March 29, 2024

The Beckwith Chronicle

D.L. Beckwith Middle School News

Posted

Dates to Remember
2/8 Movie Matinee 2:30-4:30pm
2/13 PTSA Meeting
2/12 School Committee Meeting
2/18-2/22 Winter Recess
2/26 School Committee Meeting
3/12 School Committee Meeting
3/26 School Committee
Public Budget Hearing

Cough & Cold Season Is Here!
It's that time of year again! Cough & Cold season has arrived! While most children don't need to stay home during the length of the cold virus, a dose of Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Dayquil or Cough medicine would be helpful before coming to school. Please send your child to school with a bottle or two of water and consider sending a small bag of cough drops for their use throughout the day. Chapstick is great for their chapped lips. Of course if your child has a fever or unable to eat or drink or has vomiting or diarrhea, please keep them home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine and are acting more like themselves. Thank you for all of your help. Our goal is to keep them healthy and in school to maximize their learning.

From the Health Office
Per the Mass. Department of Public Health regulations, students who will be ENTERING 7th grade in the Fall 2019 need to show proof of having received a Tdap Booster as well as a 2nd Chicken Pox (Varicella) vaccine PRIOR to the first day of school. In addition, a current physical done within the year prior to starting 7th grade needs to be given to Mrs. Mondor, School Nurse. Students who do not have this documentation on file with the school nurse prior to the first day of school are subject to exclusion per MDPH regulations.
Please contact Mrs. Cathy Mondor, RN at 508-252-5080 extension 4007 or cmondor@drregional.org if you have any questions regarding this matter.

Students of the Month
The following students were presented with Student of the Month Certificates for the month of December:
Gr. 8 – Samantha Martini/Thomas Dyson
Gr. 7 Kaelyn Whitaker/Justin Chmielewski
Gr. 6 –Hailey McCracken/Anthony Mercer
Gr. 5 – Madison Williams/Kaden Baltazar
Related Arts – Grace Griffin/Joshua Auricchio

BMS Geography Bee 2019
Congratulations to all of the geography bee contestants who competed in the school level bee! Out of hundreds of students who took the qualifying test, the top ten students faced off on January 15th in order to determine the school winner. The following students were part of the competition: Joshua Franco, Nathaniel Wheeler, Hayden Bessette, William Kimmell, Dylan Medeiros, Abigail Gilliatt, Una Soliday, Jocelyn Borkowski, Thomas Dyson, and John White. Finishing in third place was John White. Abigail Gilliatt came in second. Nathaniel Wheeler finished in first and has earned the title of school champion. Nathaniel will take a qualifying test in order to move to the state level competition where he may compete with students from all over the state of Massachusetts. Congratulations Nathaniel! Best of luck with the state qualifying test!

Robotics Update
Beckwith’s robotics teams concluded their season at the Championship tournament held at Roger Williams University on January 12. Both the Solar Sluggos and the Astrobots performed well and showed tenacity overcoming a broken gear, a stepped on flash drive, and a computer crash to improve their scores from the qualifier. The Solar Sluggos’ score improved by over 50% which was good for 13th place out of the 40 team field. The coaches would like to thank the teams for their effort and persistence this year, especially the 8th graders: Angelina Araujo, Autumn Brito, Wesley Lacourse, John White and Katie Vitale.

Math Team News
We are pleased to announce the members of our 2019 Math Team: Sean Callaghan, Caraline Corvi, Cassidy Cross, Andrew DaCruz, Dustee Forster, Abigail Gilliatt, Jane Kostka, Kate Lewandowski, Lindsey Luthi, Jeffrey McNaughton, Kylie Mirra, Una Soliday, Ella Wasylow, Nathaniel Wheeler, John White, Timothy Zibrida
The team will represent Beckwith at the math league meets in Bridgewater on January 25 and in Dighton on April 26.

Beckwith’s Winter Wonderland
Friday night's Winter Wonderland dance was a huge success. New additions to the dance included a photo booth, snowball fight, and dress up contest. The photo booth was a lot of fun! Students posed together and photos were projected at lunches. The "snowball fight" gave students a chance to throw soft, felt "snowballs" at each other like dodge ball. It was a great idea. Finally, the dress up contest challenged students to interpret the theme "winter wonderland" in dress. Congratulations to Lorelei Kellum and Katie Vitale who won prizes for their interpretation! And, a special thank you goes out to the Student Council members who stayed after school during the week and decorated for the dance.

Principal’s Message
Dear Families,
The use of e-cigarettes and vaping is increasingly prevalent with teens and adolescents. Though marketed as good alternatives to smoking, e-cigarettes can negatively affect the health of users especially those not fully developed. We encourage parents and guardians to be informed and have provided information below from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (www.drubabuse.gov):

Teens and E-cigarettes

What are electronic cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, e-vaporizers, or electronic nicotine delivery systems, are battery-operated devices that people use to inhale an aerosol, which typically contains nicotine (though not always), flavorings, and other chemicals. They can resemble traditional tobacco cigarettes(cig-a-likes), cigars, or pipes, or even everyday items like pens or USB memory sticks. Other devices, such as those with fillable tanks, may look different. Regardless of their design and appearance, these devices generally operate in a similar manner and are made of similar components. More than 460 different e-cigarette brands are currently on the market.1Some common nicknames for e-cigarettes are:

  • e-cigs
  •  e-hookahs
  •  hookah pens
  •  vapes
  •  vape pens
  •  mods (customizable, more powerful vaporizers)

How do e-cigarettes work?
Most e-cigarettes consist of four different components, including:

  • a cartridge or reservoir, which holds a liquid solution (e-liquid or e-juice) containing varying amounts of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals
  • a heating element (atomizer)
  • a power source (usually a battery)
  • a mouthpiece that the person uses to inhale

In many e-cigarettes, puffing activates the battery-powered heating device, which vaporizes the liquid in the cartridge. The person then inhales the resulting aerosol or vapor (called vaping)

It can be very difficult to detect the various small vaping devices, like the Juul, which can be disguised in the shape of a pen, flash or thumb drive, charm, pencil refill container, etc.

Some students are open about their vaping habits, sharing Youtube videos about how to do tricks, like blowing rings and "ghosting," slang for exhaling a plume of vapor and quickly drawing it back into the mouth. In some videos, students as young as 13 share tips for concealing Juuls and other vaporizers in the sleeves of their hoodies so they can be used in school hallways and in hollowed-out markers to carry them in their backpacks without getting caught

What can Parents do?
Talk with your teen about e-cigarettes:
A Tip Sheet for Parents

BEFORE THE TALK
Know the facts.
• Get credible information about e-cigarettes and young people at: Ecigarettes.SurgeonGeneral.gov.

Be patient and ready to listen.
• Avoid criticism and encourage an open dialogue.

• Remember, your goal is to have a conversation, not to deliver a lecture.

• It’s OK for your conversation to take place over time, in bits and pieces.

Set a positive example by being tobacco-free.
• If you use tobacco, it’s never too late to quit. For free help, visit smokefree.gov or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

START THE CONVERSATION
Find the right moment.
• A more natural discussion will increase the likelihood that your teen will listen. Rather than saying “we need to talk,” you might ask your teen what he or she thinks about a situation you witness together, such as:
Seeing someone use an e-cigarette in person or in a video.
Passing an e-cigarette shop when you are walking or driving.
Seeing an e-cigarette advertisement in a store or magazine or on the internet.

Ask for support.
• Not sure where to begin? Ask your health care provider to talk to your teen about the risks of e-cigarettes.

• You might also suggest that your teen talk with other trusted adults, such as relatives, teachers, faith leaders, coaches, or counselors whom you know are aware of the risks of e-cigarettes.

• These supportive adults can help reinforce your message as a parent.

ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS
Here are some questions and comments you might get from your teen about e-cigarettes and some ideas about how you can answer them.

Why don’t you want me to use e-cigarettes?
• Science shows that e-cigarettes contain ingredients that are addictive and could harm different parts of your body.

• Right now, your brain is still developing, which means you are more vulnerable to addiction. Many e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and using nicotine can change your brain to make you crave more nicotine. It can also affect your memory and concentration. I don’t want that for you!

• E-cigarettes contain chemicals that are harmful. When people use e-cigarettes, they breathe in tiny particles that can harm their lungs.

• The cloud that people exhale from e-cigarettes can expose you to chemicals that are not safe to breathe.

What’s the big deal about nicotine?
• Your brain is still developing until about age 25. The Surgeon General reported that nicotine is addictive and can harm your brain development.

• Using nicotine at your age may make it harder for you to concentrate, learn, or control your impulses.

• Nicotine can even train your brain to be more easily addicted to other drugs like meth and cocaine.

• I don’t say this to scare you, but I want you to have the facts because nothing is more important to me than your health and safety.

Aren’t e-cigarettes safer than conventional cigarettes?
• Because your brain is still developing, scientific studies show that it isn’t safe for you to use any tobacco product that contains nicotine, including e-cigarettes.

• Whether you get nicotine from an e-cigarette or a cigarette, it’s still risky.

• Some e-cigarette batteries have even exploded and hurt people.

I thought e-cigarettes didn’t have nicotine – just water and flavoring?
• I used to think that too. But many e-cigarettes have nicotine. There are also other chemicals in them that can be harmful.
• Let’s look at the Surgeon General’s website on e-cigarettes (E-cigarettes.SurgeonGeneral.gov) together so you can see for yourself.

I (or my friends) have tried e-cigarettes and it was no big deal.
• I appreciate your honesty. In the future, I hope you (or your friends) will stay away from e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, including cigarettes. Science shows that e-cigarettes contain ingredients that are addictive and could harm different parts of your body.

• Next time we go to the doctor, let’s ask about the risks of nicotine, e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products.

You used tobacco, so why shouldn’t I?
• If I could live my life over again, I never would have started smoking. I learned that people who smoke cigarettes are much more likely to develop, and die from, certain diseases than people who don’t smoke. This was really scary, so I quit smoking.

• Quitting was really hard, and I don’t want you to go through that. The best thing is to not start at all.

For more information about e-cigarettes, visit:
• the NIDA TV Spotlight on Electronic Cigarettes
• A NIDA Science Spotlight on the association between e-cigarette use and future tobacco cigarette use
• the FDA's webpage, Vaporizers, E-Cigarettes, and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
• the website, Know the Risks: E-cigarettes & Young People, based on the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults; includes various resources such as a parent tip sheet, healthcare provider conversation card, and FAQs
• Notes from the Field: Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2018 (MMRW) (CDC, November 2018)

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