Blanchard School News 6/6/20
Hi Everyone,
Seven days of school to go, and they will be packed with activity! Teams at each grade level have created a variety of community activities to mark the completion of this remarkable school year. It has been exciting to be a part of all of the collaboration that has gone into making the end of the year memorable for our students. Please encourage them to participate in all of the fun events and remind them to also submit any outstanding assignments as soon as possible. Staff will continue to be accessible to students for individual questions during their scheduled office hours through next week. Final report cards will be posted in iparent on June 16. Again, we thank you for sticking with us on this remote learning journey. Your partnership has made education possible over the past three months.
To celebrate our success, we would like to invite your family to join us at Blanchard for a Summer Send-off Parade on the last day of school, Tuesday, June 16. More details will be sent out early next week. For your planning purposes, we are planning to begin before 11 and identify timeframes for each of the three grade levels.
We have prepared a very special virtual Middle School Completion & Achievement Ceremony for our eighth graders. Although we cannot gather in the gymnasium on Monday, June 15, I am pleased to share that we have received approval from the Board of Health to offer a curbside pick-up of certificates and awards. On the day of the ceremony, many of our staff will be at Blanchard to help with distribution from 10:30am to 12:30pm. If you cannot make this time, we will mail the packet to your home. Information will be sent to eighth grade families along with the link to the ceremony. The program is available here: 2020 Completion Ceremony Program.
We are immensely proud of all of our students and excited for these opportunities to see them in person again! Looking ahead to August, the leadership team has started planning for re-entry into school buildings with guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expected by mid-June. The 2020/2021 Westford Public Schools Calendar has been approved by School Committee. View it here: WPS 2020/2021 District Calendar.
More updates pertaining to summer reading, sixth grade transition, and field trip refunds are included below. On behalf of the entire Blanchard family, best wishes to the Westford Academy Class of 2020!
Sincerely,
Tim and Patti
Important Dates
Wednesday, 6/10 Curbside Book Return 9am-1pm
Thursday, 6/11 Curbside Book Return 9am-1pm
Monday, 6/15 Blanchard Middle School Completion Ceremony
Tuesday, 6/16 Last Day of School – Blanchard Summer Send Off Parade!
Student Agenda Cover Winner!
Congratulations to Prajana Sriram whose artwork was chosen for the cover of the 2020/2021 student agendas!
Curbside Book Return
Please return Blanchard text and library books to the school anytime between 9 and 1 on the dates listed above. There will be signage and locations along the sidewalk marked by grade level. Please be sure your student’s name is written on a note inside each text. Thank you!
Field Trip Refunds
We are in the process of refunding spring field trips. Parents who have submitted payment for the Great East Music Festival, Junior Districts or Strand Theatre (grade 8) can expect to receive a refund check by mail by June 30. Thank you for your patience.
Resources for Families
In consideration of the nation-wide protests in response to the death of George Floyd, we are including a few resources that may be helpful in guiding conversations about prejudice and social justice at home. WPS Anti-Defamation League A World of Difference(R) Coordinator, Jenny Kravitz, is available to serve as a resource to parents and can be reached at jkravitz@westfordk12.us.
Teaching Tolerance Beyond The Golden Rule
YouTube/The Daily Show - George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper
YouTube/Patrick Tutwiler (former WA Dean) - In Response
Transitioning to Blanchard – Information for 2020/2021 Sixth Grade Families
While we cannot welcome families to Blanchard in person at the present time, we are in the process of creating a virtual middle school orientation website that will launch in the coming weeks. It will include a variety of resources aimed at promoting a smooth transition to middle school including a parent orientation program, introductions and welcome messages from our staff, and a virtual tour of Blanchard. Stay tuned!
WPS Required Summer Reading
All middle school students have required summer reading this year. Students entering grades 6, 7, and 8 should select and read at least one book from their grade level list, then be prepared to complete an assignment on that book when school resumes in the fall. Students entering grade 9 will find their list and expectations on the WA Summer Reading website.
JV Fletcher Library Summer Reading Program begins on Monday June 8th
This year it will be completely virtual, but (as always) there will be exciting programs and prizes! This year's theme is "Imagine your Story". To learn more, watch this short video presentation: Middle School Summer Reading with Kate. Student can sign up for the program on the JV Fletcher Teen and Tween Summer Reading web page.
At the end of each school year, the Young Adult Librarian at JV Fletcher Library comes to Blanchard to promote the Summer Reading Program at Westford's excellent Public Library. Kate Rose, JV Fletcher YA Librarian, has created the following short video presentations that teachers will be sharing with students virtually this year:\
Middle School Summer Reading with Kate (to be shared with this year's grade 6 and 7 students)
High School Summer Reading with Kate (to be shared with this year's grade 8 students)
Blanchard Book Club
Join Blanchard librarian, Ellen Brandt and JV Fletcher librarian, Kate Rose for the last of this year's weekly lunchtime get-together; Thursday June 11, noon - 1 pm. The theme is "Mystery", but we will also be playing a giant kahoot game with student-submitted questions about favorite Middle School books. The Google meeting link will be posted in the Blanchard Book Club Google Classroom (join code: z6vr6yt )
WA Journalism Summer Camp
WA Ghostwriter asked if we would pass on a great upcoming opportunity for all of our students. The Westford Academy Ghostwriter has decided to run a summer camp this summer for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders on the basics of journalism. This camp will expose them to how our newspaper works and provide them an opportunity to experience journalism prior to entering high school. For more information, please access this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1A0sUvPzUMu51mC_vq6EuNDD90TrjxR2K7qHYk-taK_E/viewform?edit_requested=true