From the Principal:

Spring is officially upon us with the warmer days and a host of end-of-year and transition activities happening at BFA. 

Welcome to the Middle School: We are excited to welcome our upcoming 5th graders and families to the BFA middle school community. I have included our 4th grade families (soon to be 5th grade families!) in this newsletter. Please join us for our second annual “Welcome to the Middle School” night for 4th grade parents/caregivers on May 23rd in the middle school gym from 5:30-6:30pm. At this event we will share a little bit about the middle school and the middle school experience, you will meet the 5th grade team, and we will answer questions you may have. 

Step-Up Day: We will hold a Step Up Day for all upcoming 5th and 7th graders schoolers on the morning of Friday, June 7th. On that day they will have an opportunity to meet their new team and participate in a few activities with their new team. Our upcoming 6th and 8th graders (who are not changing teams) will follow their normal schedule.

8th Grade Recognition Ceremony: We will hold our 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony in the high school gym on June 13th at 5:30pm. Please note that it is tradition that 8th grade students do not return to school the day after the recognition ceremony (Friday, June 14th). The team will be celebrating their last day of school (and middle school) on Thursday, June 13th with a series of fun activities during the day, as well as practicing the ceremony for that evening!

Classroom Placement: We will be communicating advisory/homeroom placements the first week in August along with our large August mailing with other details for the year. We have found that this timing for notification of placement allows us to more effectively plan for incoming students, communicate student needs with new and existing staff, and provide time to make changes over the summer as needed. We will share student placements during the first week of August and these classroom placements will be final. Our goal during the student placement process remains to create academically and socially balanced classes. When placing students, we consider a variety of factors; these factors include student ratios, academic readiness levels, social connections, teacher/student relationships, and students with support plans for academic, medical, physical and behavioral needs. 

Report Cards: Report Cards will be mailed home the week of June 24th.

Lastly, as we look to next year there are a few shifts in our teaching staff that I’d like to share. Dana Gore, our current Dean of Students, will be returning to the classroom as the ELA teacher on the Endeavor team (next year’s 7th grade class). Jana Ford, our current Endeavor math teacher, will be joining the administrative team as the Dean of Students. 

We look forward to a great finish to the school year!

Warmly,

Heather Baron,  Middle School Principal

Topic of the month:  End of the school year; stay strong until the end!

It can feel like such an accomplishment to make it through another school year!  This time of year the weather is getting nicer (or so we hope), we’re busy with extracurricular activities and making summer plans.  It can be hard for our students to keep their head in the game when they look outside and see the sunshine.  I’m also sure this year has had its ups and downs, celebrations and challenges.  For some students, they simply can’t wait to go for a swim, or go on that family camping trip that you’ve been planning since January. Here are some tips to encourage your student to stay and finish the school year strong!

1 Give Praise and Positive Feedback! Praise is highly motivating.  It also empowers our students. Try to acknowledge your students accomplishments. When we help our students to identify and praise their achievements, we are helping them to identify capabilities that they can build upon. Praise can help build out student’s self-esteem, confidence, and perseverance, which can be critical at this time of year. By remaining positive ourselves, that will rub off on our students. If they hear us saying how eager we are for the school year to end, they will start to feel that way too.  Encourage them to use positive self-talk (they heard about this in one of the community meetings)? Try statements such as: “I can do this”, “I got this”, “I can do hard things” or “Look how far I’ve come!”

2. Set Goals! Setting goals doesn’t only happen at the beginning of the school year!  Setting goals at any point in time helps foster motivation. Teach your student to track their progress towards their goals.  Not only will this teach them skills necessary for planning, time management, and accountability, but it can ultimately build confidence and give them a sense of accomplishment. You could even help them sit down and write out their goals for the remainder of the school year. 

3. Stick to your routine!  If your student is used to a routine or schedule (maybe that involves bedtime, dinner time, family time, etc.) at the beginning of the school year, try to stick to that! This will reinforce time management and help your student know what to expect and stay regulated.  Also making sure they get enough sleep will help them to feel well rested to take on the next day at school. 

4. Take Breaks!  Get outside and play! While school is important, giving your brain a break is really healthy too.  Short breaks can help increase productivity and attention and help them feel ready to work when it’s time. Getting your body moving by taking a walk, shooting hoops or having a dance party is also a great way to reduce stress. 

5. Get organized! Are their school supplies getting low? Do they know where their notebooks and water bottles are? Do they need new socks? Do you need to take a trip to the grocery store and stock up on snacks? Take a moment with your student to make sure they have everything they need for supplies to finish the year strong.  It can help your student to feel like they can take on the end of the school year if they're armed with everything they need to be successful!

Some updates from the counseling office: 

Career Challenge day was a success! Some 6th and 7th grade students participated in Career Challenge Day at Burlington Technical Center.  These students got to visit design & illustration, digital media, health sciences/intro to health care and educational training/leadership.  They participated in activities in all programs.  Some of the things they tried were screen printing, filming a short video, lesson planning and using drawing tablets.  

8th Grade Recognition Committee:  Marisa has the pleasure of working with 8-10 8th grade students to plan for the 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony.  This ceremony takes place on Thursday, June 13th at 5:30.  This committee gets to invite faculty and staff to the ceremony, design and pick out gifts for 8th grade teachers and plan some details around music, etc. These 8th graders really help make the evening special and memorable for everyone!  

Update for Next School Year: The week of May 13th your student should come home with what is called the Unified Arts (UA) request form.  When this form arrives, please sit down with your student and talk with them about what they would like to consider taking next year for UA classes.  Complete this form together! Have your student rank the offered classes in order by preference.  Send the form (signed please!) back in with your student by May 31st. 

These are the Unified Arts classes we hope to offer in the fall of 2024:

Grades 5 & 6: Technology, Art, Book Club, Chorus, General Music & Band for their UA classes. 

Grades 7 & 8: World Language (Spanish), Technology, Art, Chorus, General Music & Band.

All students in the middle school will receive their final schedule at the beginning of August. 

8th Grade Families:

Due to potential staffing changes, we will not be able to finalize high school schedules until there is a confirmed school budget for next year so keep an eye out for more detailed updates in June.  In the meantime 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

https://calendly.com/kmcelroy-3 

Mid-May to Mid-June: Long Term Sub for maternity leave will be David Buckingham dbuckingham@fwsu.org

We are extremely proud of our middle school athletic teams who are demonstrating amazing skill on the playing fields and running track this spring.  Our baseball and softball teams have had numerous victories, and we have witnessed multiple podium finishes for our track and field athletes in the first few weeks of competition. As you know, our events are highly attended, and parking can be limited at times, so please see the reminder below regarding parking:

• For baseball games, please keep in mind that the spaces closest to the field are in an active play area, and at risk of a foul ball hitting your vehicle.  Although they may seem ideal for viewing, these are “park at your own risk” spaces. 

• For softball games, the bus garage parking lot is limited to transportation department staff, game personnel, and those with handicap placards. 

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Geri Witalec-Krupa, Director of Activities 

Outdoor Summer Reminders

How to Protect Yourself from Ticks: 

• Walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with host-seeking ticks.

• Use an EPA-registered insect repellent on your skin and clothes( with DEET)

• Wear pants, long sleeves and long socks. Light-colored clothing can help you spot ticks more easily

• FREQUENT TICK CHECKS

• Ticks often attach themselves to warm, moist parts of the body, such as the scalp, underarms, and groin

What to do if you have a Tick Bite: 

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp it as close to the skin as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure. 

• Cleanse the bite area with soap and water,

• Monitor the area for signs of infection.

• Contact Primary Care Doctor if tick was embedded in the skin

SUN SAFETY

• Apply sunscreen daily at home

• Students may reapply if needed, please send in a permission note (the note is for the elementary aged students).

  • Aerosol sunscreen is not permitted.

  • Teachers are not permitted to apply sunscreen as it is considered an over the counter medication.

• Hats and sunglasses are a good idea too!!

Courtney LaCasses, BFA Middle School, clacasse@fwsu.org

Spanish:  In Spanish class, we recently reviewed classroom expectations for the final remainder of the year, as well as clarified commonly misused vocabulary such as Hispanic, Latinx, Spanish, and Mexican. We are starting our family unit which will allow students to describe families similar to, and different from their own. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out via email at flenahan@fwsu.org

BAND: This past Friday and Saturday, nearly 70 (!) of our middle schoolers participated in the VMEA District I Music Festival, which saw almost 350 developing musicians from around the region come together to make music.  Our students showcased exemplary behavior and fantastic musicianship.  Up next, we have our Spring concerts right around the corner!  Grades 6-8 will be performing on 5/21 at 7:00 PM, with a 6:40 call time.  5th graders will be on 5/22 at 6:00 PM in the high school gym. Arrival time for grade 5 band performers is 5:30 to the band room. Concert clothes are white on the top, black on the bottom (or as we call it, WoTBoB).

 CHORUS: We are hard at work preparing for our May concerts: grades 6,7,8 on May 21st at 7:00 and 5th grade  on May 22nd at 6:00 PM in the High School Gym.  Additionally, the Trills and Thrills festival is coming up (grades 6-8, May 31st). Permission slips and money were due April 15th. Here is the info in case you missed it:Middle School Trills and Thrills Festival

Finally, about 30 students attended the VMEA District I Honor festival for Chorus. These singers performed an amazing concert and we are so proud of them.

GENERAL MUSIC: GM students  are wrapping up identifying instruments by their sounds. We’ve played many games where we put instruments into their correct families and then have to guess the instrument by listening to its sound. We also listened to a rendition of “Peter and the Wolf”. Each character in the story is represented by an instrument and a musical theme. Soon we’ll be on to reviewing this year’s work as we move towards the end of a very successful school year.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Early Release: Wednesday, May 15th (students dismissed 12:50pm)

Middle School Dance Grades 7-8: Friday, May 17th at 6:30pm

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