TBMS Weekly Newsletter - Issue 25-26.17

Posted Date: 12/19/25 (09:23 AM)

Weekly Newsletter | December 19, 2025

Dear Bromfield Middle School Families,

Thank You, TBMS Community

Our Project 351 Food Drive has officially wrapped up, and I’m thrilled to share that together we collected just over 2,070 pounds of food in support of Loaves & Fishes - exceeding our goal and setting a new record. That is more than one ton of food, and a powerful example of our community coming together to support others.

A special shoutout to the Class of 2030 (grade 8), who contributed the largest share of donations. Thank you to all of our students, families, and staff, and especially to the Project 351 Club and their advisor, Ms. Hodgens, for their leadership and persistence. Please be sure to read their note in the Community Info section below, which speaks to the impact of this collective effort.

Bravo to Our Choral Musicians

On Wednesday evening, our TBS Winter Choral Concert was delightful. Our student singers delivered wonderful performances; they should be very proud of their continued growth as musicians. I particularly enjoyed the finale, when all of our choral musicians came together on stage to perform “Sleigh Ride” - a festive and fitting conclusion that highlighted the strength of our choral program. Congratulations to TBS chorus teacher Ms. Sarah Rutkiewicz and accompanist extraordinaire Mr. Nik Hunt for their leadership of this work.

I also want to acknowledge Fanfare, our parent music booster organization, which continues to provide crucial support for our music program. Fanfare has launched its annual Winter Concert Fundraising Drive, with this year’s goal focused on purchasing ensemble folders to help students organize and care for their music. Their support last year for instrument repairs made a real difference, and we’re grateful for their ongoing partnership. More information can be found in the Community Info section below.

On Devices and Screens

I want to take a moment to address student use of school-issued iPads and MacBooks and to share a few steps we are taking to reinforce clear, consistent expectations around their use. Thank you to those who have reached out and shared their concerns.

Technology plays an important role in learning at TBMS, and its purpose in school is clear: to support instruction, creativity, and academic growth. When devices are used in ways that distract from learning, undermine safety, or expose students to inappropriate or harmful content, that use is not acceptable. We are addressing these situations directly as they arise and are also reviewing our supervision practices and expectations to ensure they remain strong and responsive.

As a proactive step, all school-issued devices (iPads and MacBooks) will be collected from students prior to the upcoming December break and will remain at school. Students will not be taking school devices home during this and future school vacations. Breaks are meant to be breaks - no schoolwork is assigned - and this approach allows students to fully unplug while removing the need for families to monitor school-issued devices during that time.

When devices are returned after the break, we will take that opportunity to explicitly reset expectations with students around appropriate, responsible, and respectful use. This will include continued instruction and conversation around digital citizenship, online behavior, and the impact shared content can have on others.

Thank you, as always, for partnering with us in this work. Supporting students in developing healthy boundaries and responsible habits around technology is a shared responsibility, and one we take seriously as a school community.

Enjoy!

With the short week next week, this is the last TBMS Newsletter of 2025! Wishing everyone a restful break and a wonderful New Year.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mr. Daniel Hudder
Bromfield Middle School Principal

Upcoming Events:

Tue, Dec 23 Half Day
Dec 24 - Jan 4 School vacation
Mon, Jan 5 Return to school
Fri, Jan 9 Grade 7-8 Winter Dance

Upcoming Celebrations & Observances:

Sun, Dec 21 Last Night of Hanukkah (Jewish)
Sun, Dec 14 Winter Solstice
Wed, Dec 24 Christmas Eve (Christian)
Thu, Dec 25 Christmas Day (Christian)
Fri, Dec 26 First Day of Kwanzaa
Tue, Dec 30 Asarah B’Tevet (Jewish)
Wed, Dec 31 New Year’s Eve
Thu, Jan 1 New Year’s Day
Tue, Jan 6 Epiphany (Christian)
Wed, Jan 7 Orthodox Christmas Day (Orthodox Christian)

WEEKLY UPDATES

SIXTH GRADE

In 6th-grade social studies, we have begun a long-standing tradition at Bromfield. We have just introduced our Egyptian Artifact project. Students choose an existing Egyptian Artifact that can be found at a museum such as the MET in New York, the MFA in Boston, the Smithsonian, or even one of the Cairo Museum's collections. Students will spend time in class doing all of the research and project preparation so that they can give a presentation of their artifact beginning on January 13. These presentations are roughly three to five minutes long, and there is a template posted on Google Classroom (as well as model examples and a video tutorial) on how to structure the presentation. Students will also be creating a placard in class that tells the details of the artifact. The model that the student creates and their placard will be on display in the Bromfield library beginning in mid-January and will remain on display into February. We name this exhibit the Tuttle Museum in honor of former social studies teacher Sharlene Tuttle who introduced this project.

This is a timely newsletter in that I have been looking for an opportunity to explain the outside of school work that students should be doing. The model of the artifact is something that students will be creating entirely outside of school time. I always like to introduce this project a bit before the holiday break in case some students would like to tinker with their project on vacation during those "I'm bored, what are we doing today" days that may occur. This is of course not mandatory to do during vacation, but some people like to take advantage of that time. It is perfectly acceptable for students to have help and guidance on the model, just as long as they are playing an active role in the process. Please speak to your child about what activities are to be supervised during construction. I always recommend that if something is either sharp or hot, they should have adult supervision. For families that love to hit museums, I always recommend choosing an artifact at the MFA so that you might take a trip there to do some in-person research during the break.

Another date to put on the calendar for social studies is the Zoom concert with social studies song-writer Mr. Nicky, which will occur in the Bromfield auditorium on January 5th during Flex and into C period. Mr. Nicky will do a concert and also write a song with the students on something they are currently studying (Egypt, of course for now). After our Egypt unit, we will be collaborating with Profé Burokas to work on a small unit on the people of the ancient Americas. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

SEVENTH GRADE

In Math this week, seventh graders are wrapping up their unit on Expressions and will take a quiz before break. Students have been learning how to combine like terms by adding, subtracting, factoring, and expanding linear expressions using mathematical properties. This work places us in the heart of our Pre-Algebra units. After the break, students will begin solving linear equations algebraically, progressing from one-step equations to multi-step equations with one variable. They will also explore special cases that result in one solution, no solution, or infinitely many solutions when variables appear on both sides of an equation. This learning builds directly on our previous units focused on operations with rational numbers and simplifying expressions using properties.

During Flex, seventh graders have been busy rehearsing for their chorus concert, completing winter STAR testing in ELA and Math, and using academic flex time to catch up on assignments. We would also like to thank everyone who contributed food donations to the Project 351 Food Drive.

As the weather continues to get colder, please remind your student to bring appropriate layers to school. Students may go outside during lunch and common time, so warm clothing is encouraged.

EIGHTH GRADE

In math this week, students wrapped up their linear functions unit where they learned about the following objectives:

Identify whether a relation is a function.
Identify whether a function is linear or nonlinear.
Find the domain and range of a function.
Evaluate functions using inputs and outputs.
Describe and interpret linear graphs.
Compare linear functions to the parent function f(x)=x.
Explain how changes in equations transform graphs.

We also began the first lesson of our upcoming unit, linear association and sequences, by using twizzlers to create, analyze, and compare data to other classmates. Students discussed whether or not their data relates to a linear function and had meaningful discussions with peers regarding how their data may differ from another’s.

Furthermore, students created a line of best fit for their data. By using twizzlers, students engage in an exploratory lesson that connects prior taught topics from our previous unit, to a new learning objective: linear association via linear regression.

In flex, students had a few days for academic time. Students in chorus also had an opportunity to attend a rehearsal for their concert on Wednesday, December 17th. On Tuesday and Friday, students took the STAR assessment for math & ELA.

Last Friday during common time, 8th graders helped carry out a sea of donations for the food drive to the ramp that was collected by Loaves and Fishes. Please see the message in the Community Info section below.

UNIFIED ARTS

Thank you so much for joining us at our Winter Concerts! I am incredibly proud of our students and truly impressed by the musicianship they demonstrated on stage. The concert was a wonderful reflection of their hard work and dedication!

Students showed how much they care about band by practicing at home, fixing tricky notes and rhythms, and supporting one another as an ensemble. Their focus, confidence, and effort were evident in every performance, and it was exciting to see how much they have grown as musicians.

As we move into the remainder of the semester, students will begin exploring new music while also playing fun games that reinforce the skills and concepts we’ve learned so far!

PTO NEWS AND EVENTS

Join us for a guided DIY crafting night open to the community to celebrate the change of season.

Hildreth Elementary School Cafeteria

27 Mass Ave, Harvard, MA 01451

Thursday December 11th, 6:30-8:30pm

This lantern is perfect as a heartfelt gift or a meaningful keepsake for the winter solstice. What to bring? A glass jar and a creative spirit!

$15 Donation: All Proceeds go to the Harvard Public Schools PTO to support curriculum enrichment as well as school resources.

Looking for a way to say "thank you" to the amazing teachers and staff at TBS during this month of gratitude?! We've got a couple great options:

1) "Buy Your Teacher a Coffee"! Donate here to keep your teacher running during this crazy time of year.

2) Donate KCups for the breakroom so your teacher can refresh their beverage of choice.

HES: DONATE HERE

TBMS & TBHS: DONATE HERE

You are also welcome to purchase items at your preferred grocer and drop items off to Stacey Kenneally's home 55 Ann Lees Rd, Harvard, 01451 There will be a labeled plastic bin outside the front door.

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Dear Community Members,

Thank you so much to each grade level for your support of this year's Project 351 Club/Class of 2030 Loaves & Fishes food drive.

We exceeded our goal and raised more food than ever before: 2071.3 pounds.

That new record is over one ton of food.

Each ounce, each pound donated is crucial -- truly, each and every grade level wins. Why? We offset winter hunger in our immediate area, in a state where 1 in 8 children faces hunger.

Thank you.

Project 351 Club/Class of 2030

Fanfare is holding its annual Winter Concert Fundraising Drive. We hope to support our music teachers with several requests this year. Our current drive will raise funds to purchase student ensemble folders to organize their music. Last year’s drive to fund school instrument repairs was a huge success. Thank you, and please continue to support music in our schools!

https://www.fanfareformusic.org/

CHRISTMAS TREE SALES ARE OPEN!

Harvard Town Common

Bromfield Baseball is excited to kick off our annual Christmas tree sale at the Harvard Town Common! Trees will be available over the next few weeks, stop by and pick yours out anytime.

Grab-n-Go Sales