Community Notes

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.”

March is Women's History Month, and – as we typically do – we are celebrating and recognizing women's history through student presentations, classroom read alouds, morning announcements, and much more!

We will certainly be spotlighting two women during the month, both candidates for the school name: Ruth Batson and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Read more below!

BE OUR GUEST!

* Enjoy the Fair even if you're not a participant!

* Join us to support friends, learn about cool science experiments and watch a Mad Science demonstration!

* No registration / fee to attend and support!

* See here and below for the schedule - come for a part or all!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL SCIENTISTS!

* 106 registrants from every grade K through 8

* 60 projects

* 32 teams

* Topics range from volcanoes, molecular gastronomy and musical dogs to thermochromic materials, Brookline birds, electric cars and so much more!

The PTO website is an awesome source of information and will help you see all the ways your time, talent, and treasure can help the school in so many ways. Please visit the site, here:

https://www.heathpto.org/

But if you want to hear directly from staff the impact of your gifts, look no further than our Guidance Counselor (Grades 3-8) David Chaet & our Librarian, Lindsay Anderson. They are appreciative of all you do for our kids!

If in doubt, give volunteering a try! There are literally thousands of ways to help. You don't have to take on PTO Leadership roles (though we do have openings!) to lend a helpful hand.

Over the month of March, students in grade 6-8 French will be participating in Manie Musicale, a bracket-style francophone music competition inspired by the NCAA March Madness tournament. It was originally organized by two French teachers in Maine in 2017, and it has grown every year since. This year over 4,300 schools and 470,000 students are participating around the world, representing all 50 states, all 13 provinces and territories in Canada, and 23 countries.

Students learn about the artists lives and musical influences, decipher the lyrics, express their opinions, likes, and dislikes regarding the songs, describe emotions inspired by the songs, develop a better understanding of geography, compare and contrast artists and songs to one another, and express enthusiasm or disappointment when the results of each vote came out. Each new round brings us deeper into text analysis and with ramped up/reframed discussion of the lyrics, music video, genres, artists, etc. While each level of 6-8 French engages in different activities based on their proficiency targets, all students are listening to the same music and following the same bracket competition. It is a really beautiful way to build a language community across the middle school grades! The month wraps up with students writing to their ePals about their favorite songs from the competition and suggesting their favorite artists (English-speaking or otherwise) to their ePal.

I hope you'll join in the fun by listening to this year's playlist and following along as we move towards choosing the 2023 Manie Musicale winner!

- Madame Kerr

No big update this week, but remember to check out the resources below for all things school renaming!

👇👇👇

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

So far, we have received 43 of the 102 books requested for Heath's diverse books project! If your family would like to contribute to this exciting project, please purchase the books via this Amazon wishlist. Heath K-5 teachers have each chosen 5 high-quality, educationally rigorous, diverse picture books they would like in their classrooms. The books are from authentic authors featuring a range of diverse stories and information that will enhance our students' understanding of the diverse world in which we live. We are asking for parents and members of the Heath family to help us fill the teachers' bookshelves by donating the books via this Amazon wishlist. Books will be shipped directly to the school. Thank you!

--

Lindsay Anderson

Librarian

The Heath School

Brookline, MA

@lindsayteaches

So far, the nations represented will be Puerto Rico, Bulgaria. Ukraine, Taiwan, Ireland, Mexico, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Japan, Spain, Italy, Peru, Portugal, Poland, Brazil and Nigeria.

We would love to make sure your culture is represented! Please sign up:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIdJGsJRT3MCtirGnBOI10uu6GYM-QOW1UvpjoJEQxZQQk5w/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thanks again for supporting one of Heath’s most favorite events!

International Night Committee:

Lisa Yuen Rhoads (5PerkX2), Yen-Lin Chen (2S and 6th grade), Paola Rossi (6th and 8th grade) and Vice Principal Kirtan Patel

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK3Y4NuZpyhM5RQTs_0bmdLa_hUyxk7H0SczAbUe-xGBQlXg/viewform

We are hoping to start a cardio drumming unit this year in Physical Education for grades K-2. Cardio drumming is a fun, heart pumping, movement unit in which students use foam noodles as drum sticks and they drum on a stability ball, while performing different cardio activities. We are looking for 15 more stability balls. Do you have one laying around collecting dust? Any size or color works great! We would love it! They can be pumped up or deflated! We are hoping to collect enough stability balls by the first week in March. Please drop off in the main office. Thank you!

P.E. Teachers,

Kelly Stanton and Lauren Stewart

• Saturday, March 4th: Heath Science Fair!, 9:00am-1:00pm

• Monday, March 6th: Grade 3 Rainbow Club, 11:20-11:50am

• Tuesday, March 7th: Grades 6-8 GSA, 10:35-11:15am

• Wednesday, March 8th: METCO Connections Breakfast, 7:30-8:00am

• Wednesday, March 8th: Grades 6-8 Student Climate Action Group, 10:35-11:05am

• Thursday, March 9th: Young Scholars, Room 209, 2:30-3:30pm

• Friday, March 10th: School Site Council, 8:30-9:45am

• Monday, March 13th: Grade 4 Rainbow Club!, 11:20-11:50am

• Tuesday, March 14th: Grades 6-8 GSA, 10:35-11:15am

• Wednesday, March 15th: Grades 6-8 Student Climate Action Group, 10:35-11:05am

• Thursday, March 16th: AAPI Student Affinity Group, 10:35-11:15am

• Thursday, March 16th: Young Scholars, Room 209, 2:30-3:30pm

• Thursday, March 16th: Term 3: Gr. 6-8 Interim Progress Reports Published

• Friday, March 17th: PEP, 8:05-8:30am

Field Trips:

• Friday, March 3rd: Ski and Snowboard Club, 2:30-10:00pm

• Thursday, March 16th: Grade 1 Trip to Boston Children's Museum, 8:30am-12:00pm

We hope to see many, many of you at the school tomorrow for the Science Fair!

Heads up: on Friday, March 17th I will not send out a Community Notes message as I will be out of the office.

Enjoy the weekend ahead,

~ Asa

Dr. Asa Sevelius, Ed.D. | Heath School Principal

Pronouns: he/him

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

Email: asa_sevelius@psbma.org

Website: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/Page/17
Location: 100 Eliot Street, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
Phone: 617-879-4570

Heath School

The Public Schools Of Brookline | A METCO Partnership School

Dr. Asa Sevelius, Principal & Mr. Kirtan Patel, Vice Principal