The Bulldog's Woof

  We've got a busy week ahead of us at South! TUESDAY  - Wear RED & WHITE to show support for the Girls and Boys Soccer Teams in Wednesday's Jamboree Games at East! WEDNESDAY - Wear ORANGE for Unity Day to stand up against bullying!  PTO t-shirts will be delivered Tuesday for those who've ordered them You don't need the No Bullies Just Bulldogs t-shirt to participate. Wear all the orange accessories you can find! FRIDAY  - Wear PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Braintree Schools'  Think Pink  Day! JAMBOREE - WEDNESDAY, 10/22 @ 3:30 We'll see you at East on Wednesday for the annual Soccer Jamboree games against East. The Bulldogs take the pitch at 3:30 PM in "the only game that matters" against their crosstown rival Cougars! OFM - FRIDAY, 10/24 Friday is OFM, the only schoolwide fundraiser of the year. Don't forget to contribute to keep our extracurricular enrichment programs up & running! DC RAFFLE Throughout the rest of this month....

  A few quick notes from South: (1.)  South PTO meeting is tonight in the Library Media Center from 7:00-8:00 PM.  Please see attached agenda. South PTO - October Agenda (2.)  Mark Your Calendars!  Parent-Teacher Conference dates will be: Wednesday, 11/12 - 4:30-7:00 PM - Virtual Thursday, 11/13 - 4:30-7:00 - In-Person Tuesday, 11/18 - 3:30-6:00 - In-Person Information will be sent from your child(ren)'s teachers with specific information for how to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences. (3.) The  Bulldog Buzz  is back! Last year, South students stepped up to take over our daily announcements, providing a much more interesting reporting of daily activities and upcoming events through the Newscasters Club. With the first 1/8 of the school year under our belts, it's time to hand the microphone back to the voices that matter!  Check out this week's episodes of the Bulldog Buzz.   Congratulations to all the brave students working in front of and...

Midterm was last Friday and teachers have spent the week reminding students about any missing work, hosting makeup sessions, correcting assignments, and reviewing retake & corrections policies with them.  As of today, all grades are up-to-date for midterm in Aspen.  Please log in and review your child(ren)'s grades with them. If anything is not where you expect it to be: The first conversation should be with your child. Help them to identify what went wrong and then to develop a plan to get back on track.  You can then reach out to the teacher for more information if you have questions or concerns. It never hurts to let the teacher know if you've made a plan with your child to bring their grade up. It will help a teacher to be on the lookout for improvement, or possibly to remind your child if they're supposed to stay after school with them! If you have concerns over several classes or overall, you may want to contact your child's Guidance Counselor. They can gather...

FREE WEBINAR FOR PARENTS Next Wednesday, 10/15 at 12pm, McLean Hospital is offering a free, online webinar,  "Helping Kids Thrive Mentally and Emotionally: A Guide for Parents" . Even if you can't watch the webinar live at noon, if you  register online  they will email a video link to watch a recording at your convenience. This may be of interest to many of you as you try to usher your child(ren) safely and successfully through their adolescent years.  SOUTH PTO The October PTO meeting is Wednesday, 10/15, at 7pm in the South Library Media Center This month's "dine out" fundraiser is a little different than normal: PTO is working with  D&N Provisions  for a benefit meat sale. Orders placed at  https://tastethequality.com  between 10/20-10/23  and using the coupon code "SOUTH" at checkout  will earn 10% back for PTO. Whether you're planning a tailgate party or buying for the holiday season, have "Meats Delivered for a Good Cause"!...

Braintree SEPAC  SEPAC hosts its kickoff meeting this Wednesday evening, 7pm, at Thayer Public Library on the 3rd floor. All are welcome! SEPAC is a great resource to ask questions about student support, special education services, and what is available in the community for all students. The kickoff meeting is a perfect opportunity to share what you would like to know more about and help steer the programming for the year! Events this Week  -   Extracurricular Clubs South Garden Club meets tomorrow after school. See Ms. Clark or Ms. McKinnies with any questions. All are welcome! This Thursday, there will be an informational meeting for any student interested in participating in the Spring Musical. Whether you want to audition for a major part or a spot in the Chorus, help out backstage on Tech Crew, or support the audience on Lobby Crew, there's a role for anyone who's interested! Find out more after dismissal this Thursday, 10/2, in the Cafeteria. South's Running Club st...

If you are considering applying to a private school, please read the following information from South's Guidance Department: Pay attention to due dates!  Make sure you know each of your school's deadlines and communicate with South staff as needed  well in advance!  If you are applying to private school, students must fill out this Request Form: Mandatory  Recommendation Request  -  School Report Questionnaire To access application materials/portal, parents/guardians should go to the website of the school they are interested in: Most schools use Ravenna for applications, recommendations, and transcript uploading, so parents need to create an account Make sure that you enter your child's current school (South) and the correct email for their counselor Meghan Thomas --  meghan.thomas @braintreeschools.org ; 781.380.0160 x4036 Grade 5: Last names beginning with A-L Grades 6, 7, 8: Last names beginning with A-J Laura Rior...

This Thursday is our first Early Dismissal Day of the new school year. Middle schools dismiss at 11:45 AM. We follow a shortened-block schedule, so students should plan on seeing every class for a shorter period of time than usual. Lunch is not served in school on early dismissal days, but breakfast is still available free of charge. A complimentary school lunch can be ordered to go; these "Grab & Go" lunches must be ordered in advance at the Food Services website-- use this link! --and your child needs to pick up their lunch in the Main Office on their way out at dismissal.  SCHOOL PHOTOS Don't forget to pre-order your school photos online! Pre-ordering closes at 7:00 AM tomorrow, so this is your last chance to get the best prices on photo packages! Go to  www.HaywardPhotography.com  and enter school code SMSF25 to order. Photo retakes will be scheduled later this fall if you missed picture day or are unsatisfied with your portrait. DC TRIP FUNDRAISER -  SOUTH E...

Folks have been asking about the traffic restrictions around South this week. Please see the attached notification that went to area homes in the past few days. Specific information has been hard to come by, but thank goodness for the forgetfulness of whichever student left this behind on a table this morning! So, it's safe to expect traffic restrictions impacting our campus at least through the end of next week. There is always the possibility that filming will be extended. I will share any relevant updates as soon as I am able. TRAFFIC AT SOUTH In the meantime, we have established a good routine for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up traffic. There is still a backup right at the time of arrival and dismissal, but the crossing guards are living up to their official title as traffic supervisors and moving vehicles speedily and safely on and off campus.  Please be patient;  the traffic dissipates quickly and every driver has the same goals-- get in & out quickly and kee...