W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School
Week at a Glance, News and Notes
Feb. 21 – March 4, 2022
Note from the Principal:
This was an excellent last day before a well deserved break for students and staff. The teaching teams organized fun and engaging activities. A big part of school, and an essential part of middle school, is building community. Your kids’ teachers choose to be middle school educators because they love this age. So days like today are important. Students attended classes and engaged in academic work for part of the day, and also had fun activities that connect and challenge them to grow as peers.
The morning was very special for us because we had two honored guests. It is the 154th birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois on February 23. His great grandson joined us this morning, Mr. Jeffrey Peck, as he has been visiting the area for many years, and he wanted to visit the school that is named for his great grandfather. This year he was accompanied by his son, Mr. Jeffrey Peck, Jr., the great-great grandson of Du Bois. They spent the entire morning in the library with students. Eighth graders shared their interpretations of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” from one class, and their Advocacy Projects from another. Seventh graders shared their comparisons between the experiences of Du Bois and King. Sixth graders got to hear a discussion about the legacy and notoriety of Du Bois. Fifth graders shared their questions for Messrs. Peck, and the Book Lovers Club shared their favorite quotes from Du Bois’s reflections on living in South Berkshire County and his life. The students were impressive in their preparation for our guests, and showed the excellence of our curriculum and student engagement. It was a proud morning for all. The students also got to ask so many questions and hear all about the lives and thoughts of two people who have lived the legacy of Dr. Du Bois. We are indebted to our guests for sharing their time, and engaging with our students–this was an experience that will last for the kids involved, and that we hope to repeat every year! See below for links to the different activities in person and online this coming week celebrating the legacy of Dr. Du Bois.
We continue to be vigilant about safety for the pandemic. It is a blessing that we are in school, and able to run school as close to a normal school as possible. Please see below for reminders about signing up for pool testing and helping us make the middle school as safe as possible.
Please drop me a note if you have other feedback or questions at ben.doren@bhrsd.org.
Have a good break!
Ben Doren
Principal
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Feb. 21 – Feb. 25
No School-Winter Break
Monday, February 28
Regular School Day
Tuesday, March 1
Regular School Day
Wednesday, March 2
Regular School Day
Thursday, March 3
Regular School Day
Friday, March 4
Regular School Day
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A couple of valuable lost and found items
I have a valuable looking ring, a house key, a gift card and some wireless earbuds that have not been claimed. Please contact me with a description of the item if you think it may belong to you. julie.duffin@bhrsd.org or call 413-633-2300 ext. 2300.
LAST CALL TO PRE-ORDER the YEARBOOK
The 2022 W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School yearbook is happy to report that we are filling this year’s book with all the memories and moments we can capture. If by some chance, you have not purchased a yearbook yet, please reserve your copy today at https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A03463230.
We want to make sure everyone that wants a yearbook has one. Please know that we only produce yearbooks based upon those pre-ordered. Any that we happen to get above and beyond are on first come first served basis. We have sold out in the past. Don’t miss out. Thank you for your time and attention!!
REMINDERS:
PE REMINDER:
Sneakers must be worn for all PE classes. Please remember to pack sneakers on PE days!
Pool Testing
We strongly encourage your student’s participation, and anyone can participate in the pool testing regardless of vaccination status. Please use this LINK for more details and to complete the electronic consent form. Each student in your household will require an individual consent. The link defaults to Muddy Brook. Select the drop down for your child’s school — Muddy Brook, Du Bois, or Monument Mountain. The video is available in multiple languages–click the link on the top right to choose the language you want.
Celebrating Du Bois!
The W.E.B Du Bois Legacy Festival starts this week, ahead of the 154th Birthday of Du Bois on February 23. Here is a great article from the Berkshire Edge on the festival activities. See below for more info on the festival. We are also hosting the Great Grandson of Du Bois, The town of Great Barrington created the Du Bois Legacy Committee to celebrate Du Bois around his birthday every year. Here are some links to events that are happening later this month to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Du Bois that you and your family can watch and join. One of the events is a celebration at the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington. Because of the pandemic they will be streaming the event on the internet so everyone can see it. Part of the event is a streaming of recordings of students from our school, the Du Bois Regional Middle School. I
Lost and Found
Our Lost and Found boxes are overflowing! Please ask your child to stop by the main entrance to check for any lost items. I also still have a phone that belongs to someone. Students should stop by the office to identify phones or small items like jewelry or glasses. After break we will be donating the items in the lost and found to community organizations, so please come by as soon as possible if you know your child is missing something they left at school.
Safety and the Pandemic: How to navigate symptoms at home
We are serious about safety here at Du Bois, and appreciate all you do to coach the students on how to keep it safe while here at school and in the community. So far we are in school and able to come every day. Much of that depends on you abiding by our community safety norms–thank you for your help so far and in the future! One way you can do that is to check in with the school nurse, Hilary Bashara, if you are not sure about symptoms and whether to keep your kid home. She can advise on covid protocols, testing and other health questions. When your kid is home sick, please make sure they rest, and we will catch them up on school work when they return: the best cure for being sick is rest, and not worrying about falling behind. For unvaccinated students, if there is a concern about exposure to Covid and the student is symptomless, we are able to support learning during quarantine with materials as the school is directing the student to be home. If a vaccinated student is a close contact they can continue to attend school, while connecting with pediatricians and our health office to ensure the safety of all. If a student, regardless of vaccination status, is positive for Covid we are able to support learning remotely until quarantine is complete and they can safely return.
Long Term Absences
Long term absences are difficult to manage as our curriculum depends on students being present for instruction every day. If you take a student on vacation or on an extended family visit it really interrupts the learning cycle, as we are set up for in-person, community based learning. Please let us know if you are planning a longer absence, as there are Massachusetts rules about extended absences and attendance laws that we have to follow. If a student is out of school for a non-medical reason we will support as best we can when they return. We are not set up to provide learning materials for this as we are an in-person learning community. This is still winter, and we have kids out from being sick. We have also seen an uptick in students being out of school for family vacations. This is a reminder that when when kids return from extended absences and vacations they should be
- checking in with teachers,
- getting make up assignments,
- staying in or after school for help, and
- checking their email and online class sites.
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Flyers and School Letters
Flyers and School letters are available on our website at this link: https://mvrms.bhrsd.org/category/families/flyers/
This week’s flyers:
- Read Across America: GB Libraries
- Gt. Barrington Little League Registration
Recent flyers:
- MMRHS Ski Team Dine to Donate Event at Marketplace Wed. 2/9/22
- Young People and Anxiety, Depression and Stress Free Forum Tues., 2/15 6:30pm
- Young People and Anxiety, Depression and Stress Forum–Spanish version
- Community Health Programs: Virtual Parent Workshop
- FREE Family Social-Emotional-Learning Session (Virtual): 2/17/22 at 12 pm
- FREE Glee Club Class–Grades 1-5
- YMCA Camp Hi-Rock Virtual Information Session Flyer
- BRIDGE: Lesson Plan and Project for MLK Day 2022
- Winter Project Connection Packet
- Winter Project Connection Packet – en Espanol
- Stateline Youth Wrestling
- Du Bois Middle School 2022 Musical: THE WIZARD OF OZ! (English & Spanish versions)
- Winter Farmer’s Market
- Hancock Holiday Nights
Older flyers:
- Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Information Session
- Community Thanks Supper: BSRCC
- Participate in a Williams College Study on Children’s Thinking
- Girls Basketball Free Clinic Grades 5 and 6
- Fall Arts & Crafts Festival – BSRCC
- Yearbook Club
- Casting Untitled Annie Baker Film
- Housatonic Youth Basketball Registration
- 27th Annual Winter Outerwear Drive
- Ski Butternut Student Application
- FUNK BOX BREAKING: Berkshire Pulse
- Golden Knights House League Registration
- American Red Cross Swim Lessons: BSRCC
- Oct. 2 ThinkFOOD Conference FREE for all students
- Talking to Teens so that they Talk Back
- Flying Cloud Institute: SMArt Kit Flyer
- Parent Child+: Equal Possibilities from the Start
- Yearbook Cover Contest
- Project Connection Fall Packet
- Action Adventures Out of School @ BSRCC
- Ballet Ages 5-8 @ BSRCC
- Berkshire Hills Youth Soccer House League Registration
- Ski Butternut Student & Family Season Pass Application