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I very much enjoyed the opportunity to see a number of you over the course of moving your children onto campus and into dormitories over Labor Day weekend, and it was also nice to connect with some of you in our home on that warm Labor Day afternoon. Regardless of whether you are a parent or guardian of a new or returning student, there is a lot to process on move-in day and we hope all of that went as smoothly as possible. As we find some rhythm and settle into the year, we will have additional opportunities to get together on campus, and I am looking forward to seeing some of you at our first dinner with parents and guardians on Thursday night of this week. With more to come, I hope there will be a lot of opportunities to keep in touch, share some thoughts about what the school is working on, and address questions that are on your mind. We will certainly have additional opportunity to do this over Family Weekend in October and throughout the year. Above all, our hope is to maintain an open line of communication as we work together to ensure your children have an excellent experience at our school.
With regard to Family Weekend, the schedule and program will continue to be updated as additions and changes materialize, and I do want to highlight Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Terri Ofori’s letter that invited parents and guardians of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students on Saturday to join an affinity group - Families of Color United for Success (FOCUS). Reverend Ofori’s letter touches on a number of reasons why we hope you will consider being a part of this group, and I know she will be happy to answer questions should you have any. As we take some steps this year in the direction of a centennial campaign centered on three campaign pillars seeking to deepen immersive learning opportunities, expand our culture of exploration, and realize genuine belonging at Brooks, it is our hope that the creation of this affinity group will help play a role in growing the degree to which we realize this third pillar. We are looking forward to having opportunities to share our campaign thinking and planning with the entire school community over the year and years ahead.
At the end of the week, the school’s board of trustees will be on campus for our fall meetings. This group of 29 people includes alums stretching from the class of 1965 to the class of 2015, current and past parents, and friends of the school. When I am asked to share some thoughts with parents and guardians at our admission revisit days in early April about the school’s state, I find myself thinking a lot about the strength of our alumni community as one of the many reasons parents and guardians should be confident in our school when contemplating it as a secondary school for their children. Our board of trustees are devoted to doing all they can to support the school in the moment and steward it to an even brighter future. In that we are now just three years away from our 100th year, the year our newest students in the class of 2027 will graduate, our attention during this and most of our meetings is centered on leveraging this point in time in ways that will enhance the student experience for generations to come. With broad housing and academic building initiatives coming together alongside an effort to grow our endowment, we are excited to be moving in directions that will build on the impactful work the school has already done over time.
On the other side of these meetings, I will be heading to New York for a few days and some visits with alums in that area. Looking a bit further out, we will be hosting our Fall Visit Day for prospective families on Saturday, September 30, followed not too much later by our Boston Reception on Tuesday, October 10. In the case of the former, your work as current parents and guardians is vital to the admission effort that is now underway to enroll another wonderful group of students for next fall. Thank you in advance for all your help. In the case of the latter, we hope some of you will be able to join us for a nice evening in Boston with lots of people who care a lot about Brooks - my favorite type of event!
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