THE BECKWITH CHRONICLE D.L. BECKWITH MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

Website: www.drregional.org

October 2019

Dates to Remember 10/25 Grade 5 Field Trip

HR 103, 106, 108

10/26 PTSA Trunk or Treat +

Monster Mash Event

10/28 Picture Retakes/Make-ups

10/30 Grade 8 Group Photo

11/5 No School – Teacher Workshops

11/6 Basketball Try-outs Start

11/7 Parent teacher conferences -

Evening only

11/8-11/15 PTSA Book fair

11/11 No School - Veterans Day

11/12 School Committee 6:30pm

11/13 PTSA meeting at PRES

11/14 Early Release at 11:30 a.m.

11/14 Parent teacher conferences -

Afternoon and Evening

11/18 Term 1 Report Cards available

through parent portal & via backpack

11/26 School Committee 6:30pm

11/27 Early Release at 11:30 a.m.

11/28-11/29 No school- Thanksgiving

recess

Learning in Action!

Mrs. Nevil's grade 8 students work on graphing

linear equations.

Grade 6 students in social studies learn the

requirements for an eco-system.

Students of the Month

The following students were presented

with Student of the Month Certificates for

the month of September:

Gr. 8 –Riley D’Alessio, Nathan Mackenzie

Gr. 7 – Aubree Miller, Aidan Ferraro

Gr. 6 – Amber Parker, Lucas Estrella

Gr. 5 – Brenna Withers, Dario Conceicao

Related Arts: Corinne Braga, Tim Zibrida

MCAS: Perfect Scores On October 22nd Beckwith students were

honored at the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional

School Committee meeting for achieving

perfect scores on the 2018 or 2019 MCAS

tests. This is an outstanding demonstration

of achievement. We are proud of the hard

work and dedication of our students.

Congratulations to the following students

from the entire Beckwith Middle School

community: Noelle Blais (2018 ELA),

Patrick McCann (2018 Math), Zachary

McCann (2018 Math), Penny Braga (2019

Math and ELA), Emily Marquis (2019

Math and ELA), Jane Kostka (2019 Math),

Logan Menezes (2019 ELA), Haleigh

Kelley (2019 ELA), and former Beckwith

students who currently attend DRRHS

Sabrina Marsella (2018 and 2019 ELA),

and Hayden Bessette (2019 Math).

Students were recognized at the October 22nd School

Committee for achieving perfect MCAS scores

BoxTops for Education Beckwith is again participating

in Box Tops for Education this

year. We hope to submit at the

end of the month so that we can have a

check by winter. Please continue to save

your BoxTops and send them in to us. You

can also scan your sales receipt using the

BoxTops app to support Beckwith. If you

have any questions, you can email

cmitnik@drregional.org

Beckwith Middle School:

Number 1 Fund Raiser for

American Heart Association On October 18, Ms. Miller and

Mr. Sampson were presented with an award

honoring their contribution to the American

Heart Association by Lindsay Pietro, an

AHA representative. Through the AHA

Play for Heart campaign, Beckwith Middle

School raised the most money in the

southeastern region… $3,036.50… more

than double the amount of the school that

raised the second most funds. Ms. Miller

and Mr. Sampson organized and managed

the fundraiser for BMS. The Beckwith

School Community thanks them for their

efforts and applauds the contributions of

students and staff to make Beckwith the

school with the most donations raised in

southeastern Massachusetts.

Ms. Miller and Mr. Sampson are presented with a

1st place award by AHA

Beckwith Has a New Gaga Ball Pit Thanks to the work of scout and Beckwith

alum John Lewandowski, Beckwith has a

new gaga ball pit for the recess area. John

and fellow scouts from his troop completed

the gaga ball pit during the Columbus Day

weekend. Gaga ball is a game requiring

players to eliminate competitors by hitting

them below the knee with a playground

ball. This is a great alternative to dodge

ball because it requires players to aim for

other players' legs. It is a very exciting

game that is now enjoyed by Beckwith

students in all grades. The gaga ball pit

was completed as part of John's Eagle

Scout project. He and fellow scouts also

cleaned and stained Beckwith's outdoor

classroom. The Beckwith School

Community would like to thank John for

facilitating and managing this project that

has had a great impact on our school.

Beckwith students having fun in our new gaga ball pit

courtesy of Beckwith alum and scout John

Lewandowski and his fellow scouts

App Update

(from smartsocial.com) Lasso App from Facebook: What is it?

The Lasso app is Facebook’s knockoff to

the popular video-sharing app Tik Tok.

Lasso users can create and edit videos, then

share them on their Facebook or Instagram

accounts. While kids can have a lot of fun

using this app, we want parents to be aware

there are few privacy controls on Lasso.

That means whatever your kids are creating

can easily be viewed (or even shared) by

strangers on the internet.

What is the Lasso app?

Facebook is decreasing in popularity

with tweens and teens, so the Facebook

team launched the Lasso app in 2018 to

try to keep its younger users

Lasso is a competitor to the Tik Tok app

(an app students love)

Users create short videos and have the

ability to add filters or songs, just like

Tik Tok

When signing up for the standalone

Lasso app, users must sign in with either

their Instagram or Facebook account

Users are then encouraged to follow

creators on the platform

If users sign up with their Instagram

account, they can use Instagram Direct to

message others on the Lasso app

The Lasso app makes it easy to share

videos from the app to other social media

platforms like Facebook and Instagram

DMs

Users can download the app for free on

iOS or Android devices

Hashtags are prominent on the app

Users can filter videos based on hashtags

When watching videos from other

creators, users can:

Like

Comment

“Relasso” (which adds the video to their

Lasso profile)

Post it to Facebook

Share it in an Instagram Direct message

Popular hashtags on the Lasso app:

At the time of this review, these hashtags

were very popular:

#smh (shaking my head)

#flexin

#GoOff

#sorrynotsorry

#fail

#savage

#realtalk

Why should parents care?

Videos autoplay as users scroll through

the app

If a video includes mature or

inappropriate content, students will see it

At the time of this review, profiles on the

Lasso app cannot be made private.

Meaning whatever is posted on the app is

public to everyone

This app can have a major impact on a

student’s digital footprint

By default, other users can share and post

your kid’s videos to their own profile or

story outside of Lasso

Every video has a link that can be shared

anywhere on the internet or through

texting

In our experience, apps like these can

push tweens and teens to behave in

inappropriate or dangerous ways in order

to gain attention

There are several reports of predators

using similar apps to target victims

Profiles are public– which is a major red

flag that this app is dangerous

Principal’s Message Dear families,

Although the word “homework” has a

negative connotation, research provides

strong evidence that when used

appropriately homework benefits student

achievement. At Beckwith Middle School

the commonly practiced “10-minute rule”

is followed (daily homework assignments

combined should take about as long to

complete as 10 minutes multiplied by the

student’s grade level- 15 minutes if

required reading is included). If your child

is consistently surpassing the general

guidelines as outlined in the “10-minute

rule,” you are encouraged to contact your

child’s teacher(s). Parents do have a role in

supporting homework completion and

should follow these guidelines:

Parents are encouraged to … Ask their child about what the child is

studying in school.

Ask their child to show them any

homework assignments.

Assist their child in organizing

homework materials.

Help their child formulate a plan for

completing homework.

Provide an appropriate space for their

child to do homework.

Parents may, if they wish … Help their child interpret assignment

directions.

Proofread their child's work, pointing

out errors.

Read aloud required reading to their

child.

Give practice quizzes to their child to

help prepare for tests.

Help their child brainstorm ideas for

papers or projects.

Praise their child for completing

homework.

Parents should not … Attempt to teach their child concepts or

skills the child is unfamiliar with.

Complete assignments for their child.

Allow their child to sacrifice sleep to

complete homework.

As a staff we have discussed the

importance of practice and its impact on

achievement. Homework is a good

opportunity for our students to practice the

skills learned in the classroom. With

practice students feel more confident and

can engage in higher order thinking. Our

goal is for students to understand, apply,

and make connections, which ultimately

leads to learning.

Have a great month,

Joe Pirraglia

Sources used: Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., (2007). The Case

for and Against Homework. Educational

Leadership, volume 64 (6), 74-79.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-

leadership/mar07/vol64/num06/The-Case-For-and-

Against-Homework.aspx

Vatterott, C. (2013). How to Guide Parents in

Homework Help. ASCD Express, volume 9 (5).

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol9/905-

vatterott.aspx