For students who missed pool testing this past Wednesday, please come to come to the Alma Mater statue this Friday, Oct. 1 between 11:30 am – 2:45 pm

Please note that beginning next week, pool testing will only take place on Wednesdays. There will no longer be a Friday option.

Calling all seniors! Next Friday, October 1st join your class for a fun Fall gathering out on the back lawn after school. There will be snacks, games, music, BLS tattoos, and even free give always! We hope that you will come and build community with your class and show your spirit as the football team gets ready to take on Excel at home (White Stadium) and the Girls Soccer faces Weston at home (West Roxbury).

drive.google.com/file/d/1Q_8J-J47cJIhhd-cDQ2VnB-HH7piac0d/view?usp=sharing

Boston Public Schools has made the decision to not allow spectators at indoor sporting events indefinitely and effective immediately. The mandate will continue to be revisited this season and into the winter season. Spectators are allowed at away venues. Please adhere to the policies in place at these locations. Spectators are allowed at BLS outdoor sporting events adhering to the City of Boston regulations.

Do you ever find yourself feeling nervous about presentations like Declamation? Do you wonder how you might be able to manage these feelings? Consider joining the Wreck Your Dec Group facilitated by Dr. Kaye Tuesdays after school at BLS (2:30-3:25pm) from October 26th – December 14th.

See the flyers in the linked google drive to learn more, then talk to your guidance counselor or to Dr. Kaye (amy.kaye@childrens.harvard.edu) to sign up and/or ask any questions you might have by October 15th.

drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1hKvweLQYEr0gytYIAfRVwNItAsw07uPY

After school drop-in homework support begins next week on Monday September 27th, 2021. Latin support will run on Mondays and Wednesdays in room 135. All other subjects will be in room 134 Mondays – Thursdays. All homework support rooms will run from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm. Updated schedules will be posted under the McCarthy tab on the BLS website. Please contact Ms.Delorme-Metayer for any questions.

After competing against top ranked teams, members Naomi Knight (I), Rachel Roncka (I), Mira Yu (II), Mirabelle Berman-Reinhardt (II), Gabriel Feinberg (III), Emily Yu (IV), and Michelle Chen (IV) won several rounds and brought home an Attorney’s Award for the performance of Gabriela Vasquez Rosado (I).

Pool testing continues this and every Wednesday from 8am-3pm by the Alma Mater statue. You’ll have a chance to come to the Alma Mater statue during one of the following times:

1.) Your study

2.) W block (please only come if you do not have a study, mainly Class V)

3.) Lunch

4.) After school until 3 pm

In order to help expedite the testing process, you can pick up TWO sticker labels in the main lobby or outside of Ms. Kwan’s office. Both labels should have your full name and your birthday MM/DD/YYYY – please write legibly. Bring these labels with you to the Alma Mater statue. Don’t worry if you forget or miss this, there will be plenty of labels at the pool testing site.

The BLS Extracurricular Fair is this Tuesday (Class VI and 9B) and Wednesday (Classes V-I). The fair begins at 2:30 and ends at 3:30. This year the fair begins in the fiction room of the library and ends in the Dining Hall, with a performance space in the back lobby.

We have over 140 clubs and organizations on display! Check out the map and club directory to explore these opportunities. QR codes will be posted on the day of the fair as well!

bit.ly/2021ECFair

On Wednesday, September 29, the Topol Fellows will be dropping off voting pre-registration forms in Junior and Senior homerooms during W-Block. Juniors and Seniors eligible to preregister (i.e. at least 16 years old and a US citizen) should write down or memorize the last 4 digits of their Social Security # so they can easily complete the form on the spot. If you forget to bring this information and do not know it, forms may still be brought home and returned in the voting drop-off box inside of the Main Office. If you have questions or need help after getting a form, reach out to topolfellowsbls@gmail.com.”

Students should NOT submit their hours every time they complete 1-2 hours of service. Hours should be submitted in bulk at the end of the service or end of the school year. Submissions MUST include a photo or screenshot of the student performing the service. Supervisor name and contact info must be included.

Guidelines for submitting hours on InnerView

– If you are volunteering over a long period of time (month/year) submit all the hours at once at the end of the volunteer opportunity. Not daily or weekly.

– include name and contact info of your supervisor

– describe the volunteer activity

– attach a photo or screenshot of yourself volunteering

The BLS Wolfettes are holding auditions on Tuesday, September 28 at 2:30 PM in Room 421. Auditionees should be prepared to sing one minute of a song of your choice and to learn part of a song provided. If planning to audition, please fill out the google form at forms.gle/W6wggwbu1Jf9Xg2k8. Email Sarah Connolly at sconnolly11@bostonk12.org with any questions.

Starting this evening (9/21), students may sign up for study hall in the Keefe Library through links on SIS. Teachers can access library study hall attendance rosters through links on their SIS. This temporary system will remain in place until Oculus is up and running.

At this point, all students have had numerous opportunities to obtain their BPS Chromebook. If you are still someone who has not yet gotten around to picking up a device, you need to see Ms. Payne-Hall in the front lobby by the dining hall during lunch or after school.

Single-day loan Chromebooks may be signed out from the Library before school, but are only available to students who forgot their device at home and are not to act as a substitute for obtaining your BPS Chromebook. Students with Chromebook problems or issues should see a member of the Tech Department for a longer term solution or replacement device.

All clubs MUST be registered by the end of the day on Friday in order to have a space in the EC Fair on Tuesday and Wednesday. Once a club is registered, club leaders will need to complete the “agreement for participation” form that they will receive. This form must be completed by Monday 9 A.M. and it is how club leaders will receive a pass for club set up and how they will reserve their space. Please see Ms. Murray with any questions.

The EC Fair is next Tuesday (Class VI and 9B) and Wednesday (Classes V-I). Stop by and explore the many opportunities to connect and THRIVE at BLS! Club list and maps coming soon!

Please see Ms. Murray if you would like to use the prayer room during the school day and she can make sure you have a pass.

The library will now offer each student 20 pages of free color printing per term. To print in color, students should send their print job to “Student_Color_Printing” and then enter their ID number into the color printer on the end of the library desk to print their job.

As always, black and white printing is freely available for all students. As a reminder, printing must be for school related purposes.

The JFK Library Foundation invites U.S. high school students to describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917. The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship. Learn more here.

www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/profile-in-courage-essay-contest/getting-started

Guidelines for submitting hours on InnerView

– If you are volunteering over a long period of time (month/year) submit all the hours at once at the end of the volunteer opportunity. Not daily or weekly.

– include name and contact info of your supervisor

– describe the volunteer activity

– attach a photo or screenshot of yourself volunteering

Reminder: the course transfer form is available on SIS until this Friday, 9/24 at 2:15 pm. Friday is the last day to request a course transfer for this year. Thank you!

Congratulations to Douglas George (Football), Greg Rosenkranz (Football), and Megan Nguyen (Cheer) on being named BPS Student-Athletes of the Week!

Click Here to vote for Greg for SB Player of the Week scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/2021/09/20/vote-now-who-should-be-sblives-massachusetts-high-school-athlete-of-the-week-sept-13-19/

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n9uMwUo1u5wTsoQ3i6hAHir2c7RvEHDn?usp=sharing

$1 Tickets for students for the BLS/BLA Football game on Friday 9/24, 7pm @ White Stadium will be available in the athletic office starting Wednesday 9/22. Cash only. Tickets are the gate will be $3 for students and $5 for adults

The Tech Bar is open for all support!

Chromebook broken, acting weird, or just not wanting to wake up? Stop by and get it checked out. Tech help will be available all three lunches in the main lobby and also after school. Bring all of your Chromebook questions and/or concerns.

Keeping your Chromebook up to date can solve many of the issues we’ve seen in the first few days of school – and the process to do so is even easier at home. So this weekend, please consider updating Chrome:

– Connect to your home network and log into the Chromebook – Click the three vertical dots in the upper right of the Chrome window

– Under Help, choose “About Google Chrome”

– At the top, click the “Chrome OS Settings” link – If prompted, click the “Check for updates” button

If Chrome finds an update, allow it to install and restart the Chromebook. You want to make sure you have at least Version 90.

If you have any trouble, please visit Ms. Payne-Hall in the Tech Office in the library area.

This is an important reminder to all students that BLS behavioral expectations are in effect from the time a student leaves their home until they return home in the afternoon/evening. Students who engage in rude, disruptive, or dangerous behavior on public transportation, yellow buses, or on the grounds of any of our neighboring institutions are subject to disciplinary action. Please ensure that the efforts you make to ensure a respectful environment inside the school building extend beyond the BLS campus.

Come audition for BLS’s One Act Plays: 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, Container of Sharks, and Anxiety is Orange. Tuesday September 21 and Wednesday September 22 after school. Sign up on the bulletin board across from the Black Box and grab a monologue sheet. If you cant make any of the available times talk to Mr. Gels and we can make it work.

The Main Office is looking to fill a Student Leadership spot for paper delivery for the building. This spot would be for 2 study blocks per 6 day cycle. If you are interested please see Ms. Folan or Ms. Hernandez in the Main Office

Pathways to STEM (P2S) is a virtual after school program geared towards high school students interested in STEM. Students will be exploring diverse career pathways through research presentations. Northeastern faculty members will be presenting their ongoing research to participants as well as sharing their path to/through college and participants will have time to directly ask faculty questions about the presenter’s research and their field of study.

Presentations will be occur via Zoom every Tuesday/Thursday from 4:00-5:00pm for 8 weeks, starting September 28/30th. Registration for this program is required -> once registered, we will follow-up with information on presenters and a link to the zoom meeting. To sign up, please complete this survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021-F-PSE-SR.

www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021-F-PSE-SR

Students who have been approved for student leadership posts will see their schedules change soon. For any student who is not sure where they have been assigned for their Student Leadership periods, please access the link included here and search for your student number. This document will also be linked on SIS.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRD0iY48CaJeU2v7HTwW6Ddmya_VhG3SP0dkxlNqjhaen-cpV7bXJTDJSqdebhdGQDiC9wqIw1e2JZ-/pubhtml

Student pool testing will start this and every Wednesday from 8am-4pm. Students with parental consent will go get tested during their studies by the Alma Mater statue. For those students who do not have a study this Wednesday (Day 4), there will be opportunities to go during W or after school. Please wait for instructions from your homeroom teacher during W. Please bear in mind that your study periods and W block may be abbreviated.

Parents and Guardians, please join the Student Parent Council Planning Committee and representatives from our parent subcommittees on Tuesday, September 21st at 7:00 p.m. to hear about the myriad of opportunities available for parents to get engaged in the Boston Latin School community. Feeling overwhelmed with all of the happenings at BLS? Subcommittees are a fantastic way to build your own network within the parent community and stay involved in your child’s school experience. We look forward to seeing you there!

Zoom link: us02web.zoom.us/j/88088043391?pwd=ZTVlUWZ2SG5LTUduOXRCRFd2dVl2QT09

Student Council will host a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Sep 22nd during W-Block in the Auditorium. All students are welcome. BPS district will receive $400M from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), which is a federal relief fund in response to COVID (learn more at bostonpublicschools.org/Page/8678). Student Council and Ms. Skerritt will lead a feedback and brainstorming session on how BLS should allocate their portion of the funds. Students must sign up at forms.gle/Er7BAZuWndgjXCyp9. No walk-ins permitted. Email jlevesque@bostonpublicschools.org with questions.

forms.gle/Er7BAZuWndgjXCyp9

The McCarthy Institute is looking for student leaders. Student leaders would help support with peer to peer academic support. Student leaders will also help create academic programming for younger students in our building.  We are looking for student leaders who are excited and motivated to help younger students reach their academic goals.

forms.gle/cPwU2HnGkEbtuszWA

Please fill out the form on Innerview. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Ms.Delorme-Metayer.

The Course Change Request Window will be open at 12:01 am on Friday 9/17/21.

All requests must have a working parent or caregiver email included. Requests that involve adding or dropping a music or chorus class, an AP course, or an advanced Math course will not be processed until those requests receive approval from the Program Directors involved after a student has submitted their request, so have patience. The requests should be submitted using the google form, from September 17th until September 24th. They will be reviewed in the order that they were received. Again students should understand that some of these changes may not be possible since the schedule is very tight this year.

Here is a link to the course request google form.

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiZHW3siw4vR5JwrySSoKMJgWqPKP6_RopH8pyjsCQ8rEFAg/viewform

Science Club for Girls (136 Magazine Street, Cambridge) is excited to announce virtual Fall 2021 programming. We will be holding K-12 Science Club for Girls programs via zoom. There is no cost to attend our clubs. To offer flexibility and convenience, participants are able to choose one of four weekly meeting times. We will hold our virtual clubs at the following times and days:

Mondays-Thursdays from 4:00-5:00pm and Saturdays from 10:30am – 11:30am. Weekday clubs will begin the week of October 4 and Saturday clubs will begin on October 16. The clubs will run for 8 weeks.

Participants will use Zoom via a computer, laptop, tablet or phone with internet access for the duration of the club meeting time each week. All other materials will be provided free of charge and distributed at a convenient location prior to the first week of clubs.

Please apply at: www.tfaforms.com/4929350

The Alberta Scott Leadership Academy (AVS) is a mentorship program at Harvard geared towards Black high school girls. More information about AVS can be found here: abhwomen.org/avs-leadership-academy. Applications are due Sunday, September 19th at 11:59p, and can be found here: tinyurl.com/AVSMentees2021

drive.google.com/file/d/1OLZB0ue3wam-jkb0ULZgVzo9nwxVAU1K/view?usp=sharing

A-VOYCE is a FREE leadership youth program for high school students run by Asian Community Development Corporation (asiancdc.org/our-work) to center youth voices in community development. A-VOYCE (Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment) is 9-month program starting Oct 5 with weekly workshops on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30. Programming is IN-PERSON until further notice. Students will be meet new people, gain leadership skills, learn about their identity, be in charge of making positive change in Chinatown, and much more. Email questions to sungmin.kim@asiancdc.org or view attached flyer. Application link: bit.ly/38Lch5r *Sign up by Sep 27.

drive.google.com/file/d/1kbM6Y5HI8rVpps4ad2laFZR-wlLibqlN/view?usp=sharing

All students in Classes I-IV must have an InnerView account to upload their community service. When uploading service you must include your supervisor name and contact info and a photo or yourself & place of service or screen shot (for virtual service). Letters/certificates are not required and should not be uploaded, unless you are holding it in the photo. Directions for creating an InnerView account are found here.

bls.org/ourpages/auto/2013/5/22/52218129/Innerview-GettingStarted_HS.pdf

The fastest, easiest way for students to print in the Keefe Library and dining hall is from their Chromebooks!

When printing your document from your Chromebook, select “Student_Printing” as the printer. (Print jobs can be sent from anywhere in the building.)

Then go to a printer in the library or dining hall and type your ID number into the printer and your print job will print.

Friday September 17, during all 3 lunches and after school, we will be handing out Chromebooks to the remainder of students who have yet to pick up. Both pick ups will be located in the main lobby, right outside of the dining hall. See you soon!

Interested in helping out the community? Join the BLSJCL in a volunteering event this upcoming Sunday 9/19!

The Boston food festival is an annual event where people come together to showcases farmers, local restaurants, food trucks, and organizations focusing on healthy foods from the New England area. Volunteering helps continue this tradition and in addition, you will get a free T-Shirt! If you are free from 1:30 PM to 6 PM on Sunday, please consider joining us!

Sign up here

docs.google.com/forms/d/12IlM0upNRE9EjfF1VL2wu0hKuD6WhGrqFYXF_PCqyUA/edit

The library is open after school! This year we are requiring students to sign up in advance to avoid overcrowding. There are 100 spots, and students will check in upon arrival. The link, “After School in the Keefe Library,” is on SIS. Students do not need to sign up to drop in to print, borrow or return a book, or check in with the tech department. All grade levels are welcome to come.

Are you interested in leading the senior class as an officer? If your answer is YES to this question, please consider which office you would like to run for: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and email either Ms. Sarkis (asarkis@bostonpublicschools.org) or Ms. Encarnacao (aencarnacao@bostonpublicschools.org) to declare your intent to run. *You must be in good academic and disciplinary standing in your junior year to run*

Seniors should email by Friday, September 17th. 

Additionally, In the fall of 2019, the class officers for the class of 2020 started what we had hoped would be a tradition for the senior class for years to come. COVID-19 had other ideas. We want to bring this back this year and WE NEED YOU! If you would like to be part of a committee to put on the annual Senior Kick-Off which will take place on Friday, September 24th, on the back grass area at BLS we could use your creativity, inspiration, and community building skills. Please email Ms. Encarnacao and Ms. Sarkis with your interest and we will set up a time to meet. (This is a great way to show off your leadership skills in working with others and bringing your class together if you are thinking of running for office.)

Come by the dining hall from 2:30 to 3:30 after school on Wednesday, September 15th and Monday September 20th for our annual book wrapping event! We wrap your textbooks and English books, and sell book socks. Hang out with us while you wait for your book to be wrapped, or pick it up the next morning in 225. Prices start at $1 per cover. See you there!

drive.google.com/file/d/1OuBNMvTeZrch4mh9N-gbpSGsv4_0Upso/view?usp=sharing

We still have a few spots for library volunteers. Please visit the Keefe Library homepage and look for the box “Volunteering in the Keefe Library” on the right side of the page. Read about the job and come down to speak with Ms. Ellis or Ms. Harari if you’re interested. Before and after school slots are filled as well as most study halls. Open slots include D2R1, D3R4, D4R4; D1R3, D2R4, D3R6, D5R1 and D4R1, D5R2, D6R3, D1, R4, D2R6.

In recognition of Yom Kippur which begins at sunset on Wednesday, September 15, there will be no tests or assessments administered in classes on Thursday, September 16. Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is considered the holiest day of the year by those of the Jewish faith. Students who observe the holiday will be marked constructively present and allowed full makeup privileges.

Sign up to be a praefect in Ms. Murray’s office! EC Praefects work to support clubs and organizations, and all praefects work on administrative projects. Website leaders and social media updaters are also encouraged to apply!

Join a great community of student leaders looking to make an impact on our school while earning community service hours and having a great time!

www.bitly.com/MurrayPreafects

Club registration is open and underway. All clubs must be registered every year, so please complete the online form ASAP. Registrations are accepted all year long, but clubs that want to participate in the EC FAIR ON 9/28 and 9/29 must be registered by 9/21. www.bitly.com/2021ClubRegistration

Bake sale sign ups are back and all registered clubs are invited to sign up for one day. Please see Ms. Murray for any questions! Follow us @blsecevents and check out our website at www.bitly.com/BLSECEvents

www.bitly.com/BLSECEvents AND www.bitly.com/2021ClubRegistration

Student leadership opportunities for the new school year will be posted on the Innerview community service portal (link included). The application and assignment process will be completely paperless. Office supervisors will be prioritizing senior and junior candidates with a very limited number of opportunities for sophomores. Students who volunteer for at least 3 study halls per 6 day cycle will fulfill their in-school service requirement for graduation. Opportunities will be posted on a rolling basis through the fall so be sure to check for new opportunities periodically!

innerview.org/pages/student-volunteers

Come audition for BLS Theatre’s production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatcher explores how a young orphan ultimately became Peter Pan Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan)

Auditions on Tuesday September 14 and Wednesday September 15 after school. Sign ups will be on the bulletin board across from the black box (416). Grab a monologue sheet and prepare to do your best (does not need to be memorized)

The School Store will have special back to school hours on the following dates and times:
Friday, September 10th
7-7:45am
11:20-12:40 Lunch periods

Monday, September 13th
7-7:45am

Tuesday, September 14th
7-7:45am

Wednesday, September 15th
7-7:45am

Friday, September 17th
11:20 -12:40 Lunch Periods

Students from all grade levels will attend opening assemblies on Monday, September 13 and Tuesday, September 14 in the Assembly Hall with times as follows:

Monday, September 13

R1-R2: Class VI

R3-R4: Class V

R6-R7: Class IV

Tuesday, September 14

R1-R2: Class I

R3-R4: Class II

R6-R7: Class III

Students should report to their scheduled class. Teachers will take attendance before proceeding to the auditorium with their students. Students are asked to file quietly into the Assembly Hall and to sit on every other seat. Thank you for your cooperation.

Do you want to be a Keefe Library praefect? We need students in Classes I-IV to volunteer during study halls and before/after school. Please visit the Keefe Library homepage and look for the box “Volunteering in the Keefe Library” on the right side of the page. Read about the job and fill out the Praefect Application Form if you’re interested. Questions? Stop by the library and ask Ms. Ellis or Ms. Harari.

libguides.bls.org/c.php?g=809833

Come join us in the Black Box on Monday September 13 at 2:30pm to learn about everything happening in the exciting world of theatre at BLS. All classes are welcome! We have a lot of theatre happening this year.

Please enjoy the latest episode of BLS-TV. I’d like to thank the cast and crew for their hard work this year.