March 28, 2024

The Beckwith Chronicle

D.L. Beckwith Middle School News

Posted

Website: drregional.org
May 2019

Dates to Remember
June 7 Grade 5 Field Trip HR 106, 108
June 10 Spring Concert with Miss Lopez - DRRHS 6:30pm
June 12 Grade 5 Field Trip HR 103 104
June 12 Grade 8 Step Up Day
June 12 PTSA Meeting at PRES 6:30pm
June 13 BMS Talent Show
June 17 Grade 8 Field Trip
June 18 Grade 8 Celebration of Achievement
June 19 Last Day of School –For Students in Grades 5-8. Students Dismissed at 11:30 a.m.
June 25 School Committee Meeting

Students of the Month
The following students were presented with Student of the Month Certificates for the month of April:
Gr. 8 – Sophia Silva/Cote David
Gr. 7 –Sarah Rodrigues/William Kendall
Gr. 6 – Abigail Salwierz/Robert Gomes
Gr. 5 – Cailee Leonard/Joshua Auricchio
Related Arts – Gia Papa/Andrew Gomes

Mrs. Mitnik Presented Educator of the Year Award by Rehoboth Lions Club
We are very proud to announce that Mrs. Christina Mitnik, one of Beckwith’s grade 7 special education teachers, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Educator of the Year award by the Rehoboth Lions Club. This award is presented to a professional educator in Rehoboth or DRRHS whose dedication to the students and whose accomplishments in the field of education serve as models to both active professionals and those entering the profession. On May 8th, Mrs. Mitnik was recognized at an awards banquet at the Venus de Milo in Swansea. Mrs. Mitnik was nominated by Mrs. Amy Brown who noted that Mrs. Mitnik was like a second mom to her child, caring for his educational and emotional needs, and cheering him on to be the best student he could be.

Thank you, Mrs. Mitnik, for going above and beyond for our students every day. Your commitment to supporting students is admirable and your positive disposition brightens the days of both students and staff. Congratulations on this much deserved award!

Beckwith Mathletes
On April 26 our math team competed against nine other schools at the spring math meet held in Raynham. Although our team placed 4th, many members of the team had boosted their scores at least 5 points each since the winter meet despite some harder topics being tested.

The top three scorers for Beckwith were Andrew DaCruz, Jane Koskta, and Sean Callaghan.

The following students also participated on this year's team: Cassidy Cross, Dustee Forster, Abigail Gilliatt, Kate Lewandowski, Lindsey Luthi, Una Soliday, Ella Wasylow, Nathaniel Wheeler, John White, Caraline Corvi, Kylie Mirra, Jeff McNaughton, and Tim Zibrida. Congratulations on a great season!

Grade 8 Students Participate in Junior SEMSBA Music Festival
Congratulations to 8th grade choral students Sofia Brown, Dustee Forster, Madelyn Kelley, and Caroline Vitale for representing Beckwith Middle School in the annual Junior SEMSBA Music Festival held on May 3rd and 4th at Braintree High School. Under the direction of choral conductor, Ms. Betty Bauman the students rehearsed with other middle and high school musicians from the Southeastern Massachusetts area to prepare a variety of musical selections. This two-day festival concluded with a concert that was enjoyed by family and friends.

Fire Prevention Poster Contest
Congratulations to Haleigh Kelley who won 2nd place for Bristol County in the Fire Prevention Poster Contest! This statewide contest spreads awareness and the importance of fire safety. Haleigh will receive a plaque, $100, and her artwork will be published in next year's Fire Safety Calendar. She is also invited to attend a special award luncheon honoring all state winners. Congratulations again Haleigh! Miss Faletra would like to thank all students who participated in this year’s contest, as there were amazing submissions from many talented artists.

Beauty and the Beast, Jr.
We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the cast, crew, co-directors, staff, and volunteers whose contributions made our drama club’s production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. such a huge success.

Nurse’s Notes
To parents of 6th grade students: Pursuant to Massachusetts Department of Health regulations students entering 7th grade in the fall for school year 2019-2020 must submit a current physical dated after August 2018 as well as proof of having received the Tdap booster and the 2nd Varicella (Chicken Pox) booster. Without this proper medical documentation, your child will be subject to exclusion from school. Documentation must be sent to the school nurse BEFORE the first day of school. Please reach out to Mrs. Cathy Mondor, RN to let her know when such documentation will be sent in and if your child will be seeing his/her pediatrician over the summer.

Library Scavenger Hunt
Ms. McQuilkin organized a Library Scavenger Hunt for Beckwith students. Based on the clues given, students needed to be able to find the ten titles and list the required information. The winners of the Library Scavenger Hunt were Madison Mello and Jaelynn Johnson. Congratulations to Madison and Jaelynn and thank you to Ms. McQuilkin for creating engaging learning experiences for our students.

Beckwith Believers Participate in Unified Bocce Jamboree
On May 14 Case Junior High School hosted the Beckwith Believers and Berkley Middle School unified teams at a Bocce Jamboree. Unified athletes, along with their partners, played in the school gym on three rectangular courts lined by fiberglass plumbing pipes. Teams rotated between playing bocce and cheering on the other teams on the court. A special thanks to the Special Olympics of Rhode Island, who provided medals to all athletes.

She’s Baaaack!
Fiona, our 65’ inflatable, life-size, finback whale created by Mrs. Gelene Sousa and former Beckwith teacher Peg Caron, returned to Beckwith on May 21st for a visit in our gym with our seventh grade students. Classes of students came down for their lessons inside the whale in preparation for their upcoming whale watch field trip.


App Update- Tellonym App from smartsocial.com
What is the Tellonym app?
• The Tellonym app allows students (and strangers) to ask and answer questions anonymously
• When users sign up they get a link they share with friends
• Friends can ask questions (called “Tells”) using that link. Only the user being asked can see the questions
• Many students put their link in their Instagram bio or Snapchat snaps
• If the user chooses to answer a question, their answer and the original question are then posted to their public profile
• Every profile is public by default
• Profiles include a profile picture, a name, a custom status, and answered questions
• According to the app “All information publicly visible on a profile was provided by the account owner and can be removed from the public eye.”
• Tellonym allows users to follow others and see their answers
• The search feature allows users to look for others based on their age, gender, and location
• Users can ask questions anonymously or users can choose to add their name
• Users can block other users without the app notifying the follower
• Users can report questions without revealing to the other user that they are being reported
• The Tellonym app can be linked to a user’s Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter account, meaning inappropriate messages can include inappropriate images
• Users can filter content based on specific keywords

What students say about the Tellonym app:
DELETE THE APP NOW!!
This app is not good at all! Being able to be anonymous while posting things on here resulted into something that was probably not meant for this app! But it is one way for people to send threats. And this is happening to my school right now. Someone sent a message to a student at my school and said that they are going to shoot up our school, and kill everyone and anyone. This is no joke! This app should be deleted! This gives people a way to threat someone without being found. Now we may never know who this person is threatening our school. And we won’t know if we are safe until someone can get to the bottom of who is in charge of the threats! DO NOT USE THIS APP. They need to delete it ASAP!
Source: iTunes App Store

What parents say about the Tellonym app:
Terrible app
My daughter has this app and it is nothing but a platform for bullying. I wish that I could give zero stars. Also wish I could post a screenshot of the threatening messages my daughter received.

If I could give it zero stars I would
It’s a platform for bullies, cowards and trolls. Being anonymous lends itself to the cruelest of worlds with no consequences. If your kid has the app, it’s in your best interest to check it daily or delete it!!!!
Source: Common Sense Media

Why should parents care?
• Students tend to behave poorly if they feel like they can hide behind an anonymous app
• Everyone on the app is anonymous – which means this app is dangerous and strangers may contact your child
• The Tellonym app is a breeding ground for cyberbullying behavior
• Users can receive sexually explicit messages and insults
• There are reports of law enforcement getting involved due to threats made on the app by students
• This app has already had so many complaints that they created Law Enforcement and Parental Advisory Guides that are available on their website
• When teens connect anonymous apps to their Instagram or Snapchat they open themselves up to being targeted by strangers across platforms

What can parents do?
• If your student has the Tellonym app, ask them to delete it immediately and have a discussion about the dangers of the app
• Model positive social media behavior. Your kids will be less inclined to use social media negatively if they have a positive role model to observe
• Use the same apps as your children. This will make it easier to monitor who they’re talking to, if they are staying safe, and if they’re using apps like Tellonym
• Consider changing the security settings on your child’s phone so it doesn’t allow them to download new apps without your permission

Principal’s Message
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day, Week, Month!
While I was travelling in Europe, I shared a sleeper car on a train with six college students from Korea. I had just recently graduated with a degree in Education and shared that I was hoping to be a teacher. All six students gasped in awe and treated me like a celebrity for the rest of the time we shared together. I enjoyed the attention because it was far from the feedback I heard back in the States. When telling someone I was studying Education in the US, I generally heard something like “oh yeah, summers off. Right on,” or “well you’re not going to make a lot of money but good for you.” That feedback is correct, but it misses the point.

That feedback completely ignores the fact that teaching is a calling more than a job. It’s a lifestyle… a commitment to helping others better themselves. That’s what’s great about it, but also what can make it very hard. Concern for students often goes beyond the school bell; unlike those in business, teachers do not have to worry about customers or products. Teachers worry about kids. Everything a teacher does, whether they are having a good or bad day, has an impact on kids. Teachers are always on… they are always working.

BMS administration understands the work it takes and the toll it takes to teach every day. We appreciate the staff here at BMS because of our staff’s commitment to kids. Teaching is very difficult, but it is also very rewarding. There is no better feeling than watching a student “get it” or developing a lesson that emotionally engages students.

Teaching is often thankless. So we would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers and staff for all that they do to make Beckwith a place that kids and staff want to be every day.

Sincerely,
Joe Pirraglia

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