Community Notes

Heath School ~ May 26, 2023

Our North Star

“When children and teachers feel engaged, safe, and supported we have room to grow and learn through collaboration and risk-taking with our peers.”

Previous "Community Notes" can be found here: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/domain/718

Dear Heath Community

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We are closing in on decision making time for our new school name.

This morning we held an all school virtual assembly so that every child could have another opportunity to hear about each candidate, allowing them to make a thoughtful decision. Check out our presentation, here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17UOfNgxXOaN31u0VVYLOhu4QdW11D6-YRhoGxqeBsCg/edit?usp=sharing

We think YOU will be impressed with our work and learn so much!

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Voting!!!!!!

In June we will hold TWO votes using ranked choice voting:

The first will be a PRACTICE vote, to make sure our voting system is working. We will be voting on our favorite type of ice cream flavor. The practice vote will happen June 1 and 2.
The second vote will be to decide our new school name! The school name vote will take place June 8 and 9.

Who can vote? Current students, current staff, and current families. Students will vote at school during the school day. We sincerely hope that you will have these conversations at home and talk about the merits of each candidate before casting your votes!

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Learning from Experts

The videos below capture four important conversations we have had here with folks who are expert in the lives of our finalists. We hope you'll take the time to watch and learn!

Erica and Roy Wilson teach us about their dad, Artist John Wilson: https://youtu.be/DYYuTlI3gJA
Milly Arbaje-Thomas, President & CEO of METCO, Inc., shares the good news of Ruth Batson, the Founder of METCO: https://youtu.be/SJm6wHPCVds
Author Ilyon Woo discusses Ellen & William Craft: https://youtu.be/wbXwvq2xg7Q
Hidden Brookline's Dr. Barbara Brown teaches us about Roland Hayes:
https://youtu.be/4CqDzxzHRGE

We are so thankful for these partners who graciously shared their time and expertise with us!

Other updates/reminders/resources are in the "School Renaming Efforts" section below.

Seussical! The Musical!

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Next week is our school musical, Seussical the Musical!

All students will have a chance to see the show during school hours.

Additional showtimes for families are:

Wednesday, May 31 at 6pm
Friday, June 2 at 3:30pm

What's Seussical all about?

"A musical perfect for the whole family, Seussical takes us into the world of Dr. Seuss, where we revisit beloved characters including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo. The Cat in the Hat guides us into The Jungle of Nool where we see Horton, the kind hearted elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing Whoville. He meets JoJo, a Who child sent to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton decides he must protect the speck of dust on a nearby clover, while at the same time protecting an abandoned egg left to his care by the lazy Mayzie la Bird. Horton tries to convince the other animals in The Jungle of the existence of the Whos, but he is ridiculed and put on trial for insanity. Only his loyal neighbor, Gertrude McFuzz, never loses faith in him. Eventually, the two fall in love. Now one of the most widely produced musicals in the country, Seussical weaves a story of friendship, loyalty, and love. Despite all odds, Horton and Gertrude band together to save the Whos, free Horton, and restore peace and unity to the Jungle of Nool. Charming Seussical teaches us the power of being unique, and the importance of fighting for your beliefs." link to source

Mayfair Appreciation! Used Book Fair Appreciation!

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The Mayfair this past weekend was a wonderful event facilitated so beautifully by our amazing parent volunteers. Parents Avery Forman, Jennifer Niloff, Tiffany Rinne, and Chelsea Huffman led the charge along with so many other parent volunteers - we are grateful. I attended with my own daughter, now 16, who has been to many Mayfairs over my time here. She loved the vibe of this year's festivities, even as the rain came down outside. It was so nice to play together, break bread together, and gather again.

Our Used Book Fair has been another great success, thanks again to our amazing parent volunteers - Melissa Muken, Karli Coles, and Alex Stewart, to name a few of the many who donated time - and the generous donations of so many gently used books. It was nice to have the best bookstore in town for a few days!

Mark Your Calendars! Spring Art Show!

School Renaming Efforts: Getting to Know Our Finalists

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Our Four Finalists!

After careful deliberation, significant time doing research, and lots of introspection, the Student School Naming Committee is excited to announce our four finalists for our new school name! The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Ruth Batson
Ellen & William Craft
Roland Hayes
John Woodrow Wilson

✨✨✨ Resources on each candidate are here✨✨✨

Ruth Batson

Ellen & William Craft

Roland Hayes

John Wilson

✨✨✨ All of these links live on this document

(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1437-iyXEnXpflu66e2Kj_NA_5lnrLdNcF_P8Cw0q8yw/edit?usp=sharing) and on our website (https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/renameheath) ✨✨✨

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Each week, we report updates on the renaming process here. Past "Community Notes" newsletters can be found here: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/domain/718

The "School Name: History & Resources" website page is also updated regularly:

https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/renameheath

PowerPoint from Feb 9 School Committee Meeting

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18xY-JTcM5vrkOM0lZWPBqJDBfvIRUcXpCD6_Rci_56o/edit?usp=sharing

Learning with Erica and Roy Wilson, the artist John Wilson's children.

6th grade and 2nd grade students watch the presentation of our school candidates during PEP! this morning.

Continue the AAPI Month Celebration: Chinese Folk Art Workshop

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The Chinese Folk Art Workshop youth group perform this year for the first time as a group act at the Heath International Night cultural show and in previous years members Terry Chiou (Heath class of 2019, BHS 2023) and Daryn (6th grade) as individual acts.

Suggested donation is $25 for additional family members. All proceeds benefit the year round community service this youth group provides at nursing homes, cultural centers, art museums throughout MA, and schools.

If you enjoyed the Shaolin kungfu, sword dance, flying yo-yo, fan dance at International Night, you’ll be blown away by the full stage production at this annual show! It’s 1.5 hours packed with breathless action, rhythm, and artistry.

Sunday, May 28th at 2pm or 7:30pm. More info and tickets here: http://cfawboston.org/ or reach out to Heath parent Yen-Lin Chen at ylc2001@icloud.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn9_f0wG_BQ

Climate Action Group: Sustainability Corner!

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We are proud to launch our Sustainability Corner, an initiative of our 6-8 Student Climate Action Group.

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Eating to help the Environment

Food is something that we consume everyday, and just by changing what we choose to eat can make a big difference in our community. Organic foods are the best option, as the soil is often made from composted waste. A good choice to make is to instead of eating imported foods, to eat foods sold from local farmers, at a radius of 100 miles. This can help because instead of traveling miles by ship, truck or airplane, it will have to move less, causing less CO2 to go into the environment. Another thing to do is to eat food that is in season which is less likely to have chemicals, wax and pesticides on them. This is better for the environment and better for your health, as they are also much more nutritious and tasty.

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Do you worry about climate change? Find hope through action with Brookline Mothers Out Front at a drop-in community coffee. Stop by anytime for casual climate conversation. Mothers Out Front welcomes everyone - mothers, fathers, grandmothers, non-binary parents, non-parents, and allies in Brookline.

Join us! Tuesday, June 13 from 10:00 - 11:30 am at Hemlock Grill, 1281 West Roxbury Parkway, at the Brookline public golf course. RSVP or just stop by! https://bit.ly/MOFCommunityCoffee or RSVP via Facebook

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We'd like to gauge interest in a school-wide Sustainability Food Fest. Will you take this quick google poll? https://forms.gle/SW1gypGzcQ4nRmAb9

Upcoming Events

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Last day of school is June 21 – NOON DISMISSAL!

MCAS is over! Thanks to Mr. Patel for organizing our MCAS testing cycle and for making this a seamless experiences for our students.

Upcoming Events:

Monday, May 29th: School Closed: Memorial Day Holiday
Tuesday, May 30th: Grades 6-8 GSA, 10:35-11:15am
Wednesday, May 31st: Grades 6-8 Student Climate Action Group, 10:35-11:05am
Wednesday, May 31st: Heath School Play: Seussical! Auditorium, 6:00-7:00pm
Friday, June 2nd: Art Show, 7:30-9:00am
Friday, June 2nd: PTO Meeting (in person @ school), 8:15-9:00am
Friday, June 2nd: Model UN Hold: Phineas and Ferb Student led conference, 11:30am-2:30pm
Friday, June 2nd: Heath School Play: Seussical!, 3:30-4:30pm
Monday, June 5th: Grades 4 and 5 Rainbow Club, Basketball court, 11:20-11:50am
Monday, June 5th: Grades 7/8 Track & Field meet, Downes Field, 3:00-5:30pm
Monday, June 5th: Grades 5-8 Heath Chorus Concert, BHS, 7:15-8:15am
Tuesday, June 6th: Grades 6-8 GSA, 10:35-11:15am
Tuesday, June 6th: Peek & Practice (for incoming K students), 1:15-2:25pm
Tuesday, June 6th: Grade 4 Band Concert, FRR, 7:30-8:30pm
Wednesday, June 7th: METCO Connections Breakfast, 7:30-8:00am
Wednesday, June 7th: Grades 6-8 Student Climate Action Group, 10:35-11:05am
Thursday, June 8th: Kindergarten Pineapple Project, 8:00-10:30am
Thursday, June 8th: AAPI Student Affinity Group, 10:35-11:15am
Thursday, June 8th: Grades 5/6 Track & Field meet, Downes Field, 3:00-5:30pm
Friday, June 9th: PEP, 8:05-8:30am
Friday, June 9th: Grade 8 Astronomy Museum, 8:45-10:15am
Friday, June 9th: METCO Connections Cooking with Chef Guerra, 1:40-3:00pm
Friday, June 9th: Model UN meeting, 1:45-4:45pm

Field Trips:

Wednesday, May 31st: Young Scholars Field Trip, 1:00pm
Thursday, June 1st: Grade 6 Trip to the New England Aquarium, 8:30am-2:30pm
Monday, June 5th: Grade 3 Trip to Old North Church, 9:00am-1:30pm
Thursday, June 8th: Grade 5 Trip to Freedom Trail, 8:15am-2:30pm

In Closing

We close with a celebration of our Grade 7 and 8 ModelUN representatives. Last Friday the crew slayed at the Model UN Conference at North Eastern University. Thanks to Ms. Terry for leading this mighty crew – multiple awards and a strong overall performance against mostly high school representatives from around the city. Well done!

I hope you all make the most of the 3-day weekend ahead!

~ Asa