Superintendent's Update
December 16, 2022
The communication below provides important information from the Public Schools of Brookline.
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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).
REMINDER: Planning for Safe Holidays with Family and Friends
With Winter Vacation beginning soon, the PSB Student Health Services Team would like to reshare and re-emphasize some strategies to keep in mind as we approach the holiday season.
It is important for all of us to take precautionary measures to ensure safe gatherings with friends and family. This includes taking additional precautions with individuals who have significant health concerns, paying attention to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms, and utilizing protections such as masking and testing.
Getting tested for flu by your healthcare provider is the only way to know if it's the flu. For COVID-19, at-home tests are also good for determining a diagnosis. Mitigation measures include staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands often. With respiratory illnesses increasing, students and families may want to consider wearing a mask for added protection. The best way to help slow the spread of the flu and COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. You are able to receive the flu and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time.
During the week of Thanksgiving Break (Monday, November 21 - Friday, November 25) all students and staff were able to pick-up 2 boxes of rapid antigen test kits.
We recommend that students and staff use the 2nd and last box for Winter Vacation. Tests should be administered on Monday night, January 2, after the Winter Holiday, or any time that your child is symptomatic. You can visit your school’s main office to request more test kits.
Please stay home and email your school nurse if your child tests positive. Staff should email the school nurse and their Supervisor and put the absence in Aesop. Please note that the test kits we distribute have a 6-month extension to the expiration date, in most cases going through the end of January 2023. More information can be found here.
Finally, the Town of Brookline will host two COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Clinics next week at Brookline Town Hall. Click on the links below to sign up:
COVID/Flu: Tuesday, December 20, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Brookline Town Hall (333 Washington Street) Sign up here: https://www.appointmentquest.com/scheduler/2250024227?schedule=brooklinetownhall
Flu Only: Wednesday, December 21, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Health Department Building (11 Pierce Street, 2nd Floor). This is a walk-in clinic so no appointments are necessary. The clinic will be open to those ages 5 years to 64 years old. Please bring insurance cards, if applicable. Masks are required in the clinic.
Spotlight on Excellence: Ruffin Ridley School Design for Change
On Thursday, December 15, the School Committee shined the Spotlight on Excellence on the Florida Ruffin Ridley School and an exciting program that was introduced within their community.
Through the Design for Change program, last year Ms. Penn and her first grade class worked collaboratively to address the challenge of maintaining clean and tidy bathroom spaces. The students led the way in finding solutions to the problem, and even developed a news emergency video to share with the school community. We were grateful that one of Ms. Penn’s students - current second grader Liam Gidwaney - was able to speak on behalf of FRR at the Design for Change Global Summit in Malaysia in November!
Congratulations to Liam, Liam’s family, and Ms. Penn for spearheading the introduction of the Design for Change program at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School, as one important step toward ensuring a safe, supportive school culture to benefit all members of the FRR community! You can watch the full spotlight here.
Brookline GreenZine Presents: Fall 2022 Issue
BHS teacher Roger Grande and Lawrence School parent Kathie Butler are pleased to present the Fall 2022 issue of GreenZine Brookline!
This community magazine highlights environmental and climate change writing and illustrations by PSB's K-12 students. Greenzine Brookline is collectively run by Brookline educators, parents and students, and offers a forum for news, opinion and creative expression about climate change, outdoor education, and the environment. In addition, GreenZine highlights the excellent work being done by students, staff, and parents in our school community, and aims to catalyze a conversation about climate change and outdoor education in our schools so that our students will be more resilient and prepared to lead in a climate-disrupted world.
Interested in submitting? Visit the GreenZine website or contact greenzinebrookline@gmail.com.
Farewell, Ms. Ryan Miller!
We are sad to announce the departure of Lesley Ryan Miller, PSB’s Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning.
Ms. Ryan Miller’s commitment and dedication to our educational community is impossible to overstate. From her previous leadership as the Pierce School principal to the countless initiatives that she has cultivated as a district leader, we recognize the tremendous influence she has had on our students, families, and staff. We will genuinely miss her presence and enthusiasm at PSB. We wish her the very best as she transitions into her new role outside of Brookline!
We are actively recruiting for an Interim Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year and will keep the community apprised of the hiring process. In the meantime, the work of this office will continue. Led by our Senior Directors Michelle Herman and Gabe McCormick, the Office of Teaching and Learning remains dedicated to the success of our students and staff, the development of our curriculum, and the implementation of our district initiatives.
Over the next few weeks, the Office of Teaching and Learning will share a document with the PSB community that outlines this ongoing work; it will include resources and contacts to aid aid in the transition process.
Inside the Art Room: Coil Pottery with Driscoll School
8th Graders at Driscoll school learned about the tradition of coil pottery which originated in Central Mexico nearly 4000 years ago.
It took roughly 2,000 years for this pottery technology and slowly spread north to Arizona which is where the earliest pottery in the United States has been discovered. Students used a form to lay their coils in a design of their choice. They then smoothed the interior of their bowl to secure the coils together. The final step was to glaze their piece so that it is ready to hold its intended contents.
You can see more of Ms. Reyelt's work with Driscoll students on Instagram @driscoll_artroom
Apply for the Brookline Education Foundation's SY23-24 Teacher Grants!
The Brookline Education Foundation (BEF) is accepting applications for its SY23-24 Teacher Grants, that award up to $3,000 to PSB teachers and staff and typically fund professional or personal development activities.
BEF Teacher Grants are awarded to individual and small groups of teachers or administrators based on short, written proposals. They are not intended to provide curricular materials or fund classroom programs that the school department and PTOs support.
The BEF, in partnership with the Office of Teaching and Learning, will offer grant writing workshops prior to the filing deadline for teachers who wish to apply. Applications from individuals or teams of teachers, administrators, or other professional and paraprofessional personnel are welcome. Individuals must be under contract with the PSB and must have the intention of returning to teach in Brookline for a consecutive school year. Current recipients of a Teacher Grant are not eligible to apply for a Teacher Grant this year.
Interested applicants must complete the online application form by Monday, March 6, 2023. More information, including the dates for the information sessions and grant writing workshops, can be found on the BEF website.
REMINDER: Winter Wonderland from Brookline Adult & Community Education
Registration for the Winter Wonderland program is now open! Celebrate the holiday season with Brookline Adult & Community Education (BA&CE)!
A partner of PSB, BA&CE offers diverse programming for learners of all ages. Visit the BA&CE website to register and to check out their winter catalog, which provides hundreds of classes, workshops, and lectures for students AND adults! We especially want to highlight the Winter Wonderland 4-day program at Lincoln School that takes place during our Winter Vacation from Tuesday, December 27 to Friday, December 30, for students aged 5 to 14.
Mark Your Calendars!
This month, we are excited to launch some interviews that spotlight particular occurrences for community members.
Please click on the link to learn more about Kwanzaa (December 26 - January 1) from Ms. Silva-Njoku, METCO Adjustment Counselor and Social Worker! Massive kudos and thank you to Ms. Silva-Njoku for teaching us about Kwanzaa and sharing her story! You can find more resources on Kwanzaa and other holidays on the PSB Cultural Calendar (www.brookline.k12.ma.us/cultural-calendar)!
We look forward to continuing this tradition and broadcasting more student, staff, and community voices throughout the school year. We also recognize that we are right amid the holiday season, so keep an eye out for other upcoming events and dates that may pique your interest!
Las Posadas: Friday, December 16 to Saturday, December 24.
Deriving from the Spanish word for lodging or accommodation (posada), this religious festival is primarily celebrated in Latin American countries, Mexico, and Spain. Las Posadas is celebrated in conjunction with the Christmas season, focusing on the Nativity and the birth of Jesus. The nine days of Las Posadas coincide with participants visiting and hosting parties at different people’s homes, representing the various “inns” the characters visit in the story.Hanukkah: Sunday, December 18 to Monday, December 26.
The Jewish Festival of Rededication, also called the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration that falls each year in December in the Gregorian calendar. Hanukkah, also called Chanukah, celebrates the rededication of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem.The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, commonly called a menorah or hanukkiah. One branch is typically placed above or below the others, and its candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called the shamash (שַׁמָּשׁ in Hebrew). The shamash lit one additional candle each night until all eight were lit together on the festival's final night.
Winter Solstice/Yule: Wednesday, December 21
The Winter Solstice is known as Yule to those practicing the Pagan and Wiccan faiths. The day marks the longest night of the year and the sun's return. You can celebrate Yule by lighting a Yule log, making an evergreen wreath, having a nature-based treat, and decluttering your space.
Early Dismissal for Winter Vacation: Friday, December 23
BEEP students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m., K-8 students will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m., BHS students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m.
Christmas Day: Sunday, December 25 (District Offices Closed on Monday, December 26).
Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, believed by Christians as the Son of God. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries (including the United States). It is celebrated religiously by most Christians and culturally by many non-Christians as a holiday season.
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern traditions of the holiday in the United States include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, religious services, and various decorations such as trees and lights. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, are associated with bringing gifts to children during Christmas and having their traditions and lore.
Winter Vacation - Schools Closed: Monday, December 26 to Monday, January 2, 2023
- District offices will also be closed on Monday, December 26 and Monday, January 2, 2023 in observance of Christmas Day and New Year's Day respectively. All students and staff will return to school on Tuesday, January 3.
- Kwanzaa: Monday, December 26 to Sunday, January 1
Kwanzaa is a 7-day celebration honoring African American culture and heritage in which each of the seven days is dedicated to a specific life principle. Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa is organized around the Negurzo Saba, or the seven principles: Umoja (Unity); Kujichagulia (self-determination); Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).
(Media credits: S. Conroy, D. Finnegan, M. King, H. Koh, G. Guzman Mercado, S. Leipman, J. Mathis, O. Reyelt, BA&CE).