The Brooks community came together on Monday for our annual all-school photo and a class of 2026 photo. In the coming weeks, we will be in touch about how to purchase images.

Schedule Alerts

Sept. 23: Head of School Zoom meetings with families from China and Korea

Sept. 25: Parent and guardian Zoom with Prevention Ed
Sept. 29: Flu vaccinations

Sept. 30: Individual school photos

Oct. 9: Flu vaccinations

Oct. 9: Boston Reception
Oct. 18-19: Community Weekend

Academics

Sneak a peek into the new AP Psychology class: In this course, Chair of Science Department Laura Hajdukiewicz (above) and Science Teacher Alexandria Sacco are introducing students to the study of human behavior and mental processes. They will learn about mental illness, child development and how both biology and environment shape who we are.

Meet Brooks' ranking scholars for the 2024-2025 school year, awarded on Friday in school meeting (from left): in the sixth form Serena Trojer ’25 (not shown), fifth form Emma Nagle ’26, fourth form Reese Petersen ’27 and third form Camilla Neissa ’28. Congratulations!

Student Life

School Break Transportation Options

Brooks will offer shuttles to several locations at the start of each break. Families should plan their travel from these locations. View a comprehensive list of offerings, including dates and departure times, in our School Break Transportation Shuttle Information (PDF). In that document, you can also access sign-up links. The sign-up link for Thanksgiving Break is currently live and accepting responses. 

Please be in touch with Associate Director of Student Affairs Cora MacKenzie with any questions and review the travel calendar to help you make plans.

International students: Need plans for Thanksgiving Break? Cogito World Education has an option for our international families. Thanksgiving-on-the-Sea is a another option.

Student Daytime Driving Privilege

As part of an initiative put forth by the class of 2025, we are excited to support sixth-form students who wish to depart campus during certain times of the academic day. The process and expectations surrounding this privilege will be clearly laid out to all sixth formers. Any sixth-form parents who have questions should be in contact with Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles.

Weekend Activities

Students will be heading to the 2020 Quad on Saturday night to enjoy a shark-themed evening of entertainment. We will be screening "Jaws" on the inflatable projector, serving snacks and shark-bite drinks. There will be a food run at 7:30 p.m. and prize bingo at 10:15 p.m. On Sunday, there will be a coffee trip, Rockingham Mall trip, SoBowl trip, Loop/Raising Cane's trip and open gym hours. See full details on the Weekend Bulletin.

Permissions Form

We have added a new required form to your student’s Magnus account. With your parent/guardian account, please log into OnBrooks, click into Magnus and complete the permissions form. Please complete this within the week. If you have any questions about accessing this form, please contact Registrar Lisa Saunders. If you have any questions about the questions on the form, please contact the Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles.

On Monday, students enjoyed the school's annual club fair, where they explored the many organizations and activities available to them throughout the year. See photos and video.

Community Weekend Date Reminders

This is a reminder of our set community weekend dates for the 2025-2026 school year. Students will be expected to be back on campus by the beginning of the affiliated Saturday weekend program of each weekend. Students will be permitted to take day-leaves prior to that time, as well as on the Sundays of those weekends. 

The community weekend dates are Oct. 18, Dec. 13, March 28, May 2 and May 30. 

Athletics

Brooks' fall teams (many photographed by Ryan Koehler '27) were recently featured in the local newspaper. Check out the Eagle Tribune article (PDF) to read coaches' comments. Go Brooks!

Arts

Firetrail Theatre

Inspired by the theme of Cinderella’s wish to "go to the festival" and combined with the beauty of the Brooks School campus, specifically the namesake of the theatre program "Firetrail Theatre," we are thrilled to announce that this year’s fall musical, "Into the Woods," will be performed outdoors at the Demoulas Family Boathouse on the following dates:

• Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
• Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.*
• Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.
• Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.*

Please check next week’s newsletter for information about how to reserve a ticket.

All performances are weather-dependent and may be cancelled up to two hours before curtain time.

*If the Oct. 24 and Oct. 30 performances are canceled due to weather, ticket holders are invited to the Center for the Arts mainstage theater for a special "in-concert" version of "Into the Woods," highlighting the music and vocal talents of the cast. 

Art in Andover

Chair of Arts Department Babs Wheelden (below) will be a featured artist at Helen Thomas Simply Smashing, a renowned art gallery and gift boutique located at 2 Main Street in Andover, Mass. Join fellow parents and employees off-campus there at an artist reception on Sept. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Health and Wellness

Student Vaccine Clinics

Pharmacists from Conley’s Pharmacy in Ipswich, Mass., will be on campus this fall to provide seasonal flu vaccination, COVID boosters (in Massachusetts eligible to anyone over age 5, regardless of health status/pre-existing conditions) and/or TDAP booster vaccinations to students. In order for students to participate, a parent or guardian must complete the consent form and sign-up sheet. Please note: Walk-ins will not be accepted but students may arrive at any time during the clinic window, regardless of the exact time selected.

The clinics will be held in the student center on:

• Sept. 29 during lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

• Oct. 9 during dinner, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Prevention Ed: Workshops for Students and Families

As part of our ongoing commitment to health and wellness, we have invited specialists from Prevention Ed to work with all of our fourth-form Self in Community classes during the week of Sept. 22.

In addition, Prevention Ed will present a parent workshop for all Brooks School parents and guardians via Zoom on Sept. 25 from 7 to 8 p.m. (EST) to offer support and guidance in helping your children stay healthy, reduce the risk of making uninformed choices about alcohol and other drugs and provide parents with the skills they need to set clear expectations and boundaries regarding alcohol and drug use.

If you have any questions, please contact Chair of the Self and Community Department Ashley Johnston or Head Athletic Trainer Lindsey McDowell.

Family Programs

Tomorrow is the Deadline!

Sept. 19 is the due date to fill out our Family Questionnaire and share your interest in volunteering and/or provide grandparent information. In an effort to keep our school records up-to-date, please take a few minutes to fill out this form.

This information is for internal school use only. On the form, you can provide your child's grandparent information, areas of interest for you and your family, volunteer interests and other valuable information. Thank you for your assistance.

Families from China and Korea: Zooms Next Week

Head of School John Packard invites our families from China and Korea to join him for a Zoom on Sept. 23. Translation will be available.

• 7 p.m. (EST) Families from Korea with translation from Math Teacher Kihak Nam ’99, P’26, P’29 

• 8 p.m. (EST) Families from China with translation from Chinese Teacher, Advisor for International Student Support and Global Initiatives Amy Wang P’28, ’28

Save Your Seat for the Parent and Guardian Dinners

We are so excited that so many people have already signed up for a parent and guardian dinner with Head of School John Packard and Associate Head of School Nina Freeman. The November date is at capacity and closed. Please visit the event registration page to sign up for either the Oct. 16 or Dec. 11 date.

It's Time to Register for Family Weekend

Thank you to all of the families who have already registered for Family Weekend, held this year Oct. 24 through Oct. 25. To see the full schedule for the weekend and to RSVP, please visit the Family Weekend page.

Boston Reception: Registration is Open

The greater Brooks community is invited to join us at The Lenox Hotel in Boston on Oct. 9 for our annual Boston Reception. You can register online via our Boston Reception page. We are grateful to Brooks alumnus and The Lenox Hotel owner Gary Saunders '73 for welcoming Brooks alumni, parents, guardians and friends to this annual celebration.

Brooks is Coming to NYC

Please join us for our annual New York Reception on Nov. 13. You can register and see who's coming our New York Reception page. Thank you to Catharine and Alan Osborne P'26 for hosting this special event.