Important Dates |
- 9/26 - No School, Rosh Hashanah
- 10/5 - No School, Yom Kippur
- 10/6 - Back to School Night
- 10/10 - No School, Indigenous Peoples Day
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Dear Brookline High School Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers,
Welcome to the 2022-23 school year and to the PTO Weekly Blast. Within the Blast you will find a great deal of information about myriad BHS events, issues, and initiatives. Every parent, guardian, caregiver, and educator is a member of our Brookline High School PTO. You are represented and supported by a large Executive Board that meets monthly. The PTO also raises and distributes over $60,000 of educator grants each year. These grants directly impact student learning, support, and experience.
Head of School Weekly Blast Messages, 2022-23
For most of my six years in this job, I have included messages in the Weekly Blast, celebrating a partner student event or accomplishment, previewing work we are undertaking at the high school, and generally trying to let you, our parent partners, know what’s happening beyond the BHS curtain. This year, I am going to pull back on the frequency of these messages. For the past several years, I have written separate weekly messages to students, staff, and families. Good communication is central to good home-school partnership. And the amount of time I spend on these messages needs to go to other aspects of my BHS work and to the family I leave behind as I pound out Sunday communications, ensconced in some coffee shop. All this to say that there will be fewer Weekly Blast messages from me this year. We will see how well I restrain myself from writing given the ritual and muscle memory of these communications.
9/6-9: Week One
For this past week, our first of 2022-23, I’d highlight the energy and excitement in and around the building. We had both ninth graders and more veteran students all join us for day one last Tuesday 9/6. While the weather wasn’t beautiful for our ninth graders to gather and process into the Ninth Grade Convocation, the BHS faculty and staff rained cheers of encouragement and welcome as advisories walked from the STEM Commons up the stairs and down the hall to the Robert and Dubbs Auditorium. As a staff, we aim to quickly reveal our eagerness to serve and support.
Wednesday 9/14
We will hold our enormous and energizing Club Fair on Wednesday during X-block. Over one hundred clubs will participate, encouraging students to learn more, join, and become involved. Unsolicited advice: most students do not respond well to parents directing them to particular clubs. Setting a general bar like learning about a club or attending a meeting or giving a club or two a try are all more palatable approaches.
2022-23 Weekly Schedule: Needed Changes, Simplification
We now settle into a couple full weeks (9/12-16 and 9/19-23) before we have three four-day weeks in a row for Rosh Hashanah (Mon 9/26), Yom Kippur (Wednesday 10/5), and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday 10/10). And here is a beautiful thing about this year: this week we shift to a simplified, weekly schedule that has a companion schedule for four day weeks. Please note that it includes information about which lunch students take based on the subject area of their lunch block class.
New parents and guardians should know that we have had a 10-day schedule for a few years that has been three different schedules nested together due to our major construction project and use of Old Lincoln School (OLS). Within the heart of the pandemic, during 2020-21, we must have had eleven different schedules responding to various modes, shifts, needs. Those days are over: BHS is reunited, and it feels so good. (Insert Seals and Croft video.)
See You Soon and Back to School Night
I look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming Warrior contests and events, including PTO class meetings, over the next couple weeks. Please make sure you have Back to School Night marked on your calendar for the evening of Thursday 10/6. BtSN has returned, and it is a central event in our home-school programming.
Most of all, please join me in being excited about this year. Our students are watching and listening to us as the adults and chief caregivers in their lives. They might not always say much, but young people are careful, critical observers of words and deeds. This is a key reason why I love working with adolescents; they are tough customers and generally awesome in their in-process-ness, humor, and smarts.
Sincerely,
Anthony
Anthony Meyer
Head of School
Brookline High School
Pronouns: He/Him/His
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PICTURE DAYS
BHS school ID pictures will be taken this week! ID's will be issued immediately. Ordering pictures is optional .... ID pictures are mandatory! SMILE!
GRADE 9: Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 12th and 13th, 8 am to 3 pm in the 22 TAPPAN Common area.
GRADES 10 THROUGH 12: Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 14th and 15th, 8 am to 3 pm in the Schluntz Gym
SENIOR PARENT GUIDANCE MEETING
BHS Guidance Department is holding Senior Parent Night on Wednesday, Sept. 14th at 6:30 PM. This will be a ZOOM Meeting. The link will be provided by the Guidance Department so watch for Darby's email on Monday. These meetings are usually recorded and links can be found on the Guidance Dept. web page in the days following the meeting.
AAPI BOOK FUNDRAISING DRIVE
Our Asian and Asian American students at Brookline High School are HUNGRY for BOOKS! Books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors. Books about AAPI stories and history.
Please join BAAFN (Brookline Asian American Family Network) in creating this "BIG EFFECT" in our community. We hope we can count on you to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for the AAPI Book Fund for BHS. The AAPI Book Collection is dedicated in honor of Ms. Lihua Zhang Shorter, beloved BHS Chinese Teacher who will be retiring this coming October. Thank you, Ms. Shorter, for giving our students so much love, guidance and inspiration for 25 years!
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FRIENDS OF BROOKLINE ROWING, Fall Season Tryout
Friends of Brookline Rowing offers a fall season program for new rowers. Fall rowing is a club sport independently supported by Friends of Brookline Rowing. Selected athletes will have the opportunity to learn the sport, develop their skills, and get an early start on training for the spring, high school rowing season.
Try-outs will be held at Brookline High School across from the front steps on Monday,
September 12th, after school from 3:30 pm until 5:30 pm or 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
To Register, please fill out this form:
Fall 22 Novice Rowing Registration
The form will add you to the tryout roster and allow us to provide you with more information as the day gets closer. No experience is needed. Please wear athletic clothes and running shoes. Bring water and have a mask. If you have any questions contact either of the novice coaches, Philip Kenney
(philipkenney42@gmail.com) (boys team) or Libby Boghossian (libby.boghossian@gmail.com)
(girls team) with questions.
THE SAGAMORE SUBSCRIPTION INFO
Brookline High School's student-run, nonprofit newspaper, The Sagamore, is planning to produce regularly-printed paper issues for the 2022-2023 school year. Subscriptions allow issues of the paper to be widely available to the entire student body, faculty members and parents. Subscriptions of $30 would be greatly appreciated and would ensure that each issue arrives at your doorstep with the latest community news. You can subscribe HERE. Thank you!
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SENIOR COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING WORKSHOP - OCT. 2ND
Registration for The Senior College Essay Writing Workshop is LIVE! The workshop will take place on Sunday, October 2, 2022, at BHS from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 pm. This is a traditional BHS event open to BHS seniors at every stage of their college essay process. Students will have the chance to work with BHS teachers and parent/adult volunteers to move from ideas, to outlines, editing, and finished essays for their college applications. Please note that only seniors may participate. Click HERE to register.
We are also looking for parent/adult volunteers now to fill several roles. We encourage parents who have children in all grades to come join the crew. We are principally looking for folks who would be interested in the following roles (we usually have more than one person in each role):
1. Event day registration and logistics;
2. Parent/adults who are writers, editors, or are comfortable assisting students with writing.
If you are interested in these roles (or have other questions), please contact Liz Stillman ( estillman@suffolk.edu) or Beth Jones ( beth.jones7@gmail.com).
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B-PEN (Brookline Parent Education Network) BACK TO SCHOOL INFO
For kids as well as parents, the “back to school” transition is one of life’s most anticipated – whether with anxiety, eager excitement, or a little of both. And most of us are still feeling a lot of uncertainty – from the day-to-day challenges of new schools/classrooms/teachers/peers to the bigger issues of today’s complicated world. Families will do well to take a deep collective breath before diving in, and as we go, keep social/emotional health front and center. Brookline Parent Education Network (B-PEN) can help. B-PEN’s “Transitions” page offers a wide variety of tip sheets and resources to help families get off to a good start.
FOPA (Friends of Performing Arts) - JOIN US!
You are invited to become a part of the Friends of Performing Arts at Brookline High School. Families, faculty and administrators work together to support and advance performing arts activities at the high school through event assistance, grants and outreach.
Why volunteer? Because over 650 students engage with and benefit from the vibrant curriculum and performance opportunities at BHS, and they rely on parents to partner with them in a wide range of artistic pursuits. Plus, it’s a fun way to meet other parents and contribute to the creative culture at BHS!
For more information about FoPA at Brookline High, or to volunteer, please contact Florrie Ives at brooklinefopa@gmail.com, or visit our website HERE. |
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BROOKLINE PORCHFEST - Sept 17th
Porchfest 2022 is next Saturday, September 17th. Enjoy this fun, family event and check out the website for participating locations and band schedules.
BROOKLINE DAY -Sept 18th
The inaugural Brookline Day was first held in 2012. After a two-year hiatus, we invite you to join us for Brookline Day 2022 in Coolidge Corner (please note the new location)!
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2022
Time: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Location: Coolidge Corner
Complete details are available HERE.
Brookline Day is a large community event that involves many Brookline Town agencies, businesses, and partners, and is headed by the Brookline Recreation Department. This year is going to be our biggest and best year yet! We are planning the best vendors, games, inflatables, trucks, food, face painters, bands, prizes, and special activities that we can find. We hope to see you soon!
SAT PREP COURSE OFFERED
Brookline Adult Education is offering a SAT College Prep course this fall on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8pm at BHS. For more information or to register, please visit Brookline Adult Education's website or call 617-730-2700.
TEAM BROOKLINE
Apply to run the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023, with Team Brookline! Applications are due October 15th.
The Brookline Education Foundation is still seeking individuals to run to support Brookline teacher professional development. If you are interested and want to learn more about Team Brookline, please email elizabeth_ascoli@brooklineeducation.org for more information. You can also find more info on the Team Brookline website.
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BHS INNOVATION FUND GALA-RAMA
Save the Date for the Fund's annual GALA-RAMA, on Thursday 11/3/22 from 7-10pm at the Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co. in Boston (Fenway). Festivities will include: Open bar, fun food, ping-pong, billiards, shuffleboard, auction, and more. Help the Innovation Fund raise funds to invest in new academic programs at BHS and celebrate with BHS Faculty.
INNOVATION FUND EVENT FOR 9TH GRADE PARENTS
Meet, Mingle, and Discover More about BHS
The BHS Innovation Fund invites you to the 9th Grade Parent Wine & Cheese Social. Thursday, September 29, 5:30-7:30pm at the Hemlock Grill/Robert T. Lynch Municipal Golf Course, 1281 West Roxbury Parkway in Chestnut Hill. Meet Head of School Anthony Meyer and faculty members, mingle with Innovation Fund volunteers and fellow parents, and learn about the Fund's critical work and how you can get involved. Beer/Wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be served at this free event. Register today! Space is limited.
STUDENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNTY - SUN. SEPT 18
We need lots of volunteers for the second annual Baker School Flamingo Festival! Get your community service hours in early at a fun festival where you'll supervise activities, help set up, sell food, etc... All volunteers get a Flamingo Festival T-Shirt and free lemonade! Sign up here.
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Find more info on Fall sports schedules HERE.
Find more info on the Performing Arts at BHS HERE.
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Support BHS
The Brookline High School Parent Teacher Organization is committed to supporting important communications between school and home. It sponsors a variety of events each year designed to show support of the school and to keep parents informed about how to help their children make the most of the BHS experience.
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