Brookwood eNewsletter
November 10, 2006

 

Brookwood eNewsletter
Wisdom, Honor, Achievement, Citizenship

Brookwood School Mission Statement
The purpose of Brookwood School is to provide an exceptional college-preparatory educational experience to students from four years of age through the twelfth grade.  Brookwood is committed to developing the whole child:  academically, physically, spiritually, and socially.

November 10, 2006
 

FROM THE HEADMASTER...

This past Monday evening I had the pleasure of seeing the wonderful performance of our One Act Play, The Boyfriend.  Mrs. Clineman continues to produce one outstanding production after another...it was exceptional.  If there is a better prepared and organized group within the G.I.S.A. I wanted to see them!  The only way for me to find out was to attend the state competition on Wednesday at Darton College.  Although I was watching this super group of cast members for the second time, their performance was even better then I witnessed on Monday.  My suspicion was correct; there was not a better group of performers in the state!  My sincere congratulations to Brookwood's cast, crew, and Mrs. Clineman for bringing home the well deserved State Championship for One Act.  Your hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed.  Many thanks also to our parents and David Grooms for their continued support.  Please see a full report on "One Act" later in this eNewsletter.

Individual codes that will provide you access to go online and complete the parent survey for our accreditation process have been mailed.  If you have not received your personal code by next Wednesday, please contact the main office and we will provide you with this very important information.  If you would like to complete your survey here at school, perhaps in the morning when you are dropping off the children or anytime throughout the day, we will have the laptop lab in Williams-Parker Library available Wednesday, November 14, through Tuesday, November 21, 2006.  Your code will be available in the main office or from Mrs. Jackie Crew in the Library.  Please take the few minutes necessary to complete the survey.

Our faculty and staff have completed the first phase of the accreditation process by answering the 107 Indicators provided by SACS/SAIS.  If you would like to review this material, please contact the office and we will allow you to pick up the first rough draft and add comments or suggestions.  We ask that you follow the directions that are located at the front of the package and return the information promptly.  After you have returned this information you may then take the next set of Indicators to review.  There will be four different categories that should be reviewed.  Thanks in advance for taking part in this very important task.

Each morning, just prior to the start of each day, parents are in line dropping off their children in front of Flowers Hall and the Williams-Parker Library. Please be mindful of traffic flow.  It is essential that we pull up along the yellow curb as far as possible.  This will allow additional cars to unload and will not cause a backup at the end of the circle.  May I remind you once again not to leave your car unattended along the yellow curb.  If you must come into the building, please use the visiting parking spaces available on the opposite side of the median.    

Many of our students and teachers have taken advantage of our Laptop Lab in the Library.  This has given us another lab within the school that was very much needed.  During my visits with the teachers and Mrs. Crew, I have asked what else do we need that would help the students that are using the Lab?  The overwhelming response has been, "It would be great if each student had their own flash drive."  Please check with your child and see if they already have a flash drive.  They are very inexpensive and would make a great Christmas gift.  Next year we plan to make flash drives available for purchase during our Book Sale Day.

It is always good to hear positive comments concerning the way things are going at Brookwood.  I also think it is important for all of us to take an opportunity now and then to extend a compliment to someone when we have a chance.  Each week I will make mention of some of the many positive things that our teachers and staff are doing publicly.  Here are just a few of my kudos for this week:  to the fourth grade teachers, Nancy Chaney and Alyssa Dean, as well as the parents, for taking the children to the Flint River Aquarium; to Sherrie Callaway for all the hours she has dedicated to helping our students with the online SAT program; to Vicky Bryson and Karen Holt for folding, stuffing, and mailing over 1200 Annual Fund letters; to Connie Clineman for her phenomenal work with our drama students; to Jackie Crew for making the Library an enjoyable place to be; to David Grooms for the extra time to help with One Act; to Phil Danner for doing more than his duty in enlightening our children at assemblies; and to all the members of the One Act Cast and Crew for making this headmaster swell with pride after watching their performance at the state competition.

Please be on the lookout for information concerning this year's Annual Fund for Excellence.  Please take a moment to return the envelope that was enclosed with your letter with your support.

Congratulations to Anna Carroll Sims, our Warrior of the Week!

We are quietly moving toward progress reports again.  It seems as though these were just distributed.  Please speak with your children as there is only seven more days before these reports are mailed.  I know as the Thanksgiving holidays approach we tend to start relaxing a little early.  After we return from Thanksgiving the days are very few (12) before exams and the first semester is over.  We will continue to remind students to be diligent in staying on top of all assignments.

On this Veteran's Day, we send thanks to all who have served and are now serving to provide us with and maintain the freedoms that we have.  We salute all Veterans and their families.  God Bless You!  Please be sure to fly your American flag the entire weekend.    I wish each of you a wonderful weekend, and encourage you to make a special effort to let your children know how much you love them.

                                                                                    Blessings,

                                                                                    Mike Notaro
                                                                                    Headmaster



UPPER SCHOOL NEWS (David Grooms)

Drama Guild Wins Third State Championship in the Past Five Years

Brookwood's Drama Guild continued its pattern of success with their performance of The Boyfriend.  The judges rewarded the cast and crew by choosing them as the 2006 G.I.S.A. AA State Champions in One Act Play.  The competition was held at Darton College on Wednesday, November 8, 2006.  The cast and crew worked with Mrs. Clineman for several weeks to hone their performance of this musical comedy.  The judges and the audience really enjoyed their performance. 

Members of the cast included: Abby Lewis, Ashley Laramore, Jennifer Hubbard, Meredith Briscoe, Stormy Koch, Ellen Stauffer, Mickey Betters, Emily Claire Worthey, Mackenzy Martin, Karen Swann, Mary Kathryn Pounds, Katie Rondello, Kaitlyn Roberts, Davis Flowers, Chris Bragg, Colin Alderman, Grant Stauffer, Ben Mavity, Bronson Rash, Will Hanna, Ty Autry, Kelly Jackson, Andy Sigler, Anna Carroll Sims, Hananel Mavity, DJ Grooms and Catie Hancock.  A special thanks goes to Deanna Quinton and Cory Sigler, who served as the crew for the production.

Comments from the Judges included:
"Choreography was fabulous"
"Blocking was great"
"Good direction"
"Great costumes"
"Great chorus"
"Students well prepared"

In addition to the championship trophy some individual students received special recognition from the judges.  The state awards five All State Actor awards in the state competition.  Brookwood received three of the five awards.  Anna Carroll Sims, a senior, was selected All State for the second consecutive year based on her darling performance as the "poor little rich girl," Polly Browne.  Senior Hananel Mavity won All State recognition for her hilarious performance of the director a finishing school for young ladies, Madame Dubonnet.  The third All State recognition went to DJ Grooms, a sophomore, for his portrayal of Polly's boyfriend, Tony Brockhurst.  Two students received Honorable Mention All State recognition for their performances.  Ashley Laramore, a junior, was selected for her performance as Hortense.  Ashley set the tone for the entire performance with her lively and funny introduction.  Davis Flowers, a freshman, was recognized for his singing and dancing as the rich American, Bobby Van Husen.

The 2006 championship marks the third in the past five years.  Brookwood won the 2002 State One Act Play championship with their rendition of The King and I.  In 2003 the Drama Guild repeated their victory with The Fabulous Fable Factory.  They placed second in 2004 with their performance of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Last year the Drama Guild finished fourth with their version of Scrooge.  Some seniors have been involved in all five of these productions.  Mrs. Clineman has done a tremendous job in building the program which has produced this fantastic run of success. 

The Drama Guild would like to thank all of their parents and friends for their wonderful support.  Brookwood had by far the largest contingent of supporters in the audience, which is evidence of the strong support given to these dedicated young people.  Special thanks goes to: Otis Bass and his staff, Jimmy Sadler, Vicky Bryson, Karen Holt, Jackie Crew, Karla George, Debbie Beeson, Carolyn Betters, Tere Sigler, Karen Stauffer, Kim Flowers, Carolyn Betters, Audrey Alderman and of course Mrs. Clineman for helping to make this production a success. 




MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS (Ashley Harper)

Students in Mrs. Bird's 6th grade science class began the Middle School tradition of rocket building today.  Be ready to see the rocket's red glare in coming newsletters. 


Students in Mrs. Lewis' 7th grade English class get ready to read, The Miracle Worker, the play depicting the life of Helen Keller and her mentor, Annie Sullivan, by using equipment made for the visually impaired. 

Please remember the 7th grade class meeting on Tuesday night at 6:30 pm in the library and the upcoming 7th grade trip on Thursday and Friday of next week.



Eighth grade Physical Science students calculated their work by converting their mass to Newtons and multiplying it by the distance they walked or ran.  They learned that the same amount of work was done by each student but the ones who walked or ran in less time had more power. 


The Trial of Samuel Clemens
Chubb Hall
November 14, 2006
7:00 p.m.
Presented by Brookwood Eighth Graders
Free Admission





LOWER SCHOOL NEWS (Francine Wright)

Lower School Chorus
The Brookwood Lower School Chorus, under the direction of Mrs. Barbara Lee, performed at the Community Open House and Fall Festival in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Memory Walk sponsored by Southwest Georgia Technical College on Saturday, October 21. 

Thank you, Mrs. Lee, for the time and effort you put into developing the musical talents of our young students. 

We are so proud of our Lower School Chorus as they represent our school in the community.

"Hands on History Day" for Fourth Graders

Fourth graders gained respect for Native American cultures and deepened their understanding of geography whiel having  a great time on Tuesday.   As they rotated through six stations, they learned about these cultures: 
*Inuits by creating a spirit mask
*Nez Perce by playing a hand game
*Blackfoot by designing a teepee
*Iroquois by sewing a medicine pouch
*Hopi by cooking fry bread
*Dances-friendship, canoe, round, and 4-directions dance
As they traveled from station to station, the students recorded information and personal responses in log books. 

On Thursday, a trip to the Flint RiverQuarium tied together the reading of Sacagawea, the Lewis and Clark exploration, and the study of Native Americans. 

Thank you to Mrs. Cheney, Mrs. Deen, and all the parent volunteers who helped to make this a wonderful experience for the fourth graders.

Dictionaries Presented to Third Graders

On Thursday, November 2, each student in the third grade classes was presented a dictionary by members of the Thomas County Family Connection CLCP Committee as part of their literacy program.  Thank you to Kathy Megahee and JoAnn Bell for arranging this presentation to Brookwood's third graders.

Poinsettia Sale

Once again, the Lower School is selling poinsettia plants for your holiday decorating.  Poinsettias are available in 8" pots; the colors are listed below.  Please indicate the color and the number of plants you desire.  The poinsettias will be available for pick-up on Friday, December 1, in Chubb Hall.  Please plan to pick up your plants on the day they arrive at school.

POINSETTIA ORDER FORM

Name__________________________________     Phone___________________

Teacher________________________________      Grade___________________

Price                                                       Red                            White                  Pink

$17.00                                                   ____                           ____                    ____

Total Amount Due: ______________

Please include payment with order form.  Make checks payable to Brookwood School.



ATHLETICS

We will honor our senior cheerleaders and football players at tonight's game against SGA. The ceremony begins at 7:40 and the game kicks off at 8:00. We are asking all fans to help form the spirit line at 7:40. Please come early to support the seniors and the rest of the Warriors as they compete for a region championship.

Varsity Soccer Assembly on Wednesday, November 15, at 8:05 a.m.



COLLEGE COUNSELOR (Vic Spigener)

Students are reminded to give Mr. Spigener a copy of your October SAT scores.  Scores can be obtained from the College Board's website.  November 4 scores should be available in a few weeks.

A representative from Georgia College & State University will be at Brookwood to talk to students on Tuesday, November 14.  Interested students should see Mr. Spigener for the time and location of the meeting.

Congratulations to all the seniors who have been accepted to colleges.

A reminder to all male students who are eighteen:  You need to register with the Selective Service.  Registration can be done in less than two minutes via the Internet at www.sss.gov or at the post office.  See Mr. Spigener if you have any questions.




Cleaning out your closets??? Jackets and coats to small??

Please support our collection for the  Thomas County Food Bank!!
The Brookwood Middle School Cheerleaders are leading  our school in the spirit of service November 1-17.
We are collecting P,B&J- Peanut Butter, Blankets and Jackets for those in need in our area. 
Send in your donation today!!  Collection boxes located in Mrs. Harper's Room.



 OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

The Eighth Graders and the Tenth Graders have chosen Operation Christmas Child as their service project this year.  They would like to enlist your support with this worthwhile project.  Operation Christmas Child delivers millions of gift-filled shoe boxes to hurting children around the world each year.  Brookwood families have participated in this project for years.  Help us make a child's Christmas special by filling a shoe box.

Information will be given out in homerooms.  You can also pick up brochures in the front office. 

Students can bring their boxes to Flowers Hall and leave them with Mrs. Nicholson in Room 1.

Deadline for Drop off: Nov. 14















Detailed school-wide calendar and athletic event information can be found simply clicking the following link: http://www.brookwoodschool.org/page/brookwood_today

Want to know a game score? Check out http://www.brookwoodschool.org/page/athletics