Welcome to the Fall 2024 issue of Brick by Brick, The Brick Church School’s newsletter for parents and grandparents of alumni, adult graduates, friends of the school, and our current families. It is our pleasure to share a window into the current life of the school, with highlights from our classrooms and special school events, as well as updates about alums, and ways to stay involved in our vibrant community. | |
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Greetings from Marie
Dear Friends,
What a joyful start to the school year we have had, culminating with all the fun and excitement of Halloween last week. It has been an invigorating time welcoming new families and faculty, and building strong community connections as we do each fall at The Brick Church School. We also refreshed our website in September, with a new format, content, and photos. I hope you enjoy visiting brickchurchschool.org, as well as this issue of Brick by Brick.
Warmly,
Marie Fabian, Director
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Meet Our New Faculty and Staff | |
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Community News & Events
- Classrooms are engaging in the "Story of Us" curriculum, which is guided by the questions "Who am I?", "Who are you?" and "Who are we?"
- Brick Parents' Association: From Class Representatives to Yearbook Committee, our dedicated PA is enhancing our community through family involvement!
- We have engaged in several service learning projects, including African Dream Academy Dream Christmas and the New York Common Pantry Food Drive.
- Get ready to boogie at Brick’s Boogie Nights benefit and auction on May 15, 2025! Details to follow.
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Through the process of classroom visits and a gradual orientation schedule, teachers crafted each step of the early days of school in September to ensure the smoothest start to the year possible. Our youngest learners, the children in the Twos Program, brought in special family boxes to learn about each other and build community, assist with separation/transitioning, and give the children an extra special place in the classroom! | |
Children in the Young 4’s went on their first community walk in Central Park to observe the trees and collect sticks, pine cones, and leaves! After the walk, they gathered their findings and sorted them into different categories. Inspired by the book Leaf Man, they used some of the items from their collection to create leaf creations, which included people, animals, and imaginative creatures. | |
Action and fun have been in full swing on the rooftop and garden playgrounds! From climbing and sliding, to digging into sand tables and riding new yellow tricycles, everyone enjoys their daily time outdoors. Outdoor play is essential for growing minds and bodies. Children grow in strength and coordination through outdoor play, and delight in the triumphs that come from hard work and persistence. Whether by making it all the way across the monkey bars, or successfully rocking the "boat" without a teacher's help, the sense of accomplishment children experience fuels their motivation to try new things and not give up when faced with a challenge. Hurray for outdoor play! | |
Special Feature | 2024 Brick Babies! | |
Please join us in welcoming and celebrating some of the newest members of our Brick community! If you would like to participate in the Brick Babies feature for our Spring 2025 Issue, please share your update via email here. | |
Summer Steps at The Brick Church School
Summer Steps, Brick Church's program for children who will be applying to or attending an independent school kindergarten in the fall, had another fantastic summer in 2024! In addition to serving the four and five year olds who are preparing for kindergarten, the program provides an opportunity for high school students who attend Summer Steps Partner Schools to volunteer as Teaching Fellows and help in the classroom.
We hope you enjoy this video, created by Teaching Fellow Lena Everke who attends Marymount. To learn more about Summer Steps and support its mission, please click here.
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Building Bright Futures ❤️ Brick by Brick
Please consider supporting Brick’s 2024-25 Annual Appeal. There are so many wonderful moments that happen at The Brick Church School every single day, and your contributions are instrumental in helping us provide an exceptional education to our students. All gifts are deeply appreciated, and no gift is too small. Participation is a powerful demonstration of our shared commitment to the school’s mission, and we are pleased to announce that 100% of our Day School Committee members have already participated. Through their generous support, and the support of other early donors in our community, we have raised 27% of the $750,000 we need to raise by June 30, 2025. Please consider joining them to support our school and keep Brick thriving! Please reach out to Susan Johnson with any questions. THANK YOU!
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Going, Gaining, and Growing: Brick's In-House Professional Development Day in October
While we are fortunate to have the opportunity to send Brick teachers to many valuable conferences and workshops throughout the year, we also benefit from bringing in expert instructors and facilitators to work with our faculty collectively. Our teachers are not only gifted educators, but also lifelong learners who take every opportunity to grow in their skills and knowledge.
This year we welcomed Tomasso Lana of Embodied Learning, who spent a day engaging our hearts, minds and bodies as we played and learned together. With a focus on facilitating autonomous discovery and recognizing the inherent competence of children, Tommaso led us through a series of activities that opened our eyes, ears, and all our senses. We learned a great deal that is already positively impacting our work in the classroom and had so much fun in the process!
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Upcoming Community Happenings
A Conversation with Tovah P. Klein: Raising Resilience | November 19
Dr. Tovah P. Klein, an expert on child development and the author of How Toddlers Thrive, presents a new approach for parents to help children and teens build resilience and flourish in an unpredictable world.
Book Fair and School Store | December 10th and 11th
Shop the favorite books of each classroom teacher and specialist - great gift ideas for all the preschoolers on your holiday gift list! Browse the School Store and stock up on Brick merchandise for you and your loved ones!
Christmas Chapel | December 19th
Our annual Christmas Chapel will be a joyous celebration of the season with festive songs performed by the classes.
4th Annual Blood Drive | January 24
Join us in donating blood on January 24 - celebrating the life of Breck Denny ('94) and saving lives in the New York area.
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Connect with Us!
To update your contact information, share an update on an alum, or to let us know about someone who would be interested in receiving Brick by Brick, please email dayschool@brickchurch.org.
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