Roland Hayes School

Our North Star

“When children and teachers feel engaged, safe, and supported we have room to grow and learn through collaboration and risk-taking with our peers.”

Learn more about Roland Hayes here, from our own Young Scholars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MyhdW04fd4

To read past Community Notes, click here: link

Our Attendance Line --- 617-879-4540

Our DESE school profile is here: link

There is lots to celebrate here at Hayes School, so much of it student designed and created! Below you'll learn about a few of the outstanding community-building efforts by and for our students:

Young Scholars Black History Month Celebrations

Our Young Scholars—Hayes’ long-standing feeder program to BHS’s African American and Latino Scholars Program—recently created an outstanding video in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. Guided by Karen Shashoua and Tatiana Beckwith, and in partnership with Brookline Interactive Group (BIG), students worked in a professional studio setting using industry tools to bring their vision to life. I think you’ll both learn something new and be truly impressed. Enjoy the video here: https://youtu.be/wgmLOnbhUq4

As part of their learning, Scholars explored this year’s national theme, “Celebrating 100 Years of Black History.” In addition to producing the video, they created a large-scale timeline installation for the Hayes community. The display highlights key moments in the evolution of Black History Month and invites all students to engage with and reflect on this important history.

Here is a video of the timeline our Scholars made: https://youtube.com/shorts/jC9tJMO3usY

Our Rainbow Club Promotes Connection, Support, and Joy

The Rainbow Club’s posters, displayed in our hallways and pictured below, highlight our focus on learning how to be upstanders — what that looks like in action and what we can say or do when we witness unkind words or behavior. This work reflects our broader commitment to building a school community grounded in kindness, inclusion, and joy. Students are practicing how to interrupt hurtful language with confidence, support peers who may be impacted, and seek adult help when needed. We want every child to know they belong here, that their identity is respected, and that their voice matters. By explicitly teaching and reinforcing upstander skills, we are not only responding to moments of unkindness; we are proactively cultivating a culture where empathy, courage, and care for one another are the norm.

Rainbow Club advisor (and English Language Learner teacher) Ellen Mills shares: "Part of our Rainbow Club mission is to make Hayes a welcoming place for all, we spent several weeks discussing allyship and how to be an ally. One of the highlights of our meetings was when student made up skits to demonstrate allyship in action in different situations. Then the students took those ideas to make posters with the rest of the school."

Mrs. Anderson, school librarian and another Rainbow Club advisor, shares: "Rainbow Club students have been working on what it means to be an upstander, how to support peers in need, and choosing the right words and actions to offer meaningful support. They created posters to share with the school offering ideas about things we can say when we hear unkind words being spoken (or see unkind actions) and kind words to say to offer support and comfort."

AAPI Lunar New Year Celebration

Our AAPI Affinity Group brought wonderful warmth and creativity to our school community by designing beautiful Lunar New Year cards for staff members. Each card was thoughtfully crafted, reflecting the care, cultural pride, and artistic talent of our students. Through this project, students not only celebrated the traditions and significance of the Lunar New Year, but also shared messages of gratitude and good wishes with the adults who support them every day. It was a joyful expression of appreciation and a meaningful way to honor the richness of AAPI cultures within our school.

World Read Aloud Day and Author Visits

On February 4, Hayes students and staff celebrated World Read Aloud Day by dressing up as storybook characters. We had superheroes, Fly Guys, Things 1 and 2, Piggy and Gerald, a Smart Cookie, Principal Paddington, and much more! We are such a passionate school of readers, so this was a wonderful way to celebrate.

On February 6, author and illustrator Judd Winick (HiLo, The Mighty) presented to students in grades 3-6. Judd delighted our audience with stories from his life, showed us the process he goes through to create his books from beginning to end, and gave us some sneak peeks about new books coming out soon! His presentation was possible thanks to a collaboration with the Harvard Book Store.

On February 12, author Maureen Harrington came to Hayes with her dog Ivy to share the story Ivy the Very Determined Dog which tells about how she persisted learning to walk on just two legs after her back legs stopped working. K-5 students were thrilled to see Ivy in person and learn about her determination. Ivy and Maureen were able to come thanks to a grant from the PTO.

--

Lindsay Anderson

Librarian

The Hayes School

Brookline, MA

Hayes Library website

For more PTO news and events, please visit: https://www.hayespto.org/newsletters/22351

Be a National Guide at International Night, Mar. 27

We looooooove our International Night!! It is on Friday, March 27, and we are already 9 nations strong! Thank you Bulgaria, Canada, France, Japan, Laos, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Türkiye, and the USA!! All the other nations of Hayes - please sign up to be a Nation Guide!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hayes Kid Zone Safety Project: Feb. 26 Meeting

Last spring, 400 Hayes parents and other area residents signed a petition to improve traffic safety in the neighborhood. Our voices were heard! Please come to a presentation by Hayes parent Brad Verter and Brookline Transportation Board member Richard Murphy on the evolving plan, which includes speed calming measures, improved drop-off and pick-up zones, new crosswalks, and expanded parking facilities for staff, visitors, and accessible vehicles.

Your feedback and suggestions will be most welcome.

Thursday, 26 February, at 7:00 pm in the Hayes auditorium and on Zoom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hayes’s 7th Annual Science Fair is Two Weeks Away!

February break plus another week separate us from the best science event of the year! Wishing all scientists success as they prepare their projects!

Please register your project so we know to expect you.

Here is the day’s schedule for Science Fair - get excited for all the activities we’ve planned.

Check out the Science Fair website for resources, and email the Science Fair Committee with any questions or concerns: Daryl Donatelli, Jon Bass, Yen-Lin Chen, Lisa Kang, Saeed Amal, Theodora Konetsovska or Mr. Patel

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tumble Science Podcast is Visiting Hayes on Feb. 28th

We are excited to host LIVE one of the most popular children’s podcasts - and the best science podcast for kids - MA-based Tumble Science!

Join us on February 28th @ 11:20 am at the Hayes auditorium for an hour of a live show by the podcast creators with music, laughter, and science!

Attendance free courtesy of Hayes Science Fair (donations to the PTO appreciated) - all are welcome!

February is Black History Month

Ramadan begins the Evening of Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026 and goes through Thursday, Mar 19, 2026 - Ramadan Kareem!

Lunar New Year is February 17th - wishing you happiness and prosperity in the new year!

-----

Monday, February 16th- Friday, February 20th: School Closed: February Vacation
Monday, February 23rd: Model UN, 11:15am-12:00pm
Monday, February 23rd: Rainbow Club: 5th Grade, 11:20-11:50am
Tuesday, February 24th: Grade 4-5 Student Council, 8:00-8:40am
Tuesday, February 24th: GSA, 10:35-11:12am
Wednesday, February 25th: AAPI Affinity Group, Room 203, 10:35-11:15am
Thursday, February 26th: Young Scholars, 2:30-3:30pm
Thursday, February 26th: Science Fair Club, 2:30-3:30pm
Thursday, February 26th: Grade 8 Families: Life at BHS (students, parents, and guardians), 6:30-8:00pm
Thursday, February 26th: Community Meeting on Hayes Safe Streets Plan, 7:00-8:15pm
Friday, February 27th: Term 3: Portal Opens for Grades 6-8 IPR
Friday, February 27th: PEP, 8:00-8:32am
Saturday, February 28th: Science Fair, 9:00am-1:30pm
Monday, March 2nd: Model UN, 11:15am-12:00pm
Monday, March 2nd: Rainbow Club: 4th Grade, 11:20-11:50am
Tuesday, March 3rd: Grade 4-5 Student Council, 8:00-8:40am
Tuesday, March 3rd: GSA, 10:35-11:12am
Thursday, March 5th: Term 3: Midpoint
Thursday, March 5th: Young Scholars, 2:30-3:30pm
Thursday, March 5th: Science Fair Club, 2:30-3:30pm
Friday, March 6th: Yearbook, 8:00-8:30am
Friday, March 6th: PTO Meeting, 8:05-9:35am
Friday, March 6th: METCO Connections Grades 6-8 Lunch Group w/ Ms. Terry and Ms. O’Shea, 10:50-11:25am
Monday, March 9th: Model UN, 11:15am-12:00pm
Tuesday, March 10th: Grade 4-5 Student Council, 8:00-8:40am
Tuesday, March 10th: GSA, 10:35-11:12am
Wednesday, March 11th: METCO Connections Breakfast, 7:35-7:55am
Thursday, March 12th: Term 3: Grades 6-8 IPR Published
Thursday, March 12th: 2nd Grade Taiko Drumming, Cafeteria, 7:30-10:00am
Thursday, March 12th: Young Scholars, 2:30-3:30pm
Thursday, March 12th: Grade 8 Families: Intro to Athletics @ BHS (students, parents, and guardians)
Friday, March 13th: PEP, 8:00-8:32am
Friday, March 13th: Pablo Cartaya Author Visit Presentation for Grades 5-8, 9:40-10:30am

Field Trips:

Friday, February 27th: Ski and Snowboard Club, 1:55-10:05pm
Tuesday, March 10th: Grade 4 Trip to the Peabody Museum, 8:05am - 1:30pm

Nothing here this time! Watch this space for any upcoming community-based events.

Vacation begins ... NOW! I hope your time away is restorative.

Take care of yourself, and each other,

~ Asa

Our Land Acknowledgement

This parcel of land that our school sits upon is a special and sacred place.

Before this place was a Town, before our school was here, before this neighborhood was called “The Settlement” or “Chestnut Hill,” and before this land was a farm, this land was held by the Massachusett, the people Indigenous to this place. The Massachusett were the caretakers of this site, living full lives, raising families, and burying their dead right here. We recognize and honor this history, and seek to create thoughtful land stewards and citizens for generations to come.

As a public school, our primary objective is to ensure access, membership, and participation of all community members in our care; with this land acknowledgment we state our willingness to work towards that vision where all feel a true and abiding sense of belonging.