Academics

At Renbrook, we are committed to project-based STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education, a multidisciplinary approach to hands-on learning. We believe that giving our students the chance to tinker, create, and build shows them that they can impact systems and objects in their world. We want our students to see that they can bring their learning to life by creating effective solutions that integrate knowledge and skills across disciplines. We take children’s intellect and ideas seriously and strive to help them build a “maker mindset,” demonstrating the value of an iterative process. It is through such process-oriented work that our students discover that their outcomes can be refined and improved through self-reflection and sharing their work with others. 
 

In March, when the curtain came down on school as we knew it, Renbrook was well-positioned to pivot to online learning. “We had done the heavy lifting in 2018-2019,“ says Dave Blodgett, Academic Technology Coordinator, “when we moved to a cloud-based system school-wide.” In March 2020, teachers and staff were already living in Microsoft’s “more is more” online environment, and the sudden onset of virtual school accelerated their exploration of new ways to connect with students using a variety of apps and platforms.

Given the treasure of our 75-acre campus, turning to the outdoors as the safest way to learn together has been a natural adaptation for Renbrook this year. Undoubtedly our location on Avon Mountain has been essential to our successful effort to hold school in person. But more than that, learning from nature has been a vital element of Renbrook’s philosophy and practice from the outset and is embedded in the school’s philosophy and traditions.        

In Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll’s Alice finds herself quite suddenly and unexpectedly in a world alarmingly different from her own orderly one. When the pandemic struck last winter, we, too, went down a rabbit hole. We had no choice but to engage with the new reality and use our wits, as Alice does—all the while registering surprise and amazement.

Renbrook’s mission calls us to prepare our students to lead in a global and inclusive world. Our “Curriculum Spotlight” highlights our Social Studies, Humanities, and History Program which plays a central role in this work. Our intentional development of empathetic citizens dedicated to the greater good is more important now than ever.  
 
As you explore our Division Heads’ “fly over” of the scope and sequence of this important program, join us in our partnership to develop our children’s commitment to serving ideals and institutions that support our community and strengthen our democracy.

Congratulations to all of our Renbrook “Mathletes” who recently participated in MATHCOUNTS. Particular congratulations go out to sixth-grader Hridaan Mehta for qualifying for the next round of the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series, the Chapter Invitational. Hridaan scored 37 out of 46 possible points and ranked fourteenth overall.
The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person “bee” style contests. The contests are all being held virtually this year and Hridaan will move on to the Chapter Invitational on February 25, 2021. Best of luck Hridaan! 

Despite COVID-19 limitations that require each kindergarten class to remain socially distant, the kindergarten teachers brought their students together on Zoom to brainstorm what topics they might be interested in studying. The list was vast and varied! Topics ranged from tunnels to whistles to clocks.

Each teacher created a list of the students’ ideas and the individual classes then began to group the topics into themes such as food, machines, toys, and transportation. Once several categories were identified, each class voted on a theme to study, with each student allowed two votes. Topics were given 2 points for a child’s first choice and 1 point for a child’s second choice. Two kindergarten classes selected transportation as their theme while the third selected toys.

Math at Renbrook School is dynamic and engaging at every level. Here, our Division Heads provide a description of our math philosophy and the ways we bring learning to life through real-world applications.  
 
You will find through their writing that our math program is a foundational element of a Renbrook education. Secondary schools recognize our graduates for their conceptual mastery as well as their ability to execute an array of problem-solving strategies. Our outstanding math instructors take great pride in our student outcomes. 
 
While our students’ strong standardized test scores tell a part of the story and their math trajectory makes their former teachers beam, we are most proud of the ways our teachers develop confidence and a love for math. 

Renbrook School is excited to share this article that appears in the April issue of Scholastic News. The article, “Uncovering the Past,” tells of the Witness Stone Project completed last year by Renbrook fifth-graders who discovered their town’s secret and honored a forgotten hero.

First graders have been learning about communities, how they function, what their needs are and the importance of why people work. They got an opportunity to experience what it feels like to “work” by creating their very own first grade “Book Cafe.” Students chose specific jobs and how they will run their specific sections.