Briscoe Middle School
7 Sohier Road
Beverly MA 01915
978-921-6103
978-927-7781 fax

Matthew P. Poska, Principal
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Jorge Goncalves, Assistant Principal
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Jack Hughes, Assistant Principal
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Faculty E-Mails 2009-2010

Welcome to the Briscoe Middle School website! Located at 7 Sohier Road, we are conveniently situated near Route 128 and Route 62. Our school was constructed in 1923 as the new Beverly High School. In 1965, our facility became Briscoe Junior High School and eventually Briscoe Middle School. Our school building is rich in tradition and beautiful architecture, unmatched in recent construction. Particularly striking are the grand foyer and auditorium, which was modeled after Boston Symphony Hall!

Our school-wide focus is to build a strong, challenging, academic program enhanced by interdisciplinary teaching while building a solid sense of self-responsibility and community awareness. Students are expected to demonstrate high levels of achievement while maximizing their many strengths and talents.

We currently have a student body of 1009. Each grade level (6 – 8) is divided into 3 teams for the academic subjects of math, science, social studies, and English. In addition, we offer French, German, and Spanish as world languages in grades 7 & 8. Our expressive arts program includes art, music, health, computers, wellness, physical education, writing, and technology. Band and chorus programs are also present at each grade level. Our library-media center is fully automated and contains twelve computers with Internet access for student use. We also have a state-of-the-art computer lab with 30 computers for teacher and student use.

All of our students’ diverse learning needs are addressed through our many student support programs. We have classes for students with learning disabilities, language-based disabilities, developmental delays, and behavioral disorders. We have the Opportunity Program, which helps students with anxiety, transition issues, or emotional concerns. We also have a fully included ESL (English as a Second Language) program.

Briscoe is proud to offer a variety of activities and sports. Student government, yearbook, math team, the National Junior Honor Society, and intramural sports are a few of the clubs students can take part in after school.

In addition, Briscoe has a very active PTO. This dedicated group of parents is responsible for all major fundraising, providing money for enrichment programs for all students as well as for field trips and to supplement classroom supplies for teachers. Communication with our families is done through a PTO newsletter as well as a bi-weekly newsletter from the office, “Homeward Bound”. The PTO also works closely with the School Council to support the academic goals of the school.

Our School Council meets monthly to discuss the academic interests within our school. This year, the Council will be concentrating on ways to improve our MCAS mathematics scores. We have created a specialized MCAS math class as one way to address this issue. Our second goal is to continue to build a safe and caring school environment for all students. We encourage parents to join us and to offer their suggestions!

If you have any questions or would like to visit Briscoe, please contact me at 978-921-6103, ext. 118. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Matthew P. Poska
Principal