Upper School Updates - Dec. 30, 2022

Dear Upper School Parents and Guardians,

REVELS was amazing! I’m so proud of our Upper School students. The readers, soloists, chorus, steel drummers, and handbell players were excellent. There is a lingering feeling of joy in these halls, and I hope you feel that as you start winter break. Below are some updates and announcements in our last Upper School Update of the year.

Samson Strolls: I visited 8th Grade Spanish with Ms. Gustaferro two weeks ago. Please click here to learn more about the class. So far, I've covered each grade in a different subject- (each linked in my bi-weekly updates in Heron Hub). If there is something you would like to see next semester, please email me!

Steep Days Brainstorm: During our last week of school, Upper School students chose a specific program led by our faculty and “steep” themselves in something outside the Brookwood curriculum. The goals of the program are to transcend “school as usual” by providing a deeply immersive and enriching learning experience for students and to allow teachers and students to share their passions, explore an area of established or potential interest, connect in new ways, and pilot initiatives that could be incorporated into future curriculum. This year Steep Days are June 12 - June 14, and we are wondering if you have any ideas to support the program.

• Do you work in an organization that would allow student visitors to learn about your industry?

• Could Upper School students provide a service to help your organization?

• Thanks in advance for any ideas and/or suggestions you might have!

Please ask your student about:

5th Grade:

Literacy/Social Studies: How does Remember the Titans compare to Hidden Figures? What can we learn from these films about marginalization and the cycle of oppression?

Writing: How have I been revising my personal narrative?

Math: What are equivalent fractions? How can finding equivalent fractions help me to order fractions from least to greatest?

Science: Scientists completed their presentations on water testing and then created their own “page” for the book “We Are Water Protectors.” Their words and imagery were quite powerful!

French: Putting together sentences with more details.

Wellness:

• 5B enjoyed Yoga Day

• while both classes came together to talk about the brain and mindfulness, focusing on the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus. Ask your students what “flipped my lid” means and how to illustrate it with their hands!

6th Grade:

Math: How I did graphing pictures in the Coordinate Plane

Science: How hurricanes and tornadoes are similar or different!

World Cultures: Ask me why diamonds (which are not essential for life) are so expensive while water (which is) is practically free.

Spanish: How I put together many elements of what we have learned to create an introduction booklet with things that make me who I am.

Music: how excited we are to perform for all families at Revels! :)

French: Subject Pronouns and how they are used with verbs

Wellness:

• Yoga Day was fantastic with some energizing poses and fun partner poses; we ended the practice mindfully listening to their class playlist compiled of songs that make the students feel calm or energized.

• Mindfulness + Gratitude - the science of gratitude, the brain, and mindfulness using our five senses; the GRATITUDE Wall

• Completion of the Quilt of Compassion + Self-Compassion

• Healthy snack - seed-based granola that was a hit! Conversations around fueling the body and mind and what this type of snack provides versus a plain bagel were interesting and engaging!

7th Grade:

Internet Literacy (Sect 7-3): Ask me about the results of my experiment to see if devices like an Amazon Echo, iPhone, Alexa, etc., are listening to our conversations at home!

History: Why it’s difficult to pass bills into laws in Congress

English: Story read-around!

Math ( Carbo): How to find rates and ratios. How to change units using cross canceling

Spanish: Talking about what people are doing and some common expressions using the verb “tener”

Math (Carver): use proportions to solve percent problems

Science: Mystery cell models

French: Ask me about my trip to a French speaking country! I can tell you about where I stayed, what museum I visited and what I ate.

Wellness:

• Yoga Day was fantastic with some energizing poses and fun partner poses; we ended the practice mindfully listening to their class playlist compiled of songs that make the students feel calm or energized.

• Mindfulness + Gratitude - the science of gratitude, the brain, and mindfulness using our five senses; the GRATITUDE Wall

• Completion of the Quilt of Compassion + Self-Compassion

• Healthy snack - a seed-based granola that was a hit! Conversations about fueling the body and mind and what this type of snack provides versus a plain bagel were interesting and engaging!

8th Grade:

English: Final Anne Frank Essay

History: Has the Modern Revolution been primarily positive or negative?

French: Putting together multi-clause sentences with connecting words.

Spanish: Learning to read and watch the news in Spanish, creating my own newscast

Science: Balancing chemical equations

Math (section 1): how to find all acceptable values in a tolerance problem

Math (section 2): how to translate a function on the coordinate plane

Music: Practicing for Revels and refining our lines for Mary Poppins.

Wellness:

• Mindful Tasting: pineapple, baby kale; 3-4-6 breath

• Mindfulness + Emotions; 4-7-8 breath; and a healthy snack of spicy seed mix made up of pepitas, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds

Personal Growth and Development (PGD) Class in the Upper School:

Every Wednesday, the Upper School students are in a PGD lesson guided by their advisors and teachers. These lessons are specific actions we take as a school as we work towards meeting the goals outlined in the Statement of Commitment. Our lessons are mainly adopted from Learning for Justice. So far this year, the classes have explored the various parts of our identities, different types of families, intersectionality, privilege, and oppression. Please ask your students about the conversations they are having in PGD classes.

Save the Date: Friday, January 27 - 7th and 8th Grade Winter Dance

Hope you’ve had a great break!

Dave