Choose Your Own Adventure Booklet - 2024

YOU’RE THE STAR OF THE STORY! CHOOSE FROM MANY EXCITING WORKSHOPS

A PARENT EXPERIENCE THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

6:00 Gather in Moore Hall Check in & receive class schedules Visit classroom teachers to learn about curriculum for the grades ahead Hear brief remarks from Head of School, Amy Ziebarth (Light refreshments will be served; Childcare begins at 6:00 PM; location TBD)

6:30 Bell rings 6:35 Session 1 7:05 Session 2 7:35 Session 3 8:00 Evening concludes Step into your child’s shoes and get a taste of what makes a Far Brook education unique.

This evening is designed to give you an opportunity to experience some of the amazing classes and collaborative activities that your children participate in on a daily basis. In addition to highlighting pieces of our curriculum, this evening is meant to be fun!

Registration is required as space is limited and closes once the class reaches capacity.

Bridge Builders! with Megan Gottlieb (Science Teacher, Grades N - 4/Sustainability Coordinator) Let’s test and tinker as we investigate different types of bridges - we’ll use what we learn to build our own bridge models! We’ll employ the scienti c process to make hypotheses, gather observational data, re ne our designs and work together to see who can build the strongest, sturdiest, most creative bridge. Bring your imagination and come ready to explore!

Drawing for Robots with Matthew McGowan (Educational Technology Specialist) Q: What ed-tech tool-toy combines coding, robotics, and drawing with markers?

A: Ozobots!

In this session, we’ll experiment with some tiny robots programmed using visual coding — including colored markers and paper! We’ll also consider the value of such devices beyond the “gee-whiz factor” of all the ashing lights (however pretty) and projected sounds (however charming).

École des Beaux Arts: Figure Drawing with Rob Olazagasti (Art Integration Specialist)

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See what it is like to participate in a gure drawing class with a live model present. Parents will be introduced to basic techniques of drawing the human form through gesture drawing, blocking, angling, measuring, detailed drawing, and composition. Parents will experiment with various media including pencil, pen and ink, and charcoal. In the end, emerging artists will have completed a masterpiece t for the walls of a Parisian École des Beaux Arts.

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From SOUND to SYMBOL with Erasmia Voukelatos (Director of Music/Lower School Music Teacher) Peter Ncanywa (Upper School Choral Teacher/Lower School Music Teacher) Embark on a multi-sensory musical journey that advances students from elementary through upper grades and deepens student literacy. You will experience the stages of learning a concept: Prepare, Present, Practice. The process will explore patterns in music, incorporating kinesthetic, aural, oral, and visual learning, through performance (vocal and instrumental), reading, writing, and improvisation.

Mental Health Matters! with Katelyn Kempf (School Counselor) Join Katelyn Kempf, Far Brook’s School Counselor, to learn strategies and techniques to reduce anxiety and improve focus and self-awareness.

Participants will engage in a hands-on activity to create a tool that can improve their mindfulness practice at home or at work.

Parlons Français! ¡Hablemos Español! with April Bell-Martha (Upper School French Teacher) Elena Morataya (Upper School Spanish Teacher) Nataly Diaz (Lower School Spanish Teacher) Ninon Thompson (Lower School French Teacher) What do a mean cat, a mouse, and a baby chick have in common? Come and nd out! Join us and have fun acquiring a new language. Our interactive session includes games, songs, and even an opportunity to co-create a story. Storytelling, games and songs are powerful and universal tools for language acquisition. This is a great opportunity to discover how your child experiences language in an engaging and enjoyable way.

Pickleball being SERVED at Sports with Mike Pollak (Director of Athletics, Sports Teacher, & Athletics Coach) Jen Semioli (Sports Teacher & Athletics Coach) Pedro Garcia (Assistant Sports Coach/Teacher) The pickleball craze gripping the nation has made its way to Far Brook, and our students are getting in on the action. Find a partner, grab a paddle, and compete in a game that is great for cardio, hand-eye coordination, communication between teammates, and developing resilience, integrity, and good sportsmanship toward our opponents. Wear comfortable shoes!

She Blinded Me With SCIENCE with Matthew Withers (Science Teacher, Grades 5-8) Get ready to don protective goggles and gloves as you step into Far Brook’s state-of-the-art Upper School Science Lab! In this interactive mini lab session, you will uncover highly scienti c reactions in ways that are exciting and fun (& dare we say… explosive?!).

Stop…. HAMMER TIME! with Chris Murphy (Woodshop & Design Thinking Teacher)

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Pick up a hammer, put on some protective goggles, and get ready for some HAMMER TIME! Join the shopmaster himself, Design Thinking & Woodshop teacher Chris Murphy, to experience a taste of Far Brook’s hands-on and interactive Woodshop class. During this workshop, you will have the chance to create your own piece of wall art to take home using the same tools your children use in the Woodshop every day.

Storytelling & Theatre Games with James Glossman (Director of Drama) Story, ensemble, and joy. Without the rst, theatre has no structure; without the second, no empathy; and without the third, well, who would want to be there? To get a brief taste of the creative process the students pursue through several years in the Far Brook Theatre, that of “a bunch of people getting together to share an exciting story with a bunch of other people,” we will be playing a series of theatre games and ensemble-building exercises in the service of telling stories with active, dynamic connection to each other and our audience. And hopefully, have some fun doing so.

Someone (Viola Spolin, actually) once said: “In the theatre, we’re all kids.”

So come and play a bit. Please wear clothing in which it is easy to move.

Walk Like a Mathematician… with Liz Colleran (Math Teacher, Grades 4-8 & Math Coach, Grades 3-4) Melissa Vazquez Aguilar (Middle School Associate Director & Math Teacher, Grades 5-6) Nina Sze (Math Teacher, Grades 7-8) Are you ready to Walk Like a Mathematician? Explore distance versus time graphs with motion detectors! In this experiential learning activity, a motion detector will track your movement and plot it on a graph. Test your skills at matching a pre-plotted graph and Walk the Line.

You’re a Poet… You Just Don’t Know It! with Katie Pogue (Library Teacher) Mike Goldfarb (Junior High Associate Director & English Teacher)

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A striking title on a book’s spine is our rst impression - what catches our eye and inspires us to take a book off the shelf. Become a poet by combining your favorite titles to create an original Book Spine poem. Explore our library’s unique cataloging system as you search for the perfect titles. You will leave the session with a framed photo of your poem to spruce up your home library.