The Beckwith Chronicle

Dates to Remember
1/27 BMS Math Team: Meet @Norton
2/3 Term 2 Report Cards available in parent portal
2/3 Beckwith Bash for 5th Graders 2:30-4pm
2/8 PTSA Meeting @PRES 6:30-7:30pm
2/15 Kevin Robinson Presentation for students
2/20-2/24 No School (Winter Recess)
3/3 School Dance for 6th-8th Graders
3/10 PTSA Auction @Hillside Country Club
3/24-3/26 Peter Pan Jr. @BMS Café

The Continuing Adventures of BMS Robotics
When we left our robotic adventurers in December, both teams had come away from the qualifying tournament with a trophy and a spot in the RI-FLL Championship Tournament. Eighty teams had started the journey as summer turned to fall and only forty remained in the running for the Champion’s Award. On Saturday, January 14th these forty teams converged on Roger Williams University to continue the quest. In the morning the teams were taken to another building on campus to be judged on their Core Values, their Project and their Robot Design. On their own, with their coaches nervously waiting for any indication of how they did, they met with three different panels of judges, hoping to say the right thing, the right way and at the right time to impress these all powerful judges.

When the buses returned, the smiles on the faces of the students told their coaches that all went well; there was a strong feeling that their offerings had pleased the judges and they could continue along on the journey full of excitement and hope. As the competition entered its final and most public phase, the gymnasium bleachers were filled with parents, friends, teachers, brothers and sisters all with the hope that their cheers could bring good fortune to the teams. Three rounds of Robot Game competitions followed as the teams faced off, not against each other but against the clock; everyone trying to beat their best and achieve their highest score ever. For what seemed an eternity to some but just a fleeting moment to others, the clock ticked away, counting down from 2 minutes and 30 seconds to the dreaded zero.

While the battles raged on in front of the crowds, some teams tried last minute changes to their robot, programming or strategy, behind the secrecy of the blue curtain; others ate, slept, played or just vegged out . When the final game ended a collective sigh of relief escaped from the masses and the real waiting started. High above the battlefield the judges congregated in seclusion to wage their own battle and rank the participants. They looked at score sheets from the morning’s sessions as well as the recently completed competition and went back and forth determining the winners in 11 categories as well as the most coveted prize, the Champion’s Award. The Champion would be travelling to St. Louis to compete in the international finals and each team member would receive a $5,000/year scholarship to Roger Williams University. When the final points were tallied and the Head Judge spoke there was a hush over the crowd. How would our Beckwith Teams fair? Would there be cheers or tears, or maybe a bit of both? The Magical Partridges: Devin Andrade, Ryan Callaghan, Sam DeMoura, Noah Ferreira, Ali Kabli and Cormac Masterson did an amazing job and finished in fourth place. With the bar set high, Team FUR-ocious: Deven Anderson, Pilar Beerman, Ethan Cutler, Jacob Greenberg, Josh Guarino and Alex Tomellini had to wait until the end to hear that they were taking home the 2nd Place Champion’s Trophy. For finishing in 2nd place, Team FUR-ocious has been invited to the FLL Razorback Challenge on the University of Arkansas’ main campus. They will compete along with 48 US and 24 International Teams from May 18th -May 21st.

We would like to congratulate both teams and their coaches Mr. Michael Kenny, Mr. Jeffrey Greenberg and Mrs. Dalita Tomellini for an outstanding performance capping off a fantastic year. Please be on the lookout for upcoming fundraising activities as we send Team FUR-ocious on an unbelievable trip of a lifetime.

Geography Bee 2017
Congratulations to Ryan Callaghan, winner of our school level Geography Bee! Out of nearly 300 students who participated at varying levels of the Bee, Ryan has become our school champion. In order to win the Bee, Ryan faced nine other fiercely knowledgeable competitors and had to answer questions about world geography. The final round of the Bee was tense and had the entire seventh and eighth grades on the edge of their seats, as he and Sam Brown competed for the best out of three questions. Ryan will take the qualifying test to see if he can continue to compete and represent Beckwith at the state level and potentially go on to the national competition in Washington, D.C. Best of luck, Ryan!

From the Health Office
Per the Mass. Department of Public Health regulations, students who will be ENTERING 7th grade in the Fall 2017 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.

From the Library…
First Lines Library Contest
The New Year brought many new books to the Beckwith library, so what better way to get to know the new titles than by having a contest! First lines are powerful. It’s a chance for the author to hook the reader and set the tone for the entire book. It can be funny, sad, mysterious or shocking, but a great first line should always grab your attention and draw you into the story.

Ten books were selected out of approximately 300 new books. The first line from each book needs to be matched with the correct title of that book. Twenty books are on display in the library. Students will have to look through the books to get the correct answer. Contest forms with correct answers will be entered to win two prizes and winners will be randomly chosen from the correct forms.

This is a great opportunity for students have a chance to see the new books and discover new authors or genres. The only problem with the contest is that students want to check out books from the display and they have to wait until the contest is over. We have several books that are on hold until the winners are announced. Here are some of the first lines in the contest:

1. I have a secret.
2. Certain days ought to come with warning notices.
3. It was three o’clock in the afternoon before Devin was done digging the grave.
4. Just like that, it was basketball season.

As you can see by the first lines, Young Adult literature is full of surprises and there is something for everyone’s interest.

Thank You President Obama
Last fall, the fifth grade students in Homeroom 106 sent thank you letters to President and Mrs. Obama for their eight years of leadership in the White House. Before writing the letters the children researched the responsibilities of our President. They discovered many things to be thankful for.

Never expecting a response, an envelope from the White House was delivered to “Mrs. McPartland’s Class” at Beckwith Middle School. Included in the envelope was a personal “thank you” letter to the students. He also encouraged the children to be a part of making our country stronger and to reach for their dreams. The package included two signed photos of President and Mrs. Obama and their children, answers to some of our students’ questions, and an appreciation letter to Mrs. McPartland. Each student received a copy of this very special letter.

Beckwith Students Selected to Showcase Work at SMARTS Art Show
Congratulations to the following students whose artwork was selected to be displayed at the annual SMARTS Show:

Grade 5: Sarah Simon, Madison Gomes, Seamus Murphy and Sean Callaghan
Grade 6: Ella Damon, Delaney Kotch, Samantha Santos, Samantha Martini, Danielle Amaral, and Abby Gilliatt
Grade 7: Grace Campos, Alanna Ward, Jillian Ferrera, Charleigh Blackwell, Rian Pontes, Lucy Messenger, and Jade Lowe
Grade 8: Megan Reilly, Hannah Bruno, Bryce Hendriques, Bella DeCilio, Robert Morris, Jaden DeBlois, Nathan DeMoura, and Emily D’Ambrosio

The Southeastern Massachusetts Arts Collaborative, better known as SMARTS, is a non-profit organization that aims to enhance and expand art programs.

A reception for teachers, students and their families will be held on Sunday, February 5, 2017 from 11 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak Street, Brockton, Massachusetts. The exhibit will continue to run from February 5-19. For more information about SMARTS please visit www.smartscollab.org. For more information regarding directions to the Fuller Craft Museum, please visit http://fullercraft.org.

The BMS Drama Club Presents Peter Pan Junior!
This year’s Drama Club production at Beckwith Middle School is in full swing! Students in grades 5 through 8 have been hard at work with Peter Pan Junior since November and they are looking forward to sharing their hard work with the community. After auditions, our cast of 42 students started to learn the music. In December, we started adding work on the stage and blocking our many different scenes. Now, in January, students are hard at work creating our props and our set.

The Drama Club at Beckwith believes that the show is all about the students and we strive to allow the students to follow their instincts and create their ideas. Almost all of the props and all of the set are created and built by our students. We strive to use mostly recycled materials so that our impact is not too rough on the environment. Students are currently working through the struggle to create a house for Wendy that can be broken down and built up again in our performances. With help from Beckwith’s Green Team, we hope to accomplish this important set piece.

Students are also starting to learn where and how to place themselves on the stage so that their faces can be seen in the audience. Almost all of the cast members are starting to make blocking suggestions for our scenes and songs; we may have some future directors in our midst!

The Drama Club still has two months of hard work ahead of them, but we hope that you attend and support the students who have put countless hours of work into this show since November. Our performances will be held on Friday, March 24th at 7pm, Saturday, March 25th at 7pm, and Sunday, March 26th at 2pm at Beckwith Middle School. There will be more information to follow about ticket prices.

Project 351
Project 351 Launch Day took place in Boston, Massachusetts on January 14, 2017. Project 351 unites 8th grade Ambassadors from cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth with a common purpose of leadership and service.

Mackenzie Morgenweck, is the 8th grade Ambassadress for D.L. Beckwith Middle School. Mackenzie's day of service was spent making pies for the homeless alongside other 8th grade Ambassadors. Thank you to Mackenzie and Mrs. Parella, the Project 351 school mentor, for representing BMS at this wonderful event.

Principal’s Message
Dear Families,
Below is my address to 7th and 8th grade students before the 2017 BMS Geography Bee. The Geography Bee is such an important event at Beckwith:
[Good morning and welcome to the 2017 Beckwith Middle School Geography Bee.  Geography is more than memorizing locations of cities or understanding specific names for land features. Geography is about understanding global citizenship. Our world becomes smaller every day as new technology brings all people, from all places, closer together.

What does it mean to be a global citizen? It really is understanding the places and people in the world and the impact and importance of different cultures. Although we remain connected through social media, divides between people have become more apparent in this past year. I challenge all of you to become global citizens, to learn about culture, your own culture and others’ culture, and to strive to truly bring people of all faiths, races, ethnicities, etc. together because it will take everyone to make this world better and to ensure there is a globe in which we can become global citizens.

I would like to thank Ms. DeMelo, Ms. Mullaney, the Social Studies department, and the 7th and 8th grade teachers for coordinating this Geography Bee. I would also like to congratulate and wish the contestants the best of luck. The new knowledge gained from preparing and participating in this important program is the best prize you can be awarded.

I’d like to again conclude by quoting President Obama: "The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents and in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together."]

Sincerely,
Joe Pirraglia