Friday, March 13, 2020

Beverly Schools Closed through March 27

The North Shore area superintendents, including Beverly, have collaborated to make a timely and unified decision about school closure that they feel is in the best interests of their faculty, staff, students, and families. Schools will be closed until at least March 27.

Click here to see the press release.

Homeward Bound Will Be Updated

Homeward Bound will continue to be updated during the March school closure, as appropriate.

Lost and Found Reminders

Items in the lost and found outside the  library are tagged weekly. Items that have been there for over a month may be donated to charity. Next week items that were tagged in the month of January will be removed and donated. Please be sure you or your child check the lost and found!
Items in lost & found since January!

Thursday, March 12, 2020

No School on Friday March 13

There is no school on Friday, March 13.  Please see below for the text of a letter today from the Superintendent.

Good Afternoon Beverly Parents and Families,

This is Dr. Sue Charochak calling with an important message for you. While at this time we are unaware of any confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beverly, out of an abundance of caution, the school district will be closed tomorrow, Friday, March 13, 2020. Staff and students should remain home and we will use the day tomorrow to allow for continued deep cleaning of our buildings as well as provide time for our leadership team to create a contingency plan in the event of an extended closure. Offices will remain open and all full year staff will report as scheduled. If you are receiving this call and do not receive an associated email, please reach out to Maddy August, maugust@beverlyschools.org to ensure that we have your accurate email on file in Aspen to allow you to remain up to date on any future decisions regarding school closure. Any additional changes to our schedule or school calendar will be communicated directly by me through a follow up ConnectEd announcement. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this rapidly evolving situation.

The use of this day will allow our District Leadership Team to participate in a state-wide conference call with the Commissioner of Education and the Department of Public Health. We anticipate receiving additional long-term guidance regarding a broader school-based COVID-19 response plan. At this time, we await the guidance from the Commissioner regarding the need for any further impact to the school schedule. I do want to inform you that we have decided to postpone/cancel the following activities for the remainder of the year:
  • All International Travel
  • All Out-of-State Travel
  • All overnight field trips
Additionally, we are postponing/canceling the following events through April Vacation. At that point, we will send further notification.
  • Day field trips
  • Events at night involving all non-student groups (including parents, families and community members) to our schools
  • Use of buildings by community groups
We will continue to partner with the Y after school program and they will remain in place up to the point of a decision to close our schools. We will continue to monitor events and adjust our plans accordingly. 

I want to remind parents and families that in the event of a decision to close any of our schools, parents will hear directly from myself or their building principal. Again, I thank you for your patience as we navigate this rapidly evolving situation.

Sue Charochak, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools

Click here for Coronavirus updates

Thursday BIG BUCK$ Calendar Winner!!

Today's winner of $100 cash is Amy Borsetti!!! 

Congratulations to Ella Maloblocki for selling the winning ticket!!

See you at Acapulcos TODAY!


Help the 8th Grade raise money for their end of year activities by meeting your friends for dinner at Acapulcos TODAY, Thursday, March 12th.
Can't wait to see you there! 

A portion of the sales from the entire day will be donated.

See this flyer for more information.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

From the Superintendent

In  case you missed this communication Wednesday from the Superintendent, it is reproduced below.

Good Afternoon Beverly Parents and Families,

I am writing to you with another update on the Coronavirus. As you know this is a quickly evolving situation and here in Beverly we continue to monitor all guidance as it emerges. Today, we participated in a local Board of Health conference call, as well as a conference call with four local Superintendents and Mayors as we continue to stay current and communicate with neighbors. 

I want to share with you our current status in regards to International trips and trips out of the continental United States, out-of-state trips, and in-state and local field trips that have been planned for our students. In light of the Governor’s announcement that Massachusetts is declaring a State of Emergency, we have cancelled all spring travel out of the continental U.S. (Spain, Quebec City, Puerto Rico). We continue to consider rescheduling the German trip planned for this summer. Additionally, as of yesterday, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has urged districts “to cancel any out-of-state travel that they have planned” and so we will be in communication soon about upcoming travel and trips. The Commissioner of Education will hold a conference call tomorrow and we expect updated guidance on in-state overnight travel and day field trips. In addition, we are reviewing all school activities, especially as they involve large gatherings. The current guidance on these activities states that we review field trips and events the district has planned and evaluate the risks in light of the growing number of coronavirus cases. We will be addressing each situation on a case by case basis unless we receive further restrictions. Many organizations are cancelling planned events (DECA, Destination Imagination, SAT testing, Best Buddies Prom) and others are waiting until Friday to make the decision (Drama Fest at Danvers High School). We thank you for your patience as the situation continues to change daily.

The MIAA is still holding events, including the Boys Basketball Championship game scheduled for tonight, Wednesday, March 11th. At this time I will remind everyone of the Governor’s recommendation that is shared by the MIAA:
“The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is moving forward to conduct the Basketball and Hockey Championship games scheduled on March 10-15. In accordance with the recommendations from Governor Baker to mitigate COVID-19, we encourage participants, spectators, workers and community members to practice good personal hygiene. We support the recommendation for -those over the age of 60- and those with underlying health issues to stay away from large crowds”.
We understand that all of these decisions will have a number of impacts on many members of our school community. Our administrative team will be reviewing the specifics, clarifying and communicating this information through the principals and other leaders as the dates for these meetings and events approach.

Please remember this situation is fluid. We want to assure you that we are continuing with all preventative cleaning and maintenance and to remind you to continue emphasizing best practices such as hand washing, use of hand sanitizer and maintaining a safe distance from others. I will send another update on Friday afternoon unless there are significant changes to the current situation. I thank you all for your support and understanding at this time as we act in the best interest and safety for all of our staff and students.

Sincerely yours,
Sue Charochak, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Lost and Found reminders

Items in the lost and found outside the  library are tagged weekly. Items that have been there for over a month may be donated to charity. Next week items that were tagged in the month of January will be removed and donated. Please be sure you or your child check the lost and found!
Items in lost & found since January!

The Latest Cool Kids

Congratulations too our latest cool kids: Christian Aponte (grade 5), Carter Champlain (grade 6), Sophia Gallo (grade 7), Tess Fein (grade 8).

TOMORROW! Acapulco's Fundraiser


Help the 8th Grade raise money for their end of year activities by meeting your friends for dinner at Acapulcos tomorrow,Thursday, March 12th.
Can't wait to see you there! 

A portion of the sales from the entire day will be donated.

See this flyer for more information.

Big Buck$ Calendar Winner!!!!



The winner for a $25 gift card to Acapulcos Restaurant and a $25 gift card to A&B Burgers is Tiffany Montelbano

Congratulations to Alex Dolezal for selling the winning ticket!!

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Big Buck$ Winners

The winner for today, a $50 gift card to BGood "Food with Roots" Restaurant is Alison Frost!

Congratulations to Sarah McClintock for selling the winning ticket!!

Thursday Fundraiser at Acapulcos

Please come support the 8th grade graduating class at Acapulcos in Beverly!!!

Take a night off from cooking and enjoy a meal  this Thursday, March 12th. 

A portion of the sales from the entire day will be donated.

See this flyer for more information.

Mindfulness Presentation Tonight

Are you curious about mindfulness? Come to a presentation from Minding Your Mind at Beverly Middle School tonight, Tuesday, March 10 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm . Learn about mindfulness activities  and supports and how they may help you and your children, plus data about adolescent brain development and mindfulness benefits.

Plan to park and enter in back of the school. Childcare will be provided.

See this  flyer for more information or contact Julia Grimm at julia.grimm@lahey.org.

Yearbook Sales Online ONLY This Year

BMS Yearbooks are only $20! Ordering is online only! Orders must be received by May 1.  Guarantee your child will have a yearbook - order now.

SEPAC Meeting Tonight

The next Beverly Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) meeting will be Tuesday, March 10th at 6:30 pm in the McKeown School conference room. On the agenda:  officer nominations and spring programming plus special guests Superintendent Dr. Sue Charochak and Bethany Splansky, Administrator of Special Education.

Robotics Club & Gr 8 3D Printing Club

Robotics club will meet for one last week only with the students who were working with Battlebots.

The 3D Printing Club will have its first meeting today. This is open only to 8th graders who would like to create an object to 3D print.

Both clubs will meet in room 316 after school today from 3 to 3:45.

Writers' Club

Writers' Club will meet today from 3-3:45 in room 441.

National Jr. Honor Society Meeting Tomorrow

Just a reminder that there is a National Junior Honor Society meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11th, from 3:05 - 3:45 in the 3rd floor cafeteria. 

Please see Lady McGrath in room 444 or Mrs. Cann in 344 if you cannot attend, or if you have any questions.

Students vs. Staff Basketball - Save the Date & Donate Now!

SAVE THE DATE - MARCH 26th
Annual Students vs. Staff Basketball Game
Beverly Middle School gym
Time: 5 PM-7PM

All money will go towards supporting grade 8 students who have requested scholarship funds for our Boston Field Trip and end of year activities. 

We need your help to make the fundraiser a success. 
EACH grade 8 team will create a themed basket to be raffled off during the basketball game.

DONATE: Raffle Basket Donations DUE in main office by March 19, 2020
We need items/gift cards or even $ to put together raffle baskets for the night of the big game. We will be selling tickets at the game and announcing the winners that night. Please consider donating an item for the basket. See the theme for your team below.
  • 8 Hale - Sports / Entertainment - any sports item, tickets to games
  • 8 Balch - Game/Movie Night - AMC GCs, Popcorn, Games
  • 8 Cabot - Around Town - GCs to activities like SkyZone, In the Game, the movies, nail salons, restaurants, any food venue (Chipotle, Nick's Panera)
DONATE: Food/Water for concessions DUE by Wednesday, March 25th in the main office.
We will be setting up a table to sell pizza, water, Gatorade, chips and candy. We welcome donations of any of these items or $ so we can fill in where needed and order pizza.

You can bring your donation to the main office at Beverly Middle School and please label it 8th Grade Basketball Game. If you would like to Venmo $, please send it to BeverlyMiddle-PTO and put in the notes BMS 8th Grade Basketball Game (or something resembling that).

If you have any questions or if you would like to VOLUNTEER your time please contact Jennifer Stevenson (our Grade 8 PTO Representative) at jenniferstevenson10@gmail.com

Thank you for your help!

Monday, March 9, 2020

Honors Choir

Honors choir rehearsal is today 3-4pm in room 155.

Green Club

The Green Club meets on Tuesdays in the 6th grade Maker Space (neighborhood 1), Room 215. All interested students should plan to come to our from 3:05-3:45. Hope to see you there!

PTO Meeting Thursday 3/19

Parents, please join us in the library at 6:30pm on Thursday, March 19th for one of our last PTO meetings of the year!! The final meeting will be at Tuesday, May 12th at 6:30pm .... Save the Date!!! 

We are still looking for someone who wants to fill the roll of PTO President for the 2020-2021 school year!

Big Buck$ Calendar Winners!!!!

The winner for Saturday, March 7th, a $50 Chianti gift card is Laurie McDonough!! Congratulations to Sadie Brennan and Susie Low for selling the winning ticket!!

The winner for Sunday, March 8th, a $25 gift card to Panera and a $25 gift card to Shaws is Allie Kelley!! Congratulations to Calvin Barrett for selling the winning ticket!!

The winner for today, a $50 gift card to Mike's Pizza is Tara Bolduc!! Congratulations to Connor Bolduc for selling the winning ticket!!

Read Your Favorite Poem Entry Deadline Wednesday

Apply to read your favorite poem aloud at the Beverly Public Library at a free public event on Thursday, March 26 at 7 PM in the Sohier Room at the BPL. This is part of the Favorite Poem Project, dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in our lives. 

ENTRY DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2020. Poem entrants selected to read will be notified on or about March 20.

Twelve to fifteen poems will be selected to be read. Each reader will receive a $10 gift card to Copper Dog Books, Cabot Street in Beverly and be eligible for a grand prize drawing.

See this flyer for more information or go to beverlypubliclibrary.org/favpoem.

Mindfulness Presentation Tomorrow

Are you curious about mindfulness? Come to a presentation from Minding Your Mind at Beverly Middle School on Tuesday, March 10 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm . Learn about mindfulness activities  and supports and how they may help you and your children, plus data about adolescent brain development and mindfulness benefits.

Plan to park and enter in back of the school. Childcare will be provided.

See this  flyer for more information or contact Julia Grimm at julia.grimm@lahey.org.

No Cook Night on Thursday!

Please come support the 8th grade graduating class at Acapulcos in Beverly!!!

Take a night off from cooking and enjoy a meal, Thursday, March 12th. 

A portion of the sales from the entire day will be donated.

SEPAC Meeting Tomorrow

The next Beverly Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) meeting will be Tuesday, March 10th at 6:30 pm  in the McKeown School conference room. On the agenda:  officer nominations and spring programming plus special guests Superintendent Dr. Sue Charochak and Bethany Splansky, Administrator of Special Education.

North Shore Music Theatre

The North Shore Music Theatre has two shows for  kids & students in  March, Macbeth and A Year with Frog & Toad. Get details here.

North Shore Music Theatre announces its 2020 Kids' Shows! See the lineup here.

Cub Scout Pack 2 Fundraiser 3/20

Beverly's Cub Scout Pack 2 is holding a fundraiser at B.GOOD on Friday, March 20 from 4-8 pm.

Show this flyer to make sure they will get their funds!

Gr 5 Art Club Meets Today

Art Club meets on Mondays and alternates between 5th grade only and meetings for 6th/7th/8th graders only. Here is the schedule for upcoming dates until the end of March.

5th grade meets: March 9, March 23

6th, 7th, 8th grades meet: March 16, March 30

Art Club is held in the art room on the 3rd floor (334A) with Mr. Fox. Please contact him with questions at jfox@beverlyschools.org.