BRUNSWICK SCHOOL
MARCH 2012
MONTHLY MAILING A MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER Multi-Tasking Recent years have brought a new term into our lexicon: “multi-tasking.” In fact, the ability to “multi-task” effectively is often seen as a strength of good managers and valued employees. Last winter, however, I came across a speech that was presented to the Plebe Class at West Point by William Deresiewicz, a professor of English at Yale University, entitled “Solitude and Leadership.” The speech touches on a number of topics but, more than anything, I found his remarks regarding “multi-tasking” to be particularly interesting. He writes: “A study by a team of researchers at Stanford came out a couple of months ago. The investigators wanted to figure out how today’s college students were able to multi-task so much more effectively than adults. How do they manage it the researchers asked? The answer, they discovered – and this is by no means what they expected – is that they don’t. The enhanced cognitive abilities the investigators expected to find, the mental faculties that enable people to multitask effectively, were simply not there. In other words, people do not multi-task effectively. And here is the really surprising finding: the more people multi-task, the worse they are, not just at other mental abilities, but at multitasking itself.” He goes on to say: The study “. . . found in every case that (multi-taskers) were worse at distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information . . . were more distractible . . . were worse at what you might call ‘mental filing.’ In other words, their minds were more disorganized. And, they were even worse at the very thing that defines multi-tasking itself; switching between tasks.” His conclusion: “Multi-tasking, in short, is not only not thinking, it impairs your ability to think. Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it . . . you simply cannot do that in bursts of 20 seconds at a time, constantly interrupted by Facebook messages or Twitter tweets . . . ” Perhaps, the ability to “multi-task” isn’t such a good thing after all. In fact, it seems that true knowledge and understanding does not come by flitting along the surface of things, but rather by delving into the depths of a subject without distraction or time constraints. There is little doubt in my mind that our boys, and their ability to learn, are severely challenged by the technological world in which they live. Anything we can do to turn off the distractions and slow the pace of their days will pay off in both the short and long run through their broader and deeper understanding of the world around them.
MARCH 2012
Upper school From the Deans’ Office:
March passes quickly at Brunswick. We are literally in school a little more than two weeks (12 school days) in March with Spring Break stuck in between. Despite the lack of days, there is not a lack of important events, not the least of which is the course sign up process for the 2012/2013 school year. Given this, I thought it best to list below the important steps for students to follow so as to proceed through their course selections in an informed and easy manner. Step Catalogues distributed Discussion with Advisors Course Registration Concludes
Date Late January February/early March March 9th
Dates to Remember in March: 3/1,2,3 US Winter Musical “Guys & Dolls” Baker Theater, 7pm (matinee Sat at 2pm) 3/7 Red Cross Blood Drive 11:30-5:15pm Pre School Gym 3/8 National Latin Exam National Italian Exam 3/8 Father/Son Dinner 7pm Burke Field House, King Street 3/12-25 Spring Break 3/26 Classes Resume 3/30 End of 3rd Quarter 3/31 GA Greenleaf Dance 4/4 8th Grade boys visit US 4/6 Good Friday – NO SCHOOL
Purpose Outline offerings Choosing courses
The course catalogue for Brunswick’s Upper School is something that is best read carefully by both students and parents alike. Although it is essential that each student take responsibility for the courses he wishes to pursue next year, we should emphasize our strong feeling that parents should take the time to discuss with their sons what courses they plan to take for the upcoming school year. Finally, as always, should any questions come up in this regard, please do not hesitate to give your son’s Grade Dean a call. Other Happenings in March: Upper School Musical, March 1st, 2nd and 3rd: This year, our Upper School musical, Guys and Dolls, promises to be another wonderful celebration of the talents of our Upper School thespians. All showings are at 7:00pm with a matinee scheduled for 2pm on Saturday. Tickets are available online through the Brunswick website.
Father/Son Dinner, March 8th: This is one of Brunswick's most special (and oldest) traditions. The evening celebrates the accomplishments of the winter sports teams and pairs fathers with sons among friends in a relaxed atmosphere. Please join us in Burke Field House at King Street beginning at 7:00pm for an evening of both dinner as well as presentations. If you have not already done so, please RSVP promptly as space is very limited. Spring Break, after regular dismissal, March 9th: Although no doubt all members of our community eagerly await this upcoming vacation, I would like to emphasize once again that vacation days should be kept within the generous constraints of the break period. Classes will resume on Monday, March 26th. End of Third Quarter, March 30: Friday, March 30th is the close of the Third Quarter. Shortly after that date, we will issue full report cards and a complete set of teacher comments for each student in the Upper School. As always, these grades and comments should be reviewed thoughtfully with your son so as to help assess progress made and strategies for the future. Brunswick Summer Session: starting our fifth year, Summer Session is gearing up once again for classes beginning on June 11thand running through July 3rd for boys and girls in grades 5-12. Please find our course catalogue and an application form at brunswickschool.org/summersession. For more information, please contact the Summer Session Office at (203) 625-5861 or email summersession@brunswickschool.org. We look forward to seeing you in June!
MIDDLE school
MARCH 2012
From Sarah Burdett: The Middle School boys continue to impress us with their enthusiasm for reaching out to the community around us. In preparation for Valentine’s Day, every student created a Valentine thank you card to express appreciation to a local veteran. The results were both creative and thoughtful (and some were even pop-up cards). Also, in early March our Fifth Grade students will again invite pre schoolers from a local program to visit Brunswick. “Dinosaur Day” includes our Fifth Graders doing arts and crafts with their visitors, reading to them, playing in the gym, visiting the dinosaur in the Lower School building, and singing them a special dinosaur song. The joy on the pre school faces matches that of the Fifth Graders! End of 2nd Trimester: The current marking period officially closes on Friday, February 24th and the 2nd Trimester will end after 6th 8th exams on Thursday, March 1st. The end of the trimester, unlike the earlier mid-point, is our next formal grading period for students in all grades. At this point, 5th grade parents will receive a report card and comments from each of your son’s academic teachers. 6th, 7th and 8th grade parents will be sent a report card, as well as comments from Dates to Remember in March: teachers of courses in which your son’s effort is a 1 or his grade is a C- or 3/1 Early Dismissal at 1:00pm below. After report cards are emailed, your son’s advisor will call to (no bus service until 3:45pm) discuss his progress. 3/2 Grading Day – NO SCHOOL (Grades 5-8) Make-up Exams 3/5 3rd Trimester begins 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Exams. Second Trimester exams will Spring sports begin take place the week of February 27th. On Friday, March 2nd, we will 3/8 Father/Son Dinner (Grades 7-12) have NO SCHOOL for the boys to enable the faculty to correct exams Burke Field House 7:00pm and calculate grades. MAKE-UP EXAMS will be given on that Friday, 3/9 Spring Break Begins (Regular Dismissal) March 2nd, for any boy who is absent on an exam day earlier that week. th th 5 /6 Grade Father/Son Breakfast & Science Fair Note: On Thursday, March 1st we will dismiss at 1:00pm 7:30am for all grades. Bus service will not be available until 3:45pm, 3/26 Classes Resume but the boys will be supervised at school if they need to wait th th th 3/26-30 ERB Testing - 5 : Mon-Fri; 6 - 8 : Thurs-Fri for the busses. 3/30 Grade 8 Happenings Spring Sports: The new athletic season will begin for 7th and 8th graders with first practices on Monday, March 5th – boys should have their gear and be ready to play. Father/Son Dinner for 7th and 8th Graders: Thursday, March 8th at 7:00pm in the Burke Field House at King Street. Over the course of the evening, we honor our teams and athletes in grades 7 through 12. 5th/6th Grade Science Fair and Father/Son Breakfast: The 5th and 6th graders have been working hard on their projects and look forward to showing them off on Friday, March 9th. Fifth and sixth grade fathers (or mothers if fathers cannot attend) are invited to join their sons for breakfast and the fair at the Middle School. Please arrive at 7:30am and park behind the athletic building when you arrive. The event will conclude by 9:00am. Middle School Spring Play Auditions: This spring, 7th & 8th actors from Brunswick School and Convent of the Sacred Heart will be performing a revue-style show under the direction of Alexander Constantine. The MS boys and girls will have an opportunity to audition on Wednesday, March 28th and Thursday, March 29th in Camuto Auditorium from 4:00 - 6:00pm. Rehearsals will also be held at the Brunswick Middle School. The performances will take place on May 3rd at 7:00pm and May 4th at 4:00pm. 8th Grade Class Trip: For advanced planning, please note that the 8th grade will be traveling to Washington, D.C. for our spring field trip in April. We will be departing from Brunswick on Monday morning, April 16th and returning early evening on Thursday, April 19th. MS ERBs: Grade 5 on Monday, March 26th through Friday, March 30th ; and Grades 6 - 8 on Thursday, March 29th and Friday, March 30th. ERBs are designed to measure aptitude and achievement in a variety of different verbal and mathematical skill areas. The tests will be administered in homeroom groups throughout the day on test days. The boys do not need to prepare for the ERBs. Brunswick Summer Session: starting our fifth year, Summer Session is gearing up once again for classes beginning on June 11thand running through July 3rd for boys and girls in grades 5-12. Please find our course catalogue and an application form at brunswickschool.org/summersession. For more information, please contact the Summer Session Office at (203) 625-5861 or email summersession@brunswickschool.org. We look forward to seeing you in June!
PRE
and
MARCH 2012
LOWER school
From Katie Signer and Gina Hurd: Special thanks go to Christine Fouts and Jill Raker for coordinating a wonderful Bingo Night. The event was incredibly well attended by our Pre and Lower School families, and the boys loved competing by grade level. Thank you to our parent volunteers for all of your help. It was great to gather as a community for some good ol’ fashioned fun. Kindergarten Space Expo: Kindergarten parents are invited to come and explore the solar system with the Kindergarten astronauts on Wednesday, March 7 from 1-2:30pm in the Kindergarten classrooms. The boys will be excited to share all that they have learned from their study of the planets. First Grade Mammal Exhibits: First Graders are excited to share their study of mammals with parents on Thursday, March 8 from 8:30 to 9:15am. Come enjoy the culmination of this interdisciplinary project and celebrate their learning and growth as students. You will certainly be impressed! Dates to Remember in March: 3/2 2M/H Presentation 8:25am 3/6 Music in the Atrium 7:40am 3/7 Kindergarten Space Expo 1-2:30pm 3/8 KA/M trip to Stamford Planetarium 9:30am 3/8 KD/H trip to Stamford Planetarium 10:30am 3/8 KI/B trip to Stamford Planetarium 10:30am 3/8 First Grade Mammal Exhibits 8:30-9:15am 3/8 Winter Encore ends 3/9 2W/M Presentation 8:25am 3/10-25 Spring Break 3/26 Classes Resume 3/26 Spring Encore begins 3/30 3C/L Presentation
Student Council: Thank you to our Student Council for coordinating the Chores for Change project benefiting Promise World Wide in Calcutta, India. We hope you have enjoyed the extra help at home! As they take on more responsibility and help the family, we are hopeful our boys are becoming more aware of their own ability to help themselves and others. All donations should be turned in to your son’s homeroom teacher before Spring Break. Spring Encore: Our Spring Encore session begins on Monday, March 26th, upon return from Spring Break. If you have any questions regarding sign-ups or offerings be sure to contact one of our Encore Coordinators, Alice Ford and Samantha Heller.
Communication continues! The Postcard Project is in full swing. Thanks to your friends and family, we are receiving postcards from all over the world. The boys love getting the mail and are excited to share with their classmates. Come check out the bulletin board in the Lower School to see how far reaching our communication has been. Are you heading someplace fun for Spring Break? How about sending us a postcard from there? Spring is in the air! Many of our Lower School boys will eagerly invite the option to wear their khaki shorts upon return from Spring Break. Please note the rest of their uniform stays the same. Enjoy a wonderful break with your family and we will welcome everyone back to school on March 26th.
BRUNSWICK PARENTS ASSOCIATION NEWS
MARCH 2012
President’s Letter Spring Break is here and not a moment too soon! After a very busy February, it is time for some much needed rest before we sprint to the end of the school year. I would like to start this newsletter by thanking Ally Verdi Roach, the BPA Publicity Chair, for organizing and editing the BPA portion of the monthly newsletters. Her patience and gentle reminders help to make us all look so efficient month after month! Thanks to the creativity of Christine Fouts and Jill Raker, Bingo Night was another tremendous success this year with the highlight being the 4th grade class winning a "Pajama Day." Thanks also to Ana Jasson and Mavis Osemobor for all of their help with the 7th Annual Global Brunswick Program that was enjoyed by many. And a final thank you to Nancy Breckenridge and Katie Neviera for coordinating many of our boys' assemblies. Through their awesome research and organization, our boys have had the privilege of seeing some amazing guests so far this year. Have a wonderful break. Christina Kazases, President, Brunswick Parents Association Upper School Performing Arts The Upper school winter musical, "Guys and Dolls," is set to open in Baker Theater at 7pm on Thursday, March 1. Additional performances will take place at 7pm on Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, and at 2pm on Saturday. This beloved Broadway musical is sure to delight all ages. Please come and support all the hard work and efforts of our Brunswick and Greenwich Academy students and staff for what is sure to be a memorable and fun-filled evening. 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Madeleine L’Engle’s award-winning novel, A Wrinkle in Time. To commemorate this event, Seth Potter has arranged for students from Brunswick’s Honors Acting class and GA’s Acting I class to perform a stage adaptation of the story at Brunswick on March 29th, 30th, and 31st in the Brunswick Black Box Theater – seating is limited. Middle School Performing Arts Please mark your calendars for the Brunswick and Sacred Heart Middle School spring musical, “Camp Rock” on May 3 and 4th. Auditions are open to 6-8th grade boys on March 28th from 4-5:30pm at Camuto Auditorium and 7th & 8th grade Sacred Heart girls on March 29 from 4-5:30pm at Sacred Heart. Bearly Used Closet The Bearly Used Closet will host a DRIVE-BY DONATION DROP-OFF on Thursday, March 8th from 7:30-8:15am at the Lower School and Middle School. Bring your donations of gently used clothes and sports equipment when you drop your son at school, or send them with him on the bus. The closet awaits your shopping, too. Amidst our current selection of clothing are lots of shorts and trousers to get your son ready for spring, as well as cleats, lacrosse helmets and more! Teacher Appreciation Thank you to all of our generous parents who have donated gift cards and tickets over the past month. Our February winners were Vanessa Metzger, Keri Markiewicz, Caroline Barnett, Marc Strileckis, Erin Withstandley, Abby Richmond, Jamie Fessenden, Jeffry Harris, Dana Montanez, Steve Weber, Sonia Schott, Jen Spaulding and David Aylward. Our faculty winners this month received some wonderful gift cards, a room at the Greenwich Delamar, and a condo in Scottsdale, baseball tickets and hockey tickets. If you have tickets, condos or gift cards you are willing to donate to teacher appreciation for a faculty member, please email Rene Chronert at rchronert@aol.com. Our Faculty Appreciation Luncheon will be Wednesday, April 25th. Please save the date if you are able to volunteer, bake, or bring drinks for the luncheon. Sign-ups will take place via "Sign up Genius" right after spring break. An email will be sent with the link to the sign up, so keep an eye on your emails after spring break. Assemblies Assemblies got off to a great start in 2011 with Scott Mebus, author of the “Gods of Manhattan” trilogy, captivating the MS boys their first week back to school. In February, Hobey Ford’s life-sized puppet show “Animalia” came to the PS, Dance China performed for the LS in honor of Chinese New Year and the 8th grade participated in a “Romeo & Juliet” workshop. Music in the Atrium will return to the LS this spring. Be sure to ask your boys about all that they have seen and enjoyed.
BRUNSWICK PARENTS ASSOCIATION NEWS
MARCH 2012
8th Grade 'Wickends Friday, March 30th Arch Street dance party featuring DJ Bronfman with giveaways and prizes! Arch Street Teen Center, 100 Arch Street, Greenwich, CT -- 7-9pm Contact Fiona Kingery at fionakingery@gmail.com with any questions. Nominating Enclosed in this month's newsletter is the proposed 2012-13 Slate, which all BPA Members are invited to vote upon at our meeting on April 3, 2012. We are proud to nominate many new people to the Board. Well over 1/3 of the positions were filled with people whom have never served on the BPA! Nominating is a complicated puzzle and we are grateful to have so many capable parents willing to contribute their time. We thank them for helping to enrich our boys' educations and build a strong parent community. Julie Johnson, BPA Nominating Chair MAP Network Invites you to join us for The Multicultural Potluck Dinner, featuring a cooking demonstration by a guest chef on Friday, March 30th at 6:30pm at the Upper School Dining Hall located on Maher Avenue. Think fun, casual and delicious - bring a favorite family dish of any kind (enough for 10). Enjoy sampling delicious dishes from around the world. RSVP to Ana Jason at capella.ana@gmail.com and also let her know the name of your dish. RSVPs are preferred but we welcome the spontaneous as well. This is an adult only event. Middle School Athletics Winter sports have concluded another very successful season at the Middle School. Many thanks to our wonderful winter team parents for all their efforts to support the boys: Angelique Bell, Joan Cunningham, Maura Fitzgerald, Anne Marie Mellert, Eilis Powers, Lisa Quackenbush, Margot Stephenson and Erica Ventley. If you are interested in volunteering as a team parent for a Middle School sports team in the spring, please email Maureen Forester at maureenkfo@gmail.com. Go ‘WICK! 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. For the last four years, we have been able to give students from all over a terrific leg-up on the year ahead and a way to use some June mornings productively. This year’s Session runs from June 11th to July 3rd and classes don’t begin until 9am. It s a great way to get highly focused exposure in particular subjects without the pressure of the regular school year. And with the more casual setting, who knew learning could be this much fun? Check out our website and see what we’re offering: http://www.brunswickschool.org/summer-session Here is what some of our faculty and students have to say about their Summer Session experiences: "I thought summer school would be a drag and my mom was practically forcing me to do it, but when I came the first day the teachers were super relaxed and understanding. They taught me so much about the upcoming year. That gives a huge advantage to anyone who takes a course because it is a preview for what is to come." Sammy May, Student The relaxed atmosphere and more casual everyday approach make the learning environment in the Summer Session enjoyable and productive. There are much smaller class sizes and these allow the kids to interact more easily with the material and their instructors. We have a lot of fun and manage to get a great deal of work done at the same time. It's an excellent environment and a terrific way to spend the early summer mornings! Derek Hruska, Science Teacher
From Johnny Montanez: Lower School Project A very special thank you to Mrs. White’s and Mrs. Montinaro’s Second Grade class for making Valentine’s Day cards for our troops! Midnight Run Organization On Wednesday, February 15, 14 Brunswick Upper School students spent over 11 hours on a Midnight Run. Beginning at 3:30pm, they shopped at Target for toiletries, fruit, bread, cold-cuts, water, hot chocolate and under garments and then prepared items prepared sandwiches, toiletry bags, organizing clothes, and loaded two Brunswick School vans with all the supplies. From 9:30pm – 2:00am, the boys walked the streets of Manhattan, distributing over 150 toiletry bags, 150 sandwiches, 150 pieces of fruit, water, hot chocolate and over 400 articles of clothing to the homeless. A giant thank you to: James Lucey, Justin Cedeno, Larry Aspilaire, Cooper Robinson, Devin Mehra, Sammy Mehra, Carter Johnson, Thomas Morrisroe, Phil Coons, Ali Coopersmith, Chris Hart, Corey Juan, Jordan Reid, Matthew Mayfield, Mr. John Pendergast, John Pendergast, Jr., Ms. Meghan McCarthy, Mr. John Martin, and Mr. Noel Houlihan. Upcoming Events: If you are interested in joining the community service trip to India this summer, please contact the Community Service office, (203) 625 – 5854. Sign-ups will end on Friday, March 9th. The Brunswick School Blood Drive is set for Wednesday, March 7th, in the Brunswick School Pre School Gym. Donations will run from 11:30am – 5:15pm. Every drop counts; please visit the community service website for more information www.community.brunswickschool.org Community Service Day, Friday, April 27 Everyone in the Upper School commits half a day toward serving the community. We will be helping various organizations in the Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Norwalk, and Port Chester, NY areas. Students will spend time in shelters, assist with the elderly, work with children, and perform manual labor. If there is an organization that you’ve been a part of and would like to connect the organization with the Brunswick community, please reach out to me via email or by phone as we continue to strive to reach those in need. (jmontanez@brunswickschool.org or (203) 625-5800 X6726)
Brunswick School 100 Maher Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 a 1252 King Street Greenwich, CT 06831 (203) 625-5800
March 2012 Sun
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*MS Exams 1pm Dismissal for MS *US Musical Baker Theater, 7pm
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8 Red Cross Blood Drive PS Gym 11:30-5:00pm
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*National Latin Exam *National Italian Exam *Father/Son Dinner King Street, 7pm
*MS Faculty Grading Day NO SCHOOL—MS *US Musical Baker Theater, 7pm
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US Musical Baker Theater 2 & 7pm
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*Gr 5/6 Breakfast/Science Fair *Regular Dismissal for Spring Break
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Spring Break
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*MS ERBs
*End of 3rd Quarter PS/LS/US *MAP Network Potluck Dinner 6:30pm, Maher Ave