The Digital Dragon
Student, Family & Community
Black History Month is a celebration of the many achievements of African Americans throughout the month
COMMON ASSESSMENT
This is the final week Common Assessments ending Thursday February 17th and be given during 2nd and 3rd period which we’ve adjusted to be double periods. Work will still be administered during other class periods and homework while it may be assigned will not count against students during this time.
SCHEDULE BELOW
National Honor Society Interest Meetings
Come find out how you can be a candidate for the National Honor Society. This meeting is primarily for juniors, but if you are a 9th or 10th grader interested in seeing what we are all about, you can come, too!
*If you are a junior who wants to be a candidate, you MUST come to ONE of the meetings!*
Monday 2/14 @2pm in 231
Thursday 2/17 @2pm in 231
Wednesday 2/23 @7pm on zoom
https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/85954008310 for more info contact Mrs. MacIsaac at amacisaac@bostonpublicschools.org
LIFE CONTEXT MAP
If your "Life Context Map" was / is on display outside of 230 and you would like it back, please come take it by Friday 2/18. I have already taken some down and will be holding them until the 18th. After this time, I will recycle them.
Thank you,
Mrs. MacIsaac 231
BLA Operations
BPS DAILY HOME HEALTH CHECKLIST
Please use the BPS daily checklist everyday. The checklist is available in many languages and found HERE
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.
REPORT CARD NIGHT
BLA’s report card night will take place on the 17th. This is an opportunity for parents to meet with their children's teachers. Please reach out to Ms.White (mwhite8@bostonpublicschools.org) if you need help registering for teacher conferences.
Senior PROM and GRADUATION
Senior Prom is scheduled for Thursday, May 26 at 6pm at Lombardo's in Randolph Ma. This year's graduation will be held on Sunday, June 12. More details will be provided in the coming weeks.
Junior PROM
Junior Prom is scheduled for Friday April 8 at Venezia in Dorchester at 6:30pm. More information will be provided via email.
HAPGOOD MONTHLY LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
Please check out this month's library newsletter
COVID Protocol
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
Google Form for reporting positive COVID case: HERE
Student Support
The DESE team at uAspire is ready to assist consulting Boston Public Schools and availability will be based on a first-come, first-served basis. Students can schedule appointments at the link below with our uAspire DESE advisors to meet virtually through Zoom. Student support is intended to assist students in completing their FAFSA applications and begin their journey towards secondary education.
WHEN: 4pm and 6pm during February and March.
February 9th
February 15th
March 8th
March 22nd
Students can sign up for FREE support at this link
Contact: Leticia Reyes (Email: Leticiar@uaspire.org)
Upcoming Events
MONDAY
Valentines Day
Common Assessment
TUESDAY
Common Assessment
Expression Contest Deadline for Submission: Room 221
Here’s How It Works:
Guided by a quote from an African American historical figure(s) or icon(s) (both past and present), students are invited to submit an essay, a story, a piece of art, music, video, poetry, dance or any other form of expression.
The top THREE will be featured on the BLA website and will receive $100 gift cards. Winners will be announced on February 18, 2022.
Submit your original work in any format to Ms. White (mwhite8@bostonpublicschools.org) or bring to room 221. Include your name, student ID, email, and your chosen quotation (with author cited), if it is not evident in your submission. Questions? Email Ms. White.
WEDNESDAY
COVID Pool Testing (All Day)
Common Assessment
THURSDAY
Final Common Assessment
Rip the Runway: Lunch (Wear fashion that represents the amazing black cultural experience)
Art Gallery: Main Office
FRIDAY
Open Mic: Lunch
Black Out: come dressed in all black to support Black History Month
Art Gallery: Main Office
Middle School Updates & Information
Academic Supports Available to Students:
The third academic quarter began on February 3rd. Please see below for a list of academic supports available to all students.
Support Block: Students can sign up for extra support during Support Block and receive support in any of their academic classes. Students change on a monthly basis and will be able to register for new supports beginning after February break. More information to come!
Math Center: Come join us at the Math Center! Sign up for the math center during Support Block to get help with your homework, tutoring on a math topic from teachers and/or students, or just to have a space to complete assignments. The Math Center is also open after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room108 from 1:50-2:30.
Youth Virtual Learning Programs: Check out this spreadsheet which has over 200 programs available to students to support with academics in the virtual world.
Boston Public Library Homework Assistance Program: The Homework Assistance Program (HAP) is a free after-school service led by Harvard University trained teen mentors that offers homework help, mentorship, and activities for students in grades K–8. Join online for a space to work on homework with peers and extra guidance on assignments in any subject, from sciences to humanities. Bilingual help in English and various languages is available. There will not be any in-person HAP in the branches from January 4 until February 1, 2022. Join Virtual HAP online on Zoom at the following link: https://boston-public-library.zoom.us/my/bplhap - Sessions take place Monday-Thursday from 3:30-5:30. More information can be found here: https://www.bpl.org/homework-help-for-grades-k-8/
Pie R Squared: PieRSquared offers live math tutoring, which takes place after school. This is an incredible resource for students seeking extra help in math! Check out their website at https://www.piersquared.org/ for more information about tutoring.
826 Boston: 826 Boston’s after-school tutoring program operates Monday through Thursday for students ages 6-18. We serve the highest-need students in our community and give priority enrollment to students from low-income families and English Language Learners. More information can be found at https://826boston.org/programs/after-school/
Social Media:
As we continue to navigate through the school year we want to provide families with some helpful information and resources about social media. Please see the attached Social Media One Pager, created by Mr. Martyn. This provides an outline and overview of commonly used social media applications, A guide for creating a family media plan, and information about effects of screen time and sleep.
Support & Activity Block:
The next round of Support and Activity Block will begin after February Break. We will host an activity fair during lunch on Thursday, March 3rd. Students will make selections in their Homebase that afternoon. We are excited to be able to offer a variety of different activities and clubs, including, but not limited to: Dungeons & Dragons, Wrestling, Hip Hop Dance, CircusUP, Stock Market Club, the Black Student Union, Comic Con Committee and Film Club.
Middle School Awards Ceremony:
There will be a Middle School Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, March 1st. The ceremony will be held virtually for students and awards will be sent home to all students and family members following the ceremony. We are looking forward to recognizing all of the amazing efforts that our students have put into the first half of the school year!
2022 Red Sox Scholars Program
The deadline is March 18
The 2022 Red Sox Scholars Application is open to eligible BPS district and charter 7th-grade students.
The Red Sox Scholars is a college success program that awards a $10,000 college scholarship to 12 Boston Public School 7th graders each year. The Foundation then provides academic, professional, and social support to students for at least the next nine years to ensure they graduate from college with as little debt as possible and are prepared to enter the workforce.
Get the application and learn more here. Must meet financial requirements. If interested, contact Ms. Essaibi (guidance counselor), sessaibi@bostonpublicschools.org.
Spring Sports Registration:
Information and communication regarding the upcoming spring sports season was sent out on Friday, February 11th to all middle school families. Interested students should register for sports in SIS, and be sure to have an up to date physical examination.
Baseball contact: Coach Curley. jcurley@bostonpublicschools.org
Softball contact: Coach Zizza rzizza@bostonpublicschools.org
Outdoor Track & Field contact: Coach Leussler. bleussler@bostonpublicschools.org
Boys Volleyball contact: Coach Lau. willlau27@gmail.com
Boys Tennis. Coach Crane contact: andy acrane2@bostonpublicschools.org
Girls Tennis contact: Coach Niles. sniles7@gmail.com
Lacrosse: Any students interested in Lacrosse please email Mr. Huie (rhuie@bostonpublicschools.org)and Mr. McManus (wmcmanus@bostonpublicschools.org) directly. We currently do not offer lacrosse, if we have enough interested students we will try and organize some lacrosse activities.
To learn more about how you can be part of creating art in BLA, contact Mr. Cardoso at jcardoso@bostonpublicschools.org
BLA Spotlight of the Week
Mr. Cardoso's class has been learning about the work of artist Jacob Lawrence, a notable painter born just before the Harlem Renaissance. A social realist and history painter, Lawrence's first two major series were comprised of sixty paintings all documenting the Underground Railroad (a secret passage leading runaway slaves all the way up to the North where they could find freedom) and the Northern Migration (Also known as the Great Migration). The class objective was to create a painting using tempera or acrylic on paper or wood panel using the information learned about Jacob Lawrence's influence and the documented history he talked about. Here are some examples of what the class came up with. To see these beautiful pieces in person and read more about the inspiration that the students took from, you can look at these paintings in the main office and first floor walls near the entrance.
BLA EVENTS THIS WEEK
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Amphibious Achievement
Hello, my name is Franco Yee, I’m a BPS alum from Urban Science Academy and New Mission High School. Currently, I attend MIT where I’m the Director of Recruitment for MIT Amphibious Achievement. I’m excited to share that our program application is open (application link)! More great news: we plan to be in-person! We want to share this with all students from Bostin Latin Academy!
Amphibious Achievement is a FREE program designed for motivated high schoolers that lack at-home resources. Students are paired with an MIT-student mentor to meet each Sunday (in-person or virtually depending on MIT COVID-19 policies). Our academic activities include SAT practice, goal setting, and STEM lessons about mentor research. Athletic activities include swimming and rowing. Our mentors build close relationships with achievers, offering guidance, sometimes beyond academics and athletics. Visit our website for more information.
MUST be enrolled in high school and have received COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots (per MIT institutional policy)
Logistics
· Application: tinyurl.com/amphibzspring22
· Deadline to Apply: 2/20/22
· Program Starts: 2/20/22
· Program Ends: 5/1/22
· When: meet every Sunday (except 3/27/22)
· Where: in-person at MIT
Feel free to reach out with questions to gyee@mit.edu or 617-981-3693
MIT Lincoln Laboratory (LL).
We wanted to share this exciting opportunity with you and hope you can spread the word. MIT LL Beaver Works will be running 6 different virtual courses for 8 weeks and we are looking for students. A student will only be able to attend one of the programs. We will let students know by March 1 if they have been awarded a spot in the program.
Students must be able to attend all sessions (all sessions are on Saturdays starting 3/5 11AM-2PM EST). We are sharing far and wide as you may have a friend, relative or know a teacher in the area that will have students that are interested in the program.
We are looking for students who are in the 9th and 10th grade. These students should be interested in learning about robotics, cyber security, computational biology and programming.
The program is completely free and no prior experience is necessary!
See attached flyer or go to https://beaverworks.ll.mit.edu/CMS/bw/bwsi for more information. The link to sign up HERE
Spring HSSP 2022
happening from 2/26 through 4/2! Register now for five Saturdays of cool classes!
Come take five-week long classes on anything and everything at Spring HSSP! Take classes taught by MIT students and community members, on topics as diverse as:
Linguistics Laboratory
Lab Techniques in Chemistry
Cultivating a Microbial Garden
and many, many more!
Spring HSSP 2022 is a virtual five-weekend program for middle and high schoolers, open to grades 7–12. It will run on Saturdays from 1 to 4 PM ET, beginning on February 26 and ending on April 2 (skipping March 12 for Spark).
Register for classes at <https://esp.mit.edu/learnpineapple22>.
Youth Programs at Grub Street
We pay high school students $625 to be part of a three-week BIPOC instructor-led creative writing program. All of our instructors are wonderful Boston-based BIPOC writers and poets, and we aim to recruit majority BIPOC youths so their stories can be supported and uplifted.
Key Details
Mondays through Fridays, July 11th - July 29th, 2022.
In the spirit of writers' residencies for adults, all teens will receive a stipend of $625 for their time spent as working writers.
During three weeks at GrubStreet, teens work with published authors and meet with literary agents and editors, take field trips, and more.
All applications are due by Tuesday, February 22nd at 11:59pm.
Application link: https://grubstreet.org/programs/for-teens/summer-fellowship/
For more information contact: 267-632-1234.
Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester (Music Video Project)
Teens can still join us for our music video project, where they will dive into music video production - learning video styles, shot lists, video treatments, audio, VFX and more while using professional filmmaking equipment as they create their own music videos for up and coming music talent!
Who: Any teens ages 13-19
What: to learn film skills and technical skills from a real professional filmmaker! They'll dive into the world of shot lists, storyboards, cameras, lights, audio, editing (and much more!) as they create various film projects (full project calendar below)! Plus, have the opportunity to join our Pathways program for soft skills training, networking sessions and on-set apprenticeships and/or paid summer internships.
Where: In person at the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester
Cost: Free! No previous film experience or special equipment required
when: every Thursday
Project Calendar:
February 3-March 10 | PROJECT 4: Unscripted Production
Ever wondered how YouTube series are created? Learn in this project as you create your own unscripted short episode!
March 10-April 21 | PROJECT 5: Social Justice Short Doc
Highlight the issues that you care about as you learn about documentary production.
April 21-May 26 | PROJECT 6: Narrative Short Film
Bring your story to life, creating your own scripted short film. Get super creative in this capstone project.
Program details & Application at freshfilms.org/weeklyfilmmaking
Free COVID-19 Home Test Kits Available for City of Boston residents
Boston residents can now pick up free rapid at-home test kits at designated sites around the City, while supplies last. Each person will be able to pick up a kit for each member of their immediate household per visit. There are two tests in each kit.
Please help us get the word out about these kits along with guidance on how to use them:
BPHC’s fact sheet provides guidance on how to use these home test kits, including what to do if you test positive. These are currently available in English and Spanish.
Mass DPH provides detailed instructions for using a home test kit, as well as graphic instructions available in several languages.
More detailed guidance on using the kits is available directly from the vendors, currently iHealth or QuickVue.
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
