5/11 - Grade 8 Math MCAS
Feedback Info Session - 6:30 p.m.
5/12 - Grade 8 Math MCAS
5/17 - MCPE Meeting
5/20 - 8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
5/23 - Blake Battles Bias
DEI Task Force Meeting
5/24 - Grade 8 Science MCAS
5/25 - Grade 8 Science MCAS
Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Presentation - 6:30 p.m. (see info below)
5/31 - Blake Spring Band Concert
6/1 - Blake Spring Chorus/Orchestra Concert
6/3 - Great East Music Festival
6/6 - DEI Task Force Meeting
6/15 - 8th Grade Closing Ceremony - 6 p.m.
6/16 - 8th Grade Field Trip
6/17 - Transition Day
6/20 - No School
6/21 - Last Day for Students and Staff
Half-Day of School
Blake’s Question of the Week
To encourage dialogue and reflection about what is important in our lives, our question of the week is: What are the most important things in your life? Why? What's Important (Week of 5/8/22) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Blake’s Feedback Session and Opportunity for Families
Wednesday, 5/11
SBR/Feedback Information Session - 6:30 p.m.
We plan on recording this session and families will be able to access the information via a Zoom webinar format (details will be sent in advance of the session to all who sign up via the Google Form).
** These sessions will be structured differently, but similar information will be shared, with opportunities for questions/answers.
Please RSVP via our Google Form: Blake Feedback/SBR Info Sessions - May, 2022
Overall Information
At this session, we will be taking some time to provide an update on the progress and changes that have been made to our formal systems of feedback and reporting at Blake. These adaptations address the recommendations from Dr. Christine Power’s 'Analysis of Standards-Based Reporting Assessment Practices' (Spring, 2021). The structure of feedback that is taking place this term (Term 3) is outlined below...
- All Blake classes will shift from the current 1-3 scale to a 1-4 scale for the priority standards to report a finer-grained level of understanding.
- 7th and 8th grade students will receive a single end-of-term letter grade for Math, Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts, and World Languages based on their work throughout the term. This grade will align to the following format: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, Does Not Meet Standard.**
- Feedback on the Learning Skills will remain the same format
These adaptations have been made in consultation with Dr. Nathaniel Brown, Associate Research Professor of Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment at Boston College's Lynch School of Education. Dr. Brown is a leading expert in assessment and evaluation and he has provided professional development for our staff. Dr. Brown and Dr. Power will be joining the sessions, and we look forward to these opportunities to share the progress taking place and answer questions.
Our hope is that these informational sessions with families will provide a structure to collaboratively support the learning process for our students. Our overarching goal remains to continue steadfast efforts to provide meaningful, actionable, learner-centered feedback for all of our learners via...
- more descriptive and actionable feedback to students and families
- more meaningful and personalized assessment and grading practices
- greater calibration of expectations and assessment practices between/amongst teachers
Fostering A Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment for Our Students and Community - Wednesday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Please join us for an introductory parent/community presentation and discussion with Colby Swettberg, Landon Callahan, and Blake educators as we continue to discuss how to best foster a safe learning environment for our community. As outlined below, this event will help lay the foundation for the 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
5/24 - Blake Staff Meeting - Workshop with Colby Swettberg and Landon Callahan
5/25 - Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Presentation via Zoom (see outline above)
** Families will be able to access the information via a Zoom webinar format (details will be sent in advance of the session to all who sign up via the Google Form).
5/31, 6/1, 6/2 - Work and Presentations with Blake students in Cluster and Advisories focused on fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment for all of our students at Blake
We are continually striving towards a culture of acceptance and inclusivity, regardless of one's race, color, gender identity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, national origin, or ethnicity. As such, we continue to live by these three principles that reflect our core values:
- Every individual at Blake (students, staff, parents, and the greater community) matters, is cared for, and is an important piece of the Blake fabric.
- We are a community of learners who must 'practice what we preach'.
- We must always be present and continue to be here for one another.
Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Parent/Community Evening (5/25/22)
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.
Landon Callahan's Bio...
Landon Callahan graduated from Fitchburg State University in 2021 with a BS in professional communications and a minor in political science. He is a public speaker and advocate for transgender rights. His public speaking experiences include guest lecturing at Harvard Law School and Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has been involved in creating guidance and policy at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as it relates to transgender student rights. He has also helped develop model curriculum units for History, English, and Health classes at the elementary, middle, and high school level.
Working Warriors - Towel Drive!
We are the Working Warriors and are doing a community service project for the New Life Furniture Bank, a non- profit organization that offers gently used furniture and household items to people who are coming out of homelessness.
New Life is in desperate need of towels, so we are holding a Towel Drive for two weeks. We are asking if you could please donate gently used towels to our cause. The towels can be washcloths, hand towels, or bath towels that are NOT stained or torn. Unfortunately, we cannot take beach towels.
There will be a bin outside of the main entrance of the school to put the towels. Thank you! We appreciate your help!
MCAS Dates for Blake Students - Spring 2022
5/11 - Grade 8 Math MCAS
5/12 - Grade 8 Math MCAS
5/24 - Grade 8 Science MCAS
5/25 - Grade 8 Science MCAS
For 8th Grade Families - from Blake PTO
Congratulations to you and your soon-to-be graduate of the Thomas Blake Middle School! To highlight their accomplishment, the Blake PTO is selling yard signs for $10. The deadline to order is Wednesday, May 9. Click HERE to order or reach out to Carrie Quinlan ([email protected]) with questions.
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Register for the Medfield Moves for Mental Health initiative, a virtual campaign to promote movement and wellness during the month of May. Register here: buff.ly/3rUnjir
This year's ANGP takes place on Sunday night, June 5th at 9:00 p.m. and goes until Monday morning, June 6th at 5:00 a.m.
It takes a village to make this night a success. We need almost 200 volunteers throughout the course of the night. As you know, family members of the Medfield Class of 2022 students cannot volunteer. That is why we are reaching out to the entire Medfield community to help. It is a fun experience you won’t want to miss.
Please sign up for shifts below. We will send you an email one week prior to the ANGP with all the details that you will need.
Please post or pass this sign-up along to friends.
ANGP Chaperone & Volunteer Sign-Up Genius
All incoming 6th grade parents/guardians must complete this course selection form…
2022-2023 Blake Middle School World Language Selection Google Form
Music Ensemble Form for All Incoming 6th-8th Grade Parents/Guardians - Please complete!
All incoming 6th-8th grade parents/guardians must complete this course selection form…
2022-2023 Blake Middle School Music Ensemble Selection Google Form
Empty Bowls
You didn't get a chance to participate in our Empty Bowls Workshop? There is still time to sign up and support the Food Cupboard. Come to the Empty Bowls Dinner! Choose a handmade bowl at dinner, fill it with delicious soup donated by local restaurants, and take your bowl home with you!
Empty Bowls Dinner 2022 will be served on 5/12 at 6-8 in the HS Cafe. INFO
If a student will be absent from school, please call Blake's absence line at (508) 242-8501. If a student needs to be dismissed from school before 2:07 p.m.,an email must be sent by the parent/guardian to [email protected]. Please include the following information:
- Date
- Time of dismissal
- Student name
- Reason for dismissal
- Person picking up
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 Public Schools - Employment Opportunities and look under ‘Substitute Teaching’. Please contact Nat Vaughn at [email protected] with any questions.
Blake Affinity Groups
The purpose of an affinity group is to provide a forum of support for students who may feel a disconnection relative to identity to their larger school community. Such disconnections to identity may include, but not be limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. An affinity group’s goal is to play a vital role in ensuring an inclusive environment where all are valued, included, and empowered to succeed.
An affinity group is open to students across every grade level. It is arranged for students in an affinity group to meet at least once a month during a mutually agreed upon time and the meetings are supervised by at least one staff member at Blake.
As the need for an affinity group may stem from a lack of or weaker connection to the larger Medfield community, efforts will be made to strengthen connections to the community. To this end, members of the community are welcome and at times will be invited to attend affinity group meetings.
For more information about starting or joining an affinity group at Blake, please contact Matt Marenghi, Guidance Counselor: [email protected] or 508-359-2445.
Medfield Outreach is available for consultation appointments. E-mail [email protected] to sign up for a free confidential specific time slot via telehealth.
MCPE Annual Meeting
The MCPE Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday 5/17 at the Zullo Gallery. 7pm. The public is welcome to attend.
Webinars of Interest
The Addiction Inoculation with Jessica Lahey
Wednesday, 5/11 at 7 p.m.
Author/educator Jessica Lahey offers comprehensive information for parents/educators on how to prevent substance use disorder in children.
About this event
All children, regardless of their genetics, are at some risk for substance use disorder. New York Times bestselling author and educator Jessica Lahey helps parents, caregivers, and educators understand the roots of substance use disorder and identify who is most at risk for addiction, while offering practical steps for prevention.
"The Addiction Inoculation" provides evidence-based strategies and practical tools adults need to understand, support, and educate resilient, addiction-resistant children. The guidelines are age-appropriate and actionable—from navigating a child’s risk for addiction, to interpreting signs of early misuse, to advice for broaching difficult conversations with children.
This program is a collaboration between the Dover-Sherborn Challenge Success Program and Natick 180, with support from SPARK Kindness.
Jessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Over twenty years, Jess has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools, and spent five years teaching in a drug and alcohol rehab for adolescents in Vermont, and serves as a prevention and recovery coach at Sana at Stowe, a medical detox and recovery center in Stowe, Vermont. She writes about education, parenting, and child welfare for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, is a book critic for Air Mail, and her biweekly column “The Parent Teacher Conference” ran for three years at the New York Times. She designed and wrote the educational curriculum for Amazon Kids’ award-winning animated series The Stinky and Dirty Show, and was a 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee for her Creative Nonfiction magazine essay, “I’ve Taught Monsters.” Jess holds the dubious honor of having written an article that was later adapted as a writing prompt for the 2018 SAT. She co-hosts the #AmWriting podcast with bestselling authors KJ Dell’Antonia and Sarina Bowen, and lives in Vermont with her husband, two sons, and a lot of dogs.
School Is Almost Out, Now What? Fostering Family Relationships Over the Summer
Tuesday, 5/17 at 2 p.m.
This school year has been uniquely challenging for everyone and most of us are happy to put it in our rearview mirror. As educators gear up to enjoy their much-needed and well-deserved summer break, Michael and Nita Creekmore will provide strategies for how you can end the year strong with current students' families and begin forming relationships with families of incoming students over the summer. You will also learn how to plant seeds of connection with students and families that can bloom throughout the school year.
About the Presenters
Michael Creekmore is a Professional School Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor. He has served as Clinical Director and Clinical Supervisor to community mental health programs and has been an independent consultant for the past 13 years.
Nita (E’Manita) Creekmore is an Instructional Coach and former Elementary School teacher. She has been in education for 18 years.
Spirit Store Info - Blake PTO
Medfield K-8 PTO Announces A Year-Round MEDFIELD SPIRIT WEAR STORE! Thanks to local business Day St Sports, we have answered the question – where can I find Medfield Spirit Wear? Over 100 options currently listed, all proceeds will be donated to the individual school K-8 PTOs. Shipping takes about 3 weeks. Medfield Spirit Wear
Link (Hyperlink to https://ts020252.prospherefanshop.com/)