March 28, 2024

Beckwith Chronicle

Posted

Winter Concerts
The Winter Chorus and Grade 5 Percussion Concert was a wonderful showcase of talent on December 11th. Directed by Ms. Lopez, the concert featured excellent selections and performances from 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students throughout the night. Special thanks to Ms. Lopez for organizing a wonderful concert! And on December 18 our band students under the direction of Ms. Gallant put on an outstanding performance of holiday selections for the audience.

Michelle Muscatello Visits Beckwith Middle School
Michelle Muscatello from WPRI channel 12 weather visited Beckwith Middle School and presented to grade 5 students. She spoke about the roles and responsibilities of a meteorologist, specifically a meteorologist working for a television station. She also passed out weather equipment used by meteorologists and included pictures and facts in a PowerPoint presentation. Ms. Muscatello answered questions from students and shared jokes about weather to conclude the presentation. BMS would like to thank Ms. Muscatello for taking the time to visit our grade 5 students and staff.

20 Days of Kindness
From November 27 through December 22nd students and staff have been encouraged to write a post-it note with a kind thought or quote on it and put it on our Kindness Board in the library. As you can see, our Board has been filled with messages that are uplifting and helpful in promoting kindness. Books with themes of kindness have been highlighted in the library as well.
Students and staff have been surprising others with notes and tokens letting them know that they and kindness matter. Special thanks to Ms. McQuilkin for bringing this idea to Beckwith.

Student Council Annual Canned Food Drive
The D.L. Beckwith Student Council recently collected cans to help the Rehoboth Food Pantry. The community’s generosity this holiday season is appreciated. The Rehoboth Food Pantry is always looking for donations all year round.

Our student council members are: Alex Tomellini, Jack Griffin, Samantha Paulino, Sam DeMoura, Aliyah Barbosa, Charleigh Blackwell, Essie Stebbings, Bethany Griffin, Sabrina Marsella, Marina DePalo, Thalia Vasquez, Samantha Santos, Sophia Silva, Donny Azar, Caraline Corvi, Malakai Risotti, Lorelei Kellum, Sean Callaghan, Angelique Ferreira, Kevin Boucher, Travis Chartier, Riley D’Alessio, Brennan Silva, Keira DePalo, Jonathan Franco, TJ Levisee, Tiago Conceicao, Landis Treichler, Ella Enos, Megan Daniels, Jaiden Weremay, Louis Butler, Madison, Mello, and Emily Marquis.

Principal’s Message
In the season of New Year’s resolutions, I would like to share my goal for 2018… cutting back on screen time. I understand, as a millennial, how helpful cell phones, tablets, and computers are for busy professionals… and for students. However, I also am aware of how much life is drained from us by our screens. At school, I am constantly on a device… keeping up with emails and checking my calendar (this I can justify). But at home I am also constantly on a device… checking my Fantasy Football team, Google searching people and places and news, checking sports scores, and watching videos (this is harder to justify). After working 10-12 hours constantly on a device, the last thing I should want is to look at my phone. But, alas, I check my phone while cooking dinner, while eating, watching TV, talking to my wife…yikes! The first step to quitting is admitting there is a problem. I have a problem… I’m addicted to my phone. But, am I alone? Statistics show that millennials check their phones 150 times a day on average. CNN reported, in 2016, that 50% of teens feel addicted to their phones… checking their phones right before falling asleep and as soon as waking up in the morning. It seems like my New Year’s resolution should be shared with the populace.

If 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February, how can we ensure our goal is successful? Let’s start by making an action plan. First, I am going to identify the hours I want to cut back on cell phone usage. For me, that’s 6 pm until I fall asleep. Next, I will find a spot in my house to put my phone that I cannot easily access: my bedside table drawer. Third, I will give myself check allowances… at the top of each hour I can check my phone once for missed calls, texts, etc. Finally, I will remind myself of the things “I want to do more of” including reading, exercising, playing the guitar, and visiting my family… very important alternatives to being glued to a screen.

Are we ready to do this? Join me… let’s lift our eyes from our screens and take a good look at the world we’re missing. Check in with me throughout 2018 as I try to cut back on screen time… just don’t email or text me.

Happy New Year,
Joe Pirraglia

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