Important Dates |
- 11/8 - No School, Professional Day
- 11/11 - No School, Veterans Day
- 11/23 - Early Dismissal, 12:15pm
- 11/24-25 - No School, Thanksgiving
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Hi, Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers,
Keeping it Real with the Youths
I most want to focus this week's Blast submission on some terrific work one of my colleagues is doing. Before I delve into that, I want to acknowledge that we are likely seeing the impact of an increase in academic expectations from last year to this. While I wouldn’t describe BHS as completely normal, there is a return to greater normalcy after three years of pandemic impact. We also made some changes in our weekly schedule to create more predictability and simplicity. In the process, we increased the number of classes that meet each day and this then impacts homework and general workload.
I share all this so that we can enter conversations with our students understanding that they are probably tired - both physically and emotionally. School can seem a slog, especially when you are almost two months in with eight to go. Oy. This perspective-taking doesn’t change the tasks at hand for our kids - they have work to do, responsibilities to tend to, etc. - but it can help us parent the youth when we acknowledge that school probably feels relentless right now.
Spotlight on our BHS Innovation Fund Fellow, Keira Flynn Carson
One of the reasons I love leading this school is because I get the opportunity to support important, interesting, and thoughtful work by deeply committed educators. This week, I’d like to highlight the 2022-23 BHS Innovation Fund Fellow, Keira Flynn-Carson.
Keira has taught in SWS, as well as the English and Special Education Departments, for nearly twenty years. Last school year, Keira supported and advised our student-led SHARP Warrior team. SHARP (Sexual Harrassment/Assault Response and Prevention) began in the summer of 2020 when a group of our students raised concerns about how we address, educate, prevent, and support around incidents and issues relate to sexual assault, harassment, and rape culture.
The short story is that a group of students organized to collect and share deep concerns and asked to be part of the change. Thanks to a lot of wonderful support from BHS/PSB adults like Jenee Uttaro, Lisa Redding, Brian Poon, Summer Williams, Carlyn Uyenoyama, Darby Neff-Verre, Maria Letasz, Keira, and others, these deeply committed students have developed curricula and programming, led classroom and training activities, and generally worked to address issues within and improve our school climate and culture.
And, to be clear, while I wrote the above, Keira wrote the blurb below, choosing third person, perhaps, to sidestep kudos. She summarizes her focus as she digs into her tenure as our Innovation Fellow. Within the fellowship, Keira has a course release through the BHS Innovation Fund which allows her to devote time, brain-space, and energy to new ideas, partnerships, and multi-faceted innovation - curricular, programmatic, cultural, etc.
Keira’s Blurb:
SWS teacher Keira Flynn-Carson supports the SHARP Warriors, a student group leading BHS efforts to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault, and working to create a safer, more supportive school and community culture. The Innovation Fund is supporting Keira with a course release so that she can help develop curriculum, structures, partnerships, and the like that support SHARP work at BHS and potentially in the middle schools. Keira was one of the original designers and leaders of Advisory (circa 2008) and so brings deep knowledge, skills, and understanding to this and other partnerships we need to better support and institutionalize SHARP efforts.
Her goal for her time as the Innovation Fund Fellow is to pull together information on best practices in consent education from many different sources - Sex/Health educators (local, national, and international), Consent Law, Philosophy of Ethics, Psychology, Literature, Art, Film/TV - to create a central resource bank the district can use to train educators, to support students beyond their limited engagement with Health class, to empower students to prepare to take on peer education roles, and to create communities of people engaged in this work to lean on and/or call on when matters of consent come up, and to make recommendations to school and district leaders based on the research findings.
If you know anyone engaged in this work - especially in an educational setting - please reach out to Keira (keira_flynn-carson@psbma.org) with contact information or book/media recommendations.
BHS Innovation Fund Gala-Rama
You can support the culture of innovation at the high school by coming to next week’s BHS Innovation Fund Gala-Rama at Cheeky Monkey Brewing in the Fenway area. The Fund is most known for helping us create engaging and impactful courses and programs; in this case, it funds what teachers most need: time and space to think, create, and experiment.
Take care,
Anthony
Anthony Meyer
Head of School
Brookline High School
Pronouns: He/Him/His
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PARENT REP - BHS SCHOOL COUNCIL
Would you like to take an active part in developing BHS's School Improvement Plan? We invite you to run as a parent representative to BHS School Council, a state-mandated board that assists the Head of School in developing and implementing the annual School Improvement Plan. Click HERE for more detailed information about School Council. The group meets Nov-June from 7:30 -8:30am on the second Tuesday of each month (except in November when the meeting is Nov. 15).
This year we will elect two parent representatives to 2-year terms. Any parent/guardian of a BHS student is eligible to serve; representatives get elected by the full parent/guardian community.
If you are interested in serving as a parent representative to School Council, please prepare a short statement (no more than 150 words) addressing your interest in the position and what you bring to School Council. Please email your statement to copresidents.bhs.pto@gmail.com by Monday, Oct. 31 at 5pm. All BHS parents/guardians will be emailed the candidate statements and a link to online voting, which will close Monday, Nov. 7 at 11pm.
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PTO FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
Thank to everyone who donated in this first few weeks of our fundraising campaign. Your support allows the PTO to support programs and materials that enrich the curriculum, fund community and cultural events for all students. The PTO supports life at BHS in so many ways; no family goes untouched. It's not too late to donate!
Please click here to donate!
Over the coming weeks, on Instagram and Facebook, we’ll highlight some of the exciting programs and efforts that your dollars make possible - there’s so much to be proud of! Thank you for being part of the BHS PTO! You'll find links to the PTO social media accounts at the bottom of the Blast.
COME SEE THE 9th GRADE PLAY - OZ!
The performances will be in the new 22 Tappan Theater!
Oct. 26 at 3:30 PM
Oct. 27 & 28 at 7:30 PM
Oct. 29 at 3:30 & 7:30 PM
For more information and ticket please visit Friends of Performing Arts website at http://www.brooklinefopa.org/.
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GreenZine CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - FALL '22
We are excited to launch year two of GreenZine Brookline, a K-12 online magazine that offers students, staff and the Brookline Schools community a forum for news, opinion and creative expression about climate change, outdoor education, the environment, and the natural world. GreenZine Brookline provides students (and adults) a platform to amplify their voices and passion. We publish poetry, short stories, opinion, news and visual arts. We love to highlight class projects, student initiatives and community projects. We also love to work with students to develop their stories, and students love to see their work in published form. We are accepting submissions for our Fall issue until November 16. Please see our submission guidelines here or 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.
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CALL FOR COMPOST VOLUNTEERS
Brookline’s Department of Public Works (DPW) has been working closely with dedicated community members to spearhead a composting program at the high school. This year, administration, teachers, students, custodial staff, and food services staff are all working to make this program a success. In the near future, we envision a self-sustaining compost program that is owned, and led by, the school community. However, there is some education and outreach work to do before we get there, which is why we need your help.
We are seeking BHS community volunteers who can help students sort their waste correctly during lunch. This work is critical to ensure we are diverting as much waste as possible away from the trash and to keep our compost receptacles free of contamination. No previous experience with composting or waste sorting necessary! If you are interested in learning more, please contact the Town of Brookline’s Department of Public Works Zero Waste Team at zerowaste@brooklinema.gov. |
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NEW LGBTQIA+ TASK FORCE - JOIN US!
Brookline's newly formed LGBTQIA+ Task Force is looking for parent and student volunteers to help reshape and enhance the experience for LGBTQIA+ students and their families during their time in Brookline Public Schools. This year, the LGBTQIA+ Task Force has 4 subcommittees focused on increasing access to gender inclusive bathrooms in all schools, updating the PSB Health curriculum, expanding professional development for teachers, and establishing affinity groups for parents, teachers and students with a focus on broadening intersectionality and representation from the BIPOC community. The working subcommittees meet on the first Wednesday of the month by Zoom. If you are interested in learning more, please email Brenda Sullivan. We welcome anyone with an interest in this work!
BHS INNOVATION FUND GALA-RAMA
You are invited to 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. Buy tickets here.
PUMPKIN FEST - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
New Date Sunday 10/30 12-4pm
Lincoln School’s Annual Fall Festival was postponed due to rain and is rescheduled for 10/30, rain or shine, and we are in URGENT NEED OF VOLUNTEERS for face painting and nail painting! Please email Sarah @ jw0705@rcn.com if you would be able to volunteer for any one hour shift between 12-4pm. Verification of volunteer hours can be provided to any student who needs volunteer hours! |
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BROOKLINE THRIVES
Brookline Thrives, is a program of the Brookline Food Pantry that works in partnership with the Public Schools of Brookline to provide free weekend meals to school children to reduce the number of students starting the school week hungry. Learn more and sign up for Brookline Thrives here. Brookline Thrives is always in need of help with packing bags and making school deliveries. Use this easy online signup form to volunteer! Bag packing/Delivery of Food Bags Sign Up. Thank you!
BROOKLINE FOOD PANTRY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
The Brookline Food Pantry is looking for volunteers to regularly help out at the pantry. With three pantry locations in Brookline, the Brookline Food Pantry feeds 600 families a week. It takes a village to pack and distribute the bags, keep the pantry clean and organized, and set up and break down each day. If you are interested in joining the hard working volunteer team, please visit brooklinefoodpantry.org or email operations manager, Arielle Chernin.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
The School Committee will be meeting on Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
Attend in Person: Walsh School Committee Meeting Room, 5th Floor, Town Hall, 333 Washington Street, Brookline, MA
Watch Remotely: Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) will broadcast live out to the cable channels and online via live stream at www.brooklineinteractive.org/live. BIG’s cable channels will replay the meeting and the meeting recording will be posted at http://www.brooklineinteractive.org for viewing after the meeting. Meeting Documents are available on the PSB Website. |
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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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