UPDATE
Dear New BCS Students/Families,
Out of an abundance of caution, we will be canceling the New Family/Student Orientation scheduled for tomorrow Thurs June 8 at 3pm. Our apologies.
We are waiting for the city to determine if tomorrow will be a remote day for teachers which makes having an orientation difficult since we require so many staff to make the orientation happen. Moreover, we know that many people including our own staff have been troubled by the air quality and we don’t want to have an event that compels people to come out when it is better to stay indoors.
We will have a modified orientation on Wed Sept 6 evening in the auditorium – it will not involve classroom walkthroughs because teachers will still be setting up but you can still come to the school and meet school leaders and ask any questions – the orientation is optional. You can review the complete orientation slidedeck here. The school year starts with two crew days where students will also have orientation with their crew leaders.
Thank you, our apologies again, be well and safe,
Scill, Imani, Tracey
Hello! We are so glad you are joining our school community, Brooklyn Collaborative Studies (15K448), starting in September 2023. We are very excited to welcome you!
On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 3pm, you and your family are invited to our New Family/Student Orientation to learn more about Brooklyn Collaborative. We will start in the auditorium in our school building (610 Henry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231). Doors open at 2:30pm. Students and families will break off into separate groups (MS and HS) – you will meet other students and families, you will meet current staff, and you will be able to walkthrough our school.
If you cannot attend, we also hold two similar orientations in Sept (the evening before school begins and the morning of the first day of school). We’ll be in touch via email over the summer with updates.
**If you are declining your offer (moving, attending a private/charter/specialized school, etc.), please decline officially in MySchools as soon as possible so that we can offer your seat to another child on our waitlist. Also, please email Scill@bcs448.org to let us know since MySchools may have a time delay in updating. Best wishes to you!
^^Are your classmates interested in joining you at Brooklyn Collaborative? Please ask them to discuss with their family and add their names to our waitlist in MySchools!
Did you know:
- Brooklyn Collaborative is a diverse community where we celebrate our differences and similarities. Our current demographics are 29% White, 26% Black, 25% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 11% Multi-Racial, and 5% Other. We welcome you into our community to learn in a school with many students from all backgrounds from all over Brooklyn.
- Brooklyn Collaborative engages in regular fieldwork outside the building. Eight times a year, our students participate in Expeditionary Thursdays (ETs). ETs are day-long fieldwork sessions where the regular schedule is suspended and you go outside the school building to pair experiences in the city with classroom learning.
- Brooklyn Collaborative prioritizes academics and character development. We believe that social-emotional learning is an important part of academic achievement. At BCS, we support students in achieving our six core values: kindness, open mindedness, responsibility, persistence, courage and collaboration.
- Brooklyn Collaborative is active on our website and our Instagram. We encourage students, families, and community members to regularly check our site at www.bcs448.org and to follow us on Instagram (TheCollaborativeChronicle) to learn about what’s going on in our school. You’re part of our crew now!
- Brooklyn Collaborative is a college-preparatory secondary school serving Grades 6-12 – we are a middle school and a high school. Our annual College March celebrates that 100% of our high school seniors are accepted to college every year, and our work supporting college access and success for all students is recognized by the DOE Office of Postsecondary Readiness. Students who have graduated from Brooklyn Collaborative are attending: Bard College, Barnard College, Brandeis University, Cornell University, New York University, Skidmore College, and nearly every SUNY and CUNY school.
- Brooklyn Collaborative students complete a mandatory internship as a graduation requirement. In 11th grade, students are assigned to a one-semester internship. Since the start of our internship program in 2009, more than 1000+ BCS juniors have worked in over 100 businesses, non-profits and government agencies around the city.
- Brooklyn Collaborative prioritizes academics and character development. All students have a full schedule including ELA, Social Studies, Math, Science, PE, and Crew. Each semester you also have a selective class like World Arts, etc. We use a competency-based grading system and you will be graded on your academic work and your Habits of a Graduate. All students and parents have access to Jumprope, an online attendance and grading system.
- Brooklyn Collaborative has a New York State-approved Regents waiver – we expect all students in Grades 6-12 to meet rigorous standards to demonstrate college and career readiness. Students at BCS take only the ELA Regents as a graduation requirement in HS. In all other subjects, in lieu of the Regents, BCS students complete Graduation PBATs, or Performance-Based Assessment Tasks, which are seven- to ten-page analytical papers researched, developed and revised under the supervision of a faculty mentor and publicly defended before a panel of faculty, peers, and visiting experts. PBATs offer students the opportunity to produce sophisticated, high-level work typically expected in a college course. Students work on this type of writing every year beginning in Grade 6 and 9 and slowly build each year towards their Graduation PBATs in Grades 11 and 12. PBATs are one of many forms of authentic assessment we use to assess student learning. Read more about the schools with Regents waivers at www.performanceassessment.org
- Brooklyn Collaborative is an EL Education Outward Bound school – our students participate positively in our Crew advisory structure and in our Outward Bound experiences. Every student at BCS is in a Crew which you stay with from Grades 6-8 or Grade 9-12. Each semester starts with Crew days to help you orient to the year and meet new friends. Students in Crew learn to be agents of self-change, to take responsibility for their learning, and to develop supportive relationships with adults and peers. Crew includes circles, field work, service, academic advising, and team building activities. In Grades 7 and 10, our crews go on Crew Expedition Camping which is a fantastic overnight bonding experience with your Crew.
If you have any questions, please contact:
- Principal Scill Chan (scill@bcs448.org – text 646-483-8644)
- Assistant Principal Imani Matthews (imani@bcs448.org – text 646-457-0743)
- Parent Coordinator Tracey Pinkard (tracey@bcs448.org – text 347-563-5337)
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, June 8 at 3pm in our auditorium!
Sincerely,
Scill, Imani, Tracey