Barrington Middle School BMS Connected Learning Newsletter 4.8.2019 The BMS Learning Community is Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Succeed! Upcoming Events: (Note: Please review the dates as dates are subject to change due to a number of factors from one newsletter to the next).
Note from Dr. Anderson: This past Friday was one of my proudest moments at Barrington Middle School. On Friday, we hosted a visit for educators from all across the country to see Deeper Learning in action. Our guests had an opportunity to hear a brief presentation from me, to visit classrooms, to listen to a faculty panel discussion, and to culminate their visit, heard from a student panel of ten students. Our students, your children, did an amazing job describing to our guests the variety of Deeper Learning projects they have been involved in and what the experience was like for them as learners. They each did an amazing job speaking eloquently and passionately about learning and how Deeper Learning has only enriched their education by making real world connections and applications. If you have a few minutes, I encourage you to listen to the student panel below. They did an amazing job! https://youtu.be/3sAX8H9WNHk BMS Spotlight on Learning: This week we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Kristen Pedroso, Mrs. Abigail Williams, Mr. Peter McFarland, Mrs. Mary Roberts, Mrs. Kellie Polando, Mrs. Connie Oswald, Mrs. Julia Texeira, and Mrs. Meg Snyder for opening their classrooms for this past Friday’s Deeper Learning walk. Our guests were so impressed with the level of student engagement, student voice and choice, and the types of activities our students engage in on a daily basis! Well done! Also, we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Becky Henderson, Mr. Shawn Henderson, Mr. Jeff Blanchet, and Ms. Danielle Teoli for serving on a faculty panel to describe Deeper Learning in action at BMS. Our faculty panel did an amazing job explaining the planning process, implementation, and connections made with the various Project Based Learning opportunities our students engage in. Great work team! BMS New Information: Cluster Preference and Student Information Forms: Due to an anticipated busier summer (moving into the new building), we will be beginning our scheduling process much earlier this year. One of the first important pieces of information is the cluster preference responses from families. Like last year, once cluster assignments have been made, we will not be able to make any adjustments. Due to varying needs, approximately 60% of preferences are fulfilled. Please see the linked forms for incoming 7th and 8th grade parent/guardian to complete by Friday, April 26, 2019. (note: incoming 6th grade forms will be emailed out after the parent orientation and due a few weeks after that). Incoming 7th Grade Information: Incoming 7th Grade families are able to identify their preference for cluster experience (looping or single year), and not their preference for a particular custer. 2019 - 2020 7th Grade BMS Cluster Experience/Program Preference Form and Student Information Incoming 8th Grade Information: Incoming 8th Grade families are able to identify their preferred allied art experiences. Students leaving Orange or Razz will be placed on a single year experience. Students in Red will remain in Red. 2019 - 2020 8th Grade BMS Program Preference Form and Student Information FDA- E Cigarette Public Health Release: This past week, the FDA released a public health notice indicating some E Cigarette (ie. Juuls) users are having seizures. Please see a link to the complete notice below: https://mailchi.mp/851172dc9a7f/aj-1425049 News from the School Nurse: Newsletter from the School Nurse - Click here News from the BMS Library: Click here for the newsletter for all things BMS library BMS Old Information: New Enrichment Class Starting: The Thursday session is full but a Monday Session has been added. Register on www.myschoolbucks.com. Classes start the week of 4/22- the day we get back from vacation. Questions? [email protected] BMS Remind: Remind is a communication platform that helps schools and districts reach and engage with their communities. Because it is a texting system, important last minute notices such as late buses, early releases, etc can get out quickly. If you are interested in participating, please click on this link: https://www.remind.com/join/bmsfam Vaping: Over the past few weeks, a few parents have reached out regarding information their children reported to them at home about middle school students vaping. It was important for Mrs. Bulk and I to provide parents with information regarding vaping. Please review the linked presentation, and I encourage you to review it with your child to open up discussion/conversation. Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know Slide Presentation Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know VLOG BMS Standing Items: BMS Building Update: The new building construction is well underway. To help with communication, each week I have been releasing the BMS Building Project Blog. You can access the blog by visiting the BMS Building Project Homepage or the direct link to the BMS Building Project Blog. In addition, each Tuesday morning we will have a student volunteer give updates to our student body during morning announcements. BMS School Improvement Plan Working Draft: I encourage you to periodically review the below link of our BMS Working School Improvement Plan. (note: Student Success Goals have been finalized and presented to our School Committee). BMS SMART Template 2018 - 2019 (Working Draft) Community Information:
Letter Carriers Food Drive - Saturday, May 11: Food Drive Flyer - Click Here Barrington Town Council: Children’s Community Forum Meeting: April 16, 2019 at 1:00 pm in Town Hall Providing an opportunity for our community’s youngest citizens to observe how our local government works Click here for more information. BPS Volunteer Breakfast: Join us as we celebrate our BPS volunteers on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 9:00 - 11:00 am in the Barrington Town Council Chambers (upstairs of Town Hall). Breakfast, music, door prizes and more. Click here to RSVP. HMS Tough Tiger - Save the Date!: The HMS Tough Tiger event is coming up on May 5 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Register online now! www.hampdenmeadowspto.org/tough-tiger.html Registration for Pop Warner: Registration is open for Cheer and Football. Link here for more information. Upcoming Barrington Library Programs for students in grades 6-12:
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Barrington Middle School BMS Connected Learning Newsletter 4.1.2019 The BMS Learning Community is Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Succeed! Upcoming Events: (Note: Please review the dates as dates are subjected to change due to a number of factors from one newsletter to the next).
Note from Dr. Anderson: Over the past few weeks or so I have heard that families were inquiring about our school’s approach with how teachers handle popular topics in our community (national, regional, local) that our students may or may not be discussing in school. What is most important to us is that students are able to have a voice and feel that their voice is heard without stifling or shutting them down. Our approach has been and will always be for teachers to take a neutral and supportive stance, create a safe space for students to share their thoughts and feelings, for teachers, who are professionals, not to impose their personal biases and opinions, provide further support to those students who may need it, and to ultimately get classroom discussion back on track. Finally, it is important for me to note that our teachers do their absolute best to navigate waters, all the while keeping their focus on developing the whole child. BMS Spotlight on Learning: This week we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Eli Terrell. This past Friday, Eli competed in our State’s Geography Bee. Eli won first place! This is Eli’s third year representing Barrington Middle School in this event. Way to go Eli! This week we would also like to shine our BMS Spotlight on our Mathcounts team coached by Mrs. Orrall and supported by Mrs. Oswald and Mr. Marley. BMS finished 3rd in the state just behind Gordon and Wheeler. In particular, Marie Choi-Schattle came in 3rd place in the State and Kamran Pahlavi came in 4th. Marie and Kamran will be going on to represent RI in the National competition in Orlando! Great job coaches and students! This week would also like to shine our BMS Spotlight on our Science Olympiad team coached by Mrs. Whitney and her son, Callan Whitney. The BMS Science Olympiad Team came in second, and missed a bid for the national competition by just nine points, which was heartbreaking. They medaled in fourteen of the 23 events! Below is the breakdown: GOLD Disease Detectives (Izzy Mysak and Priya Gottlieb) Experimental Design (Shaswat Singh, Aidan Hurlock and Cassin Edgar-Smith) Fossils (Izzy Mysak and Aidan Hurlock) Roller Coaster (Katarina Whitney and Caitlyn McConville) SILVER Anatomy and Physiology (Vikram Bansal and Simon Paricio) Herpetology (Izzy Mysak and Priya Gottlieb) Water Quality (Ellie Dunn and Priya Gottlieb) BRONZE Boomilever (Caitlyn McConville and Simon Paricio) Circuit Lab (Remi Charpentier and Troy Tian) Crime Busters (Shaswat Singh and Ellie Dunn) Game On (Remi Charpentier and Troy Tian) Mystery Architecture (Ellie Dunn and Caitlyn McConville) Potions and Poisons (Ellie Dunn and Harrison Wang) Thermodynamics (Simon Paricio and Harrison Wang) This week we would also like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Skadberg for organizing last week’s faculty school spirit week. Thank you for organizing the events and games. Our faculty had a blast participating. From an “anonymous” faculty member, this week would also like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Poirier. “Jaime Poirier is awesome! Jaime is incredibly efficient in getting things done to help students - changing schedules, helping them with social-emotional needs, contacting parents, and the list goes on. Her positive attitude and ability to solve problems has been an asset to our school. Her presence in the hallways, at lunch, and in the classrooms really help students make a connection with her. We are so lucky to have her here at BMS!” -appreciative faculty member! Finally, we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mr. McFarland, Mrs. Ouellette, Mrs. Henderson, Mr. Davis, Mr. Kearns, and Mrs. Carroll for opening their doors for our first ever BMS Parent Deeper Learning Walk. Parents who participated were super impressed with the level of student engagement and the connections students were making to the real world. Great job teachers! BMS New Information: BMS Family Deeper Learning Walk: This past Thursday, we hosted the first ever BMS Family Deeper Learning Walk. We had nearly 16 families participate in the walk which began first with an overview of Deeper Learning at BMS, classroom visits, and a debrief/discussion of what resonated with parents who walked. Families were so impressed with the level of student engagement, connections being made to the real world, and how technology was being used to enhance the educational experience. The students who they spoke with were eloquent in their explanations and passionate about their learning. It certainly was a moment of pride for what our teachers and students do on a daily basis. New Enrichment Class Starting: Volleyball Enrichment Thursdays, 4/25-6/13 2:35-3:35 Registration is open on www.myschoolbucks.com BMS Remind: Remind is a communication platform that helps schools and districts reach and engage with their communities. Because it is a texting system, important last minute notices such as late buses, early releases, etc can get out quickly. If you are interested in participating, please click on this link: https://www.remind.com/join/bmsfam BMS Old Information: BMS Community Service Club Clothing Drive: The Community Service Club will be collecting clean clothes for all ages until Friday, March 29. Donations will be given to a middle school in Providence. Collection boxes are in the BMS office. Vaping: Over the past few weeks, a few parents have reached out regarding information their children reported to them at home about middle school students vaping. It was important for Mrs. Bulk and I to provide parents with information regarding vaping. Please review the linked presentation, and I encourage you to review it with your child to open up discussion/conversation. Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know Slide Presentation Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know VLOG BMS Standing Items: BMS Building Update: The new building construction is well underway. To help with communication, each week I have been releasing the BMS Building Project Blog. You can access the blog by visiting the BMS Building Project Homepage or the direct link to the BMS Building Project Blog. In addition, each Tuesday morning we will have a student volunteer give updates to our student body during morning announcements. BMS School Improvement Plan Working Draft: I encourage you to periodically review the below link of our BMS Working School Improvement Plan. (note: Student Success Goals have been finalized and presented to our School Committee). BMS SMART Template 2018 - 2019 (Working Draft) Community Information:
BPS Volunteer Breakfast: Join us as we celebrate our BPS volunteers on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 9:00 - 11:00 am in the Barrington Town Council Chambers (upstairs of Town Hall). Breakfast, music, door prizes and more. Click here to RSVP. HMS Tough Tiger - Save the Date!: The HMS Tough Tiger event is coming up on May 5 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Register online now! www.hampdenmeadowspto.org/tough-tiger.html Registration for Pop Warner: Registration is open for Cheer and Football. Link here for more information. Upcoming Barrington Library Programs for students in grades 6-12: Barrington Middle School BMS Connected Learning Newsletter 3.25.2019 The BMS Learning Community is Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Succeed! Upcoming Events: (Note: Please review the dates as dates are subjected to change due to a number of factors from one newsletter to the next).
Note from Dr. Anderson: I want to begin by thanking you for reading the BMS Connected Learning Newsletter each week. I do enjoy crafting the letter, collaborating on the content with Mrs. Skadberg, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Bulk, as well as hearing from you regarding the information that is included. Recently, I have had a few conversations with parents regarding streamlining the information. Based on those conversations, information will be presented in the following manner:
BMS Spotlight on Learning: This week we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Bienkiewicz, Mrs. Thurber, and our very own BMS All-State Band, Orchestra, and Chorus. Last weekend, under the leadership of Mrs. Bienkiewicz and Mrs. Thurber, they played and sang beautifully at the Rhode Island Music Education Association All-State concert. Audience members indicated they were truly amazing. Well done teachers and students! This week we would also like to shine our BMS Spotlight on students Lily Cregan, Hannah Bairos, Ava DiMatteo, Laurie Garcia, Juliet McGee, Alexandra Hope and Clover Burke shined as greeters and guides during this past Friday’s Career Day. They introduced themselves to each speaker, showed them to their rooms, offered to carry their materials and made them feel welcomed to BMS by making conversation with them about their careers as they got them settled. They were incredibly friendly, hard-working and professional. Great work students! This week we would also like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Trahan along with Drew Helm and Grant Culton who were amazing support with the tech needs. They responded promptly to struggling presenters and were able to troubleshoot while staying calm under pressure. And finally, we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Ms. Sleboda, Mrs. Bulman, Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Poirier, and Ms. McCauley for your hard work, coordination, and dedication for making this year’s BMS Career Day such an amazing experience for our students. Well done! BMS New Information: Trimester 2 Grades: Trimester 2 grades will be posted on Friday, March 28, 2019 by 3:00pm. Parent Survey Works Golden Ticket Incentive: We have extended the Survey Works window to March 28, 2019. Currently we have just about 100 families who responded. Our goal this year is to shatter our family response rate of last year’s only 104 responses from families. As an incentive to complete the survey, we are offering 3 “golden tickets” for students/family to be the first ones to take a tour of the new middle school. Each “golden ticket” winner will be able to invite two of his/her friends, as well as invite two family members. Please see the following link for additional information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BszCr9VKq3jyvjROh0f-90wMA46X0Y41viSwq92yOlc/edit?usp=sharing’ Parent Survey Works Information: surveys.panoramaed.com/ride Access Code for BMS - 01108family BMS Community Service Club Clothing Drive: The Community Service Club will be collecting clean clothes for all ages until Friday, March 29. Donations will be given to a middle school in Providence. Collection boxes are in the BMS office. BMS Old Information: Deeper Learning Family Visit: (Note: There are a few more spots available!) On March, 28 2019, Barrington Middle School will be hosting a family Deeper Learning visit where families can see elements of Deeper Learning in action from 9:00 am - 10:30 am. The first part will be an overview of deeper learning and how it looks at Barrington Middle School, then classroom visits, and finally a debrief. We will be visiting a few allied art classrooms as well as core classrooms. Please note that families may/may not be visiting the classrooms of their children. If you are interesting in participating, please complete the following form by Tuesday, March 26, 2019. We will only be able to take 15 total visitors (first come first serve). If there is an interest of more than 15, we will be sure to schedule additional visits. Thank you in advance for considering. https://goo.gl/forms/NqbILzZxNgWFb7sL2 BMS Responds to Parent Feedback: Over the past year, our school’s BMS Leadership Council, School Improvement Team, and Administration have carefully reviewed parent feedback based on how satisfied they are with Barrington Middle School. We are proud to acknowledge that our Parent Satisfaction Data from the Studer Survey a few months back increased from 3.60 to 3.84. One of the biggest jumps in the district! Based on your feedback we have put the following items in motion to best meet the needs of our families:
Vaping: Over the past few weeks, a few parents have reached out regarding information their children reported to them at home about middle school students vaping. It was important for Mrs. Bulk and I to provide parents with information regarding vaping. Please review the linked presentation, and I encourage you to review it with your child to open up discussion/conversation. Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know Slide Presentation Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know VLOG BMS Standing Items: BMS Building Update: The new building construction is well underway. To help with communication, each week I have been releasing the BMS Building Project Blog. You can access the blog by visiting the BMS Building Project Homepage or the direct link to the BMS Building Project Blog. In addition, each Tuesday morning we will have a student volunteer give updates to our student body during morning announcements. BMS School Improvement Plan Working Draft: I encourage you to periodically review the below link of our BMS Working School Improvement Plan. (note: Student Success Goals have been finalized and presented to our School Committee). BMS SMART Template 2018 - 2019 (Working Draft) Community Information:
BPS Volunteer Breakfast: Join us as we celebrate our BPS volunteers on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 9:00 - 11:00 am in the Barrington Town Council Chambers (upstairs of Town Hall). Breakfast, music, door prizes and more. Click here to RSVP. HMS Tough Tiger - Save the Date!: The HMS Tough Tiger event is coming up on May 5 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Register online now! www.hampdenmeadowspto.org/tough-tiger.html Registration for Pop Warner: Registration is open for Cheer and Football. Link here for more information. Barrington Middle School
BMS Connected Learning Newsletter 3.18.2019 The BMS Learning Community is Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Succeed! Upcoming Events: (Note: Please review the dates as dates are subjected to change due to a number of factors from one newsletter to the next).
Note from Dr. Anderson: On Thursday, March 21, 2019, we will be rolling out the family feedback from the Studder satisfaction survey. All parents are invited to attend as your feedback is invaluable to our learning community. .Please see a link to the data set that will be reviewed. Looking forward to a positive and constructive conversation. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BSw2IAd1ZO-OGvuGeHKS0-jaxJ2iLUn_WwMEOW0GpWc/edit?usp=sharing BMS Spotlight on Learning: This week we would like to shine our BMS Spotlight on Mrs. Eileen Croke. Each morning, Mrs. Croke waits outside welcoming the students coming into school. She is quick to offer a smile, say hello, and make conversation with the students. Thank you Eileen for greeting the students with a warm welcome each morning. Well done! This week, we would also like to shine our BMS Spoltight on the cast and crew of Barrington Middle School’s High School Musical Jr. This past weekend they played to a pact house. Great work students. BMS News you can Use: BMS Building Update: The new building construction is well underway. To help with communication, each week I have been releasing the BMS Building Project Blog. You can access the blog by visiting the BMS Building Project Homepage or the direct link to the BMS Building Project Blog. In addition, each Tuesday morning we will have a student volunteer give updates to our student body during morning announcements. Deeper Learning Family Visit: (Note: There are a few more spots available! On March, 28 2019, Barrington Middle School will be hosting a family Deeper Learning visit where families can see elements of Deeper Learning in action from 9:00 am - 10:30 am. The first part will be an overview of deeper learning and how it looks at Barrington Middle School, then classroom visits, and finally a debrief. We will be visiting a few allied art classrooms as well as core classrooms. Please note that families may/may not be visiting the classrooms of their children. If you are interesting in participating, please complete the following form by Tuesday, March 26, 2019. We will only be able to take 15 total visitors (first come first serve). If there is an interest of more than 15, we will be sure to schedule additional visits. Thank you in advance for considering. https://goo.gl/forms/NqbILzZxNgWFb7sL2 Parent Survey Works Golden Ticket Incentive: BMS’s Survey Work portal will be open from March 11, 2019 to March 22, 2019. Our goal this year is to shatter our family response rate of last year’s only 104 responses from families. As an incentive to complete the survey, we are offering 3 “golden tickets” for students/family to be the first ones to take a tour of the new middle school. Each “golden ticket” winner will be able to invite two of his/her friends, as well as invite two family members. Please see the following link for additional information: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BszCr9VKq3jyvjROh0f-90wMA46X0Y41viSwq92yOlc/edit?usp=sharing’ Parent Survey Works Information: surveys.panoramaed.com/ride Access Code for BMS - 01108family BMS Responds to Parent Feedback: Over the past year, Our School’s BMS Leadership Council, School Improvement Team, and Administration have carefully reviewed parent feedback based on how satisfied they are with Barrington Middle School. We are proud to acknowledge that our Parent Satisfaction Data from the Studer Survey a few months back increased from 3.60 to 3.84. One of the biggest jumps in the district! Based on your feedback we have put the following items in motion to best meet the needs of our families:
Vaping: Over the past few weeks, a few parents have reached out regarding information their children reported to them at home about middle school students vaping. It was important for Mrs. Bulk and I to provide parents with information regarding vaping. Please review the linked presentation, and I encourage you to review it with your child to open up discussion/conversation. Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know Slide Presentation Vaping 101 What Parents Need to Know VLOG BMS Career Day: BMS Career Day- Friday, March 22nd 15 Parent volunteers needed to chaperone students in classrooms where BMS Career Day speakers will be presenting Chaperone volunteers will meet in the library at 9:00am for a brief overview. Career Day is over at 12:00pm. Please consider joining us for this great event! Sign-up on My School Anywhere or email [email protected] BMS School Improvement Plan Working Draft: I encourage you to periodically review the below link of our BMS Working School Improvement Plan. (note: Student Success Goals have been finalized and presented to our School Committee). BMS SMART Template 2018 - 2019 (Working Draft) |