Book of the Day: Alexander Hamilton

The Making of America: Alexander Hamilton by Teri Kanefield

From Hoopla: The America that Alexander Hamilton knew was largely agricultural and built on slave labor. He envisioned something else: a multi-racial, urbanized, capitalistic America with a strong central government. He believed that such an America would be a land of opportunity for the poor and the newcomers. But Hamilton's vision put him at odds with his archrivals who envisioned a pastoral America of small towns, where governments were local, states would control their own destiny, and the federal government would remain small and weak. The disputes that arose during America's first decades continued through American history to our present day. Over time, because of the systems Hamilton set up and the ideas he left, his vision won out. Here is the story that epitomizes the American dream -- a poor immigrant who made good in America. In the end, Hamilton rose from poverty through his intelligence and ability, and did more to shape our country than any of his contemporaries."

BMS Librarian Ms. Woznick is recommending a book a day! You can download the ebook of Alexander Hamilton from Hoopla with a Beverly Public Library, reserve the hard copy of Alexander Hamilton for pickup at the library -- or check with local stores like Copper Dog Books or the Book Shop in Beverly Farms buy a book.

There are lots more Guys Read ebooks available on Hoopla: The Sports Page, Other Worlds, True Stories, Terrifying Tales, Thriller, and Heroes & Villains. If you have a boy in your life, whether they think they like to read or not, these collections are for them!

Check the Real Life Stories page on the Summer Stories website to explore more true stories about real people!

Thurs 7/9: Pick Up Yearbooks and Belongings

On Thursday, July 9 you may pick up a BMS yearbook if you ordered and paid for one earlier this year. This is also your last chance for your child to retrieve belongings from school if you have not already done so.

Yearbook Pickup Directions
We will host a rolling pick-up for yearbooks on Thursday, July 9th. If you ordered a yearbook, you may pick it up in the front driveway of the school between 10:00am and 2:00pm. Please post your student’s first and last name, and grade (during the 2019-2020 school year) on the passenger side front window, and follow staff instructions.

Student Belongings Pick-Up Directions
If you missed the original student belongings pick-up dates, you have one last opportunity to gather your things! Please RSVP HERE, then come to the main lobby on Thursday, July 9th between 10:00am and 2:00pm to check in. Per the city ordinance, masks must be worn to enter the building. Belongings left behind will be discarded.

Library Books

If you have any BMS library books out still it's a great day to drop them off as well!

Book of the Day: Funny Business

Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka

From Hoopla: "Funny Business, the first volume in Jon Scieszka's Guys Read Library of Great Reading, features ten short stories guaranteed to delight, amuse, and possibly make you spit your milk in your friend's face. There's something for everyone in this collection of short stories from some of the funniest writers around. This hilarious, offbeat first installment in the Guys Read Library is 100% grade-A humor, guaranteed to have kids of all ages asking for more. Authors include Mac Barnett, Eoin Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kate DiCamillo & Jon Scieszka, Paul Feig, Jack Gantos, Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Adam Rex, and David Yoo, with illustrations by Adam Rex."

BMS Librarian Ms. Woznick is recommending a book a day! You can download the ebook of Guys Read: Funny Business from Hoopla with a Beverly Public Library, reserve the hard copy of Lucky Caller for pickup at the library -- or check with local stores like Copper Dog Books or the Book Shop in Beverly Farms buy a book.

There are lots more Guys Read ebooks available on Hoopla: The Sports Page, Other Worlds, True Stories, Terrifying Tales, Thriller, and Heroes & Villains. If you have a boy in your life, whether they think they like to read or not, these collections are for them!

Check the Short Stories page on the Summer Stories website for some more ideas about short story collections to read!

Parks Program Application Due TODAY 7/2

Here is the link for this year's Parks Program Lottery Form: https://forms.gle/Txk6deoW8gL1U8Yo8. We are very excited to be able to offer the Program starting this Monday, July 6th.

Unfortunately, we need to limit the number of children who can attend in an effort to adhere to proper COVID-19 Guidelines. 

Please fill out this form to enter for a roster spot at one of our Summer Parks. Unlike previous years, families will NOT be allowed to register their children in person at Park. Please read the link for more details.

Also, please share this link and/or email it to all of your parent/sports/Beverly groups! Any Beverly family who may be interested. Entries are NOT "first-come-first-serve." Family applications will be assigned a number and picked at random. Applications are due TODAY, Thursday, July 2nd at 5 pm.

Pick up Summer Eats Tomorrow

Beverly Public Schools & Summer Eats are Feeding Students for free All Summer!!!

*Note: Meals will be distributed on Thursday July 2nd instead of Friday July 3rd in order to observe 4th of July Holiday

Meal distributions will continue on Tuesdays and Fridays*

Tuesday & Friday 10:30a-12:30p at Beverly High School and 
Tuesday & Friday 11:30a-12p at Apple Village 600 Manor Road and Holcroft Park 10 Gage St

CHILDREN DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE MEALS! 

Produce Boxes will be distributed on Fridays on a first-come-first-serve basis

Any questions please call the Food Service Department at 978-921-6132 x 11129

Book of the Day: Major Impossible

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Major Impossible by Nathan Hale

From Hoopla: "The ninth book in the bestselling series tells the story of John Wesley Powell, the one-armed geologist who explored the Grand Canyon John Wesley Powell (1834–1902) always had the spirit of adventure in him. As a young man, he traveled all over the United States exploring. When the Civil War began, Powell went to fight for the Union, and even after he lost most of his right arm, he continued to fight until the war was over. In 1869, he embarked with the Colorado River Exploring Expedition, ten men in four boats, to float through Grand Canyon. Over the course of three months, the explorers lost their boats and supplies, nearly drowned, and were in peril on multiple occasions. Ten explorers went in, only six came out. Powell would come to be known as one of the most epic explorers in history! Equal parts gruesome and hilarious, this latest installment in the bestselling series takes readers on an action-packed adventure through American history."

BMS Librarian Ms. Woznick is recommending a book a day! You can download the ebook of Major Impossible from Hoopla with a Beverly Public Library, reserve the hard copy of Lucky Caller for pickup at the library -- or check with Paper Asylum on Cabot St. to buy a graphic novel or comics.

Check the Graphic Novels page on the Summer Stories website for some more ideas about graphic novels to read!

Summer Math Packets

The math packets here have sets of problems all students entering grade 7 and grade 8 are REQUIRED to complete and turn in by the appropriate date. The links posted yesterday did not function - these have the correct links.

• Incoming 7th Grader math packet, due on September 9, 2020
• Incoming 8th Grader math packet, due on September 3, 2020

BMS Yearbook Pickup July 9

We will host a rolling pick-up for yearbooks on Thursday, July 9th. If you ordered a yearbook, you may pick it up in the front driveway of the school between 10:00am and 2:00pm. Please post your student’s first and last name, and grade (during the 2019-2020 school year) on the passenger side front window, and follow staff instructions.

BMS iPads Over Summer

Any students who are moving out of the district should please return their iPads to the BMS main office by July 31st or sooner, by appointment only. iPads that leave the district are unusable, as they will be locked remotely and cannot be reset.

Students who kept their iPads for the summer will receive a short survey that will help our tech department assess the functionality of each iPad. 

If your iPad is not working properly, or there is any physical damage, it must be returned for repair by Friday, July 17th. Please return any broken iPads to the main office so that a new one can be issued.

If you need tech support over the summer, please contact the BMS tech department at bmstech@beverlyschools.org

BMS Summer Office Hours

Summer office hours are by appointment only at this time. Please call 978-921-6103 Monday - Thursday between the hours of 8am and 4pm, or Friday between the hours of 8am and 1pm to request an appointment.

Summer Reading is now SUMMER STORIES

In summer 2020, we want Beverly Middle School students to spend time interacting with different stories - and creating some of their own. Stories can live in books, but they live in lots of other places too. We want you to explore the many ways that we create and share stories. 

Go to the website at summerstories.beverlyschools.org. (Note there is a section in Spanish!)

Students should pick at least one activity (but hopefully many!) from each of the two choice boards on the website. One is labeled Read - Listen - Watch. Those choices are about consuming stories (reading books or other text, audio and digital stories, etc.). The other is labeled Connect - Create - Share; here, you use stories to make connections with your own life and with other people. If all those choices are a little too much for you, try the Streamlined Choice Board.

See this sheet for more information and also don't forget to check out Summer Reading at the Beverly Public Library for kids, teens and adults!

Student Belongings Pick-Up - RSVP for July 9

If you missed the original student belongings pick-up dates, you have one last opportunity to gather your things! 

Please RSVP HERE, then come to the main lobby on Thursday, July 9th between 10:00am and 2:00pm to check in. Per the city ordinance, masks must be worn to enter the building. Belongings left behind will be discarded.

Summer Math Packets

Summer work, such as math packets and reading, can be useful in achieving grade-level mastery and “bridging” the gap between school years. We believe that any assigned summer work should be appropriate and purposeful.

These summer math packets were developed to provide students entering 7th and 8th grade an opportunity to review grade-level math objectives and to improve math performance. We hope this helps to build anticipation for new learning and give students confidence in their abilities so that they are well prepared for the next level of math. This packet can help ease the transition and help reinforce skills that are needed prior to the start of school to ensure future success.

The math packets here have sets of problems all students entering grade 7 and grade 8 are REQUIRED to complete and turn in by the appropriate date:

• Incoming 7th Graders: math packet, due on September 9, 2020
• Incoming 8th Graders: math packet, due on September 3, 2020

Summer Letter to BMS Families

You may have recently received a letter from the BMS Leadership Team. It covers BMS summer hours, iPads, summer math packets, yearbooks, student belongings pickups, library books, and Summer Stories (formerly summer reading).

For your convenience, you may read the letter here.

Pick Up Summer Eats Tu/Th This Week

Beverly Public Schools & Summer Eats are Feeding Students for free All Summer!!!

Meal distributions will continue on Tuesdays and Fridays*

Tuesday & Friday 10:30a-12:30p at Beverly High School and 
Tuesday & Friday 11:30a-12p at Apple Village 600 Manor Road and Holcroft Park 10 Gage St

*Note: Meals will be distributed on Thursday July 2nd instead of Friday July 3rd in order to observe 4th of July Holiday

CHILDREN DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE MEALS! 

Produce Boxes will be distributed on Fridays on a first-come-first-serve basis

Any questions please call the Food Service Department at 978-921-6132 x 11129

Book of the Day: Here to Stay

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan

From Hoopla: "Bijan Majidi is: * Shy around girls * Really into comics * Decent at basketball. Bijan Majidi is not: * A terrorist. What happens when a kid who's flown under the radar for most of high school gets pulled off the bench to make the winning basket in a varsity playoff game? If his name is Bijan Majidi, life is suddenly high fives in the hallways and invitations to exclusive parties-along with an anonymous photo sent by a school cyberbully that makes Bijan look like a terrorist. The administration says they'll find and punish the culprit. Bijan wants to pretend it never happened. He's not ashamed of his Middle Eastern heritage; he just doesn't want to be a poster child for Islamophobia. Lots of classmates rally around Bijan. Others make it clear they don't want him or anybody who looks like him at their school. But it's not always easy to tell your enemies from your friends. Here to Stay is a painfully honest, funny, authentic story about growing up, speaking out, and fighting prejudice."

BMS Librarian Ms. Woznick is recommending a book a day! You can download the ebook of Here to Stay from Hoopla with a Beverly Public Library card -- or check with Copper Dog Books or the Book Shop of Beverly Farms.

Also: Sign up this week for Ms. Woznick's summer reading book club, which is reading From the Desk of Zoe Washington. It starts on Monday!

Thursday Update from the Superintendent

In case you missed this communication on Thursday from our Superintendent, it is replicated here.

Good Morning Beverly School Community:

I am writing today to share with you what I know will be the first of many updates regarding the development process of a plan to reopen schools in the fall. First, let me thank you for your participation in our Parent Survey on Reopening Schools. We will have follow-up survey opportunities for you to share your feedback as we continue to develop our plan. Today, Governor Baker’s office and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released their initial guidance about reopening schools this fall. We applaud the level of thought and care that went into the development of this guidance and share its goal of the safe return of as many students as possible to in-person school settings in order to best meet students’ academic, social, and emotional needs.

Over the coming days, we will be reviewing the guidance to begin to understand how it impacts what we can do in Beverly. We also acknowledge that these initial guidelines do not address every topic and that there will be additional guidance coming throughout the summer. The full document can be found at HERE, but here are some key components of the department’s guidance:

• Current medical research supports a safe in-person return to school - with preventive measures in place - as infection and transmission rates are lower for children than adults.
• Preventive measures include masks/face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Masks/face coverings will be required for all students in Grade 2 and above and for all adults; they are recommended for students in Grade 1 and below.
• Based upon current medical research, and in conjunction with other preventive measures, a minimum physical distance of three feet has been established.

Districts will need to develop three separate plans - one for return to full in-person instruction with safety requirements, one for full remote learning, and one for hybrid learning that combines in-person and remote learning. The district has created a task force to develop each of these plans and each building will have a building-based team to determine the individual adjustments necessary for their school building. Based upon the current medical situation, the expectation today is that students will return to full in-person instruction in September; however, that is subject to change based upon how the medical situation develops.

We acknowledge that there are likely to be more questions than answers at this time, and we will continue to communicate with you in the coming weeks and months. We also encourage you to read the full document HERE, and if you have questions to please send them. At this time, the best way for you to help us is to complete this parent survey (open through June 28) and those that will follow in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you for your patience and understanding,

Sue Charochak, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

BPS Back to School Planning Survey

If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to complete this parent/guardian survey to help guide our planning in safely reopening our schools for the 2020-2021 school year. This initial survey will be followed up with other surveys once clear guidance is provided from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and hope to use the survey information to focus our efforts. 

The survey is open until June 28, 2020. Thank you for your participation.

Pick Up Summer Eats on Friday

Beverly Public Schools & Summer Eats are Feeding Students for free All Summer!!!

Meal distributions will continue on Tuesdays and Fridays*

Tuesday & Friday 10:30a-12:30p at Beverly High School and 
Tuesday & Friday 11:30a-12p at Apple Village 600 Manor Road and Holcroft Park 10 Gage St

*Note: Meals will be distributed on Thursday July 2nd instead of Friday July 3rd in order to observe 4th of July Holiday

CHILDREN DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE MEALS! 

Produce Boxes will be distributed on Fridays on a first-come-first-serve basis

Any questions please call the Food Service Department at 978-921-6132 x 11129

Book of the Day: Lucky Caller

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

From Hoopla: "When Nina decides to take a radio-broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, it's a complete disaster. The members of Nina's haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness, her group includes Jamie, a childhood friend she'd hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life. The show is a mess, internet rumors threaten to bring the wrath of two fandoms down on their heads, and, to top it all off, Nina's family is on the brink of some major upheaval. Everything feels like it's spiraling out of control?but maybe control is overrated?"

BMS Librarian Ms. Woznick is recommending a book a day! You can download the eaudiobook of Lucky Caller from Hoopla with a Beverly Public Library, reserve the hard copy of Lucky Caller for pickup at the library -- or check with Copper Dog Books or the Book Shop of Beverly Farms.

Also: Sign up this week for Ms. Woznick's summer reading book club, which is reading From the Desk of Zoe Washington. It starts on Monday!