W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School
Week at a Glance, News and Notes
Dec. 13 – Dec. 17, 2021
Note from the Principal:
Things are busy at the middle school! We had a productive week, and I am looking forward to the next few weeks before our December break. Then a rest, and coming back strong in the new year.
See below also for the information on Student Led Conferences (SLCs) happening next week. We are excited that our students get to show their families how much they have learned and how they have grown so far this year.
Please drop me a note if you have feedback or questions at ben.doren@bhrsd.org.
Have a great weekend!
Ben Doren
Principal
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Monday, December 13
Regular School Day
Tuesday, December 14
Regular School Day
Wednesday, December 15
Half Day of School Today – 11:25 dismissal
Thursday, December 16
Regular School Day
Friday, December 17
Regular School Day
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Student Led Conferences in December
We are excited that Student Led Conferences are coming up next weeks. Your child’s Crew Leader reached out by email or phone to set up an appointment for the evening of December 14 or the afternoon of December 15. The conference is a great opportunity for your kid to explain how they are doing in classes, and how growth is happening this year. The students have chosen work from each of their classes to share, and will highlight their best work or work that shows their growth. Due to health protocols all the conferences will be conducted over Google Meet remotely: you and the student on one end of the videoconference and the Crew leader on the other. We will be able to do them in person in future years, but we are advocating for safety at this time. Please reach out to your child’s Crew Leader if you have any questions about the conference or setting up an appointment for a Google Meet. And if you have questions about a particular class you can always reach out to the teacher of that class.
Du Bois Family Advisory/Welcoming Crew
The December Du Bois Family Advisory/Welcoming Crew will be held next week on Wednesday, December 15th at 6.30pm via Zoom. Please know that you can always email (DuBoisFamilyAdvisory@gmail.com) to let us know about issues you’d like to bring up. If you are interested, please join the Zoom meeting at 6.30pm on Wednesday the 15th.
Topic: Du Bois Welcoming Crew
Time: Dec 15, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86082320796?pwd=dHluMlo0d2RYMmF3NUNoSGkzRkh1UT09
Meeting ID: 860 8232 0796
Passcode: 370748
Middle School Musical!
We are pleased to announce the Du Bois Middle School 2022 Musical: THE WIZARD OF OZ! This is a brand new adaptation, written by Joshua Briggs, featuring both songs you know and love from the original production, as well as some new musical surprises. This new adaptation is set in the here and now, and will explore how a young person like Dorothy has to learn how to save herself. Auditions are come one, come all, and we will have a part for any student who wants to participate. English-language learners are strongly encouraged to try out! Auditions are next week.
Pre-order your yearbook today!
https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A03463230
Safety and the Pandemic: How to navigate symptoms at home
We are serious about safety here at Du Bois, and appreciate all you do to coach the students on how to keep it safe while here at school and in the community. So far we are in school and able to come every day. Much of that depends on you abiding by our community safety norms–thank you for your help so far and in the future! One way you can do that is to check in with the school nurse, Hilary Bashara, if you are not sure about symptoms and whether to keep your kid home. She can advise on covid protocols, testing and other health questions. When your kid is home sick, please make sure they rest, and we will catch them up on school work when they return: the best cure for being sick is rest, and not worrying about falling behind. For unvaccinated students, if there is a concern about exposure to Covid and the student is symptomless, we are able to support learning during quarantine with materials as the school is directing the student to be home. If a vaccinated student is a close contact they can continue to attend school, while connecting with pediatricians and our health office to ensure the safety of all. If a student, regardless of vaccination status, is positive for Covid we are able to support learning remotely until quarantine is complete and they can safely return.
Long Term Absences
Long term absences are difficult to manage as our curriculum depends on students being present for instruction every day. If you take a student on vacation or on an extended family visit it really interrupts the learning cycle, as we are set up for in-person, community based learning. Please let us know if you are planning a longer absence, as there are Massachusetts rules about extended absences and attendance laws that we have to follow. If a student is out of school for a non-medical reason we will support as best we can when they return. We are not set up to provide learning materials for this, again, as we are an in-person learning community.
Pool Testing
If your student or members of your household are unvaccinated, we strongly encourage your student’s participation, and anyone can participate in the pool testing regardless of vaccination status. Please use this LINK for more details and to complete the electronic consent form. Each student in your household will require an individual consent. The link defaults to Muddy Brook. Select the drop down for your child’s school — Muddy Brook, Du Bois, or Monument Mountain. The video is available in multiple languages–click the link on the top right to choose the language you want.
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Flyers and School Letters
Flyers and School letters are available on our website at this link: https://mvrms.bhrsd.org/category/families/flyers/
This week’s flyers:
- Stateline Youth Wrestling
Recent flyers:
- Du Bois Middle School 2022 Musical: THE WIZARD OF OZ! (English & Spanish versions)
- Winter Farmer’s Market
- Hancock Holiday Nights
Older flyers:
- Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Information Session
- Community Thanks Supper: BSRCC
- Participate in a Williams College Study on Children’s Thinking
- Girls Basketball Free Clinic Grades 5 and 6
- Fall Arts & Crafts Festival – BSRCC
- Yearbook Club
- Casting Untitled Annie Baker Film
- Housatonic Youth Basketball Registration
- 27th Annual Winter Outerwear Drive
- Ski Butternut Student Application
- FUNK BOX BREAKING: Berkshire Pulse
- Golden Knights House League Registration
- American Red Cross Swim Lessons: BSRCC
- Oct. 2 ThinkFOOD Conference FREE for all students
- Talking to Teens so that they Talk Back
- Flying Cloud Institute: SMArt Kit Flyer
- Parent Child+: Equal Possibilities from the Start
- Yearbook Cover Contest
- Project Connection Fall Packet
- Action Adventures Out of School @ BSRCC
- Ballet Ages 5-8 @ BSRCC
- Berkshire Hills Youth Soccer House League Registration
- Ski Butternut Student & Family Season Pass Application