Hi all,
In the 8th grade we have been working on putting together a special day of workshops for the students as part of the middle school MLK Day celebration and assembly on Friday January 23rd. On this Friday 8th graders will be able to further explore our house theme of justice through visits from many different guests. Below is an email sent out on the parent listserv we wanted to include on the 8th grade blog as well.
Wednesday January 14, 2015
Dear 8th grade families,
I am writing to inform you of our plans for our next House Block Day on Friday January 23rd. On one Friday per month, we modify our schedule to include an hour in the morning for students and teachers to gather by House (grade) level. Often each House will then divide into smaller Cluster or TAG groups. The purpose of this hour is to engage in activities that generate school spirit, foster positive group identity (on the TAG, Cluster and House level), support ongoing House themes, nurture team building skills, and develop the BERT capacities of belonging, empathy, respect and trust.
Our January House Block Day is unique in that we host our annual Martin Luther King Day Commemoration and Celebration for students in all grades. In addition to performances by the Jazz Band and the Select Chorus, remarks from Ms. Gavron, and a musical slide show illustrating justice and community service at work here at the middle school, several 8th graders will deliver speeches about individuals they believe best exemplify the memory and spirit of Dr. King.
Following the program in the theater, our 8th graders will participate in a series of workshops that center around questions that guide the MLK House – How can we, working together, create a just society? How can we, working together, understand how injustices occur and how we can learn from these to prevent future injustices? Our goal is to deepen our thinking around issues of justice and injustice, the foundational themes of our Social Studies course, by considering historic and contemporary instances of individual and collective resilience. To that end, in addition to mindfully observing Martin Luther King Day and honoring his legacy, we will also thoughtfully consider the Japanese American experience during World War II, the African American experience during and since King’s era, and the Islamic American experience today. We are pleased to host several workshop presenters who will share stories of overcoming injustice. These include:
Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students (IDEAS) -
IDEAS is a collaborative that serves many Greater Boston school districts with programs committed to achievement and success for all students through culturally proficient practices. Their vision is to create culturally proficient classrooms that honor and include the individuality of students and families of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. They will be coming to the middle school to run a workshop with 8th graders with three main goals: 1. To recognize different forms of discrimination and racism in our schools and society. 2. To identify and challenge stereotypes. 3. To empower students to take the role of “upstander”.
Islamic Center of Boston
Ms. Barbara Sahli from the Islamic Center of Boston, which is located here in Wayland, will offer a workshop that presents some of the basic principles of Islam, explains the Center's role in the Boston area, and includes activities geared toward understanding the experiences of Muslim Americans in our society. The ICB hosts many surrounding school districts on field trips, so we are very fortunate that they are bringing their workshops to us here at the middle school. < http://www.icbwayland.org>
Theater Espresso
A performance group based in the Boston area for young audiences, Theater Espresso will be returning to perform their play “Road to Tolerance” which focuses on the U.S. government’s
decision to put Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II. This performance also serves as a preview to our visit to the Japanese American Internment Memorial while on the Washington D.C. trip in April. < http://www.theatreespresso.org>
May Takayanagi
As a high school senior in California, Ms. Takayanagi was sent to an internment camp on the west coast during World War II. Since that time, she has moved to Boston and become an activist and lobbyist for many important societal issues. We are privileged to host Ms. Takayanagi and look forward to her question and answer session with students. Her visit visit will coincide with the Theater Espresso performance.
Finally, during the last block of the day, all 8th graders will return to their homerooms for structured reflection on the day’s events.
The entire 8th grade staff hopes that our Martin Luther King Day serves as an opportunity for guided and purposeful learning about cultural challenges unfamiliar to many of us. As King himself noted, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” To view the world through a lens other than our own, as often as possible, can serve to open our minds as well as our hearts.
One final note - we would like to thank the WMS PTO for graciously providing the funding for a portion of this special day for our 8th graders. We would not be able to put on this program without their support!
Thank you,
Betsy Gavron Principal
Melissa McDonald, Rob Reddington, Kevin Farley, and Rich Battaglia 8th Grade House Leaders
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