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Our role as educators is to cultivate all of our children’s gifts—verbal, mathematical, scientific, artistic, social, and kinesthetic—as we develop their moral character. We know that enrichment of spirit and character cannot be left to chance or to the vagaries of popular culture. As they strive for excellence, our children must learn to distinguish the genuine from the artificial, the essential from the superficial.
We anticipate that our students will live in a global community. BFS prepares them for their futures with an academic program that promotes excellence in the spoken and written word as well as the sciences and emerging technologies. Just as important, we encourage a sense of democracy, celebrate diversity, and engage our students in active community service. It’s our goal to prepare our children to lead rich and productive lives, as thoughtful, intelligent, creative, and giving individuals. We invite you to experience the world inside our doors through our website. This quick tour will give you an overview of BFS; the website as a whole offers plenty of opportunities to explore the school’s programs in depth. To learn even more, we encourage you to visit us in person and discover the vitality and joy at Brooklyn Friends School. Michael Nill,
CURRICULUM
BFS offers a comprehensive curriculum that sparks a passion for learning. Classroom studies challenge our students’ natural curiosity, guide them in their personal growth, and cultivate self motivation and responsibility. Through both traditional and hands-on learning experiences, our students build on basic skills to expand their intellectual abilities. In the process, they become critical thinkers who question assumptions about the world around them. While the Brooklyn Friends curriculum celebrates diversity and fosters each student’s sense of self, it also promotes a sense of responsibility to the concerns of the community and the world beyond. A balance between group work and individual learning is maintained. The BFS program emphasizes both foundational skills and higher-level thinking skills, since analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking require factual knowledge, organizational skills, and basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. While Brooklyn Friends prepares our students to understand and use the technology of the information age, it also instills in students the habit of exercising critical judgment in using the growing body of information that computers have made possible.
Brooklyn Friends has designed a supportive advisory system that provides one-on-one academic and personal counseling for each student in the Middle and Upper Schools. While students are expected to assume increasing responsibility for their studies and behavior, faculty members are readily available to listen and help in decisionmaking while serving as the students’ advocates in the school. Advisors monitor each student’s progress and offer encouragement and support. Together, student and advisor work on strategies to strengtheni skills and study habits, improve time management, and redirect attention and energy to foster positive self-esteem and academic progress. In addition to classroom activities, BFS encourages students to enrich their educational experience with extracurricular activities. Students can join a number of clubs and activities such as chess, dance, drama, tech crew, yearbook, Model UN, life drawing, community service club, aerobics, squash, literary magazine, Middle School newsletter, fencing, Student Council, instruction in a musical instrument, chorus, and intermural and intramural sports teams. In conjunction with curricular studies, students in second through twelfth grade take overnight trips that complement classroom activities. Trips to Camp Vacamas and Frost Valley for environmental studies and peer leadership retreats, science studies in Cape Cod, historical tours to Washington, D.C. or cultural adventures to France, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico or Italy give students the chance to put their studies to practical use. Colleges welcome BFS graduates because they are highly motivated, have demonstrated their capacity to work in a rigorous academic program, and have developed the skills and study habits essential for college success. Admissions officers value the initiative and leadership qualities of our students, their commitment to and intense involvement in extra-curricular activities, and their dedication to community service. BFS takes a personalized approach to college planning with experienced advisors working with students and their families, formally beginning during the junior year with junior seminar, a weekly required class for all juniors. Junior seminar covers a number of topics, including developing a college list, essay writing, financial aid (scholarships, grants, and loans), the components of an application, the timeline, resume writing or activity sheets, and recommendations. Juniors meet individually with counselors to discuss their interests and refine their thinking about college choices. Throughout the semester, juniors and parents are also expected to have a family conference with the counselors to continue discussing these topics and answer any questions. In February, the College Office hosts Junior College Day, a four-hour workshop that includes short introductions by college representatives, seniors who talk about their experiences, and an opportunity for juniors and parents to experience a mock-admission committee. A financial aid workshop for parents is also included. A college fair, hosted by one of the five independent high schools in Brooklyn and Staten Island, is held in late April or early May and attended by all juniors. All students are encouraged to visit colleges during the spring break. The college application process continues in senior year with the senior seminar. The topics introduced in junior seminar are discussed, beginning with the college lists and ending when applications are completed and submitted. Students are encouraged to complete their research of college choices, attend representative visits, schedule visits, prepare for interviews, and complete their applications for admission and financial aid in a timely manner. In addition to representative visits, the college office hosts a workshop in college financial planning for parents of eighth- through twelfth graders.
Through the BFS internship program, BFS seniors move from interdependent course work to independent study. Through placements in corporations, organizations, and independent projects, students explore individual career paths that correspond to potential professional fields. Hospitals, engineering companies, community organizations, dance companies, and investment and architectural firms are a few recent locations of choice. We welcome parents as partners in their children’s education. There are two formally scheduled annual conferences for parents and teachers, when parents can learn about their children’s progress. In addition, curriculum nights offer insight into the course of study at each grade level. We encourage dialogue between parents and faculty, and parents are always welcome to discuss issues of concern with teachers. Parents are also invited to take an active part in community-building and fundraising activities throughout the year, through the Parent and Teacher Association (PAT). (See the PAT page for more information.) PAT class parents meet with division heads regularly, and the PAT sponsors coffee hours for parents, often on issues of child development. In addition, the PAT organizes special events such as the annual Fall Fest, the holiday crafts fair, and an annual spring gala, and PAT members help to welcome new parents and meet with prospective parents. A number of BFS parents also serve on the School Committee, or serve as co-opted members on various School Committee subcommittees.
Summer at BFS means waterplay on the rooftop...exploring New York’s cultural treasures...making jewelry or a sculpture...visiting the aquarium or going swimming...creating a song or a performance...learning a new dance or playing tennis. We have carefully designed programs geared to different age groups—all taking advantage of the best that BFS and New York City have to offer: Preschool Summer Camp for ages three to five, Summer Camp for kindergarten through second grade, and Summer Arts for grades three through six. |
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etween the world outside Brooklyn Friends
School and the world inside our doors there is a palpable difference. BFS
is a place where people of all backgrounds and ages listen to and
learn from one another, a place where individual and collective
efforts are celebrated and encouraged. 
See articles by Dr. Michael Nill:
