Dear Middle School Parents,
In this newsletter, you will find a video of yesterday’s Parent Coffee about how to support your child during next week’s assessments, as well as an announcement about the ABCD Head Start gift drive; information about our special screening of Screenagers; and updates for the week ahead.
Have a good weekend,
Will
News and Announcements
Parent Coffee Re-Cap––Yesterday morning, Liz West, Amy Corral and Will Crissman shared some perspectives on our Assessment Week, how and why we structure the week the way we do, and how to best support your child(ren) through the week. In case you missed the presentation, click here to watch it.
Holiday Gifts for ABCD Early Head Start are due by Tuesday, December 6—Through their advisories, students were assigned children and chose to either purchase individual items for their assigned child (Early Head Start requests new clothing), or to make cash donations to classmates who will make the purchases. Details about the delivery of gifts can be found in The Week Ahead section below. Contact Carrie Ferrin with any questions.
Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, Tuesday, December 13, 5 p.m., King Theatre––Last week, you received an invitation to join us for a special screening of the documentary Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age. We hope you will make every effort to attend. Students are invited as well. Refreshments will be provided following the film.
Elizabeth Englander Presentation, Thursday, January 12, 6:30 p.m., Thacher—Elizabeth Englander, director of MARC (Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center) and a psychologist will discuss online safety and digital citizenship. Mark your calendar, also, for a presentation by Maria Trozzi on Thursday, February 2. Ms. Trozzi is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and a consultant to the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital. She will speak with parents about “Five to Thrive.”
Congratulations to the Speech Team on a great tournament at Wilson Middle School just before Thanksgiving. The majority of the team attended the day-long tournament, and nearly a dozen parents acted as judges, chaperones and coaches. A special thanks to the parents who drove our speechies to Natick to assure that they arrived on time.
The Week Ahead
Robotics Tournament, Saturday, December 3, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sargent Activities Center, Boston University—Additional details about the tournament will be sent to members of the Middle School Robotics Team. Contact Bridget Sitkoff with questions.
Deepak Chopra Assembly, Monday, December 5, 12:45 p.m., King Theatre. Drs. Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi (a Lower School parent) will hold a special assembly for our Middle and Upper School students. Dr. Chopra will present the benefits and importance of mindfulness and Dr. Tanzi will share the research findings published in their recent book, Super Brain. Seating is very limited, so this event will not be open to parents. Our apologies.
Grade 7 & 8 Assessment Week, Tuesday, December 6 to Friday, December 9––The schedule of assessments is below:
Monday, December 5 – Regular Classes
Tuesday, December 6 – Morning
- Grade 7 Languages
Tuesday, December 6 – Afternoon
- Grade 7 Math
- Grade 8 Languages
Wednesday, December 7 – Morning
- Grade 7 Social Studies
- Grade 8 English
Thursday, December 8 – Morning
- Grade 7 English
- Grade 8 Science
Thursday, December 8 – Afternoon
- Grade 8 Social Studies
Friday, December 9 – Morning
- Grade 7 Science
- Grade 8 Math
Grade 6 Students Visit ABCD Early Head Start of Dorchester, Thursday, December 8––Students will deliver the holiday gifts collected from our Middle School gift drive to the 78 children in the ABCD Head Start Program. As part of their visit, our students will spend time in the classrooms playing with the children. The Early Head Start Program prepares children (0-4 yrs) from low-income families to enter pre-school. Throughout the years, our students have visited the ABCD Head Start Program, learning about the mission of the program and getting to know the children. Thank you to all our Middle School families for participating in the gift drive.
Screenagers Screening, Tuesday, December 13 at 5 p.m. in King Theatre. Additional information about this event can be found in the News and Announcements section of this newsletter.
Student Showcase, Thursday, December 15 at 10 a.m. in Thacher––This students-and teachers-only event is a wonderful celebration of the talent and humor of our Middle Schoolers. Thank you for honoring their time as a community.
All-School Holiday Assembly, Thursday, December 15 at 11 a.m. in the ACC.
Dismissal for Winter Break is at Noon on December 15. Buses will do one pick-up at 12:15 p.m. No Middle School After School Program will be available.