TBMS Weekly Newsletter - Issue 26-27.4

Posted Date: 09/09/26 (10:14 PM)

Weekly Newsletter | September 9, 2026

Dear Bromfield Middle School Families,

We have had an excellent first five days of school. The halls have been bustling, and students are already actively engaged in building community and learning. Our 8th graders have stepped comfortably into their role as leaders of the middle school, while our 7th graders have returned with the confidence that comes from already knowing the rhythms and routines of TBMS. And our 6th graders are quickly finding their footing as middle school students - navigating new schedules, meeting new teachers, and becoming increasingly comfortable in their new school.

There is already a great deal of positive energy throughout the building, and it has been wonderful to watch our students settle into the year. We are off to a great start!

Curriculum Night

Next Thursday, September 17, is our annual Curriculum Night at TBMS! We will begin the evening at 5:30 PM in Cronin Auditorium, where all TBMS parents and caregivers are invited to join Assistant Principal Julie Horton and me for a brief welcome and overview of the evening.

Then comes the main event: parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to walk through an abridged version of their children’s schedules, spending about ten minutes in each class and getting a glimpse into the learning experiences ahead this year. Students will complete personalized Curriculum Night schedules during Advisory to bring home and help caregivers navigate the evening.

We will also be joined by representatives from our always-supportive Harvard PTO and Harvard Schools Trust. And rumor has it that the fan-favorite Bromfield Strings may even make an appearance!

I hope you will join us for a fun and informative evening and the opportunity to experience a little bit of your child’s day at TBMS.

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

Upcoming Events:

Thu, Sep 17 Curriculum Night (5:30 - 7:30 PM)
Wed, Sep 23 Half Day
Fri, Oct 2 Picture Day

Upcoming Celebrations & Observances:

Fri, Sep 11 Patriot Day (U.S.)
Sat, Sep 12 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
Mon, Sep 14 Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindi)
Tue, Sep 15 First Day of National Hispanic Heritage Month (U.S.)

WEEKLY UPDATES

SIXTH GRADE

In ELA we’re starting off with our first values inspired unit - Inclusion! This unit connects to the summer reading assignment and will also include introductions to academic skills like studying, annotating, and classroom routines.

One key classroom routine in 6th grade ELA is independent reading. Each class period begins with silent reading in order to build reading stamina and vocabulary. Additionally, independent reading books are used to practice skills daily during a writing warmup and doing discussions / projects. Please support this practice by ensuring your child has an independent reading book. We have a bunch in our classroom library, but may not have something that is of high interest for each child. If you need support with this, please let me know!

SEVENTH GRADE

In social studies, the week started with an introduction to the Five Themes of Geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. This serves as a foundation for our first unit of the year when we learn the skills and concepts to be good geographers.

In addition to academic support, we have used FLEX to complete a survey about our personal preferences and needs, meet with Mr. Hudder as a class in the auditorium, and begin our first round of STAR testing.

EIGHTH GRADE

Grade 8 students have done a wonderful job of productively using homeroom advisory and Flex to build strong work habits and to welcome each other. This week in Flex, we are having math and English STAR testing to help support students. We also will have a gradewide assembly. Finally, on Friday, September 11, in Flex, we will participate in a tribute service project. It is our first community service action of the year. Students will write cards of gratitude to first responders in the community to thank them for their service. The cards will be delivered to local police, fire, and EMT first responders. This is the way we begin the eighth grade year of service called Project 351, a statewide youth service corps. Part of the service club year happens in Flex, and we also have a formal service club -- all grade eight students are invited to the Project 351 Club, too, and the first club meeting is this Friday, September 11, 2026, in the grade eight English language arts (room 338). Please reach out to Ms. Hodgens, the Project 351 Club advisor, with any questions at chodgens@psharvard.org. Thank you for your ongoing support of Project 351.

In English language arts, students are participating in icebreaker activities including wagon wheels and bingo games. We have a word of the day each day -- a great way to connect with your student is to ask them the words of the day. So far, our words have been gallivant, brazen, and aftermath. We are studying grammar, and each word of the day is noted for its part of speech. Finally, all students are analyzing poetry and their summer reading choice text to create a colorful culmination poster on a subject and theme in their summer reading text. Our first whole class novel of the year is Steinbeck’s The Pearl, which we will begin next week.

All TBMS students are invited to join the Project 351 Club. It is a community service club. The first club meeting is this Friday, September 11, 2026, in the grade eight English language arts (room 338). Please reach out to Ms. Hodgens, the Project 351 Club advisor, with any questions at chodgens@psharvard.org. Thank you for your ongoing support of Project 351.

UNIFIED ARTS

We are getting back into the swing of things in band—no pun intended! Over the past few weeks, all of our bands have been reviewing notation, rhythms, and the expectations for positive rehearsal etiquette.

6th Grade Band is diving into the exciting world of instruments! Students are being introduced to the different instrument families and are choosing the instrument they’ll be playing for the rest of the year.

7th & 8th Grade Band are getting back into our regular routine of scales, warm-ups, and ensemble playing. We’ll be diving into some new music very soon—yay, practicing!

As always, if caregivers or guardians have any questions about the instrument rental process, reeds, valve oil, or general instrument upkeep, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at etrainor@psharvard.org. Instrument rentals and supplies such as reeds, valve oil, and other essentials can also be found through David French Music.

Happy music-making, and happy September!

PTO NEWS AND EVENTS

The 4th Annual Harvard Schools PTO Pickleball Tournament Registration is OPEN.

Join us Sunday, September 20th 8:30 am to 3:00 pm at the Bromfield courts. Open to adults of all skill levels (open doubles), kids (10 -12) and teens (13+). Registration closes when all spots are filled. Grab a partner and sign up today for this fun and casual, round robin into elimination style tournament. In addition to supporting a great cause, bracket winners will take home prizes including swag from our sponsor the Marcus Lewis Racquet Club and eternal bragging rights. Register now at harvardpto.org. Questions to danakoliver@gmail.com. Raindate: October 18th.

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,