Blanchard School News 4/5/19
Hi Everyone,
Earlier this week, we gathered in grade level assemblies to hear how individual students have made a positive impact on our school by modeling respect, opportunity, cooperation, kindness, and service. Please join us in recognizing the second trimester Blanchard Honored Citizens: Saisrunushvini Bhagavathula, Nate Bott, Chris Butts, Andrew Cao, Niharika Chawla, Christopher Czado, Shawn Czado, Kyla Felicani, Emily Fu, Meghan Hall, Devesh Khamitkar, Tina Lin, Alison Mammola, Rahi Patel, Ella Perrault, Pranav Rajaram, Ritika Sen, Jason Story, Rachel Targ, Juliette Travassos, Braden Tripp, Shubhang Viswanadha, and Faith Williams!
Report Cards
As a reminder, second trimester report cards were released in iParent last week. If you have questions or would like to schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher or team, contact your child’s teacher or call Kerry Caldwell in Guidance at 978-692-5582 ext. 172.
2019-2020 Music Course Selection
As we begin the scheduling process for the 2019-2020 school year, students will soon have the opportunity to select a music course for grades seven and eight. Blanchard is proud to offer students a variety of opportunities that include Band, Chorus, General Music, and Orchestra. A notice including a link to make a course selection will be sent home with current students early next week. To help inform a decision about middle school music selection, teachers have created a presentation that families may find helpful. Access the slideshow here: Music Choices
2019-2020 Math Placement
In case you missed Monday’s Math Information Night, the presentation can be found on the Curriculum Office website: https://www.westfordk12.us/district/curriculum-and-instruction/pages/math-placement. Math eligibility letters will be sent home electronically on April 22. Parents should confirm their email addresses in iPass are accurate and up to date.
Blanchard’s Best Book or Series CompetitionMrs. Brandt is excited to share the results of our 7th annual Best Book or Series for Middle School.Number of students who participated: 462Number of books or series that got at least one vote: 210 (wow!)Number of these that are available at the Blanchard Library: 179Number of these being ordered for the Blanchard Library: 21Number of books or series that got at least two votes: 74Number of books or series that got at least three votes: 40 2019 Winners1. Harry Potter series (43 votes)2. Percy Jackson (inc. Heroes of Olympus) series (17 votes)3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (13 votes)For the complete list and more information, see [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ujjdrmDMMXXsfI548iE8ZSVuFG-vLM9-qkBpXUYStiE/edit?usp=sharing]Yearbooks
The 2018-2019 Blanchard yearbook is in publishing and looks amazing! New this year- the yearbooks are hard cover and come with extra autograph inserts and stickers. Our front and back covers were done by Sasha Williams and Tina Lin. Yearbooks will be delivered and distributed to students the last week of school in June. There are just 75 yearbooks left for sale. If your student is still interested in purchasing a yearbook the Lifetouch web site is open until April 26th. Ybpay.lifetouch.com
2019-2020 WPS Calendar
The 2019-2020 school calendar is available on the website. It is also available here: WPS 19-20 Calendar
Good luck to Andrew Cao as he competes in the state finals of the National History Day competition in Winchester tomorrow!
Have a terrific weekend!
Sincerely,
Tim
WESTFORD PARKS & REC APRIL VACATION FIELD HOCKEY CLINICAges: 11 +Where: Nutting Road Community FieldsWhen : April 16-19Time: 9:00-1:00Price: $150.00
REGISTER SOON FOR THIS VIP GOALKEEPER SESSION!AMAZING opportunity to work with Dan Gaspar, a goalkeeper coach who has been to 2 world cups on April 17th, in Acton, MA! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftcLmH4S-0PYEcEJ5adpXoKxH7hBzdl9Djrgw9kmnbcDhEYQ/viewform ]
UPCOMING WESTFORD PARENT CONNECTION EVENTSWant To Feel More Connected To Your Kids?Unconditional acceptance is what all children need. But how do parents give it while still setting limits and ensuring family balance? Based on her book Confident Parents, Remarkable Kids: 8 Principles For Raising Kids You’ll Love To Live With, Bonnie Harris’ approach helps parents connect even in the toughest times, and guides them through problem solving to be accountable for their actions – all without punishment or blame. And regain the authority and the confidence all children want and need parents to have.Bonnie Harris is an experienced, world-class parenting expert and child behavior specialist. She engages her audience with story and humor, and helps adults understand children’s behavior and what children need in order to thrive both at home and at school. Bonnie’s presentation is being hosted by the Westford Parent Connection and is free and open to the public, due to the generosity of the organization’s sponsors. The talk is being held Tuesday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m. at the Stony Brook Middle School, 9 Farmer Way, Westford, MA. Copies of Bonnie’s books will be available for purchase the evening of the event. For more information about Bonnie, go to https://bonnieharris.com/. For details about the Westford Parent Connection, go to https://www.westford.org/wpc/ or contact Mary Anne Seraphin at mary.anne.seraphin@gmail.com. Join the Westford Parent Connection on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 for Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Friendship Development, Popularity, And Social Cruelty In Childhood, a dynamic presentation by Dr. Michael Thompson. Dr. Thompson is an internationally recognized, highly acclaimed speaker, author, and psychologist. His talk will be held at the Stony Brook Middle School, 9 Farmer Way, Westford, at 7:00 p.m. Due to the generosity of many sponsors, the presentation is free and open to the public. It is appropriate for parents, guardians, and teachers of children of all ages, but may be particularly helpful for those who have younger kids in their lives.Dr. Thompson walks teachers and parents through the complex social world of childhood ad addresses a number of questions: What do social relationships in school predict about happiness in adult life? What is the normal sequence of child friendships, from the parallel play of the two-year-old to the intimate self-disclosure of the adolescent? Why do cliques form and what are the differences between boy and girl groups? Why are children scapegoated and how can their parents and school protect them? Dr. Thompson will draw on research to highlight the differences between friendship and popularity. He makes suggestions about the management of social problems in schools, and builds the case that while all children yearn for popularity, is it friendship that truly helps children survive and thrive.For more information about Dr. Thompson, go to http://michaelthompson-phd.com/. For more details about the Westford Parent Connection, check out https://www.westford.org/wpc/ or contact Mary Anne Seraphin at mary.anne.seraphin@gmail.com.
MSPTO UPDATE !!CALLING ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS!!The PTO is looking for a parent volunteer at Stony Brook on Monday, April 8th at 8:50 am and at Blanchard on Tuesday, April 9th at 9:25 am to meet the Museum of Science presenter(s) for the Gr.8 Dynamic Earth: Heat Flow presentation. Please click here to sign-up : https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a48aba92caafa7-wmspto2. More details will be provided after you sign-up.Parents are also welcome to sign-up for the two events in May. Volleyball Game ResultsFriday night, March 29th, a fun time was had by over 300 student and family audience members at the annual Blanchard versus Stony Brook showdown. One of the largest crowds seen in a long time was drawn to the Blanchard Middle School auditorium by the prospect of watching eighth graders and teachers vie for the annual trophy. The trophy started at Blanchard, who won last year‘s basketball showdown. Another trophy was added to the mix this year for greatest school spirit. So, stakes were high for kids to show love for their players and middle school. There was so much foot thumping, clapping and cheering, that many kids reported losing their voices. Each game was played with equal drive and tenacity that kept both sides evenly matched within 2 to 3 points of each other. The first game was won by Stony Brook, who also snatched the second game in the last exciting minute. Winning 2 out of 3, they cinched the Showdown trophy. However, the school spirit trophy and last game were still up for grabs...Game 3 was played by a mix of school faculty and students, which again came down to minute 20. This time Blanchard managed to edge past for a win. Great school spirit was shown by both schools. But while Stony Brook brought their amazing Panther mascot, more Bulldog audience members cheered louder, and more navy school colors were worn leading Blanchard to take the school spirit award.
The PTO would like to shout out special thanks to phys.ed. teachers Mr. Morgan and Ms. Craig for their amazing organization and coaching! Last but not least, thanks to all the eighth graders who gave their best on the court. We couldn’t have done it without you. Go Stony! Go Blanchard!