Broad Meadows Middle School
Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn
Broad Meadows Middle School Community Update 3.24.2024
Broad Meadows Middle School Community,
We kicked off another wonderful week last week with a celebration of our performing arts as our BMMS chorus and band performed an incredible show for us on Monday night. We could not be more proud of all the progress the students in our music program are making and we are grateful for the leadership of Mrs. Lai and Mrs. Downey.
We are also proud of all the hard work of our students in the classroom as we wrap up trimester 2 and head into our third and final trimester for the year. Grades for trimester 2 are now posted in our ASPEN portal and I ask that you feel free to reach out to the main office during school hours if you need your student's password reset.
This past week we hosted our third round of emergency procedure drills for the year with the support of QFD and QPD. We held both a practice lock down drill as well as our third fire drill of the year. Both QFD and QPD were incredibly complimentary of the work of our staff and students in these drills and we are grateful to the first responders for their support.
We also wanted to congratulate the hard work of many of our student athletes this week. In both before and after school activities, we are proud to see our students having fun and competing both in and out the classroom. On Friday, we brought our grade 7 and 8 co-ed intramural basketball program to a close with our championship game, and on Saturday, we celebrated all the growth and achievements of our BMMS Swim Team as they competed in the city championship at the Lincoln Hancock Pool. We also look ahead to our upcoming spring track season and encourage all of our students to join our team! Students should see grade 7 teacher Mr. Bloomer for more information on signing up.
Looking ahead to a short week next week due to the observance of Good Friday on March 29th and an early release day on Wednesday, we are still managing to pack a lot in. Our Calendar Fundraiser is doing amazing and we appreciate all the support of our students, families and community members who have sold and purchased tickets. We have already exceeded our target of $6,000.00 and we look forward to giving out some great prizes in April! Please note that our PTO has extended our final ticket deadline to Tuesday, March 26, 2024. We also look ahead to a wonderful visit from Paul Veneto of Paulie's Push who will be presenting to our students on Thursday of this week during specialists time. Paulie offers an inspirational message of courage and perseverance that we know our students will enjoy.
We also want to highlight our BMMS yearbook which will be on sale through April 13th (see flier below). All students are welcome to submit original artwork (drawing or digital image) to Mrs. Hayes by Thursday, March 28th which will be considered for the cover of our yearbook. We also ask our 8th grade students to make sure to submit their baby pictures by Thursday of this week so they can be included in the yearbook.
Finally, we will begin our BMMS clothing drive this week to support Cradles to Crayons. This drive is led by Project 351 Ambassador and Grade 8 BMMS student Gianna Beck. Please see the flier below for more information about donations, and please feel free to drop any donations off in our main foyer beginning on Tuesday.
A Happy Easter next week to all of our families celebrating as we look ahead to a great week at Meadows!
Nicholas Ahearn
Principal
Stacey Bucci
Assistant Principal
Pictures of the Week
MCAS Dates Update
Grade 6: ELA - April 11,12 Math - May 16,17
Grade 7: ELA - April 8,9 Math - May 14,15
Grade 8: ELA - April 3,4 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
Broad Meadows PTO
We are grateful for all the support and all those who attended our March 21st 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 will follow up on plans for Teacher Appreciation Week, debrief on our BMMS Calendar Raffle and look ahead to year end plans. We appreciate your support in our Calendar Raffle fundraiser and look ahead to handing out some wonderful prizes in April. We have decided to extend our deadline for raffle tickets until Tuesday, March 26, 2024 for any last minute sales.
Pleas also keep in mind that you can support the BMMS PTO by donating textiles in our donation bin located in our parking lot. We also participate in the BoxTops for Education program which has switched to a purely digital format. Please click here to learn more about the program and download the app to your phone to start earning for free!
October 5 (Completed)
November 16 (Completed)
January 11 (Completed)
February 15 (Completed)
March 21 (Completed)
April 11
May 16
BMMS Swag Store
The Broad Meadows Middle School Swag Store is now closed. Please click here to access the online store to see what is offered.
Attendance Update
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
All students who achieved perfect attendance in February will receive their gift from the Celtics this week. We also held our monthly grand prize drawing for perfect attendance for the month of February and our winners are below.
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 12 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.
Upcoming Dates
Trimester 2 Grades posted to ASPEN - Friday, March 22, 2024 and beginning of Trimester 3
Early Release Day - Wednesday, March 27, 2024 (12:15 PM release)
Accelerated Learning Academy Day 1 (of 5) - Wednesday, March 27, 2024 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM in Media Center to support chronic absenteeism
Project 351 Clothing Drive - March 26, 2024 to April 3, 2024 See flier below (donation bin Located in main hallway)
Paulie's Push Presentation to BMMS Students - Thursday, March 28, 2024 during specialists classes
No School (Good Friday) - Friday, March 29, 2024
Easter Sunday - March 31, 2024
Grade 8 ELA MCAS - April 3, 2024, and April 4, 2024
Grade 8 Class Picture - Friday, April 5, 2024 8:30 AM
Accelerated Learning Academy Day 2 (of 5) - Saturday, April 6, 2024 8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon in Media Center to support chronic absenteeism
Grade 7 ELA MCAS - April 8, 2024 and April 9, 2024
Early Release Day - Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Grade 6 ELA MCAS - April 11, 2024 and April 12, 2024
April Vacation - Saturday, April 13 to Sunday, April 21
Cleaner Greener Quincy Celebration - Saturday, May 4, 2024 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Teacher Appreciation Week - May 6, 2024 - May 10, 2024
Helpful Contacts
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
Extra Curricular Programs
After school Homework Club - Homework Club will meet every Monday, Wednesday (Full Day), and Thursday from 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM in our Media Center. This is a drop-in program and students are welcome to attend any day they would like. The first week of April, the Homework Club schedule will be changing. We will be open from 2:30 - 3:45 PM every Monday and Thursday and will no longer be open on Wednesday. We will also be joined on Mondays and Thursdays by several high school students who will be serving as tutors for any students who would like their support.
ODW (Operation Days Work) - Will be held on Friday afternoons from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM in Mr. Phelan's classroom.
BOKS - We are excited to have kicked off session 2 of our before school BOKS Program. 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.
Grade 7 and 8 Intramural Co-ed Basketball: Grade 7 and 8 Intramural basketball wrapped up this week! Thanks to all who participated and congratulations to our champion!
Grade 6 Intramural Co-ed Basketball: Basketball will run before school at 7:30 AM. Students arriving for basketball should enter through the gym door promptly at 7:30 AM. A schedule is posted outside of Mr. Nazarro's classroom.
Art Club: Broad Meadows Art Club has now begun and will run until May 28th from 2:30 - 4:00 PM each Tuesday afternoon in our Art Room. Registration is now closed.
Swim Team: The city championship was held on Saturday, March 23rd. Congratulations to all of our BMMS swimmers! We could not be more proud of you!
Intramural Floor Hockey: Floor Hockey began this week. Interested students should see Mr. Carnes for a schedule or sign-up information.
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.
Spring Track - Mr. Bloomer will begin giving out information about Spring Track next week for students who are interested. Spring Track will start up in early April.
Chromebooks
At this point, 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.
Lost and Found
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.
QPS Student Personal Electronic Device Policy
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.
2023-2024 School Calendar
Please feel free to use the link below to access important dates along with the School Year Calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.
Food Services
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.
Health Office Update
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.
Transportation
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.