Blanchard School News 5/18/19
Hi Everyone,
First, a big thank you to MSPTO and the parent volunteers who made teachers feel like celebrities this week! Each morning, the teachers' dining room was stocked with snacks, drinks, and sweet treats; and yesterday, staff enjoyed the annual staff appreciation luncheon. Thank you for organizing this event and recognizing the hard work of our dedicated teachers!
A few more shout-outs as MCAS is now officially behind us! We couldn't be more proud of the schoolwide effort over the past month. Testing nearly 600 students on chromebooks at the same time is certainly not been an easy task; but our fearless assistant principal, Mrs. Demins, technology specialists, Mr. Bogacz and Mr. Wahl, and our conscientious staff made everything appear seamless. It was all hands on deck! Attendance was excellent, and your children stayed incredibly focused for every test session. Thank you again for your support at home.
On a related note, we have held assemblies talk to students about effort and conduct in the remaining weeks of school. We still have 20 days of learning in this final push, and everyone is expected to work hard and follow schoolwide expectations for behavior. Mrs. Demins provided students in all grades with general reminders about cell phones, gum chewing, hats, and noise level in the cafeteria and halls. It has been a great school year, and attention to these expectations will promote a strong finish. We also shared that teachers have some fun things in store for the end of the school year, and we look forward to everyone's participation. Field Day is scheduled for June 7th. The annual eighth grade trip to Canobie Lake Park is booked for June 13th, and the Middle School Completion and Achievement Ceremony is on June 14th.
A few parents of students in the sixth grade reached out to us directly to follow up this week, as some misinformation is circulating about a canceled field trip. This is not accurate. Every field trip is evaluated by the team upon return before it is proposed, approved by administration and central office, and booked for the next school year. In consideration of a variety of factors, we often decide to look into other options on and off campus in our efforts provide students with an enriching experience at a reasonable cost. No trip has been canceled as a result of student behavior, and all grades will celebrate the end of the year in a special event. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Demins and me with any questions. Communication is the foundation of family engagement in learning, and we will always make talking with children and parents our top priority.
Thank you for the continued support at home!
Incoming Sixth Grade Orientation
Parents of 2019/2020 sixth grade students are invited to a Blanchard parent orientation on Tuesday, May 21st from 6:00pm to 7:00pm in the Blanchard Learning Commons. This event is for parents. We are looking forward to meeting the students when they visit Blanchard on Wednesday!
Updated 2019-2020 WPS Calendar
The 2019/2020 WPS Calendar has been updated due to the change in professional development day. (March 12th changed to May 19th). The latest version is can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ns_uwl9N0shCM6r8gedmF2KWFfN9b3W7/view?usp=sharing
From the Nurse
During the annual spring “health and hygiene talk”, Mrs. MacDonald reminded students of the importance of sunscreen and staying hydrated. As a reminder, we have water stations installed throughout the building, and children are welcome to bring water bottles to all classes. Remember to label them, as several have made their way to our lost and found.
All medications should be picked up on the last day of school. Any medications not picked up by will be discarded. Also, any student entering the 7th grade with need an updated physical dated after August 30, 2017. Feel free to send this documentation in now if available.
Field Day Volunteers Needed
Student Council is looking for adults to help run and supervise games in the afternoon of June 7th from 11 to 2pm. Lunch will be provided. The activities will be simple but fun, and instructions will be provided. The more volunteers we have, the more enjoyable field day will be for the entire Blanchard community. If you would like to participate, please fill out the Google form here: BMS Field Day Volunteer Sign Up Thank you for your consideration!
Eighth Grade Completion and Achievement Ceremony
We are excited to extend extend an invitation to ALL eighth grade parents to join us in celebrating the completion of middle school at our Eighth Grade Completion and Achievement Ceremony. On Friday, June 14th we will gather in the Blanchard gymnasium to recognize our students for achieving this milestone in their educational journey and also honor individual students for outstanding academic performance and effort.
Travel Opportunities Open to Current Grade 8 Students
The Westford Academy History Department is offering two trips next year for WA students. The first will travel to Puerto Rico over April vacation in 2020 and is open to current 8-11th grade students. The second is to Japan in June/July of 2020 and is open to current 8-10th grade students only. Informational meetings will be held for both on Thursday, May 30th in room 144 at Westford Academy. The Puerto Rico meeting will run at 7:00pm, and the Japan meeting at 8:00pm. Additional details may be obtained by emailing Mr. Scully at sscully@westfordk12.us.
Important Dates
5/21 Sixth Grade Parent Orientation, 6:00pm
5/22 Progress Reports
5/27 Memorial Day – No School
5/29 Grade 7 Field Trip to Boda Borg
5/31 Blanchard Theatre Arts Presents Charlotte's Web, 7pm
6/1 Blanchard Theatre Arts Presents Charlotte's Web, 7pm
Finally, some sunshine! Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Tim
VOLEYBALL CLINIC Westford Academy Boys' Volleyball Head Coach Alexi Bukuras, and members of the Westford Academy Boys' Volleyball program are excited to announce they will be hosting a three day clinic on June 18-20 from 12:00-3:00 at Millworks. The cost of the clinic will be $125.00 per player, and please email Coach Bukuras for a discounted rate if your son is participating in the Westford Academy Boys’ Basketball Shooting Clinic. Email Coach Alexi Bukuras for further information and the registration form at abukuras@westfordk12.us. Here is the registration form for the middle school volleyball clinic. Please feel free to share! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z3xGLj945Cj8bRtv4Qf0whEvUeHP693FOgY7...
GREY GHOST BASKETBALL Any girls interested in playing basketball this summer should come to the Grey Ghost Basketball Clinic from June 18 through June 21st. This clinic is run by the WA Girls' Basketball program and is appropriate for all levels of players from recreational to AAU/travel basketball players. Counselors include current members of the WA Varsity Girls' Basketball team plus current NCAA college basketball players Emily Bramanti (Stonehill - NCAA D2) and Cammy Desrochers (Framingham State - NCAA D3). Please see the flyer that was sent home with your student or email Coach Russ Coward at rcoward@westfordk12.us. Thank you very much for your support!
WESTFORD ACADEMY BOYS’ BASKETBALL SHOOTING CLINIC is now Open to All Boys Entering 2-9 Grade (Entering Fall of 2019). Westford Academy Boys' Basketball Head Coach Chris Bramanti, and members of the Westford Academy Boys' Basketball program will host a four day, three hour per day shooting clinic from Tuesday, June 18th through Friday, June 21st from 8:30am to 11:30am. Registration can be found on www.basketballwa.com or you can email Coach Bramanti at cbramanti@westfordk12.us.
WESTFORD SUMMER MUSIC - The Westford Summer Music program is now accepting registrations for band and orchestra students entering grades 5 through 9 in September 2019. Band and orchestra ensembles will rehearse daily from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Stony Brook School on July 8th through July 12th . During the week, the students will prepare new music and give a free performance on Friday, July 12th at 11 a.m. For more information and registration please visit: www.westfordk12.us/summermusic For questions, please contact Julie Ottesen at jottesen@westfordk12.us