FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK BY WENDIE MARSH

January began with lots of wintery weather. Therefore we spent our mornings in the classrooms extending work time, singing songs, playing movement games in the Parish Hall, going on short nature walks, playing in the snow and staying warm. Inside the classrooms children were engaged and engrossed in a variety of activities, chatting with friends, receiving lessons and enjoying healthy snacks.

On January 30th Brooksfield was closed for a teacher in- service day. Our morning began with a three-hour staff development workshop called “Red Flags in Development,” led by Michal Berkson, LCSW/Clinical Social Worker from JSSA. Ms. Berkson discussed the typical stages in child development and how to identify developmental concerns. She highlighted the importance of early detection and early intervention for children at risk. She also provided develop-mental milestones and red flag charts along with examples of classroom activities that promote cognitive, linguistic, physi-cal, emotional and social development. After the workshop teachers worked in their classrooms and held team meetings.

Our first assembly of the new year centered around music. Teddy showcased some wonderful components of his Kindergarten and Upper School music program and John Henry wowed the audience with songs such as “Bobby the Brooksfield Dragonfly” and “Brooksfield, My Brooksfield.” It was a very melodic day!

The following Thursday we held our annual Leukemia Hop-A-Thon. For two minutes the children came together to listen to music and put their jumping feet into action. Through parent/family sponsoring of this event, we were able to make a difference in the lives of those affected by Leukemia or Lymphoma. Thank you for your support!

In February the Upper School students began meeting weekly with parent volunteers to participate in the Junior Achievement Program. The program prepares children for the “real world” by teaching them about families, our community, local businesses, work readiness, jobs, government and taxes. Junior Achieve-ment incorporates a hands-on curriculum that gets rave reviews from our students.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy 2015!

T I M E SA N E W S L E T T E R F O R T H E F A M I L I E S A N D F R I E N D S O F T H E B R O O K S F I E L D S C H O O L

Winter 2015

DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015 1

Grandparent/ special friend day.

Extended Day Hours for 2015-16We have EXTENDED our hours for the 2015-16 school year. If your child is signed up for the Extended Day Program next school year, we will be open until 5:55 pm every day!

Brooksfield is expanding! We are excited to announce that we will be opening up a NEW 3 to 6 year old classroom for the 2015-16 school year. We are so happy to have this opportunity to grow our program. Please share this with your friends!. Anyone interested in learning more about the admissions process should contact Sarah Krawchuk, Director of Admissions at sarah@brooksfieldschool.org

Hop-A-Thon

Brookfield Players: The Mystery of the Dragon’s EggVisiting Author: Camille Battaglia

2 DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015

DRAGONFLY TIMES • WIN TER 2015 3

PRACTICAL LIFE

The Practical Life curriculum is the foundation for the rest of the work in the Montessori classroom. The early phase of Practical Life focuses on the development of movement, the care of objects and people and the child’s growth towards becoming an individual, integrated being. The later phase of Practical Life emphasizes the well being of the community, the care of the environment, how to care for and not disturb others, and how to behave courteously and carefully, out of love and concern for the classroom and his society.

The inclusion of Practical Life by Maria Montessori is based on the possibility of the child developing both adaptation and orientation to his own environment and within his own culture. It is impor-tant to understand that the child, from age 0-3, is learning from the home environment and is not simply satisfied with observ-ing but desires to participate. The child’s absorbent mind is in an unconscious state but it directs the child to take in everything by forming patterns in his mind. Then through observation, the use of his hands and legs and controlled movement, the child is impelled to ‘want to do’. The child’s own acts are what cause him to adapt and orient to his environment so adults must take great care not to take over activities. The child’s adaptation comes from his performance in his environment while orientation to his environ-ment comes from having a real relationship with the environment. By achieving these two attributes the child is provided security. It is based on this idea that Maria Montessori created her Practical Life materials —materials that are based on the child’s own real environment.

The materials that make up the Practical Life activities are always “real” materials. Put plainly, the children manipulate glass plates, cups and bowls, use real water and soap when cleaning and are responsible for caring for living plants and animals that are part of the classroom environment. By using these real materials, the child is able to master the skills necessary for his development of independence. Use of real materials also allows for a ‘built-in’ cause and effect lesson. A child learns that if a glass bowl is dropped on a

hard surface, it will break. If there is too much water in a container, it will spill over the sides. As it is part of the Montessori method to have the child succeed in each activity, controls of error are built into each work. These controls make it possible for the child to rec-ognize whether the activity he is engaged in has been completed fully and within the parameters shown to her by the teacher or if a change needs to be made.

Montessori Practical Life materials must be attractive and pleasing to the child’s eye. They must also be child sized, as the activities are meant to allow the child to successfully complete the work inde-pendently, building his confidence. By allowing the child access to appropriate materials in the classroom, a control of error is imple-mented. The materials must be maintained by the teacher and each activity must have a particular place on the shelf in easy reach of the child. It is important that the child be able to differentiate between pieces of work and color coding the materials included in each lesson speaks to the child’s intellect.

The aims of the Practical Life activities are to help the child adapt to his environment and grow in his independence. The direct aims of a piece of work vary depending on what skills the child is working to perfect. If the activity is cutting then the direct aim of the work is the mastery of using scissors sagely and following a presented line. If the work is grasping then the direct aim is for the child to hone his fine motor movement and control. The indirect aim of the grasping activity is the child’s development of his pincer grip- the grip used to hold a pencil correctly when writing. There are four basic indirect aims of Montessori works. They are concen-tration, coordination, independence and order. The majority of ac-tivities lend themselves to developing all four of the indirect aims. The child’s mastery of the indirect aims makes for what is called a normalized child- a well-adjusted, confident and successful adult member of society. The Practical Life curriculum of the Montessori method provides the child the opportunity for real constructive intelligent action through choice, decision and perseverance.

by Juliana Labetti

UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC WITH TEDDY KLAUS

At our recent assembly the Brooksfield students did a wonderful job of demon-strating their musicianship. The kindergar-teners displayed their listening skills; the upper-schoolers showed their instru-mental proficiency; and all kindergarten and upper-school students performed a fabulous song with a valuable lesson.

Our assembly began with a very brief warm-up, using solfege syllables (do-re-mi, etc). I was impressed that parents and friends in the audience participated. We use echoing quite a bit at Brooksfield – mostly to hone listening, concentrating and cooperating skills.

The kindergarteners demonstrated one of our favorite activities entitled “I Hear a Noise.” This fun musical “game” is a natural extension of “The Pigeon House,” which was featured at last year’s assembly. “The Pigeon House” is a useful way to teach stu-dents about dynamics, tempo, range and phrasing. “I Hear a Noise” is all about using those aspects of music to move to impro-vised music utilizing my keyboard. When the students hear a particular sound (a descending cascade of notes), they begin by curling up on the floor. Then they hear a very soft sound. When they hear that “piano” sound, they lift just their heads and whisper, “I hear a noise.” Then a “forte” sound is heard and they move up – on their knees – and (with a forte voice) ask, “What is it?” At this point, a student vol-

unteers their favorite animal. That animal then gives me the impetus to improvise music: low, forte, and slow music for a bear, for instance; or high, legato and fast music for a butterfly. The student then moves to the music until that cascade of notes is heard and the whole process begins again. We usually end with my favorite animal. If you want to know what that is, please ask your child!

The recorder students performed the clas-sic “Hot Cross Buns.” The song only uses three notes but we actually know five notes. The students played the song while watching the conductor for when to lift the instrument, when to play and when to return the instrument to the neutral position. I am proud of the discipline our students are developing. I then asked a couple of parents for a number – between 1 and 160. That number corresponded to a particular style of music that uses an entire “band” of instruments – drums, bass, guitar, horns, and strings. We all had the pleasure of hearing “Hot Cross Buns,” accompanied by a “salsa” band as well as a “classic rock” band.

The Upper Schoolers and Kindergarten-ers sang an old Fred Penner song called “Proud.” Fred Penner is one of Canada’s best-loved children’s singers/songwriters. This is one of my all-time favorite songs – mostly due to the message of the lyrics:

You’ve got to be proud of the people around you

Proud of the things that you doProud of your dreams and feelings inside

And never afraid to let them shine through

No – never afraid to make them come true.

Here is a link to a video of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IU-XDMQJpc. I hope that all of our students are “proud of the things that they do.”

LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC WITH JOHN HENRY ENGLAND

“North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, Africa, Antarctica- These are the Continents!” It has been an amazingly-musical year in the lower school! We have been singing our way around the world and through the school year. We have even sung about our very own school! “What’s the name, of the school, that’s made for you and me? B.R.O.- O.K.S.- F.I.E.L.D.”

We have also been focusing on the theme of friendship which will be featured in our End of the Year program. “Big Sun Rising” and “Crawl Caterpillar” are two excel-lent songs that have us eagerly awaiting spring and summer! (You can listen too: cdbaby.com/johnhenry) “Happy Earth Day to You!” and “We’ve got the Whole World in Our Hands” will be big hits during the month of April. Have a Musical Day!

Let the Music Play

4 DRAGONFLY TIMES • WIN TER 2015

Cooking with Mary Anne and Virginia

DRAGONFLY TIMES • WIN TER 2015 5

ALL AROUND THE WORLDANTHROPOLOGY EXPRESS (UPPER SCHOOL) WITH SANDRA KAMMANN

Every year the Upper School studies a culture’s traditions, belief systems, relationship to landscape, social organization, history and artistic expression. We then honor that culture by creating a performance with original adaptations of traditional stories, poems, dances and songs. This year our focus is Native North American Nations. We are working with two oral tradition teaching stories; one from the Tsimshian and the other a Karuk Coyote tale, as well as a chant sung in Lakota, an Eagle Dance and enactments of sacred poems from several traditions. Our production is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 20th at 10:30am.

SPANISH WITH ELEANA VELASCO

¡Hola otra vez, amigos! We are keeping warm and busy in our Spanish class. In the Lower School we have been review-ing the Spanish alphabet, shapes, col-ors, the parts of the body and numbers. We are also learning new vocabulary through bingo games and puzzles. We also read fun books! Our favorites: La Bella y la Bestia, by Roser Ros (Bilingual version of Beauty and Beast); No Dejes que la Paloma Conduzca el Autobús by Mo Willems; La Ratita Presumida (The Little Vain Mouse) from our Book and CD collection; and ¿Eres mi mama? (Are you my Mother?) by P.C. Eastman. We are learning how to tell time in Span-ish with the help of a book entitled What’s the Time Mr. Wolf (¿Qué hora es Señor Lobo?). We also enjoy singing new songs. We learned a new “Buenos Días” (Good morning) song this year and everyone loves moving to the sounds of “Vamos a cantar” (Let’s sing) and “Las ruedas del camión” (Spanish version of The Wheels on the Bus) among others.

In the Upper School, everyone is doing a wonderful job with the creation of Spanish comics. The kids had the

option to work individually or in pairs to develop stories about the benefits of being healthy, eating healthy foods and recycling. This activity has given students the opportunity to use their creativity while developing their language skills, use the dictionary to translate dialogues, and practice team work. We also listened to books and CDs such as El Flautista de Hamelín (The Pied Piper of Hamelin), La Sirenita (The Little Mermaid) and Verano en Alaska (Sum-mer in Alaska.)

We played Spanish Monopoly, which is always a hit, Oraciones Divertidas (Funny Sentences), Vocabulary Bingo, wrote number words and created new cards for our charades game. “Día de los opuestos” (Opposite Day) was so wonderful this year! It was a fun day full of surprises all in Spanish! We even greeted each other with “adios” (good-bye) instead of “hola” (hello) and we counted numbers backwards. Every-thing happened in the opposite way!

I continue to encourage our Upper Schoolers to reinforce what we learn in class by using the Rosetta Stone soft-ware at home. ¡Hasta pronto!

speak UP

Valentine’s Day Craft:

DANCE & CREATIVE MOVEMENT WITH SANDRA KAMMANN

Pre-school: Our youngest dancers have been expanding their repertoire of wild creatures in the ever-popular Jungle Dance. Recent new animals chosen for this creative movement exploration include the python, peregrine falcon, rhinoceros and blue whale in the real animal realm, and the tiger-striped unicorn with speckled wings, the flying cheetah and the rainbow skunk in the imaginary realm. Children often choose to create families of similar creatures or make friends across species. We have an understanding that regard-

less of their place in the food chain, none of the animals in our dance can become a snack for the larger creatures. We continue to work on motor skills as children gain confidence with gallops, skips, leaps, jump turns, spins to the ground, bottom spins, rolls and still shapes.

Kindergarteners: Our Kindergarteners have begun to explore the idea of composing dances by stringing together their original movements into “dance sentences.” The young artists then take turns sharing their ideas in a creative lab setting including titling their works and choosing their music. Creating and fulfilling ideas, both individually and collaboratively, is a hallmark of our time together. For the first time ever, our Kindergarteners are invited to participate in the Upper School’s Anthropology Express production this May. Please see the Upper School article for more information!

LET’S DANCE!

6 DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015

UPPER SCHOOL ART: MAKING CREATIVE CONNECTIONS BY VIRGINIA WARD

When is art not just art? At Brooksfield, the short answer is always. Each week the children rush into the art room and ask the same question: “What are we going to make today?” They receive the same answer week after week: “Something extraordinary!” and I mean that literally. On the surface their work may appear simple but the process behind the art they create is nothing short of extra ordinary.

Two of my classes recently completed a mixed media project on animals that do not hibernate all winter. We identified three that we easily recognize in our neighbor-hoods — foxes, squirrels and rabbits — and set about representing them on paper. If left to their own devices, students create an assortment of tiny pictures drawn at the bottom of a very large piece of paper or are so overwhelmed by possibilities that they become paralyzed and unable to make a stroke before the class ends. Children at this age require some structure, guidance and exposure to different techniques to help them make that first step toward a big, bold piece of art. In this project each child started with acrylic paint and blended col-ors to get the shades they needed for their background and body colors. They painted with brushes and an assortment of other tools to find the textures that interested them. Using templates of individual body parts they created the images they needed by cutting or tearing, whichever seemed the most appropriate and then assembled their collages in ways that expressed each child’s vision.

Over the course of this project, the children

used seven or eight distinct artistic techniques but were also actively engaged in the essential skills of observa-tion, organization, decision-making, adjustment and reflection. As a result, each child created form and meaning where none ex-isted before and completed a composition that was very much their own.

Since September, all students have been learning about the art and techniques of the Spanish painter and sculptor Joan Miro. The senior Upper School students have embarked on a Miro-inspired sculpture project turning images from Miro’s two-di-mensional paintings into three dimensional sculptures. This is as much an exercise in engineering as it is art. Students examined a collection of Miro’s surrealist paintings and chose one with which they felt com-fortable working. From the many images on each painting, they chose one to create as a three dimensional sculpture. Now the fun began…. how does one lift this image off the page so it can stand alone and not lose the elements that make Miro’s work so distinctive? First, each child needed to identify what those elements were and which ones they intended to keep. How big should the finished product be? How can Miro’s whimsical lines be recreated in sculptural form? How do we keep it all together? It was an amazing process of cre-ative thought, problem solving, re-thinking, correction and careful execution. You will find a pictorial of the process in the Lower School in the next few weeks, and of course, the finished products will be on display at Art Festival in April. Don’t miss it!

You Gotta Have A r

Mark your calendars for the

Art Festival, Art Auction and

Book Fair on April 15th at 6:30 pm.

DRAGONFLY TIMES • WIN TER 2015 7

LOWER SCHOOL ART: ART AT BROOKSFIELD AND BEYOND BY PAMELA SAUNDERS

Through thoughtfully-planned lessons, Brooksfield students are exposed to artists from around the world and throughout time using art forms and concepts such as recycled art and nature art. This year the children completed works using paint, charcoal, acrylics, oil pastels, colored pencils, chalk pastels, glue and more while learning about wax-resist methods, 3-D art, recycled art, assemblage, collage, abstract art and portraits. The children are looking forward to the Brooksfield Arts Festival this April where their work will be displayed and celebrated for all to see. I encourage you to come to the Art Show and find time to discuss the artwork with your children afterwards when their work is sent home. This is a wonderful age to create art as a form of expression and begin art education.

For those of you who are interested in exploring opportunities for your children to experience art outside of Brooksfield’s classrooms, the Washington, DC area of-fers many classes, workshops and art exhibitions tailored to or suitable for children and families.

You may be interested in researching the following art venues:

• National Gallery of Art offers kids/family art workshops on a regular basis.

• American Art Museum

• Textile Museum (ask about hands on activities and programs for kids)

• National Museum of African Art

• National Museum of the American Indian (cultural art and artifacts on display, programs)

• National Gallery of Art Sculpture Museum

• Corcoran offers kids workshops, family workshops and camps

• Hirshhorn offers workshops and has a Calder exhibit

• GRACE (Greater Reston Arts Center offers classes and drop in creative art programs

• Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival

• MPA ArtFest (held each Fall)

In addition, many counties (Fairfax, Arlington, etc.) offer nature programs that include artistic components. The great news is…our fantastically diverse and culturally rich area offers something for everyone.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION WITH MARY RIVERA

The Kindergartners bounced into the

new year by learning different ways

to jump. They learned two-foot to

two-foot jumps, two-foot to one-foot

jumps and one-foot to one-foot hops.

They played hoop jumping, spot

jumping, Simon Says and hurdles. The

children really enjoyed jumping over

the hurdles! In February we worked

on hand-eye coordination. The

children started out learning this skill

with grocery bags. Then they used

balloons, throwing them up in the

air and catching them. Sticker Step

is a fun game where the kids have

stickers on their sneakers. The stickers

help them remember with which

foot to step when throwing a ball. We

also practiced proper ball-throwing

technique.

The Upper School students earned

three toe tokens each through

Mileage Club. The children enjoyed

listening to music and keeping track

of their steps. Every Tuesday they walk

or jog for 15 minutes. They also jump

rope individually and with partners

who turn the rope. The kids are get-

ting better and better at jumping

rope!

In January the children learned how

to play hockey. They learned skills

such as dribbling and passing the

puck and striking to the net. In Febru-

ary we played Ocean Rescue, Oscar’s

Garbage Can and Tic-Tac-Toe and

worked on throwing and catching.

8 DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES WITH MARY RIVERA, JULIE LABETTI AND JONATHAN JOSEPH

SNOW TUBING

ICE SKATING

Literary Arts Assembly

DRAGONFLY TIMES • WIN TER 2015 9

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

LINDSAY BOYLE: 3RD GRADE

Dear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

Martin Luther King, how did you become so brave? I would not be as brave as you had been. You did so many things that changed people’s lives. My friend Christian is black. We could not have been friends without you. I appreciate that you made everybody equal. Happy Birthday! How did you get so many people together? Was it hard to think that people were separated just because of the color of their skin? Thank you for helping us to become equal.

Love,

Lindsay Boyle

DELILAH TANNER: 1ST GRADE

Dear Dr. King,

Thank you for making things equal for all people.

I wish that you were still alive.

Love,

Delilah Tanner

CINQUAIN

JACOB ROOD: 2ND GRADE

Winter

Slippery, Fun

Snowing, Snowboarding, Skiing

Play in the snow with my family and friends

Snowflake

JAMES MRAZ: 1ST GRADE

Summer

Hot, Fun

Swimming, Sunning, Splashing

Being with friends

Ice cream

THE SUN BY LIAM FOLEY

Dear Earthlings,

I am the Sun. I have a diameter of 865,000 miles (1.35 million km). My temperature is 27 million °F (15 million °C). I have 4 layers. My first layer is the radiative zone. Then comes the convective zone, photosphere, and chromosphere. I am five billion years old. Some interesting facts about me are that my energy is generated at my core where my temperature is estimated to be 27 million °F (15 million °C). Under my extreme conditions, hydrogen is converted to helium by nuclear fusion. Energy from these reactions travels outward, first by radiation and then by convection, eventu-ally reaching the photosphere. Above the photosphere is a less dense layer of gas, the chromosphere, from which bright clouds called prominences extend into my rarefied outermost region, the corona that’s my story. I hope you liked it.

Sincerely, The Sun

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN BY SOPHIA RANNIGER

Bottlenose dolphins live all around the world in temperate and tropical oceans. The bottlenose dolphin can grow from ten to four feet long. It also has a dorsal fin that’s broad and triangular. The bottlenose dolphin has a white belly and a gray and blue back. The bottlenose dolphin is a carnivore and eats fish for breakfast lunch and dinner. Females give birth to one calf after about twelve months of gestation. Sometimes dolphins swim beside boats in hopes of catching some leftover fish.

WHAT’S COOL IN THE UPPER SCHOOL?

BETH’S CLASS THANKS…

• all the parents who sent in fresh fruit for snack on Fridays.

• the Rigolis for keeping Domino over the holidays.

• the parents who chaperoned the 2/26 trip to the US Botanic Garden.

• the Purdys for washing our work rugs.

• John Tregoning, Jenny Kim (Chang) and Carly Vilona (Rigoli) for helping with our Valentine’s Day celebration.

• the parents who supported the children during the Hop-A-Thon.

• Elizabeth Cutler for helping with mindfulness activities.

• all the parents who have volunteered for Drop Everything and Read (DEAR).

CLAIRE’S CLASS THANKS…

• all the families who have sent in fresh fruit on Fridays.

• all the families who supported the children in the Hop-A-Thon! Children CAN make a difference!

• all the families who brought in flowers on Monday mornings for the children to arrange. This is a favorite activity in Room 2 and they couldn’t do it without your help!

• all the families who brought Brownie home for the weekend. Thank you for all your kind thoughts and support while Brownie was sick.

• all the families who brought the work rugs home to wash so the children have nice, clean rugs to do their work on.

• Kathy Lester and Dan Diller for helping organize our holiday festivities.

• all the families who brought in special snacks for our Holiday and Valentines Parties.

• all the parents who came with us to the National Building Museum. The children had so much fun learning and building!

• the Mody family for donating hand soap for our classroom.

• all the parents who have volunteered to come in and listen to our Kindergarteners read during Drop Everything And Read.

JULIE’S CLASS THANKS…

• all who have sent in fresh fruit for our Friday snacks.

• Rob Kennedy for sending in books to enhance our holiday celebrations in the classroom as well as wonderful winter art supplies.

• Sonalee Singh and Smita Amin for helping to organize our Valentine’s Day celebration. A special thank you to Sonalee, Smita and Aviva for providing a special treat for the children.

• all the families who supported the children in the Hop-A-Thon.

• to the parents who chaperoned our field trip to the Air and Space Museum.

• Sonalee for bringing in special library books for our kindergarten students to use for practice.

• all the parents who participated in our Drop Everything And Read program.

THE UPPER SCHOOL THANKS…

• Sandy Rood, Sarah Krawchuk and Wendie Marsh for helping with snacks and crafts for our class holiday celebration.

• Barbara Foley, Cynthia Boyle, Lori Tanner, Theresa Graham and Heather Kennedy for attending our field trip to the Natural His-tory Museum.

• Carolyn Mraz, Rose Zoeteweij and Kate Carey for dropping off Trail Mix at the L.A.M.B. center on Trail Mix Tuesdays. Thanks also to all who send in ingredients for this monthly outreach program.

• Rose and Wendie for helping with our Valentine’s Day crafts and snacks.

• Liam Foley and his family for taking care of our class guinea pigs, Oreo and ZoZo, over the mid-winter break.

• all the families who have taken Oreo and ZoZo for the weekend.

• all the parents who helped sponsor our Hop-A-Thon to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

• Sandy Lutton, John Tregoning, Sandy Rood and Kate Carey for volunteering to do Junior Achievement with the class.

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

10 DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015

VOLUNTEER CORNER BY PARENT PARTICIPATION COORDINATOR, SANDY ROODGrandparents/Special Friend Day Volunteers: Justin Bakewell, Lara Bakewell, Mitali Bapna, Suhrid Gajendragadkar, Leila Getto, Kathy Lester, Sandy Lutton, Mani Qazi, Omaira Qazi, Allison Schumacher and Laurie Turck. February Assembly Volunteers: Kishor Budharaju, Jenny Chang, Elizabeth Cutler, Elham Hatami, Abigail Jones, Malachi Jones, Jennifer Kennedy, Chris Shen, Bill Tanner, Lori Tanner and Naomi Zeff.Computer Volunteer: Dave Kolet-TassaraJunior Achievement: Sandy Lutton, Kate Carey, Sandy Rood and John TregoningBrooksfield’s Blogger: Tricia Mirchandani

Have you fulfilled your 15 hours of Parent Participation? We ask that each family contribute at least 15 volunteer hours of parent participation each year. You may meet this requirement by assisting in the classroom, chaperoning a field trip, heading a committee or making materials for a teacher. If you are looking to still fulfill your hours, we have many upcoming opportunities for you to volunteer your time:Art Festival and Book Fair Date: Week of April 13th Contact: Rose Zoeteweij, Craig WankeEarth Day Date: April 24 Contact: Anjali JollyStaff Appreciation Week Date: Week of May 4th Contact: Heather KennedyPot Luck Picnic Date: May 12 Contact: Neha VohraAnthropolgy Express Performance Help Date: May 20 Contact: Sarah KrawchukEnd of Year Program Date: June 5th Contact: Alifia DoriwalaShow your enthusiasm and support for your child by dedicating a few participation hours at Brooksfield.

HELPING HANDS

DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015 11

Oh Baby!CONGRATULATIONS TO CRAIG,

NAOMI AND BIG SISTERS LOUISA AND TESS CHOHEN,

ON THE BIRTH OF THEIR DAUGHTER AND SISTER

Priscilla Rae December 31, 2014

6 lbs, 15 oz.

Engagements:Congratulations to

Upper School Teacher, Jonathan Joseph

on his recent engagement to

Erin Hamilton.

EXTENDED DAY WITH MARY RIVERA, SAM RIVERA, KRIS DION AND JAN HEYRANA

The Extended Day Kids have been doing lots of fun art projects! In Janu-ary they made snowmen, foot pen-guins, polar bears and snow globes. Our special snacks included clown fac-es, cups of snowman hot chocolate and snow cones. In February, the children

made groundhogs, melted snowmen in baggies and finger-painted hearts. Special foods included stone soup, princess snacks and pancakes. The children got to wear their favorite cos-tume to school and Mad Science came for a visit too! It has been cold out but the kids don’t mind staying indoors because we have fun dance parties and play games in the Parish Hall.

Extended Day Hours for 2015-16

We have EXTENDED our hours for the 2015-16 school year. If your child is signed up for the Extended Day Program next school year we will be open until 5:55 pm every day!

12 DRAGONFLY TIMES • Winter 2015

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY22 23 24

BROOKSFIELD PLAYER

PERFORMANCE 10:30AM

25 26 27 28

29 30 31 1 2 3 4

5 6

CLASSES RESUME

7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20

AFTERNOON ED CLOSED:

STAFF WORKSHOP

21 22 23 24

EARTH DAY CELEBRATIONS

25

26 27 28 29 30

1830 Kirby Road • McLean, VA 22101

P 703-356-KIDS (5437) • www.brooksfieldschool.org

Printed on 100% recycled paper

APRIL

Spr ing Break

LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL AND BOOK

FAIR 6:30 – 8:30PM

MARCH

Holiday Program