April 15, 2019

Each grade level attended the Power of Words, Images and Actions assembly presented by me, our Assistant Principals and their peers. We spoke directly about the airdropped image on the bus during the 7th grade Springfield trip and the role all of us play in creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming learning environment for every member of the Brooks family. We recognize that students do the right thing most of the time, but it is helpful to remind and reinforce our Brooks community expectations.

Please take a moment to talk with your student about how they can make decisions to ensure their peers and friends are safe and free from hurtful language, images or actions. We appreciate your continued support.

April Capuder

Principal

Join us on Monday, April 15 from 7:00 - 8:30 for our next Brooks Community Meeting. We will be discussing the budget and planning for next school year.

Brooks Middle School PTO is proud to announce an Earth Week Assembly featuring Joey FineRhyme. Through a generous community grant applied for by the D97 School Green Team Collaborative, all students will experience a fast moving, multi-media presentation that includes hip-hop, rich imagery, time-lapse animation, call and response, physical props and more.

The goals of the Earth Week Assemblies are for students to be educated on the issues of climate and waste, inspired to be a part of the solution, achieve results by choosing to take direct behavioral action, and share the importance of what they’ve learned with others.

Since 2009, Joey has educated over 70,000 K-12 students about our shared environmental challenges and what we can do to address them. Building off science content around energy, climate and waste, his assemblies emphasize taking action on these issues and leverage the legacy of social movements throughout history to help inspire students to make a difference in their world.

Thank you to all who participated or helped to support the Day of Silence.

Here are some pictures of students at lunch who came to have meaningful conversations and pledge to help "stop the silence." I hope we can continue supporting them in both stopping the silence and discouraging students from saying "that's so gay" or "no homo."

Special shout out to Ms. Pearson, Ms. Klein and Mr. Bland for stopping by the lunch groups, to and to all the teachers who also joined in wearing purple and supporting their students who were staying silent.

Students in the Eco Eagles ecology club at Brooks Middle School have set a date for a community rally and school walkout, given that a permission slip has been completed, against climate change for April 22, Earth Day, at Scoville Park from 3:10-4:30 pm. They’ve named the rally The Climate Comeback and are encouraging all community members to participate.

The community rally and school walkout are inspired by Greta Thunberg, the 15-year-old activist whose school strikes have been followed by millions of students in Europe. On March 15, over a million students around the world walked out of school to protest their government’s lack of action on climate change.

The students at Brooks are inviting all students in Oak Park and River Forest to join them at Scoville Park. They will be leaving school at 3:10 to march to the park, where there will be student speakers and performers.

The Eco Eagles are also inviting all community members who care about this issue to attend the rally.

We need parent volunteers to assist with the march. Please email lstamp@op97.org if you can join us.

If your student wishes to participate, a permission slip must be completed.

For more information, email lstamp@op97.org and follow eco_eagles on Instagram.

With the year coming to a close very soon, Yearbook Team is working hard to design the 2018-2019 Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School Yearbook. We are looking to send out our design for publishing in the next couple weeks.

We have spent time documenting our sports teams, clubs, school events, and the school day this year, however, we could use your help to boost our photo archive. We want your photos!

Use the Yearbook Photo Submission form to easily send us photos. We look forward to seeing them.

P.S.: We specifically need photos for the following:

• Best Buddies
• Chess Club
• 8th Grade yearbook spread (DC trip)
• Springfield Trip
• Girls Basketball
• Track and Field
• Girls on the Rise
• Eco Eagles
• Service Club
• YEMBA
• Beautyshop
• Shopettes
• Boys Volleyball

Thank you!

Yearbook Team

Meaghan Pabellon

Marsha Turner-Reid

The service club is collecting food for the OPRF Food Pantry's Can Do Challenge.

https://www.classy.org/team/224062

We will be collecting donations between April 1st through April 30th.

Service Club is collecting travel size toiletries all year! Donations will be used to make care packages for Housing Forward. Please send any small, unopened toiletries to Ms. Walsh or Ms. Martínez. Thank you for your help!

We have been receiving messages regarding the last day of the 2018 - 2019 school year. In terms of the pdf calendar listed on http://www.op97.org/school-calendars, the board, as it does on an annual basis in accordance with state law, isn't expected to finalize the calendar for this year until one of its meetings in April. Therefore, we cannot update this calendar until then. In the interim, we will be removing the pdf from D97 site and will repost it when the final calendar for this year has been approved.

• News item - http://www.op97.org/news/1653295/update-on-the-last-day-of-school-for-2018-19
• Calendar item - http://www.op97.org/calendar/1803854/last-day-of-school-for-students-2019

The last day of school for 6th and 7th graders will be on Thursday, June 6th. The last day of school for 8th graders will be on Friday, May 31st, as graduation is on Saturday, June 1st. The last day of attendance for all grades is a full day of school, 9:00am to 3:30pm.

Planning is already underway for the next school year! The PTO is committed to enriching the experience of students at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School through supporting a positive school environment, facilitating the development of positive relationships within the community, advancing school equity initiatives, and creating an environment where all students have access to school resources and opportunities. See the positions that are available and sign up here! Email any questions to gwendolynbrookspto@gmail.com.

TreeRing, our yearbook vendor, has a new process for ordering yearbooks. You must enter a passcode and set up an account to place an order. Please use the link provided below:

https://www.treering.com/validate?PassCode=1014096931934358

If you are asked for a pass code, please use: 1014096931934358

Students can use this text-based (Text HOPE to 844-670-5838) resource 24 hours a day to connect with licensed mental health clinicians who can provide them with assistance or guidance on a variety of issues that include, but are not limited to, anxiety, depression, substance use, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, bullying and abuse.

If you or your student would like to recognize any staff member (a teacher, a teacher assistant, social worker, librarian, front office staff, lunchroom staff, custodial staff or school administrator) please take a moment to complete this form. The staff member will receive a certificate detailing the information shared through this form.

If you're would like to see the Student Announcements that are shared with students at the top of each week, you can always find them on our Brooks Home Page by clicking on the button along the left-hand side that is entitled, "Student Announcements".

This is some information about an upcoming event hosted by Oak Park and River Forest High School’s A Place for All (APA) club. All Middle School students are invited:

1. GSA Adventure Night on Friday, May 10th from 7:00-9:30 PM. Try out our rock climbing wall, high ropes course, or just enjoy some low-key board games. Pizza provided, and the event is free! RSVP to gcolamussi@oprfhs.org if your school/group will be joining us.

Please find information regarding the student re-do/re-take policy in our Brooks Website.

http://www.op97.org/brooks/handbook

WICKED, JR!

Please join us for this pilot production BLOCKBUSTER MUSICAL - Performances: April 26-May 5

PURCHASE TICKETS

The club will play on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm and end on May 22.

For more information contact Coach Gillespie at mgillespie@op97.org

January – May 2019 is our 8th grade Girls on the Rise portion of the program. Attached a flyer for the upcoming session.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6gnevA1fHdWODNvNlV2MU9LQmVtdVZ3LVo2a0hXS1czX1E4/view?usp=sharing

Mondays

• Yearbook Club: Next meetings 4/8 & 4/22 in room B202 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Here is link to the entire year meeting dates schedule. Contact Ms.Turner-Reid or Ms. Pabellon with questions mturnerreid@op97.org or mpabellon@op97.org
• Math Team: in room B204 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Contact Mr. Sam Kahn with questions. skahn@op97.org
• ORFF: Monday mornings 8am to 8:50am in D110 Contact Mr. Carrillo with questions fcarrillo@op97.org
• Spoken Word Club: Mondays in B205 (3:30 - 5:00 pm) with Mr. Lee and resident poet Christian Robinson. Contact Mr. Lee with questions. mlee@op97.org
• BRAVO Guitar Club & Dance Hip Hop Studio started on Monday, September 17. There is still time to sign up! Click on links above to access permission slips. These clubs are FREE to ALL Brooks Students.

Tuesdays

• EcoEalges - meets from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in room C202. Contact Ms. Stamp with questions lstamp@op97.org
  
• Chess Club: meets from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in room B305. Contact Mr. Hausfeld with questions mhausfeld@op97.org
  

Wednesdays

• Best Buddies: Here is the year long calendar that can be downloaded. Contact Ms. Beauprez with questions lbeeauprez@op97.org .
• Girls on the Rise: Meets week on Wednesdays from 3:45pm to 4:45pm in room C105
• World Language Club: Every other Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30pm in C209. Contact Mr. Lagioia with questions vlagioia@op97.org
• BRAVO Dance Hip Hop Studio started on Monday, September 17. There is still time to sign up! Click on links above to access permission slips. These clubs are FREE to ALL Brooks Students.

Thursdays

• Rainbow Tribe: Contact Ms. Berman with questions aberman@op97.org
• Art Club: Thursdays in room D301 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Contact Ms. Murray with questions. kmurray@op97.org

Fridays (no school)

• Service Club: Friday mornings from 8am to 8:50am in room B209. Contact Ms. Walsh with questions swalsh@op97.org

Email: acapuder@op97.org
Website: op97.org/brooks
Location: 325 S Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park, IL, United States
Phone: (708) 524-3050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/108994473138309/
Twitter: @brooksop97