Blake Science Update - 12/2018

In 6th grade science, students have been learning how to determine the density of solids and liquids. Magic density columns of liquids of known densities were created and objects were dropped in; students could then infer the density of the object. Students showed their understanding of how the density of both the liquid and the object determines if objects will sink or float. Ask your student which is more dense, coke or diet coke, and how they know! We have also started to do some work on science writing and we will soon begin learning about physical and chemical changes, mixtures, and the basics of chemical reactions.

The seventh-grade science rooms are heating up! At the beginning of the month, students visited stations to explore thermal energy, methods of heat transfer, and the properties of conductors and insulators. Students then learned about the need for alternatives to wood for cooking in third world countries. Using the design process, students applied their knowledge to the design and testing of a solar cooker. Engineering teams will present their final product to the class explaining how they maximized the principles of heat transfer in their solar cooker.
In Science Exploration, students will be preparing the tank for the arrival of the trout eggs. Once the eggs arrive, the temperature in the tank will be kept at 45oF to keep the eggs from hatching. When we are ready, the temperature will be slowly raised and the trout eggs will begin hatching. Students will be responsible for maintaining the proper water quality in the tanks to ensure the survival of the trout. Weekly observations in a Trout Journal will track the development of the trout.


November in 8th grade began with an investigation of Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes just as the last quarter moon rolled in. Students learned important vocabulary using Nearpods and other types of practice. As we approached the coldest Thanksgiving on record, students conducted some wet labs such as the Electrolysis of water, to see evidence of chemical changes in the classroom. Students also learned how to carry out flame tests for hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.
This month in Engineering students either finalized their solar car, created a passion project in Genius Hour, or completed different coding challenges using EV3 robots. They will be moving on to a new project during the month of the winter solstice!

Summer Recap Library

The K-12 Library Department is excited to share our first collaborative website. We are hoping to share this space as a way to illustrate what is going on in all 5 school libraries. The 2018-19 year promises to be an exciting one with our theme of LOVE as a “One community, one theme” that the libraries are promoting.
Click here for the direct link to the Blake Library Blog

Summer Recap Guidance

The Guidance Department is thrilled to offer a new 8 week rotation course for 8th grade students in stress management. The Counselors believe that by empowering students to take control of how they respond to stress inducing situations, students will be better equipped to handle future situations and respond in healthy and productive ways. The Counselors want to teach students to learn how to ride the waves of success and adversity and not be defeated when faced with challenges whether they be academic or social.

The students in the Stress Management class will explore topics such as:

• Parts of the brain impacted by stress 
• What is Stress? 
• Anxiety and how it’s different from Stress 
• Why mindfulness should be an option? 
• Introduction into mindful practice 
• Guided imagery 
• Mindful eating 
• Gratitude and Heartfulness 
• Reflection and coloring 

Please check out the Medfield Public Schools Counselors Blog! This blog is a way for Counselors to promote the work of the department, to stay active and knowledgeable in our field, and stay connected with our school community. Here is the link to our blog: http://medfieldguidance.blogspot.com/. We invite you to subscribe to the blog to receive email notifications when there is a new blog post.

Summer Recap English

Catching up on summer!

Gail Duffy, English Dept. Chair

"In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible."
―Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride

On the final day of school last June, I matched this picture with Sarah Dessen’s wise words about summer’s potential. For parents, students, and teachers, summer often sits at the edge of a wearying school year filled with too many “important somethings” to fit into a schedule that feels already bloated. Dessen reminds us how we often feel “anything is possible” in summer, and we have more potential to shape our time rather than it shaping us.

Ironically, when school begins at the end of August, Dessen’s words about summer dovetail perfectly with the positive feelings so common to starting school, having a fresh start, and looking forward to a better something.

And so, Blake English teachers send an enthusiastic welcome to all their students! Fresh off summers filled with enough time for family, or a graduate course with an intriguing premise, time to follow a passion for travel or writing, and even a wedding (!), Blake English teachers are excited to meet their students, and they are more committed than ever to making this year filled with personal and academic success for everyone. Welcome!

Although what you’re reading is in a traditional Google format, future posts can be viewed on our new Medfield English Departments blog (Medfield English Departments - blog). In our blog, we’ll share what’s happening in the Blake English Department and in the High School English Department, and, hopefully give you a glimpse into what makes teaching in Medfield so exceptional.

Grade 6 English teachers!  

Elise Malone, Kathleen Caprio, Eileen Hurley

Grade 7 English teachers!

Brian Gavaghan, Amy Cuomo (Reynolds), Nate Walkowicz

Grade 8 English teachers! 

Ann Marie Fratolillo, Ian Gagne, Seth Hellerstein

 

Summer is like a gift of time, and all of our Blake English teachers put their “gift of time” to great use. All teachers shared that time with their families, time to read and travel, and time to tackle some Research and Development (R+D) or a graduate courses made this summer especially wonderful.

• Eileen Hurley spent parts of her summer traveling to the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark. 
• Kathleen Caprio and Elise Malone spent their summer time with their families, enjoying the extra hours to connect with friends and family. 
• Amy (Reynolds) Cuomo was married on August 3rd in Waterville Valley, and she also managed to log some R+D time on the Project Happiness initiative and map out future advisory workshops for this year. 
• Brian Gavaghan reported that both of his children (ages 4 and 6) are official bike riders now, with no training wheels! They logged a lot of bike time in neighboring parks and ice cream shops. 
• Nate Walkowicz’s book of short stories, of Dust and Dragonflies can be found in Park Street Books. This collection of 48 Snackable stories is filled with deliciously enjoyable stories. 
• Ann Marie Fratolillo travelled to Texas and spent time enjoying her family. 
• Seth Hellerstein spent the summer as the Woodworking Counselor in a summer camp, combining his knowledge of carpentry with his love of teaching. He worked on improving his Japanese language skills, noting that it was a summer of self-education that was challenging and fun.

Summer Recap Art

Nancy Deveno joined fellow Blakers Kathy Caprio and Diane Horvath for Constructing Modern Knowledge, a workshop/conference that was held in Manchester NH and at the MIT media lab, in Cambridge, MA. The conference was designed for educators to create, collaborate, and understand computing skills. We were there as learners as was expressed by the presenters. She also spent time visiting the MOMA and MFA and worked on her own paintings.

In addition to Ms. Deveno, Christina Delaney, Kate Jones, and Joe Knaus will all be teaching part-time at Blake. All three spent quality time with their families and settling into new homes. All of the staff also reviewed curriculum materials for the coming school year in addition to pursuing their own artistic endeavors. We are looking forward to sharing our LOVE for Art with the Blake Community!
MPS Art Blog

Medfield Project Happiness

Medfield Project Happiness @happyblakers #MedfieldProjectHappiness

 Project Happiness (www.projecthappiness.org) specializes in emotional resilience-building programs which provide proven techniques to empower students and their communities to thrive. Drawing from the three pillars of neuroscience, positive psychology, and mindfulness, all participants learn social and emotional learning skills.

Project Happiness is connected to Common Core Standards, which helps students to learn to build a climate of kindness, appreciation, and cooperation. Each lesson fulfills Common Core Standards by teaching skills that allow students to calm themselves when angry, make friends, resolve conflicts respectfully, and make ethical and safe choices.

 Throughout this summer, Medfield Project Happiness collaborated through social media to spread happiness through @happyblakers Twitter and Instagram accounts. It started with a July Happiness Challenge and led into an August Appreciation Challenge. With over 725 followers from around the globe, participants shared daily posts of happiness and appreciation. Medfield Project Happiness will continue this fall with Advisory lessons as we continue with our Medfield Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) goals.

Episode 6: The Tribes at Blake

Blake MS has a welcoming sense of community which is comprised of many different tribes (as in clubs, teams, and opportunities). Listen in to conversations to learn about the work being done by the new Blake is Social Club and the Community Service Club. We also hear from the Cast of Pom Pom Zombies about Blake Theatre's second performance this year. During this time, the Parkland tragedy also sparked a student-activism movement. We'll talk to the student leaders who helped organize Blake's Sit-in.  Other special events occurring were the Special Olympics, Google Expeditions with AR, and Medfield's big Digital Learning day as we talk to attendees of our EveryDay Blakers Podcasting! Stay tuned for audio interviews that didn't make it into this episode in a, EP6 Bonus Track episode.

Thanks for listening -from your fav podcast hosts, @techmonstah & @heimtime

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