Middle Matters-Sports,Clubs & BRAVO

What's in this issue:

• Student Council
• Sports Information
• Club Information
• Music Morning Group Information
• BRAVO Information
• Student Announcements

If you have questions about the sports & clubs, please email Roshaun Bowens, Associate Principal for School Culture, Climate and Sports/Clubs (rbowens@op97.org)

If you have questions about BRAVO & Music Morning Groups, please email Dr. Denise Gildon, Associate Principal for Teaching & Learning (dgildon@op97.org)

Our Administrative Team

April Capuder, Principal (acapuder@op97.org)

Dr. Denise Gildon, Associate Principal for Teaching & Learning (dgildon@op97.org)

Roshaun Bowens, Associate Principal for School Culture, Climate and Sports/Clubs (rbowens@op97.org)

Student Success Coach Team:

6th Grade: Josh Rodgers - jrodgers@op97.org

7th Grade: Nichelle Stigger - nstigger@op97.org

8th Grade: Bernard Starks - bstarks@op97.org

A Student Council is a group of elected and volunteer students working together with an adult advisor within the framework of a constitution or bylaws to provide a means for student expression and assistance in school affairs and activities, give opportunities for student experience in leadership and encourage student/faculty/community relations. Goals: To promote citizenship, leadership, scholarship, and human relations by and among our students. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Kinnaman (akinnaman@op97.org) or Ms. Belmont (kbelmont@op97.org).

Please see the Meeting Schedule below:

Varsity Boys VB team finished second place at the post season tournament It was an exciting end as we battled back in game 3, but ultimately lost 15-13. The team finished the regular season in second place as well.

Track & Field: Practice Schedule

Our first practice will be Monday March 11th. We will follow the practice schedule below:

-No practice on the 18th or 19th

-No practice week of spring break

Practice schedule:

Monday- After school 3:30 - 4:45pm

Tuesday- After school 3:30 - 4:45pm

Wednesday- No practice-Practice on your own (coaches will provide workouts)

Thursday- After school 3:30 - 4:45pm

Friday- (Relays and Field Events only) Morning 7:45 - 8:45am

Intramural Sports

Intramural sports at Brooks are recreational sports activities organized within our school community. These activities are not formal, competitive teams; instead, they are gatherings of students who join together to engage in sports and physical activities purely for recreation and enjoyment. Intramural sports programs are inclusive and welcome participation from all students. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Holmes (gholmes@op97.org). Intramural meets Tuesdays & Thursday, starting September 12th, in 3rd Floor Gym from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

The Brooks Robotics Club & OPEF are happy to announce the return of Spring In-House Robotics. The Spring session is starting on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. In-house robotics is the less competitive robotics option at Brooks; it is geared toward students who are interested in exploring robotics without the pressure of the competitive robotics team. Students who may not have had any previous experience with building robots and coding will also be comfortable here. The students will work in teams to design, build and code a robot to complete a task, play a game or both!! Previous examples of which were robot soccer, road racing and obstacle courses. Space is limited to 20 students so sign up soon.

There will be a participation fee of $25 to cover the cost of consumable supplies and materials. The Spring Session is limited to the 20 students. If you’re interested, please pay for the session at Brooks Robotics In-House Registration (Spring) by Thursday, April 4, 2024. Upon confirmation of payment, a registration form will be emailed to your parents. Your parents will fill it out and you’ll be ready to go. We'll begin on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, after-school in D202 and will meet on Tuesdays and Fridays weekly from 3:30 - 5:00. Spring In-House will end on May 17, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Shinners at bshinners@op97.org.

Art Club - Calling all artists! Come to art club for "open studio". Mrs. Murray will offer a variety of materials and techniques. Come ready to explore your own ideas, work at your own pace, and make new friends in a creative environment just for artists! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Murray (kmurray@op97.org). Art Club meets Thursdays in D301 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

B.E.A.T - If you’re interested in nature, ecology, the environment, art or political action, this club is for you! Last year, some activities that our club did included cooking food that we grew, taking political action to save an endangered prairie, taking a field trip to remove invasive species (that we then turned into an amazing pesto to eat!), hosting a Free Thrift Store for the whole school and growing plants to sell! What will we do this year? It’s up to the members! If you have any questions, please email Mr. Youngberg (myoungberg@op97.org). BEAT's meets on Tuesdays in room C202 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

Best Buddies - Make a new friend! Best Buddies is a Middle School Chapter of an international organization that provides opportunities for friendship and activities between students with developmental disabilities and general education students. Activities include: team building, games, arts & crafts, sports, fundraisers. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Sefcik (bsefcik@op97.org). Best Buddies meets every other Wednesday in the Commons from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. The next meeting is Wednesday, September 20th.

Cheer Squad - As Crowd Leaders, the cheer squad is the connection between the fans and the Basketball team ( Both girls & Boys). The energy and enthusiasm produced by the crowd can rally a sports team to play better and boost overall morale. The Brooks squad's task is to unify the group in its efforts. We also want to be the crowd leaders for other events that need support. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Stigger (nstigger@op97.org). The first meeting is on Thursday, September 27th in B109 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

Chess/Game club - Chess club / Game Club is open to all experience levels, from first-time players to competitive players. Attendance each week is highly recommended but not required. There are no tryouts! Chess/Game Club has expanded to allow students to share and build 3D board games, play video games, play board games, and of course, play Chess. Video game tourneys as well as the "old fashion" Chess tourney. Checkmate!!!!!!!!! If you have any questions, please email Mr. Hausfeld (mhausfeld@op97.org). "The Club" meets on Tuesdays in C108 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

Crochet Club - (Not running until further notice) If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Rodriguez (trodriguez@op97.org).

Rainbow Revolution - A safe place for LGBTQ students and allies to come together with the same goal of making our school a safer, and more comfortable environment for everyone. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Berman (aberman@op97.org) or Ms. Belmont (kbelmont@op97.org). Rainbow Revolutions meets on Mondays in the Media Center/Library from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

Service Club - We organize & promote the school's service projects such as food drives, coat drives, the holiday food and gift basket program, and more! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Walsh (swalsh@op97.org) or Ms. Martinez (bmartinez@op97.org). Service Club meets on Fridays, starting September 29th, in B209 from 8:00am to 8:50am.

Yoga Chill Club - Do you need to take a beat? Do you need to chill out? Rest is underrated in the world but it's super important at Yoga Chill Club! Open to ALL students AND ALL staff who are interested in stretching, breathing/meditating, and learning new yoga poses. Yoga mats and blocks are provided. Make sure you're wearing clothes you can move in! No previous yoga experience necessary. Activities include: yoga meditation sessions, breathing techniques, wellness lessons, journaling, crafting, etc. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Maggio (smaggio@op97.org) or Ms. Tsaganos (gtsaganos@op97.org). Yoga Chill Club meets on Wednesdays in C205 from 3:35pm to 4:45pm.

Launched in Fall 2015, Spoken Word is a powerful and effective medium for fostering creativity and self-expression in young people. Kids learn to collaborate creatively and to respond to each other's work in a thoughtful and constructive manner.

• When: Beginning Wed., Oct. 4th

• Where: Oak Park Art League on Chicago Avenue

Spoken Word Club will meet Wednesdays, starting Oct. 4th from 4-5:30pm. It will be hosted at the Oak Park Art League (720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park). It will be led by our poet-artist Brandon Stiffic and teacher-coaches John Colucci (Julian) and Miles Lee (mlee@op97.org-Brooks). We look forward to hosting a showcase event at the end of May.

Parents/Guardians may use this linked Registration Form to register their student for this opportunity. Please email Mr. Lee (mlee@op97.org) if you have any additional questions.

DOWNBEAT Morning Choir (7th & 8th Grade) - Slide Deck with Information- Vocal group that sings pop, contemporary, broadway, and choral music. Auditioned group available to 7th and 8th grade students enrolled in Band, Choir, or Orchestra. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Blackman (fblackman@op97.org). Please enter the building from the main Kenilworth ave entrance. Downbeat meets Tuesdays and Fridays in D105 from 8:00 to 8:50am.

Fledglings Morning Choir (Open to ALL Students) - Slide Deck with Information- Vocal group that sings pop, contemporary, broadway, and choral music. Open to all students that are interested in singing! If you have any questions, please email Mr. Blackman (fblackman@op97.org). Please enter the building from the main Kenilworth ave entrance. Fledglings meets Thursdays in D105 from 8:00 to 8:50am.

Open to ALL Brooks 6th, 7th & 8th Graders

INTERNATIONAL DANCE

Wednesdays, 3:30pm-5:15pm

• meet in the 2nd Floor Fitness Studio.

BEGINNING DANCE

Mondays, 3:30pm-4:45pm

• meet in the 2nd Floor Fitness Studio.

STAGE CREW

Starts September 19 - Crew Club meets every other week (dates TBD)

• meet in the auditorium.

Students can find announcements in each Student's Lunch (Green) or Lunch (Yellow) course in Canvas as well as on a button along the left side of our Brooks homepage.