Enrichment Beyond the School Day

LowerSchool Garden The Lower School Garden is an outdoor classroom where students learn about ecology, connect with nature, learn about healthy eating and where their food comes from, and learn to take care of the environment. The Garden is a special learning environment in which all Lower School students play a role. Each grade level, PK - 5, maintains this green space through various hands-on activities such as planting and tending vegetables and flowers, tilling soil, weeding, watering, pruning, and harvesting. The Lower School Garden is a fully functioning garden where students learn through experience. Much of the food grown is served in School lunches. The Garden is fully integrated into the Lower School Curriculum and allows Brimmer students to engage in authentic scientific observation and inquiry in an outdoor setting, right on campus.

Share Assemblies Share Assemblies occur most Friday mornings throughout the school year. At Share, Lower School students come together for performances by students and special guests. Buddy Group events are held during Share Assembly time as well. These weekly Lower School gatherings and activities build a feeling of community through shared experience. They also present the opportunity for students to learn how to be part of an audience during a performance and how to engage appropriately and successfully with their peers during Buddy Group activities.

ExtendedDay The Extended Day Program provides children with a warm, cheerful, supportive, and relaxed atmosphere that fosters sharing and cooperation.The program provides a supportive play environment, creative activities, and a quiet time for study. The Extended Day Program is a true extension of Brimmer as it follows the School’s mission of promoting collaboration and a sense of personal responsibility.

The Extended Day Program begins at the end of the academic day and operates weekdays until 5:30 p.m. from the opening day to the last day of school in June.For children in PK - 2 The daily schedule also includes a snack and supervised playtime either on the playground or inside. Children in Grades 3 – 5 participate in indoor/ outdoor play and a choice of age-appropriate indoor activities. In addition, the schedule includes supervised homework time in a quiet study area.

The faculty design the program to offer students choices among a variety of activities. The older students can find the appropriate balance between doing homework and having fun with friends. The students particularly enjoy being in the multiage groups. Throughout the year, after school clubs are offered for an additional fee and generally include chess, community service, cooking, crafts, karate, yoga, a technology club, and a math club. However, new offerings are proposed annually. Students in the Extended Day Program can also take advantage of the After School Music Program as well as attend Middle and Upper School athletic events. AfterSchool Clubs As part of Brimmer’s Extended Day Program, the School hosts after school clubs. These clubs meetonce a week for one hour and are open to all students beginning at the end of each semester. Children enrolled in a club may remain at school in the Extended Day Program between dismissal and 3:15 p.m. After school clubs are offered for an additional fee. A variety of clubs are offered with different grade-level participation (descriptions may be found on our website), including but not limited to:

Astronomy Club (Grades 4 – 5) Bots & Bots of Coding (Grades K – 1) Chess (Grades 2 – 5) Cooking Club (Grades 2 – 5) Girls Run (Grades 3 – 5) Joy of Movement (Grades 1 – 3) Laser Cutting (Grades 1 – 3) Little Kids, Big Ideas: Microscopes (Grades K – 1) Mini-Cooks 1 (Grades PK – 1) Mini-Cooks 2 (Grades PK – 1) Newspaper 1 (Grades 3 – 5) Newspaper 1 (Grades 2 – 5) PK Mandarin Club (PK) STEAM: Spheros! Scratch! Oh my! Coding Club (Grades 2 –5) Yoga is Awesome! (Grades PK – 1)

AfterSchool MusicProgram The study of music increases higher order thinking skills, builds self-esteem, and encourages self-discipline and commitment. Brimmer’s After School Music Program provides quality musical instruction and seeks to strengthen music appreciation and literacy. Throughout this program, students in PK - Grade 12 can take private instrumental and voice lessons on campus.They receive a music education tailored to their individual needs based on their interest, age, and personal goals. In addition, lessons are designed to support students who are committed to participating in the the School’s band ensembles

At the end of the school year all musicians are encouraged to share their talents with their families at a recital on campus. Each program highlights the accomplishments of emerging Lower School musicians playing onstage with accomplished Upper School musicians. It is an opportunity for families to celebrate the hard work of their own musician and to support the growth of all the enthusiastic musicians in the School community.

The After School Music staff, of more than a dozen highly qualified musicians and educators, is hand-selected based on recommendations from the professional music community. Many hold graduate degrees in music performance or music education. Most importantly, the instructors have experience working with children. Interscholastic Sports for Grades4 and 5 Beginning in Grade 4 students have the option to participate in a limited interscholastic athletic program in the fall and winter. Sports offered include coed soccer and boys and girls basketball. Students attend practices for a week or two prior to their two or three scheduled games. This program offers students an introduction to interscholastic athletics including the organizationand structure of team practices and play, working with an athletic coach, understanding game rules, strategies and tactics, game officiating, and sportsmanship.

Lower School Learning Spaces

Corkin Art Studio Corkin Theatre Cummings Hall French Library Hastings Innovation Center Jones Library and Design Lab Lower School Garden Lower School Music Studio McCoy Hall The Mugar Family Playground & Outdoor Learning Space Thompson Gymnasium & Campus Athletic Field