2/11 - Medfield Talks - The Importance of Sleep (see details below)
2/14 - Blake Volleyball Tourney
2/17-2/21 - February Vacation
2/27 - Incoming 9th Info Night (see details below)
3/4 - Incoming 6th Parent/Guardian Info Night (6:30 p.m.)
3/11 - Blake PTO Meeting - 7 p.m.
3/12 - Incoming 7th Grade Nature’s Classroom Info Session (6:00 p.m.)
Incoming 7th/8th Parent/Guardian Info Night (6:30 p.m.)
3/16 - Blake Site Council Mtg - 3:30 p.m.
3/17 - Worcester Art Museum Field Trip (White Cluster)
3/18 - Worcester Art Museum Field Trip (Red Cluster)
3/19 - Worcester Art Museum Field Trip (Blue Cluster)
3/20 - Term 2 Ends
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the importance of actively pursuing learning, our topic/question for the week is: What are you currently excited about learning? Why? Pursuing Learning (Week of 2/10-2/14) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Medfield Talks - The Importance of Sleep - 2/11/20
Dr. Judith Owens
See link below for more information...
Medfield Talks with Dr. Judith Owens- The Importance of Adolescent Sleep on 2/11/2020
To RSVP to this event, please click here
Advisory Update for Blake
In Advisory this week students and advisors will be working on their Black History Month Spotlight project. They will be choosing an African American to learn about and create a visual for the timeline in front of Blake!
Blake Wednesday Advisory Website
Term 2 Interim Reports
All outstanding interim report signature sheets should be turned into advisors ASAP. If you have any questions about your child's work on the reports, please start by having a conversation with your own child. If questions still exist, you should contact the teacher directly to gain more insight.
Blake STEM Event - 3/19/20
Our fifth annual celebration of our students and STEM will be held at 3:30 pm on Thursday March 19, 2020. All BMS students are invited to participate as individuals or in groups (single or multi grade) and show their passion for or interest in answering some question or learning more about a particular topic - including but not limited to - recent genius hour projects, maker space projects or personal interest projects or investigations. Information will go out this week via email to students and their families.
SBIRT Screenings and Protocol - Message for All 7th Grade Families
In response to the increase in drug and opioid use in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law, “An Act relative to substance use, treatment, education and prevention” (H. No. 4056). Among its many components, this law mandates that school districts annually conduct verbal substance use screenings for one grade at the high school and one at the middle school. The goal of the program is to provide early identification and prevention of harm from substance use. School nurses will screen all 7th grade students using the SBIRT protocol (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) developed by the MA Dept of Public Health. The interview style screening will be conducted confidentially, in private one-on-one sessions using the CRAFFT II screening tool, the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts.
Students who report not using substances will have their healthy choices reinforced. The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances. If appropriate, we will offer students a referral to counseling staff. This program focuses on prevention, and students’ responses will not lead to any disciplinary action. The results of the screening will not be included in students’ academic or health records. In keeping with M.G.L. Chapter 71, Section 97, information disclosed by students during verbal substance use screening is confidential, and unless a student is in immediate medical danger, parents will not be notified about the results of this screening.
If you have any questions about this program or prefer your child not participate in the screening, please contact Tricia Williams Blake School Nurse by Friday, February 14, 2020 at 508-242-8554 or email her directly at [email protected]. This program is voluntary and students may choose to not answer any or all of the questions. Screenings will be conducted starting the week of February 24, 2020 for seventh grade students during their health classes. Postural and BMI (height/weight) screening is also being conducted for all seventh grade students during their physical education classes the same week. You may opt your child out of any of the screenings by conducting Tricia Williams as noted above.
As a child’s brain is not fully developed during adolescence, substance use during this time can substantially alter brain functioning for a lifetime, often leading to addiction and long term health risks. We encourage all families to talk about substance use. Research shows that parental disapproval is the #1 reason young people decide not to use drugs or alcohol. For ideas on how to begin these important conversations, please see this parent guide and refer to the Health Resource List for additional resources.. Together we can make a difference in the health of our youth!
Sincerely,
Tricia Williams, RN, BSN, NCSN Aimie Keigan, RN, BSN
t[email protected] [email protected]
Office: 508-242-8554 Office: 508-242-8554
Update from ADL
The ADL peer leader group finished their intensive three days of leadership training last week. Exposure to activities related to bias and practicing ways of being an ally were the focus of the training. 7th and 8th grade peer leaders will be practicing their leadership skills in 6th grade advisories by running an activity on Wednesday, February 12th. The New England ADL Youth Congress will be held in Boston on March 27th.
Black History Month
On Friday, 2/7, we kicked off Black History Month at Blake with a short assembly during advisory to learn about the origin and importance of learning more about accomplishments of African American people throughout US history and the importance of looking for missing voices and representation in history. Links to two videos shown to students are copied here…
Kids Explain Black History Month
The Most Searched: A Celebration of Black History Makers
This week, advisories began researching notable black Americans, creating informative posters and posting them on our evolving timeline in the front hallway at Blake. Check out our black history timeline when you are at Blake. Our month will culminate with a reflective walk through the completed timeline and opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned, ways they hope to impact their community, and feelings they experienced. For more info about how Black History Month came to be and why it is celebrated, check out this link: Why Is Black History Month in February? Learn the Holiday's Origins
Parent Information Nights - Mark Your Calendars!
3/4 - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming sixth grade (current fifth grade) students. We will be presenting information about the 6th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year along with an overview of the middle school. A more detailed presentation about the logistics of the 2020-2021 academic year’s mobile learning Initiative will take place during this evening as well.
3/12 - Incoming 7th/8th Grade Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
** Nature’s Classroom Info Session for Incoming 7th parents starts at 6:00 p.m.
This night is for all parents/guardians of incoming seventh grade (current sixth grade) students. We will be sharing information about the 7th and 8th grade program of studies and curriculum, previewing the students' experience that they will have next year.
Message for 8th Grade Families
Medfield High School is excited to welcome the Class of 2024 to MHS! Please be aware of these upcoming dates:
- January 2020 - Students take placement tests
- Thursday, February 27 - 6:30-8:30pm - 8th Grade Student and Parent Night
- Thursday, March 5 @ 3:00 - The Aspen portal is "live"
- March 6-12 - Students will complete course selections
The program on February 27th is for students and parents to learn about the culture, classes, and extracurricular offerings at the high school.
The 2020-2021 Medfield High School Program of Studies will be shared with all students and parents in early February.
Physical Education - Volleyball Tournament
All grades are currently participating in a Sport Education Volleyball unit and each student has been assigned to a team that they will be with for the entire unit. The unit is broken down into a pre-season (developing skills and team camaraderie), a regular season, and a postseason playoff tournament. Students signed up for an individual role/job that they will perform throughout the season. The jobs include: Team Captain/Coach, Statistician, Fitness Leader, Equipment Manager and Camaraderie/Spirit Captain. Students have practiced the skills of the forearm pass, the set and underhand serve. There continues to be a strong emphasis on communication and teamwork.
The regular season has wrapped up and playoffs are off to a great start. All teams make the playoffs for a chance to play in a grade-level tournament on Friday morning, 2/14. Each grade will have a championship team that gets to play against an excited staff team in front of their grade. There is definitely excitement in the air leading to February break. We are very proud of all the spirit, camaraderie, teamwork and skill building we have seen in this unit. We hope everyone has a restful and relaxing break.
Update for Grade 6 Choral Parents from Mrs. Oxholm
The Grade 6 Chorus is presenting a Valentine's Day Tea to our neighbors in the Tilden Village Community. The event has been rescheduled for Wednesday, 2/26 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Tilden Village Meeting House at 30 Pound Street. The Chorus has been practicing small group ensembles for our upcoming outreach. They will also perform some larger ensembles, all with the theme of love! We are very excited about this upcoming event! The Chorus members will walk over to the meetinghouse and set up right after school. The permission slip for the field trip is below. Please fill it out - I have only heard from 5 parents.
We will need some paper items, baked goods and snacks for this event. Please fill out the sign up genius below if you would like to help out. The paper goods should be delivered as soon as possible. Have your child bring them to our weekly choral rehearsals. The baked goods may be dropped off at Blake Middle School office the day of the event.
I have been in touch with the parents who signed up to help with this event. Should I need more volunteers, I will let you know. There is not a lot of space at the meeting house for more than the residents, but the chorus will perform some of our "Love Songs" for you at our Spring Concert.
Permission for Valentines Day Outreach
Sign Up Genius (Items needed for the Valentine's Day Tea)
Let me know if you have any questions.
Musically yours,
Barbara Oxholm
Music Specialist and Choral Director
Dale Street and Blake Middle Schools
Web Page
[email protected]
Medfield Music Department
iPad Case Reminder
This is a gentle reminder that all students should have cases on their iPads at all times. Three websites that we have found to be useful, as they detail the various covers, rates them, and describes why covers are needed, are:
Recommended by Apple: STM Dux Case
Griffin Survivor Case
Top 5 Rugged iPad Cases
Reminder about Locks
All Blake students are required to be using a combination lock to lock their hallway lockers. As this is the time of year when students can begin to be lax about using their locks and keeping them locked during the day, we appreciate your reminders at home as well. A photo of locks that fit on Blake lockers can be found on the school supply list page (School Supply Lists).
Empty Bowls
DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, another bowl making workshop has been added!
Secure your spot on the Sign Up Genius. Get involved in this amazing community event, learn something new, and get together with friends to benefit the Medfield Food Cupboard! A $25 ticket bought in advance gets you dinner along with two pottery classes to create a bowl to eat dinner and bring home with you.
No time to make your own bowl? Choose a handmade bowl at dinner, fill it with delicious soup donated by local restaurants, and take your bowl home with you! All ages welcome! While advanced sign up is required, payments can be made via cash, check, or Venmo at the door. Last year was a lot of fun and we raised almost $2000 for the Medfield Food Cupboard! Please feel free to reach out with any questions and we hope to see you there!
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b084eacaf2ca1fc1-empty. Contact Sara Higger with any questions - [email protected].
Save the Date - Miss Amazing (3/28/20)
Massachusetts Miss Amazing is coming to Medfield High School for its seventh annual event! Miss Amazing’s mission statement reads, “Miss Amazing provides opportunities for girls and women with disabilities to build confidence and self-esteem in a supportive environment.” Join us in supporting this goal and giving these girls and young women an opportunity to shine. This full-day event is Saturday, March 28th, 2020 and will be held in the Medfield High School Auditorium at 6 PM. Ticket sales are open to the public beginning on March 14th at ma.missamazing.org. If you would like to donate, visit https://missamazing.org/donate/. If you want to volunteer with the event, you can sign up to be a buddy, half day volunteer (helping hand), or a right hand man online at https://missamazing.org/volunteer/. If you know a girl or young woman who might want to participate in this event, refer them to the Miss Amazing website so they can learn more! Sign up a participant at https://missamazing.org/participate/. See you there!
School Survey
The Blake Site Council has taken time to review the data collected from last year's survey and an Executive Summary will be distributed to families in the coming weeks. Focus areas on the survey centered on the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. Our intent is to distribute the 2019-2020 survey in early February in the hopes of gathering the data by February vacation. Stay tuned!
Blake is Social - Any Submissions?
Blake is social is featuring baby pictures of noatible African American's on our story, and we've been asking students if they can guess who they are. As always we are looking for more entries. Our focus for this month is poetry . We just posted an amazing poem regarding depression on our website. If you have a poem to share we would love to have it. Work and submissions can be e-mailed to [email protected] or [email protected]
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.
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.
MMA Update
Borchers Trust Law presents the third annual A Cappella Night on Feb. 28 at 7pm at MHS Auditorium! Come hear Medfield's own MHS Soundwaves, the Junior Jazz Choir, and groups from Newton North, Xaverian Brothers, and Montrose high schools at last count. Tickets can be purchased at medfieldmusicassociation.com or will be sold at the door.
Blake PTO Update
Look out for details about our upcoming Annual Appeal which kicks off after February break! The Annual Appeal, which replaces having the kids fundraise, allows the PTO to support educational activities and initiatives for your children!