Broad Meadows Middle School

Broad Meadows Middle School Community,

As we enter our first full week of May, we continue to be amazed at how quickly time is flying by. We shared with our 8th grade our plans for the year-end celebrations and also will be sharing end of year information for grades 6 and 7 in the upcoming days. We are excited for year end events and reminded our students of the importance of proper attendance and behavior as well as the completion of schoolwork to participate. Our goal is to have all students participate in these year- end events and if there is anything we can do to support our families, we ask that you reach out to one of our main office staff. We also want to thank our PTO whose fundraising efforts this year will work to defray the overall cost of these yearend events.

This past week saw our first school track meet on Thursday, our Spring Dance on Friday, and a strong crowd of ODW students and community members working both on the BMMS grounds and at the Thomas Crane Public Library on Saturday for Cleaner Greener Quincy. Our BMMS kids competed well on Thursday, had a ball dancing on Friday, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the volunteers on Saturday. The building grounds both of Thomas Crane and Broad Meadows look great due to all the hard work of our volunteers!

Looking ahead to this week we have a few things to keep in mind. As we approach the mid-year point for the third trimester, we want to remind you that mid-term grade posting will close on Wednesday and grade reports will publish through ASPEN on Friday, May 10, 2024.

We will also be hosting our Celtics Foundation Perfect Attendance Celebration on Friday, May 10, 2024 at Veteran's Memorial Stadium. This celebration will run from 8:30 AM - 11:45 AM at Veterans and will include only students who had perfect attendance from October 30th to May 1st. Eligible students will travel with BMMS staff by QPS bus to and from the stadium. At current time, we chart approximately 65 students who had perfect attendance during this time and will send out an individual invitations to students this week.

We will also be kicking off two weeks of Math MCAS for our grade 6 to grade 8 students. We will begin with grade 8 on Monday and Tuesday of this week and then will hold testing for grades 7 and 6 on May 14th,15th and May 16th,17th respectively next week. Each grade will test for two days and we will work in make-up tests as needed. Our goal each day of testing will be to create the best environment we can for students to demonstrate all that they know on the MCAS test. To this end, we ask for the support of our parents and guardians as well.

Supporting your student in getting a good night sleep prior to the days of testing is a great first step. A healthy breakfast is also a great way to start the day. Students should make sure to charge their Chromebooks the night before testing and also remember to bring a book to read once they have completed testing. Cell phones, apple watches and any other communication devices will need to be off during testing (as they always should be during the day) and will be collected prior to testing. Please see the MCAS testing schedule below and feel free to reach out to us if we can be of any support!

Looking down the road, our BMMS Spring Track Team will be participating in city track meets at the Faxon Track over the next two Thursdays from 3:00 - 5:30 PM. We will be holding our final fire drill of the year on Monday, May 20th and our final PTO meeting of the year on Thursday, May 23rd. We also look ahead to our Honor's Night which will be held on Thursday, June 6th beginning at 5:00 PM and our 8th grade promotional ceremony on June 18th at 9:45 AM.

We thank all of our families who contributed to supporting our incredible teaching staff during Teacher Appreciation Week and look ahead to another exciting week at Meadows!

Nicholas Ahearn

Principal

Stacey Bucci

Assistant Principal

As we move closer to the end of the year, we also look ahead to an exciting time for our Grade 8 students who will be leaving us and heading off to high school. Please check out the following information below. We will continue to update this section with more information in the upcoming days and weeks as we get closer to the end of the year.

1) We want to encourage our students to purchase a copy of our 2023-2024 Grade 8 Class Picture as a remembrance of their time at BMMS. Please see the order form for the class picture below and note that pictures can be purchased online or by returning the order form below to Hayward Photography. A paper copy of the order form is available in the main office and went home with students last week.

2) Our graduation ceremony date is set. We look forward to celebrating some wonderful events with our 8th graders in the month of June, but specifically will be hosting our graduation ceremony on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 9:45 AM.

3) We have now released our calendar to our 8th grade students for our year end celebrations (see below). The cost of the year end experiences was $175.00 per student, but our PTO has raised almost $6,500.00 to offset the cost of the year end celebration, so each student will need to pay $110.00 to participate in all the events. Please make sure to get payment in to participate. You are welcome to pay with cash or check (made out to Broad Meadows Middle School) or pay by Venmo with the code on the calendar below.

4) If the cost of the year end experiences is a challenge, please reach out to Mr. Ahearn in the main office and we will work with any families that need financial support. If you would like to make a donation to support students who need assistance with paying for these events, we also ask that you submit a donation to the main office or pay by Venmo. Our goal with every class is to include all students in year end activities.

5)We also reviewed grade level expectations with grade 8 students about attendance, schoolwork and behavior through the end of the year. If students are not completing schoolwork, not attending school with consistency, or who exhibit negative behavior at Broad Meadows Middle School, then they may lose the privilege of attending any or all of these trips. In these cases, parents and guardians will be notified and no refund will be available. Please feel free to reach out to Mr. Ahearn or Mrs. Bucci with any additional questions.

Grade 6: ELA - April 11,12 (Completed) Math - May 16,17

Grade 7: ELA - April 8,9 (Completed) Math - May 14,15

Grade 8: ELA - April 3,4 (Completed) Math - May 6,7 Science May 21,22 Civics Field Test - TBD

MAP testing will occur for all grades during the weeks of May 27th and June 3rd

Dear Broad Meadows Middle School,

I want to start this letter by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for your generous donations to my recent clothing drive in support of Cradles to Crayons. Cradles to Crayons is a nonprofit that provides everyday essentials for children whose families are experiencing low-income and/or homelessness. Your contribution has made a significant impact, and I truly appreciate your support.
The donated clothing will directly benefit those in need, providing warmth, comfort, and dignity to individuals who may be struggling. Whether it’s a warm coat, a pair of shoes, or a cozy sweater, your donation will make a difference in someone’s life.
I want to give a special thank you to Mr. Ahearn who has helped and supported me through this journey. Also a special thanks to Harrison Tinlin in 7th grade who helped sort through the clothes we collected. We collected thirteen, thirteen gallon trash bags of clothing!

Sincerely,
Gianna “Gigi” Beck in 8th grade

We are grateful for all the support and all those who attended our April 11th PTO meeting. Please keep in mind that all meetings will be in-person at Broad Meadows, but you are welcome to observe and listen in on the meeting through Zoom. At our April meeting we discussed Teacher Appreciation Planning as well as end of year plans for all three grades. Please also see the note below from our PTO about our upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week Celebration......

A sincere thank you to all who donated to the Teacher Appreciation Celebration this week and we look ahead to discussing upcoming year end events for grades 6 to 8 at our last PTO meeting of the year on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Our Calendar Raffle is also now complete and we thank all those who supported.

October 5 (Completed)

November 16 (Completed)

January 11 (Completed)

February 15 (Completed)

March 21 (Completed)

April 11 (Completed)

May 23

The Broad Meadows Middle School Swag Store is now closed but will reopen on June 1st. Please click here to access the online store to see what is offered.

If your child is going to be absent, please call our main school line and select option 6 from the main menu or email our school secretary at niamhdibona@quincypublicschools.com. In order for an absence to be considered excused, we must receive a note from a medical doctor with a reason for the absence and the date or dates that should be excused. If you contact the classroom teacher about an absence, please make sure to include Mrs. DiBona on the email as well at the email address above so that the office staff are aware of the absence.

Thanks to our partnership with Arbella Insurance and the Celtics All-Star Program we are also able to acknowledge students for perfect attendance each month. Up to this point we have been excited to celebrate the following achievement:

Perfect Attendance by Month

November - 181 students

December 185 students

January - 155 Students

February - 189 students

March - 191 students

April - 186 students

All students who achieved perfect attendance in April will receive their poster from the Celtics in the upcoming days.

We will also look to support students who struggle with chronic absenteeism. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education defines chronic absenteeism as missing more than 10% of the school days in a year due to either excused or unexcused absences. Students who have been absent 15 days or more days to this point in the year are on pace for chronic absenteeism. Please click here to view the most recent release from our Massachusetts Department of Education on absenteeism at school.

If we can support you or your student with school attendance, please feel free to reach out to us during school hours. Students who are on pace to be chronically absent have been invited to attend our Accelerated Academy Program which will be held on various days through April and May. If you are interested in learning more about this program please reach out to our main office during school hours.

Teacher Appreciation Week - May 6, 2024 - May 10, 2024

Grade 8 Math MCAS - Monday, May 6, 2024, and Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Early Release Day -Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Accelerated Learning Academy Day 4 (of 5) - Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 12:15 PM - 4:15 PM in Media Center

BMMS Track Meet 2 at Faxon Track - Thursday, May 9, 2024 (3:00 - 5:30 PM)

Perfect Attendance Celebration at Veterans Memorial Stadium with Celtics ( For students who have perfect attendance from October 30 - May 1st) - Friday, May 10, 2024 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Grade 7 Math MCAS - Tuesday, May 14, 2024 and Wednesday, May 15 2024

Grade 6 Math MCAS - Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17

BMMS Track Meet 3 (City Championship) at Faxon Track - Thursday, May 16, 2024 (3:00 - 5:30 PM)

BMMS Robotics Team Competition at Quincy High School - Saturday, May 18, 2024 (9:00 AM - 2:00 PM)

Early Release Day - May 22, 2024

May PTO Meeting - May 23, 2024 at 6:00 PM

Memorial Day - Monday, May 27, 2024 ( No School)

BMMS Honor's Night and Art Celebration - June 6, 2024 Beginning at 5:30 PM (invitations will follow for individual students)

BMMS Grade 8 Graduation - June 18, 2024 at 9:45 AM

Website: Broad Meadows Middle School Website

Principal: Nicholas Ahearn – nicholasahearn@quincypublicschools.com

Asst. Principal: Stacey Bucci – staceybucci@quincypublicschools.com

Secretary: Niamh DiBona – niamhdibona@quincypublicschools.com

School Nurse: Danielle Bonczar – daniellebonczar@quincypublicschools.com

Grade 6 and LDC School Counselor: Nicole DeMong – nicoledemong@quincypublicschools.com

Grade 7 and 8 School Counselor: Joseph Boss- josephboss@quincypublicschools.com

Location: 50 Calvin Rd, Quincy, MA. 02169

Phone – (617) 984-8723

After school Homework Club - Homework Club will begin this week meeting only on Mondays and Thursdays, but times will be from 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM. We are also happy to welcome several QHS students who will be serving as mentors and tutors during this time. Please feel free to drop in for academic support any Monday or Thursday afternoon.

ODW (Operation Days Work) - Will be held on Friday afternoons from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM in Mr. Phelan's classroom.

BOKS - Please see Mr. Bloomer or Mrs. McBride for a permission slip if you would like to join us each Monday and Wednesday morning before school! Students should enter through the gym door which will open at 7:10 AM.

Art Club: Broad Meadows Art Club will run until May 28th from 2:30 - 4:00 PM each Tuesday afternoon in our Art Room.

Robotics Grade 6- 8 Robotics: Our Middle School Robotics Program has now started back up. The program will run from 2:30 - 4:00 PM on Thursday afternoons. The city-wide robotics competition will be held on Saturday, May 18th from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Spring Track - Spring track is now meeting afterschool. The first team meet was held this past week with both teams performing well! The second meet will be on Thursday, May 9th. The city championship will be on Thursday, May 16th. Please see Mr. Bloomer or Mr. Nazarro for any information on spring track. Meets are held at Faxon Track located next to Quincy High School.

All students in grades 6-8 should have a school assigned Chromebook. To support us at school we ask that you work with your student to find a place where they can charge their Chromebook every evening so that it is ready to use every morning. Students should bring their Chromebook to school each day.

If a Chromebook breaks we would ask your student to return it to the main office and we will provide your student a replacement. If a Chromebook is lost, please work with your student to locate it. If it is not found, families may incur the charge of a replacement Chromebook per the user agreement. The same holds true if a Chromebook is damaged due to improper care. Chromebooks can cost up to $300.00 to be replaced. Please remind your student to take care in handling them.

The Broad Meadows Middle School lost and found is located just inside the main door on the first floor. If any items are found at school they will be placed in our lost and found. Please encourage your student to check this space if they are missing any items. If you place your student's name inside of clothing, lunch boxes or on water bottles, we will work to see that they are returned to their owner.

Quincy Public Schools Student Personal Electronic Device Policy -

The use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day negatively impacts student engagement with learning activities and is often a source of disciplinary interventions. This Quincy Public Schools Student Electronic Device Policy is intended to remove this source of distraction by eliminating the use of personal electronic devices (including, but not limited to, cell phones, tablets, smart watches, earbuds, and headphones) during academic instructional time. All Quincy Public Schools students in Grades 4-12 have been issued a Chromebook to be used during instructional time when online access is required.

Therefore, for high school students:

1. Cell phones and other personal electronic devices may not be used for any purpose during classes, but are allowed during study or lunch periods and while passing between classes.

2. All cell phones and personal electronic devices must be turned off (not simply on silent or vibrate mode) during class time.

3. Cell phones and other personal electronic devices should be put away and not be visible during class time. Staff members may request to have students place their device in a designated storage location within the classroom.

4. Exceptions to this Policy may be made by the Principal or designee and by individual teachers to accommodate a student’s IEP or 504 plan.

For elementary and middle school students, cell phones and other personal electronic devices should be turned off and safely secured in a locker or backpack during the school day.

DISCIPLINE

Students who do not comply with the terms of the Policy will be subject to progressive discipline as follows:

First offense: The student will be required to turn over their personal electronic device(s) in the main office. The device(s) will be returned to the student at the end of the school day.

Second offense: The student will be required to turn over their personal electronic device(s) in the main office. The student’s parent/guardian will be called and the device(s) will be returned to parent/guardian.

Third offense: Same as the second offense above. In addition, the student will be prohibited from bringing any personal electronic devices to school for the remainder of the school year.

Students committing repeated violations of this policy may be subject to additional disciplinary actions, consistent with the Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook.

Please feel free to use the link below to access important dates along with the School Year Calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.

2023-2024 School Calendar

Students are given the opportunity to receive breakfast, lunch and/or milk as part of their daily schedule. Breakfast and lunch will be free for all students again this year and snack will be available for purchase at all lunches. Please click here for the Quincy Public Schools Food Services website which will include weekly menus as well as nutrition information. Snack prices vary between $1.00 and $2.00.

Breakfast is available for all students beginning at 7:45 AM. Any students interested in joining us for breakfast are welcome to enter the building through the side cafeteria door.

Please feel free to reach out to our school nurse Ms. Danielle Bonczar at daniellebonczar@quincypublicschools.com with any medical questions or updates relating to school. If students takes medication during the school day, please make sure that when you drop off medication at school that it is accompanied by a order from a doctor. Please click here for the Quincy Public Schools Health Services Newsletter with great information to keep your student healthy this year! Please also click below for a copy of our BMMS Health and Safety Notice.

MBTA student CharlieCards are available to all students at lunches or in the main office. CharlieCards can be used by students to receive a discounted rate on MBTA busses going to and from Broad Meadows. If students are in need of a ChalieCard they are welcome to pick one up before or after school in the main office. Students are welcome to pay the MBTA fares either in cash or by adding value to their CharlieCard online through the mbta.com site. MBTA busses have been arriving in front of Broad Meadows between 2:40 PM and 2:50 PM each day (12:15 PM on half days). The 214 MBTA bus will travel to Germantown and the 216 MBTA bus will travel to Houghs Neck.

For any questions related specifically to Quincy Public School transportation and bussing we would encourage you to call directly to the Quincy Public Schools Transportation Office at (617) 984-8964.