Returning to Campus Conversation

Please join us on August 6 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for the third in our parent webinar series regarding the opening of school this fall . Head of School John Packard, along with other school administrators, will share the most recent updates and welcome your questions. The link to the webinar will be sent early next week. 

Miss Last Week's Webinar?

If you missed the most recent webinar regarding the plans for the fall, it can be viewed on the Returning to Campus Conversations page of the school's website.

Dress Code & Packing List

This fall, we are adjusting our typical dress code to allow for an easier transition into this unusual year. Please click to view the Dress Code guidelines . Since we are asking that boarders pack more lightly for the fall, this should help inform you on what you should, and should not, bring.

 

Along those lines, please read carefully the updated Packing List for 2020-2021 , noting, particularly for returning students, that there have been changes from last year. Given the current climate, we ask that students please bring as little as possible. If you have questions on either of these items, please contact Dean of Students Willie Waters or Associate Head for Student Affairs Andrea Heinze .

Technology Reminder

All students are required to have either a laptop computer or a tablet with a keyboard for all on-campus and off-campus learning. While trends change year to year, about 95 percent of our students use Apple Macbook Airs or Pros, 2 percent use iPads with keyboards, another 2 percent use Chromebooks, and about 1 percent use Windows-based laptops. We suggest that the device be less than three years old, and preferably still under warranty. For more information, please see the Required Device Policy .

Laundry Services

Boarding families: If you have not yet signed up for E&R’s laundry service, we are hoping that you will consider adding this service for your student. The service will help students maintain cleaner living areas and will reduce the usage of machines within smaller laundry spaces on campus. Please click to find information about E&R’s laundry service and the benefits of electing the service for your student. Enrollment forms should be returned by August 15 and can be emailed to busoffice@brooksschool.org or mranfos@brooksschool.org.

Important Messages from the Health & Wellness Center

We will need proof of both listed above and encourage you to scan or take a picture of your documentation and upload directly into your child’s health portal in Magnus. Alternatively, you can fax the form to Magnus: U.S. residents: (877) 447-9530; International residents: (978) 244-8894.

Please do not mail or fax any health forms to the Health and Wellness Center. They should be uploaded directly to your child's health portal in Magnus or faxed to Magnus, as described above. If you have already mailed, faxed or scanned the forms to the Health and Wellness Center, there may be a delay in processing which may require you to check in to the Health and Wellness Center upon arrival at school. To avoid this, it is best to upload directly to Magnus or fax to the numbers above. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Health Services Tracey Costantino . We appreciate your support in completing this process!

Fall Purchases on Campus/Student Debit Accounts

In the fall, we will be unable to accept cash as a form of payment for purchases on campus and will be unable to dispense cash to students from student debit accounts. Should students need access to cash, there is an ATM available in the Student Center that accepts bank debit cards. Supplies, snacks and Brooks gear will be available for purchase in the school store, but the purchases must be made with a funded student debit account or a bank debit/credit card. Student debit accounts are provided to each student via MyKidsSpending.com and can be funded by parents/guardians online via echeck, debit card or credit card. 

 

For your convenience, the site link and guidebook are posted in OnBrooks : > Groups > Parents Page > Topics. If you have any questions regarding a MyKidsSpending account, contact MyKidsSpending Support .

Music Lessons for 2020-2021

Please complete this form if you are interested in signing up s student for private lessons and would like more information regarding instrumental and voice lessons available through Brooks. Private instruction is available for most instruments and voice on a weekly basis on campus. Instruction is provided by some of the finest musicians in the greater-Boston area. Lessons are not for academic credit and are scheduled with the individual instructor for an additional fee. Students enroll by completing an online form per request or by contacting Arts Department Chair Babs Wheelden directly.

Contract Addendum Reminder

Reminders continue to be sent out to those who have not yet completed the 2020-2021 contract addendum. Each parent/guardian/student over 18 years of age is being sent and must sign the addendum independently. Please check your inboxes (students, as well) and complete the addendum as soon as possible.

Ordering Books

Follett is now open for book ordering! This year, in light of global health events, we recommend that you ship your books to your home address. However, if you elect to deliver books to Brooks School for pickup during Opening Registration, please select this option at checkout. Students receiving a financial aid book stipend will receive an email from Director of Financial Aid Patrick Foley with book-ordering information.

Click to access the Follett bookstore , and find the "Shop Textbooks" button to get started. You can also find the link in OnBrooks: Groups > Summer Reading & Assignments > Bulletin Board.

 

If you elect to order books outside of the Follett bookstore, ISBN numbers for the exact publications can be accessed from inside the Follett bookstore for use elsewhere. Brooks School is not responsible for publications purchased outside of the Follett bookstore.

Academic Schedule

As mentioned in Head of School John Packard’s email last week, our academic program task force has done an extraordinary amount of work this summer to move from the virtual model we were in during the spring to a blended teaching model and new academic schedule. We will be able to work simultaneously with students who are both remote and in-person -- and will be able to move seamlessly to an exclusively virtual mode if circumstances require us to do so. Click to learn more about the new schedule !