February 12 - Royal Pizza Night for Blake
February 13 - Grade 8 Band/High School Step-Up Concert
February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day! (Wear red, pink, or white)
February 15 - Volleyball Tournament
February 18-22 - Winter Vacation
February 25 - School Resume
February 26 - Subway Night for Blake
February 27 - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night
February 28 - 'Project Moves' at Medfield High School (7:30 p.m.) - See details below
March 4 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:15 p.m. in Blake LMC)
March 6 - Superintendent's Advisory Council Mtg
March 7 - Incoming 7th Grade Parent Night
March 14 - Incoming 8th Grade Parent Night
March 15 - Blake CSA Meeting (9:30 a.m. in Blake LMC)
March 18, 20 - 6th Grade ELA MCAS
March 19 - 7th Grade ELA Long Composition MCAS
SEPAC Mtg (7:00 p.m.)
March 20 - MCPE Spelling Bee
March 21-22 - 8th Grade ELA MCAS
March 25-26 - 7th Grade ELA MCAS
March 28 - 7th Grade ELA Long Composition Make-Up MCAS
'Topic/Question for the Dinner Table'
As we approach vacation, our Topic/Question for the Dinner Table this week is: "Do you think your best ideas can sometimes come after you give yourself a little time off?"
Project Moves
MCPE, Blake CSA, and SEPAC are proud to present a moving, multimedia dance performance at Medfield High School on Thursday, February 28th at 7:30 p.m. This performance is the kick-off for a month-long initiative around acceptance common to both Medfield High School and Blake Middle School. "Project Moves. . . accept ME" by Project Moves Dance Company, Inc., the resident company of The Gold School of Dance Art in Brockton, Mass., features dancers ages 6 to 18. The show uses dance, spoken word, and visual media to promote messages of acceptance. Upon special invitation in 2012, members of the dance company performed on ABC's “Dancing with the Stars”. The mission of the Project Moves Dance Company, Inc. is to advocate a message of acceptance and tolerance through dance art. The company is dedicated to creating a platform that empowers young dance artists with the knowledge, compassion and understanding necessary to create works that address the most pressing issues of today's youth, thus transforming the artists and their audiences. Tickets are free and available at the door, first come, first served. This show is suitable for middle school and high school students, as well as their parents and guardians. There will be an opportunity for any middle school or high school student who attends the performance, if s/he chooses, to participate in a short follow up discussion on Friday morning at his or her respective school. Check out the link below for more information: http://www.projectmoves.org/Performances.html
Blake Site Council Survey
The Blake Site Council this year has been working on the development of a survey to be distributed to the Blake community. Focus areas include the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. The results will help us to gather information and examine our current practices to better meet the needs of our students. Please complete the survey for each child you have at Blake, and base your responses on your student's experiences this year. The questionnaire is anonymous, and your identity can not and will not be discovered through the completion of this survey. We sincerely appreciate your honest responses and are hoping for 100% participation from the Blake community. If you have any questions or have difficulty accessing the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me directly ([email protected]).
Link to the survey: Blake School Survey 2012-2013
Parent Information Nights
The planning for the 2013-2014 school year has already begun, and our parent information nights have been scheduled...
- Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information Night is on Wednesday, February 27
- Incoming 7th Grade Parent Information Night is on Thursday, March 7
- Incoming 8th Grade Parent Information Night is on Thursday, March 14
Term 2 Interim Reports
All outstanding interim report 'sign-off' sheets need to be handed into their advisors asap.
Postural Screening for 7th Grade
Postural screening is scheduled for the week following February vacation for all students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. BMI screenings (height/weight) will be done simultaneously for 7th graders only. If you would like your child excused from these state mandated screenings, then we must have a written request from you accompanied by a medical note or recent physical from your child's health care provider documenting the date(s) these screenings were done. Please contact our school nurse, Tricia Williams, if you have any questions or concerns ([email protected]).
Spirit Day on Valentine's Day
Student council invites Blake staff and students to join in a Valentine's spirit day Thursday, February 14, 2013 by wearing pink, red & white.
Blake Jazz Choir
The Blake Jazz Choir is looking for new members~! Are you interested in singing jazz, performing, and learning to improvise and scat sing? Come join us on Monday afternoons at 2:15pm in the High School Chorus Room. Please see Ms. Nothnagel ([email protected]) with any questions.
Blake Newspaper
Come join the Blake newspaper! We meet every Thursday at 2:15. It's totally free and run by students. We are looking for photographers, filmmakers, writers, creative writers, illustrators, and more! Come join the fun! E-mail Kristen Kirby ([email protected]) with any questions.
Cradles to Crayons - Pajama Drive
The 7th grade sponsored Cradles to Crayons pajama drive ends this Thursday. All gently used or new pajamas from infant sizes on up through middle school sizes are needed. 7th graders can turn their donations in to their advisory teacher. Donations by students in other grades can be made in the box in the front office.
Blake Volleyball Tournament
Blake middle school will be holding it's annual volleyball tournament for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders on Friday, February 15. Students have been working hard on their volleyball skills over the past few weeks and have been competing against their fellow classmates. On Friday, we will determine a champion for each grade and that team will then take on the teachers. It promises to be an exciting day and a great lead into February vacation.
Lost and Found Items
The number of items in our Lost and Found has increased. Please remind students to come take a look, as there are a number of items that are unlabeled that have been collected. We will be clearing out the Lost and Found during February vacation.
SIPS - Penny Drive
SIPS is partaking in its annual Penny Drive through Friday, February 15. The drive benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All proceeds are directly donated to the organization. SIPS members will collect coins during the lunch block. Each grade competes against the other. Pennies are deemed positive points for the grade while sliver coins are assigned negative points for the grade. The competition is a fun way to promote coin donations.
Blake Drama Production
All pertinent information regarding cast and crew schedules will be on the theater website. Please make sure to check frequently for any changes. This week the stage crew will meet on Tuesday with Mrs. Deveno. The crew should come on their assigned days (on the website). This week's cast schedule is as follows:
- Monday, 2/11- Song practice for O The Thinks You Can Think, Horton Hears a Who, Biggest Blame Fool
- Tuesday, 2/12 - Song practice for Here on Who, How to Raise a Child, It's Possible (Pt 1), Alone in the Universe
- Wednesday - no rehearsal
- Thursday - Song practice for The One Feather Tail of Gertrude McFuzz, Amayzing Gertrude, Monkey Around/Chasing the Whos, Notice Me Horton
Boxtops Reminder and Competition
Did you know that Blake Middle School participates in the Box Tops For Education fundraiser? Well, it's true. Even better, this fundraiser requires no check writing on your part. Simply clip the boxtop off of participating General Foods products and send them in to the school. The collection box is located on the counter in the main office. You
would be surprised at how many of your everyday products have these stamps on their packaging. Cheerios, Chex, Yoplait, Hefty, Ziploc,Scott, Betty Crocker and Land of Lakes are just a few participating brands. Don't throw the Boxtops out, send them in to Blake!!! Your trash is Blake's cash. Those dimes add up quickly. You can also log onto BTFE.com. For your convenience, a complete listing of BoxTops products can be found on the Blake website.
First Annual Boxtops Competition! February 11th thru March 11th. Have your student bring in General Foods Boxtops to their advisory. The advisory in each grade with the most Boxtops collected will receive a class prize. Just want to give your boxtops in now? Collection box is conveniently located in the main office.
Upcycling at Medfield High School
Medfield High School is running an Upcycling Campaign that will run from today through February 15th. What this means is that you will have a chance to get rid of any old video games, phones, laptops etc... even if they are broken, cracked, not in working order or work perfectly fine, but you have no need for them any more. Click on the link below to donate items. You can then print out a tax receipt and a prepaid shipping label to ship it on your own or you can drop it off to me in guidance to do the donating for you. We are really hoping to raise a lot of money for a great organization, The Norfolk Advocates for Children. They are an organization who offer services to children who have experienced, physical, sexual and domestic abuse. The NAC offers an immediate response to cases of abuse and coordinates with these children and families using a child-friendly, culturally sensitive and multidisciplinary approach. Feel free to check them out at http://www.norfolkadvocatesforchildren.com/
So look around the house and see what you have to donate and help out a lot of children. Please remember to share the link with everyone you know. Don't forget social media!!
https://www.causesinternational.com/upcycleforcharity/medfield-high-school
If you have any questions, contact Marie Foley at [email protected].
Dana Farber Fundraiser
The 6th annual Dana Farber fundraiser will take place outside the gym on Wednesday, 2/13 and Thursday, 2/14. You can buy, decorate, and personalize 3" wooden hearts for your special valentines. Hearts cost 5 for $5.00 or 1 for $2.00. This is a great opportunity to Share your Heart with family and friends. Every penny goes to important research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Beads for Life
Two seventh grade service groups, Friends Helping Friends and Happy Helping Hands will be selling jewelry handmade from women in Africa on Wednesday and Thursday morning (2/13 and 2/14) before school (7-7:30). The jewelry is being sold through an organization called Bead For Life (www.beadforlife.org) whose mission is to eradicate poverty by empowering women to support their families through sustainable income. The women work through the program for 18 months creating beads out of recycled paper that are turned into jewelry and sold through parties in the United States.
MCPE News
Save the date for the Annual Spelling Bee on March 20th! All entrants will be entered into a raffle for an iPad Mini!
In other news, total grant investments so far this school year have reached $66,406. Progress towards the fundraising goal of $100,000 continues as the MCPE 25th Anniversary Appeal greets the New Year. MCPE thanks the 364 donors who have contributed nearly $68,000 towards future enrichment programs for Medfield’s schools. The campaign will continue through the end of the school year and contributions are still being gratefully accepted either online at www.medfieldcoalition.org or by mail to MCPE, P.O. Box 452, Medfield, MA 02052.
CSA News
The CSA sponsored 7th grade cookie dough fundraiser begins on Monday, February 25th. All 7th graders have the opportunity to participate in this fundraiser to help defray the cost of next year’s 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. All profits - 45% of sales - will be applied directly to your child’s personal trip account. Information packets along with order forms will be handed out on Monday, February 25th and due back on Monday, March 11th. Additional trip credit will be awarded to the top three sellers along with two wild card drawings for any student who sells five or more items. Please contact Paula Bogar at [email protected] if you have any questions.
The February CSA meeting has been canceled due to scheduling conflicts. The next CSA meeting will be March 15 at 9:30 a.m.