Brown MS Weekly Update

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Dear Brown MS Community,

Autumn is in full swing, and I often find myself looking out the window to see the changes in the landscape. Mr. Winkler (Green Team social studies teacher) shared the picture shown above with the faculty this week. The tree outside his window has created a golden effect in his room. It only lasts for a few days, but is so gorgeous.

An important part of this time of year is Diwali, the 5-day festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. This year it takes place from Oct. 22 - 26 with the biggest celebration this Monday Oct. 24. You can learn more about Diwali in this BBC article. To all of our Brown MS families that are celebrating, we wish you a bright and happy Diwali!

We are reaching that time of year when academic demands begin to pick up. One of our goals this year is to help our students become independent learners. Students react to this in a variety of ways - some dig deep and strive to achieve, some seek help from adults and self advocate, others look to friends and classmates to learn together. What we want to avoid is giving up when the work gets hard. To do this, students need to take risks and push themselves - even when they are not certain or sure. Internalizing a growth mindset philosophy is so important to student success and we strive to model this for our students. Even when a student struggles with a concept or skill, they can grow and improve by investing time, using their resources and trying new approaches. Our teachers work with students to help them do this every day. Learning to persevere, or "handling hard better" in middle school will set students up for success in high school and beyond. The coach of the women's basketball team at Duke University, Kara Lawson, describes this well in the video I have included below. (Shout out to Green Team teacher, Robyn Eaton, for sharing it with me!) Take time to watch it with your child this weekend when you get a chance. The message is important.

Finally, I hope to get some time outside tomorrow since the weather will be warm. We may go to the Head of the Charles and enjoy one of the final warm days of the season with the dog. (Sometimes being an empty nester has its benefits. I am no longer the family taxi, and that is a plus!) To all of you parents out there, I appreciate the running around you will be doing for your kids to their various activities this weekend! Be sure to try and find a little time for yourself to soak in the season!

Best,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

Last week we had the pleasure of hearing the acapella music of Ball in the House. This assembly was put on for each grade level. Students learned about tone, percussion, harmony and some music history from this incredibly talented group. Thank you to the PTO and the Creative Arts and Sciences Committee for making this event possible. Students truly enjoyed it!

Brown Working Theatre is thrilled to announce that this year’s musical will be Honk!

Auditions for students interested in performing on stage will take place after school on November 1st, 3rd, and 4th and applications for “behind the scenes” roles will be available (due date TBA) for students interested in working on other aspects of the show.

More information to come soon! Please feel free to be in touch with Mrs. Cutler (cutlere@newton.k12.ma.us) with any questions.

About the show:

Honk! is an award-winning musical adaptation of one of the world’s most enduring and beloved fairy tales: the story of The Ugly Duckling. Ugly is a little different from all the other ducklings on the pond, rejected by everyone except for his loving mother, Ida. When the nefarious Cat lures Ugly away from the pond, he finds himself on an unexpected adventure, meeting a series of colorful animal characters (from a flock of dubiously military geese to a wise and hilarious bullfrog) who help him understand that being different might not be so bad after all. We love this witty and heartwarming celebration of family, individuality, and transformation, and we know you will, too!

The joint PTOs from all four middle schools are sponsoring a talk by Catherine Pearlman, author of First Phone. Click here for more information about this book that is written for tweens and teens about how to be safe and appropriate with their first phones.

This talk will be on zoom this Wednesday, October 26 at 7:00PM. It will be a helpful presentation on how to support teens and tweens as they begin to navigate the ins and outs of having a smart phone.

Here is the link to the webinar for all attendees: https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81588919557

Please RSVP using this link if you would like to have interpretation/translation services for this event (RSVP for Translation Services).

Catherine Pearlman is the author of First Phone which is a book written for kids to keep them safe and teach them what is acceptable and what is not.

One of our goals this year is to help students become more independent in their learning. Impressing upon students the responsibilities that come with having an NPS Chromebook is important. Our teachers ask that you help your child develop a system or routine at home that helps them to remember to charge their Chromebook each night. It could be a sign to remind them on their bedroom door or the bathroom mirror - anything that can help them to remember and to take ownership of that responsibility. In addition, here are some tips from our technology department.

If your 7th or 8th grader has a Chromebook with a barrel shaped (round) charger, we will be upgrading them to a newer Chromebook this coming Friday, Oct. 28. If this pertains to your child, please have them be sure to bring in their computer and charger this Friday. They will need to log out of their Chromebook and shut it down prior to turning it in.

Getting involved in after school activities is a great way for your child to make connections with other students and become involved in the Brown MS community. There are late buses (4:15PM) available for any children that have a bus pass.

• Click here to view the schedule of after school activities.

Athletics

• Here is the link to the Game Schedule/Calendar

Please use the information below to register with Wachusett. You will receive more information about transportation and required forms after you sign up. Transportation cost will probably be around $125 (give or take) per student. The cost of transportation will be determined when we know how many students are participating and how many buses will be needed. As always, if you are in need of partial or full scholarship, reach out to shinm@newton.k12.ma.us.

How to Sign up by December 23, 2022

Parent Step One: Go to www.wachusett.com/schoolgroups

Parent Step Two: Enter Program Code BRWM to access the order form.

Choose the 6 Week Lift Badge option or, if you prefer, you can try to purchase a season pass. Click here for the Student Program Flyer

Wachusett is encouraging families to purchase the insurance.

For our 8th graders: Friday, December 9th from 6:00-8:00 in the cafeteria. If you would be interested in helping out or chaperoning, please reach out to Blue Team science teacher, Jennifer Anderson at andersonj@newton.k12.ma.us. More information to follow!

NPS has recently updated their non-discrimination protocol and reporting process. Here is a link to a document that gives an overview of the process and how to report incidents. If you experience an incident that you feel needs to be reported, you can contact the school directly or you can fill out this Online reporting form.

• What is discrimination?

  Discrimination includes, but is not limited to, excluding from participation, denying the benefits of, or otherwise discriminating against individuals on the basis of a Protected Class, or any other category protected by state or federal law.

  
  

• What is harassment?

  Harassment includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome, inappropriate, or illegal physical, verbal, written, graphic, or electronic conduct that relates to an individual’s actual or perceived Protected Class, that has the purpose or effect of creating a hostile education or work environment. Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to, conduct that denigrates, demeans, or stereotypes a person and/or group based upon disability, gender identity, national origin, ethnic background, ancestry, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment is also included in this category.

  
  

• What is retaliation?

  Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, coercion, intimidation, interference, punishment, discrimination, or harassment against any member of the school community in response to that member’s oral, written, formal or informal reporting or filing a complaint, cooperating in an investigation, aiding or encouraging another member to report or file a complaint.

If you are planning on doing some shopping on Amazon, consider using amazon smile to support Brown's PTO. Just designate Charles E. Brown Middle School PTO as your charitable recipient. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of your purchase price for eligible purchases towards our PTO. Click the picture below for a direct link to the site.

For more information about how this works, click this link to the PTO website.

There are still a number of openings for parents to take on a role (big or small) with the PTO. Please consider helping out this year. Getting involved is a way to get to know other parents in the community. Please click on the link below for more information about how to get involved.

Brown PTO Committees - Click Here to Learn More

Questions? Please contact Denise Dandrea at brownpto@brownpto.org

If you have not already done so, please be sure to update your student information on Aspen. It is important that we have correct contact information for school to home communication. Click here for Student Information Update instructions.

School Hours:

8:20AM - 2:50PM - Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.

8:20 AM - 2:05PM - Wed.

Click here for the NPS 2022-2023 school calendar.

Click here for the Brown Middle School 6-day rotation calendar for 2022-2023 with early release days and days of the cycle.

To report a student absence call: 617-559-6980

Brown Middle School

125 Meadowbrook Road

Newton, MA 02459

Absences: 617-559-6980

Main office: 617-559-6900