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The National Association of Independent School's identify eight unifying themes that comprise "Essential Capacities for the 21st Century." One theme is having a "vibrant arts program." Over the last ten days the students have exhibited amazing levels of creativity. Students have won numerous awards for their outstanding art; the display of the creative design process used in our Design Labs has been inspiring; the students' work at Fouthfest exhibited a variety of creative demonstrations; the writing published recently in our student newspapers reveals creative and critical thinking skills; and the students' outstanding performance of In the Heights this week underscores what a vibrant arts program can produce with student talent.
Last month at the PA meeting our music teachers presented their curriculum and pedagogical theory for teaching music at Brimmer. The benefits of such programming are now spreading to student learning outside of the arts. The latest neuroscience research was represented in the WBUR's Brain Matters special series. One of the articles was reprinted this week regarding the connection between music, executive functioning abilities, and language development.
Beyond the mere benefit of enjoying the arts, there are many advantages to the learner when we keep a focus on creativity and an arts curriculum when educating children.
Judith Guild
Head of School
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Annual Fund by the Numbers
If you have not yet made your gift, please click here to donate online!
Thank you!
Sharin Russell
Annual Fund Director
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Summer Camp Open House - THIS SATURDAY!
Come learn about Brimmer's Summer Camp and many additional specialized camp programs at our Open House at Winterfest on Saturday, March 5, 10:00 a.m. - noon..
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In the Heights
Come see  the Upper School Musical, In The Heights.
In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood--a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you and which ones you leave behind. In the Heights is the winner of the 2008 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.
Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes.
March 4 at 7:00 p.m.
March 5 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Buy your tickets here!
Watch The Gator's In the Heights video trailer here! |
"Oh, The Places You'll Go" Spring Auction:
Keep an eye on your email today for your official Paperless Post invitation to the Spring Auction. Let us know if you want to sit with friends or as a grade--we can put tables together for you. Please donate items for our Silent, Live, and Online auction before Spring break if possible. Or gather items while you are away--we can create a basket of all of your goodies!
Forms are available online or at the check-in desk in McCoy Hall (69). Donations can be delivered to the 3rd floor of Cummings Hall (73).
Still thinking of what to donate? Check out this handy idea list!
Thanks for supporting our 2016 Auction!
Amanda Spooner Frank '88
Director of Alumni Affairs and Special Events
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Spring Break Camp and Photo Camp
REGISTRATION for SPRING BREAK CAMPS running from March 14 - 18 is OPEN.
This March we are offering camp for students in Pre-K to 10th grade!
Kathryn Lee is offering her signature PHOTOGRAPHY CAMP for 6th - 10th graders. This 5-day camp includes daily trips (on the T) in and around Boston to take photos. Afternoons will be spent on campus learning about developing and experimenting with digital work. Each student will end the week with a personal portfolio of images. Email Mrs. Lee with questions: klee@brimmer.org.
Lower School students are welcome to join us for an exciting week of SPRING BREAK DAY CAMP, running from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day. Students will cook, engage in STEAM activities, play outdoors and in the gym, write and produce a play, and much more. Email Laura Foley for more information: lafoley@brimmer.org.
Register for camp via your Ultracamp account or create one here. |
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Field Hockey Clinic
Our very own Coach Goldberger is hosting a series of field hockey clinics for any student (boys and girls) in grades 4 - 8 on April 9, 16, 23, and 30 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the Brimmer gym, or weather permitting, on the Brimmer field. All students are welcome and will have an opportunity to either try the sport or develop their skills. We will have extra sticks and goggles for those interested!
Abbey Nyland
Middle School Athletic Director, Lower School PE Teacher
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Connect with Brimmer and May!
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Join the Conversation!
Follow Brimmer on social media for lots of news, photos, & video!
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Lower School News 
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Dear Lower School Families,
Winterfest is almost here! We hope to see you all tomorrow at this very special event--there is fun for all! Stay to see the Upper School production of In the Heights at 2:00 p.m. Speaking of productions, the Fourth and Fifth Grade musical is coming up next week. Princess Whatshername takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 and again at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, March 11.
Thomas A. Fuller
Head of Lower School
Courtney P. McGillicuddy
Assistant Head of Lower School
Early Childhood Coordinator
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 STEAM Department's Drone Captures First Grade Flying of Ornithopters Parents generously donated ornithopters (rubberband-powered birds) for students to use during the first grade's weekly STEAM Lab. Students' challenge was to safely fly Bella the Bird from her landing spot on the field to her nest inside the soccer goal. Students perfected their flying technique and learned about loft and stored energy. They explored the relationship between the number of "winds" and the distance Bella flew. All had a great time, and the flying lesson was captured by the Upper School STEAM Lab's drone! Click here to see video and photos.
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 L.S. Design Squad Video
Lower Schooler's in Andrew Stattel and Sarah Abrams' Design Squad After School Club used Brimmer's new Design Lab to follow the design process as they solved various challenges. Students engineered confetti launchers, marshmallow shooters, and treasure grabbers, and will create their own inventions to present to their peers at an EXPO on the final meeting day. Click here for video.
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Grade 1 & 2 Celebration of the Arts
In February, grades 1 and 2 shared with their families what they have learned in their drama, art, and music classes. Read more and see photos here.
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Middle School News
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
Next week is an exciting one in the Middle School! The 7th graders will be off to Washington, D.C. The trip will include a visit to the White House, a tour of the monuments at night, and a trip to the Newsuem. The D.C. trip, which connects with the grade 7 humanities curriculum, is a rite-of-passage for our students. The 6th and 8th graders will be taking part in the annual Boston scavenger hunt and a day of service in addition to their regular classes.
Conference sign up information for parent-teacher conferences will be sent home via postal mail next week. The online site for sign up is being prepared now and should be available shortly. Parent-Teacher conferences at the end of Interim II will be held in the Chase Building on Thursday, April 7, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. and Friday, April 8, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Brimmer uses the web-based Parent-Teacher Appointment System ™ to set up parent-teacher conferences. This system works on a "first-come, first-served" basis, and you are encouraged to set up conference appointments as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Carl Rapisarda-Vallely
Middle School Head
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 6th Grade STEAM Engineers Build Pasta Bridges Sixth grade engineers in Dr. Gallon's class were tasked with designing and building a bridge made out of pasta--and were graded on a cost versus weight tolerance ratio. Read more and see photos here. |
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Cradles to Crayons Clothing Drive
The Brimmer Upper School Community Service Club will host a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons during the Middle School's Exploration week--March 7 - 11, 2016. Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive--at home, at school and at play. They supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need. The 6th graders will volunteer at the Giving Factory warehouse on Friday, March 11. They will work as volunteers to inspect, sort and package new and like-new donations into customized "Kid Packs." Please consider donating these items: diapers, clothing, books, shoes, coats and new socks, underwear, and toys. Read donation guidelines.
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Lacrosse Clinic
The Varsity Coaches are hosting one more lacrosse clinic this winter to teach the game, meet the coach, get the skills ready, and try the sport before spring! Topics will include stick work, offense, defense, and small game scenarios. Wear sneakers!
Girls' Clinic:
Bring stick, goggles, & mouthguard
March 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
At Pine Manor College gym
Questions? Follow up with Mr. Gates, or Ms. Graves.
Abbey Nyland Middle School Athletic Director, Lower School PE Teacher |
Upper School News
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From the Upper School  Parent-Teacher Conference Sign Up
Conference sign up information will be sent home via postal mail next week. The online site for sign up is being prepared now and should be available shortly. Parent-Teacher conferences at the end of Interim II will be held in the Chase Building on Thursday, April 7, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. and Friday, April 8, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Brimmer and May uses the web-based Parent-Teacher Appointment System ™ to set up parent-teacher conferences. This system is truly a "first-come, first-served" mechanism, and you are encouraged to set up conference appointments as soon as possible. Congratulations to the Girls' Varsity Basketball Team
The Varsity Girls' Basketball Team earned a bid the 2016 NEPSAC Class E Girls Basketball Tournament. They were selected as the seventh seed in the eight-team tournament and played the number two seed, Oakwood Friends School, from Poughkeepsie, New York. The teams played at Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury, CT, a neutral site chosen for its fairly mutual travel distance for each school. The Girls' Varsity Basketball Team Roster for 2015-2016: Sita Alomran, '19 Donna Colombo, '19 Caitlin Cullen, '19 Sophia Gomez, '19 Emma Hastings, '19 Abby Mynahan, '19 Naila Silmi, '19 Caroline Bell, '18 Shani Breiman, '18, capt. Olivia Griffin, '18 Monica Morales, '18 Amy Nwachukwu, '18 Kimberly Santos, '18
Joseph Iuliano
Upper School Head
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Varsity Athletic Dinner - Wednesday
Brimmer is hosting a Dinner for winter varsity athletes and their parents to celebrate this season's accomplishments.
Date: Wednesday, March 9 Time: 6:00 p.m. Place: Chase Dining Room
The Winter Sports Awards Ceremony will commence at 6:45 p.m. in the Ruth Corkin Theatre following the dinner. This is a dress event. We hope to see you there!
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College Decisions
A number of students in the Class of 2016 have received college decisions, and the remaining decisions will be mailed or sent electronically in the next few weeks. Once again, all indications from the colleges point to another year of increased numbers of applications and selectivity. One liberal arts college that is popular with our students reported to me that they had filled over half their class from their Early Decision pool making it that much harder for the larger pool of applicants who applied for the remaining spaces. Another practice that is becoming more widespread is the heavy emphasis some colleges place on "expressions of interest." With the competition for spots so keen and the importance of the "yield" figure for the ratings, colleges do their best to predict those students who are most likely to enroll. Stealth applicants--those students who have never visited the campus nor made contact with the admissions staff-- are deemed less likely to attend and are therefore often denied or wait listed. The top tier colleges will again have acceptance rates in the single digits--some in the low single digits. With all this said, our students have been enjoying great success with their decisions thus far, and we are hopeful that the remaining news is just as positive.
Summer
Although myths persist about what impresses colleges about the summer activities that students pursue, these stories are just that-- myths. The reality is that colleges want to see that students are spending the summer months doing something meaningful. This can mean a summer job babysitting or scooping ice cream, volunteering at a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or community-based program for children, or working as a CIT at a summer camp. Although some students choose to take classes on a college or prep school campus, there is something to be said for having a few months to just decompress from studying and taking tests. Our academic program at Brimmer is very challenging and doesn't leave much free time to read for pleasure or delve into deeper research on a topic of personal interest. This kind of self-motivated academic work can be more impressive to colleges and much more relaxing!
Reminder for Junior Parents
Parents and guardians of juniors, please complete the questionnaire on Naviance. If you would prefer, please email information about your student to the college counseling team in another format that works for you. This information helps us in both the counseling process and then later when we write the college recommendation. Thank you for your cooperation.
Mark Your Calendar
Sunday, April 24, is the BISCCA College Fair at Milton Academy. This is a required event for juniors. Information to follow.
Monday, April 25, is an essay workshop for juniors that will be presented by a college admissions officer. Information to follow.
Thursday, April 28, is a Financial Planning Night for all Brimmer families. The presenter, Todd Weaver, is a licensed educational financial planner. Information to follow.
Sunday, May 22, and Monday, May 23, is the National College Fair at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. See the Poster on the College News board in Almy.
Spring College Visits
March Break is a perfect time for juniors to visit colleges. Nearly all colleges and universities offer campus tours and group information sessions several times each day. This information can be found on their websites, and most will allow families to sign up and reserve a spot online. If you would like help in creating a list of appropriate colleges to visit or would like aid in planning the actual trip, the college team would be happy to help you with this. Email Mrs. Pendergast, Ms. Du, or Mr. Murphy to make an appointment. In addition, be sure to check the College Board in Almy for notices of Spring Open House and Visiting Day programs this Spring. This is a wonderful way to explore a college you know little about.
Junior Testing
All juniors must sign up for at least one exam this spring. It can be the SAT or the ACT or both. To register for one of these exams the student must create an account with the testing agency at www.actstudent.org.
The remaining testing dates and registration deadlines for this year are as follows:
SAT
Date: May 7
Registration Deadline: April 8
Date: June 4
Registration Deadline: May 5
ACT
Date: April 9
Registration Deadline: March 4
Date: June 11
Registration Deadline: May 6
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From the Parents' Association
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Winterfest is Tomorrow!
Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Gym
Come to our family-friendly fair and scholarship fundraiser! Volunteering is fun and easy--give an hour or two of your time, and get to know fellow parents while your children enjoy the event! We are still are looking for help from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. -- running games and staffing the bouncy house and obstacle course. Click here for the Sign-Up Genius.
Winterfest Raffle: It's not too late to enter!
Click here to print out raffle tickets instructions and bring your payment to Winterfest. Thank you to our generous parents, the School, and Summer Camp for donating these great prizes:
$5 raffle prizes: American Girl Doll, Lea, Girl of the Year $150; Mistral Restaurant Gift Certificate; $100 iTunes Gift Card; 1 Week Gator Goals Soccer Camp (ages 5-11), 6/20-6/24; 1 Week NEW Got Science? Camp (ages 7-10), 6/27-7/1, led by Andrew Stattel, Grade 2 teacher; 1 Week NEW Design and Develop STEAM Camp (ages 11-14), 8/15-19, led by Chris Hardman, Upper School Science teacher; 2 Tickets Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks, Loge 10, Row 12, Friday 4/8/16, 7:30 p.m.; 4 Red Sox Tickets, Infield Grandstand, regular season, (date of your choice, excluding Opening Day, last day of season, Red Sox-Yankees); Basket #1 FULL of Action and Adventure toys; and Basket #2 FULL of Butterfly crafts and toys.
$1 Raffle prizes: 11 Beanie Boos and Beanie Ballz will be raffled off (one per winner)! 
While you're at Winterfest, drop by Brimmer's Summer Camp Open House in the Gym, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Birthday Wishes at Winterfest - You may drop off donations of birthday party items at the Birthday Wishes table at Winterfest. Monetary donations are also welcome and very much appreciated.
Immediately following Winterfest - There's still time to purchase tickets for a special (PG) 2 p.m. matinee performance of In the Heights,
t he Upper School Musical. Click here to purchase tickets. To see a trailer and hear from our dedicated and talented Upper School cast members, click here.
Please Support Cradles to Crayons Community Service Project Next Week
Next week, Grade 6 students will assist the Upper School Community Service Club with a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. Donations of new and like-new children's items will support Cradles to Crayons' efforts to provide children living in homeless or low-income situations with the essentials they need to thrive. Please consider donating clothing to this worthy cause. The entire Grade 6 class will be volunteering at Cradles to Crayons on the morning of Friday, March 11. If you would like to learn more about Cradles to Crayons, please visit cradlestocrayons.org.
Please feel free to email us with questions, suggestions, or comments anytime: brimmerparents@brimmer.org.
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| Click here for Brimmer and May School's website. |
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Please note that this email was generated from a "no reply" email box.
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3/4
Interim II for Seniors
Upper School Musical - In The Heights
7:00 p.m.
3/5
SAT I & II
Winterfest
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Upper School Musical - In The Heights
2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
3/7
Grade 7 departs for Washington, D..C.
3/10
Grade 7 return from Washington, D..C.
Grades 4 and 5 Creative Arts Performance
6:30 p.m.
3/11
Mid Semester II/
End of Quarter III
Spring Vacation Begins
No School- Grade 7
Grade 4 and 5 Creative Arts Performance at Share
9:00 a.m.
3/28
School Resumes
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