Teaming at Brown is done very carefully. Teams on the 6th grade level are put together on the basis of gender, feeder school, and individual student needs. There are no teams that are more academically advanced than another. 5th grade teachers meet with counselors to discuss incoming students. We do our best to avoid bad combinations stemming from elementary school and take 5th grade teacher recommendations very seriously.
Students get roughly 30 minutes each day for lunch. Our cafeteria has a wide variety of hot and cold foods. While lunches are free this year, second lunches and a la carte items must be paid for using MySchoolBucks or cash. See Newton Public School Website for more information including how to pre-pay and menus. Many students bring their own lunches from home. Snacks are also available.
We typically begin the year, especially for 6th graders, by having students sit at lunch by team or by homebase. As we get deeper into the year those restrictions will be changed or lifted as students become more comfortable with how to comport themselves to meet middle school expectations. While lunch times are grade specific, they are not at the exact same time for each grade every day. Lunch for your student(s) could begin as early as 11:00 or as late as 12:30 depending on the day of the six day cycle.
Extension time is an approximately 90 minute chunk of time in the middle of the day and happens each day in our 6 day cycle. It is divided into three equal sections. One section is devoted to reading. It is a school-wide expectation that every student reads a book of their choosing each day. ELA teachers expect that students read a certain number of books or pages each term. Another chunk of extension is for students to catch up on missing work, begin homework given that day, meet with teachers with questions about material, make up tests and quizzes, or meet with their counselor. The balance of extension time each day is for lunch.
Every student is assigned a place to be during extension time every day. There are other extension opportunities that will come up over the course of the year.
Students from our four feeder schools have had different experiences with the level of homework that was expected of them. The amount of homework that is expected in middle school can be an adjustment for some students. Teachers give homework on most nights and most weekends. Often, students have an opportunity to start homework during extension time. It is advisable for families to schedule evenings with a block of “homework time” even before school begins. The amount of homework a student receives on any given night could vary in number of assignments and how much time is expected to be devoted to homework in total. Receiving homework in 2-3 subjects per night is expected, although it could be more or fewer depending on the day.
Middle school presents children with many new challenges. One major challenge is staying organized. Students have upwards of 6-8 different teachers and classes. Learning to negotiate keeping up with assignments and teacher personalities is a learning process throughout middle school. Most 6th graders struggle with organization, especially during the first term. Teachers will frequently run notebook and locker clean outs. It is also advisable to do a backpack clean out periodically as well. (more on backpacks later)
In order to help students keep up with assignments, each child is given an assignment notebook in the beginning of every year in which they are required to write down their daily assignments and map out their long-term assignments. Parents are strongly encouraged to check the assignment notebook and completed homework nightly to check whether it’s getting done. Some students may need help making sure completed work and other materials are getting into the correct place in their notebooks. Schoology is also a helpful tool for teachers and students. It is advisable for parents to log in to Schoology with their student (using their student's account) about once a week just to check on the status of assignments.
Each child is assigned a locker near his/her core classrooms. Students are responsible for purchasing a lock for their locker. Backpacks can get very heavy with the various textbooks, notebooks and sundries that middle schoolers like to carry around. Students can use their lockers before school, between classes, during extension/lunchtime, and after school. Students do not need to carry all of their books around all of the time. Teachers will help the kids to plan what materials they will need to bring home on a nightly basis. Be sure to check if last week’s lunch is still in their backpack!
Students are expected to put all smart devices (phones, watches, etc.) as well as earbuds in their Yondr pouch each morning when they enter the building. They will be able to unlock it each day before leaving school. Should you need to reach your student during the day to deliver a message, please contact the main office at Brown so that your message can be relayed to your student. If your student needs to reach you during the day they can do so through the main office or their counselor's office.
There are various activities available to students at Brown. The enrichment activities are a collection of after school clubs open to all Brown students. Some clubs are year long and some are seasonal. Most do not require students to sign up for them. There are sports teams available for 7th and 8th graders.
If you have a question or a concern about something that is going on in a particular class, it is best to contact that person directly. Counselors can help facilitate conversations if needed, as can administrators (who supervise all personnel in the building).