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Dear Upper School Parents and Guardians,
We had a fabulous start to May with home lacrosse games with strong school spirit, a 7th-grade scavenger hunt in Boston, a 5th-grade arcade full of games the 5th graders had created in Changemaking, and an outstanding Declamation. During declamation, it was amazing to see the development of 5th graders to 8th graders declaiming their poems on our stage and then see three Brookwood alums as judges return to the Brookwood stage naming the 2023 winners. May is full of events, and I’ll try to keep you updated on what is happening on One Brookwood Road as we embark on the last month of school.
ERBS: Next week, we begin ERBS at Brookwood. Please read this letter to learn more about these standardized tests.
SAMSON STROLLS: I visited 6th Grade French. Please click here to learn more about the class. If there is something you would like to see this semester, please email me!
Please ask your students about:
5th Grade:
Math: Ask me about multiplying and dividing fractions and decimals.
Literacy: Ask me about how Kek, our eternal optimist, managed a great struggle and found joy in the end.
Social Studies: Ask me about the sacrifices that had to be made, to both land and people, to start a new life in our colonization simulation.
Science: Crafting a scientific claim with supporting evidence and a conclusion that sums things up.
Wellness: (5A) What acts of self-compassion did I come up with to comfort myself when I am sad or suffering in some way?
Spanish: (Ruiz, Gustaferro) Ask me about the Spanish-speaking country I am
researching.
French: Ask me about the details of the Francophone countries that we have been studying.
Art: Ask me about how I created my “Tree of Life” drawing
6th Grade:
Math: Square Roots and Pythagorean Theorem
Geo: What sustainable goal target did I choose to research?
Science: How does a star begin its life?
Wellness: Ask me about my drawing/painting of a healthy relationship and what the colors reflect about the relationship.
Spanish: Ask me about the book I am reading in class and what I know about Carlos.
Music: Which is most difficult: Lyrics, Melody, or Chords, and why?
French: Claude’s dilemma in La Leçon de Chocolat, the book we are reading in class.
Art: Ask me about how I am using one and two-point perspectives in my urban landscape drawing
7th Grade:
Math ( Carbo): Volumes and Surface Areas
Math (Carver): how many different arrangements can be made from a set of things
History: How a lack of power in government led the South to secede from the Union.
Science: If two parents have brown hair and dark eyes, how can the next generation of humans have light hair and blue eyes?
Internet Literacy (Sect. 2 only): How I use my amazing search skills and understanding of DNS (Domain Name System) to tell the truth from lies online!
Wellness: Ask me about how I expressed and illustrated my emotions in “a day at school” and reflect on emotional patterns and regulation strategies to improve the feelings that affect my learning.
French: Ask me about the book I am reading in class and what I have learned about Côte D’Ivoire through reading it.
Spanish: Ask me about how I can talk about my daily routines
English: Ghosts or no ghosts in Long Way Down
Art: Ask me about how my lino-cut is coming along and about what colors I am using to create my set of prints
8th Grade:
History: What role do I have for the Mock Trial?
Math (section 1): what a quadratic function is
Math (section 2): how to complete the square to solve a quadratic function
English: Podcast scripts
Spanish: Ask me about writing a story in the past tense and how I can use two different past tenses now
Science: Making a beaker disappear and a coin reappear using the properties of light.
Music: My thoughts on my classical piece of music I’m studying.
French: What a Prix Fixe menu is.
Art: Ask me about how my Altered book is coming along and what am I thinking about doing for my Capstone project.
May 17 - Brookwood’s Day of Silence: The Day of Silence is a student-led national event that typically takes place in April. This year the date was during Student Led Conferences, so we moved it to May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. The Rainbow Connection affinity group is leading the event, and the goal is to draw attention to the impact of bullying and harassment on LGBTQ+ students. During the day, students can choose to participate in the Day of Silence for the school day to symbolize the effect of bullying on LGBTQ+ individuals, this we understand is a huge and challenging commitment. Students can also be supporters of the event and not participate. The Day of Silence has been observed annually since 1996 and is a powerful symbol of solidarity and support for LGTBQ+ students and their allies. We will be discussing this with the students next week.
Save the Dates:
6th Grade Sleepout - June 1 (New Date) We are excited to announce that the much-loved, Brookwood tradition, the 6th Grade Sleepover, has moved from June 8 to June 1. More details will come soon, but please save the date.
Steep Days: June 12 - June 14: During the last week of school Upper School students will experience three steep days where students and faculty “steep” themselves in something outside the Brookwood curriculum. In Mid May, we will share the offerings with students and begin the sign-up process. More details are coming soon…
Articles and Resources:
Please see this important article on self-compassion relating to children. The article contains excellent advice for caregivers as we model behavior for our students and children.
Enjoy the Weekend and I look forward to Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day Next Week!
-Dave
