UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Thank you for your continued partnership in our efforts to ensure that all of our students have an engaging year with the supports they need. It was terrific to see our students on campus last week for locker clean-out, and we loved seeing the smiles (behind their masks) from our Sixies and their families this past Saturday! We appreciate your positivity and collaboration. Please note the following upcoming October dates:

Picking up books, supplies, and T passes

This week, from Wednesday, October 7, to Friday, October 9, students in Class V-I (grades 8-12) will return to school to pick up books and other materials needed for coursework this year as well as their OneCards (MBTA passes). Students who have not done so already should sign up for a 20 minute time slot here. For more information on the collection process, please see the Friday, October 2, email from Ms. Skerritt.

SAT for seniors

Class I students and families will receive information directly regarding our in-school administration of the SAT on Wednesday, October 14. The SAT will only be offered to seniors on this day.

Back to School Nights

We hope that you will join us for virtual Back to School Nights, on Thursday, October 15, from 6 - 8 pm for students in Class VI (grade 7), and on the following Thursday, October 22, from 6 - 8 pm, for students in all other grades. Our October Back to School Nights will offer parents and caregivers the opportunity to learn more about classwork to date, and will address general questions. For questions and concerns specific to your child, we encourage you and/or your student to contact the teacher directly.

Extracurriculars

We know what makes Boston Latin School so special is our wide array of clubs, programming, and activities. These extracurricular experiences provide our students with outlets for their passions and opportunities to balance their academics with additional interests. Over the past two weeks, club advisors and students have been working on creative ways to transition from in-person to online activities. Students will have the chance to learn more about BLS clubs, after-school, throughout the week of October 19. More information on what when clubs will be presented and related zoom links will be in the Daily Bulletin, beginning October 12. See more on this topic below.

Returning to BLS for classes

Finally, as the date for hybrid instruction in November approaches, we will certainly communicate details of our in-person plans. With the volume of students who have selected hybrid at BLS we are still assessing what structures will allow for a safe return to the building. It is likely that students reporting in person will still engage in virtual coursework while on campus (i.e. attending Zoom/Google Meet classes from the building). We must ensure that all students have access to their teachers and coursework, whether they select the remote or hybrid model, and that we minimize movement between classes for everyone’s health and safety. For more information on the district’s reopening plans, as well as a form if you wish to change your choice, please click here.

Elections for SPC and SSC positions

Elections for the 2020-2021 academic year will be held on Tuesday, October 13, at 6 pm. The meeting may be accessed through this Zoom link.

The parent community in the Boston Public Schools values and is committed to diverse representation. The bylaws for the SSC and SPC ensure this representation by reserving roughly half of the seats on each body for an even mix of the following four races: Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, and Caucasian. The remaining seats are open to parents of any race. The list of open seats gives more granular information about this.

For the SSC

• Three seats are open for parent representatives, including one reserved for a Black/African American representative.

• Four Alternate seats are open, and all may be filled by members of any race.

• Click here to see SSC members who are continuing from last year (top of document).

For the SPC

• Seven total SPC seats are open, including two seats for Hispanic/Latinx representatives and one seat for a Black/African American representative.

• Click here to see SPC members who are continuing from last year (bottom of document).

Additional positions

• One Citywide Parent Council representative and one alternate

• One SpEd PAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) representative and one alternate

• One DELAC (District English Learner Advisory Committee) representative and one alternate

New Families

New Sixie and Bsie parents: Please consider joining the SSC, SPC or one of the citywide roles. It’s a great way meet other families and get connected to the school; we would all benefit from hearing your perspective as a new parent. For more information, please contact Magda Hernandez, SSC Parent Co-Chair, or Lisa Green and Jing Ma, SPC Co-Chairs.

To run for the open positions

If you are interested in running for any of the above positions, please note that you must be virtually present at the October 13 meeting. Parents will have the opportunity to nominate themselves or others at the beginning of the meeting. Each nominee will then have one minute to speak about themselves and why they would like the role.

To vote

You must also be virtually present to vote for other parents; no absentee voting is permitted. One vote may be cast per family. The election facilitator will share more detailed information at the meeting.

Coming up

The next SPC meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10, at 7 pm.

Student Clubs and Organizations in a Virtual Setting

As classes, office hours, and class assemblies have made the transition to the virtual realm, another important aspect of the BLS community is also adapting to a virtual setting: student-run clubs and organizations. Our clubs and organizations are a vital part of BLS, and we are excited to see so many student leaders being innovative in their move to virtual meetings and events. In a typical year we have well over a hundred clubs, including academic, service, cultural, art and more. This year’s schedule includes a block on Friday when some clubs might meet, but most clubs are scheduling their regular meetings for after school hours.

Signing up or Starting a Club

Club registration is open and posted on SIS. The process is all virtual this year. Just like always, students need to identify a faculty advisor for their club, and then they can begin to register online. This year, we are asking all clubs to create a one-page poster that can be displayed online, a link for new members to sign up for their club, and a Zoom meeting link for their regularly scheduled meetings. Clubs already registered for this year can be found here. Note that this list will be updated weekly, as clubs must register every year. Students: If you don’t see the club you were looking for, why not start your own? The Club Registration link can be found through the SIS student interface. Assistant Head of School Ms. Murray is happy to meet with any student who wants to talk about starting a club!

The Virtual Extracurricular Showcase

Starting the week of Monday, October 19, our Extracurricular Fair will be held online! During that week we will host a nightly Zoom where students can meet club leaders and learn more about the different organizations happening at BLS. Clubs will share videos of their events and meetings, and interested new members can learn more about the ways to get involved. Keep an eye out for our Extracurricular website and Instagram that will be coming soon!

All students currently enrolled in AP classes must complete both the AP Classroom registration and the BLS AP Exam Registration Form. The AP Classroom registration is completed using a unique code provided by the AP teacher and will ensure that an exam is ordered. The BLS AP Exam Registration Form is found through SIS and confirms exam registration and allows students to pay for exams or indicate their Zero Fee status.

Registration deadline

Registrations should be completed ASAP. The preferred deadline for both registrations is Friday, October 2, which has already passed. Registrations received after Saturday, October 31, may be assessed a late fee by the College Board. Contact Mr. Kennelly or your AP teacher with any questions.

The BLS School Store is now OPEN and accepting online orders. Orders must be shipped and include a shipping fee as in person pick up is not available at this time. New items include custom BLS face masks and pennants. New swag items will be arriving in October so make sure to check back frequently!

The store web site is: www.bls.org/bookstore

We hope that you have had a smooth start to the school year!

Parent 2 Parent is a subcommittee of the Parent Council. Our goals are primarily to provide assistance regarding individual student needs, increase SPC understanding of general parent concerns and act as a liaison with school administrators regarding these issues, and to create a sense of community among parents. The full document describing P2P is here. Our notes and comments from prior meetings can be found here.

Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, October 7, at 7 pm. We will use this time to get acquainted and look forward to learning what suggestions you may have for topics to be addressed this year.

If you would like to join the P2P Google Group please begin by filling out this form. The Zoom link will be sent to the P2P email list, so be sure to sign up!

Looking forward to “seeing” you soon.

Anne Brown P’18 & ‘22 and Nancy Fitzgerald P’18 & ‘23

FoAx is a group for parents of students with an IEP or 504 plan, as well as for parents with disability-related concerns. Our inaugural meeting will be Wednesday, October 21, from 7 – 8:30 pm, during which we will welcome attendees and discuss our focus for the year. Join our listserv at hello@friendsofaccessibility.org.

Katrina Norman, co-chair, P’22 & ‘24

Christine Wilder, co-chair, P’22

Nobel Week 2020

With October comes the announcement of the Nobel Prizes.

As of this writing only two of six prizes have been announced:

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

has been awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus. For more information, please read this press release.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

was divided, one half awarded to Roger Penrose "for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity", the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy." For more information, please read this press release.

While the Nobel lectures given by this year's laureates won't be available for some time, please enjoy this delightful TED talk given by Andrea Ghez in 2009.