Building Bridges to the Future
R.W. BLAKE ACADEMY
Principal: Mrs. Sybille Oldham -Jackson
Assistant Principals: Mrs. Sealey
Mrs. Rachael Tedder
May / June 2017
Mrs. Oldham’s Corner
It’s hard to believe that we are down to our last month
of school already. This year has just flown by. Our kids
have grown both physically and academically. I am so
proud of the goals they are reaching. Thank you for all
you do to support the teachers and the learning
process. Please take note of the calendar events for the
month to support our students.
Safety Info
All visitors to Blake Academy must present their
picture identification to gain access to the campus.
Thank you for your help keeping our kids safe!
Upcoming Dates:
May 29
Holiday—No School
May 2
Interims go home
May 4
TNL—S’more
Summer Fun
6:00 pm
May 9
Spring Band Concert,
Branscomb
Auditorium
7:00 p.m.
May 11
Spring Fine Arts
Concert
6:00 p.m.
Blake Cafeteria
May 12
Middle School Dance
6-8 pm
Coming Soon for 2017-2018 School year:
SchoolKidz Supply Pack Ordering!
Good News!
Blake will be participating in the SchoolKidz Supply Pack
Program for the 2017-2018 school year! One stop
shopping for ALL grade level school supplies!
Information will be posted to the Blake Academy website
and Facebook Pages in the next few weeks!
June 2
Last Day of School
Keep Reading!
May 16
Kindergarten
Showcase
May 17
Early Dismissal
12:15 pm
May 23
Volunteer Luau
Reception
5:30-6:30 pm
Media Center
May 25
SAC Mtg 5 pm &
The Stars are out at
Blake 6-7 pm
2017-2018 School
Year
August 8
Orientation Day
August 10
First Day of School
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R.W. Blake Academy
Disney Dreamer and Doer Award Winner
Congratulations to Breyanna Robinson, an eighth grader at Blake Academy, who won a Disney
Dreamers and Doers award for her contributions to Adira’s Angels, a Blake service project. Breyanna
and other members of the Blake Crochet Club, crochets and donates baby blankets, hats, scarves
Teddy Bears and baby booties to hospitals for premature babies. According to Mrs. Hart, “She is a
fantastic young lady who continues to learn and grow within an art form that is not often
acknowledged, especially by young people. More importantly, she is growing her soul and self
through this charitable work. It is absolutely inspiring that a young person devotes this much time
and effort to their craftsmanship and art, all the while knowing that they are going to donate their
pieces to others just to bring them a bit of love and hope. She is bringing so much support into the
world, and she likely doesn’t even understand the extent to which her donations help those in need.”
Breyanna won a four park pass for four family members. She also received a special medal (which
she plans on wearing on the day that she goes to Disney) and a certificate. She told Mrs. Hart that
this achievement had her mother “cry happy tears.”
Please join the Blake Academy Staff in congratulating Breyanna on this work of heart!
Yearbook and Newspaper News
Year book Distribution Information:
Monday May 22- Regular Pre-Order Yearbooks will be distributed. All split payment balances MUST BE PAID
prior to receiving a yearbook.
Tuesday, May 23- Absent students that preordered books may get their books. Waiting List students will be
notified if any extra books are available. 8-10 am
Wednesday, May 24- Waiting List students may pick up books with payment of $40.00, cash/money order. 810am
Thursday and Friday, May 25 and 26- Remaining yearbooks, if any, will be sold. 8-10am
Monday, May 30- Yearbook Signing Celebration for Middle School only, 3rd period. Must have a current year’s
yearbook to attend. We will not sell any yearbooks until 10 am this day.
Please visit the Journalism page on the Blake Academy website for a yearbook and yearbook ad order form for
2017-2018. Print it or email it to [email protected]!
Also, yearbooks for 2017-2018 are only $25.00 until the end of the year!
If you are interested in reserving ad space for next year (especially new 8th graders), please see Mrs.
Wetherington before June or at the very beginning of the school year. The family ad space goes VERY
QUICKLY! We also NEED business to commit to buying ads! Your ads help us keep the cost of the
yearbook down for all students!
A few have already reserved ad space!
Email Mrs. Wetherington at [email protected] if you are interested in ad space!
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R.W. Blake Academy
Video News
Congratulations to our Blake Academy ITV students! Blake did very well in the video awards this year!
The middle school was nominated in 9 out of 10 categories. They took home two first place awards, in the
Technical Category and Middle School Female Announcer, as well as the most improved award. The
elementary team also did very well with nominations in 5 out of 10 categories.
Art News
Jacqueline Bui has had her artwork titled "Butterflies and Roses" accepted for
the Art Out Loud Exhibition at the Polk Museum of Art. Her artwork will be
on exhibit from May 27th - August 27th. Congratulations Jacqueline!
Also, this Thursday at 6:00 will be Blake Academy's K-8 Art show in the cafeteria
to show off the works of our artists!
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R.W. Blake Academy
Title I Tidbits
Busy Parents helping Busy Kids: Involve your children in the things you have to do anyway.
In this way, everyone wins. The household jobs get finished, and your children gain self‐
confidence by successfully completing tasks.
Talk! Talk! Talk!
While running errands, turn off your car radio and spend time talking with your children.
Talk about what’s happening at school. Talk about your job. You can even point out street
signs or talk about how to drive a car as you’re driving along.
Book A Trip
Always take along some good books to read with your children while waiting for
appointments at the doctor’s office or other places.
Laundering Ideas
Teach your children how to do laundry. Young children can separate dark and light‐colored
clothing. Older children can thoroughly sort the clothes, measure the detergent, and start
the washer. Children can put clothes in the dryer and put their clothes together too! Keep
the conversation open so your child has the opportunity to talk with you about subjects of
her/his choice.
Groceries Galore
If you need to prepare a grocery list, instead of asking your child what she/he would like
you to buy, have them make a grocery list. Your child may need your help with spelling
some of the items, but it’s a great way to practice writing, spelling, and organizational skills.
An extension of this activity would be to have your child create her/his own recipe for
favorite food combinations.
Math Meals
Another math skill you can work on in the kitchen is measurement. When preparing dinner,
let your child use the measuring cups and spoons to help you add the ingredients. If the
recipe calls for one cup, ask your child how much is needed if you are going to double the
recipe or cut the recipe in half. There are so many fun ways to practice basic math skills and
eat too!
(adapted from Florida PIRC; www.floridapirc.usf.edu)
Lost and Found Items
Is your child missing their jacket? We have many lost coats,
sweaters, and shirts in the Lost and Found. We invite you to stop in
and look for any missing items.
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R.W. Blake Academy
Counselor’s Corner
No one has an inherent desire to obey—to be told what to do—not even children. However, when responsibility is
promoted, obedience follows as a natural by-product.
Of course, learning how to promote responsibility in others takes practice and patience. Going from the mindset of
imposing discipline to one of promoting positivity, offering choices, and asking reflective questions takes time. No
matter how long you’ve been parenting, teaching or supervising, making the switch to the new methodology will be
fraught with ups and downs. The key is to be persistent.
To illustrate how unrealistic it is to expect yourself to make an overnight transformation in your approach, consider
this story:
A rich woman walked up to the golf pro at an expensive resort and said, “I’d like for you to teach my friend here
how to play golf.”
“Fine,” said the pro, “but how about you?”
“Oh, I learned yesterday!” she replied.
I share this rather humorous story with you to illustrate that learning to promote responsibility in others—rather
than obedience—is something like learning to play golf. You can’t master it all in one day. But I can tell you that,
like golf, prompting people to act responsibly by focusing on the three principles mentioned above is a skill you can
learn and master.
Volunteer Reception
Please join us as we celebrate volunteers
Blake Academy Volunteer Reception
on Tuesday, May 23rd
from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m.
in the Blake Academy Media Center
Lakeland, Florida
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R.W. Blake Academy