LOWER SCHOOL
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Brimmer and May is a PK–12 all gender day school that upholds high academic standards while implementing innovative ideas in a supportive and student-centered community. We develop lifelong learners who are informed, engaged, and ethical citizens and leaders in our diverse world.
Inspired to Learn
We
Empowered to Lead
We
inspire students to be active learners, confident problem-solvers, and critical thinkers who work both independently and collaboratively. Encouraged
to
Explore We encourage students to engage their curiosity, expand their creativity, explore their interests, develop their voices, and strive for their personal best.
empower students to embrace opportunities, develop their intellect with character, and lead in the global community. Our Core Values Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Kindness, and Equity
THERE ARE BIG SCHOOLS. THERE ARE SMALL SCHOOLS. BRIMMER BALANCES THE BEST ATTRIBUTES OF BOTH TO CHALLENGE, NURTURE, AND EMPOWER OUR STUDENTS.
THE BRIMMER ADVANTAGE Ideal in Size and Scope
Brimmer is big on academic resources and offerings for students in PK to Grade 12: From core subjects to creative arts to social-emotional skill building. From interdisciplinary study of world cultures and languages to hands-on STEAM-related design and service learning. (Have you seen our Curriculum Guide?!)
Yet our smaller scale is perfect for fostering a sense of community and a culture of equity. Meaningful relationships enhance teaching and learning here. Our size is ideal for nurturing the intellectual development and personal potential of each student.
Our Lower School students truly have the best of both worlds: They benefit from a developmentally based program, implemented by experts, that feels small and intimate. They also gain from the richer context and broader resources of the School, including continuity of curriculum and smooth transitions through grade levels and divisions; access to extraordinary learning spaces—including the state-of-the-art Hastings Center; a School-wide emphasis on character; and the presence of role models who are scholars, athletes, artists, and good citizens worthy of emulation.
THE BRIMMER ADVANTAGE?
That’s about the size of it.
WHY BRIMMER’S
SCHOOL?
CHILDREN COME FROM THEIR HOUSES AND NEIGHBORHOODS TO BRIMMER TO DISCOVER A SETTING THAT IS REASSURINGLY FAMILIAR, YET WONDERFULLY NOVEL— AN EXCITING PLACE TO BEGIN THEIR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY.
It’s Just Right
With all of the charm of a historic home, our Lower School is child-friendly in size, scale, and sensibility. It’s a warm, welcoming environment in which children’s innate curiosity leads them to discover the joys of learning with purpose. Here we incorporate best pedagogical practices in both our Early Childhood Education program (PK to Grade 1) and our Elementary Education curriculum (Grades 2
to 5). Brimmer provides a broad range of learning experiences that facilitate intellectual, social-emotional, and physical growth. But we don’t simply nurture “the whole child” from a developmental perspective. We nurture your whole child from the perspective that they are unique—as a learner, as a valued member of our community, and as a person of potential.
LOWER
BRIMMER STUDENTS DIVE INTO A GLOBALLY FOCUSED CURRICULUM THROUGH DIVERSE, DYNAMIC, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING EXPERIENCES. THEY LOVE LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD AND THEIR PLACE IN IT.
SEEK
Our students are relentless seekers of knowledge. They know it can be derived not just from teachers and books, but also from examining cultural artifacts, creating projects, and experimenting with their own hands.
WHAT SPARKS YOUR CHILD’S CURIOSITY AND SENSE OF WONDER? BRIMMER’S TEACHERS WILL FIND OUT. THEY’RE LIFELONG LEARNERS WHOSE JOB—AND JOY—IS TO KNOW THEIR STUDENTS WELL.
INSPIRATIONAL TEACHERS
A Message from Head of School Judith Guild
Whenever I encounter families visiting campus, I hope they will ask me about Brimmer’s teachers, whose considerable expertise and outstanding personal qualities are essential to student success and happiness. But that’s just the beginning. As a school we support ongoing professional development, giving our teachers the means to continually hone their craft and implement best practices. These fantastic teachers are
able to impact students even more powerfully because of the collaborative model we use. Grade-level and specialsubject faculty work together to enhance curricular connections that deepen learning. They also collaborate to provide support and enrichment for individual students. At Brimmer, your child will be known and nurtured not just by a classroom teacher but by a whole team of dedicated educators.
EACH DAY BRIMMER STUDENTS ENJOY NEW EXPERIENCES, PRACTICE NEW SKILLS, AND PONDER NEW KNOWLEDGE WITH A SENSE OF WONDER.
ENGAGE
At Brimmer we are purposeful about what we teach and how we teach it. We know that when children love coming to school each day, they engage more fully in the learning process.
A HANDS-ON, EXPERIENTIAL, AND INQUIRY-BASED EDUCATION FOSTERS VERSATILE THINKERS, DAUNTLESS PROBLEM-SOLVERS, JOYFUL CREATORS, KEEN COLLABORATORS, AND ENGAGED COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT?
DISCOVER
What
will happen next? Brimmer students enjoy anticipating, hypothesizing, wondering, and experimenting as they make each new discovery.
EXPLORATION OF STEAM DISCIPLINES, CREATIVE DESIGN, AND REAL-WORLD PROBLEM-SOLVING ARE PART OF EVERY LOWER SCHOOL STUDENT’S LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.
FULL STEAM AHEAD
Learn by Doing
A board game that is based on the culture and geography of Peru, whose pieces are made with the help of a 3-D printer. A zip line that must carry a certain weight in metal washers across a specified distance as efficiently as possible. Both creations require a process involving research, imaginative thinking, the development of ideas, trial and error, and learning from
failure. Hands-on STEAM activities at Brimmer—whether in the Hastings Center or the Organic Garden—enhance our students’ understanding of everything from biology to physics to world cultures. Equally important, these activities help students explore their capacity to create, to persist, to use available resources, and to develop innovative solutions.
CREATIVE EXPRESSION IN ART, MUSIC, AND DRAMA IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF OUR ACADEMIC CURRICULUM. STILL, THERE’S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY TO EXPLORE ALL OF THE ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT BRIMMER.
THE ART OF ENRICHMENT
Ways to Grow
Outlets for creativity and self-expression enhance learning, bring joy, and promote the personal growth of our students. That’s why we purposefully cultivate students’ individual voices, perspectives, and emerging talents through the visual and performing arts. We also offer this kind of enrichment beyond the school day. Through the After School Music Program students take lessons on a variety of
instruments, in complement to their grade’s curriculum in Music class. Through the Extended Day Program students have opportunities for supervised play, homework study hall, and organized activities. Groups such as the Coding Club, the Cooking Club, and the Newspaper Club enable students to try new things, discover interests, and grow friendships.
LEADERS AREN’T BORN. THEY’RE FORGED BY COMMUNITIES WITH EXPECTATIONS OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PUT LEADERSHIP INTO PRACTICE.
CONTRIBUTE
Our students are empowered by the knowledge that their contributions matter. This community responsibility confers a sense of agency: with their actions they can make the world a better place.
IN BRIMMER’S LOWER SCHOOL, STUDENTS BECOME INVESTED IN THEIR LEARNING. THIS SENSE OF OWNERSHIP PAVES THE WAY TO EVEN GREATER ACHIEVEMENT IN FUTURE ACADEMIC ENDEAVORS.
CONFIDENT AND CAPABLE
The Future Is Here Brimmer’s inquiry-based approach encourages students to see themselves as resourceful thinkers and discoverers of knowledge. Our integrated global curriculum enables them to appreciate context, make comparisons, and synthesize knowledge that they can convey to others. Multiple times per year our students engage in Exhibitions of Knowledge, which demonstrate their learning through visual, written, and oral
presentations. Annually all Lower School students curate portfolios of their work, which reflect their progress and showcase their accomplishments. And in a culminating experience for the Lower School, each Grade 5 student completes a Capstone, a long-term research project to be presented to peers and parents. These academic traditions help Brimmer students develop a sense of ownership of their learning, setting the course for future educational achievement.
STRONG FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS IN MATH, READING, RESEARCH, AND THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS— ALONG WITH INCREASING EXPECTATIONS FOR INTELLECTUAL RIGOR AND INDEPENDENCE—PREPARE STUDENTS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMICS.
DARE
At Brimmer, we give our students the tools to dare. They dare to imagine generating new knowledge, innovating to solve complex problems, and setting bold goals and aspirations.
“BRIMMER FOSTERS INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT, RESPONSIBILITY, EMPATHY, AND MUTUAL RESPECT IN ITS STUDENTS AND BUILDS CONFIDENT AND WELL-ROUNDED LEARNERS.” LOWER SCHOOL PARENT
© Design: Peapod Design, Norwalk, CT
Copywriter:
Leslie Virostek
Photography:
Peapod Design and David Barron
This viewbook contains both pre-pandemic and current imagery. Visit brimmer.org to learn more about our response to the pandemic.
BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL 69 MIDDLESEX ROAD | CHESTNUT HILL, MA 02467 617-566-7462 | BRIMMER.ORG
