September 2014 Edition

Our new Pre-first stu-dents and their fami-lies were introduced totheir teachers andclassmates a few daysbefore the official startof school. The kidsenjoyed practicingclass routines andchecking out the play-ground equipmentwhile their parentsmingled.

Pre-first Preview Day!

Just before the bell on the first day of school…the boys got in some last minute basketball on the playground, and groups of students waited nervouslyby their classrooms for their teachers to arrive. There was plenty of energy in the air, and lots of smiles(and a few tears) on the parents faces as the long summer finally comes to an end. Students showed offmissing teeth while being fussed over by our faculty. “My, look how much you’ve grown over sum-mer!” Brookfield kids had new shoes, new backpacks, and fresh smiles to start another school year!

Congratulations to Brookfield alumni, Ethan Kunz, who is attending theU.S. Naval Academy this fall. Ethan will be studying Nuclear Engineer-ing in the naval officer training program. We were very happy and proud

to hear that Ethan had the highest admission score in the Academy’shistory! What an accomplished young man!

We love our Brookfield parents! The first day of schoolincluded a nice morning coffee social hosted by the Brook-field Parent Association (BPA) where parents learnedabout the morning Art program, ordered sweatshirts, andsigned up for BPA-sponsored activities. Our school isfortunate to have a diverse and accomplished parent com-munity that values education and models dedicated schol-arship and leadership to their children. We have great stu-dents at Brookfield because we have great parents!

AlumniCorner

Let’s Get up and MOVE!

Are P.E. Classes and Recess Necessary at an “Academic”School Like Brookfield?The answer is a resounding “YES!”

While public schools are cutting back on P.E. classes, in-school sports programs, and recess time for young students,Brookfield continues to offer P.E three days a week and fullcalendar of before and after school sports and activities thatkeeps kids moving. Our younger students take a brief lunchand afternoon recess. Why not take a longer recess atlunch? Wouldn’t that save time? Not really, and not having the opportunity to move about later in theday would actually shut those little learners down. Two short recesses are better than one long one. Infact, the more opportunities students have to move, even if it is very brief, the better for learning.

Regular movement is important for sustained attention and memory retention. And of course, activestudents are more physically fit and less likely to suffer from childhood obesity. Daily exercise fendsoff the onset of diabetes, sleep disorders, mental stress, and raises endorphin levels in the brain. Endor-phins help improve memory and attention. Goodness, with all these great benefits, why wouldn’t wewant to have plenty of opportunities for our Brookfield Brainiacs to get some exercise?

In a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recruited 40 8-to-10-year-old boys and girls, half of whom had A.D.H.D. They all took aseries of computerized academic and attention tests. Later, on one occasion they sat and read quietly for20 minutes; on another, they walked briskly or jogged for 20 minutes on treadmills. After each task, thechildren wore caps containing electrodes that recorded electrical activity in the brain as they repeated theoriginal tests. Guess what the researchers discovered? While there was no difference in the children’sscores after reading quietly, ALL of the children demonstrated marked improvements in their math andreading comprehension scores after the exercise!

Interestingly, the children with A.D.H.D. significantly increased their scores on a complicated test de-signed to measure their distractibility level. After exercise, the children with A.D.H.D. were better ableto regulate their behavior, which helped them pay attention. This information is very valuable forteachers in dealing with students who lose focus in the classroom. A clever teaching strategy is to send

an unfocused student on a quick errand to the office, or some other ac-tivity that requires the student to move about for a brief period. The ac-tivity will help the child refocus upon returning to his or her desk.Whole class movement or “intermission” activities used to break up pro-longed seat time are also helpful for sustaining focus for the entire class.

- Dr. Jo

We are delighted to partner with theprestigious Hristov-Csikany Fencers,bringing expert fencing instruction toBrookfield students in grades 3-8.This fall, our entire school wastreated to an assembly featuring theHC Fencing Masters, who explainedthe history and rules of the sport,demonstrated basic technique, andgave students the chance to hold andexamine the equipment.

“The Art of Swordsmanship has been practiced since the sixteenth century. Fencing developsagility and speed and builds strength and dexterity. Fencers must utilize a unique combinationof lightning quick reflexes and elegant athletic movements. The demand for instant analysis,concentration and self-control of mind and muscles is the key for success in this sport.”

- HC Fencers websiteAbout Our Fencing Masters:Mihaly Csikany (in Black) has 14 years of competitive experience in saber fencing. Mihaly started fencing in hisnative Hungary. He was 9 times National Champion, World Cup finalist, and World Championship medalist. Mi-haly was also a member of the Hungarian Nation Team (2000-2003). He was a winner of the National Sport Awardpresented by the Hungarian Republic.

Kristiyan “Kris” Hristov (in White) has more than 14 years of competitive experience in Saber Fencing. Kristi-yan learned the sport from his father Maestro Hristo Hristov (Former Bulgarian National Team Coach for morethan 10 years, who is currently coaching at Princeton University). Kristiyan was a National Champion on all levelsclaiming individual and team gold medals as a Cadet, Junior and Senior Fencer. Kristiyan has competed in FourCadet/Junior World Championships and competed in more than 30 World Cups.

It was great to see the camaraderie among Brookfield parents and teachers! We are pleased thatnearly all of our parents attended Back-to-school Night. Involved parents = successful stu-dents! Several middle school ambassadors did a wonderful job hosting our visitors, and theteachers were well prepared fro their class and subject area presentations. Congratulations toour new faculty members, Mrs. Ligi and Miss Wang, who are both off to a great start!