News from the Avenue December 23, 2014

News from the Avenue
January 30, 2015
Dear BLS community,
We’re back on the Avenue following a three day snow hiatus. Please note that because of the weather we
have moved a couple of key events. First, the Open House originally scheduled for last evening will be held on
Thursday, February 5. The schedule will remain the same, with parents following their child’s schedule from
6:00 – 7:20 PM, followed by Curriculum Night in the Assembly Hall from 7:30 – 8:30PM. Second, the Course
Selection assemblies for Class II, III and IV originally scheduled for 1/28 will be held on Monday, February 2.
Please check BLS.org for more information.
Sincerely,
Patrick Hourigan
Andrew Viterbi ’52 Director of Technology
News from the Guidance Office
Global Citizen Year
Looking for gap year possibilities? This program offers a unique opportunity for high-potential high school
graduates to become fellows and spend a transformative year abroad doing a social service internship
supported by leaders from Stanford, Google and the Gates Foundation.
This year, 90 students were chosen from over 600 applicants. Anvy Tran and Victoria Tran-Trinh, Boston Latin
School alumni, have participated in past years and found the program to be very valuable and worthwhile. You
can read more about their experiences in their blogs here:
http://globalcitizenyear.org/author/anvy-tran/
http://globalcitizenyear.org/author/victoria-tran-trinh/
Global Citizen Year is looking for the next generation of leaders and they are interested in meeting more
Boston Latin School students. If would like more information, please
visit http://globalcitizenyear.org/program/experience/.
Free SAT prep classes
Let's Get Ready is a non-profit organization that provides free SAT prep and college application assistance to
high school students who qualify for free- or reduced-priced lunch and/or are first-generation college bound.
This program, which begins in early February and ends in late April, gives students a chance to be taught
material by current college students who went through this process not too long ago. Let's Get Ready has a
proven track record of helping students both increase their SAT scores and get to and through college and the
best part - it's totally free!
This Spring, classes will be held at the Boston Non-Profit Center, located at 89 South Street, right next to
South Station and they are primarily looking for current high school juniors. The application link can be
found here. Priority deadline for applications is February 1st.
Thinker Analytix presents the Spring 2015 ETHICAL REASONING CHALLENGE (ERC)
Join a team of high school students to think about and discuss key ethical and social issues to culminate in a
competition at Harvard on April 12th at 2 pm.
Just as important as knowing what you should do is knowing why you should do it. ERC will focus on argument
reconstruction and analysis—skills that will help you understand and evaluate moral claims you encounter
every day. We will teach you to recognize sound arguments and construct rigorous arguments of your own. We
will improve your ability to evaluate, revise and defend your own views.
What: Ethical Reasoning Challenge
Where: Emerson Hall, Harvard University
Workshops on Saturdays, February 7 - April 11, 11am-12:30pm
(minimum 3 sessions required)
To sign up, email: [email protected]. Need more information? Go to www.dev3.thinkeranalytix.org
Wang YMCA Winter Programs for students
Full descriptions of all programs can be found through the link below. Of particular interest may be the Job
Training Internship Program (which is helpful for those in need of volunteer service hours) and a new Get Fit
(formerly EBALANCE) health and wellness program. Registration forms and further information can be found
at http://bls.enschool.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=338334&id=2.
Project Success: Opening the Door to Biomedical Careers
This a program for BOSTON and CAMBRIDGE high school students only, particularly underrepresented
and/or disadvantage students, to participate in paid, mentored, summer research internships at Harvard
Medical School and its affiliated institutions. The program is augmented by seminars and workshops given by
faculty and administrators, site visits, and career counseling.
These are some features of the Project Success Program:
 Summer Internships: Paid "hands-on" research positions for 8 weeks, from June through August.
 Educational Opportunities: Summer discussion series; seminars with researchers and physicians; site
visits to hospitals and biotechnology firms; computer training; development of writing and speaking
skills; academic year seminars and special programs.
 Student Support: Assigned mentors and research advisors; information about the college application
process; career counseling; networking with students in other summer programs.
The deadline is Feb. 6. See http://bls.enschool.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=294066&id=2 for
more information and an application.
News from the Health Suite
Health and Wellness
All meetings are held in the Electronic Classroom, Library, on Mondays, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.
The future meeting dates are:
February 2, (Snow Date, February 9)
March 2, (Snow Date, March 9)
April 6, (Snow Date, April 13)
May 4
June 2
Reminder about the Flu:
As most of you know, we are in the middle of a pretty wide-spread “bout” of flu in the Boston area; Signs of
having the flu include fever, headache, muscle and body aches, cough, sore throat, and feeling tired. Like
many other schools, we have had several students who have come down with flu-like illness.
We would like to thank you for heeding our request to keep your child home if they have flu-like illness until
they have been fever-free and off Tylenol and/or Advil for at least 24h. As always, your child’s doctor would
know how best to treat his/her symptoms; if you have any questions or concerns, or if your child is having
breathing difficulties, please call the doctor for further medical advice.
You can find much more information about the flu at the Boston Public Health Commission’s
website: www.bphc.org/flu
Feel free to call us if you have any questions or concerns.
~Ellen Moy-Maneikis/Kim Brogan-Healy
News from the School Parent Council (SPC):
The annual SSC/SPC Budget Review meeting took place on Monday, January 5, 2015 at 6:30 P.M. in the
Keefe Library. An overview of the Boston Public School budget, with Boston Latin School’s budget details, was
presented by the Head Master, and there were many questions from parents attending the meeting. The role of
the Boston Latin School Association in financial support of BLS programs was reviewed by Peter Kelly, BLSA
President. The next SPC Meeting will be on Tuesday, February 10 at 7:00 P.M. (location to be announced). A
representative from the Suffolk County DA's office will present a workshop for parents on cyber safety. We
hope you will be able to attend the February SPC Meeting to learn about this important topic.
The SPC is always looking for parent volunteers to help in various capacities, with parent led "friends" groups,
with special events and as need arises. Please consider volunteering.
SPC meetings provide a great opportunity to meet other parents as well as school administrators and staff, find
out how to get involved, and make connections within the BLS community. By attending these meetings,
parents can become better informed about what is going on at the school (in all areas, including academics,
arts, clubs, sports and community service opportunities). We hope you will be able to join us on February 10,
2015!
News from Friends of the Arts
Please join us for our next meeting of Friends of the Arts, Wednesday, February 4 at 6:30 on floor 1A in the
Arts Wing. Friends of the Arts meets on the first Wednesday of each month.
Senior District Festival
THANKS to Parent volunteers during the Senior District Festival hosted by BLS this past week...
Qing Fei, Yun Shen, Alicia Jurus; Alicia Powell, Cathy Bosch, Lucy Chen; Betty Tenwolde, Rich (Digs)
DeLaura; Kathy Choi, Diana Wang, Jen Crockton, Katie Faulkner, Laura Dowd, Maryellen Hansen, and Miwa
Ogi - we couldn't do it without you!
Questions or suggestions? Please contact Kristin Johnson, [email protected], or Christina Yee,
[email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
News from the Modern Foreign Language Department
Attention Sixie Parents!
Chinese? French? German? Italian? Spanish? It’s almost that time of year when your son or daughter will
choose what language he or she will commit to for the next four years! How do you decide which language is
best for you? During a time where language competency and cultural awareness are becoming increasingly
important, the language you choose is important and can have a huge impact on your life at BLS and beyond.
In order to help you make an informed decision, the following resources will be available:




Brochures will be given to every sixie student in homeroom explaining the highlights of each
language we offer at BLS by Friday, January 23.
BLS.org: on the school website, there are links to podcasts and articles about the value of
studying a foreign language as well as articles explaining the reasons why you should consider
one language over another. Once you are on the BLS site, go to Academics ----Modern
Foreign Languages ---Why study this language. Links are available there.
BLS.org: emails are available for all of the masters in the MFL department if you would like to
contact any of them directly with questions.
Open House/Curriculum Night, Thursday, February 5—Christine Kelley, MFL Program Director,
will be available with more information.
Testing up one level: Also, if your son or daughter has taken language classes prior to coming to BLS,
he/she may be eligible to “test up” one level and start in level 2. In order for this to happen, students must
pass the BLS level 1 final exam with a writing and speaking sample. They must also provide a transcript
showing previous academic study of the language.
If your son or daughter would like to try to test up, you must contact Mrs. Kelley at
[email protected] or call 617-635-8895, ext. 119. The test up dates will mostly likely happen
on two afternoons in March after school. More information will be given once the dates are set.
If you have any general questions about this process, please contact Mrs. Kelley.
Remember—this is the only course where you are asked to make a four year commitment, so please choose
wisely!
News from Friends of German
Please join us for an event co-sponsored with the BLS German Club: Mr. Rolf Schuette, Consul General of
Germany to the New England States, will give an overview “Why is it good for an American student to learn
German?”, followed by Questions & Answers. Also, we will welcome back returning German teacher Ms.
Jennifer Kuchta and bid a grateful farewell to substitute teacher, Ms. Marlene Neumann. All students and
parents are welcome. Time: Wednesday, February 4th, 2:30 pm after school. Room: TBD. For further
information, please contact: [email protected]

Download Report