Here in Brooksfield’s Upper School, students are busy preparing for their annual Anthropology Express!* production. Through the lens of the performing arts, a culture area is explored using scene work, movement, texts and songs. By studying traditions, myths, belief systems, relationships to landscape and cultural history, students develop heightened awareness of diverse cultures and appreciation for our global neighbors. This creative laboratory approach utilizes discussion, enactment, brainstorming and rehearsal, yielding a fully realized theatrical production each spring. Ancient Greece / Minoan Crete is our culture area this cycle, with scenes underway depicting Odysseus & the Sirens, Poseidon’s Ocean, Demeter & Persephone, and appearances by Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, and a host of other characters. Our finale includes chanted poetic text translated from The Hymns of Orpheus. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend the Upper School’s production at an all-school assembly on Thursday, May 12, at 10:30 AM. *Anthropology Express!...

Brooksfield Alumni Parent, Francine Ronis, is presenting a workshop on Emotional Intelligence.  Francine has done several mindful parenting workshops here at Brooksfield.  Her workshops are full of information and great ideas to practice at home.  Below are the details about her next workshop here at Brooksfield!  Check out her website at  http://francineronis.org Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some people believe the EQ is more important than IQ, however many of us never develop their EQ and don't know how. Learn the main tenants of EQ, why it's important, and how to develop a higher EQ for yourself and your child. Join alumni parent and child/family therapist, Francine Ronis for our next Parent Coffee at 9:30, February 4 at the Brooksfield School, 1830 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 703-356-5437. Admission is free, but please RSVP.

Consider the following 25 reasons to keep your child in a Montessori school through the kindergarten year: After having a child in Montessori school for a few years, many parents face the decision of whether or not to transition to a more traditional elementary school. Consider. . . . 1. Some students, even social ones, find transitions daunting. Keeping them within a smaller circle of peers at least until first grade could better prepare them for interacting with other children. 2. Public kindergarten might prove boring for students who have experienced a more liberal, less structured Montessori education at this point in their academic journey. 3. Students who transfer from Montessori to a kindergarten need time to adjust to a new group of peers, new teachers, and a totally different method of schooling. 4. Many kindergarten programs require less of kindergarteners. So students in transition find themselves repeating and relearning concepts...

Making the choice to send your child to  Montessori School  is a rewarding one. Your child benefits from a nurturing, fun, and child-centered environment during the day. Did you know that you can create a Montessori based environment in your home too? These books will help you to understand how to implement the methodology your child benefits from at school in your home. Teaching Montessori In The Home- The Preschool Years, by Elizabeth G. Hainstock emphasizes the importance of the first six years of life. This book is a guide for parents to bring the Montessori methodology into the home and apply it to helping their child learn every day tasks. Part one of the book provides a bio of Maria Montessori and an overview of her method. It also reviews the stages of childhood development and how the method applies to each stage. Part two presents the step by step...

It's a major milestone for parents and children alike: the start of kindergarten. But making the decision about where to send your children for the beginning of their educational career is often stressful for parents. With so many choices available today, how do you know which type of school is best for your children? Increasingly, many parents are recognizing the benefits of a Montessori education for their children. What exactly is a  Montessori school  and how does a Montessori kindergarten classroom differ from a traditional kindergarten classroom? Let's consider some of the differences below: The role of the teacher. In a traditional classroom, the teacher is typically viewed as an authority figure; she is the center of the classroom who is in charge of controlling what and how students learn. In a Montessori classroom, the teacher is viewed as a guide. Her role is unobtrusive; she observes as children work together and...

  As you gather around the Thanksgiving table there are so many things to be thankful for.   Remember to thank the bees!  The yummy food you put on your plate is made possible by the bees  (honey, bumble and solitary bees) and other pollinators such as butterflies and flies.  For example:   1.   A salad :  lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onions 2.   The veggies :  roasted squash, beans, peas, brussel sprouts, potatoes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips and turnips, and the cranberries in the sauce  3.   The desserts :  the pumpkin in the pie and the spices that make it yummy (cloves, allspice, nutmeg), apples an apple tart and tangerines.   Who wants turkey without the rest of the good stuff?  When giving thanks this holiday, remember to thank a bee.  Happy Thankgsiving from our family to yours!    

Happy Veterans Day to all! Brooksfield has always been committed to supporting our community.  We enjoy doing community service projects through out the year whether is is doing a coat drive, raising money for childhood cancer, preparing a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need.  Today was a special day!  We spent the morning filling boxes for our troops with Halloween Candy (donated by our students) and lots of other goodies. Thank you to all who donated candy to the Douglas J Green Memorial Foundation ( DJGMF.org ), an organization that provides comfort and support to service members and their families through sending thoughtful and useful care packages during deployments and planning exciting and memorable experiences for service members to look forward to once they return home.

  Come and join Pamela and Virginia, the Brooksfield School's Art Specialists, for a holiday wreath making workshop!  They  will share some beautiful wreath-making ideas with you and walk you through the construction of different wreath and garland designs.  We will have wreath forms available and lots of greenery and materials to help you create something special for  your home this holiday season.  Coffee, tea and holiday cheer will be provided!   When: Tuesday, December 1, 205 from 12:30 to 2:30pm Where: Brooksfield (Parish Hall) Cost: $30 per person (open to the public so invite anyone!) RSVP: 703-356-5437  

  No matter what age your child is, it's never too late to put them in  private school . With exposure to premium education with professional staff and activities to fill up your child's day, private schools can give your child what other schools can't. If you're still on the fence about whether your child should attend private school, we've compiled a list of what you can expect from privatized education and the continual benefits it will offer you and your child.  Being Held to a Higher Standard Every parents want the best for your child and so does their school. Private schools hold their students to a higher academic standard that will show when compared to children their age of public schools. Whether your child is in elementary or just about to graduate high school, private schools demand more graduation requirements that will further prepare them for what's ahead. Along with...

  Isn't it curious that quite a few people who have gone on to impact the world of technology received an early education that did not include the use of computers? According to an article published by the Montessori Society AMI UK, many of the titans of Silicon Valley attended a Montessori School at some time during their formative years. Larry Page, one of the founders of Google, was a student at Okemos Montessori School from 1975 to 1979. Sergey Brin, Google co-founder with Page, attended Paint Branch Montessori School in Adelphi, Maryland. When the two appeared on a Barbara Walters special, The Ten Most Fascinating People of 2004, they told her they credit their Montessori schools with allowing them to think for themselves, thus fostering their creativity. Brin for his part, feels that, by giving him the freedom to pursue activities that interested him, the Montessori environment set him on the path to becoming a...