9/13 - Picture Day at Blake
9/14 - Christie Coombs Assembly
Wear Red, White, and Blue
Grade 7 Parent Information Night (6:30 p.m.)
Nature's Classroom Trip Info Mtg (6:00 p.m.)
9/15-9/16 - Stars Canoe/Russian Icon Field Trip
9/19 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
The End of Average Brief Discussion/Check-In (4:30 p.m.) - see details below
9/20-9/21 - Stripes Canoe/Russian Icon Field Trip
9/21 - Grade 6 Parent Information Night (6:30 p.m.)
6th Grade Band/Chorus/Orchestra Info Mtgs (6:00 p.m.)
9/22-9/23 - Eagles Canoe/Russian Icon Field Trip
9/26-9/29 - Nature's Classroom Trip for Grade 7
9/30 - Half Day for Students
Professional Afternoon for Staff
10/3 - Rosh Hashanah (No School)
10/10 - Columbus Day (No School)
10/12 - Yom Kippur (No School)
10/17 - Picture Retake Day
10/21 - 7th/8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
10/26 - Medfield Talks - Michael Thompson (see details below)
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the process of setting goals, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What is one goal you have for this school year? Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Setting Goals (Week of 9/11/16) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Parent Information Nights
Our Parent Information Nights (PINs) will take place on Wednesday September 14 for grade 7 and Wednesday, September 21 for grade 6 - all of these evenings will begin at 6:30 p.m. These nights will provide you with an opportunity to visit your student's classrooms and hear about the curriculum and exciting programs that will take place throughout the year. There will be an optional meeting on Wednesday, September 14 at 6:00 p.m. for seventh grade parents interested in hearing final details about the trip to Nature's Classroom. Sixth grade chorus, band, and orchestra parents are invited to informational meetings at 6:00 p.m. on September 21, prior to PIN. We will send out reminders and more details on all of these meetings as we get closer to the actual dates. For your reference and information, here are links to the other parent nights...
Memorials, Monuments, and Museums Fall 2016 Presentation
Grade 8 Fall 2016 PIN Presentation
8th Grade Trip Information
8th Grade Trip packets went home with Grade 8 students on Monday, Sept. 12. Trip deposit and signed permission slip are due to your child's Advisory teacher by October 4th. On-line registration with our tour company, Worldstrides, is to be completed by October 28. Please see trip packet for details and instructions. For your reference and for more information, here is a link to the 8th grade trip presentation...
Memorials, Monuments, and Museums Fall 2016 Presentation
Book Discussion Group for Parents
The Blake Site Council summer book was The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World that Values Sameness by Todd Rose, and we will be having a brief discussion of the book on Monday, September 19 at 4:30 p.m. in the Blake LMC, following our first Site Council meeting. We will have a lengthier discussion at our October meeting. For more information about this book, you might find these of interest...
Review: In ‘The End of Average,’ Cheers for Individual Complexity
Standards, Grades And Tests Are Wildly Outdated, Argues 'End Of Average'
Medfield Food Pantry - Thank You!
Thank you to the entire Blake community for the wonderful outpouring of support for the Medfield Food Cupboard - we collected bagfuls of goods!
Recognition of September 11
Thank you to everyone for the wonderful donations to the Medfield Food Pantry and for your help with the 9/11 interviews with the students. We are honored that Christie Coombs, whose husband Jeff died on American Airlines Flight 11 in the World Trade Center Attacks, will be speaking with all of our students on Wednesday, September 14. Christie is currently the President of the Board of Directors for the Jeffrey Coombs Memorial Foundation, a foundation established to provide assistance to families who are in financial need because of a death, illness, or other situation that challenges the family budget. The foundation also aims to help fund enrichment programs in the Abington, MA public schools, their hometown. We look forward to hearing Christie's message and will be brainstorming with our students how we can carry forth her words as a community. To help commemorate all those who were affected by the events that took place, we are encouraging everyone, in an appropriate and respectful manner, to wear the colors of red, white, and blue on Wednesday, September 14 for our assembly.
Summer Reading Update
English teachers will soon begin gathering the names of students who have completed the summer reading incentive. Students who’ve read the all-school book plus four additional books from their grade list and have also made a short video, podcast, comic strip, or written review etc. on one of the optional books will enjoy our special pizza lunch with all of the trimmings in the Blake LMC. Students have until October 1 to finish their projects and the pizza lunch will take place in late October. As you probably remember, our all-school summer reading book is Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus. Our summer reading grade-level assemblies took place on Monday, September 12. We were fortunate to have two great speakers: Mike Dyer, Senior Maritime Historian at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, will discuss whaling life at sea in the 1840's and Gerry Rooney, Chair of the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society, will discuss the relationship between whaling ship Captain Whitfield and the book’s protagonist, Manjiro, which continues to this day through their descendants.
https://www.whalingmuseum.org/
http://whitfield-manjiro.org/
Please contact Jon Haycock ([email protected]) with questions.
Swim Test Forms
Eighth grade students should be sure to turn in their Swim Test Forms for our Charles River Community Awareness field trip this September. Completed forms should be dropped off at the main office at Blake.
Mobile Learning Update
In our continued effort to support families with the integration of technology, I am sharing a link to a 'customizable device contract' from Common Sense Media...
Tablet Family Contract
As noted at the top of the front page of this link, it is important to talk with your children about how the device will be used at home. The suggested guidelines will help assure open and consistent communication so that you are 'on the same page'. The form is customizable to allow for variances in approaches from family to family. We are strongly encouraging all Blake families to take the time to fill out this contract, post it in a 'public' location in your house (i.e. refrigerator), and keep a copy in a secure location. Starting off the year with clear guidelines and 'house rules' will be the first step to a productive and successful experience. Should issues arise throughout the year, it will serve as a solid reference point for resolutions.
On the school's end, we are having a digital citizenship talk/forum this week with each grade about managing and learning how to set up good study habits using the device. We will also be holding technology workshops for parents throughout the year. In addition we will be taking time in school to formally review the Responsible Use Agreement that must be reviewed/signed by all students and parents...
Responsible Use Agreement
This is a reminder that all students and parents/guardians must ‘sign off’ on the respective forms via these links - (2016-2017 Student Responsible Use Guidelines - Student Sign-Off and 2016-2017 Student Responsible Use Guidelines - Parent/Guardian Sign-Off ). A separate e-mail has been sent to all students via their school accounts. Students must be logged into their school Google accounts to access the form. Please have your students login to their e-mail accounts for the forms to be completed. If you have any difficulty accessing the forms, contact our Technology Integration Specialist, Diane Horvath ([email protected]).As a reminder, it is the student's responsibility to make sure that iPads are fully charged each night. We recommend the bedside table of parents/guardians as a charging station at night.
Seventh Grade Trip to Nature's Classroom
The seventh grade will be leaving at 6:30 am on Monday, September 26 for the annual trip to Nature's Classroom on Lake George. Students should arrive between 6:10 and 6:20 am and report directly to their bus. You will be contacted if you have any outstanding paper work or money due. On Friday, 9/2 we went over the roommate process with the students during science class and emailed them a sheet outlining final details for the trip. The sheet was also emailed to all seventh grade parents. The same information will also be presented at the seventh grade PIN on Wednesday, 9/14 at 6:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Silva, [email protected]. In addition, please be sure to contact Tricia Williams regarding any medical needs, allergies, or health concerns ([email protected] or 508-242-8554). We are looking forward to the trip!
Online Homework Posting System
This year we will be continuing our system for posting the homework on our website. The link to the homework pages is here - Blake Homework Pages. The primary mode for students' understanding and recording of the homework for the given night is from the teacher and the posted homework in the classroom. The information that will be on the website is intended to serve as a 'back-up' resource. Due to the inherent challenges of technology that arise from time to time (servers, e-mail, etc.), we can not always guarantee that the website will be 100% accurate and reliable. However, we hope that it will help students and parents as an additional source of information.
Blake Intramurals
Fall intramurals at Blake will begin in early October. Look for signup information on the intramural page of the website the week ofSeptember 20. Parents/guardians are welcome to run intramurals as well. If you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions, please contact Matt Marenghi ([email protected]).
Arts in Education Week
This week (9/11-9/17) is Arts in Education Week. I have shared this with our art and music departments. Please keep this in mind in your classes, advisory, and with students and families. Please keep this in mind when talking to your children about cultural events, music, and the arts this month.
http://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/networks-and-councils/arts-education-network/tools-resources/national-arts-in-education-week
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". 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.
Medfield Talks
Medfield Talks, a new committee comprised of Dr. Marsden, MCPE, K-8 and High School PTOs, SEPAC, MMA and Medfield Foundation will kick off a new speaker series on October 26th with Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. According to his website, "Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. is a consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families. He is the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School and has worked at more than seven hundred schools across the United States, as well as international schools in Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia." In 2004, Dr. Thompson published The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Achieve Success in School and Life which has helped parents navigate and mitigate the pressures faced by our children as they progress from their kindergarten through high school years. Through an MCPE sponsored grant, Medfield is privileged to host Dr. Thompson, who will speak to middle and high schoolers during the day and parents in the evening. Please join us on October 26th for this important event. Free tickets and additional information will be available in September.
SEPAC News
SEPAC is having its first meeting of the academic year Tuesday, September 20 at 7pm in the Blake Library. All are welcome. On the agenda is "meet the Interim Director of Student Services Kathy Gaudreau."
The KidStuff coupon book fundraiser will be underway in the upcoming weeks. Look for ordering information on the SEPAC website (found here) and Thursday packets. Your support helps SEPAC fund workshops, events for kids and families, scholarships, and other Medfield community enrichment.
K-8 PTO News
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We still have some volunteer positions open for the 2016-2017 school year. Please take a look at the volunteer sign-up sheet and see where you can help. We appreciate it! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVH6fbiK1-cVI5r7yu42e6szW5bnuT2EUO9qk3CLc-l9A8UQ/viewform
ONGOING BAY STATE TEXTILE FUNDRAISER
Donate unwanted textiles to one of the bins located at the schools, transfer station or Hinkley Pond. For more information, go to our website and visit Bay State Textiles.
BOX TOPS
Don't forget to clip your Box Tops and send them to the main office.
DON’T MISS OUR IMPORTANT POSTS SENT THROUGHOUT THE WEEK
Like us on Facebook Medfield K-8 PTO, follow us on Twitter @MedfieldK8PTO For more information and calendar of events, please check out our website medfieldpto.weebly.com.
MCPE News
On Saturday September 17, the MCPE Fall Ball Online Auction kicks off at 8 a.m. at www.medfieldcoalition.org. This biennial event, and our largest fundraiser, has something for everybody and every budget. Sneak Peeks posted throughout the week on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Medfield-Coalition-for-Public-Education-120258724699106/?ref=bookmarks
Like our page while you're there!
Stop by the MCPE booth at Medfield Day on September 17th and enter a free raffle to win two tickets to the Fall Ball at Hospital Hill on September 24. While you're there, check out what the MCPE has funded at your children's schools this year- we can't wait to show you!
Community Trivia Night is coming! Gather your teams of 4 adults and prepare to unleash your inner Einstein on Friday October 23. Registration opens on Monday September 26th. Don't delay- this event sells out every year!