Important Dates |
- 2/20 - 24th - Winter Break
|
|
|
|
Dear fellow BHS families,
We hope second semester has started well for you. The second half of the year goes quickly, filled with seniors transitioning to life beyond BHS, juniors and sophomores planning to maximize their time at the school, and freshmen settling into their place in the community.
For the PTO, spring is time to look ahead to next year and the people who will fill our board. We have a number of open positions, ranging from class representatives to co-president. We hope you’ll consider joining us to work on established and new efforts to strengthen the home-school partnership, support engaging academic and co-curricular life, and make BHS a more nurturing environment for all students.
If you’re interested in learning more about a specific role or the work of the PTO board, please email us at copresidents.bhs.pto@gmail.com. We’d love for you to join us.
Best,
Carin and Jennie
BHS co-presidents
|
|
|
|
|
FOPA (Friends of Performing Arts)
Chamber Music Festival
February 7, 7:30 pm
22 Tappan Theater
All-Town Chorus Concert
February 8th and 9th, 7:00 pm
Robert’s/Dubbs Auditorium
For more information on shows and tickets please visit our website at www.brooklinefopa.org.
Friends of Performing Arts (FoPA) is a volunteer parent group that works directly with faculty to provide support for some needs and program enhancements that are not covered by the Public Schools of Brookline budget. FoPA grants have helped purchase new equipment, bring visiting artists, or fund other performance needs.
These grants can be offered only thanks to your ongoing support, and today, we would like to invite you to join us in making a donation in support of the Performing Arts programs at Brookline High. Every gift received between today and Friday February 10th at midnight will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $2,900 thanks to special donations made by our committee of FoPA volunteers.
|
|
EDUCATOR APPRECIATION IDEA
Do you want to show your appreciation for your students' favorite BHS adults? Why not buy them a gift card to BHS' own student-run restaurant, Tappan Green? They can pick up a coffee or a snack during the day, and you'll be supporting the excellent programming behind the Restaurant. Makes an excellent Valentine's Day gift for that special educator! Click HERE!
MESSAGE FROM B-PEN (Brookline Parent Education Network)
HEADS-UP ON PARTY CULTURE
Do you really know where your kids are going? We are hearing that there are parties in Brookline most weekends with alcohol, weed, and occasionally other substances. It's never too early to have discussions with kids about how to handle drugs and alcohol. What are your family's values, expectations, consequences, and most importantly safety? Who is their sober ride home? (Parents should consider having an “I’ll pick you up, no questions asked tonight” policy to keep them safe and address it tomorrow.) B-PEN recommends this helpful info, and some parents may find these videos useful for conversation starters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
ACE PROGRAM APPLICATION PROCESS
This week, ACE (www.ACEHighSchoolYourWay.com) is officially launching the application process for enrollment for next September 2023. ACE, is a small program within BHS students with a total of 55 students, grades 10-12, who feel they were be more intellectually satisfied and more academically successful in a non-traditional setting.
ACE provides a rigorous college-preparation pathway in which students are placed in multi-age classes based on their skill levels and can go at their own pace and graduate when they complete their content and skill competencies. Please check out the ACE website for more info.
If your child is interested in exploring ACE, they should email ACE Secretary:
Christine_Carruthers@psbma.org to attend an ACE information meeting and classroom visit which are mandatory steps in the application process.
Parents who are interested in learning more about ACE should attend an ACE
Parent Information Meeting on Wed. Feb. 15th from 6-7:30pm in the MLK room.
ACE Program Coordinator, Amy Bayer, and current ACE parents will talk about the program and answer questions that you may have. Applications must be submitted no later than Friday, March 3rd and will be considered on a first come, first serve basis.
ACE Program Coordinator, Amy Bayer, can be reached at Amy_Bayer@psbma.org for questions.
|
|
BROOKLINE EDUCATORS FOR EDUCATIONAL DIVERSITY NETWORKING EVENT
The Brookline Educators for Educational Diversity (BEED) team is hosting their annual recruiting/networking on Wednesday, 2/8, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Golden Temple Restaurant. Educators of all backgrounds, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions are invited to join our community for tasty refreshments and riveting conversation. Parents and guardians, please help spread the word! RSVP Here.
SWS (School Within a School) APPLICATIONS OPEN
The SWS admissions process is now open! Please take the opportunity to see if SWS could be a good fit.
School Within a School, located on the fourth floor of BHS, is an alternative, democratic community for a diverse group of approximately 115 sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Goals for students include taking as much responsibility for their education as possible, sharing decision-making in running SWS, and contributing to building a caring community. For over 50 years, SWS has provided students with the opportunity to participate actively as leaders in their own educations and develop meaningful relationships with teachers based on mutual respect. Admission to SWS is based on a lottery, the criteria of which are determined by the SWS Town Meeting. In addition to Town Meeting, SWS students take at least two classes in the program, including English. They take the rest of their classes in the mainstream of BHS. More information about the program, and the admissions process, can be found at swsbrookline.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
BROOKLINE TEEN CENTER FEBRUARY VACATION WEEK
BTC is hosting a variety of workshops in basketball, music, and technology for middle and high school students for the week of February break. For a complete list of programs and times, or to sign up please click HERE. Discounts and scholarships are available, if needed.
BROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - AFTER ARPA
The BCF is hosting a webinar After ARPA: Strengthening Brookline's Care Infrastructure on Feb. 9th, at 5:00pm . This $44 million dollar infusion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has been vital for Town government and nonprofit organizations supporting crucial community needs like early education access, affordable housing, emergency assistance, and new programming and roles that are helping address disparities widened during the pandemic. But what happens after this critical infusion of resources no longer exists? Please register for the webinar HERE.
GREENZINE BROOKLINE, CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
We are excited to launch the Winter '23 issue of GreenZine Brookline, a K-12 online magazine that offers students, staff and parents of the Brookline Schools community a forum for news, opinion and creative expression about climate change, outdoor education, the environment, and the natural world. We are accepting submissions for our Winter issue until March 3, 2023. Please see our submission guidelines here and submit here.
GreenZine Brookline is run collectively by PSB faculty, parents/caregivers and students. We publish new content three times a year. Questions or ideas? Write us at: greenzinebrookline@gmail.com.
|
|
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
The School Committee will be meeting on Thursday February 9, 2023, at 6:00 PM. Watch Remotely: Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) will broadcast live out to the cable channels and online via live stream at www.brooklineinteractive.org/live .
Meeting Documents and Zoom Links are available on the PSB Website.
SAVE THE DATE
'Banned in Boston' is back, live and in person! Thursday, April 27th, 2023 at 6:00pm at Roadrunner, 89 Guest Street, Boston. Save the date for the original musical and comedy benefit in support of Rehearsal for Life's creative youth development programs.
MCLEAN HOSPITAL STUDY
Researchers at McLean Hospital are recruiting female teens who have been feeling depressed or down and female teens who are not feeling depressed or down to participate in a research study. Your teen can earn up to $299 and receive a picture of her brain.
This research study is conducted at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA. Teens will answer questions about their thoughts and feelings. Teens will also undergo an fMRI brain scan. Parent permission is required if under age 18. We are interested in how stress may influence an adolescent’s mood, decision making, and brain functioning. If your student is interested in learning more, please contact teenbrain@mclean.harvard.edu or call (617)-855-4173.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Find more info on Winter sports schedules HERE.
Find more info on the Performing Arts at BHS HERE.
|
|
|
|
Support BHS
The Brookline High School Parent Teacher Organization strengthens communications between school and home, supports teachers through grants, and sponsors community events throughout the year. Please get involved and thanks for your support!
|
|
|
|
|
|
