March 2024
BFA Fairfax Middle School
Family Newsletter
Embedded Files
From the Principal:
Hello Middle School Families,
We are in the final third of the school year! This is the time of year where we begin to plan the end-of-year celebrations and transition activities (for May and June). One celebration we want to make sure 8th grade families have on their calendar is the 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony. This will take place on Thursday, June 13th at 5:30pm.
Report cards will be mailed home early next week and teachers will hold Family Conferences the first three weeks of April. Be on the lookout for more information from your student’s team about conferences.
During the month of April students will also be taking the required VTCAP assessment in Math and ELA (grade 5, 6, 7, and 8) and Science (grades 5 and 8). The family letter on Friday will have more information and the testing schedules for the elementary, middle, and high school.
Warmly,
Heather Baron, Middle School Principal
From the Dean of Students:
Hello, Middle School Families,
As the end of the school year approaches, middle schoolers often find themselves caught in a whirlwind of emotions. For many, it's a time of reflection, anticipation, and sometimes, anxiety. The culmination of academic pressures, social dynamics, and personal growth can create a perfect storm of social and emotional turmoil. As parents, understanding these challenges and how to support your child during this pivotal time can make all the difference in their well-being and success.
From academic achievements to social triumphs and setbacks, your child may be experiencing a wide range of emotions as they reflect on their middle school journey. They may feel proud of their accomplishments, anxious about upcoming transitions, or uncertain about where they fit in. Moreover, the pressure to finish the year strong academically can add an extra layer of stress to an already emotionally charged time.
Here are a few ways you can help your student(s) through the end of the school year:
Celebrate Achievements: Take the time to celebrate your child's accomplishments, big and small. Recognizing their efforts can boost their confidence and sense of self-worth, whether it's academic achievements, extracurricular successes, or personal growth milestones.
Manage Expectations: Help your child manage their expectations for the end of the school year. Remind them that it's okay if everything doesn't go exactly as planned and encourage them to focus on their progress rather than fixating on perfection.
Provide Structure and Support: As the school year winds down, maintain a sense of routine and structure to help your child feel grounded amidst the chaos. Offer support with homework, organization, and time management to alleviate stress and ensure they finish the year positively.
Stay Connected: Stay actively involved in your child's school life by attending end-of-year events, parent-teacher conferences, and other school activities. Keep the lines of communication open with teachers and counselors to stay informed about your child's progress and any concerns that may arise.
Dana Gore, Dean of Students
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Marisa Monette
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Marisa Monette
Marisa has worked in schools for her entire professional life (17 years), specifically in mental health. Her master’s degree is in Mental Health Counseling and she’s a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. She attended college at Johnson State University for her undergraduate degree and Capella for her master’s degree. She holds certificates in Play Therapy as well as Marriage, Family, and Couples counseling. Marisa has worked as a behavioral interventionist, school-based clinician, school-based therapist, and a crisis clinician. This is her second year at BFA Middle School. In addition to being our school counselor, she coaches Girls on the Run, facilitates the “Getting to Y” student group, and is a co-facilitator of the Student Leadership Committee.
Here are her answers to some of our favorite questions:
What’s the best thing about BFA Middle School?
The collaborative teams that work really well together and care deeply about students.
The unique part of being a school counselor is you are always part of a team and it makes all the interventions and support for kids so much more effective.
What’s the best and worst things about being a middle school educator?
Best: getting to support student though such a transformative part of their lives and development
Worst: Sometimes you have to see kids make really hard mistakes so they can learn from them. You can’t always stop them or solve it for them. Sometimes it’s hard to see kids struggle. Standing next to them while they struggle can be really hard sometimes. But it is also really rewarding when you see them solve problems and overcome obstacles with your support.
Would you rather… (this is a game we love to play during morning advisory)
First day of school or last day of school? Last day of school. It’s really nice to look back and think about how much everyone has grown over the school year.
Lunch duty or recess duty? Lunch because I can sit down and have conversations with kids
If you could get on a plane today and go anywhere for two weeks, where would you go?
Disney
If you weren’t an educator, what would you be?
I would teach puppy yoga…
What’s something you enjoy doing outside of school?
Spending time with my kids (6 and 8 year old girls)
Fun Fact about you…
I learned to ballroom dance in college.
That’s how my husband and I got together and we danced the tango and rumba at our wedding.
Classroom Corner
TEAM VOYAGER (Grade 5):
During the month of February, 5th graders focused on FRIENDSHIP. Students worked on giving compliments to others, including classmates at lunch tables and recess, expanding friend groups and strengthening existing friendships.
On February 13th the Voyager Team enjoyed a field trip to the Flynn Theater to see Cirque Mechanics. They were entertained and amazed by the various acrobatics! The following day we held a Valentines Exchange in each advisory; we were amazed by the generosity of all who participated!
At our assembly on March 8th, we recognized students for their hard work being a good friend and in each subject area. Our next assembly will be Friday, April 5th.
Students were able to spend their first science block back from vacation learning about the Maple Sugaring process. They were introduced to how maple syrup is produced and each advisory went into the woods to tap a tree in order to collect sap. Many thanks to the Aiken family for volunteering their time to share their knowledge with our class!
TEAM ODYSSEY (Grade 6):
This month in advisory Odyssey students have been focusing on preventing bullying, study habits, and integrity.
We just wrapped up our space systems unit in science where students got to create a model of the solar system in a coding app called CoSpaces to show their understanding. We have now jumped back in time to Ancient Greece where students will learn about the geography, culture, and systems of the civilization.
In math, students wrapped up a unit on fractions and the four operations. Currently students are working on interpreting tables, plotting points on graphs, and writing equations that relate patterns across all three mediums.
In literacy class, students finished up their graphic novel reading groups and completed an individual reflection to showcase what they learned. Since coming back from break, we started a nonfiction unit! We are learning about text structure and how that is important when analyzing various informational texts.
At our February Community Meeting students participated in meaningful discussions around what they need from adults, their peers, and themselves to be successful at school. They also got to participate in a fun game; it was a lot of fun!
TEAM HORIZON (Grade 7):
Team Horizon students embarked on a large cross content project over the last month around controversial topics in genetics. Students went through three phases for this project that included research, creating informational videos and then a final symposium where they needed to defend a “for” or “against” stance on their topic. Students dug deep into a high interest topic, worked for a prolonged period in groups, created informational videos, crafted arguments supported by scientific evidence and presented to a large group of their peers.
We held our second community meeting on February 20th and it was a great success! The entire 7th grade got together to chat about our needs and wants as a community. At our first meeting, students shared what they needed from the adults, peers and themselves to make our community a better place; on February 20th we debriefed and chatted about those things. We had great in-depth discussions in small groups about what students voiced at our previous meeting and how we can make progress toward a stronger and healthier community. We finished out our February community meeting with a very exciting game that got everyone energized and cheering each other on!
TEAM ENDEAVOR (Grade 8):
We are really pleased that so many 8th graders are attending the day trip to Boston on April 18. We will be spending time in Advisory between now and April 18 preparing for the trip, and setting expectations for our visit to the city.
In US History class in March the theme is “Growth and Challenges of the Nation, 1820-1850”. Topics will include territorial expansion, Manifest Destiny, the market revolution, reform and abolition, and the political issues around slavery.
Now that students have a solid understanding of the differences between plant and animal cells, they will shift their focus to how a cell obtains the air, food and water it needs to survive. Students will gain a deeper understanding of how substances enter and leave a cell, as well as the processes of photosynthesis and respiration.
In math class we just wrapped up our investigations into geometry concepts. Before break, students spent time applying their knowledge of 2-D transformations to make tessellations. Check out the examples below! We are now starting a unit on equations and expressions, where we will use algebra as a problem-solving tool. The activities in this unit will give students opportunities to see ideas visually and to encounter variables that vary.
In ELA, students finished the collection of short stories Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds. They have now begun the writing process by writing five paragraph argumentative essays. With Trimester 3 coming up, we will be starting a unit in journalism and reporting!
A reminder we will have a guest speaker coming to do a presentation on Vaping. Amy Brewer, Health Educator, will be joining us from Northwestern Medical Center on Friday, March 15th to discuss the health considerations associated with Vaping. She has been working with other local middle schools for several years to help students understand vape products, addiction and withdrawal along with the impact that these products can have on stress, anxiety and depression. Amy is also joining us for the “Family Night Out” on March 21st to share some information with families.
Counseling Connections
Topic of the month: Fostering Resilience in Youth - The power of language
We want to try and protect our children from things that might hurt them, but realize that is not always possible. Instead we as caregivers can help prepare them to handle difficult situations. It can be really challenging to set aside our instinctual desire to protect them from challenges, but instead we can focus our energy into helping our children understand where they have control over their own lives.
When we communicate with our children we are letting them know whether we think they’re safe or vulnerable, strong or fragile, capable or incapable. If we say “Let me help you with that” that communicates that we don’t think they can do it on their own. If we say “it’s not that bad” we might be perceived as belittling a situation. If we jump in with solutions to our child’s problems, we imply that they can’t come up with their own solutions on their own. Instead we can try listening thoughtfully and being a sounding board for our children to bounce ideas off us. Here are some examples of language we can use with our children that will foster resilience:
Problem solving:
Say: How do you think you could solve this problem?
Don’t say: Let me help you with that
Say: You haven’t yet been able to.
Don’t say: You can’t…
Say: What is the best way to handle this? How can I support your plan?
Don’t say: I’ll handle this for you.
Say: Take one step at a time. When you’ve accomplished something small, you’ll know you can succeed and feel less overwhelmed.
Don’t say: Just get started.
Performance:
Say: I know you feel overwhelmed. Try to remind yourself that this (test, assignment, game) can’t really hurt you. Remembering that will help you focus better.
Don’t say: If you don’t do well on this test it will ruin your chances.
Say: People aren’t all even. Hard work will help you discover your strengths. There will be some things that you will be more talented in, but hard work will ensure you learn as much as you can.
Don’t say: Just work hard, you’ll do well.
Say: You earned it
Don’t say: You got lucky.
Say: It sounds like you feel like you were treated unfairly. What part did you have in not having it work out the way that you had hoped?
Don’t say: It was the teacher’s fault. I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong.
Bad experiences
Say: This must feel awful to you. In time it will hurt less and it will make you stronger.
Don’t say: It’s not that bad
Say: You’ll get through this.
Don’t say: I’ll handle this for you.
Say: This is temporary. It hurts now, but over time you’ll feel better.
Don’t say: This is terrible.
Say: Let’s think through this together about what you could do to feel better about this.
Don’t say: I don’t know what to tell you.
Emotional Distress
Say: The best thing about you is how much you care. Your challenge in life will be to learn how to care without hurting so much inside.
Don’t say: You’re too sensitive.
Say: It’s great that you think as much as you do. Your challenge will be to remind yourself that you can handle this and to think through to a solution. It might also be helpful to remind yourself that you’ll get through this too.
Don’t say: You worry too much.
Seeking help
Say: A strong person learns how to seek the help of others.
Don’t say: A strong person handles tough times.
Say: It will take time. But the strength and support you get from others will help you heal.
Don’t say: Just get past it.
Say: Sometimes the strongest thing a person can do is ask for help.
Don’t say: Strong people move on.
Say: You deserve to feel better.
Don’t say: You need help!
Our adolescents are learning how to navigate challenges, but still could use our guidance. In order to support them in acquiring the skills they will need to overcome obstacles we can support them in learning these skills rather than trying to do things for them. This builds a mindset that failure isn’t permanent, but rather an opportunity to try again.
Taken from: Building Resilience in Children and Teens by Kenneth R. Ginsburg (2020)
Save the Date:
March 21st, 2024 at 5:00pm
BFA Fairfax is hosting Family Night Out on March 21st at 5:00pm. This event is for families K-12 and will include dinner, resources, workshops and activities. Visit the website for more information and to RSVP.
8th Grade Families:
Keep an eye out in your mail for a draft of your 9th grade schedule at the end of April. Don’t hesitate to contact your high school counselor with any questions:
Student Last Name A-L
Linnea Jahn
ljahn@fwsu.org
https://calendly.com/linneajahn
Student Last Name M-Z
Katherine McElroy Welch
kmcelroy@fwsu.org
Athletics and Activities
Middle School spring sports (grades 7-8 softball, baseball, track and field) will begin the week of April 8. Students can register at the following link: BFA Fairfax Spring Sports Registration
Please be sure that your child has turned in their winter uniform prior to practices beginning (if they have not done so already).
Think Spring!
Geri Witalec-Krupa, Director of Activities
Marisa Monette (school counselor) and Megan Majercak are excited to be starting up the middle school Girls on the Run team, Heart and Sole! Girls on the Run is a fun, evidence-based program that inspires participants to recognize their inner strength, increase their level of physical activity, imagine their possibilities, and confidently stand up for themselves and others.
Practice starts on March 19th and is held every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 to 4:30. Participants build their skills and celebrate their growth at the 5k event that will be held on Saturday, June 1st at the Essex Fairgrounds.
There are a few spots available on our team. If your student is interested in participating please register here.
Feel free to reach out to Megan Majercak or Marisa Monette with any questions at mmajercak@fwsu.org and mmonette@fwsu.org! Pictured below is the dance party that took place at last year's 5k!
Student Leadership Committee (SLC) News:
The 5th and 6th grade Valentine Dance was a great success. We had over 100 students in attendance for the big night! A big thank you to parents and SLC members for donating baked goods for the bake sale and for running the sale table. The sale raised $147 for the Franklin County Animal Rescue!
Next up is our first ever middle school coffee house! Coffee House is a variety night where students can showcase their talents such as singing, reading poetry, playing an instrument, etc. The members of the SLC will meet this coming Friday to discuss the details of this event, which will be held on April 5th in the middle school gym. A flier with more details will be sent home next week.
Save the date for the next 7th and 8th grade semi-formal dance, being held on May 17th from 6:30-8:30.
Nurse's Office
This winter season has been full of illness in our community and across the state. Common viruses that have plagued our hallways include the Norovirus, COVID-19 and Influenza(Flu). These illnesses are very contagious and can spread quickly.
Also known as the “stomach bug” or “stomach flu”
COMMON SYMPTOMS: nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea. Symptoms appear 12-48 hours after exposure and can last 1-3 days!
HOW IS IT SPREAD?: Through contact with infected people, contaminated surfaces or by consuming contaminated food or water
HOW TO PREVENT NOROVIRUS
Frequent handwashing (not hand sanitizer)
Disinfect surfaces
Encourage frequent handwashing
(Hand Sanitizer does not kill this virus)
Stay home until and you are feeling better.
Influenza, or more commonly, the flu, is a respiratory illness that spreads through respiratory droplets. Flu season typically peaks between December and February.
COMMON SYMPTOMS: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue.
HOW TO PREVENT THE FLU from spreading:
Stay up to date on vaccinations
Practice good hand hygiene
Stay home when you are sick
According to the VDH, we can now treat COVID-19 just like any other respiratory virus! Woot woot!
COMMON SYMPTOMS (include, but not limited to): fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose and headache.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SICK:
Avoid contact with other people and stay home.
Consider testing for COVID-19 if you need to take more steps to protect yourself or others.
**WHEN CAN YOU RETURN: **
When you are fever free (without fever-reducing medication) for 24 hours AND
Your symptoms are getting better overall
HOW TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19:
Stay up to date on your vaccinations
Cover your cough and sneezes AND wash your hands!
WASH YOUR HANDS!
COVER YOUR COUGH/SNEEZE!
STAY HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK!
Courtney LaCasses, BFA Middle School, clacasse@fwsu.org
From the Land of Music, Art, Physical Education, and World Language
ART: Before break, we learned about color and different groups of colors that artists use to enhance and unify their artwork. Students experimented with acrylic paint and were challenged to see how many different colors they could mix using only the primary colors in addition to white and black. Some groups were able to create more than 30! They also learned a few different techniques of painting with acrylics that they can use in future projects.
Moving forward, we will mostly have “Open Studio” days in the art room. This is when a variety of different Centers/Stations of materials are available for students to create something that inspires them! Every few weeks students will learn about and experiment with a new material, adding to our available Centers. Along the way, they will learn about other artists’ works and new techniques of creating. Students will also practice problem-solving strategies and artistic risk-taking while generating unique ideas and exploring ways to make them come to reality. I’m excited to start this new unit in the art studio and watch the creativity blossom!
Donations needed: Our next Center we will explore is sculpture and construction. We are in need of cardboard, cereal boxes, paper tubes, and any other sort of material you think we could glue together! Thank you for your support!
Centers in the Art Studio
Spanish: In Spanish class, we have continued talking about animals, but have also started to incorporate body parts with the help of the song “cabeza, hombros, piernas, pies” (head, shoulders, legs, and feet). Through this song, students are able to learn body parts in Spanish, and strengthen the understanding that translations between languages are not exact. Additionally, we have started to talk about how to describe the weather, and how to share your favorite color. After some more repetition of these questions, students will be able to start to ask peers the questions without verbal or visual prompts. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out via email at flenahan@fwsu.org
MANDARIN: This month we learnt about how to talk about your hobbies and try to be more fluent at calendar talk. Apart from that, we also learned about two more festivals about China— Lantern festival and Chinese Valentine’s Day.
TECHNOLOGY: In the makerspace, students have finished (or nearly finished their choice projects). They will have more opportunities to work on more choice projects as we get closer to the end of the school year. Starting this week, students will have the opportunity to build their own rollercoaster or flying game using CoSpaces, an AR/VR creation program. Along the way, they will test out their games using Oculus Headsets.
BAND: As you’ve (hopefully) heard and seen by now, our grade 6-8 ensemble students have received their permission slips for May’s Trills & Thrills Festival! Additionally, information was sent home regarding a fundraising opportunity. A note about the Spring Concert: we had to slightly change the format this year. To that end, all grades 6-8 band and choir students will be performing on May 21st at 7 PM (no change there), but all 5th grade band and choir students will instead be performing the following day, May 22nd, at 6 PM.
CHORUS: We are hard at work preparing for our May concerts (May 21st and 22nd) and the Trills and Thrills festival (grades 6-8, May 31st). Permission slips went home with students on Feb. 9th and 12th. Here is the info in case you missed it. Middle School Trills and Thrills Festival We also emailed information about our candle fundraiser that can help reduce the individual cost of the trip. Please email with any questions. cmaynard@fwsu.org
Finally, we have over 30 chorus students signed up for the VMEA District I Honor Chorus! Permission slips will be on the way home within the next week.
The students are amazing singers. I am so impressed with their hard work, talent and enthusiasm!
GENERAL MUSIC: GM students wrapped up their Bucket Drumming units. It was a lot of fun and I think our eardrums have nearly recovered. We worked diligently at playing mezzo piano (medium quiet) which is a huge challenge on a plastic bucket! We added percussion to instrumental versions of several rock songs: “Drive My Car” by the Beatles, “Walk this Way” by Aerosmith, and “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple. The students were wonderful about quickly learning the routine of entering the room, getting their materials, and being ready to begin. Very impressive!
News from the Library
Middle School Reading Challenge 2024
Competition has been fierce and the classes are battling it out as we come down to the wire. The challenge officially ends at the end of the school day on March 15th and the winning classes will be announced the morning of March 18th.
On Monday, March 18th, the winning 5th and 6th grade classes will have their pizza parties in the winning teacher’s classrooms during their regular lunch times. On Tuesday, March 19th, the winning 7th and 8th grade classes will have their pizza parties in the winning teacher’s classrooms during their regular lunch times. There will be both cheese and pepperoni pizzas provided by Nan’s and there will be enough pizza for each student to have 2 pieces.
The student in each class that reads the most books will receive a free book.
A special thank you to A Generous Heart for sponsoring this event and Phoenix Books Essex for donating the books.
Joy Mercer
School Librarian
Upcoming Events and Dates
IMPORTANT DATES:
Early Release: Wednesday, March 20th (students dismissed 12:50pm)
Family Conferences: month of April
April Break: April 22-26
SAVE THE DATE:
Grade 7-8 Dance: May 17th (more info to come)
Music Concert (grades 6-8): May 21 at 7pm
Music Concert (grade 5): May 22 at 6pm
8th Grade Recognition Ceremony: June 13 at 5:30pm
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