9/20-9/21 - Stripes Canoe/Russian Icon Field Trip
SEPAC Mtg (7:00 p.m.)
#MedfieldPS Chat - Empathy (8:00 p.m.)
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
9/27 - Blake PTO Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
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
Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
10/21 - 7th/8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
10/26 - Medfield Talks - Michael Thompson (see details below)
10/31 - Happy Halloween!
11/1 - Magazine Drive Kick-Off
11/7 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about defining our interests for learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What would you like to learn about this year? Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Defining Interests (Week of 9/18/16) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Student Council Update
This week students at Blake will vote on Friday in homerooms for this year's Student Council representatives. Any student with interest in developing leadership skills, showing spirit, and being a role model should consider running to represent his.her homeroom!
iOS Update Information
Apple recently released the next big iOSX update with several bugs and glitches. We are asking you to please wait until our Technology Director, Mr. O'Corcora feels it is safe for you to install it on your school device and that the school-based apps are also updated to work with iOSX. It may be another week or two. Students should watch for an update from Mrs. Horvath for more information.
Blake Fall Intramurals
The Blake Fall Intramural offering are now available. Please check them out at the following link and let Matt Marenghi (Intramural Director) know if you have any questions or concerns: [email protected].
2016 Blake Fall Intramurals
Bus Reminder
Students are not permitted to take bus rides home with friends on other buses without prior approval from Central Offices. If you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Montillo ([email protected] or (508) 359-4978).
School Absence Reminder
This is a reminder for parents that a student's absence or tardiness must be reported by a written note or a parental telephone call to the school absence line (508-242-8501) by 8 a.m.
Parent Information Nights
Our Parent Information Night (PINs) will take place on Wednesday, September 21 for grade 6 at 6:30 p.m. This night 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. Sixth grade chorus, band, and orchestra parents are invited to informational meetings at 6:00 p.m. on September 21, prior to PIN. For your reference and information, here are links to the other parent nights...
Nature's Classroom Fall 2016 Presentation for Blog
Grade 7 Fall 2016 Presentation for Blog
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
#MedfieldPS Twitter Chat on 9/20/16
Our next district-wide Twitter chat is Tuesday, 9/20/16 at 8 p.m. with a focus on empathy. Our continued intent is to bring the five schools together (staff and administration) at periodic times. The goal of these chats is to bring the five schools together (staff and administration) to discuss pertinent topics in education, initiatives, and ideas to collaborate around and share. I encourage you to follow the hashtag #MedfieldPS during the chat and to participate! Below are links to 'storify' archives of previous chats...
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-a-fresh-start-8-23-16
(A Fresh Start)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfield-ps-a-community-of-learners-7-25-16
(A Community of Learners)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-reflections-on-15-16-twitter-chat-june-
(Reflections on Student Learning, 2015-2016)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-april-2016-twitter-chat
(Social Emotional Learning)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps
(Learning Skills)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-february-2016-twitter-chat
(Spirit of #DLDMedfield)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-twitter-chat-resolutions-and-reflection
(Resolutions and Reflection)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-december-2015-twitter-chat-relevance
(Relevance)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-november-2015-twitter-chat
(DLD Focus)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-october-2015-twitter-chat
(Homework Focus)
https://storify.com/nat_vaughn/medfieldps-august-2015-twitter-chat
(Back to School)
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 discussing the book on Monday, October 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Blake LMC, following our Site Council 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'
Seventh Grade Trip to Nature's Classroom Reminders
Monday Morning: Get ready for the 6:10 am drop off on Monday, September 26! They should report to their bus to get their luggage tags. If your child is unable to go at the last second, please call the Blake office and your child’s roommate. We will find another room for the roommate to stay in at Nature’s Classroom.
Packing: A packing list and final details can be found here Nature's Classroom Final Details. On Tuesday or Wednesday, a sheet will be sent home with your child's bus and room number. The sheet also lists the type of beds in the room. If you are sending your child with sheets, please check for the form. Some rooms have full and queen sized beds. Roommates can arrange which beds they will be sleeping in. Folding beds will be brought in if needed.
Medication: Please be sure your child takes their morning medications at home before the trip.
Bus Ride: Please be sure your child is dressed for the day when they board the bus. Long pants please and closed toe shoes. Rain jackets if it is rainy. They should have a nut-free snack, a filled water bottle and a book or non-electronic game to keep them busy. We expect to be home at 2:30pm on Thursday. We will be in touch with Mr. Vaughn to update our progress. Watch for his Tweets!
Electronics: Please do not allow your child to bring electronics or cell phones in any form. They are not allowed on the trip.
Follow us at NC! Follow #blakeatnc and @kmcsoup for photos and updates throughout the week. Daily email updates will be sent each day as well.
We are looking forward to the trip! Contact Judy Silva [email protected] with any questions.
Recess Donations
This year we are continuing with recess as part of our Advisory structure. A great deal of research evidence shows that students are more productive and intellectually engaged when a physical and or mental 'break' is provided in the middle of the day. We are looking for donations from families to provide options for students during this time: frisbees, wiffle balls/bats, kickballs, tennis balls, single and double jump ropes, volleyballs, foam footballs, soccer balls, and hula hoops. If you have done some 'fall cleaning' and have extra items that could be donated, have students drop them off in the main office. Thank you in advance for your help.
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.
Blake Theater Update from Ms. Allen
I've been getting a lot of questions about the theater program this year. We have edited the season a bit from what was announced at the end of last year. This is due in part to Mrs. Caprio taking a break from her day to day work with us. As part of our theater family, she will help us with a special writing piece and be there to cheer us on! I will be directing the plays with the help of Mrs. Doctoroff, a Blake friend and former Blake parent. We are lucky to have Mrs. Deveno and Mrs. McLaughlin back to help with sets, props, and pom poms! You may see some other Blake faces filling in to help from time to time. Because of the slight shift, the show selection will be slightly adjusted as well. We will be performing Yearbook and a show that is being written specifically for us during the weekend of Jan 27-29. The musical Shrek will be performed April 7-9. Auditions will be October 25-28. Cast announcements will be sent out Nov 1 and a read-through for Yearbook will take place the following day. The untitled play cast members will meet Nov 3 and crew members will meet Nov 4 after school. Audition / crew sign-up forms will come out in mid-October. You may not choose whether you are in the musical or the plays and you will not be cast in two shows. You are welcome to do crew for one show and be in the cast of the other. There will be two lighting classes. The first one will be Tuesdays for new tech students, starting in December. The second will be for kids who did tech last year. That will start in January or February. There will be many opportunities for adults to get involved. The Stage Hands, our amazing parent group, will be reaching out with more information in the coming weeks. I hope this information is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions ([email protected]).
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:
There are three positions open for the 2016-2017 school year. We are looking for a coordinator for Career Day, an additional co-coordinator for the 8th grade Cook-Out and a coordinator for the 7th grade Ice Cream Social. 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
The MCPE Fall Ball On Line Auction is LIVE. The Online Auction is open to all, and has something for everybody and every budget. Visit the Auction site to see everything that our local community has so generously donated to support the education of our kids, and place your bids before time runs out THIS Sunday Night (9/25) at 8 p.m.! http://tinyurl.com/MCPEAUCTION16
Community Trivia Night is back on Friday, October 21! This Medfield tradition always sells out, so get your teams set, dust off your inner Einstein and put it in your calendar now! Tickets go on sale Monday September 26 at www.medfieldcoalition.org.