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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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,

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.