Brookwood School - News & Events

eNewsletter

Brookwood eNewsletter 2/22/2008
Posted on: February 22, 2008

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.

February 22, 2008

UPPER SCHOOL NEWS (David Grooms)

The schedule request process for the 2008-09 academic year has begun for the Upper School. Students have met by homeroom with Mr. Grooms and Mr. Massey to discuss the general scheduling process for their specific group. Students are encouraged to discuss elective choices with the teachers. AP teachers are meeting with potential students to discuss the content and demands of the courses. Students are encouraged to discuss their individual schedules with their parents. Schedule request forms are due to Mr. Grooms by March 6^th. The primary purpose of this process is to identify any major conflicts or imbalances that would impact the building of the master schedule. This needs to be completed now because it can have an impact on personnel. Students may make adjustments within the framework of the master schedule through the end of May. We will be undergoing a major software upgrade this summer in addition to the move into the new building. Thus, no schedule changes will be made during the summer. Brookwood wants students to be active participants in the schedule request process. This promotes academic success at Brookwood and helps them develop skills to facilitate this process in college. This is an aspect of our goal not to just prepare students to enter college but to actually graduate from college.

Schedule request forms are available on the web site.

Please find "typical" schedules listed for each grade level below.

Sample Schedules by Grade Level

Typical Ninth Grade Schedule

English 9
Economics/Civics
Biology
PE/Health
Spanish I
Advanced Algebra I or Geometry
Study Hall or Elective such as Debate, Journalism, or Foundations of Art

Typical Tenth Grade Schedule

English 10
World History
Writing Lab/Computer Applications
Chemistry
Spanish II
Geometry or Algebra II
SH or Elective such as Debate, Journalism, Conditioning*, Studio Art* or Foundations of Art

Typical Eleventh Grade Schedule

English 11
Algebra II or Advanced Algebra & Trig
AP Biology or Environmental Science or Marine Biology
AP US History or US History
2 Electives
(Spanish III is strongly recommended, AP Lab is required if you take an AP)
SH or Elective such as Debate, Journalism, Conditioning*, Finance, Studio Art* or Foundations of Art

Typical Twelfth Grade Schedule

English 12 or AP English
Precalculus or Calculus or AP Calculus
Physics or Environmental Science or Marine Biology
3 Electives
(AP European, Western Civilization, AP Lab is required if you take an AP, Spanish IV, Debate, Journalism, Conditioning*, Finance, Studio Art* or Foundations of Art )

* Non-academic elective
** All electives are evaluated annually based on student request and instructor availability.
*** Students must take a minimum of 6 courses each year of which 5 must be academic courses.

Please contact David Grooms at dgrooms@brookwoodschool.org if you have any questions about your child's schedule.

Freshman Class Service Project - The last day for the freshman class service project with the Humane Society is Friday, February 29. Students are encouraged to sign up to work at the center to earn required community service hours. They can go there any first, third or fifth Saturday during the remaining school year to help groom the animals. Mrs. Hunt has the sign-up sheets. Mrs. Bond and Mrs. Hunt wish to thank those freshmen and their parents who have so generously donated food and supplies to the shelter.

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS (Ashley Harper)

Eighth Grade Washington Trip
The 8^th grade leaves tomorrow morning for Washington, DC. We are looking forward to a fantastic trip that includes dinner at Mount Vernon Saturday night, church at the National Cathedral on Sunday, participating in a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington followed by a tour of the Pentagon on Monday, a visit to the White House on Tuesday, and a visit to the US Capitol and a meeting with Senator Saxby Chambliss on Wednesday before we fly home. Students, please be at the airport no later than 5:30 am on Saturday morning. See you bright and early!

DAR Essay Winners
Congratulations to Hunter Avera, the sixth grade winner for the local Daughter's of the American Revolution Essay Contest. Hunter presented her essay at a luncheon on Wednesday. The Middle School student body would also like to congratulate fifth grader, Heeth Varnedoe, for winning as well.

Middle School Nine Weeks Test Schedule

Day 1 - March 4^th
Math
Social Studies

Day 2 - March 5^th
English
Ethics 8 Even Rotation
Spanish (6,7) Even Rotation
Classics (6, 7, 8) Even Rotation

Day 3 - March 6^th
Science
Ethics 8 Odd Rotation
Spanish (6,7) Odd Rotation
Classics (6, 7, 8) Odd Rotation

�        All study guides should be distributed no later than one week prior to the scheduled exam.
�        These tests are given during the regular class period and count as 25% of the 9 weeks grade.
�        There should be no homework the week of testing.

LOWER SCHOOL NEWS (Francine Wright)

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Beautiful faces and gleaming eyes beamed out at an audience of grandparents, special friends, and parents in Chubb Hall this morning. The Kindergartners sang songs, recited poems, and shared special memories with their loved ones. Words of love included "Bushel and a Peck," "The Love Bug," "You Make Me Smile," and many others. More than a bushel of appreciation goes to Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Waters, Mrs. Stone, and Mrs. Wilson. And of course, we thank all of our grandparents, special friends, and parents for sharing these wonderful sweethearts. After the program the Kindergartners took their special guests to the pre-school building to enjoy refreshments. Everyone received special Valentine photos. It was a day of celebration and time together. A special thank you to Suzanne Dixon and her committee for welcoming our Grandparents and Special Friends with a lovely reception.

DAR JAC Winners

Congratulations to the following students for placing in the DAR Junior American Citizens contest: Mrs. Water's kindergarten class-first place community service, Mrs. Martin's kindergarten class-third place banner, Caroline Deese-first place poster, Honey Balfour-honorable mention short story, Christopher Watt-first place poem, Jack Brinson-first place poem, and Stuart Allen-second place poem.

DAR Essay contest winners from Thomas County were recognized Wednesday at a luncheon hosted by the local DAR Chapter at The Plaza Restaurant. From over forty submitted essays, Brookwood students Heeth Varnedoe and Hunter Avera were selected as the fifth and sixth grade winners. Congratulations Heeth and Hunter!

Second Grade presents "The Emperor's New Clothes"

Congratulations to Mrs. Thompson's second grade class for bringing to life the delightful Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes. The lower school audience was indeed surprised when the emperor, portrayed by Thomas Oppenheim, appeared before them adorning his new suit of clothes which was nothing more than long underwear. The Emperor's New Clothes is a wise and humorous tale with a universal theme that reminds us to believe the messages of our own eyes and hearts rather than blindly accept what others tell us.

Special thanks to the many parents for helping with costumes and props, Mrs. Lee for her help with the music, Mr. Earp for countless details, and of course, the actors and actresses themselves, for an outstanding performance!

Reminders
Brookwood School Town Meeting-February 25, 2008-6:30 p.m. Stoddard Gym
March 7, 2008-End of 3rd Nine weeks
March 14, 2008-Report Cards go home
March 8, 2008-Auction

From the Headmaster for Lower School Parents...

Carpool
4^th 5^th grade carpool -- Parents are parking in the loading zone and not moving. I'm not sure that all of the cars are 4^th and 5^th grade parents. It is causing safety problems as students are loading in the outside lane.

Cell Phones
Moms and Dads, many studies have been conducted concerning the effects of talking on your cell phone while driving. There is undisputable evidence that our total attention is not present when we are talking on the phone and driving at the same time. With this in mind we will institute a new policy beginning Monday that children will not be loaded in your car if you are talking on your cell phone. I am sure you will agree with us that we must do everything possible to insure the safety of our children and will adhere to this common sense policy.

ATHLETICS (Robert East)

The spring sports season is beginning, and Brookwood Athletics is already busy! Soccer has begun practice, baseball will begin pre-season games next week, tennis and golf are in practice, and track will begin work on Monday. Every athlete must have a recent (within one year) physical and consent form on file. Contact Coach East at reast@brookwoodschool.org to verify the paperwork on your student.

There will be a Varsity Tennis parent meeting in the gym on Monday at 6 pm. Please make plans to attend if your student is planning to play tennis. Also make plans to stay for the "State of the School" town meeting at 6:30.

Varsity Boys Basketball has earned a berth in the state tournament. They opened the tournament in Cuthbert on Thursday with a win over Heritage. They will play Piedmont on Saturday in Cochran. Varsity Girls Basketball also has earned a spot in the state tournament. They opened the tournament with a win over Pinecrest and will play Gatewood on Friday in Cochran at Middle Georgia College. Please see www.brookwoodschool.org for an up to date game list and tournament bracket.

Please watch your mailbox for the spring concession stand duty schedule. It also has been posted to the Brookwood Today section of the website, www.brookwoodschool.org. Contact Coach Jarvis at pjarvis@brookwoodschool.org for questions.

All schedules are posted on the school website www.brookwoodschool.org as soon as they are available. All updates and changes are made to the website first. Please us the website as your source for up to date information about Brookwood School Athletics.

Boys Middle School Basketball (Coach Mark Humphries)

The Brookwood Boys Middle School Basketball team got a first round bye during the region tournament. They arrived early to scout Tift Area and Valwood. Their first game was against Randolph Southern. Brookwood had beaten them easily during the season. This game was no different. Brookwood easily beat the Patriots 49-20. They were lead by Chris Alexander with 12 points and Jacob Dennis with 10 points. Taylor Bragg and Wade Davidson pitched in with 9 points and 8 points respectively.

The Championship game was against Valwood, who did not look very good against Tift Area in their previous game. Brookwood had to fight for this victory 42-34. The game was close most of the time, but the Warriors managed to keep the lead for the whole game. The Valiants were led by Troy Woodard with 12 points and Alex Waldron with 15 points. Brookwood had the edge in rebounds and free-throw shooting. Tyler Quinet led the Warriors with 18 points and shot 67% at the line. Taylor Bragg had 7 points and shot 67% at the line. Chris Alexander was another big scorer for the Warriors with 16 points and 44% at the line.

This years 8^th graders have gone through some tough times during their basketball careers at Brookwood. It was very rewarding to them to get that region championship. They have matured a lot over the past couple years. The Warriors will be losing 7 8^th graders: Taylor Bragg, Chris Alexander, Jacob Dennis, Tyler Quinet, Chase Tenewitz, Wade Davidson, and James Blackwell this year. The leadership and enthusiasm of the 8^th graders will be missed.

TOWN MEETING

On Monday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m., we will hold a very important Town Meeting in the Stoddard Gymnasium that will address the "State of the School." This is our annual meeting that will bring all our constituents up to date on where Brookwood is and where it is going. We are asking that at least one parent from each Brookwood family attend this annual meeting. Topics will include our financial standing, enrollment, a progress report on the new Upper School building, plans for the future, the calendar, and other pertinent information. Please mark your calendars now and make every effort to attend. This special meeting is for parents; childcare will not be provided.

You are cordially invited to attend the
Brookwood School Auction
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Cocktails and Opening Auction at 6:00 p.m.
Dinner and Live Auction at 7:30 p.m.
Glen Arven Country Club

Reservations may be made by calling the school office.

This year's Auction theme shines a spotlight on world travel and the lure of far off places. Brookwood has always encouraged an adventurous spirit. Perhaps the wanderlust begins as early as Lower School as each class celebrates other cultures with their International Day. Even in Pre-K they become fascinated with words from another language, Spanish, in a program that may include as many as twelve years of study. Social Studies classes acquaint students with the countries of the world, their geography, history and culture. Since 1977 hundreds of Brookwood students have traveled to Europe, seeing first-hand the great cities, landscapes, art, and people of the world. A group of twenty-two look forward to a trip int he summer of 2008 that will include a visit to London, Paris, Rome, several Greek islands, and the ancient city of Ephesus. Brookwood families have hosted exchange students from Argentian, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, South Africa, and Switzerland. Our students have a global outlook that is essential for success and for understanding today's world.

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