THE BECKWITH CHRONICLE D.L. BECKWITH MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Website: www.drregional.org
April 2020
Dates to Remember Apr 13 Grade 8 Course Selections Start
Apr 17 Term 3 Report Cards Issued
Apr 20 No School Patriots Day
Apr 28 School Committee Meeting
6:30pm DRRHS
Students of the Month The following students were
selected Student of the Month for
the month of February:
Gr 8 – Caitlin Laliberte/Justin Chmielewski
Gr 7 –Haleigh McCracken/Anthony Mercer
Gr. 6 – Avery Brown/Hawkyns Pray
Gr. 5 – Ava Randall/Damien Landry
Related Arts – Aubree Miller/Jack Swan
PTSA Reflections Contest Congratulations to the following Beckwith
students whose entries earned awards in the
recent PTSA Reflections Contest. Winners
will be contacted directly by the state level
of the PTSA. In the category of literature,
Aundraya Pinho, Caraline Corvi, and
Rowan Whittaker all earned the Award of
Merit. In the category of photography,
Ryan Bomes earned the Award of
Excellence and Cole Gifford earned the
Award of Merit. In the category of visual
arts, Benjamin Bogosian earned the Award
of Excellence.
Winners of the PTSA Reflections Contest with
Mr. Shea and Mr. Pirraglia
Wax Museum Fifth graders in Rooms 101, 102 and 104
participated in a “Wax Museum” on
February 27. Students chose a historical
figure from the Revolutionary War.
Students were required to research their
person, create a poster, make an artifact,
create a speech and, finally, dress up as
their figure. This was a successful learning
experience for our students.
Grade 5 students dressed and presented as
Revolutionary War figures for their “Wax Museum.”
Career Day On February 5 and March 4 Beckwith held
Career Day for our eighth grade students.
Volunteers from a variety of fields
including a veterinarian, vet technician,
insurance industry, parole officer, physical
therapist, attorney, pastry chef, nurse,
police officer, representatives from
Rehoboth Ambulance, U.S. Army first
sergeant, a retired special education
teacher, and our superintendent came in to
speak to our students about their jobs,
responsibilities, ethics, educational
requirements, and what they like most and
least about their jobs. We would like to
thank Courtley Watson, Megan Sousa,
Elizabeth McCann, Sharon Hoskins,
Andrea Wasylow, Kate Pirraglia, Mark
Soliday, Sarah Burton, Scott & Bonnie
Meagher, Alan Jerauld, Dr. Azar, Keith
Perry, and Jesse Armell for taking time out
of their busy days to make this event
possible. Thank you also to Mrs. DiFilippo
for coordinating Career Day.
Veterinarian Courtley Watson and Vet Tech Megan
Sousa presented on our March 4 Career Day
BMS AHA Fundraiser Beckwith Middle School recently held its
annual American Heart Association (AHA)
Fundraiser organized by Physical
Education teachers, Miss Miller and
Mr. Sampson. The fundraiser kicked off in
early February and culminated with the
Play for Heart Events held on March 4 for
grades 7 and 8 and on March 5 for grades 5
and 6. BMS has been ranked #1 in
donations raised in Southeastern
Massachusetts in four of the last five years
and has been #1 three years in a row since
2016. Once again, our school community
did not disappoint. More than 150 students
donated money to help us reach our new
goal of $4,000 and we crushed that goal
this year by raising $5,886! This grand total
more than triples the donations from the
closest ranking school!
In early February, Miss Miller and
Mr. Sampson challenged BMS with trying
to raise at least $4,000 for the American
Heart Association by collecting money
from family and friends to support heart
health, research, and education. Interesting
facts about heart health were posted
throughout the building and were also
announced during morning announcements.
During Health and Physical Education
classes, the topics of heart health and
empathy were discussed in order to inform
and inspire. Stories were shared about
students, family, and friends touched by
heart disease. Envelopes began pouring in
from students in all grades and many
students raised money online.
In addition to collecting money, many
students also chose to participate in the
Play for Heart Event. We had over 100
students participating over the two-day
event. Each participant needed at least a $5
donation to play, but many students raised
much more than that! Students were
allowed to bring teams of 3-4 players of
their own choosing to compete in four
different activities: dodge ball, corn hole,
4-square, and basketball. Everyone who
wanted to play was included on a team.
Also, a handful of very courageous staff
members joined in on the fun, including our
own administrators, Mr. Pirraglia and
Mr. Shea, who were a force to be reckoned
with! Teams tallied up wins throughout the
challenge, but the main focus was on great
teamwork, good sportsmanship, and
friendly, spirited competition to highlight
the importance of movement and fun in
keeping one’s heart healthy. In addition, we
also had our own sixth grader, Ben Darling,
speak at each event. Ben struggled with
heart issues at a very young age and is now
a shining example of what your American
Heart Association dollars can do to help
those in need.
BMS students making a difference participating in the
Play for Heart event
Thank you gifts from the AHA for
donations of $10 or more will be coming in
and will be delivered to students that
earned them. Finally, we are so proud of
our students, their families and friends, and
our whole school community for the
outpouring of generosity and support in
raising money and awareness for a very
worthy cause and for helping to make our
BMS fundraiser a huge success…not to
mention keeping our school in the #1 spot
for our region! Way to go, Beckwith
Middle School!
SPIRIT WEEK 2020 Although we couldn’t be together to
celebrate Beckwith Spirit Week this year,
we were together in spirit. We are
including a few photos of our virtual Spirit
Week
Monday was Sports Day and the celebration was open to students and their families if they chose.
We had many participants on Sports Day
Beckwith Spirit on Sports Day
Super Hero Day!
Creative Arts Day
Blue and White Day
Color Day just happened to be on a Friday “Shout
Out” Day
Grade 6 students wore ORANGE on Color Day
Grade 6 Virtual Color Day
Message from Mr. Shea
Dear Friends,
Let me start by telling you that we miss
everyone. The whole staff has
impressively handled learning an entirely
new approach to teaching students;
however, what we are struggling with is not
seeing our students’ faces and wonderful
personalities each and every day. We hope
you are all safe and we can’t wait until
September when we will celebrate our time
together.
As we officially enter the next phase of
distance learning due to Governor Baker’s
announcement on April 21, 2020, we want
everyone to know that our students’ and
families’ well-being is our number one
priority. Everyone is feeling an excess of
emotions right now. We are all justifiably
feeling fear of the unknown, sadness that
we will not be able to properly say goodbye
to our peers, students, and friends as we
start new chapters in our lives. There is
anxiety about too many things to mention.
The one emotion I want everyone to stop
feeling is guilt. I often talk with students
about what the best version of themselves
looks like. We need to adjust ourselves and
understand that in this situation, in which
our lives have been up-ended, our best is
measured by many factors. My 2-year old
is watching way too much Disney +
(especially Puppy Dog Pals). Yet, he is
also spending much more time outside than
prior to the shutdown, and luckily we are
also getting an unusual amount of family
time. We try to be the best version of
ourselves that we can each day. The most
important thing we need to understand is
that our kids will be okay. This is a once in
a generation experience and we need to
remember that students are resilient. If they
do need support, we are here to help.
At Beckwith we often talk about the
reasons for clear expectations. It is my core
belief that we all need to know what is
expected of us so that we can rise to those
expectations. COVID-19 has changed all
those expectations. As a district we are
expecting students to try the best they can
to follow a three and a half hour day
schedule, to the best of their abilities.
Please remember the important outlet that
the related arts classes serve our students.
Some days will look different than others,
and that’s okay, as long as students are
trying their best; we are here to support
everyone.
Lastly, I want to extend my thanks to our
staff. I want to thank the teachers. In a
very short time, they have had to learn a
new methodology and delivery of
instruction, yet their number one concern
and true focus has always been their
students. Every staff member through
flexibility, creativity, and hard work has
made a positive impact on our ability to
continue to educate and support our
students. Thank you all for all you do.
Thank you, stay safe, be smart, and always
be kind.
Ryan Shea