BMS 8th Grade Celebrations!

Dear Grade 8 Students & Families,

Here is an updated newsletter with the end of year events at BMS for our Grade 8 students. We already had a successful outing at Canobie Lake Park. Below, we've outlined the activities that will take place each day during the week of June 10th.

June 10th - Promotion Ceremony Rehearsal

Students and staff will participate in a rehearsal in anticipation of the ceremony the next day.

June 11th - Grade 8 Breakfast and Promotion Ceremony

• This is an Early Release Day with all students being dismissed at 11:30 AM.
• 8:00 AM - Students will have a breakfast in the cafeteria.
• 8:45 AM - Doors open for families to attend the Promotion Ceremony
• 9:00 AM - Promotion Ceremony

If parents wish to dismiss their children at the conclusion of the ceremony, they may do so by following the procedures described at the end of this newsletter.

June 11th - Farewell Dinner - Dance

• 6:30 - 8:30 pm - Special thanks to the BMS PAC for this event as they are sponsoring it as a free event for all 8th grade students. The dinner will take place in the cafeteria and the dance will take place in the gym. It will be buffet style dinner with desserts to follow during the dance. Music will be provided by a local DJ. More details will follow.

June 12th - Grade 8 Picnic with outdoor activities

• Grade 8 students will have last lunch that day and will be treated to a special picnic luncheon. They will then spend the rest of the day outside listening to music, playing cornhole & other lawn games, and spending time with each other.

June 13th - Last Day of School

• This is another Early Release Day. Students will follow a modified schedule and then spend the last block of the day outside signing Yearbooks.

If any family would like to discuss financial assistance for the events, please contact me directly at econnor@walpole.k12.ma.us. We don't want financial need to be a barrier for student attendance and enjoyment at these activities. In the event that your child needs to cancel after June 4th, there will be a non-refundable fee of $25.

Permission slips for the Dinner-Dance have recently been sent home. They should be returned by Monday, June 10th.

We're looking forward to celebrating with the 8th graders and with you at the Promotion Ceremony. Please contact us with any questions.

Ed Connor

Principal

This year's Promotion Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 11. We are delighted to let you know that families are invited to join us in school for the ceremony. The ceremony will begin at 9:00 am and we'll open our doors for general admission seating at 8:45 am. We will also create a video recording of the event in case some of your family members cannot attend.

Parking continues to be a challenge on our campus. We encourage people to carpool. You may park in the following areas:

1. In the teachers' parking lot at the top of the driveway.

2. In the far right lane of our 3-laned drop off/pick up loop.

3. On East St. next to the baseball/softball fields. (If you park here, you may enter the cafeteria via the exterior doors adjacent to the playground area. There will be many teacher cars in that area.)

We understand that many families like to dismiss their child right after the Promotion Ceremony. When the ceremony is complete, the entire grade will process to their Homeroom. Dismissals can take place at that time. In order to make that happen as smoothly as possible we ask you to follow this procedure:

1. Send in a dismissal note by June 10th.

2. We will create a master list of students being dismissed.

3. Each Homeroom teacher will have a list of the students being dismissed.

4. At the end of the ceremony, ONE parent or guardian may go up to the child's Homeroom and pick up their child. The Homeroom teacher will need to hand off your student to you and cross their name off of the list. If your child's name is not already on the list, the Homeroom teacher will direct you to the Main Office where we can assist you.

5. Parent and child will exit the building. We ask that you do not spend a lot time on campus after the ceremony so that we can clear out the driveway and parking lot in anticipation of the parents and buses of grade 6 & 7 children who will be dismissed at 11:30 AM.

Please contact the office with any questions about dismissals on that morning.

We are also having a Dinner - Dance for the 8th graders on the evening of June 11 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Parents are invited to help set up, serve, and clean up the dinner portion of the evening. We're asking for volunteers to provide desserts and water for the students for that night as well. There will soon be a Sign Up form below where you can offer how you'd like to help.

Email: econnor@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: http://walpolebms.ss5.sharpschool.com/
Location: 625 Washington St, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: 508-660-7226
Twitter: @Bird_Middle