elcome to What’s Brewing. We’re excited to share our quarterly newsletter with you!
This edition highlights the Spring and Summer sessions at Gillen Brewer. You will see how your gifts help us build a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Thanks to your support, our students flourish, achieving their individual academic and therapeutic goals while forging strong community connections.
We hope you enjoy it and continue to support our mission!
On May 1st the Gillen Brewer community came together in full force at our annual benefit. This year’s event even celebrated our alumni community. It was heart-warming to reunite with so many former students and their families and to celebrate their accomplishments! There was so much love in the room and the fundraising results were astounding. Thanks to your incredible support, we raised over $840,000!
From inspiring speeches by alumni parents and students to heartwarming messages from current families, the evening was filled with love and pride for Gillen Brewer. It was clear that our school is a truly special place.
Your support makes a world of difference. The funds raised directly impacted our students and continue to contribute to the exceptional Gillen Brewer experience we all value. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.
See more photos from this incredible night! Click here.
ay at Gillen Brewer School was a whirlwind of creativity! Our annual Art Show and Book Fair combined forces to create an unforgettable ABCs extravaganza.
From a captivating read-aloud by renowned author Maira Kalman to the breathtaking student artwork curated by Art Teacher Erika Tobin, there was something to delight everyone. Students, parents, and staff dove headfirst into the Book Fair, filling their bags with summer page-turners. And let's not forget Literary Character Day, where our students transformed into beloved book heroes!
et ready for a blast from the past! Our beloved Field Day tradition triumphantly returned to mark the end of the spring session. Students, teachers, and parents joined in the fun for a day filled with laughter, friendly competition, and good oldfashioned outdoor enjoyment.
t was “Olympic Fever” this summer at Gillen Brewer! With the 2024 Summer Olympics taking place in Paris, students here at Gillen Brewer in New York City were immersing themselves in all things Olympic. In true Gillen Brewer form, therapies and academics were integrated to create an immersive and engaging experience for students in order to learn about and experience the Olympics. Students who attended our summer session continued benefitting from literacy and math each morning in small groups or one-to-one, ensuring that students maintained their skills. In addition, our summer session program offered more summer-related experiences, such as cooking and sports clubs, as well as much loved water play on our rooftop playspace and at local playgrounds. Gillen Brewer students were introduced to a core value each week that related to the Olympics:
These core values, STAR, became the mantra and guiding principles for each week. Through a core value, students learned about athletes and their sports from a different continent each week. Additionally, they learned dances in Zumba that correlated to countries within that continent and cooked traditional recipes from those countries as well in cooking class. Musically, students learned songs from the focus country and also learned a new Gillen Brewer song that is sung to the Olympic Theme song. To move their bodies as athletes always do, they participated in biweekly martial arts classes, as well as Olympic study movement classes curated by the Occupational Therapy team at GBS; where they practiced balance, coordination, and gross motor development through a variety of Olympic-themed sports.
To cap off each week, students celebrated their core values at a school-wide assembly showcasing activities throughout the week that demonstrate "STAR," cheering each other through a school-wide cheer, and celebrating each other's accomplishments. In the Closing Ceremony, parents were invited to share in the excitement of STAR and see the core values in action. All in all, it was an amazing and action-packed summer at Gillen Brewer– gold-medals all around!!
illen Brewer families have historically asked, “When is Gillen Brewer opening a middle school?” The answer is “This September!” Gillen Brewer is thrilled to introduce the opening of our new middle school division this fall. Our first cohort consists of five current Gillen Brewer students and one new student. Eventually, we plan to have classes with a ratio of 8:1:1; and, continuing our longstanding, integrated academictherapeutic program, there is also a school psychologist, an SLP, and an OT on the team.
Our inaugural cohort participated in a series of fun activities with their middle school classmates and teachers this summer. Every Monday of summer session, each student received a note from the teachers inviting them to the week’s activity.
Students enjoyed lunch, conversation, and games.
Students went “shopping” for items with which they could decorate their lockers. They then decorated their own locker and received some Gillen Brewer Middle School swag!
Students presented their favorite book in the Gillen Brewer Library to their classmates and then added it to the middle school book nook.
Students shared their favorite games, which were then, in turn, ordered and added to the classroom.
Lastly, students and their families enjoyed a lemonade toast to honor their completion of lower school and the start of middle school.
More highlights of our new middle school will be shared throughout the year!
tudents had a blast on our first field trip of the summer at Complete Playground: an inclusive, supportive, and fun indoor playground suitable for children of all ages and abilities. In addition to the jumping, climbing, and sliding of your usual playground, Complete Playground offered opportunities for students to roleplay in different settings such as the grocery store, the kitchen, and a gas station. When our students needed a break from the action, they enjoyed the calm of the sensory room that Complete Playground offers.
The next field trips of the summer were familiar favorites: The American Museum of Natural History and The Children's Museum of Manhattan! Five of our lower school classes visited The American Museum of Natural History to learn about African mammals and sea creatures. Our preschool students joined our youngest lower school class and spent the day at The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, where they got to explore playscapes and experience interactive exhibits such as Dynamic H2o, a splashy exhibit explaining New York City’s amazing water systems.
It was an action-packed spring and summer starting with the annual benefit, continuing with the Art and Book Fairs, Field Day and the GBS Summer Olympics. Enriching field trips expanded horizons and dedicated teachers and therapists provided exceptional support.
Your annual gifts make all of these experiences possible. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us create a vibrant learning environment where our students can reach their full potential.
ur Gillen Brewer community has experienced another incredible year filled with learning, growth, and fun! Join us in expanding possibilities at Gillen Brewer! Click here to donate today!
Together, We See the Possibilities