The Digital Dragon

Student, Family & Community

*Scholarship and Career Opportunities found further down in the Newsletter*

Coffee With (The Support Staff) December 13th

Tomorrow, December 13th, we will be hosting our monthly coffee session. This time it will be with the support staff. If you are interested in meeting guidance counselors, family liaisons, climate and culture, please visit our upper library 7:30 - 8:30. Please fill out this form if you will be in attendance. If you are interested in bringing in light refreshments please fill out this form as well.

First Equity Roundtable

This is a reminder that we will be hosting our first Equity Roundtable on 12.13 from 6:30-7:30pm. If you have any questions please email Ms. Medina (mmedina5@bostonpublicschools.org )

Greece 2024 For Current 9th, 10th, and 11th Graders

Did you miss the info session for the Greece trip? It's not too late. If you're interested in learning more about the trip and how to enroll, email slindeborg@bostonpublicschools.org or send your scholar to room 307 for more information. For more information, you can also go to the tour enrollment page: www.eftours.com/2610037xf

National Latin Exam

The National Latin Exam is a 40 question multiple choice exam on Latin grammar and translation and Greco-Roman history, culture and mythology. The exam is administered to students across the United States and around the world. The registration deadline is January 10th and the cost is $6.50. Please see your Latin teacher asap to sign up. We encourage all Latin students to take the exam. Special certificates, ribbons and awards are given to students who perform well on the test. The exam will be administered during one period of the school day in March 2023.

BPS Coding Contests

Interested in district coding contests please click here. All submissions must be received between December 5-18, 2022 through the online submission form which will be posted on this site on December 5th by 8am. You can submit previously-completed work; however, projects that were submitted in previous years' contests are not eligible.

Boston Partners In Education

Offers online mentoring takes place outside of school time. Parents/guardians can request support directly for programs. Here is some basic information that could be included.

Knitting Club Startup

Community Service Opportunity here: The Knitting Club is restarting this school year. With this club, students not only get the opportunity knit crafts, but to also send their crafts to underprivileged communities for service hours. It is in room 326 (Mrs. MacIsaac's Room) after school with the first meeting being next Tuesday (11/22). There will be games and music! No experience is needed! To sign up fill out the attached google form: https://forms.gle/n82qSUNmisYXnHsBA

Interact Boston Club

Want volunteer hours? Join Interact Club and interact with Boston. We will volunteer around Boston and help solve community issues! Questions? mpimentel18@bostonk12.org

Yoga Club Dates Switched

Due to a scheduling conflict, Yoga Club will take place on the second Wednesday of every month. Therefore, the next club meeting will be on Wednesday, December 14th in Room 201 with Ms. Conway. Namaste. Questions? cconway2@bostonpublicschools.org

Family Panorama Survey

Each household only needs to complete one survey per household, per school. The survey should only take 5-10 minutes of your time, and there are two ways families can access the survey:

1. Link sent via email: Priority #1 and 2 guardians with emails on file in Aspen will receive an email with their unique survey link. When you click into that link, you will see the name of their child’s school.

2. General link: If families did not receive an email or cannot find it, they can also complete their survey at bostonpublicschools.org/survey. On this link, you will need to select their child’s school.

Elections for Open Positions: School Parent Council - Dec. 14, at 6:30p

Please consider running for one of our open, elected positions for SPC:

1 or 2 DELAC (District English Learners Advisory Council) Parent Reps: act as a liaison between citywide DELAC and BLA School Parent Council (SPC).

and for School Site Council (SSC):

SSC Alternate Parent Reps - 1 Asian and 1 Latinx: participate meetings, have voice in Council deliberations, serve as voting members only when their presence is necessary to have a quorum.

Position Details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T_i5BJ0qHyZUpb4TCy54DzlTRyrzEhBhqYJS3OCAQe8/edit?usp=sharing

Questions? Email SPC via blafamilies@gmail.com today!

Ms. Upchurch's Resume Writing Workshops

• Come join us after school on Monday's in room 110 to work on resume creation and editing! They will take place right after school from around 1:45pm - 2:30pm. This is a great way for students grades 9-12 to create their first resume, learn helpful resume tips and hear a bit more about the Boston PIC and our services. In addition, working with the PIC on your resume now makes it easier for you to get connected to various internship opportunities once the Private Sector Internship application opens up closer to March!

*Have you already attended a PIC resume workshop in the past? Just want someone to look over your resume and give suggestions? Share a copy of your resume to Ms. Upchurch today cupchurch@bostonpublicschools.org , in order to work with the PIC we have to have an updated copy of your resume in our system!*

School Parent Council

• Join us on Zoom to: get updates / Q&A with Head of School Gavin Smith; hear plans for the School Store; give feedback on Back to School Night and Coffee Hours; participate in course offerings discussion; hear the latest from our subcommittees: Accessibility & Inclusion; Appreciation for Fac & Students; Arts; Communications; Programming / Workshops; Wellness; and more!

• If you've already RSVP'd for past meetings you will get the Zoom link automatically for this one. If you haven't yet, RSVP today! https://forms.gle/TZGTUd1hp4eB1MR57

Monday After-School Math Club for Grade-7 & Grade-8 Math Enthusiasts

• Join Seniors Kenny Mai & Symone Armstead on Mondays at 1:40 to 2:40 in Room 326 for fun & interesting math activities. Students will work on group problem solving, hands-on explorations, team competitions, and maybe create a Math Video or Animation Video for the MathCounts Video Challenge annual contest.

• The MathCounts Club will begin on November 7th. Email Ms. Linda Coffey at blamathcounts@gmail, if you would like to join the group. Reach out to amacisaac@bostonpublicschools with any questions.

• Fruta With Ms. Medina

  • Fruta with Ms. Medina the BLA Family Liaison. This will be a workshop that will take place twice a month in different neighborhoods. We hope to see families when we come to your neighborhoods and will be providing a wealth of resources for those who may need them. Please complete registration form.

• Saturday School

  • Saturday school serves as a space where our students engage in activities they may not get to experience during the school day or week, and often features members of the community. Last year some of the highlights were DJing, poetry, etc. This month's Saturday school will be specific to 8th grade only. Please contact Ms. Manchester if you would like more information.

• Get Connected via School Parent Council (SPC). For more info, contact SPC via blafamilies@gmail.com.

  • SPC helps build community among BLA families! Hear from guest speakers - Get answers to your questions from Head of School Gavin Smith - Join our General and/or our Grade-level family listservs to stay connected with fellow parents / caregivers.

  • Listserv Sign up form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-QvSqhBUuw-pc-CLGGseXCe4NQOZDGEFB9YtZCX5B_l010A/viewform

  • RSVP in advance to receive the monthly SPC Meeting Zoom link: https://forms.gle/TZGTUd1hp4eB1MR57

Upcoming healthy relationship academy

• Is a paid opportunity for young people with the possibility of a job offer at the end of it. Please send out to anyone who works with youth who may be interested. Here is the application link.

BLA Operations

BPS DAILY HOME HEALTH CHECKLIST

Please use the BPS daily checklist everyday. The checklist is available in many languages and found HERE

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES & SAFETY

• Please have your child ready for the bus at their assigned pickup location ten minutes before the stated pickup time. Please also be prepared for bus delays. If you would like to know where your child’s bus is in real time, check out Where’s My School Bus online at schoolbus.bostonpublicschools.org.

• If your child needs way-finding help, please encourage them to call the BPS Transportation Helpline at 617-635-9520. If your child becomes lost, they should call 9-1-1. The Boston Police Department's school unit coordinates with Boston Public Schools to locate missing children and return them to their parents and/or guardians or school as quickly as possible.

MORNING SAFETY

• Please follow the signs posted near the school and watch your speed during school arrival times.

• Please avoid blocking traffic by stopping in the middle of the road, parking in the spots designated for buses, making U-turns and dropping students off in the teacher parking lots.

Library Updates

• The library currently has 2 ongoing Donors Choose projects! One is for purchasing e-readers to support literacy skills, and the other is for purchasing board games to support classroom projects and club activities. The links can be found here: e-readers and board games. In addition, the library also has an Amazon wishlist, which can be found here. Thank you for your support!

• We are starting a BLA Book Club! Book Club will meet every Wednesday afterschool from 1:50 - 2:30 in the library. Book Club will have a monthly theme, and students can read any book of their choice that connects to the theme. The first meeting of each month will be dedicated to discussing the theme and choosing books. Ms. Sweeney will have plenty of suggestions each month! The first Book Club meeting is on Wed., November 2nd. We can't wait to see you there!

• Library Newsletter can be found down below or click here

• Library Hours:

Mon-Thur: 6:30am - 3:30pm

Fri: 6:30am - 1:40pm

The after-school teacher in charge is Ms. Medina. If you have any questions, contact the librarians.

• BLA's Hapgood Library is a place for students to visit during their study halls to complete work individually or in small groups. Research shows that listening to music while working or studying has many benefits, including boosting productivity, reducing stress, and improving focus. The library has a combination radio, CD, and record player, and we're looking to expand our music collection to play calm study music throughout the day! If you have any classical or easy listening music on CD or vinyl that you would like to donate to the library, please bring them in to Ms. Sweeney or Ms. Estrada.

• Vacation Mental Health Support Flyers

• November Middle School Behavioral Health Digest

• BLA Be-Well Office Hours

• If staff or students are traveling internationally and need to access their BPS email, call the Service Desk at 617-635-9200 to keep their access turned on

Nursing/COVID Protocol

If you are hoping to participate in a winter sports team, please be sure you have signed up on aspen ( directions included), talked with the coach and have submitted a valid in person Physical exam dated within 13 months. ASPEN directions provided down below.

If you test positive for COVID, fill out the google form (below) so we can correctly excuse this absence and record this illness. Please follow the directions for quarantine on the form, if you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to Nurse Conlin and Price. You may also visit this website for additional information.

• If your student requires any medication during the school year ie: inhaler, epipen , please be sure to fill out the authorization for prescription medication paperwork and have it signed by both parent and MD. See nurse website for more information. If your student may require Ibuprofin/acetominophen/benedryl/ cetrizine, please fill out the OTC form also found on the nurses page. If your student had a Physical exam over the summer or during this school year, please be sure to forward a copy to our school nurses. Please visit our school nurses webpage for any information/paperwork you may require: https://www.latinacademy.org/families/nurses office

Google Form for reporting positive COVID case: HERE

CATIE'S CLOSET

• We have partnered with Catie's Closet to end clothing insecurity. We are running a clothing drive starting Friday, October 7. Feel free to bring any gently used or new clothes. We will have boxes on each floor (near front Office, rooms 242, 343 of the building). Questions? Contact Ms. White and Ms. Medina.

FRESH FOOD PICK-UP

• This will be happening the 2nd Saturday of every month. The registration form will be sent out a week in advance for families to register to pick up a box of fresh food. Questions? Contact Ms. Medina at mmedina5@bostonpublicschools.org