Summer Messages from Blake Staff
With summer now in full swing and a formal ‘break’ from the routines of school and academics, our content specialists have provided end-of-year and summer updates from their respective departments...
Art
From Mrs. Delaney, Ms. Deveno, Ms. Jones and Mr. Knaus: Have an amazing Summer! Make time to connect (safely) with friends and family! Here are some suggestions:
20 Best Podcasts for Teens/Tweens.
Medfield’s Public Library is open for pick ups. Order your books online and swing by to pick up.
Virtual Field Trips for Teens
Please also take time to step away from your computer and enjoy the outdoors. Physical activity and fresh air are vital to your well - being. Take a hike, go for a bike ride, get yourself to a beach, sketch in your sketchbook, or lie in a hammock and take a nap--you deserve a rest! !
English
English Department: It’s an interesting world! Time to explore it a bit - what fun! You can take a virtual tour of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. So much of modern theater-going owes its roots to this famous building. Learn more about it! You’ll be happy you did! Summer is a good time to learn about poets or maybe even try your hand at poetry!
Do you know who America’s 23rd Poet Laureate is? It’s Joy Harjo! Here is a link to learn more about Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet to fill this post, and here is a link to her poem, “The Eagle.”
With summer now in full swing and a formal ‘break’ from the routines of school and academics, our content specialists have provided end-of-year and summer updates from their respective departments...
Art
From Mrs. Delaney, Ms. Deveno, Ms. Jones and Mr. Knaus: Have an amazing Summer! Make time to connect (safely) with friends and family! Here are some suggestions:
20 Best Podcasts for Teens/Tweens.
Medfield’s Public Library is open for pick ups. Order your books online and swing by to pick up.
Virtual Field Trips for Teens
Please also take time to step away from your computer and enjoy the outdoors. Physical activity and fresh air are vital to your well - being. Take a hike, go for a bike ride, get yourself to a beach, sketch in your sketchbook, or lie in a hammock and take a nap--you deserve a rest! !
English
English Department: It’s an interesting world! Time to explore it a bit - what fun! You can take a virtual tour of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. So much of modern theater-going owes its roots to this famous building. Learn more about it! You’ll be happy you did! Summer is a good time to learn about poets or maybe even try your hand at poetry!
Do you know who America’s 23rd Poet Laureate is? It’s Joy Harjo! Here is a link to learn more about Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet to fill this post, and here is a link to her poem, “The Eagle.”
And did you know that Boston, Massachusetts has its own poet laureate? Meet Porsha Olayiwola. Wikipedia describes this poet saying, “Porsha Olayiwola is an American poet. In 2019 she was appointed the Poet laureate of Boston. Her first poetry collection, i shimmer sometimes, too was released in 2019. In 2020 her work was included in the exhibition Women Take the Floor at the Museum of Fine Arts,” Enjoy this video of Olayiwola’s poem, “Unnamed.”
And this picture? It could be you! Try writing some poetry this summer!
Guidance
The Blake Counselors wish you all a wonderful summer! To our 8th graders, we wish you well in your high school endeavors. High School will fly by, so enjoy it, stretch yourself and try new things, and be willing to change and grow. To our 6th and 7th graders, we already can't wait to see you in the fall!
Please see our summer edition of the Guidance News & Updates for each grade:
Grade 8: https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/mrs-dondero-news-and-updates/home
Grade 7:https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/guidance-news-updates/home
Grade 6: https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/blakeclassof2026/home
Mental Health Resources
In the event that your child needs additional support this summer, please refer to our website for a thorough list of mental health resources available to you.
https://blakeguidancepage.weebly.com/mental-health-resources.html
Please keep in mind that Medfield subscribes to a mental health referral helpline called INTERFACE. Everyone in the Medfield community has access to INTERFACE with the intent for children, adults and families to become connected with mental health and wellness resources. Please know that all information shared with INTERFACE is confidential, and client privacy is paramount.
https://interface.williamjames.edu/
HELPLINE 888-244-6843
Library
Are you excited for summer reading? We are! Check out Blake's Summer Reading 2020 for incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in the attached docs. Happy Reading!
Blake 6th Grade Summer Reading 2020
Blake 7th Grade Summer Reading 2020
Blake 8th Grade Summer Reading 2020
Blake Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations - Summer 2020
Mathematics
We hope you all have a wonderful summer and appreciate the small things. Enjoy a walk around the block, bike riding with friends, or learning a new hobby. Summer can be a great time to put your 'learning skills' to work. Learning skills include working collaboratively, attending to precision, thinking creatively, attending independently, and clearly explaining. Summertime happenings are a great way to build these up so students will be ready to transfer them to the math classroom in the fall.
The Blake Middle School math department has found it beneficial for students to work on strengthening their math skills over the summer months. We recognize this may look different for each student and will take on many different forms from visiting math websites (www.ixl.com) to completing summer skills workbooks (www.summerskills.com). We also encourage you to find math in your everyday activities -- paying with cash, playing a board game with your family, completing a DIY project, etc.
This summer the Blake math department, along with some of our special education and tech integration colleagues, will be participating in a Mathematical Mindsets course through Stanford Center for Professional Development. The course will guide us in the process of reorganizing our units of study that will allow students to learn math through experiences with problem-solving scenarios, real-life data and visual models.
The Blake Middle School math department wishes you all a fun and relaxing summer vacation!
Science
The Blake science department wishes our science students a wonderful summer full of questions about the world in which we live.
Here are some virtual field trips that you can take over the summer - they are amazing!
For those who would like to practice some science here are some links to a free program to keep those skills in good shape.
Social Studies
Sixth Grade Social Studies teachers just wrapped up a year in which we implemented Standards Based Reporting with a brand new curriculum for a brand new course entitled, Geography and World Cultures 1. Through various projects, assignments, debates, and discussions, students explored ancient history starting with the evolution of humankind and ending with the powerful dynasties that control China in the late BCE time period. As we move into next year, the teachers have discovered new ideas that will enhance and improve many of the lessons taught throughout the school year. Additionally, teachers will look into possible field trips that will enhance our understanding of ancient history. Enjoy the summer and see you in September.
The Seventh Grade Social Studies team has ended the year with the completion of their unit on Rome. Students were tasked with a final project which encouraged them to choose topics relating to Rome that interested them. They were then pushed to explore a series of focus questions designed to further enhance their understanding of the subject and topics they researched. We are wrapping up the year with presentations and sharing of our work. Teachers and students will continue this style of learning for next year, hoping that student driven interest will improve performance and collaboration.
World History I 8th graders concluded the year by focusing on topics relating to Medieval European history, the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Students created and completed various projects and assessments related to topics such as the Black Death, the Crusades and the great artists of the Italian Renaissance including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Next year will mark the first year of the new 8th grade Social Studies Civics curriculum which promises to be an exciting opportunity for incoming 8th grade students! We wish everyone a wonderful Summer and look forward to a bright future!
Wellness
It has been our pleasure to provide all students and families with a wide range of physical education, health education, and consumer science opportunities throughout the term three period of remote learning. While this wasn't easy for staff, students, or families, we all rose to the occasion and did things we had never done before!
Please take some time to explore all of the many resources on our Blake Wellness Website. You will find a wide range of fitness workouts led by our own physical education teachers, four months of fitness and family fun activities you can enjoy throughout the summer, nutrition tips with how-to videos, all of the consumer science class recipes you can create with your family, sport specific training tools, how social emotional learning is developed through our wellness program, and much more.
We all wish you a restful and healthy summer, doing things that bring you joy. We can't wait to see our students in the fall, and wish our 8th graders the best of everything at the high school!
Your Blake Wellness Team,
Mrs. Cowell
Mrs. McCullough
Mr. Nickerson
Mr. Woods
World Language
It’s hard to believe that the end of this crazy year is here. Summer is the perfect time to work on your language skills in an easy, casual way. As we made it through remote learning, many of us discovered that while we couldn’t replace face to face practice, there is a lot that we can do to supplement our knowledge of a second language. These are unusual times for sure. We are becoming more cognizant of the fact that learning another language and being able to identify one’s own lens and perspective is more important than ever as we make our way through life. The new state standards for world language learning are set to be released in 2021 and they will have a special new lens for examining social justice and personal biases in what we teach and learn.
https://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/Teaching-Tolerance-One-World-Spring-2017-James-Victore.jpg
The Blake Counselors wish you all a wonderful summer! To our 8th graders, we wish you well in your high school endeavors. High School will fly by, so enjoy it, stretch yourself and try new things, and be willing to change and grow. To our 6th and 7th graders, we already can't wait to see you in the fall!
Please see our summer edition of the Guidance News & Updates for each grade:
Grade 8: https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/mrs-dondero-news-and-updates/home
Grade 7:https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/guidance-news-updates/home
Grade 6: https://sites.google.com/email.medfield.net/blakeclassof2026/home
Mental Health Resources
In the event that your child needs additional support this summer, please refer to our website for a thorough list of mental health resources available to you.
https://blakeguidancepage.weebly.com/mental-health-resources.html
Please keep in mind that Medfield subscribes to a mental health referral helpline called INTERFACE. Everyone in the Medfield community has access to INTERFACE with the intent for children, adults and families to become connected with mental health and wellness resources. Please know that all information shared with INTERFACE is confidential, and client privacy is paramount.
https://interface.williamjames.edu/
HELPLINE 888-244-6843
Library
Are you excited for summer reading? We are! Check out Blake's Summer Reading 2020 for incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in the attached docs. Happy Reading!
Blake 6th Grade Summer Reading 2020
Blake 7th Grade Summer Reading 2020
Blake 8th Grade Summer Reading 2020
Blake Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations - Summer 2020
Mathematics
We hope you all have a wonderful summer and appreciate the small things. Enjoy a walk around the block, bike riding with friends, or learning a new hobby. Summer can be a great time to put your 'learning skills' to work. Learning skills include working collaboratively, attending to precision, thinking creatively, attending independently, and clearly explaining. Summertime happenings are a great way to build these up so students will be ready to transfer them to the math classroom in the fall.
The Blake Middle School math department has found it beneficial for students to work on strengthening their math skills over the summer months. We recognize this may look different for each student and will take on many different forms from visiting math websites (www.ixl.com) to completing summer skills workbooks (www.summerskills.com). We also encourage you to find math in your everyday activities -- paying with cash, playing a board game with your family, completing a DIY project, etc.
This summer the Blake math department, along with some of our special education and tech integration colleagues, will be participating in a Mathematical Mindsets course through Stanford Center for Professional Development. The course will guide us in the process of reorganizing our units of study that will allow students to learn math through experiences with problem-solving scenarios, real-life data and visual models.
The Blake Middle School math department wishes you all a fun and relaxing summer vacation!
Science
The Blake science department wishes our science students a wonderful summer full of questions about the world in which we live.
Here are some virtual field trips that you can take over the summer - they are amazing!
- Science and Nature Virtual Field Trips for Grades 3–8
- Virtual Field Trips | Interactive Field Trips
- 7 of the Best Virtual Science Field Trips
- Virtual Field Trips: Interactive Science Lesson Ideas
- Amazing & Informative Virtual Field Trips for Middle School
- 360° Virtual Field Trips
- Explorer Classroom
For those who would like to practice some science here are some links to a free program to keep those skills in good shape.
Social Studies
Sixth Grade Social Studies teachers just wrapped up a year in which we implemented Standards Based Reporting with a brand new curriculum for a brand new course entitled, Geography and World Cultures 1. Through various projects, assignments, debates, and discussions, students explored ancient history starting with the evolution of humankind and ending with the powerful dynasties that control China in the late BCE time period. As we move into next year, the teachers have discovered new ideas that will enhance and improve many of the lessons taught throughout the school year. Additionally, teachers will look into possible field trips that will enhance our understanding of ancient history. Enjoy the summer and see you in September.
The Seventh Grade Social Studies team has ended the year with the completion of their unit on Rome. Students were tasked with a final project which encouraged them to choose topics relating to Rome that interested them. They were then pushed to explore a series of focus questions designed to further enhance their understanding of the subject and topics they researched. We are wrapping up the year with presentations and sharing of our work. Teachers and students will continue this style of learning for next year, hoping that student driven interest will improve performance and collaboration.
World History I 8th graders concluded the year by focusing on topics relating to Medieval European history, the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Students created and completed various projects and assessments related to topics such as the Black Death, the Crusades and the great artists of the Italian Renaissance including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Next year will mark the first year of the new 8th grade Social Studies Civics curriculum which promises to be an exciting opportunity for incoming 8th grade students! We wish everyone a wonderful Summer and look forward to a bright future!
Wellness
It has been our pleasure to provide all students and families with a wide range of physical education, health education, and consumer science opportunities throughout the term three period of remote learning. While this wasn't easy for staff, students, or families, we all rose to the occasion and did things we had never done before!
Please take some time to explore all of the many resources on our Blake Wellness Website. You will find a wide range of fitness workouts led by our own physical education teachers, four months of fitness and family fun activities you can enjoy throughout the summer, nutrition tips with how-to videos, all of the consumer science class recipes you can create with your family, sport specific training tools, how social emotional learning is developed through our wellness program, and much more.
We all wish you a restful and healthy summer, doing things that bring you joy. We can't wait to see our students in the fall, and wish our 8th graders the best of everything at the high school!
Your Blake Wellness Team,
Mrs. Cowell
Mrs. McCullough
Mr. Nickerson
Mr. Woods
World Language
It’s hard to believe that the end of this crazy year is here. Summer is the perfect time to work on your language skills in an easy, casual way. As we made it through remote learning, many of us discovered that while we couldn’t replace face to face practice, there is a lot that we can do to supplement our knowledge of a second language. These are unusual times for sure. We are becoming more cognizant of the fact that learning another language and being able to identify one’s own lens and perspective is more important than ever as we make our way through life. The new state standards for world language learning are set to be released in 2021 and they will have a special new lens for examining social justice and personal biases in what we teach and learn.
https://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/Teaching-Tolerance-One-World-Spring-2017-James-Victore.jpg
https://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/2018-11/TT-Social-Justice-Standards-Facilitator-Guide-WEB_0.pdf
One of the very best ways to have fun with a second language on your own is to listen to shows, podcasts and watch movies. Another excellent way to improve your language skills is reading. You can choose anything that appeals to you: magazines, children's books, memes or subtitles of a show. It’s all good practice! We hope you will find something that excites you about language learning this summer. Here are some recommendations for your Blake teachers:
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
One of the very best ways to have fun with a second language on your own is to listen to shows, podcasts and watch movies. Another excellent way to improve your language skills is reading. You can choose anything that appeals to you: magazines, children's books, memes or subtitles of a show. It’s all good practice! We hope you will find something that excites you about language learning this summer. Here are some recommendations for your Blake teachers:
- Find a good, age appropriate, show/movie to watch in Spanish/French/Mandarin on your streaming services (Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Disney)
- Find children’s book “ Read Alouds” in your language
- Use Duolingo, 3x a week, 10 minutes
- Watch Soy Luna or Violetta in Spanish on Disney Plus if you have it!
- Go to your Library and see if they have any age appropriate movies/DVDs available to watch!
- French students, you can find episodes of L’Âne Trotro (and Peppa Pig!) on You Tube, as well as many other cartoons and songs in French to listen to and watch.
- Practice with Duolingo to keep those “language muscles” in great shape over the summer!
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!