Brown MS Weekly Update
Mar. 10, 2023
Dear Brown MS Community,
This coming weekend my children will both be home from college for spring break. I am thrilled and look forward to bringing back "family dinner" for the week. Sharing about our day was always part of dinner conversations, and there were many times when our conversations involved talking about important topics such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, antisemitism and sexism. Our goal in these conversations was to nurture and challenge our children to be reflective, kind and empathetic humans. As white parents we realized the importance of making sure our children were not blind to their own privileges and that they recognize their essential role in speaking up to make the world a better place.
Unfortunately, this year at Brown we have had several cases of discrimination. For each of these we have utilized the NPS Non-Discrimination Protocol in our investigations and dealt with each on an individual level. Families were alerted, consequences were given and we worked at restorative practices to help students own their inappropriate actions and work towards learning lessons.
Below are some examples of the types of insensitive behaviors we have experienced:
Students calling people offensive names based on their ethnicity or culture
Students using the word "gay" as a pejorative
Students targeting Muslims with jokes about September 11th
Students targeting black students with jokes about Black History Month
Students making fun of the sound of Asian languages or calling Asian students names
Students saying they have an “n-word pass” (meaning they have permission to say the n-word)
Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” The incidents above, while generally between a small number of students, also have impacted those that witness or hear about them. For Brown to be a safe space for all students it requires us as a community to stand up, speak up and talk about these issues. Middle schoolers are capable of great empathy, and I see this demonstrated by many students on a daily basis. Unfortunately, they are also capable of hurting others with their words and actions. I share this upsetting information to both inform you and to enlist your help in talking with your child. The solution needs to come from both home and school. We need to teach them to know better, and then hold the expectation that they do better.
At Brown we take time to teach all students about the harmful impacts of racism. In the 6th grade all students participate in Urban Improv, where they learn about the harmful impacts of microaggressions against many groups. At the 7th grade level our ELA department teaches a whole unit on modern-day, systemic racism. At the 8th grade level, throughout the year our students learn about slavery and its connection to our country’s founding and students also learn about the Holocaust and broader connection to the concept of “othering”. Last year at all grade levels, we taught lessons in social studies classes about Juneteenth, and we will continue that each year. This coming week all of our Advisories will be engaged in lessons about microaggressions.
We still have work to do and will be addressing the more frequent overt racism that we have seen with the student body. However, it is not enough. We need families to be talking at home about racism, anti-Muslim sentiment, homophobia, antisemitism and so many other forms of hatred and bias. These conversations can be around the dinner table, in the car, or wherever works best for your family - just make sure they are happening. If you are not sure how to begin, I am sharing some resources that you and your child can explore together. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department has collected resources that parents can start using now with their children. Click here to access it. It includes articles, lists of books as well as information on how to help your child to be an up-stander.
I have been in consultation with Kathy Lopes, Director of DEI for NPS and I will be enlisting the help of our FORJ (Families Organized for Racial Justice) community. She and I will be working together on providing parents a forum for discussing these issues so that we may come together as a community and raise our children to be anti-racist.
I realize this is not an easy letter to read. Please know I am committed to this work and will continue to work on making Brown a space where all students feel a sense of safety and belonging.
I wish you a good weekend,
Kim Lysaght, Principal
(PARENT HELP NEEDED)
FACULTY AND STUDENT FOUL-UPS AND BAKE/SNACK SALE
A Brown annual school spirit tradition returns as students, teachers, and staff come together to face off to see who can shoot the most hoops from the free throw line! Students who come closest to guessing the total number of points each team will score (without going over!) can win a prize on Monday, March 13 from 3:05 to 4:05 pm. Students can take the 4:15pm late bus home.
No need to sign up in advance, students show up on the day to participate! Middle schoolers who don't want to shoot hoops are encouraged to come and cheer on their teachers and classmates - and BE SURE TO WEAR YOUR TEAM's COLOR!
PARENTS! Please send your kids in with a few dollars to purchase snacks and beverages at the BAKE/SNACK SALE during the event.
DONATIONS NEEDED
Please SIGN UP HERE to donate goodies for students to purchase after school! All bake/snack sale items should be pre-packaged individual servings. You can send donated items in with your child Monday morning to the front office or drop them off in the teachers' lounge on the day of the event BEFORE 1:00PM. Please mark all items "Faculty-Student Foul-Ups."
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
SIGN UP HERE to Volunteer to keep score or sell snacks for this fun school spirit event!
Brown Middle School Spring Varsity Sports Information 7th and 8th Grade Only
Please use THIS LINK if your child is interested in trying out for baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse or Track and Field. Tryouts begin the week of Apr 3, 2023.
Please use THIS LINK if your child is interested in trying out for ultimate frisbee. Tryouts begin the week of Mar 27, 2023.
*Important Notes:
It is possible that cuts will have to be made in all sports except track and field. Cuts are dependent upon the number of students who register for each sport.
The spring play conflicts with the spring sports season, therefore, if your child is signed up for the spring play, they will not be able to participate in spring sports.
Please feel free to contact the head coach if you have any questions.
UPDATED After School Extra-Curricular Activities Update
Please take a look as there are changes to the extracurricular activities for the spring. There continue to be many opportunities for students to get involved. This is a great way for them to explore new interests and expand their friendship groups. Click here to view the schedule of after school activities.
Math Team - Perfect Scores!
Our math team, under the direction of Kathleen Haley, Isaiah Davidson Weiss, Chris LeGare and Lucas Daniesl, have been having a very successful year. At their most recent competition a number of our Brown matheletes had perfect scores. They are pictured here. Congratulations to the team for their hard work and thank you to their wonderful coaches!
Holi Celebration
Join the Indian Community of Newton and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller to celebrate Holi, the spring festival of color, on Saturday March 11th from 12pm to 1pm in front of Newton City Hall. Students from Newton North and Newton South High Schools will host the event featuring Dance, Art, Music and culminating in Color Play! You become the canvas when throwing organic color powder on your friends and family, fun for all! This is the third annual celebration of Holi at Newton City Hall, this year we will also honor International Women's Day. Please play Holi colors safely, wear protective eyewear, and bring towels to wipe color powder. All are welcome to participate in this free and fun traditional celebration of Spring.
Have You Talked to Your Child About The Risks of Vaping?
It is never to early to help your child have safe and healthy habits! As teens and tweens get older they will find themselves exposed to a variety of unhealthy choices. One that you may not have discussed with your child is Vaping or E-Cigarettes. I encourage you to use this website from the CDC as a guide to help provide your child (and you) with guidance. Vaping is addictive and harmful to adolescent brain development. Students learn about the risks of vaping in health class at Brown, however regular conversations at home are an important part of helping students make wise choices as they get older. I encourage you to begin and continue this conversation with your child.
MCAS Dates Set
Dates for the administration of the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) have been set as follows:
English Language Arts:
March 28 & 29 - 7th grade
April 10 & 11 - 6th grade
April 12 & 13 - 8th grade
Math:
May 15 & 16 - 8th grade
May 17 & 18 - 7th grade
May 22, &23 - 6th grade
Science & Technology/Engineering:
May 24 - 8th grade only
Inclement Weather Notification Reminder
The decision to close or delay school is made by the superintendent, in consultation with the Police Department and the Department of Public Works. You will be notified of school closing via email, text, phone, website, television news, and social media. Please make sure your contact information is updated in Aspen so that we are able to reach you in a timely manner (Aspen Login Link) If you do not remember your Aspen login information, please email: aspen@newton.k12.ma.us
Please visit this webpage for additional details: School Closings Due to Weather Webpage
