Dear Families:

I hope this update finds you well and that the start of February has been positive. Friday night's lip sync was a great success, and I want to again acknowledge TracyAllen for her time and dedication to making the event happen. I also would like to thank all of the teachers who volunteered their time - behind the scenes, chaperoning, judging, coordinating, etc. As I drove home on Friday, I once again felt a sense of pride, being able to truly say I am working in a student-centered environment, where a sense of fun and enjoyment is valued and recognized.

As I have shared and you are now well aware, self-reflection is important to me, and yet I am balancing that with 'overthinking' things. While thoughtful care and attention to detail is critical, I am aware that it is also important to balance this approach with humor, laughter, and perspective. I was reminded of this Friday morning -- I woke up earlier than usual (believe it or not!) with racing thoughts (meetings for the day, e-mails to be sent, agendas to be created, discussions to follow up, phone calls to be made, weekend plans, Katie's birthday coming up, arranging rides for the kids, etc.). The list went on and on in my head. I also knew that I was hosting the monthly job-alike meeting for middle school principals in The Education Cooperative. Although I appreciate the value of this group, I have to admit that my 'to do' list was occupying my thoughts and I was not looking forward to the meeting (yes, an honest confession from the one who pushes professional discussions and collaboration!). I felt as though I would be better served hunkering down in my office on Friday morning.

As it turned out, however, the meeting was just what I needed - a time to sit, reflect, and simply talk with colleagues. The agenda's focus for the meeting was 'mathematics and meeting the needs of all of our students', but we also took time to talk about other challenges and pertinent topics in our respective buildings -- scheduling, budget, technology integration, student support services, etc. Most important, though, I found myself clearing my 'to do' list from my head for this hour - getting perspective, establishing support, and laughing as well.

This week I shared my hope with the staff that they will experience this sense of connectedness and find some time to laugh with their colleagues this week - amidst our day-to-day routines, after school, or during the 'technology workshops' on the professional afternoon. At our opening faculty meeting this year, I shared a quote from John Cleese -- 'If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.' You may remember that I also shared this quote with families on our parent nights in September, as I believe it is important for adolescents and our Blake families to be mindful of this practice as well. While I personally struggle with the balance, I do value this belief and hope that we are able to find time to 'play' with one another and find humor, laughter, and enjoyment in our work. Along these lines, I have attached an article entitled 'For Kids, Laughter May Really Be the Best Medicine'. This is a cliche that I have heard since I was a child, but the article grounds this belief in research and study. It is a quick read that I found affirming and of great interest.

Below please find updated information for the Blake community.
Best wishes for a great week.
Take care.

Nat Vaughn

Laughter and Humor Article

Important Dates
February 8 - 1/2 Day for Students; Professional In-Service Afternoon for Staff
February 9 - Deana's Theater Presentation for 6th-8th grade students
February 9 - Nashoba Valley Ski/Snowboard Club
February 10 - 7th/8th grade dance from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Blake cafeteria
February 13 - Sarah Ward - Parent Presentation (see information below)
February 14 - Valentine's Day
February 14 - Royal Pizza Night for Blake
February 20-24 - February Vacation
February 27 - School Resumes
February 29 - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information Night
March 6 - Incoming 7th/8th Grade Parent Information Night

Term 2 Interim Reports
This past Thursday and Friday staff and students took time to review the interim reports, and work was done in advisory to establish productive goals for the second half of the term. If you have any questions about your child's work or the reports, please start by having a conversation with your own child. If questions still exist, you should contact the teacher directly to gain more insight. All 'sign-off' sheets were due back by today, so be sure that outstanding forms are returned.

Technology Survey
We appreciate your taking the time to complete the parent survey about technology that was sent to all Dale, Blake, and Medfield High School parents.The intent of the survey is to gather information to support planning for integrating technology into the classrooms. The link for this survey is http://www.quia.com/sv/560395.html. The way the survey is designed, you only need to take the survey once. The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and we have extended the deadline for completing the survey. Thank you in advance.

Doin' The Right Thing
On Thursday, February 9th, with the generous support of a Coalition grant, we will be bringing a bullying prevention play called Doin’ the Right Thing! to our school. The play was developed and produced by Deana’s Educational Theater, a non -profit organization that uses theater and interactive trainings to teach audiences of all ages about bullying, harassment and respect.

Doin’ the Right Thing! consists of a 30 minute performance followed by a 30 minute, interactive discussion with our actors. The play will help students recognize the different types of bullying and help them to develop peaceful solutions to dealing with difficult issues. The program emphasizes the important role your student has in preventing bullying behavior. The program will help your child understand that we all play an important role in making our school community a safe and respectful place for all.

If your child is feeling bullied, has friends being bullied or if your child is exhibiting bullying behaviors, we encourage you to contact your child's teacher, Blake guidance counselor, Dean of Students Kelly Campbell, or your family doctor to discuss your concerns.

We look forward to working with you to accomplish our goal of creating a safe school experience for all.

Name-Calling and Bullying Awareness
Student Council is continuing the month-long focus on name-calling and bullying awareness. In conjunction with an upcoming presentation by Deana's Educational Theater, an ever growing mural dons the wall in the cafeteria. Each day, student council representatives hang black and white depictions of how bullying and name-calling feels. All students at Blake had the opportunity to participate in creating the pieces of the mural. It is a powerful way for everyone at Blake (staff and students) to see how negatively everyone is affected by bullying and name-calling. And, what better place to display this show of solidarity than in the cafeteria for all to see. In addition, the adding to the mural over an extended period of time has kept awareness of the issue ever-present in kids' minds.

The culmination of the building of the mural will be a visual representation of what we can do, what kids can do, what adults can do, to help eliminate the negative effects of bullying and name calling. We will "cover it in caring." Hearts will be made available throughout school the week of February 13th for students and staff alike to fill out each time they see kindness to others. Kindness and understanding are how we battle name-calling and ignorance. The hearts will cover the black and white mural in effort to show what kindness can do!

Career Day
The planning for the annual 8th Grade Career Day has begun - the event will be held on March 27, 2012 - a half-day. On this day we will have a morning of presentations given by a variety of professionals from an array of occupations. We are fortunate that we have 'return presenters', but we invite you to volunteer to participate in this exciting program to enlighten our students about your occupation and career opportunities. The structure consists of three informal sessions of approximately 35 minutes each. If you are interested in participating, please contact Debbie Avery in the Blake Middle School Guidance office at (508) 359-2445 or e-mail davery@medfield.mec.edu.

Parent Information Nights
The planning for the 2012-2013 school year has already begun, and our parent information nights have been scheduled. Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information Night is on Wednesday, February 29 and Incoming 7th/8th Grade Parent Information Night will be on Tuesday, March 6. Both nights will begin at 7 p.m. in the Blake auditorium.

Lost and Found Items
The number of items in our Lost and Found has increased. Please remind students to come take a look, as there are a number of items that are unlabeled that have been collected. We will be clearing out the Lost and Found during February vacation.

Pajama Drive
Donations of new, or gently used pajamas for Cradles to Crayons can be sent in with seventh grade students, or dropped off in the marked box in the lobby during the week of February 13th to 17th. The drive is being sponsored by the Boston Bruins and if Blake collects the most pajamas we could win an in-school street hockey clinic with the Bruins Youth Hockey Development Staff, or a visit from Bruin’s All Star defenseman Zdeno Chara and Mr. Vaughn and Mrs. Campbell will wear pajamas for a day! The seventh grade appreciates your support as we help to provide pajamas for children of need in Massachusetts.

Valentine's Day Dance
The upcoming 7th and 8th grade dance will take place Friday, February 10, 2012 in the Blake cafeteria from 7:00-9:00pm. The theme is Valentine's Day and attire is casual and students should be sure to follow the Blake dress attire guidelines. The use of mobile phones is prohibited, except in the designated 'Cell-Phone Use' zone. All 7th & 8th graders planning to attend must have turned in a contract. Contracts can be found on the Blake Student Council Website ("Activities" tab on Blake's main webpage). Parents should plan on picking up their students promptly at 9:00 p.m.

Share Your Heart - Dana Farber Fundraiser
Help support our 5th Annual Fundraiser.  Instead of Snoopy cards buy, decorate and personalize 3” wooden hearts for your special valentines.  Sale Date: Hearts will be sold before school outside the gym on Monday 2/13 and Tuesday 2/14. Hearts Cost: 5 for $5.00 or 1 for $2.00. This is a great opportunity to Share Your Heart with your family, friends and teachers. Every penny goes to important research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

School Survey
The Blake Site Council this year has been working on the development of a survey to be distributed to the Blake community. Focus areas will be around the topics of school culture, academic workloads, stress, and habits. Our intent is to distribute the survey in early February in the hopes of gathering the data by February vacation.

Nature's Classroom
Parents, please fill out forms #5 to #9 and return them to school along with your deposit by February 17th. The forms can be found at this address, http://www.medfield.net/blake/school-information/natures-classroom.html . If you would like a hard copy of the forms, please contact Judy Silva (jsilva@medfield.mec.edu) and a packet will be sent home with your child.

8th Grade Families - High School Program of Studies
Medfield High School held an Academic Information Night for parents of students in grades 8 – 11 on Thursday, February 2, 2012. This evening provided an opportunity for parents to learn about the course selection process and the courses available to students at the various grade levels. If you were unable to attend this event or would like to review the material that was presented during the program, parents can navigate to the information by clicking on this link: http://www.medfield.net/mhs/medfield-high-school/dean-of-academics.html.

State Mandated Health Screenings
Postural Screening to detect early signs of spinal problems that may require medical evaluation and treatment will be conducted for all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students February 27 - March 2, 2012, the week following February vacation break. In addition, heights and weights will be taken for all 7th graders during the same week. An email from our school nurse will be forthcoming with more detailed information regarding these annual health screenings mandated by the Mass. Department of Public Health.

SIPS
The SIPS annual Pennies for Patients change competition began yesterday and will continue through Friday, February 17th. Over the past 5-6 years, Blake students have raised over $1000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Pennies are positive points for your grade and silver are negative points. Save your change!

High School Musical
High School Musical - Callbacks for HSM will be on Tuesday 2/7 from 3:30-6pm. Students being called back have been notified. Students who signed up will find out whether or not they have been cast in the show or invited to join stage crew on Wednesday via parent email. The cast is expected to meet for a read through on Thursday, 2/9 @ 3:30. The crew will meet on Monday, 2/13 @ 3:30pm with Ms. Allen and Ms. Leonard.

Lip Sync
The 13th annual Lip Sync event has passed successfully. As always, the brave and talented kids that performed were amazing. Anyone interested in purchasing a DVD of the show can contact info@medfield.tv. DVD's are $20 each.

High School Art Courses
Jim Cousens, our Fine Arts Content Specialist, has produced a 14 minute video for parents and students to view prior to the Program of Studies evening on February 2 at Medfield High School. The video outlines the four art electives available for freshmen. The link to the video is available at http://blakemsart.weebly.com/electives-for-9th-grade-art.html. If you have any questions about the courses, you can contact Jim Cousens at jcousens@medfield.mec.edu.

Parent Presentation - Sarah Ward
Medfield SEPAC with support from the MCPE presents Sarah Ward. Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 14 years experience in diagnostic evaluations, treatment and case management of children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of developmental and acquired brain based learning difficulties and behavioral problems.

Ms. Ward is a well known speaker on the subject of executive functioning and will provide practical information to support and develop executive functioning strategies/skills for children of all ages and issues.

The event will be held at the Medfield High School Auditorium on Monday, February 13 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Preregistration is required. Please contact Una Smith (una@active-dbs.com).

Student Supervision - General Reminder
All students should arrive for school by 7:35 a.m., as the first period of the day starts right away at 7:40 a.m. Students who arrive before 7:30 a.m. will report to the gymnasium (sixth and seventh grade) or cafeteria (eighth grade). Supervision in these designated locations starts at 7:10 a.m., so students should not be dropped off prior to 7:10 a.m. unless they have have a pre-arranged appointment with a teacher or are attending a regularly scheduled extra help session. By the same token, students who are staying after school need to be with a teacher for extra help or in the library doing homework. They should be picked up promptly after their sessions are over, as they will not be supervised at that point. We need to make sure that all students are safe and supervised at all times. Thank you for your understanding, help, and cooperation.

Technology Spotlight January 2012
The January Technology Spotlight for Blake highlights the Sea Turtles and White clusters. Thank you to Jess Durdel and Teri O'Brien for providing this informtion and for sharing the good work that is taking place.

Blake Technology Spotlight January 2012

Medfield Public Library Events
Open Mic Night: Come to the first Open Mic Night of the year! Perform a song, read a poem, tell a joke, share a talent, perform a skit, or just come have fun and support your friends. Refreshments will be served. This event will take place on Friday, February 17th, from 7 - 9 pm at the Medfield Public Library. Sign-ups are encouraged. Contact Kim Tolson: 508-349-4544 or ktolson@minlib.net or visit our website www.medfieldpubliclibrary.org.

Teen Creative Writing Workshop: Whether you’re just starting out, need help with a work in progress, or you’re looking for feedback on a finished piece of writing, this workshop is for you! Author Peggy Rambach will be at the Medfield Public Library on Friday, February 24th, from 3 - 5 pm to offer her expertise to teens who are interested in writing fiction and memoir. Space is limited so please sign up. Contact Kim Tolson: 508-349-4544 or ktolson@minlib.net or visit our website www.medfieldpubliclibrary.org.

MCPE News
Please save the date for a great community event! MCPE is planning a Spring Fling on Friday, April 27th at the Endicott Estate in Dedham. The evening will be filled with friends, dancing, drinks, hors d'oeuvres and a small live and silent auction. Please look for your official invitation in the next few weeks. In the mean time, please book your babysitters! For more information please visit our website at www.medfieldcoalition.org.

CSA News
Reminder: Royal Pizza night is next Tuesday, February 14. Buy your purchases using scrip and the school gets extra money!