00. We are also looking to support Medfield's Harmony day. Keep an eye out for those very GREEN updates. If you have any questions about the Blake GSA, please reach out to Matt Marenghi ([email protected]), Cynthia McClelland ([email protected]), or Jen Dondero ([email protected]).
Blake Battles Bias Update
Is your student interested in matters of social justice and bias? Blake Battles Bias has a new meeting time -- every other Monday from 2:45-3:15. New members to BBB are always welcome. Any interested 7th or 8th grader should reach out to Mrs. Gelormini [email protected]
March Madness Returns to Blake!
March Madness is coming to Blake! The March Madness Book Tournament is a school-wide event, where students vote on favorite books and advisories compete with book brackets. Which title will be crowned this year's champion? Let the games begin!
Message from Dr. Worthley - Office of Social/Emotional Learning
If you were not able to attend, here is the link to the presentation prior to vacation. The presentation was titled, “Navigating School During Uncertain Times.” While this webinar was co-hosted by Medway Public Schools and Medfield Public Schools, Jon Kleiman, the presenter, is associated with Challenge Success. Medfield is a Challenge Success school district. For those of you new to the district, or unaware of work we do with Challenge Success, I thought I’d give you a brief summary.
Challenge Success is an organization associated with Stanford University, whose main goal is to help families, schools and communities help students find balance in their personal, social and academic lives. Medfield Public Schools sent a team to Stanford a few years ago to be trained in best practices, as we look fo focus not only on the academic development of students, but also the social, emotional, and physical well-being of our kids. While our group meets primarily with a high school focus, the work is geared to trickle down into the younger grades, so that parents and students will develop with the understanding that academic achievement is but one part of the overall developmental cycle. At the high school level, we are seeing concerning numbers of students who are consumed with stress around academic achievement, and while we understand that the academic piece is very important, there must be a healthy balance for kids.
Our Challenge Success team consists of administration, teachers, students and parents. Our student members consult with other member districts, and have recently hosted a webinar with a speaker discussing how to manage time, family, health and academics as a collegiate and then professional athlete. Our district team meets to brainstorm ideas on how to educate students and families of students of all ages on healthy balance. It is pretty easy to fall into the trap of preparing our kids to see the goal as, “getting into a good college.” In reality, the “good” college is the one that is a great fit personality-wise at the time that the student is ready to attend. You may be surprised at some of the key findings in the research and in the White Papers.
You can follow @Medfield_CS on Twitter or reach out with questions you may have.
WPI's Sonia Kovalevsky Day 2021: Registration Now Open!
The WPI Department of Mathematical Sciences and WPI Student Chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) are excited to announce our third-annual Sonia Kovalevsky Day (SK Day) outreach event for local 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls, to be held virtually on Saturday, April 10, 2021.
SK Days at WPI aim to bolster our participants’ passion and enthusiasm for mathematics in a supportive environment, while meeting girls in the New England area who share similar interests and, of course, having fun! SK Day 2021 will provide an interactive online experience for participants (and their parents/guardians!) to engage in math activities led remotely by WPI students and will feature keynote talks by women leaders in STEM.
Please see the attached flyer for more information about the event. In particular, interested participants should register by visiting:
https://www.wpi.edu/news/calendar/events/sonia-kovalevsky-day
^^ The link to the registration form is found at this site. Space is limited, so we ask that participants please register early (no later than March 27, 2021).
Jr Tech STEM Opportunity
Jr.Tech is committed to inspiring students to think about STEM topics and explore STEM career paths. We are hosting Girls STEM Summit LIVE 2021 in April 2021. This year's Girls STEM Summit LIVE 2021 will take place on two half-day Saturdays: Saturday, April 3rd, and Saturday, April 10th, from 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM, both days. It will be hosted as a live, online, program via Zoom.
The summit is for girls in grades 8-12 who are interested in careers in the STEM fields. As this is a critical time in their education, and college decisions are beginning, we hope to empower these young women to see the many opportunities available to them within STEM.
Please share the attached PDF flyer with your teachers, curriculum heads, guidance staff, and principal to make them aware of Girls STEM Summit Live 2021 and ask them to share with your community. We invite your high school to purchase a group for your school or have parents register them individually.
Who: Girls in grades 8 - 12 interested in exploring STEM fields and career choices
What: #GirlsSTEMSummitLIVE2021
When: Hosted online two Saturday mornings via Zoom
Dates: Saturday, April 3, 2021, 8:30am - noon and
Saturday, April 10, 2021, 8:30 am - noon
Fee: $65
Register: https://juniortech.org/girls-stem-summit-live-2021/
Email: [email protected]
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!
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.
9 BIG Questions: A Framework for Thinking About Post-Pandemic Schools
Wednesday, 3/10 at 7 p.m.
How Do We Resist the Pull to Go "Back to Normal"?
This is a moment to ask some difficult questions about schools. Faced with an increasingly fast pace of change and a future that becomes more difficult to predict by the day, educators must be willing to consider new ways of thinking about the idea of "school." And that starts with asking some fundamental questions about who we are and who we must become. Because we cannot simply go "back to normal" once the disruption of the pandemic begins to abate. The work of designing a different experience of school is daunting, but necessary.
The truth is the pandemic has surfaced deep-seated concerns about the relevance of the curriculum, the lack of equity and belonging, and a general lack of physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness among students and adults. We need a framework that helps us understand this moment and move forward with hope and optimism.
This work is urgent. It demands coherence. It requires us to interrogate not just our institutions but ourselves in a way that not only uncovers our challenges but discovers opportunities for evolution and growth.
Join internationally recognized authors and speakers Homa Tavangar and Will Richardson for this free 45-minute webinar as they provide an overview of how we might reject "normal" and instead create a path to a more relevant, equitable future for schools.
How Educators Can Support and Empower BIPOC Students
Thursday, 4/15 at 4:00 p.m.
SPARK Kindness presents: A FREE online event for educators (for educators of Preschool - High School students)
Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith on how educators and school leaders can support BIPOC children amidst racism, racialized violence and trauma. Psychologist, author and acclaimed speaker Dr. Briscoe-Smith will present on how to create a school environment that promotes pride and affirms the identity of BIPOC students. Dr. Briscoe-Smith will also offer resources for engaging in conversation, addressing trauma and connecting with families of color. Please note this session is for educators. SPARK Kindness is very excited to also be hosting a 2nd session at 7pm ET on how parents can support themselves and empower their BIPOC children amidst racism and trauma that is also FREE and available to all.
How BIPOC Families Can Support Themselves and Their Children
Thursday, 4/15 at 7:00 p.m.
SPARK Kindness presents: A FREE online event for caregivers and parents of BIPOC children of all ages with Dr. Briscoe-Smith
Dr. Briscoe-Smith will present on how parents and caregivers can support themselves and empower their BIPOC children amidst racism and trauma. Psychologist, author and acclaimed speaker Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith will present on how parents can support themselves and nurture and empower their BIPOC children amidst racism, racial violence and trauma. Dr. Briscoe-Smith will offer tools, strategies and frameworks to assist parents/caregivers in listening to their children and promoting their emotional health, resilience, empowerment and self care. Finally, in the midst of the pandemic, Dr. Briscoe-Smith will speak about how BIPOC families can offer themselves and their children grace amidst these times that are challenging on many levels.
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!
Blake PTO Update
The Medfield K-8 PTO is looking for a publicist to join the board! The role involves promoting PTO’s events and fundraising efforts through the weekly school newsflashes, blogs and on social media. If you are interested or for more information, please contact Nicole Drummond ([email protected])