BRUNSWICK SCHOOL
APRIL 2012
MONTHLY MAILING A MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER Manly Virtues Watch any TV show lately and chances are high that at some commercial break, you will see an advertisement that, while pushing a product, makes fun of men. Poking fun at the habits, intelligence, interests, behavior of men is fast becoming the staple of much comedic writing of late. Some examples drawn from a recent CNN article by William J. Bennett: “’That’s the second unmanly thing you have done today,’ is the punch line of the most frequently played Miller Lite ad during NFL games. It ends with the ultimatum, ‘Man up.’ In a new McDonald’s commercial, two newlyweds delay their honeymoon after the man hears that McDonald’s is featuring the McRib sandwich again. The woman says in disbelief, ‘I married a 14-year-old.’” As Bennett points out, “. . . the modern idea of manhood is in doubt. A shift in cultural norms, a changing workforce and the rise of women have left many men in an identity crisis.” Bennett goes on to point out that not too long ago, men were forced to come to early grips with adulthood so as to survive, whereas now there abound choices of lifestyle, career, commitment and culture that can confuse more than clarify a man’s role in the world thus inducing some men to stall in adolescence rather than face reality. I would add to that the fact that many historically “manly” traits are discounted more than celebrated in today’s society. -‐ When, once, men were expected to be stoic, now men are urged to emote. -‐ Rather than making quick and strong decisions, men are urged to think things through more deliberately and to ponder and consider all options. -‐ Today, for some, strong leadership is thought to be less valuable than collective wisdom. -‐ Even chivalric politeness such as men holding doors for women can now be seen as demeaning and sexist. Many of the evolutions above have, no doubt, come about for many positive reasons; however, taken as a whole, these examples (and others) have blurred a collective understanding of just what it means to be a man. At an all boys school such as Brunswick (with a stated motto of “preparing young men for life”), such confusion is neither clearly an all “good” nor an all “bad” thing. Yet what is clear is that boys still need to learn what it means to be a man (by today’s standards) and that’s why perhaps more than anything, the best gift Brunswick can offer our boys is the positive example of male and female role models to observe, learn from and ultimately, to one degree or another, imitate. That’s why, before all else, my greatest interest in hiring and evaluating our faculty is their capacity for goodness and for positive example. Teachers can be the most knowledgeable people in the world in their chosen subject, but if they aren’t capable of being a good role model for our boys, then they have no place at Brunswick School. Good and inspired people (male and female) are the kind of adults I want (I would think we all want) around our sons. Nothing else will serve them better on their ultimate and individual road to manhood, no matter how “manhood” is defined when, ultimately, they grow up.
Upper school
APRIL 2012
From The Deans’ Office: Spring is certainly welcome this year. Both students and faculty alike returned from Spring Break rested, renewed and (hopefully) healthy and poised for a successful conclusion to the school year. As is clear below, April’s schedule is evidence of the busy nature of the spring; there is much of interest and import to both you as well as your son this month. THIRD QUARTER COMMENTS: The Third Quarter closes on Friday, March 30th. At this point in the year, comments will be written on all students in all courses. You should receive the emailed report card and comments from each of your son’s teachers during the week of April 9th. Please call the Upper School Office should you not receive an email at that time. Dates to Remember in April: 3/30 End of 3rd Quarter 4/6 Good Friday – NO SCHOOL 4/10&11ERB Testing, PS Gym (mornings) Grade 9 4/17 Choral Concert 7pm Baker Theater 4/20 Jazz Concert 7pm Baker Theater 4/26 End of 4th Interim 4/27 Upper School Community Service Day Trivia Bowl
GOOD FRIDAY: There will be no school on Friday, April 6th, in observance of Good Friday. ERBs: These standardized tests will be administered to all freshmen during the mornings of Tuesday, April 10th and Wednesday, April 11th. These tests are of proven value to the School as they serve as an effective indicator of a given student's aptitude as compared to his current level of achievement. Students are not expected to prepare for these tests in any way except to get a good night's rest on both evenings prior to testing.
UPPER SCHOOL SPRING CONCERTS: Tuesday, April 17th is the Upper School Spring Choral Concert, and Friday, April 20th we will hold the Upper School Jazz Concert. Both will be held at 7:00pm in Baker Theater. FOURTH INTERIM: Thursday, April 26th will mark the end of the Fourth Interim. As with all Interims, you will receive emailed comments from teachers in courses where your son is currently encountering some measure of difficulty (usually meaning a current grade that is less than C-). These comments, as with all such communications, should be used to make whatever improvements/adjustments might be possible before the close of the Quarter in May. UPPER SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY: In an annual celebration of our outreach efforts to the broader community and in an effort to expose an even greater number of our students to the various opportunities that exist in community service, we will once again be holding our Upper School Community Service Day on Friday, April 27th. The day will begin with an Upper School Assembly at King Street at 8:00am and most projects will conclude around noon. Lunch will be served as usual (at King Street) and then the Upper School students and faculty will join in our annual Trivia Bowl in Burke Field House. Practices will then follow according to a normal Friday Schedule.
MIDDLE school
APRIL 2012
From Sarah Burdett: Once again this year, our Middle School boys participated in a division-wide Read-a-Thon. We were impressed with the number of books that the boys chose to check out of our library in the week leading up to Spring Break. As in the past, we are going to use the proceeds from the Read-a-Thon to support places that promote reading and education. This year we will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay, New York near Lake Placid. The library suffered tremendous loss during the flooding resulting from Hurricane Irene, and our support will help them to purchase new shelving and restock their favorite titles. In addition, we will give a portion of the proceeds to Promise World Wide, an organization that provides nutrition, education, and training to under-privileged children and women in Kolkata, India. Our support will help them to purchase necessary supplies for their classrooms. We thank both Erin Withstandley and Sue Das for helping us to coordinate these very important projects. Dates to Remember in April: 4/4 4/6 4/9,10,12 4/13 4/16 4/16-19 4/20 5/3-5/4
8th Grade Orientation to US NO SCHOOL – Good Friday 4th Grade Student Orientation to MS ‘Wickends–Grade 7 at Arch St. 7-9:00pm 4th Grade Parent Orientation to MS – 8:15am 8th Grade Class Trip to Washington DC 3rd Trimester Mid-Point MS Spring Play
8th Grade Orientation: The 8th graders will visit the Upper School on Wednesday, April 4th. Boys will be bussed to and from the Middle School for a morning visit and tour. 4th Grade Orientation: In April we will conduct orientation activities for the 4th grade boys and their parents. Parents are invited to an orientation at the Middle School on Monday, April 16th at 8:15am and the fourth grade students will visit with the 5th grade during the week of April 9th.
8th Grade Field Trip: We will depart on Monday, April 16th at 9:00am on our field trip to Washington, DC for four fun-filled and educational days. Please note that all 8th grade students should come to school on this day at regular time (8:05am). We will return to Brunswick on Thursday, April 19th at approximately 5:30pm. Third Trimester Mid-Point Check: On Friday, April 20th we reach the mid-point of the trimester. At this time, your son’s teachers will assess the progress of each student and inform advisors of any particular difficulties a boy may be experiencing. When a boy’s progress at this point is of genuine concern, parents can expect a phone call from their son’s advisor and a comment from a teacher if a boy is in danger of requiring summer work. Middle School Spring Play: On Thursday, May 3rd at 7:00pm (in Camuto Auditorium at the MS) and Friday, May 4th at 2:15pm (at CSH), CSH students will join our 7th and 8th grade boys for our spring play. This year’s musical is Disney’s Camp Rock. Plan Ahead: The MS Concert dates will be as follows: The MS 6th – 8th Choral Concert will be Tuesday, May 8th at 6:00pm. The MS 6th – 8th Instrumental Concert will be Thursday, May 17th at 6:00pm. The Grade 5 Arts Production will be Thursday, May 246h at 8:30am. Please join us!!!
PRE
and
LOWER school
APRIL 2012
From Gina Hurd and Katie Signer: While the trees might suggest otherwise, spring has in fact sprung, and we are happy to welcome your boys back after a good two week respite. April 13th marks the close of our third quarter and has officially been set aside for Pre and Lower School Parent/Teacher Conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your son’s teachers, check in on progress made and come together to collaborate and help make his final term as productive and happy as can be. If you have not yet confirmed a conference time, be sure to call your son’s teachers and schedule one. April is also filled with a number of special activities. Please note the Pre and Lower School Happenings outlined below. Pre School Happenings: Kindergarten is proud to announce that the Post Office will be up and running at the Pre School ONLY from April 24th through April 26th. This is a time-honored tradition and a wonderful way to promote meaningful learning across all disciplines. More details to follow... Springtime also means the beginning of baseball season. Pre Kindergarten boys will be having a Father/Son Baseball Party on Tuesday, April 24th from 12:00-1:30 pm, complete with popcorn and hot dogs! Pre School Parent Orientations: The Pre School faculty and Gina Hurd look forward to sharing with you some of the special features of our Pre School programs and of course answer any Dates to Remember in April: questions that you might have regarding your son’s 4/3 Music in the Atrium 7:40am transition in September. Parents of boys entering Pre 4/5 BPA sponsored assembly - Music of the Caribbean PS 9:45am LS 2:20pm Kindergarten or Kindergarten, please note the 4/6 NO SCHOOL - Good Friday following dates and times: Pre Kindergarten 4/9 4F/T Visits Middle School Orientation: Monday, April 30th at 8:30am, 4/10 4I/B Visits Middle School Pre School Gym; Kindergarten Orientation: 4/11 4th Gr. Play 6:30pm 4/12 4S/F Visits Middle School Tuesday, May 1st at 8:30am, Pre School Gym. 4/13 NO SCHOOL - Conference Day 4/14 NSCF Chess Tournament (King Street campus) Lower School Parent Orientation: The First 4/16 4th Gr. Parent Orientation to Middle School 8:15am Grade teachers and Katie Signer look forward to 4/19 1st and 2nd Gr. Talent Show 2:00pm meeting with all incoming First Grade parents. At 4/20 1R/J Presentation 8:25am this meeting, we hope to familiarize you with life at 4/20 PS Appreciation Assembly the Lower School and introduce you to some of the 4/24-26 Kindergarten Post Office (Pre School Only) special features of the First Grade year. First Grade 4/23 Grs. 2 & 3 to Greenwich Symphony 12:45pm Orientation: Wednesday, May 2nd, 8:30am, 4/23-26 Grs. 3 & 4 ERB Testing Lower School Dining Hall. 4/24 PK Father/Son Baseball Party 12:00pm 4/23 Gr. 2 and Gr. 3 trip to Greenwich Symphony 12:45pm Lower School Happenings: 4/25 Teacher Appreciation Day Spring Dress Code: Upon return from Spring 4/27 Civies Day Break, we look forward to warmer weather and our 4/27 1L/V Presentation 8:25am popular spring dress code. In place of slacks, Lower 4/30 Pre K Parent Orientation 8:30am School boys may wear hemmed, traditional styled khaki shorts. Brunswick Chess Tournament: Congratulations to our Chess Team for a wonderful year so far. We are pleased to announce Brunswick will be hosting a National Scholastic Chess Foundation Tournament on Saturday, April 14th at the King Street campus. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Betsy Korn at betsyberns@gmail.com. Good luck to our team! Middle School Visits and Parent Orientation: Fourth Graders will have an opportunity to visit the Middle School this month. On his designated visiting day, your son should come to school dressed in Middle School attire; jackets and ties are required. There will also be a fourth grade parent orientation the following week: Middle School Parent Orientation: Monday, April 16th, 8:15am, Middle School Dining Hall. ERB Testing: Educational Records Bureau tests will be administered to all Third and Fourth Graders in the morning on April 23, 24, 25, and 26. A week or two prior to these dates, homeroom teachers will review test-taking strategies with the boys and administer ERB practice tests. As parents, your job is simply to make sure that your son is present on the test dates, gets a good night’s sleep, eats a healthy breakfast and arrives at school on time. Test results should return in June. If you are interested in obtaining your son’s scores, please notify the Lower School office and we will be happy to mail them to you. If you have any questions regarding ERBs or the interpretation of these scores, please feel free to call.
APRIL 2012
BRUNSWICK PARENTS ASSOCIATION NEWS
President’s Letter It is amazing what a two week break can do to recharge one's batteries! Better weather, longer days and only two months left until the school year ends - simply remarkable how time flies. In an effort to establish a family-oriented spring event, the BPA has decided to move ‘Wick Walk Run, most recently held during Homecoming in the fall, to April. Paige Montinaro, Debbie Kolman, Catherine Farello and Amy McGrath have been hard at work organizing the walk/run, food, and family activities. Our hope is that families will spend April 21st enjoying the outdoors, eating from delicious food trucks and later cheering on Brunswick's lacrosse team against Hotchkiss. Finally, thank you to all the volunteers involved in organizing and serving at this year's Father/Son Dinner. Once again the Burke Field House was transformed into a dining hall in record time. A special thank you to Shelby Saer and Tracy Yort for their hard work and constant smiles. We hope to see you at ‘Wick Walk Run on April 21st! Christina Kazazes, President, Brunswick Parents Association Bearly Used Closet Come to the Bearly Used Closet for your spring shopping! We have many khaki shorts, short sleeve polos and sports equipment for soccer, lacrosse and baseball. As always, we welcome your gently used donations. The Bearly Used Closet is located in the lower lobby of the Lower School and is open whenever school is open. Pick up the key under the whiteboard there. All proceeds benefit BPA projects. Save the Dates: ‘Wickends 7th and 8th grade, don’t miss the last two ‘Wickends events of the year! 8th grade dance party - March 30th at Arch St. from 7-9pm 7th grade dance party – April 13th at Arch St. from 7-9pm Contact Lisa Magliocco (LCMAGS@optonline.net) or Fiona Kingery (fionakingery@gmail.com) with any questions.
Brunswick & Greenwich Academy PARENT PROGRAM EVENT Presents author Jeffrey Kluger Tuesday, May 1st, 8am coffee / 8:30am presentation Brunswick Baker Theater, Maher Ave.
Jeffrey Kluger is the New York Times best-selling author of The Sibling Effect and a Senior Editor at Time Magazine. Mr. Kluger's narrative is candid, moving and instructive. You will walk away with arresting new insights into our children's personalities and ways to manage and improve sibling relationships as well as a better understanding of the dynamics at work among our children. INFORMATIVE
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PRACTICAL
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EYE-OPENING
Teacher Appreciation Our faculty appreciation luncheon is Wednesday, April 25th. Please save the date if you would like to volunteer. An email will be sent the week after Spring Break with a link to the sign up genius website to volunteer to help out at the luncheon. It is a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation to our amazing faculty. If you have any questions, please email Rene Chronert at RChronert@aol.com. Thank you to the generous parents who have donated gift cards and other raffle prizes for our faculty over the past month. Winners for the month of March were Melissa Holmes, Kathleen Myer, Rebecca Weitzman, Krista Kern, Hongbing Liu, Cheryl Renn, Marianne Ho Barnum, George Boynton, Brian Freeman and Steve Mandes.
BRUNSWICK PARENTS ASSOCIATION NEWS
APRIL 2012
Hospitality Thank you to all of our volunteers for helping with Father/Son Dinner! A great evening and thank you for taking the time to help with set-up and serving! Upper School Performing Arts Congratulations to the entire cast, crew for a fantastic production of Guys and Dolls! Baker Theater was nearly filled for every show, which proved to be a lively and entertaining musical. If you would like to order a DVD of the play, copies will be available through Brown Paper Bag Video. Please contact Beth Rosencrans or Kathy Starrs LaBossiere (Arts Committee CoChairs) for ordering information. Drama Students from Brunswick and Greenwich Academy will perform A Wrinkle in Time on Thursday March 29th, Friday March 30th and Saturday March 31st. Performance times, location and ticketing information will be posted on Brunswick’s website soon. We have three Upper School Arts concerts to look forward to in April: the Improv Concert will be held on Thursday April 12th, the Choral Concert on Tuesday April 17th and the Jazz Concert on Friday April 20th. All events will be held in Baker Theater starting at 7pm. Middle School Performing Arts Please save the date for the Brunswick and Sacred Heart Middle School musical "Camp Rock." Performance dates are Thursday, May 3rd at 4pm at Camuto Auditorium and Friday, May 4th at 2:15pm at Sacred Heart School. ‘Wick Walk Run Lace up your sneakers for the annual ‘Wick Walk Run! A new location, course and season! Saturday April 21st at the King Street Campus. Race check in is at 10:30am. Race starts at 11:00am. Specialty food trucks, music, and lax clinics after the race! Hang around to watch our Varsity and JV lacrosse teams take on Hotchkiss at 1:30pm. Registration details to follow! Questions...please contact Paige Montinaro at paigemontinaro@me.com. Upcoming Events:
Purchase Tickets Online at www.brunswickschool.org/benefit today and read the latest Benefit News! Thursday, April 19th, our boys and faculty will be receiving Rock ‘N Roll t-shirts that feature an original Rolling Stones design. The shirts were created to celebrate our upcoming Brunswick Benefit and Rolling Stones music! Many thanks to Michelle and Bernt Ullmann for their generous gift! Don’t miss the school-wide Rock ‘N Roll Civies Day on April 20th. Please encourage the boys to wear their Rock ‘N Roll t-shirts!
Preview all Silent Auction items online starting April 24th!
Brunswick Summer Session 2012 Summer is on its way and there is no better time to get ahead than during Brunswick’s Summer Session. The classes are small, the atmosphere’s great and the results are amazing! In just 16 class days, students can get prepared for an entire semester of math, science, language, writing and more. This year’s Session runs from June 11th to July 3rd and classes don’t begin until 9am. Check out our website and see what we’re offering: http://www.brunswickschool.org/summer-session
APRIL 2012 From Johnny Montanez: Red Cross and Brunswick team up for another successful Blood Drive Thanks to the amazing work of Rick Salame, Brunswick School was able to conduct its most successful Blood Drive to date. We were able to collect 49 units, surpassing our goal of 41 units. Each unit helps up to three recipients for a total of 147 recipients or total transfusions. It was Rick who made this all possible by doing everything he could to inform, educate, sign-up, and motivate members of the community. It is my pleasure to thank Rick on behalf of the entire Brunswick community for his pursuit to help others in need. Thanks, Rick!!! Midnight Run Organization On Thursday, April 26, Brunswick Upper School students will attend their third Midnight Run of this school year. Students will spend 11 hours committed to serving the homeless. The boys will arrive in the upper school cafeteria at 3:30pm and then will shop for toiletries, fruit, bread, cold cuts, water, hot chocolate and under-garments. After that, they will prepare sandwiches, toiletry bags, organize clothes, and load Brunswick School vans, to serve clients of NYC. From 9:30 – 2:00am they will distribute these items. SUGGESTED DONATIONS (Adult men’s and women’s sizes ONLY) w Sneaker/Shoes
w Blankets
w Men’s briefs (NEW ONLY) w Socks (NEW ONLY)
wPersonal Hygiene Items (HOTEL OR SAMPLE SIZES ONLY): Deodorants, disposable razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste Upcoming Events: Community Service Day, Friday, April 27, 2012 Everyone in the upper school will commit half a day toward serving the community. We will serve Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Norwalk, and Port Chester, NY. Students will spend time in shelters, assist with the elderly, and much more. If you know of an organization that you support or have been involved with in the past and think the boys could serve there on the 27th, please reach out to me with your information as soon as possible. The more places we can serve the better!
Brunswick School 100 Maher Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 a 1252 King Street Greenwich, CT 06831 (203) 625-5800
April 2012 Sun
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BPA Meeting, 10am
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9 Easter
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Gr 4 Student Orientation to MS
16 GA Book Fair
11 US ERBs
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*Gr 8 Trip to DC *Gr 4 Parent Orientation to MS, 8:15am
*Gr 8 Student Orientation To US, 10am, PS Gym *Gr 2 Luncheon
12 *US ERBs *Gr 4 play, 6:30pm
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*Gr 4 Student Orientation to MS *US Spring Improv Concert, 7pm, Baker
19 Gr 7 Luncheon
US Spring Choral Concert, 7pm, Baker
Good Friday NO SCHOOL
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*PS/LS Conference Day NO SCHOOL PS/LS *Gr 7 Happenings *Joint US Open Mic Nite
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GA US Concert, 7pm
Passover
LS NSCF Chess Tournament at King Street
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*3rd Trimester Midpoint *US Spring Jazz Concert, 7pm, Baker
‘Wick Walk Run
GA Reunion Weekend
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LS ERBs *Teacher Appreciation Day *Gr 8 Luncheon with GA at Field Club at 12:30pm
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30 PS Orientation 8:30am
End of 4th Interim US
*US Community Service Day *Gr 8 Happenings *GA Spring Dance Concert, 7pm
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