TBMS Weekly Newsletter - Issue 26-27.11

Dear Bromfield Middle School Families, 

As we head into the final days of October, I hope everyone is looking forward to a little extra sleep this weekend! Daylight Saving Time comes to an end early Sunday morning, November 1, so don't forget to set your clocks back an hour. In the meantime, a few reminders as we wrap up October and head into November.

Students are welcome and encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to school tomorrow, Friday, October 30, if they wish. As with last week's Halloween Dance, costumes must be school-appropriate. They may not include violent or sexual imagery, references to drugs or alcohol, or anything that covers the face. Costumes should also allow students to participate fully and safely in their classes and other school activities. We look forward to seeing some creativity and Halloween spirit throughout the building!

The temperatures are dropping, but that doesn't mean we're heading indoors for Common Time! We will continue to bring students outside whenever the weather allows, as the opportunity to get some fresh air, move around, and spend time with friends is an important part of the school day. I strongly encourage families to make sure students come to school prepared for the weather, particularly with layers and appropriate outerwear. A chilly morning can turn into a pleasant afternoon (or vice versa), so having options is always a good idea.

Believe it or not, we are approaching the end of the first quarter! Quarter 1 closes next Friday, November 6. I encourage students to take some time over the coming week to check PowerSchool and Google Classroom, make sure they are caught up on assignments, and address any missing work. It's also a great opportunity to check in with teachers if they have questions or need support. Let's finish the first quarter strong!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Bromfield Middle School Principal

Upcoming Events:

Upcoming Celebrations & Observances:

If you have an announcement, event, reminder, or other information you would like included in the newsletter, please email your request to mscarborough@psharvard.org. We’d love to help share your news with The Bromfield Middle School community!

In science, sixth-grade students have been investigating three important physical properties of matter: mass, volume, and density. Students have been learning how to measure mass, determine the volume of regular and irregular objects, and use these measurements to calculate and understand density.

Looking ahead: On Thursday, October 29th, students will have a quiz covering mass, volume, and density. Students should review their class notes, practice using the formulas we have learned, and make sure they understand how these three properties relate to one another.

After our quiz, we will use our understanding of density to transition into our next unit: Rock Cycle. Students will investigate the characteristics of minerals, explore how different types of rocks form, and take an in-depth look at the rock cycle. 

During FLEX, our sixth-grade students are getting creative with a gratitude-themed decorating contest! Students are working together to bring this theme to life with thoughtful, colorful, imaginative decorations that celebrate the people, experiences, and small things that make our school community special. Some students are even incorporating fun Halloween and Thanksgiving imagery into their gratitude-themed doors, blending seasonal creativity with messages of appreciation and thankfulness.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to collaborate, express themselves, and reflect on what they are grateful for. We look forward to seeing their creativity shine and watching our school community become a little brighter through kindness, teamwork, and gratitude!

Africa’s physical geography has been the focus of social studies during the past week. Students are completing outline maps of Africa’s regions and major physical features while also exploring the continent’s climate zones through a modified Google Earth activity. In the coming weeks, we will investigate the ancient civilizations of Sub-Saharan Africa through stories, artifacts, and written records.

FLEX periods have focused on different core subjects, providing opportunities for enrichment, academic support, and content review.

On Monday, October 26th, students went to Monty Tech for a field trip! Monty Tech is a vocational school that is an option for some students to go to. For more information, please reach out to our School Counselor, Kim Faulconer. Students had an academic flex on Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, students practiced how to add and subtract integers (positive or negative whole numbers) by playing integer war. This is a very fun game that can even be played at home - ask your student for more information! Friday’s flex will help students become organized. We will read a story together about a hypothetical student who is disorganized and brainstorm strategies to help that student become more organized. Then, we will practice this in real-time by providing students with time in flex to organize themselves (backpacks, binders, etc…).

Autumn greetings from Chorus and Theatre classes at TBMS!

The choruses have all been adding to their collection of warmups and exercises with new (and familiar) "spooky" rounds and tunes. Sixth grade continues to work toward facility with solfege hand-signs, and all ensembles continue to build their mastery of solfege syllables in both major and minor modes. We are working diligently through our repertoire, focusing on pitches, rhythms, and text while also maintaining good vocal and choral habits. These include posture, vowel-shape, balance, and phrasing. 7th and 8th grade choruses are being challenged to sing some 3-part divisi within their music, and have risen to this challenge beautifully. We look forward to sharing all of their hard work with the community at the Choral Winter Concert on 12/16 at 6:30 pm in our auditorium!

Theatre classes have been reading, studying, and acting out scenes from a play-adaptation of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - considered to be America's first ghost story. We have very much enjoyed discussing the mystery of the plight of Ichabod Crane! We will be wrapping up this unit with a walk through Harvard's Center Cemetery to observe stones of those buried between 1780s-mid 1800s - the time of Washington Irving's life, and the story itself. 

The PTO is a membership-based volunteer organization for HES and TBS. Our primary goals are to raise money to support the student experience, and create programs in support of our teachers, staff, and community, such as Teacher and Staff Appreciation. With the help of critical annual membership donations, we fund over $25K of teacher and staff-requested grants each school year, for stuff like $1K towards field trips for each grade, library books, scholarships, and much more.  Please consider joining or renewing your membership today!

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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Harvard Public Schools are seeking feedback on our School Nutrition Program. Your feedback is appreciated and helps us to improve the breakfast and lunch programs in our schools!  Feedback from last year's survey was taken and implemented in our cafeterias.  We are collecting responses from October 19th to November 6th.  Please tell us what you like and how we can improve!

Superstar Productions is excited to announce their Bromfield Middle School Winter Musical: Shrek the Musical Jr. This will be open for students in grades 6-8. Rehearsal process takes place November through the end of January, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00-5:30pm.

Auditions November 10th. Performances January 29th-31st.