Superintendent's Update

Translations and accessibility options are available at the top of the page.

• Amharic: የትርጉም አማራጮችን ለማግኘት እዚህ ጠቅ ያድርጉ

• Arabic: الرجاء الضغط هنا للترجمة العربية.

• Simplified Chinese: 点击这里查看中文翻译.
  
• Traditional Chinese: 點擊這裡查看中文翻譯.
• French: Cliquez ici pour accéder aux options de traduction
• Haitian Creole: Klike la a pou tradiksyon kreyòl ayisyen an.
• Hebrew: אנא לחץ כאן לצפייה במסמך בעברית.
• Japanese: ここをクリックして日本語の翻訳にアクセスしてください.
• Korean: 한국어 번역을 보시려면 여기를 클릭하십시오.
• Portuguese: Clique aqui para a tradução em português.
• Russian: Нажмите здесь, чтобы получить доступ к русскому переводу.
• Spanish: Haga clic aquí para acceder a la traducción al español.
• Vietnamese: Nhấn vào đây để truy cập bản dịch tiếng Việt.

On most Fridays during the school year, the Office of the Superintendent will send an update to the community highlighting some of the excellent work being done by our educators and school leaders. The update will also include important announcements from the district’s central office. These newsletters will be posted on the PSB website (www.brookline.k12.ma.us/supt-updates).

Throughout this week, our schools have engaged in various ways to show their appreciation for their teachers and nurses. We too, would like to take a moment and express gratitude to all our teachers and school nurses for everything they do.

To Our Teachers

Thank you for your commitment to shaping young minds. Your creativity, patience and endless encouragement enables a learning environment where our students can learn and grow. You inspire and empower our students every day.

To Our Nurses

Thank you for your tireless dedication towards keeping our students safe and healthy. Your compassion and reassuring presence provides invaluable comfort and support to our students, especially in times of need.

Together, our teachers and nurses embody the heart and soul of our school district, shaping futures and making a difference. We are grateful for all that you do.

We would like to congratulate Carolyn Thall (pictured on the left) and Jesse Hefter (center) for their election, and Sarah Moghtader (right) for her re-election to the School Committee, in the Town elections held on May 7.

Carolyn Thall has been a Brookline resident since 2010. She has been elected to represent Precinct 16 in Town Meeting thrice. In 2022, she was appointed to Brookline's Fiscal Advisory Committee, where she worked on the AC Schools Subcommittee.

Jesse Hefter has lived in Brookline since 1984. He is currently a Town Meeting member for Precinct 14. He was appointed to the Select Board Committee on Pedestrian-friendly Street Lighting in 2019, and to the Pedestrian Advisory Committee in 2023. He has also been involved in the Pierce School reconstruction project.

Sarah Moghtader has been a resident of Brookline since 2004, and was a middle-school French teacher at FRR, Hayes, Runkle and Lawrence from 2004 to 2023. She was appointed by a subcommittee of the Select Board and School Committee, to fill a vacancy on the School Committee in November 2023. Sarah was also elected to Town Meeting for Precinct 1 in the recent election.

We look forward to welcoming our new members at the next School Committee meeting.

We would like to thank our outgoing School Committee member, David Pearlman. David's term with the School Committee ended this year, and he was elected to the Select Board in the Town elections.

Congratulations to Driscoll School art teacher Olivia Reyelt and BHS English/SWS teacher Keira Flynn-Carson, for receiving the Brookline Education Foundation's 2024 Caverly Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Since 1984, the Ernest R. Caverly Award has been presented to Brookline educators in recognition of professional achievements and contributions to the Public Schools of Brookline. Two awards are given annually – one to a high school educator and one to an elementary school educator. The educators receiving the awards are designated as Ernest R. Caverly Associates in recognition of their dedication to the ideals of Dr. Ernest R. Caverly, a distinguished public school leader, educator, and Brookline Schools Superintendent (1931-1964).

From left to right: Driscoll School principal David Youkilis, Olivia Reyelt, Keira Flynn-Carson, BHS Head of School Anthony Meyer, and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Linus Guillory.

Seventh-grade Mathematics students at the Baker School participated in The Stock Market Game, a nationwide project-based financial education program that introduces students to global capital markets through an online market simulation platform. Each student was provided with an online portfolio which allowed them to trade stocks, mutual funds, and bonds.

The year-long competition for Massachusetts ended last month, with two Baker students finishing in the first and second place. Vada Eng bagged the first place with a 40.56% net equity gain, and Adam Tong finished second with a 36.93% net equity gain.

A shout out to Dylan Rossi, Mathematics teacher at the Baker School, who enrolled his students in The Stock Market Game.

Brookline High School held its annual end-of-year dance showcase, Progressions, from May 1 to 4. The showcase featured work by faculty, students, and student-led dance groups. The dancers lit up the stage, and had the audience clapping from start to finish in each of the four shows.

Here's a glimpse.

Photo credits: Jin Suk, BHS parent.

Next week, Brookline High School will host Hate Ends Now: The Cattle Car Exhibit for the second year in a row. This exhibit is designed to help participants understand the consequences of racial and religious hatred as they were experienced by millions of Jewish people and other minority groups during World War II. BHS' goal is to curate an educational experience that will make the history of the Holocaust real and meaningful for students.

The exhibit is intended for the 500+ BHS students in Modern World History and Global Studies classes, who will tour the exhibit as one part of their Holocaust education. Students will visit the exhibit, with their teachers and led by a docent, during the school day between May 15 and May 17.

While the focus of the exhibit is for our students, there will be a small window for community members to visit the exhibit. The docent-guided tours are 30 minutes in length, with a maximum of 22 people in each tour. Community Tours are available on Wednesday, May 15, at 3:30, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00 and 5:30pm. If you would like to sign-up for one of these tours, please use the link below.

Please only sign-up if you are sure you can make it because space is very limited.

The 9th BAAFN Essay Contest Award Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 15 from 6pm to 8pm at the Coolidge Corner Theater. The keynote speaker for the event is Mira T. Lee, author of Everything is Beautiful.

Congratulations to all the award winners:

• BAAFN Award: Haley Kim (Runkle alum), The Fan Dance Language
• Content Award: Kiran Bhatia (Runkle alum), Indian-ish: Finding a Way Back to My Identity
• Creativity Award: Geo Elasmar (Runkle alum), Sticky Heat
• Creativity Award: Melanie Ho (FRR alum), Reading in Between the Lines
• Resilience Award: Bella Wang (Lawrence alum), Lost in My Own Voice

Did you know that a turtle's shell is made up of the fused bones and cartilage of its spine, pelvic bone, and rib cage? The top part of a turtle's shell is called a carapace, while the bottom plate is called a plastron. The turtle's carapace is covered with a series of individual pieces called scoots. After learning about sea turtles in science class, students in Ms. Reyelt's sixth-grade art classes looked at the form and patterns that are the hallmarks of a turtle's unique skeletal adaptation.

Students began by creating painted paper sheets, focusing on streaks of color to mimic the streaks seen in the turtle shell. They used these painted papers to cut out the interlocking geometric shapes that make the scoot pattern on the turtle's shell, as well as the patterned spots on the flippers and head. The students collaged their paper to create both their turtles and a background for the turtles to be placed in. They worked to create more textured paper to create a sense of the ocean waves or sandy shores that these amazing creatures inhabit.

We're happy to share that Ashley O'Sullivan has joined the PSB as Head Clerk for Grants. She replaces Donovan King in this position.

Ashley studied Communication and Media at Simmons University, and has developed a strong focus on community throughout her career. She started off in the private sector with experience in property Management and marketing, and has since transitioned to the public sector at the Town of Brookline. She has worked in the central administration office for the Department of Public Works, and more recently as a Finance Assistant in the Treasurer’s office.

We warmly welcome Ashley to the PSB community!

May 27: Memorial Day (schools closed)

June 2: Brookline High School Graduation

June 3: Roland Hayes School Renaming Ceremony

June 14: 8th Grade Graduation – Hayes, Lawrence, Ridley, Runkle

June 17: 8th Grade Graduation – Baker, Driscoll, Lincoln, Pierce

June 18: Last Day of School

Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the unconditional love and sacrifices of mothers worldwide. It's a day to express gratitude and cherish the invaluable role mothers play in our lives.

May is an extremely busy time at the BHS Performing Arts, with performances galore before the seniors bid goodbye. We hope you can make it to as many events as possible!

Needs Improvment, an upper level drama class at BHS, will take you on a wild ride through short-form improv activities, as seen on tv shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as well as longer format improvised scene work. Be sure not to miss it, because the ideas for the stories come from you, the audience. You suggest a molehill, we'll make a mountain; you suggest straw, we'll spin gold. And as always, what gets performed on Friday will never be performed again!

This performance is a 'food'raiser for the Brookline Food Pantry:

• Adults: $10 + a non-perishable food item, or $11
• Students: $5 + a non-perishable food item, or $6
• Staff: Free

When: Friday, May 10 at 7pm

Where: 22 Tappan Theater, Brookline High School

Get Tickets

The final concert of this academic year includes thrilling and heartfelt performances by all BHS orchestras, bands and choruses with student concerto soloists, fond farewells and recognition for members of the class of 2024. Great for all ages!

When: Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15 at 7.30pm

Where: Roberts/Dubbs Auditorium, Brookline High School

Tickets are $10 for adults, free for PSB staff and students.

Get Tickets

The Battle is the final improv show of the year, where alums come back to compete against the current class for Improv supremacy! Don't miss your chance to see (and make suggestions for scenes for) the Battle!

When: Friday, May 17 at 7pm

Where: Roberts/Dubbs Auditorium, Brookline High School

Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults, free for staff.

Get Tickets

The Student Directed Festival is the Drama Department's ‘jewel in the crown’, with almost 100 student performers, directors and tech crew, representing all 4 grades! Come see original student-written plays, adaptations, and more. There are 9 plays total, running 20 minutes each.

When: Saturday, May 18 from 9.45am to 5.30pm

Where: Roberts/Dubbs Auditorium, Brookline High School

Adults: $10 for a 1/2 Day Pass, $15 for a Full Day Pass

Students: $5 for a 1/2 Day Pass, $7 for a Full Day Pass

Staff: Free

Get Tickets

Gear up for the Roland Hayes school's annual family carnival, featuring bounce houses slides, obstacle courses, carnival games, a cake walk, face painting, hair coloring, and more. The whole community is invited!

When: Saturday, May 11 from 1pm to 5pm

Where: Roland Hayes School, 100 Eliot Street

The Brookline Teen Center needs your help! The BTC is a great local non-profit that offers many important services to local Brookline families, including a new afterschool program for middle schoolers every day of the week.

Please consider buying a ticket to their fundraising event, the annual gala. Last day to buy a ticket is May 14.

When: Saturday, May 18 at 6.30pm

Where: Brookline Teen Center, 40 Aspinwall Ave

Get Tickets

Bring a friend, make new ones and get wild with the Girl Scouts at the Animal Friends Party! Parents and caregivers are also invited to this free event.

When: Monday, May 20 at 5pm

Where: Brookline PD Community Room, 350 Washington Street

RSVP

• Previous community updates can be found here.