Thank you to all who joined us at the New Family Reception on Tuesday (See an album of snapshots from the fun on brooksschoolphotos.com). If you weren't able to attend, fear not: There will be more opportunities to meet and greet fellow new parents/guardians on campus during arrival days!
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Arrivals & Packing Reminders
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Coming to campus: The countdown is on to opening days, Sept. 1 to Sept. 4! An updated opening schedule has been added to the Parents Resources page. Check it out for details about where students/families need to be — and when. If you cannot arrive during your scheduled time, please contact Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles directly.
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All families: Arrival emails have been sent to all students and families. If you have any questions about your scheduled arrival, please contact Ingrid Knowles as soon as possible.
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Boarding students: As your boarding student is preparing to pack for dorm living, please keep in the mind the following regulations and read the dormitory fire and decoration regulations guide for dorm rooms. If a student arrives with any of the restricted items, they will need to take them back home. In particular, please note:
- Monitors/TVs may only be up to 32" (with an exception for sixth-form students: They may bring devices with a larger size screen.)
- Gaming consoles are only allowed in rooms of sixth-form students.
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Any outside furniture must meet the fire regulations explained in the decoration guide.
- No air conditioners.
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Packing: In addition to items in the packing guide, please consult Brooks School's dress code for guidance about attire to bring to Brooks. Don't forget a swimsuit for the swim test (see details below)!
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New families: New families who are arriving on Friday are invited to return on Monday for new family programming, which begins at 1 p.m., if you are able to attend. Please note that attending this optional meet-and-greet event is up to each family's discretion.
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New Student Advisors
New students: Advisors have been notified of their new student assignments. Families should be hearing from them soon. Their communication will include a time for an in person meeting time on Sept. 4 or a virtual option for those who cannot join us on campus. Advisor information can be found in OnBrooks.
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Day Student Drivers
An email was sent out on Aug. 16 to fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-form day student families that included a driving contract and information about day student driving expectations. If you did not receive that email please reach out to Ingrid Knowles so you can complete the proper form. It is important to note that Brooks does not allow boarding students to have cars on campus.
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Interested in Carpooling?
Day student families interested in opting into a carpooling list to be shared among other interested day student families, please sign up on the Day Student Carpooling form. While the school will help facilitate the distribution of names and towns of interested carpoolers, families will be responsible for all communication and coordination of potential carpools. This list will be distributed to families the week of Sept. 11.
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New Faces in Student Affairs Office
Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles (above, middle) welcomed two new full time members to student affairs this summer: Cora MacKenzie and Erik Krahn. Both are new to Brooks and will serve as the Associate Director of Student Affairs and Assistant Director of Student Affairs respectively. Cora MacKenzie will focus on residential life and working with dorms and dorm faculty, and will chair the Discipline Committee. Erik Krahn will focus on weekend activities and work with some student leadership groups. Both are available for the day-to-day operations of the office such as student permissions, absences and any questions that you may have. Please be in touch with any of the three for student life-related questions and concerns.
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Campus Leave Procedures
Students will be briefed on protocols for leaving campus during orientation. It is important for families to know how this works as well. We use a manage system called REACH that will push out an email to families for approval whenever a student makes a request to depart campus. You can see a comprehensive guide here.
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Wondering What Students Will Eat?
Download the MyMenus app to your smartphone and view daily updates and the variety of options available in the Wilder Dining Hall.
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Community Weekend Dates
Mark your calendars! This year community weekends will be on Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Dec. 9, March 30, May 18, and May 26. These weekends are when we hold large events on campus and students are not permitted to take overnights. Any special requests for overnights on these dates must go through the Student Affairs Team.
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Special Academic Schedule for Opening Days
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New Deans' Den Blog!
As part of Associate Head of School for Academic Affairs Susanna Waters' mission to shadow students and see what they're learning across the curriculum, we present her first sneak peek into academics at Brooks this school year: a look at how teachers are preparing!
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Sign Up for Private Music Lessons
Attention all new and returning families! Please have your student complete the 2023–2024 Private Music Lesson Interest form by Sept. 7 if they would like to sign up for weekly instrumental and/or vocal lessons available through Brooks. We offer private instruction on more than a dozen instruments and voice. Instruction is provided by some of the finest musicians in the greater Boston area (Read more about them here).
Lessons are not for academic credit and are scheduled with the individual instructor for an additional fee. Students enroll by completing the above online form or by contacting Director of Music Dr. Michael Bruschi.
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Swim Test for Students New to Brooks in 2023
Given Brooks' beautiful location on Lake Cochichewick, our boating and crew programs, and other opportunities to participate in water activities on and off campus, Brooks administers a swim test for students at the start of the school year. This is to assess swimming proficiency. We will be giving the swim test to all new students.
Students will not be allowed to participate in boating or crew programs unless they have demonstrated swimming proficiency during the swim test. Students who are not proficient swimmers should indicate so and will not be asked to participate in the swim test. The test will be scheduled during the opening days of school as part of orientation. Students should bring a bathing suit and towel.
Sept. 5:
12:45 to 1:45 p.m. New student third- and fourth-form female-identifying swim test
Sept. 6:
12:45 to 1:30 p.m. All fourth-former student affairs meeting in Chapel. New student third- and fifth-form male identifying swim test
1:30 to 2:15 p.m. All third formers student affairs meeting in Chapel. New student fourth- and fifth-form male identifying swim test
2:15 to 2:45 p.m. New fifth-form female-identifying and all gender make up swim test
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Afternoon Programs
All afternoon programs will begin on Sept. 6, following classes and orientation activities (3 p.m. start for all programs). Students should be ready to participate in their respective activities. See below for expectations regarding equipment.
Please note that while afternoon activity sign ups are noted in a student’s OnBrooks profile, team levels will not be determined until after tryouts and teams are determined. Updated information will be posted after the first week of school. Questions or changes to a student’s afternoon program? Email Director of Athletics Andrea Heinze.
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Equipment Needs
Students must provide the following minimum equipment, based on the activity in which they are signed up to participate:
- Cross country: appropriate footwear
- Field hockey: field hockey stick, shin guards, mouthguard and appropriate footwear
- Football: football girdle, knee pads, mouthguard and appropriate footwear
- Soccer: shin guards, appropriate footwear. (Goalies: goalie gloves)
- Volleyball: knee pads, volleyball shorts (black) and appropriate footwear
- Yoga: yoga mat, blocks and straps
Please label your belongings: All personal equipment should be labeled with the student’s name and stored in a locked locker when not in use.
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Laundry for Athletics
The athletics department provides a laundry service to in-season student-athletes daily. Students can attach their personal and Brooks-issued sports garments to a loop and drop off to the equipment room after practices and games. Laundered items will be ready for pick-up the next day. Students who wish to take advantage of this service will be issued a numbered laundry loop for the year. Loops are returned at the end of the school year. A $10 fee is incurred if loops are not returned.
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Locker Rooms
The locker room is a place for teams and student-athletes to prepare for practice and competition. Students wishing to use the locker rooms will be asked to choose a locker and issued a school lock. Students should keep all personal items locked inside their locker. Equipment that does not fit should be stored above the locker or on the bench. Items left on the floor will be collected and placed in the lost and found containers in the locker rooms.
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E&R Laundry Services Reminder
For those boarding families who missed the opportunity during the enrollment process to elect laundry services, please review the E&R Laundry Brochure and be in touch with the business office to sign up.
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Mailroom & School Store Hours
If you are planning ahead for shopping at the school store and collecting any packages sent to Brooks, the school store and mailroom hours beginning on Sept. 4 are as follows:
- Store: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Mailroom: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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Family Affinity Group
Parents, guardians, and caregivers of students of color at Brooks are invited to join the new Families of Color United for Success (FOCUS) affinity group to network, support and cultivate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) within the school community. FOCUS aims to build a community of informed, connected and empowered families of students of color at Brooks. Through FOCUS, we hope to contribute meaningfully to the broader efforts of promoting DEIB within the school. Objectives include:
- providing ideas for workshops
- working with Dean of DEIB in promoting DEIB initiatives
- and providing a safe, welcoming space for parents, guardians and caregivers of students of color.
For details and information please contact Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Terri Ofori.
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Tell Us About Your Family
In an effort to keep our school records up to date, please take a few minutes to fill out our Brooks School Family Update 2023-2024 form. New families, please fill out the entire form and returning families, we ask that you share any edits or changes. This information is for internal school use only and is utilized to help make connections within our community. We request that you fill out this update by Sept. 15. If you have any questions, please contact Director of the Brooks Fund and Family Engagement Mary Merrill.
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Family Weekend
Family Weekend will take place October 19 to 21, starting with a welcome reception for our third- and fourth-form families (classes of 2026 and 2027) on Thursday evening. More details to come, but we did want to share lodging information for those of you traveling. In addition, last year a few of our families had a challenging time finding car rentals, so if you need to rent a car, we suggest booking it early.
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Not on social media? Visit the Brooks Social page to see what we've shared!
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