Welcome to the Winter 2025 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,
It has been a very cold winter in NYC, but our hearts are filled with the warmth of our special community each day at The Brick Church School! Earlier this month we enjoyed Spirit Week, when we all showed our love for Brick, as well as for each other. Included in the festivities was wearing lots of red, engaging in acts of kindness and service through our annual Cereal Drive to support the New York Common Pantry, and enjoying special treats and exchanging valentines. It was a wonderful week! Thankfully there is enough school spirit around Brick to last not just one week, but all year! We will continue celebrating our love of our school throughout the spring, and are happy to share our school spirit with all of you in this issue of Brick by Brick.
Warmly,
Marie Fabian, Director
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Community Happenings
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We recently welcomed Dr. Tovah P. Klein, an expert on child development and the author of How Toddlers Thrive, to share insights from her new book Raising Resilience. The book presents a new approach for parents and caregivers to help children and teens build resilience and flourish in an unpredictable world. Dr. Klein shared resources that children can develop, enabling them to face adversity, adjust, and thrive where they might otherwise falter or fall under pressure. We were thrilled to bring this conversation to our families and faculty. This month, we welcomed Nicole Silber, RD, CSP, CLC, of Tiny Tasters. She shared how to raise healthy and adventurous eaters and bring joy (back) to mealtimes for families and their little ones.
- Families and Faculty enjoyed the third annual Book Fair & School Store Sale. The two-day event featured Faculty book favorites and recommendations, library donation opportunities, and a special pajama story time and craft event!
- The Brick community participated in the New York Common Pantry Turkey Drive, the 4th Annual Memorial Blood Drive (in honor of Breck Denny, class of 1994), and the African Dream Academy Dream Christmas Drive.
- Brick was thrilled to host our first in-person Open House for Applicant Families in January with Parent and Teacher Panels. It was a wonderful opportunity for applicant families to learn more about the Brick experience.
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Exploring Blocks in 3 North
The children in 3 North have been using a variety of materials to create different structures, enclosures, and homes. Classroom teachers have noticed that a few children gravitate toward wooden blocks to build specific structures.
Blocks are an ideal material for young children. Often, those engaged in block building show an increased attention span as they explore various play themes, experiment with different block structures, and follow through on their plans. There are many benefits to block-building, including providing space for: problem-solving (as kids invent and reinvent their ideas when a structure calls for various sizes and shapes of blocks and different arrangements), expressive and receptive language (as children collaborate to convey their ideas and use rich language and spatial vocabulary), social-emotional growth (as children learn to share, take turns, take responsibility when someone accidentally or intentionally knocks down a building, advocate for their ideas, compromise, collaborate, practice conflict resolution, and much more), motor skills (as children lift and position the heavy blocks while navigating their bodies to avoid bumping into what they’ve created), imagination and self-expression (as children use this open-ended toy to bring their ideas to life, discovering that there are countless possibilities each time they engage with the blocks), and building resilience (when a wobbly tower keeps falling, it offers a great opportunity to praise the child for their perseverance or flexibility as they seek new solutions, as we prefer to celebrate the process over the product).
As you can see, 3 North loves blocks!
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What's Inside Our Bodies?
In January, 4 South learned about our blood! It carries oxygen, the part of the air we need, to all the parts of our bodies, and it also fights germs. Children eagerly shared stories of cuts and scrapes and nosebleeds they’d experienced. We learned that people can choose to give a little of their blood, and doctors can put it into the bodies of people who need it. We discussed the blood drive at Brick, mindful of possible feelings of anxiety that children might have.
The class acted out how blood drives work with the children as donors. They signed in on a clipboard, got their temperature taken, got a pretend finger stick with a real Band-Aid, and then had red yarn taped to their sleeve. At the top of the red yarn was attached a Ziploc baggie. While they squeezed a beanbag, the teacher filled their baggie with pieces of red tissue paper. Then, they were bandaged up and headed to the refreshment table. They had real (diluted) apple juice and Nilla Wafers so our bodies could make new blood quickly. The next day, children were the blood technicians, and the classroom stuffies were the brave donors.
The class made posters for the blood drive. By encouraging people to come to the blood drive, children made a real difference in helping people who need blood! This year, the blood drive had 60 donations!
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The Story of Spanish: Traditions
Why are traditions important? Traditions create positive experiences and memories for everyone by nurturing a family’s connection and giving them a sense of belonging. They help children understand who they are and what is important for the family to which they belong.
In Spain, Mexico, and other Latin American countries, January 6 is celebrated as Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day). On this day, the three kings visited all of the classrooms, and the children were curious and excited to learn about the story of the Three Kings. According to the tradition, the Three Kings saw a very special estrella (star) in the sky. They followed this star, which guided them to Belén (Bethlehem) to see el bebé (baby) Jesus. The kings offered baby Jesus three regalos (gifts). The children wanted to know what these gifts were and what were the names of the kings. Señora Lopez explained that one gift was oro (gold), the second was incienso (frankincense), which has a pleasant smell, and the third was mirra (myrrh), a substance derived from a tree. We also learned how to say their names in Spanish: Melchor (Melchior), Gaspar (Caspar), and Baltasar (Balthazar). Read more about Dis de los Reyes Magos in The Story of Spanish.
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Giving to Brick ❤️️ Show Your School Spirit
Please consider supporting Brick’s 2024-25 Annual Appeal. Your involvement and support are instrumental in helping us maintain the level of excellence in the education we provide to our students. All gifts are deeply appreciated, and no gift is too small. Participation is a powerful demonstration of our shared commitment. Please join us in supporting the Annual Appeal. Reach out to Susan Johnson with any questions.
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Where Are They Now? Catching Up with Brick Alumni
It is always special when a Brick alum returns as a parent! This year one of the many alums with a child at the school is Timo Harrison, whose son, Finnegan, is in the 2’s program.
Timo brought many wonderful memories of her own time at Brick back with her to the school this fall when Finnegan began his own journey as a student. Playing on the roof is an especially strong memory, including climbing and riding the trikes, which are things Finnegan has come to love during his outdoor play time in the Garden. Timo shared an especially poignant moment from his first week of school, when he pressed his hands and face to the Garden door and said, “I love school.” It is every parent’s hope that their child will love school, and when it is the same school you loved as a child yourself, it brings an additional layer of joy to the experience.
Some memories provide a good laugh, including the story Timo’s mother has often repeated of a time when she politely asked her teacher, Ms. Manning, to please hold some things that she had in her hands, thanked her for taking them, then promptly walked over to another child and bit him! Sometimes good manners are in place ahead of conflict resolution skills, but isn’t that what the preschool years are all about developing?
Like so many Brick alums, Timo made lifelong friends in her time at the school, including some fellow current parents. In 2024, Timo attended the weddings of two Brick classmates, and Finnegan was the ring bearer at one of them! The bonds formed at Brick are strong and lasting, and Timo is thrilled that her children will now have the experience of building those friendships. It is an extra delight that one of Timo’s teachers, Mrs. Hammer, still works at Brick as Storytelling Specialist, and will no doubt enthrall Finnegan with her stories!
The school is delighted to have Timo, her husband Cal, Finnegan and his baby sister Duncan as part of the current school community. Timo’s parents are also delighted to be back at Brick. Timo is thankful for Brick’s loving, supportive community which she knows will feel like home to her children, just as it has always felt to her.
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Going, Gaining, and Growing | 2024-2025 Professional Development: NAREA Global Learning Journey to Stockholm, Sweden
Jennifer Goncalves (4N) and Cinder White (5N) engaged in an enriching professional development visit to Stockholm, Sweden this past November, where they further immersed themselves in the study of Reggio Emilia-inspired education. Just last month they shared their experience with the staff during an inspiring and informative presentation and experience.
The trip provided invaluable opportunities to observe and learn from leading Reggio schools, exploring their unique approaches to child-centered learning, project-based inquiry, and the powerful role of the environment as a "third teacher." The pair engaged in workshops, discussions with educators, and firsthand observation of classroom practices, focusing on key elements such as documentation, collaborative learning, and the importance of fostering children's creativity and critical thinking. A particular highlight of the trip was exploring the Reggio approach to drawing, observing how it's used as a powerful tool for learning, expression, and communication, and how it is regularly integrated into the classroom. They also shared the experience of the Swedish tradition of "fika" with the staff, enjoying coffee and pastries while engaging in informal discussions with educators. This practice fosters deeper connections and sharing in a relaxed setting. This experience will continue to inform and enhance our practices at Brick, inspiring us to further develop our curriculum and create even more engaging and stimulating learning environments for our students.
During the holiday week in February, three more of our teachers embarked on a study tour of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Rich learning opportunities followed by deep reflections by our thoughtful staff continue to maintain a cycle of learning and sharing at The Brick Church School.
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Celebrating the Brick Graduates of 2012
The Year 2012: The Giants won the Super Bowl, the U.S. achieved the most Olympic medals, and over 60 children graduated from The Brick Church School! We remember the Class of 2012 fondly and want to honor them in our Spring Issue of Brick by Brick. We would love to include any news that you would like to share with the Brick community. Please use the link below to send us an update - we look forward to hearing from you!
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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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