the beckwith chronicle · 2019. 8. 29. · spring band concert beckwith’s spring band concert was...
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THE BECKWITH CHRONICLE D.L. BECKWITH MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Website: www.drregional.org
June 2019
Dates to Remember June 25 School Committee Meeting
June 26 Report Cards Mailed/Parent Portal
Thurs., September 5 – First Day of School
Learning in Action!
Students in grade 4 meet their grade 5 pen pals during
the fourth grade step up day at BMS.
Students in grade 5 work together to identify pictures
of US presidents.
Note to Readers: We have changed the
usual order of articles this month since we
have so much great news that we want to
keep together.
June App Update -
from webmd.com This summer challenge your kids to cut
their screen time. Here are some tips for
limiting screen time from webmd.com:
1. Don’t give your kids their own tablet or
smartphone. “Interact with your children.
Do that instead of handing them an electronic
device,” says Steven Gortmaker, PhD,
professor of the practice of health sociology
at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
Health.
2. Make computers and TVs stay in the
shared spaces of your home. When your
kids use screens in the kitchen or living
room, it’s easier to keep an eye on the shows
they watch, the games they play, and the
websites they’re on.
3. Add tech-free time to your family’s
schedule. “At any age, kids should know
there are specific times when screens stay off,
like at meals and before bed," Hill says. Even
better, set aside time every week when the
family does something fun together -- no
devices allowed.
4. Watch how often you use your own
devices. If you keep your face buried in your
phone, your kids won’t see a good reason
why they should get off theirscreens. Plus,
those devices affect the time you spend with
your children. Researchers who studied
families at fast-food restaurants noticed
parents were often more focused on their
smartphones than on the children at the table.
5. Make limits a regular part of screen
use. When the rules are clear and consistent,
you can avoid daily battles when you tell the
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kids it’s time to turn off the TV, computer, or
phone.
6. Be ready to explain different screen-
time limits. After your kids have watched
hours of TV at a friend’s house, they may
wonder why your rules are different. “These
are opportunities to have conversations with
your kids about what your family’s values
are,” Anderson says.
7. Help your kids find other ways to have
fun. “If a child has nothing to do but stare at
a screen, then we should not be surprised
when that is what he or she does,” Hill says.
Keep other options -- art supplies, books,
Frisbees, and bikes -- around and ready when
your kids claim there’s nothing else to do.
8. Make tech work for you. Use programs
and apps that you can set to turn off
computers, tablets, and smartphones after a
given amount of time.
9. Adjust screen-time limits as your child
gets older. “For middle-schoolers and teens,
parents may want to involve them more in
the decision-making process,” Hill says. You
could talk with them about how much screen
time the whole family should get. Once
you’ve settled on a plan, stick to it.
10. Consider donating or recycling your
old electronics. “Usually households have a
lot of devices, and they get left over and
moved to other places,” Gortmaker says. “It’s
good to do an inventory and see if you just
can’t limit the technology.”
Students of the Month The following students were presented
with Student of the Month Certificates for
the month of May:
Gr. 8 – Morgan Xavier/Kevin Foley
Gr. 7 –Victoria Landry/Liam Dee
Gr. 6 – Emily Marquis/Nathan Vicente
Gr. 5 – Maggie Kazanjian/Logan Rheaume
Related Arts – Dustee Forster/Matt
Thibault
Beckwith Beacon Award The Beckwith Beacon Award recognizes
individuals who are "guiding lights" for our
school community. Recipients of the
Beckwith Beacon Award model
commitment to the learning and well being
of our students.
The first recipient of this year's award is a
very special individual in our school
community. She is dedicated to our
students. Her commitment to our kids is
exemplified in her classroom and is
apparent through the development of her
students. This teacher establishes positive
relationships by first developing a
classroom environment that welcomes all
students and addresses the needs of
individual students with structure, routines,
and seamless transitions. Her lessons are
engaging and always include multi-sensory
activities that encourage students to be
creative and also go out of their comfort
zone.
This teacher is an outstanding professional.
She is rarely absent, always organized, and
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is a great communicator. Outside of the
classroom, she volunteers to support
students in extracurricular activities…
the most impressive being the drama
production. Her work (all for the students)
is admirable. At the most recent chorus
concert her students described her as kind,
a true reflection of the saying that students
may not always remember what you teach
them, but never forget how you treat them.
I'm sure hundreds of students will never
forget her. We are very proud to report that
Miss Lynnette Lopez, Beckwith’s music
and chorus teacher, was selected as a
recipient of the 2019 Beckwith Beacon
Award.
Miss Lopez is presented the Beckwith Beacon Award
at the most recent faculty meeting.
We have one more individual that is truly a
guiding light in our school community.
This individual has had a positive impact
on students and staff for close to seven
years. She is dedicated to Beckwith and
always considers what is best for our
students. She has volunteered as a PTSA
representative, PTSA vice president,
School Council member, extracurricular
activities (talent show), podcast guest, and
of course, the very exclusive PTSA book
club. Always before anything else she
considers the well being of our students.
She consistently asks how can this help the
kids. And when she takes something on,
it's hours and hours of her own time. Book
fair, ski club, auction, ball drop, haunted
hallway, 5K, teacher appreciation, getting
guest speakers, etc. This year, her son
(former principal of the day), is graduating
from grade 8 and from Beckwith. I will
now take this opportunity to say our door is
always open, but also thank you for
everything you have done for our students,
our staff, and administration. You have
made such a positive impact. We are
pleased to announce our second 2019
Beckwith Beacon Award recipient is
Mrs. Jenn Moitoso
Mrs. Jennifer Moitoso was also presented the
Beckwith Beacon Award
The Linda Sousa Unity Award
presented at Believers Banquet The Beckwith Believers Unified Team
ended their year with a potluck banquet.
The first annual Linda Sousa Unity Award
was given to Zoe Morgenweck, Sophia
Silva, and Ella Wasylow. Linda was a
Special Educator in Rehoboth for nearly 20
years who was loved and admired by
colleagues and students alike. She felt very
strongly that all students be treated with
respect, be accepted, and have access to the
same opportunities both in and out of
school. Zoe, Sophia, and Ella exemplify
Linda’s belief that this respect, acceptance
and kindness be nurtured every day at BMS
Recipients of the Linda Sousa Unity Award
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She would be proud of the entire unified
team for their kindness, dedication to
cooperation, and team spirit. Special
thanks to the Rehoboth PTSA for their
donation of a bocce set. Next year, the
Beckwith Believers will expand their
activities to include bocce, basketball, and
track. Thanks for a great year Believers!
Spring Chorus Concert The annual Beckwith Middle School
Spring Chorus Concert was held on
June 10. Choral students, under the
direction of Ms. Lynnette Lopez and
accompanied by Ms. Melissa Grossi,
performed an exciting program of music
which opened with the 8th Grade Select
Choir's beautiful rendition of The Star
Spangled Banner. Other memorable
selections throughout the night included
You've Got a Friend in Me from Pixar's
Toy Story, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah,
This is Me from the 2017 film The Greatest
Showman, and a medley of some of Walt
Disney's best musical works.
Congratulations to all choral students on a
wonderful performance!
Students perform at our Spring Chorus Concert
Beckwith Talent Show Beckwith's annual talent show was held in
our school cafeteria on June 13. Eleven
acts competed and it was a tough decision
for our panel of judges. Kylie Mirra,
Juliana Dias, Evan Cady, Victoria Landry,
Mia Mourao, Ashley Carpio, & Melina
Cortinheiro, Gavin Xavier, Rowan
Whittaker, Caroline Vitale, Julia Mello &
Gia Papa, Olivia Blair, Lindsay Daniel,
Peyton Auger, Kelsey Palmer, & Kylee
Berwick, and Charlie Favali all delighted
the audience with their performances. The
final results were: 3rd place – Charlie
Favali singing his heart out to Better Now
by Post Malone. 2nd place – Kylie Mirra
belting out an older tune. 1st place –
showing us that she is not just an actress
Caroline Vitale sang an amazing rendition
of Burn from Hamilton. It was a great
evening and all the performers should be
extremely proud of themselves.
Spring Band Concert Beckwith’s Spring Band Concert was held
on June 6. Under the direction of
Mr. Francese, band students performed a
variety of selections of different styles
music. Some pieces from the concert
included Regal March for 5th Grade Band,
which was their first advanced piece of the
year; Royal Overture for 6th grade featured
brass or woodwinds at different sections
throughout the piece; and Space Journey
for 7th and 8th Grade Combined Band, a
composition with three movements that
represent the launch, orbit, and return of a
spaceship to Earth. Congratulations to all
band students on a wonderful performance
and an amazing year!
Beckwith Spring Band Concert at DRRHS
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Nurse’s Notes To parents of 6th grade students: Pursuant
to Massachusetts Department of Health
regulations students entering 7th grade in
the fall for school year 2019-2020 must
submit a current physical dated after
August 2018 as well as proof of having
received the Tdap booster and the 2nd
Varicella (Chicken Pox) booster. Without
this proper medical documentation, your
child will be subject to exclusion from
school. Documentation must be sent to the
school nurse BEFORE the first day of
school. Please reach out to Mrs. Cathy
Mondor, RN to let her know when such
documentation will be sent in and if your
child will be seeing his/her pediatrician
over the summer.
Rehoboth Lions Peace Poster
Contest Julia Escobar is the winner of the Peace
Poster Contest from the Rehoboth Lions
Club. This year’s theme was “Kindness
Matters.” Julia’s poster was entered in the
Lions’ District 33S competition held in
January. The Rehoboth Lions wish the best
of everything to Julia and extend many
thanks to our art teacher Jennifer Faletra.
Miss Faletra with Ray Medeiros of the Rehoboth Lions
who presented Julia with her framed winning poster
and a prize.
Fire Prevention Poster Contest
Winner Grade 6 student Haleigh Kelley won
second place for Bristol County in this
statewide contest that helps spread the
important message of fire safety. Her
artwork will be published in next year’s
calendar. She was also presented a plaque
and $100 prize. The award luncheon
honored all students who placed. The
group also put on an interesting and
informative demonstration about arson
dogs trained to detect accelerants that may
have been used to start a fire.
Haleigh and Miss Faletra attended the Fire Prevention
Poster Contest Awards Luncheon
STEM Race Car Competition This year in Mr. Kenny’s 8th grade STEM
classes, students studied transportation
technology and following the Engineering
Design Process they researched, designed,
constructed, tested and evaluated dragsters
powered by compressed CO2. Their first
prototype was done on a styrofoam block
that they cut out with a hot-wire cutter; they
used an air tunnel with liquid smoke to
check the aerodynamics of their design.
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Once the design was set, they transferred it
onto a block of balsa wood, then they cut,
shaped and sanded their dragster. The
testing phase included a double elimination
tournament in each class as the cars raced
against one another until only the fastest
one remained. On June 7 the entire 8th
grade gathered in the gym bleachers as
these nine teams raced once more to
become the Beckwith Middle School
Dragster Champions. The team of Sabrina
Marsella, Morgan Randall and Madelyn
Kelly took home the top honors with their
car ‘Malachi’ flying down the course at a
speed of 25.2 meters per second, or 56.36
miles per hour. Congratulations to all the
competitors.
The nine teams that won their class tournaments
Middle Level Scholar Leaders
Chosen to Represent Beckwith
Middle School Eighth graders Angelina Araujo and
Andrew DaCruz were recognized on
May 30 at the Massachusetts Middle Level
Scholar Leader Banquet as the
D.L. Beckwith Middle School Scholar
Leaders. This prestigious award is given to
students from schools throughout New
England who demonstrate a commitment to
academic excellence and the school
community. Angelina and Andrew are
positive leaders in the Beckwith school
community who model the criteria for
student leaders. Angelina and
Andrew consistently work hard in and out
of the classroom demonstrating dedication
to academic content and a strong work
ethic. Among peers Angelina and
Andrew stand out as positive models of
respect, responsibility, and safety. They
are kind, considerate, and mature. They are
personable students that positively impact
the climate and culture of the school
building. Congratulations to Angelina and Andrew
for receiving this award and thank you for
making Beckwith Middle School a better
place.
Beckwiths 2019 Scholar Leaders with our Principal
and Assistant Principal
Beckwith Middle School
Presidential Scholars Eighteen 8
th grade students were awarded
certificates and pins and were treated to a
breakfast by the principal for their
commitment to academic excellence and
achievement.
Hayden Bessette, Anastasia Bettencourt,
Sofia Brown, Andrew DaCruz, Rebecca
Davis, Melody Lowe, Sabrina Marsella,
Julia McDonough, Una Soliday, Ella
Wasylow, and Nathaniel Wheeler were
awarded the Presidential Award for
Academic Excellence. These students
received a final average of A- or better in
all subjects throughout their Beckwith
careers and earned an advanced score on
MCAS.
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Emma Bonin, Ella Damon, Madelyn
Kelley, Kate Lewandowski, Meaghan
O’Connell, Morgan Randall, and Madeline
Rossi were awarded the Presidential Award
for Academic Achievement. These
students received a final average of A- or
better in all subjects throughout their
Beckwith careers with the exception of one
B.
Recipients of Presidential Awards were celebrated at a
breakfast in our cafeteria
To receive a Presidential Award is an
outstanding accomplishment.
Congratulations to our students for this
achievement!
Congratulations to Our Eighth
Graders! Beckwith Middle School was so happy to
celebrate the success, hard work, and
growth of our 8th
grade students with
family, friends, and staff on June 18th
at
Francis Farm. During the promotion
ceremony, eighth grader Marina DePalo led
the 8th
grade class and audience in the
Pledge of Allegiance. Sabrina Marsella
delivered a heartfelt address congratulating
the 8th
graders and reflecting on her
experience. Members of the 8th
grade
chorus, led by Miss Lynnette Lopez, sang
"We're All in This Together" from High
School Musical for the 8th
grade class.
Ms. Cathy Edington awarded 8th
grader
Sabrina Marsella the Williams College
Book Award for her outstanding
accomplishments. Finally, Caroline Vitale
and Kevin Foley received the Anthony
Ferreira Citizenship Award for outstanding
citizenship and contribution to school
culture.
Congratulations to our 8th
grade students:
Class of 2019 :
Adler Abrahamson, Lindsay Allard,
Samuel Almeida, Danielle Amaral, Tiana
Andrews, Brody Antepenko, Angelina
Araujo, Matthew Arnold, Alyssa Barros,
Hayden Bessette, Anastasia Bettencourt,
Julia Boivin, Emma Bonin, Autumn Brito,
Sofia Brown, Caden Brown, Kaitlin Butler,
Evan Cady, Kaylee Cambra, London
Coogan, Cassidy Cross, Kalmia Cryan,
Andrew Lucas DaCruz, Ella Damon, Aidan
Danforth, Cote David, Rebecca Davis,
Sierra Davis, Marina DePalo, Franklin
Domingos, Lily Douglas, Moriah Doyle,
Thomas Dyson, Makenna Estrella,
Nicholas Farrell, Kathryn Favali, Aniyah
Ferry, Wendy Fitzgerald, Luke Flanagan,
Kevin Foley, Dustee Forster, Francis
Fournier, Joshua Franco, Alexis Fratus,
Emma Garabedian, Aiden Garabedian,
McKenna Garcia, Abigail Gilliatt, Bethany
Griffin, Madison Hathaway, Faith Hickey,
Madelyn Kelley, William Kimmell, Will
Kinniburgh, Delaney Kotch, Asher LaBrie,
Wesley Lacourse, Noah Landry, Jared
LaScola, Kate Lewandowski, Erik
Liebegott, James Lingard, Marielle
Lobban, Melody Lowe, Lindsey Luthi,
Nathan Maiato, Lauren Marcotrigiano,
Sabrina Marsella, Brianna Marshall, Grace
Martin, Jamileth Martinez, Samantha
Martini, Harley McCallops, Julia
McDonough, Hailey McGee, Mackenzie
Medeiros, Rachel Medeiros, Kyle Mello,
Aiden Mendonca, Harold Messenger,
Destin Michener, Sadie Miller, Michael
Minassian, Kate Moitoso, Kevin Moitoso,
Zoe Morgenweck, Jack Morris, Benjamin
Murray, Abrahim Mushtaq, Jadyn Narold,
Colten Nastar, Lily Nees, Wyatt Nunes,
Meaghan O'Connell, Aydin Oliveira,
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Annaree Our, Alexander Pageau, Dominic
Palermo, Amanda Pallotta, Derik Parker,
Elijah Pike, Cassidy Pittsley, Olivia Poirier,
Emma Pouliot, Aaron Prata, Nathan Pray,
Morgan Randall, Sarah Ranley, Abrianna
Razza, Kianna Reuter, Holly Richard, Lisa
Rickey, Rylee Rodriques, Madeline Rossi,
Samantha Santos, Aiden Sarrazin, Jadyn
Saunders, Wren Seccareccia, Kyllei
Shelton, Sophia Silva, Benjamin Sirois,
Abby Smith, Una Soliday, Noah Sousa,
Essie Stebbings, Matthew Thibault, Fiona
Todd, Emilia Toldo, Benjamin Tran,
Haleigh Ulicnik, Thalia Vasquez, Caroline
Vitale, Katherine Vitale, Nicholas Ware,
Ella Wasylow, Nathaniel Wheeler, John
White, Lily Whitehead, Morgan Xavier,
and Amber-Lee Young
Principal’s Message
Dear families,
It has been an amazing year at Beckwith
Middle School. Thank you for your
support. Your commitment and influence
in your children’s education is paramount
to their success in life. The following is my address to the 8
th grade students from
the promotion ceremony. We wish them all
the best as they transition to high school.
Have a wonderful summer,
Joe Pirraglia
There’s a stream in the woods near my
parents’ house. When I was growing up
my friends and I would watch and make
sure that it had a strong, even flow. We
would remove leaves, branches, and other
debris when it would build up. One day,
we decided to dam the stream and create a
pond. We took wooden planks, mud,
sticks, whatever we could and made a
pretty solid wall that created a small pond.
We had great ideas like buying goldfish for
the pond and making a system of bridges.
But what we soon realized was that our
pond changed the natural landscape of the
woods. Areas that once had water no
longer did. Certain plants did not grow and
the stream bed dried. Why am I telling you
this? Growing up my friends and I wanted
to make our world better… instead of the
world. Sometimes it is hard to recognize
the difference. As you continue your
educational journey into high school and
beyond, you will have opportunities to do
both. I challenge you to take a step back
and consider will this better my world or
better the world? Consider the impact of
both. Think back to your time at Beckwith
when you went out of your comfort zone to
sit with someone who was sitting alone. Or
the time when you admitted to your
mistake and took the consequence, learned
from your action and next time did better.
No doubt, considering the benefit of
everyone before one’s self is hard. But it is
when challenged that we learn the most and
become (to steal a line from Mr. Shea) the
best version of ourselves. Going forward,
seek out the opportunities to make the
world better. Even little things like
removing debris from a stream rather than
adding to it can have a big impact. It has
been a pleasure being your principal. I
wish you the best of luck in high school
and all your future endeavors.