Friday, March 6, 2020

SEPAC Meeting Tuesday at McKeown

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.

Big Buck$ Calendar Winner!!!!

Today's winner of a $25 gift card to Panera and a $20 gift card to Learning Express is Lonnie and Debbie Flynn!! 

Congratulations to Kathryn Winn for selling the winning ticket!!

Mindfulness Presentation Tuesday

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.

News Club

News Club meets on Monday after school in the  library. Old and new members of all grades are welcome to join us as we get the next newspaper issue underway and explore other ways to report news in our community.

Robotics Club

The robotics club has now ended. Students who were making battle bots can come in for one more week to fight them.

Next Tuesday, 3D printing club will begin - this is open to 8th graders only who would like to learn more about Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs to create a 3D Print. Contact Mr. Jacobson for more information: ajacobson@beverlyschools.org.

Play Ball! Register Now.

Registration is open now for Salem-Beverly Baseball.

Go to salembeverlybaseball.com for more information.

Gr 5 Art Club Meets Monday

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.

Early Release Today - Parent Afternoon Back

On Friday, March 6 students will be released at 12:15pm. Lunch will not be served that day.

Parent Afternoon Back is from 1-3pm on Friday. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to have brief 1-1 meetings with their child's teachers.

Gr 8 - Register TODAY for Boston Trip

This is the last week to sign up for  the big 8th grade trip to Boston! The deadline is today, Friday, March 6.

ALL registrations are online at portal.jumpstreet.com/Tour

Use the Tour code TDVW62V.

All transportation, a full breakfast, guided tour of Fenway Park, a private Duck Boat Tour, admission to a performance by Blue Man Group, and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe are included.

See the Trip Packet for more details including registration specifics, financial aid process, the itinerary, behavior expectations, and a student contract.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

BIG BUCK$ Calendar Winners!!!

We are so excited to announce winners - be sure to come back here each day to see the announcements!

The winner for March 3rd, a $25 gift card to Panini Pizza and a $25 gift card to Stop & Shop is Steven Pieroni!! Congrats to Julia Guanci for selling the winning ticket!!

The winner for March 4th, a $25 gift card to Soma and a $25 gift card to Ellis Square Social is Wendy Lezenski!! Congrats to Madison Gilbert for selling the winning ticket!!

Today's winner (March 5) of a $50 gift card to B.Good restaurant is Kathy Geary!! Congrats to Landen Hinze for selling the winning ticket!!

Students who sell the winning ticket may come by the office to pick up their $10 cash prize!

Mindfulness Presentation Tuesday

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.

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

Early Release Tomorrow - Parent Afternoon Back

On Friday, March 6 students will be released at 12:15pm. Lunch will not be served that day.

Parent Afternoon Back is from 1-3pm on Friday. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to have brief 1-1 meetings with their child's teachers.

Gr 8 - Deadline TOMORROW For Boston Trip Registration

This is the last week to sign up for  the big 8th grade trip to Boston! The deadline is tomorrow, Friday, March 6.

ALL registrations are online at portal.jumpstreet.com/Tour

Use the Tour code TDVW62V.

All transportation, a full breakfast, guided tour of Fenway Park, a private Duck Boat Tour, admission to a performance by Blue Man Group, and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe are included.

See the Trip Packet for more details including registration specifics, financial aid process, the itinerary, behavior expectations, and a student contract.

Gr 8 Acalpulcos Fundraiser Next Week

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.

Jazz Band Cancelled

Attention all Jazz Band members, today's rehearsal has been cancelled. We'll be back next week.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

From the Superintendent

The following message was sent out on Wednesday by BPS Superintendent Sue Charochak through other digital means. It has has been included here in case you did not receive this information already.

Good Afternoon,

I am writing with the latest update for parents and families with communication and information as it relates to the coronavirus. I appreciate the feedback and questions from families and will do my best to provide a timely response to each of you. As you know, we, like all districts in Massachusetts, continue to access guidance on our concerns from the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Beverly Board of Health, as well as the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Mass. Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.). We will continue to monitor all incoming information and respond accordingly.

An area that we continue to monitor in Beverly is in regard to staff or students who have traveled out of the country to areas that are identified at risk for coronavirus. We will consider each individual situation with an abundance of caution and will consult both state and local officials before making any decisions. If we determine there may be a health risk to our students or staff, we will send the person at risk home for a minimum of the fourteen day incubation period. In fact, we implemented this procedure yesterday with a staff member who returned to work after a trip to a country where restricted travel is recommended as a result of the number of cases of coronavirus. The person exhibited no signs or symptoms of illness. However, with our decision rooted in an abundance of caution, we sent the employee home within approximately two hours, and we mutually agreed that the employee will remain home until the fourteen day waiting period is complete. The employee to date continues to exhibit no symptoms of being sick. Additionally, the work area the employee had briefly occupied was immediately professionally sanitized. In consultation with epidemiologists at the state Department of Public Health, the city of Beverly’s Public Health Department, school health services, and Mayor Cahill, we have been reassured that any risk of exposure to the new coronavirus is very low. Moreover, even though the risk was extremely low and the guidance from state and local officials was that other employees that had come in contact with this employee did not need to be excluded from work, we opted to also work with these employees to remain out of work for the incubation period. The employee had no contact with any students at any time while they were in the building. Our students’ and employees’ well-being is always our highest priority and we will continue to proceed in an abundance of caution to ensure that we do our best to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases.

Finally, I will be working with the school committee, Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Poska to monitor any planned overnight trips on a case by case basis. We will provide information to parents and families as soon as a decision is made. I appreciate your patience as we work through the specifics. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your building principal or myself.

Thank you,

Sue Charochak
Superintendent of Schools

Meeting Tonight About Briscoe Redevelopment

A  meeting will be held in the BHS Library tonight at 7:00pm to discuss the planned redevelopment of the old Briscoe Middle School.

See this Facebook Event page for more details.

Lost & Found

The lost and found is (once again!) overflowing with jackets, sweaters, lunchboxes, water bottles, shirts, hats, gloves and more. 

Items are tagged each week and once they have been in the lost and found for over a month they are donated to charity. All items that have been here since January or longer will be donated next week. 

Please remind your child to check the lost and found, which is outside the BMS library, and/or check it yourself if you come on Friday for Parent Afternoon Back.

Mindfulness Parent Presentation Tuesday

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.

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

Salem-Beverly Babe Ruth Baseball

Registration is open now for Salem-Beverly Baseball.

Go to salembeverlybaseball.com for more information.

Enter Read Your Favorite Poem Event

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 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.

Gr 8 Boston Trip Registration Deadline FRIDAY

This is the last week to sign up for  the big 8th grade trip to Boston! The deadline is Friday, March 6.

ALL registrations are online at 

portal.jumpstreet.com/Tour

Use the Tour code TDVW62V.

All transportation, a full breakfast, guided tour of Fenway Park, a private Duck Boat Tour, admission to a performance by Blue Man Group, and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe are included.

See the Trip Packet for more details including registration specifics, financial aid process, the itinerary, behavior expectations, and a student contract.

Early Release - Parent Aft Back Friday

On Friday, March 6 students will be released at 12:15pm. Lunch will not be served that day.

Parent Afternoon Back is from 1-3pm on Friday. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to have brief 1-1 meetings with their child's teachers.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Big Buck$ Calendar Winners!!

Drum Roll please…………………..

We are so excited to announce our amazing student and faculty winners for our Big Buck$ Calendar Contest!
  • Our Grand Prize winner who will receive a pair of personalized AirPods is: CJ Burns!
  • Our Grade Level winners who will receive an Amazon gift card are: Ava Schwertschlag, CJ Burns, Trase Boudreau and Ella Maloblocki!
  • Our Bagel World homeroom winners are: Ms. O’Malley, Mr. Melanson, Mr Olbash and Mrs. Wood-Bell! (date TBD)
  • Our top selling homeroom teacher who will receive a FRANK Restaurant gift card is: Ms. O’Malley!
Congratulations to everyone!! Please come to the office to pick up your prizes on Friday!

Order a Yearbook Today

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.

Parent Afternoon Back & Early Release Friday

On Friday, March 6 students will be released at 12:15pm. Lunch will not be served that day.

Parent Afternoon Back is from 1-3pm on Friday. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to have brief 1-1 meetings with their child's teachers.

Gr 8 - Friday Deadline for Boston Trip

This is the last week to sign up for  the big 8th grade trip to Boston! The deadline is Friday, March 6.

ALL registrations are online at 

portal.jumpstreet.com/Tour

Use the Tour code TDVW62V.

All transportation, a full breakfast, guided tour of Fenway Park, a private Duck Boat Tour, admission to a performance by Blue Man Group, and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe are included.

See the Trip Packet for more details including registration specifics, financial aid process, the itinerary, behavior expectations, and a student contract.

Parent Presentation on Mindfulness 3/10

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.

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

A Message From the Superintendent

This is a copy of a letter that you may have received electronically through other means yesterday regarding  the  district's response to the coronavirus outbreaks.
Good Afternoon Beverly Parents and Families,

I am writing with an update regarding the steps we are taking to ensure safe and clean school environments for all our students and staff as we navigate the new coronavirus and prepare for any challenges we may face. I met with district and building leaders today to review our cleaning procedures, identify areas that we can increase our maintenance efforts, and review steps that we will take to intensify these measures if the need arises. We are increasing our efforts and precautions for cleaning and sanitizing the areas students frequent to include an electrostatic application of both a disinfectant and antimicrobial solution on our buses. This process is already utilized bi-weekly in our schools in our administrators offices, nurses office, common areas and athletic areas (locker rooms, etc.). We have added the bathrooms for this week's spraying and are looking to include classroom areas in the coming weeks. We believe these steps will add another layer of precaution that will help to reduce the spread of already identified viruses as well as to help us get ahead of any outbreak of the new coronavirus.

In addition, I wanted to provide an update about planned school travel and the Coronavirus. We are monitoring this situation very closely through several entities, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. State Department, the Mass. Department of Public Health, and our local Board of Health. Our students' safety is our first priority. As we continue to monitor the situation, we will inform you if we should learn of any restrictions or changes which could impact the trip your child is scheduled to attend.

As a final reminder, please keep your child home from school if they are experiencing fever and or flu symptoms. Students should remain fever free for 24 hours. I am attaching a resource that you may want to share with your children What Kids Want To Know About Coronavirus: An Original Comic : Goats and Soda. Please feel free to reach out to your building principal or myself if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Sue Charochak, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools

Monday, March 2, 2020

Big Buck$ Calendar

Big Buck$ Raffle final tally is tonight! 

Get your tickets in today so they count towards these great prizes! 

All winners will be announced  tomorrow. Thank you so much for your support!

Congratulations Big Buck$ Winners!!!

Let the winning begin!

The winner for March 1st - $50 cash goes to Dean Julien!
Congrats to Cole Fowler for selling this winning ticket!

The winner for March 2nd - a $25 Rasta Pasta gift card and a $25 A&B Burger gift card goes to Heather Gagliardi!
Congrats to Kyleigh Lane for selling this winning ticket!

Students who sell winning tickets should report to the BMS school office to claim their $10 seller prizes!

2020 MCAS Schedule

The 2020 MCAS testing schedule is available here. Grade 5 is in green, grade 6 is in blue, grade 7 is in orange, and grade 8 is in purple. Please make a note of the days when your child  will be testing so that you can plan accordingly.

Science Fair a Success!

BMS held its second annual science fair last Thursday, with over 100 project submitted. The event was a great success with some very memorable projects including “DIY Robotics Hand”, “What is a Fluidized Bed” and a homemade hovercraft. Student participation numbers were double that of last year and their enthusiasm was amazing.

Many of these projects are on view in the BMS  Library this week -- stop in during Parent Afternoon Back to take a peek!

BMS Science Fair 2020 Top Projects
(in no particular order)

5th grade
  • Anna Dobkowski: Why Not All Medicines Are in Pill Form
  • Chloe Callahan & Haley Mitchell: Is Ublick Magnetic?
  • Madelyn Haley & Julia Bissett: Colors of the Brain
  • Olivia Devereaux:  Follow-through
  • Madeleine Roberts & Paloma Terry: Does music affect your memory?

6th Grade
  • Mandy Harrington: Robotics Hand
  • Max Panda:  Does ginger or garlic have anti-microbial property?
  • Harry Wilson: How temperature affects magnet
  • Bailey Hutchinson & Dylana Abell: Should you pay the extra price?

7th Grade
  • Ella Checksfield: Can water float on water?
  • Alex Gangi: How does color affect heating by absorption of light?
  • Grace Checksfield:  Do all bottled water have the same pH?

8th Grade
  • Emma Gregory & Jurgen Sherpa: What's in the drink?
  • Josh Maggiacomo & Viterbo Pallazola: Having a ball with gravity

Honors Choir

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

Acapulcos Fundraiser Next Week

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.

Gr 6/7/8 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 2, 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.

No School Tomorrow - Parent Afternoon Back Friday

Tuesday, March 3 is a no-school day for students. Teachers will have professional development that day.

On Friday, March 6 students will be released at 12:15pm. Lunch will not be served that day.

Parent Afternoon Back is from 1-3pm on Friday. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to have brief 1-1 meetings with their child's teachers.

Gr 8 - Boston Trip Deadline Friday

This is the last week to sign up for  the big 8th grade trip to Boston! The deadline is Friday, March 6.

ALL registrations are online at portal.jumpstreet.com/Tour

Use the Tour code TDVW62V.

All transportation, a full breakfast, guided tour of Fenway Park, a private Duck Boat Tour, admission to a performance by Blue Man Group, and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe are included.

See the Trip Packet for more details including registration specifics, financial aid process, the itinerary, behavior expectations, and a student contract.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Cool Kids of the Week

Here are this week's BMS Cool  Kids: Elmo (grade 5), Delia Gouker (grade 6), Jessie Beauchamp (grade 7) and Bryan Flauzino (grade 8)