Bourne Middle School News

Weekly notes from the Principal's office ~ 9/29/23

Notes From the Principal's Office ~ September 29, 2024

We are so excited for Spirit Week at BMS! All BPS students are celebrating Spirit Week in conjunction with BHS and Homecoming this week.

Monday - Show your BMS Pride in Purple

Tuesday - PINK OUT Day

Wednesday - Show your team spirit for Sports Jersey Day

Thursday - Support your FAVORITE High Schooler with BHS color wars (BHS students will get points for support from grades PreK - 8)

Grade 9 - White
Grade 10 - Red
Grade 11 - Blue
Grade 12 - Black

Friday - USA Day - wear your RED, WHITE, & BLUE!

We are also looking forward to seeing BMS students at the Homecoming Game on Thursday. 8th Grade Band students will be performing with the BHS Band during the game - be sure to come cheer them on!

All 8th Grade students, and 7th grade BMS student-athletes who participate in a BHS sport will also attend the Pep Rally on Thursday.

Looking forward to a fun week!

Christine Borning, Principal

Parent/Caregiver Participation needed on School & District Committees

School Council:

BMS is looking for 2 caregivers to serve on our School Council. The School Council is comprised of teachers, administrators, and caregivers. The Council meets 5-6 times a year from 7:50 - 8:20AM at BMS. As a school council we review the School Improvement Plan, the Student Handbook, the Program of Studies, and discuss other important school procedures and policies that impact students. If you are interested in joining the school council, please reach out to Principal Borning at cborning@bourneps.org.

District DEI Committee:

Jessee Clements, Secondary Curriculum Director, will be leading the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for this school year. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, October 8th at 3:45 at the BIS Library.

The first meeting agenda will include:

Setting meeting dates
Supporting the Bourne Celebrates Everyone event on Nov 7th
Book Club
Goal-setting for the year
Any other thoughts/ideas from the group

Please email Mrs. Clements at jclements@bourneps.org if you are interested and/or are able to attend the first meeting. If you have been a DEI Committee member in the past, please still email to let her know you are interested again.

Supporting Student Success at BMS

It can often become more challenging for caregivers to support students with their academics in middle school. Students have more teachers, more work, and they are seeking more independence - often not wanting parents and caregivers to be involved. Parents are encouraged to check Powerschool regularly and utilize teacher landing pages to help stay involved in their student's academics as they move through middle school. Check out our SUPPORTING ACADMIC SUCCESS infographic for more information.

Attendance & On Time Arrival are Critical to Middle School Success!

Our administrative team and counselors want to emphasize the importance of consistent attendance and on-time arrival in middle school. Being present for the full day is a key factor in academic success, and setting positive habits around attendance in middle school helps students to be successful in high school and beyond.

Many of our students have outstanding attendance - we encourage you to keep up the great work!

In order to support students who struggle with on-time arrival to school we use a progressive tardy policy:

If a student reaches 5 unexcused tardies during the quarter, they will receive a letter reminding them of the tardy policy.
Once a student reaches 6 unexcused tardies they will be assigned an administrative detention.
Students will be assigned detentions for each subsequent tardy throughout the quarter. Caregivers will be notfied via email when their student is scheduled for a detention as a result of being tardy.
As part of this time, we will support your student in making up any work that was missed during the time they were not present in school.

Likewise, we use a progressive attendance policy to support students in coming to school daily:

If your student reaches 5 absences they will receive an attendance letter and the school counselor will call to see how we can support your student with improved attendance.
After 7 absences the counselor will call to schedule a parent/caregiver meeting to discuss attendance and develop strategies to support the student in attending daily.
If absences continue, we may schedule a family support meeting with the family, the school, and local support agencies including the court.

If you have questions about our attendance/tardy policies, or need support helping your student develop positive habits with regards to daily school attendance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our adminstrative team or one of our school counselors.

From our School Counseling Office

Welcome to the 2024 - 2025 school year! Each month BMS families will receive information from our School Counselors that provides updates on the social-emotional work that is happening in schools and strategies you can use with your child(ren) to support their social-emotional development.

At the beginning of the school year, it's normal for children to experience a range of pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Importantly, this time of year offers additional opportunities to talk to kids about their feelings. Over time, these conversations can help kids form healthy relationships with their emotional experiences.

During the first weeks of school, let your child(ren) know that it's normal to feel stressed, worried, excited, and happy (transitions can be stressful!). In these conversations, identify some strategies that your child(ren) can use when they experience unpleasant emotions. This strategy is sometimes referred to as "coping ahead" and can help children more skillfully navigate common challenges. Some strategies to consider include identifying who they can go to if they are having a problem or need support, deep breathing exercises to reduce stress/worry, helpful self-affirmations (e.g., this is hard AND I can do it), engaging in preferred activities (e.g., art), and/or thinking about things they are looking forward to. As children use these skills, let them know that although the activities might not eliminate unpleasant feelings, they might help them navigate their challenges more successfully.

If you have concerns about how your child is feeling about school, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible to their school team (teacher, school counselor).

From the BMS PTA

Spaghetti Supper - Spanish

Spaghetti Supper - Portugese

Spaghetti Supper - Haitian Creole

Spaghetti Supper - Chinese

Teacher Landing Pages

Looking for more information about a specific class or assignment?

Teacher Landing Pages have contact information for the teacher, important information for that class, and any assignments that are due. Landing Pages are a good place for students and caregivers to look if they have a question about an assignment.

Find all of our Teacher Landing Pages linked on the Team & Teacher Directory

Curriculum Corner

Hello families! School & District 23-24 Assessment & Accountability information is now available at THIS link. Take time with your child(ren) to go through this information and any MCAS information you may receive in the mail. Teachers are working hard to support your child(ren)’s student achievement and growth in all areas of classroom instruction and state achievement tests. Please review the importance of attending school each and every day and the importance of perseverance through all aspects of school. We are your partners in the success of your child(ren)!

Thank you!

Jessee Clements, Secondary Curriculum Director