Weekly Newsletter | March 20, 2026
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Dear Bromfield Middle School Families,
My apologies for the delay in this week’s newsletter. Along with a team of fellow TBMS educators, I spent the past two days at the annual New England League of Middle Schools Conference, making for a particularly full and thought-provoking week. We engaged in learning around tiered intervention practices, school culture, data use to support student achievement, and the opportunities and challenges of AI. We look forward to bringing this learning back to TBMS and putting it into practice, and I will share more in the weeks ahead.
Two quick but important announcements for this week:
Harvard Festival of Cultures
I want to share an upcoming event that I hope many of our families will consider attending. On Tuesday, March 24, from 5:30–7:00 PM, Harvard will host its Festival of Cultures, organized by the BIPOC Family Advisory Group. This event is a celebration of the rich diversity within our community and is an opportunity for families to come together, share traditions, and learn from one another. It promises to be a wonderful evening; I hope to see you there!
Lost and Found
A quick call for students and families to check the lost and found, located in the cafeteria and gym. There are many items that have accumulated over the past several weeks. We encourage students to take a few minutes to look for any missing belongings. Any items not claimed by the end of the month will be donated.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mr. Daniel Hudder
Bromfield Middle School Principal
Upcoming Events:
Mar 27-29 TBS production of Mamma Mia! Fri, Apr 3 No school Wed, Apr 8 Half day Fri, Apr 10, 7:00-9:00 PM TBMS Glow Dance (grades 6-8) Wed Apr 15 Half day Apr 20-24 April break
Upcoming Celebrations & Observances:
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WEEKLY UPDATES
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SIXTH GRADE
Sixth-grade math students have been exploring relationships between geometric shapes by working hands-on with paper rectangles, parallelograms, triangles, and trapezoids. By cutting, flipping, and rearranging these shapes, students discovered how their areas are connected.
Rather than simply memorizing formulas, students experienced how area formulas come from rearranging shapes while keeping the amount of space the same. This hands-on approach helps deepen understanding and build strong mathematical reasoning.
Students are also applying this knowledge by solving problems that include both real-world situations and drawings of geometric shapes, helping them connect these concepts to practical examples.
Next, sixth graders will extend this thinking into three dimensions as they investigate the surface area and volume of 3-dimensional shapes.
The sixth-grade team wanted to share an important update to the sixth-grade daily schedule.
Beginning now, students will have lunch from 12:30 to 1:00 PM. Because of the later lunchtime, we are asking that all students bring a small snack to eat during a short break at 10:10 AM to help them stay energized and focused throughout the morning.
Additionally, Common Time will continue, but it has been moved to a new time. It will now take place from 12:15 to 12:30 PM instead of 11:45 to 11:55 AM.
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SEVENTH GRADE
Seventh grade English students are practicing the fundamentals of a comparative essay. Students were presented with the question: what characteristics help individuals to become successful scientists? Students then selected an article about a scientist from biography.com to compare to William Kamkwamba from our class text The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. Over the past week, students have been busy developing an essay central idea, collecting evidence, and completing graphic organizers.
To prepare for essay revisions, students viewed a released MCAS essay prompt from 2019 that asked seventh graders, after reading a passage, to explain the traits that made Isaac Newton a great scientist. Seventh graders analyzed a strong sample essay that presents a strong central idea, clear organization, insightful quote section and explanation, and effective transitions. Using this model, they are revising their own essays prior to submission.
In Flex this week, seventh graders have a mixture of SEL, academic support, and ELA plus. As a follow-up to last week’s lesson on snarky comments and microaggressions, students will work through case studies to identify why a comment is mean, snarky or a microaggression and how both a victim and an upstander could react when overhearing such comments.
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EIGHTH GRADE
In English language arts, students are focusing on what makes a great essay and what makes a great comparison essay. To practice the fundamentals of a single source essay, students drafted and designed a five paragraph response on Paul Dunbar’s “Sympathy”. The essays are rooted in START introductions -- they’re two or three sentences long. They include the subject, the author’s name, the title, a roadmap, and a theme. Meanwhile, we also practiced what makes a great comparison essay with the “START with a C” paradigm. In a comparison essay, the introduction includes both authors and both titles, along with a common subject, roadmap, and theme; writers also invoke a comparison word such as comparable, common, similarly, or shared. We practiced writing a comparison essay after practicing comparison graphic organizer approaches. The sources for the comparison essay are excerpts from Kanefield’s Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America and Miranda and McCarther’s “The Election of 1800” from Hamilton: The Revolution, and students will finish the comparison essay in Flex. Next, they will continue to focus their reader radar as they read the first chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird with a lens on how the author tells a story of a friendship.
In Flex last week, students had a math tier-two lesson on concepts including square roots, the laws of exponents, the Pythagorean Theorem formula, and simplification of algebraic expressions. On the three academic support Flex days last week, they practiced time management and setting priorities across classes as they used the first four minutes of each Flex to silently organize their most important goals for the day. Finally, students participated in a wellness walk and reflective journal activity this past Monday. They thought and wrote about what they are noticing and loved the chance to enjoy the first signs of spring.
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UNIFIED ARTS
Health classes are exploring crucial real-world topics with enthusiasm! Sixth graders have just begun their safety units. In our last class, students brainstormed ways to stay safe in different settings – at home, at school, playing a sport, or out in public. We discussed these safety precautions further and emphasized the importance of being self-aware and vigilant. In the next coming weeks we will discuss both online safety and the dangers of tobacco and vape products.
Seventh and eighth graders are onto their nutrition units! They took pre-tests to assess their prior knowledge and they have expressed an eagerness to further explore! Seventh graders are busting common myths we tend to hear about food and our bodies. In the next coming weeks we will have a nutrition scavenger hunt and research various cultural cuisines, which will lead us to our next project!
Eighth graders are getting down to the science of nutrition. We are taking time to deeply investigate the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. We are exploring their benefits, functions, and highlighting nutrient dense food sources! After two years of middle school health behind them, these students are ready to learn about fad diets, disordered eating and how to best fuel their teenage bodies in the weeks to come!
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PTO NEWS AND EVENTS
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Use THIS LINK to pre-order your BINGO cards!
Harvard Public Schools PTO – Annual Spring Soirée Fundraiser (2026)
Theme: School Spirit!
Get ready for a fun night out with friends, neighbors, and the Harvard school community! The Harvard Public Schools PTO invites you to our Annual Spring Soirée Fundraiser—a high-energy evening celebrating School Spirit while raising critical funds for PTO programs that support our students and teachers all year long.
Wear your favorite school colors, college gear, spirit wear, or your best “school pride” look and join us for a night of food, drinks, and fundraising for a great cause.
Friday, May 29, 2026
5:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Craft Food Halls, Boxborough
Tickets on sale now!
Buy early and save! https://secure.givelively.org/event/harvard-pto-inc/2026-pto-spring-soiree-tickets
$100 Early Bird (Feb 23 – April 13)
$115 Regular Price (April 14 – May 15)
The PTO supports the whole Harvard Public School community. Even when your children transition to TBMS and TBS, the PTO is still hard at work supporting them! From academic enrichment and classroom resources to student programs and special events, PTO-funded grants make a real impact at every grade level. We invite all school community members to be part of this work. Curious how PTO funds are used? Check out recently funded grants here. Ready to make a difference today? Join the PTO and help continue these valuable programs by becoming a member here. Want to get involved, or have questions? Email info@harvardpto.org
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COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS
Each month the Board of Directors for the Harvard Schools Trust (HST) grants funds to the Harvard Public School Community. At our February meeting we voted to fund the following grant:
Support for the Preschool End of Year field trip requested by Lauren Campanello
 Please join the Harvard Schools Trust. We invite you to become a member and help support enrichment for the young people of Harvard. Without members and donors we cannot grant funds to support teachers and students of the Harvard Public Schools. To become a member, click here. You can find more information about HST here.
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The Harvard Ultimate Club, or HUC, is a high school ultimate frisbee team located in Harvard Massachusetts that strives to promote the rapidly growing sport of Ultimate within our community and to enhance a sense of camaraderie, competition and the spirit of sportsmanship in young athletes. Open to students in grades 6 - 12 Website
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Upcoming family-relevant events at Fivesparks:
Fundraiser: Save Our Schools: March for Our Lives presented by area artist Lisa Nelson. Art silent auction in the Fivesparks Loft March 7-21. Charity Fundraiser Reception March 21, 7pm. 10th Annual Bloom N Art Show in partnership with the Garden Club of Harvard, and the HES and TBS art departments. View student artwork paired with amazing floral interpretations. Saturday March 28, 10am-4pm, Sunday March 29, 12-4pm.
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Join the annual Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry Walk for Hunger on May 3rd from 1–3 PM!
This community event is more than just a walk, it’s a powerful way to stand alongside neighbors facing food insecurity and make a tangible difference right here at home. Every step taken and every dollar raised helps provide healthy, nutritious food to individuals and families in need.
Whether you walk as a team, with family, or on your own, your participation matters. Lace up your sneakers, invite a friend, and be part of something meaningful on May 3rd. Together, we can help ensure no one in our community goes hungry.
Register here: Register - Loaves & Fishes Walk to Feed Our Neighbors
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As part of our commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across our district, we continue to prioritize meaningful family and community engagement that promotes the learning and growth of all students and the success of all staff. We are excited to invite you to join us for Harvard’s Festival of Cultures, hosted by the BIPOC Family Advisory Group, on Tuesday, March 24, from 5:30–7:00 PM. This family event celebrates the rich diversity of our community and depends on family participation to make it a success.
If you are interested in hosting a table, sign up here: https://forms.gle/T9UYXs2DK6qcyGRt8.
If you are interested in performing, sign up here: https://forms.gle/U4xziy15LtYMgMFv9.
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Pre-register for Comprehensive Curbside Composting with Black Earth Compost
Only a few more pre-registrations are needed for this service to open in Harvard. Black Earth accepts all food scraps including meat, bones, dairy, fish, shells, oils, cooked foods, processed foods, and certified compostable tableware. Many add-on services are available including for yard waste, plastic film, coffee pods, and styrofoam. The cost is $94.99 for curbside pickup every other week for 6 months. A one time cost for your bin and starter bags is $39.50. Please visit www.blackearthcompost.com for more information and to pre-register. Thank you, the Harvard Climate Initiative.
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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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