Blog

As part of the history program, fifth grade students created a colonial village, interpreting the life and times of 1700s America. Students learn colonial skills, trades, professions, music, and dance, portraying characters from colonial times. They started the unit by welcoming Plimoth Plantation into their fifth grade classrooms as part of their history program. Colonial Museum teachers taught students about clothing, family roles, home life, school, games, food, and farming. During this annual visit, the visiting guests came to the class dressed in traditional clothing to discuss the Mayflower Compact.

Meet 5-month-old german shepherd Valor and 2-year-old Elka. They are both Fidelco Guide Dogs who came to visit with 7th graders as a kick-off to their annual Fidelco fundraiser at Renbrook! Thanks for visiting Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation!!

Aubrey B. ’18 is officially a Fidelco Puppy Raiser! Renbrook participates in a Fidelco fundraiser each year and some students study canine behavior in class. Volunteers like Aubry take pups at about eight weeks old, love and care for them, participate in weekly activities at the Fidelco training center and when the pups are approximately 14 months old, return them to Fidelco for formal guide dog training. Way to go Aubrey!

Renbrook School’s fifth grade students traveled to the Mystic Seaport for a customized field trip to learn about Colonial Trades. The day consisted of a tour around the seaport and included hands-on adventures in blacksmithing, tinsmithing, rope making, and printing. This trip was arranged to help the fifth graders gain hands-on knowledge of the different trade guilds that they will be portraying at their Colonial Presentation on January 31.

During the month of January, students in grades 1, 3, and 4 have welcomed a new intern into their World Language classes! His name is Gabriel, and he is a 6th grader from Lima, Peru. As a native speaker of Spanish, Gabriel has been helping students with their pronunciation and listening skills through games, activities, and stories. Students have been bursting with questions about what life is like for Gabriel back home in Peru!

Third graders at Renbrook School as part of their Westward Movement Unit took on the life of a pioneer. Part of their unit included traveling west on the Oregon Trail followed by Prairie Day, where students show off their scrapbooks to their parents and participate in a hoedown with dances they learn in P.E.

Fifth graders welcomed Plimoth Plantation into their classrooms as part of their history program. Colonial Museum teachers taught students about clothing, family roles, home life, school, games, food, and farming. During this annual visit, the visiting guests came to the class dressed in traditional clothing to discuss the Mayflower Compact.

Renbrook School in West Hartford presented Hip-Hop Dimensions to educate students on basic Hip-Hop freestyle, break dancing, waving, robotics, and more. Audiences learned the vocabulary, skills, and history of Hip-Hop. Their electrifying performances amaze audiences, not only with dancing but with knowledge. Their objective is to create a deeper understanding of Hip-Hop culture and break associated stereotypes by demonstrating its culture and history. The group, Poetry in Motion, promote the positive benefits of dance such as teamwork and artistic expression and to show dance as an outlet for energy and exercise.

Jackie Nickeo Upper School History Department Head brings the Supreme Court to life in the classroom. The assignment was the culmination of the study of the Constitution and the clarity it provides in respect to laws in our country. The Judicial Branch and the amendments were the final part of the Constitution study. Students were assigned Supreme Court cases to research, summarize and present in 5-7 minutes to a mock Supreme Court. They used the original model of the court which consisted of five justices. Their job was to persuade the Court to support or uphold their client’s rights or if arguing the other side, rule against them. They understand that some amendments are more controversial than others. Students were asked to deliver their argument in a clear, confident and serious manner. 

Mrs. Nickeo says, “I loved doing this with them because it brings everything to life after they visited the Supreme Court in Washington D.C.”

In the third grade Westward Movement Unit experiential learning is what allows students to take on the life of a pioneer and travel west on the Oregon Trail. The culminating event is Prairie Day, where students show off their scrapbooks and participate in a hoedown with dances they learn in P.E.

8th and 9th Grade students led a discussion and education from experts in the technology, mental health, education, and legal fields at this community conversation and education event.