9/9 - Blake School Picture Day
9/10 - Wizard of Oz Parent Presentation (see details below)
9/11 - Recognition of September 11, 2001 (see details below)
Grade 7 PIN at 7 p.m.
Nature's Classroom Info Mtg at 6:30 p.m.
9/12-9/30 - Meadows Farms Fundraiser
9/16 - Subway Night for Blake
9/16-9/17 - Canoe/RIM Field Trip (Eagles Cluster)
9/17 - Grade 6 PIN at 7 p.m.
Grade 6 Band/Chorus/Orchestra Mtgs at 6:30 p.m.
9/18-9/19 - Canoe/RIM Field Trip (Stripes Cluster)
9/23-9/24 - Canoe/RIM Field Trip (Stars Cluster)
9/25 - Rosh Hashanah (No School)
9/29-10/2 - Nature's Classroom for 7th Grade
10/10 - Teacher Professional Day (No School for Students)
10/13 - Columbus Day (No School)
11/3 - Navigating Social Media with Your Tweens/Teens (see details below)
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help bring the topic of learning into the conversations this week, our Topic/Question(s) for the Dinner Table this week is: If we commit to the habit of asking "why are we learning this?" and "how can I learn this?" will the questions actualize an attitude of greater substance and purpose?
Recognition of September 11
September 11, 2014 will mark the thirteenth anniversary of the tragic events that transpired on September 11, 2001. 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. One of the lessons we were all reminded of thirteen years ago was the importance of community and looking out for one another. In that spirit, and to continue a tradition started three years ago, Blake will be helping its own Medfield community by holding a one day collection for the Medfield Food Cupboard. The items they are in need of are peaches, pears, applesauce cups, fruit cocktail, macaroni and cheese, canned corn, pasta sauce, jelly (all kinds), juice (bottled and boxes), cereal, rice (white, brown, flavored). Donations will be collected in the guidance office on Thursday, September 11.
Parent Information Nights (Grade 6 and 7)
Our Parent Information Nights (PINs) will take place on Thursday, September 11 for grade seven, and Wednesday, September 17 for grade six. 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 Thursday, September 11 at 6:30 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 6:30 p.m. on September 17, prior to PIN.
Eighth Grade
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.
Seventh Grade Trip to Nature's Classroom
The seventh grade will be leaving at 6:30 am on Monday, September 29 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 Thursday, 8/28, we reviewed the roommate process with the students and gave them a sheet outlining final details for the trip. The sheet can be found at this link Nature's Classroom Final Details. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Silva, [email protected]. In addition, please be sure to contact Trisha Williams regarding any medical needs, allergies, or health concerns ([email protected] or 508-242-8554). We are looking forward to the trip!
Wizard of Oz Parent Night
Michael Patrick Hearn, the world's leading Oz scholar, will be appearing at Blake to speak with parents in the auditorium on Wednesday night, September 10 at 7:00 P.M. He’ll be presenting to students the following morning. Michael has spoken to audiences around the world about Frank Baum and The Wizard of Oz and been featured on numerous television documentaries as well. Come on by to find the inside story on the book and movie. Relive those scary nights watching the movie with your families and more importantly, find out once and for all if the songs on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon really do match up with the movie. Come on by for an emerald of an evening!
Arts in Education Week
The next two weeks (resources list both weeks) are National Arts in Education Week, 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. Building off Blake's theme of Creativity for 2013-2014, we are looking forward to highlighting the arts throughout this month (and the year). Please keep this in mind when talking to your students about cultural events, music, and the arts with your children this month.
iPad Initiative 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.
We will be taking time next this week to formally review the Student User Agreement that must be turned in by all students...
iPad Initiative Student User Agreement 14-15
Twitter Account (@nat_vaughn) and Blake Hashtags (#bmsed and #bmstech)
We have established the hashtag (#bmsed) for education-related tweets of interest and Blake events and (#bmstech) for technology tweets of interest at Blake, so be sure to check them out! My account is @nat_vaughn, and I will continue to tweet up-to-date information, Blake happenings, links to sites, and articles of interest on a daily or more frequent basis.
There are two ways to get my tweets...
1. To get the 'real feel' for Twitter- you should sign up for your own twitter account and follow me (@nat_vaughn). This works well when you use the twitter app to get the live feed.
2. Go to this link: https://twitter.com/nat_vaughn where you will be able to see all my tweets without a twitter account.
Health Information
All emergency medications such as EpiPens for severe allergies and inhalers for asthma must be submitted to our school nurse, Tricia Williams, by Friday, September 12, 2014 along with completed medication orders. Please contact Mrs. Williams at (508) 242-8554 or [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
Bus Reminder
Students are not permitted to take bus rides home with friends on other buses without prior approval through Central Offices. If you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Montillo ([email protected] or (508) 359-4978).
Online Homework Posting System
This year we will be continuing our system for posting the homework on our website. The setup is still being finalized, but the information will be posted through 'googledocs', and it can be found via the website. Once it is fully functional, directions will be conveyed to all students and families. 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 of September 15. Parents/guardians are welcome to run intramurals as well. If you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions, please contact Brian Gavaghan ([email protected]).
Thank You to Park Street Books
Thank you to Jim James and Park Street Books for the generous contributions to the Blake CSA. The sales of the summer reading sale generated close to $1,000 (net) in funding for the CSA.
YUGA
Hello - my name is Sarah Jubber and I am in 8th grade. I met with Mr. Vaughn and Ms. Allen and we have decided to start a YUGA chapter at Blake. YUGA (Youth United for Global Action and Awareness) is an organization that promotes youth or young kids to become aware and involved with the problems that we face in our world today. Topics or problems that different YUGA chapters address can range from equality issues to environmental preservation. By starting a YUGA chapter at Blake, we hope the students will become involved and broaden their knowledge of what is going on in the world today. Here is a link if you would like to learn more about YUGA (YUGA Plan USA). We are confident YUGA will be a positive addition to Blake and hope to see a lot of students at our first meeting!
Blake Cross Country
The Middle School Cross Country team opens its season this week on Monday 9/8. This week we will practice on Mon. Tues. and Wed. from 2:15 to 3:15. Every week going forward, we will meet 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday. All athletes must turn in a copy of their physical and a check to the office before they can practice or compete. Athletes will be bussed to home meets at McCarthy Park/Hospital Hill, but must be picked up by a parent at the conclusion of the meet. For away meets, the bus will return the students to the middle school for pick up.
We have a strong turn out and I am looking forward to a great season.
Blake Volleyball
The team is meeting for practice this week to get ready for their first matches, next Tuesday at home. The game schedule is posted under "Volleyball" in the www.hellerstory.weebly.com website. They can reach that weebly site through the link posted for me in the medfield.net site. A practice schedule will be posted by Tuesday at that weebly site; Tuesday is also the first day of practice, from 3:00 to 4:15.
MHS Science Olympiad Message
The MHS Science Olympiad will be hosting bake sales during the three middle school PIN nights (Thursday 9/11, and Wednesday 9/17). The funds raised will go to support activities and meets during the school year. Not only will there be classic baked goods such as brownies and cookies, but international treats from China and India will also be available, along with a gluten-free option and water bottles! We will be located at the main entrance.
Science Olympiad is a student-run organization dedicated to inspire a lifelong passion for the sciences in MHS students. Through challenging, competitive meets against other schools across the state, students will be introduced to geology, astronomy, chemistry, entomology, and dozens more. They'll build levitating vehicles in engineering events, solve health crises in Disease Detectives, and, of course, set things on fire in Forensics. By the end of the year, they'll walk away with a newfound appreciation of the sciences upon which their world is built.
CSA News
The new Baystate Textile Fundraiser for Town Wide CSA is up and running! You'll notice the white bins at each school. The town wide CSA will get $100 for every ton of textiles. Neighboring communities have raised upwards of $4000/year. This is a great way to help our schools. Look for the flyer in the Thursday Packet!
Don't forget to bring in your box tops!
Please join us for our first Blake CSA meeting September 15 @ 7:00 PM at the Blake library !
Our first Subway Night of the year will be Tuesday September 16th! Take a break from cooking and support the fundraiser! Thank-You Subway for supporting Blake Middle School.
MCPE News
E4E (Entertaining for Education) is back! MCPE is bringing E4E back this year as our big fundraiser of the year. The idea is simple: pick a date, have a party (big or small, for adults or kids, with a theme or without), invite your friends, with a donation as their "ticket" to the event, and raise money for the Medfield public schools.
Trivia Events – Mark Your Calendar! MCPE is pleased to announce not one, but TWO trivia events this fall featuring an all-new trivia company: Putterboy Productions. These events promise to be fast-paced and humor-filled, testing your knowledge in geography, sports, music, science and history. The MCPE Community Trivia Night is set for Friday, November 14, 2014 (21 and over please), and the Student Trivia Challenge is set for Monday, November 10th. Registration opens soon -- stay tuned and don't miss out!
For more information about our events, please visit our web site: www.MedfieldCoalition.org.