August 2011
Dear Middle School Parents and Students,
Welcome to a new year of the Brooklyn Friends School Athletic program. This letter will inform you about important Athletic policies, which will help guide your family through the upcoming school year.
Athletics is an important part of Middle School life at Brooklyn Friends School. The program serves to meet the student's physical abilities and to develop leadership and cooperative skills. Our coaches, teachers, and student body strongly support our athletes. I invite each parent to come to an athletic event to add to the experience of our students.
In the Middle School, fifth and sixth graders have the opportunity to take part in the
A.M. Sports program directed by Gary Lawson, while seventh and eighth graders play together on Middle School competitive teams.
(In NYSAISAA schools, interscholastic sports begins in 7th grade.)
Below is the list of fall teams:
- M.S. Girls Volleyball – a team meeting and practice will be held Tuesday, Sept. 6.
- M.S. Boys Soccer – a team meeting and practice will be held Tuesday, Sept. 6.
- M.S. Boys & M.S. Girls Cross Country- will have a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
The teams will meet 3 – 4 times a week for practices and games. Once a student has joined a team, commitment is very important as well as behavior, sportsmanship, respect, and teamwork. Students will be finished practicing between 4:45pm and 5:15pm. Home games will be over by 6:00pm, and we anticipate that the teams will arrive back at school around 6:30pm from away games. All students should return to school with their teams and coaches, unless they leave with a parent or have a dismissal release form on file with the Athletics Office.
Team Schedules/Practices and Games: Please become familiar with, and use, the online team
scheduling website the BFS Athletics program uses
(highschoolsports.net). Links to each individual team's schedule (for
all three seasons) are on the BFS website.
Health Form Policy: Every student must have a medical form on file with the school nurse in order to practice or participate on an athletic team. The due date is Aug. 15, 2011.
Athletes with Chronic Conditions: Student athletes who have chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or severe allergies must be considered for self-medication privileges (see above section), as they will need to carry their prescribed medications with them to practice. Students who don't have their medication with them are not allowed to play or travel with the team that day (Epi-Pens/ inhalers submitted to the school nurse are to stay in the nursing office, and cannot be sent on trips). It is imperative for Asthma and Allergy Action Plans to be submitted and up-to-date, as these plans will accompany the students to practices and games. Athletes with severe allergies must carry 2 Epi-Pens with them. Please make an appointment with the School Nurse (ext. 241) if you have any questions or concerns in this regard.
Policy for after-school dismissal: Students participating in after-school sports must bring their books and coats down to the locker room when changing for games or practice. It is very important that students LOCK their lockers. Students are dismissed from the locker room and not allowed to return to the Middle School floors. After games or practices, students are expected to leave the building and depart for home immediately unless they go directly to a BFS after-school program.
Uniform Policy: A uniform is loaned to the student for the season in which he or she is a participant. A $100 DEPOSIT is required for each student who joins a team. Make check payable to Brooklyn Friends School and do not put a date on the check. This deposit will be returned when the uniform is handed in at the end of the season, or applied to the next season. It is the responsibility of each student to take care of the uniform and return it washed at the end of the season. Parents can help by encouraging their child to bring the uniform home from time to time to be laundered and by seeing that it is returned promptly.
Locker Policy: All students are assigned lockers and given locks. It is the student’s responsibility to keep all clothes and valuables locked in their locker. Families will be billed $5 for lost or unreturned locks.
I look forward to seeing many of you at athletic events this school year. Please do not hesitate to contact me at ext. 234 or e-mail me if you have any questions about our program.
In Friendship,
David Gardella
Athletic Director