Back to School at Brooke

We welcomed our kindergarten through seventh graders back to school this week! We are excited to start a new school year and continue to build on our Cultures of Achievement focus from last year. Here are some of favorite moments from Brooke Mattapan’s first day:

• Morning Motivations: With our loud and proud Brooke creed, kindergarten through second graders kicked off their “Best Year Yet!”
• Putting the Thinking On Kids: Our scholars picked up right where they left off… within an hour of arrival, scholars were doing math and engineering projects.
• Community Meeting: Seventh grade achievers took their place as leaders of the school and welcomed new kindergartners with gifts of Barack Obama’s Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.

Teachers Prepare For The Year!

When asked how we prepare our teachers, we acknowledge that creating classrooms and schools that deliver rigorous instruction is challenging. Each year, our new teachers prepare during four weeks of professional development, while returning staff come back for two weeks before the start of school. Our focus is:

• Building Cultures of Achievement: At Brooke, we define a culture of achievement as a leveling culture where we hold all students to high expectations, carefully monitor their achievement, and provide individualized support. We focus on how to create productive and positive classrooms for every scholar.
• Ensuring all Scholars are Challenged and Known: Challenging and valuing our students go hand in hand. We challenge our students because we care for and respect them. Teachers discuss how they can find the right balance between being warm and strict when delivering rigorous instruction.
• Putting the Thinking on Kids: At Brooke, great teaching means putting the thinking on kids and engaging them in the struggle to master new concepts. Teachers utilize rigorous standards alongside rigorous assessments to structure lessons and provide the individualized support students need.Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

Whether you’re a parent sending your child back to school, an educator, or just curious to learn more, these resources will help you have your best year yet:

• “How Not to Talk to Your Kids” by Po Bronson digs into strategies that support students to become persistent learners based on psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset and the impact of praise on children.
• “Race and the Schooling of Black Americans” by Claude Steele is a Brooke favorite, which explains how an approach to teaching that ensure students are challenged and valued is particularly beneficial for students of color.
• RESOURCES.EBROOKE.ORG is our portal to hundreds of videos and resources where you can see how Brooke teachers put the thinking on kids.