Beckwith Chronicle

Students of the Month
The following students were selected Student of the Month for the month of February: 

• Gr 8 – Caitlin Laliberte/Justin Chmielewski
• Gr 7 –Haleigh McCracken/Anthony Mercer
• Gr. 6 – Avery Brown/Hawkyns Pray
• Gr. 5 – Ava Randall/Damien Landry
• Related Arts – Aubree Miller/Jack Swan

PTSA Reflections Contest
Congratulations to the following Beckwith students whose entries earned awards in the recent PTSA Reflections Contest.  Winners will be contacted directly by the state level of the PTSA.  In the category of literature, Aundraya Pinho, Caraline Corvi, and Rowan Whittaker all earned the Award of Merit.  In the category of photography, Ryan Bomes earned the Award of Excellence and Cole Gifford earned the Award of Merit.  In the category of visual arts, Benjamin Bogosian earned the Award of Excellence. 

Wax Museum
Fifth graders in Rooms 101, 102 and 104 participated in a “Wax Museum” on February 27. Students chose a historical figure from the Revolutionary War. Students were required to research their person, create a poster, make an artifact, create a speech and, finally, dress up as their figure. This was a successful learning experience for our students.

Career Day
On February 5 and March 4 Beckwith held Career Day for our eighth grade students.  Volunteers from a variety of fields including a veterinarian, vet technician, insurance industry, parole officer, physical therapist, attorney, pastry chef, nurse, police officer, representatives from Rehoboth Ambulance, U.S. Army first sergeant, a retired special education teacher, and our superintendent came in to speak to our students about their jobs, responsibilities, ethics, educational requirements, and what they like most and least about their jobs. We would like to thank Courtley Watson, Megan Sousa, Elizabeth McCann, Sharon Hoskins, Andrea Wasylow, Kate Pirraglia, Mark Soliday, Sarah Burton, Scott & Bonnie Meagher, Alan Jerauld, Dr. Azar, Keith Perry, and Jesse Armell for taking time out of their busy days to make this event possible.  Thank you also to Mrs. DiFilippo for coordinating Career Day.

BMS AHA Fundraiser
Beckwith Middle School recently held its annual American Heart Association (AHA) Fundraiser organized by Physical Education teachers, Miss Miller and Mr. Sampson. The fundraiser kicked off in early February and culminated with the Play for Heart Events held on March 4 for grades 7 and 8 and on March 5 for grades 5 and 6. BMS has been ranked #1 in donations raised in Southeastern Massachusetts  in four of the last five years and has been #1 three years in a row since 2016. Once again, our school community did not disappoint. More than 150 students donated money to help us reach our new goal of $4,000 and we crushed that goal this year by raising $5,886! This grand total more than triples the donations from the closest ranking school!

In early February, Miss Miller and Mr. Sampson challenged BMS with trying to raise at least $4,000 for the American Heart Association by collecting money from family and friends to support heart health, research, and education. Interesting facts about heart health were posted throughout the building and were also announced during morning announcements. During Health and Physical Education classes, the topics of heart health and empathy were discussed in order to inform and inspire. Stories were shared about students, family, and friends touched by heart disease. Envelopes began pouring in from students in all grades and many students raised money online.

In addition to collecting money, many students also chose to participate in the Play for Heart Event. We had over 100 students participating over the two-day event. Each participant needed at least a $5 donation to play, but many students raised much more than that! Students were allowed to bring teams of 3-4 players of their own choosing to compete in four different activities:  dodge ball, corn hole, 4-square, and basketball. Everyone who wanted to play was included on a team. Also, a handful of very courageous staff members joined in on the fun, including our own administrators, Mr. Pirraglia and Mr. Shea, who were a force to be reckoned with! Teams tallied up wins throughout the challenge, but the main focus was on great teamwork, good sportsmanship, and friendly, spirited competition to highlight the importance of movement and fun in keeping one’s heart healthy. In addition, we also had our own sixth grader, Ben Darling, speak at each event. Ben struggled with heart issues at a very young age and is now a shining example of what your American Heart Association dollars can do to help those in need.

Thank you gifts from the AHA for donations of $10 or more will be coming in and will be delivered to students that earned them. Finally, we are so proud of our students, their families and friends, and our whole school community for the outpouring of generosity and support in raising money and awareness for a very worthy cause and for helping to make our BMS fundraiser a huge success…not to mention keeping our school in the #1 spot for our region! Way to go, Beckwith Middle School!

SPIRIT WEEK 2020
Although we couldn’t be together to celebrate Beckwith Spirit Week this year, we were together in spirit.  We are including a few photos of our virtual Spirit Week

Message from Mr. Shea
Dear Friends,

Let me start by telling you that we miss everyone.  The whole staff has impressively handled learning an entirely new approach to teaching students; however, what we are struggling with is not seeing our students’ faces and wonderful personalities each and every day.  We hope you are all safe and we can’t wait until September when we will celebrate our time together.

As we officially enter the next phase of distance learning due to Governor Baker’s announcement on April 21, 2020, we want everyone to know that our students’ and families’ well-being is our number one priority.  Everyone is feeling an excess of emotions right now.  We are all justifiably feeling fear of the unknown, sadness that we will not be able to properly say goodbye to our peers, students, and friends as we start new chapters in our lives. There is anxiety about too many things to mention.  The one emotion I want everyone to stop feeling is guilt.  I often talk with students about what the best version of themselves looks like.  We need to adjust ourselves and understand that in this situation, in which our lives have been up-ended, our best is measured by many factors.  My 2-year old is watching way too much Disney + (especially Puppy Dog Pals).  Yet, he is also spending much more time outside than prior to the shutdown, and luckily we are also getting an unusual amount of family time. We try to be the best version of ourselves that we can each day. The most important thing we need to understand is that our kids will be okay.  This is a once in a generation experience and we need to remember that students are resilient. If they do need support, we are here to help. 

At Beckwith we often talk about the reasons for clear expectations. It is my core belief that we all need to know what is expected of us so that we can rise to those expectations.  COVID-19 has changed all those expectations.  As a district we are expecting students to try the best they can to follow a three and a half hour day schedule, to the best of their abilities.  Please remember the important outlet that the related arts classes serve our students. Some days will look different than others, and that’s okay, as long as students are trying their best; we are here to support everyone.

Lastly, I want to extend my thanks to our staff.  I want to thank the teachers.  In a very short time, they have had to learn a new methodology and delivery of instruction, yet their number one concern and true focus has always been their students. Every staff member through flexibility, creativity, and hard work has made a positive impact on our ability to continue to educate and support our students. Thank you all for all you do.

Thank you, stay safe, be smart, and always be kind.
Ryan Shea