Weekly Newsletter | October 21, 2024 |
Dear Bromfield Middle School Families,
I hope you and your families are enjoying this unseasonably warm weather. As we are exactly four months after the Summer Solstice, today’s sunshine is equivalent to that on February 21 - and yet, we were in the upper 70s today. Enjoy while it lasts!
I want to highlight two exciting upcoming opportunities for some of our students:
- For Grades 7-8 Students: Spooky Dance on Friday, 10/25
- For Grade 8 Students: Monty Tech Visit on Monday, 10/28
Details for both events can be found in the announcements later in this newsletter.
SIP Topic #4: Anti-bullying, Anti-harassment, & Anti-bias
Having already discussed the three School Improvement Plan topics under the heading of Dynamic Learning, I now shift to those under Sense of Belonging. Specifically, this SIP area is about resetting our school culture around bullying, harassment, and bias. As I have discussed previously, I have learned about the highly problematic and harmful incidents that occurred at our school in the past - particularly last spring. These incidents were the result of students’ choices. As a result, it is clear that we as a community need to help our students learn to make better choices - choices that respect the dignity and rights of all other individuals.
We have therefore undertaken to implement a comprehensive anti-bullying, anti-harassment, anti-bias education program at TBMS. We kicked off this work in the summer, when all TBMS faculty and staff took part in the first of a series of trainings on these topics. Then, during the first week of school, I met with each grade as a whole to make clear our values and responsibilities to each other. Since that time, teachers have used Flex time to conduct lessons on related topics using the Wayfinder curriculum. This work will continue to be a focus throughout the school year - and beyond. Please be on the lookout for parent/caregiver-specific opportunities to support this work at home.
Finally, conferences will be here before we know it. This year they are being held on 11/14 and 11/21. You receive information on signing up through "Pick a Time" online soon. Stay tuned!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mr. Daniel Hudder
Bromfield Middle School Principal |
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WEEKLY UPDATES
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SEVENTH GRADE
Seventh graders, in Math, have been learning about percents and how to solve them using proportions and equations. They learned about Percent Change, Percent Error, Percent Markups and Markdowns (tax, tip, discounts), and will be learning about Simple Interest. They will be starting Part 3 of their Food Trucks soon, which focuses on the percents we have been learning about in this unit, and using their Food Truck Menus to take orders from their classmates.
In Flex, seventh graders participated in conversations and activities related to bullying and took their Star Renaissance Diagnostic tests in Math and ELA. We are also working collaboratively together in our flex groups to design and decorate a pumpkin in a friendly competition against each other.
Decorating will start the week of 10/21-10/25, and we thank everyone for any supplies they are donating to this activity.
As the weather gets cooler please remind your student to bring appropriate layers to school for going outside. The students have the opportunity to go outside during lunch and also during our common time.
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EIGHTH GRADE
In English Language Arts, students’ command of annotative close reading continues to flourish as our learners hone a mature prose style. Looking for literary strategies to talk about at your residence? All students are showing focus and determination as they master the concepts of diction, denotation, connotation, syntax, tone, mood, imagery, sensory details, concrete language, simile, metaphor, personification, repetition, allusion, and anecdote. Independent reading novels; our whole class novella, The Pearl; and a milestone painting by Tamiji Kitagawa, titled “Mexican Landscape” -- these are the texts students analyzed in the past week to read, write, think, and speak with confidence and depth about main ideas and themes.
In homeroom, we passed out a field trip permission slip. It is for a visit to Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School on Monday, October 28. Students will learn about the education the school provides. Please return the permission slip to the homeroom/Flex teacher by next Tuesday, October 22. In Flex, students prioritized and identified ongoing classwork and completed it for their courses this week.
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UNIFIED ARTS
This month in the band world we are diving into the pieces we will be doing for our winter concerts! Both middle school and high school are working on pieces that have different tempos and keys. This means that during warm ups we might play at different speeds and will practice different scales to prepare us for the individual songs. Specifically, in 6th grade we played one of our first melodies as a whole band, Hot Cross Buns! This week also marks the first official meeting of the Tri-M Music National Honor Society! Students 6-12 will be working on promoting a spirit week for the HS Jazz concert on Oct. 30th. Students can still apply if they would like - applications in Miss Trainor’s room.
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WORLD LANGUAGE
Spanish heritage month lasts from September 15th-October 15th, an annual international celebration honoring diverse cultures of the Spanish speaking community. In middle school Spanish 1A and 1B with El Profesor Burokas, students chose cultural artifacts to explore, research, and share with the class. After weeks of preparation both in and out of the classroom, students gave dynamic presentations loaded with information about topics such as hispanic flags, history, music, dance, and food. Some students even showed off their culinary skills by cooking or hand making a traditional dish to share with the class (some of which were traditional family recipes). Many delicious treats were enjoyed including gallo pinto, dulce de leche, alfajores, arroz con leche condensada, and churros! Thanks to all who contributed! And please check out the pictures!
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COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS
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Grade 7-8 Students Only:
The Spooky Dance will take place this Friday, October 25, 7-9 PM. Tix are only $5. Costumes are optional.
Costume Guidelines - for both this event and Halloween Day at school.
• School rules regarding dress code must be followed: Nothing that promotes the use of illegal substances or activities or are derogatory, disrespectful, or depict violence.
• ALL costume preparations to be completed at home. (No dressing or applying of make-up or colored hairspray once students arrive at school).
• No face-paint.
• No blow-up costumes.
• No props of any kind.
• Students or parents who have questions about the acceptability of their costume should check with their homeroom teacher prior to wearing the costume to school.
• Students wearing inappropriate costumes will need to call home to have a change of clothes brought to them. PARENTS/CAREGIVERS: Please help support an appropriate, distraction-free learning environment for all students by assuring that your student adheres to these guidelines.
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Dear 8th Graders and Parents/Caregivers:
On Monday, October 28, 2024 8th grade students will be visiting Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School. The bus will leave Bromfield at 10:45 AM and return around 2:30 PM in time for dismissal. All students will tour the school and visit many of the technical programs that are offered. Lunch will be provided. Students are welcome to bring their own lunch if preferred. The 8th grade teachers along with Counselor Kim Faulconer will be attending the field trip as well.
Please complete this form and return it to school by October 22, 2024.
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The Board of Health is hosting Community Listening Sessions as an opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback on the utilization of the opioid settlement funds in the Town of Harvard. These listening sessions aim to share survey findings and gather additional understandings of community needs. There are 2 sessions left:
Session 2: Young Adults (Ages 18-24)Virtual Session (via Zoom) on Tuesday, October 22 from 7:00pm-8:00pm EST
Session 3: Parents and Aging Adults
In-person at the Harvard Council on Aging (16 Lancaster County Rd, Harvard, MA 01451) on Wednesday, October 23 from 4:30pm-5:30pm EST
Please use this link to RSVP to a listening session: tinyurl.com/HarvardListen
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TOWN-WIDE BOOK READ WITH THE AUTHOR
Sola Mahfouz’s Defiant Dreams
UU FELLOWSHIP HALL
NOVEMBER 15 AT 7PM
Join Arm in Arm for a discussion and book signing with the author. Please register online. Purchase your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/46kyb79Z
See attached flyer.
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THE BROMFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Daniel Hudder, Principal
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| 14 Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard MA, 01451 | (978) 456 - 4145 |
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