FROM THE HEADMASTER...

 You know school is well on its way into the year when it is time for the first progress reports to be distributed.  Hopefully many of you have had correspondence from your child's teachers in some way or another by now.  The mid-point of the first nine weeks has passed, and you should be receiving progress reports in the next day or so.  Please keep in mind that this is a great time for you to sit down with your child and review what has transpired in all classes for the first four weeks of school.  I would ask you to get involved with what is happening in each class.  I would also encourage you to please be encouraging and positive when reviewing the reports.  In some classes, reviewing took place and in others, teachers hit the ground running with new material.  My point being is that most classes will get a little bit more intense this second half of the grading period. 

Thanks to all who attended the Parent Council/Town Meeting this past Monday.  It was filled with positive information and good suggestions.  Our next gathering will be October 9^th.  Please mark your calendars now.

Please be sure you read throughout this eNewsletter. There is a great deal of important information and dates you need to be aware of.  Be sure all junior and senior parents are making note of the dates colleges will be visiting our campus.  I strongly urge all juniors and seniors attend these sessions.

On Saturday September 30^th, volunteers across Georgia will be giving their time to help with projects throughout the state.  During our assembly on Wednesday, we discussed getting involved in our community and announced that Balfour Park will be the site that Brookwood has selected to help with.  May I also remind you that service hours can be achieved by giving of your time almost anywhere.  This is just one of many opportunities that we will present to the students.  Remember all Upper School students must serve a minimum of 20 hours during the school year!  Mr. Spigener is the sponsor for juniors and seniors, and Coach Johnson is the sponsor for sophomores and freshmen.  We will continue to remind you of this great requirement and hope you will support us in this endeavor.

During the Town Meeting, I presented an explanation pertaining to one of our new policies "The Line."  I would imagine by now you have heard from your Middle or Upper School student that when they break a simple rule, they will need to report to "The Line."  When a student is assigned line duty, they will forfeit their break time and report to me in the gym and take their place on the line.  There is 15 minutes of standing with no talking.  Students may read or do homework.  This has given the teachers an opportunity to implement a punishment immediately.  The teacher will look the student directly in the face, let them know they have "The Line," and explain the reason for the action.  Some reasons for serving may be: dress code violations, tardiness, not signing in, disruption in class, talking during study hall, not turning in emergency medical forms after numerous reminders, etc.  Any student who is sent to the line five times during a nine week period will serve a Saturday detention. Students will do some type of school work from 8:55 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  Saturday detention will require a $10.00 cash fee as well.  Every nine weeks the student starts with a clean slate.  Please talk with your children, and help us encourage them to pay attention to the simple guidelines.

Once again, thank you for your continued support of this faculty and administration.  We are all working together in making this an exciting and successful year and appreciate you addressing issues following the proper procedures.  Keep up the strong faith in all our exceptional professionals.  Have a great weekend!

                                                                                                Mike Notaro
                                                                                                Headmaster

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS (Ashley Harper)

Tuesday was an eventful day in Middle School as we completed the Middle School Council elections.  We are proud to announce the officers for the 2006-2007 school year.  Haley Caldwell is our Middle School Council President, Emily Myers is Vice President, and Trey Collins in our Secretary/Reporter.  Thank you to all of our candidates. 

Please look for upcoming announcements on the exciting activities planned by our officers and representatives.

Additionally, it has been an exciting week in Mrs. Grubbs' science lab.  The sixth grade has been studying atomic weights and elements and learning more about the structure of an atom, complete with protons, neutrons, electrons.  The seventh grade has enjoyed their unit on the skeletal, muscular, and digestive systems. 

Seventh grade parents, please expect to receive information today regarding the upcoming class trip to SeaWorld and Cape Canaveral.   

LOWER SCHOOL NEWS (Francine Wright) 

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Enrichment

Pre-Kindergartners and Kindergartners enjoyed a live concert at Hand N' Hand on Thursday.  Mr. Al, a favorite personality, returned to Thomasville to stimulate young children to use their musical talents.  Our students had a great time singing and dancing with Mr. Al and their teachers. 

Last Friday, Timmy Abell provided an entertaining program for Pre-K and Kindergarten students at the Cultural Center.  The children had fun learning about the banjo, listening to the hammered dulcimer, laughing with the dancing man and singing from their hearts.  This is just another of the wonderful programs made available to our students by the Cultural Center's ArtReach Program.

Community Service Projects

All Lower School students will be practicing good citizenship as they participate in community service projects throughout the year. This week, the Pre-Kindergartners decorated centerpieces for the Hands on Thomas County fundraiser next Tuesday.

Magazine Sale Wraps Up

On Friday, Lower School students will celebrate their success of the magazine sale.  Top sales persons will earn "bucks" as they "jump for George".  The top seller will be awarded $100.  Each class that meets its goal will enjoy a huge 5-pound chocolate bar!  Meet the $50,000 goal - have a great cookout with Mr. Bass!

Parent Volunteers

Lower School parents gathered in the Art Studio this morning to put together early readers for the first grade classes.  It appeared that these moms had a very efficient assembly line going. 

Count, count, count!!  Michelle Hancock and her team have worked diligently in Chubb Hall for the past two weeks counting money and subscriptions.  Hopes rise as every dollar is added.

                                                           

COLLEGE COUNSELING OFFICE (Vic Spigener)

A reminder:  Woodward Academy's College Fair is on Sunday, September 17 between 2:00 - 4:00 pm.

Colleges visiting Brookwood next week:  [Meetings will be held in the Board Room.
Monday, September 18 at 1:00 - University of Georgia
Tuesday, September 19 at 2:30 - Agnes Scott

For students taking the ACT on Saturday here at Brookwood, remember to take:
(1)     your admission ticket
(2)     picture ID, either a driver's license or a passport
(3)     several sharpened No. 2 pencils
(4)     a watch - so you can time yourself
(5)     a calculator with fresh batteries
GOOD LUCK!!!!!

For students taking the SAT I or SAT II in October or November, your scores will be available as follows:

SAT Administration        Student Scores on the Web        Student Paper Scores Reports Begin Mailing
October 14 test              November 2                               November 15
November 4 test             November 28                             December 8

ALL seniors should be well into the college application process - see Mr. Spigener if you need any help.

Remember UGA's Early Action deadline is October 15.  Please get these in to Mr. Spigener as soon as possible along with the $50 application fee as well as the Counselor/School Evaluation and the Mid-year Report Forms.

The 2007 - 2008 CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is now available online to be filled out. The CSS PROFILE form is used primarily by colleges for determining non-federal financial aid, such as institutional scholarships, grants, and loans.  The colleges and universities that accept the PROFILE can be found on profileonline.collegeboard.com.  There are fundamental differences between the PROFILE and the FAFSA:

(1)     The FAFSA is free, while the PROFILE's cost varies depending on how many colleges you want to receive the PROFILE information.

(2)     The FAFSA indicates eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial aid by determining your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) using a set of calculations called the Federal Methodology.  The PROFILE indicates eligibility for INSTITUTIONAL financial aid by determining the EFC using a different set of calculations call the Institutional Methodology The PROFILE requires information about home equity and other financial factors which the FAFSA does not require.

(3)     The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is designed to start the financial aid process a little earlier than FAFSA.

(4)     The FAFSA cannot be submitted before January 1; the CSS PROFILE can be submitted now.  Mr. Spigener has just received paper copies if parents of seniors would like to look over the form.

ATHLETICS (Tony Rogers)

MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME TONIGHT

Join the Middle School football team as they compete in their first home game on Thursday, September 14, at 6:00.  Boosters will  be serving hot dogs in the concession stand.  Good luck, Warriors! 

Our Warriors defeated Valwood School this past Tuesday 3-2. Harrison Avera had a great game for the record books as a kicked all three goals (Hat Trick). Chris Brewer did well defending the goal. Defense played really well. They have another big region game this Friday at Georgia Christian. Go Warriors!

Great Start for the Varsity Football Team

The Warriors are 3-0.  The defense held Bethesda Day scoreless, to one rushing yard, and to two 1^st downs this past Friday at Warrior Field.  It was a great team effort.  Way to go team.  They play Friday at Westwood at 7:30 pm.