As part of Co-Curricular Week, the junior class took a hike together from Mt. Tam over to Stinson Beach. See more photos in the Photo Gallery.
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New Directory Additions/Changes
Isabel Scal, '18
Grace Carson, ‘20
Deidra Carson
306 Kent Avenue
Kentfield, CA 94904
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Messaging System Update
A few parents rightly pointed out that the text sent Tuesday about early dismissal didn't give the name of the school. The voicemail and email both said Branson, but the text was unclear--especially to those who have students at more than one school! Apologies for the confusion, and I hope the fact that you also received a call and an email means that eventually it was clear.
Be assured that future texts will say Branson and not "the school."
Since our initial test of the system, all records were updated for those who submitted changes. If you still didn't receive a call, text, or email, please
contact me.
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LGBTQ+ Social Postponed
Due to the large number of events this fall, sponsors of the LGBTQ+ Families Social have decided to move it to the winter term, most likely in January. Please stay tuned for the new date.
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"Paying for College" Educational Session
Monday, October 16, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Old Dining Hall
Brian O'Rourke, Vice-President for Enrollment Management for Mount Saint Mary's University, will join us once again to deliver an educational and informative session on how to navigate the ins and outs of the financial aid process for college. Parents from any grade level are welcome. This presentation is similar to previous years, but with some updated information for the 2017-2018 cycle. Parents of juniors and seniors who care to learn more about how to pay for college are strongly encouraged to attend.
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Parent Education Event at COM
Would you like to find yourself "better able to see even your child's most exasperating behaviors as steps in striving towards maturity, rather than chronic problems or mean–spirited efforts designed to make you miserable?"
"Dr. Brad Sachs helps parents understand the invisible transformation teens are experiencing and to recognize their unrealistic expectations for their teenagers, allowing them to love, accept and nurture the family they have to its full potential."
He presents a developmental overview of what parents can expect from their children during adolescence, then delineates the five stages in the journey towards accepting a child for who he or she is. With prescriptive tools, lively anecdotes, and practical strategies, Dr. Brad helps parents develop realistic expectations of the family, and to understand, forgive, and accept them in spite of their imperfections.
October 19, 2017 from 7 to 8:30 pm at the College of Marin - James Dunn Auditorium
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Parent Field Trip to Hear Talk on Raising Resilient Children
by Germana Fabbri and Liz Marks
We all recognize that “
raising resilient children and teens who thrive in our rapidly changing and uncertain world is no small task
.” As such, the PA invites you
to be our guest
to hear Dr. Madeline Levine, Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, and Dr. Denise Pope discuss why it matters to foster resilience in our teens.
Please join us on our parent field trip
Friday, October 20, 2017 from 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
in the Memorial Auditorium at Stanford University.
The PA will pay for your ticket so please RSVP to:
germana@comcast.net
as soon as you know you are able to attend and
by October 13, 2017
at the latest. You do not need to purchase tickets separately. For more information about the event, please
see this link
or
download the flyer.
Carpools are leaving from Branson campus at 5:00 pm, and we will happily arrange carpools for parents who may want to drive from San Francisco or the East Bay. Plan on an evening of learning and fun with fellow Branson parents, as we are all together on the journey of raising our children!
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OCTOBER 16 - College Financial Aid Night
Old Dining Hall, 7 - 8 pm
OCTOBER
19 - Parent Education Event with Dr. Brad Sachs
College of Marin - James Dunn Auditorium, 7 - 8:30 pm
OCTOBER 20 -
Parent Field Trip to Parent Ed Talk
Memorial Auditorium at Stanford University, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
OCTOBER 21 -
Alumni Family Fun Day
Quad, 11 am - 1 pm
OCTOBER 21-
Football Homecoming Game
Tom Ryan Field, 1 pm
OCTOBER 23 - Winter Sports Orientation
The Commons, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
The dates listed above represent only the next two weeks.
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Co-Curricular Week
by Meredith Herrera, Dean of Student Life & Inclusion and Senior Class Dean
Kicked off by a fantastic opening assembly last week students, staff, and faculty came together for a celebration of diverse voices and perspectives. From workshops with the Anti-Defamation League and E3: Education, Excellence, and Equity, to outings to Mt. Tam and the Oakland Museum, our community took time to listen, learn from, and explore each others unique stories. A special thanks to our opening speakers,
Nathalio Gray, Gisella Petrone
, and
Gillian Kneass,
who modeled the power of storytelling. Additionally, tremendous gratitude goes to
Kim Fahlen
for her tireless work making this event possible and to
Justin Culley
and
DiAnn Montemayor
for all of their technical and logistical assistance. And finally,
here’s a great clip from our closing session
and some field trip photos in gallery below.
Parent Education Article
Parent Education Event
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CLASS OF 2018: ORDER SENIOR CONGRATULATIONS ADS NOW
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Celebrate your graduating senior with a tribute that will last a lifetime!
Purchasing a senior congratulatory ad lets you include pictures and a message to create your child's own special page in their senior yearbook.
Click here
to view some previously created pages.
Please purchase a half-page or full-page ad (see link below) before
October 16, 2017.
Thank you for supporting the Branson yearbook by creating a page for your graduate!
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KQED TEACH
On September 27, Theater Director
Maura Vaughn
was interviewed as the first step in her participation in the KQED Teach Case Study program. According to the KQED Education website,
KQED Teach
, our new online learning platform, will support educators’ growing media literacy needs by helping them develop the media skills necessary to bring media production to their learning environments."
Researchers will be following Maura as she implements TEACH-related activities this semester and next. They will connect with her on a regular basis for updates, conduct a classroom observation, and then interview her again at the conclusion.
We are excited that, through Maura, Branson will be helping develop curriculum in digital media literacy for other educators.
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Volunteering in Support of Branson Arts
Love Branson Arts and want to be part of it? Here are two ways:
Volunteers are needed for Saturday's Open House from 12:45 to 3:30 pm
Branson Admissions and the Arts department need volunteers this Saturday to serve as ambassadors at large. Prospective families love hearing from current parents about their Branson experiences (remember?). Click on the link below to visit the Branson Arts Council volunteer
sign-up website
.
Put your hands to work framing art
The Visual Arts department could use some extra help occasionally with matting and framing student artwork if you have a spare hour. After you've learned how to matte and frame, we will add you to our list of people to email when we have work to hang. Let's get the beautiful work of our students out of the studio and on display! Please email
Alexandra Bailliere
with “Branson Art” in the subject line
if you are interested.
Eric Oldmixon
will host a training in the near future. We will email those interested to set up a mutually agreeable date and time. Thank you!
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Partnering with One Tam to Save the Bees
Your Branson PA Community Engagement Committee is working to schedule opportunities for families to engage with our neighbors (Community Engagement theme for the year). We're kicking off the new school year with a very unique opportunity with One Tam to participate in research to save the bees. We will be sorting insects collected from traps on Mt. Tam to separate out (no longer living/stinging) bees and prepare them to be sent to entomologists.
Read more here.
The event is
Saturday, October 14
from 9 am to 12 pm in Corte Madera. Siblings ages 13 and up are welcome to join us. Please contact
Evelyn Sayers
by September 30 to sign up, as space is limited.
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Fair Brings Nonprofits to Campus
by Elizabeth Siarny, Director of Community Engagement
Branson's Community Engagement Team was happy to welcome 13 nonprofit organizations to campus to participate in our Community Engagement Fair on Monday, October 9. In assembly, the 16 Community Engagement Coordinators presented the department's theme of the year (Neighbors) with a short video and discussion of what the concept of neighbors means to them. Four of the organizations (KEEN, Canal Alliance, Youth Court, and ELM) presented brief descriptions of their organizations to the school and talked about how each organization acts as a neighbor. Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out!
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Attending Organizations
Best Buddies
Canal Alliance
Cedars of Marin
Enriching Lives through Music
Guide Dogs for the Blind
Kids Enjoying Exercise Now
Hamilton School
Marin Against Youth Abuse
Marin Community Clinic
Marin Youth Court
Marin Performing Stars
REC, Inc.
REST (Rotating Emergency Shelter Team)
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Sustainable Seas Monitoring Event on October 21
Please join us for the Sustainable Seas fall monitoring event on Saturday, October 21!! The tides have given us a late afternoon time slot, so we will be leaving Branson at 4:30 pm and gathering our data until sunset at Duxbury Reef, returning about 8:00 pm.
Please be sure to have done the flex block trainings (two more offered this week). Please
sign up here
for TWO training sessions (part 1 and part 2) that will be held during upcoming flex blocks in TSC 2.
To participate in the October 21 monitoring, sign up by emailing
Kathy Soave
to reserve your spot and look for a response email with the final instructions! All students who love the ocean and are eager to participate as stewards of our beaches are welcome!
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Community Engagement Opportunity for Adults
by Parent Michele Huff
Parents, faculty, staff, and other adults: Are you interested in making a difference in the life of a child? If so, we have a program that you might consider. Mentor Me Hamilton School is located on the campus of Hamilton School in Novato. 75% of Hamilton School students live in poverty.
Three years ago we started a program that identifies students who could benefit from having an adult mentor. This mentor is a friend and an advocate that meets on campus with the student for an hour once a week. During this time, the mentor and mentee play games, talk, play outside with sports equipment, and or make art projects. The idea is not to be a tutor but someone that the student develops a relationship with, someone that can be there and encourage them to realize their potential.
We currently have over 80 adult mentors, but we also currently have 57 students on our waitlist. Some of our students have been waiting over a year for a mentor. Please consider becoming a mentor. Many of our students say that the day they have mentoring is the best day of their week! You could be that person that gives a child something to look forward to in a sometimes very difficult life.
Branson parents in particular have so much wisdom to impart and we would love to have you at Hamilton. Please email or call to arrange a tour or talk about next steps.
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Morgan Abbett '10 Needs Your Vote!
Morgan Abbett '10
was the first recipient if the I
n Pursuit of Science Scholarship
in 2009. We learned of her project last year and have been following its progress every since. Today her work is up for an award and she would love our support - read more below.
*******
Morgan Abbett, '10, recently led an all-women team of engineers on a project called the Parkwood Tech Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
They designed, fundraised, and managed construction of a community computer center at an under-resourced school.
Now the project is up for an award from the US Green Building Council, and she needs votes to win! Voting is easy - just go to the link below and like the photo by the end of Friday 10/13. Thank you for your support!
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“
LOVE
- The first of four core values we believe embody the Spirit of Branson.”
Tom Fischer and Cyndi Devereaux, Annual Fund Co-Chairs
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Show Your Branson Love by Giving to the Annual Fund
- Email your pledge to hayley_burner@branson.org (pledge payments due June 1, 2018)
- Make A Gift Online
- Write a check payable to Branson and send to: Business Office, PO Box 887, Ross, CA 94957
- Text: 24700 Message: Branson2017
“I
love
students’ enthusiasm, the fact that they
love
learning. Everybody here is so genuinely interested in what other people are doing, at seeing everyone succeed, and in helping to be part of it.”
- Kathy Soave, Science Chair
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CO-CURRICULAR WEEK PHOTOS
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Juniors on hike during Co-Curricular Week.
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Sophomores at Oakland Museum Field Trip during Co-Curricular Week.
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Photos from the Branson Cross Country Stonyford Ranch Invitational that was held last weekend.
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Girls Golf Team Overshadowed by Redwood Giants and Tam Hawks
Last week Branson’s girls golf team faced two of the toughest teams in the league. On Monday the Lady Bulls challenged the Giants on their home turf at the Meadow Club in Fairfax. Top scores for Branson were posted by freshmen
Sydney Pearson
(55) and
Sydney Park
(56) but the experienced Redwood team dominated the Bulls (201 v 235).
The following day, Branson hosted both Tam and Redwood on its home course at Peacock Gap missing two senior members,
Kirra Peery
and
Nadine Lee
. Despite strong efforts by
Natasha Chandra
(51) and Sydney Pearson (57), Branson (232) was unable to defend its home course against Tam (211) and Redwood (198).
On Thursday the four-member team, led by Kirra Peery (59) took their clubs to Mill Valley for a Tam rematch, this time on Tam’s home course, but Tam overpowered the Lady Bulls with consistent drives and accurate putts to win the match (Branson 243 v Tam 202).
This week the golf squad will travel to San Geronimo to play their final match of the season against the Drake Pirates. With their current record at 7-8, the Lady Bulls will need the win to compete at the MCAL tournament on October 16th. Good luck to the Lady Bulls!
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Branson Girls Take Down San Rafael Bulldogs
Over the past several years, San Rafael HS has really developed into a competitive girls varsity tennis program. A new coach, a new attitude, and they are no longer an easy mark on the MCAL calendar.
#1 singles
Emma Hirschkop
found that out when she tangled with the Bulldogs’ top player. Few in the league pound the ball as hard as Emma’s opponent and it showed up in the 3-6, 0-6 loss. #2
Chelsea Wong
was her deliberate and methodical self but also went down with a 3-6, 4-6 score. #3
Ella Ratliff
dissected her opposite’s game and prevailed 6-1, 6-3.
Clia Ellwein
, in the #4 slot, had her hands full as she took one hour and fifty-five minutes to control her foe at 6-4, 7-6, the last set determined by a 7-2 tie-breaker.
Emily Wells
was about the only one who cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win, while #6 singles
Elli Diaz
had to work for her 6-2, 6-4 decision.
Lillie Lippman & Caroline Ritter
, playing #1 doubles, had to come up with some solid net-play to conquer at 7-5, 6-2.
Sedona Ward & Alana Talley
won their first set and then their opponent duo suffered an injury, which forced them to default their match. And at #3 dubs,
Katie Sayers & Stella Wong
put in a solid performance to emerge victorious at 6-3, 6-2. A competitive and enjoyable match to be sure.
Branson 7, San Rafael 2.
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Novato Gets Served
Last Wednesday, the Lady Bulls travelled to Novato to take on the Hornets. The match turned out to be a serving clinic, with senior
Amy Wentzel
racking up a ten-serve run for a quick 25-11 first set win.
The second set saw sophomores
Sophie Swett
with an eight-serve streak, with three aces,
Abby Stover
a run of five, and
Kelsey Polhemus
four. 25-4.
The third set saw sophomore
Avery Arcuri
run up a seven-serve streak, with two aces, and Kelsey continued her power serving with another six-serve string, with two aces. Third set 25-18 and the win.
Bulls Sink Pirates in Straight Sets
With the absence of All-League junior
Amelia Browne
, it was sophomore
Maya Roberts-Burbank
’s turn to step up in a critical match between the Bulls and the Pirates, who were second and third in the league, respectively. The teams were evenly matched and playing well, but with the Bulls up by only one point, 17-16, they were able to go on a run, 21-17, and finish out the first set, 25-20.
The second set saw the Lady Bulls fall behind 6-11. They couldn’t seem to erase the deficit. With the set slipping away, 14-19, the Bulls charged back. Sophomore
Sophie Swett
(14 kills on the night) came alive and notched up three kills late in the set to bring the team even with the Pirates 21-21. With the score 24-24, Maya then joined in as well, scoring two more kills, the last off of a fantastic dig by Sophie, to complete the comeback and win the second set, 26-24.
The third set saw the Bulls take an early lead, but they could not pull away as the Pirates held on. With a dump by senior
Amy Wentzel
and a kill by sophomore
Mallory Harrington-Fei
, the Lady Bulls finally got a little breathing room for a 21-17 lead. A joint overpass kill by Sophie and senior
Eva Davis
extended the lead to 24-19. The Pirates served out for the last point, 25-20, bringing an anti-climatic finish to an otherwise hard fought and exciting match.
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Post Office Box 887 Ross, California 94957
(415) 454-3612 • www.branson.org
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