The Bulldog's Woof

This morning, we discovered a litter of six fox kits in front of the school building. We contacted Braintree's Animal Control officer, who reassured us that their behavior is perfectly normal for this time of year. I am alerting families because it is important to speak with your kids about leaving wildlife alone.  Do not feed the kits or they may not leave the den as they are naturally supposed to do. Do not try to pick up or touch a wild animal! Stay aware of your surroundings, especially if waiting before or after school. If an animal approaches, it is probably just curious, and a loud noise should be enough to scare it off. Stay on the marked walkways and sidewalks. These kits are  incredibly  cute, but we need all members of the community to cut them a wide berth. About 8 weeks old now, they are starting to emerge from the den and explore on their own. Within days, they will leave the den and establish their own territories, probably in the many wooded areas around t...

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...

With the first full week back in school under our belts, and almost halfway through the second cycle of our rotating school schedule, it almost feels like we never had a summer vacation. Everyone is getting settled into the routine of new classes, new teachers, and new rules and expectations. With each week, we'll be getting more and more into the flow of the normal school year. Keep your eye out for extracurricular activities and clubs you may want to join! BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT Next  Thursday, 9/18 , South will open our doors for  Back to School Night  from  6:30-8:00 PM . Parents, guardians, and all adult caregivers are invited to come to the school to meet your child(ren)'s teachers and learn about the classes and curriculum. This event is "open house" style, so caregivers can drop in to see teachers anytime throughout that hour-and-a-half window; you do not have scheduled times to see the teachers.  This event is not intended for students. Please print your ...

  A few quick notes from South: South Student Council is hosting our annual  Costume Contest tomorrow!  Students are encouraged to bring in a donation of $1-5 to support the Marge Crispin Center while sporting your Halloween costumes! Judges will consider a variety of categories, such as scariest, best DIY, best group, and more. Photo retakes will be Wednesday morning, 11/1.  If you ordered a photo package but want the portrait retaken, be sure to bring your original photos back to exchange them. If you missed the first photo day this fall, be ready to get your picture taken on Wednesday! Next Tuesday, there will be no school for Election Day.  If your polling place is South, voting will be held down back in our new gymnasium.  Don't forget to  Dine Out at Papa Gino's  on that day to support the South PTO!  The South PTO will host an  Election Day Bake Sale  outside the polling place. You can support the PTO in a variety of ways: Dr...

  Today is an Early Release Day with dismissal at 11:45am for middle schools. There will be no afterschool events while teachers attend a professional development workshop.  Tomorrow 10/26 is the  final day  to order South Gear from our online shop!  Go to  the South Spirit Wear Online Store  and order; your items will be delivered straight to your home  in time for the holidays .  School Photo Retake Day will be November 1st !  Any students who missed the first photo day or were not satisfied with your first photo will have the opportunity to have Hayward Photographers take your photo next Wednesday morning.  If you ordered a photo package and want a retake, make sure to bring the original photos with you to exchange them! Next Tuesday, 10/31, Student Council is hosting a  Costume Contest . Participation is voluntary, but all who are interested can show off your spooky creativity!  Please leave props at home & plan to...

Tomorrow is a  Day 4  at South Middle School. This means students will be meeting some of their half-cycle course teachers for the first time. All majors will meet as usual, while our 5th and 6th graders are getting used to the middle school schedule rotation. (I will send out a digital  Days of the Cycle  calendar later this week; the paper-based version is attached on ParentSquare.)  SCHOOL PHOTOS - Friday, September 15 In ParentSquare, please find the order form for South Middle School’s Picture Day scheduled for Friday, September 15th 2023 during the school day. All the instructions are on the form, as well as the pre-order school code.  ONLINE ORDERS ARE PREFERRED AND STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.  No forms need to be returned by parents/guardians.  The preorder option will be available through Wednesday, September 20th at 8:00am.  All print orders will be mailed directly to the home addresses provided at checkout. If parents do not order by the...

SAFETY DRILL South Middle School conducted a Lockdown Drill this morning, in accordance with the Braintree Public Schools’ districtwide procedures for lockdowns and other security measures. These drills are carried out in order to practice our procedures for keeping the students and staff safe and secure in the event of a dangerous incident at school. South’s staff introduces security procedures with all students at the beginning of each school year, and then we review these procedures periodically so that students will know what to do in the event of a security announcement. Today’s drill lasted approximately 10 minutes while school staff and Braintree Police checked that the classrooms and school facility were secure. After that time, classrooms were unlocked and we returned to the regular schedule. ​  If you have any questions or concerns relating to this drill, please do not hesitate to contact the school at (781) 380-0160. We remain ever grateful for the support of the Braintr...