May, 2008

Dear Families,
Here is our May monthly letter. Can you believe we are already in our 9th month of school, with just one more to go? We have many activities planned during the final months of school and your participation will make them better experiences for your children. Please consult the calendar below and plan to be with us for all of your child's school related events.

Message from Alyce Barr, Principal
Spring is here! As it gets warmer we all want to wear less clothing. While we want all students to be comfortable, we also want to remind you and them of the importance of appropriate school clothing. We want our students' dress to reflect the respect you and they have for their education. Learning is their work and school is their workplace. The work they do is serious and at times, messy, i.e. studio art and science labs, so they should not wear clothing that is difficult to clean. PE requires them to move, so they need clothes for that class that one expects to see in a gym: shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers.
Here's a review of our dress expectations for students and staff:
•    No one may wear clothing with words about sex, drugs, violence, ethnic, gender, or racial epithets, or foul language (curses).
•    All abdominal skin must be covered. (No midriff shirts, no halters or backless shirts, no tube tops, no spaghetti straps, no plunging necklines.)
•    Sleeveless shirts must have wide enough shoulders to fully cover undergarments.
•    Hats and scarves not worn for religious observation are not permitted
•    Imagining the lower half of the human body as a globe, the pants and skirts must stay at or above the equator! Belts should keep pants up, not down!
•    Shorts may be worn if they are knee-length (Bermuda-type).
•    Skirts and dresses should be of a similar length or longer.
•    Clothing should be opaque enough to hide undergarments.
•    Sunglasses may not be worn indoors.
•    Going to BCS requires walking up and down five flights of stairs many times a day. We highly recommend sturdy comfortable footwear and we require sneakers in PE classes.

Like every other aspect of your child's time at BCS, we expect school to help prepare her or him for college and the world of work. Adolescence is a time to make sense of expectations for various environments. We expect our students to understand that different clothing and accessories are appropriate for different activities and venues. For example, it wouldn't be acceptable to wear the same outfit to a house of worship and the beach, to work outdoors, to attend a graduation or to interview for college or a job. A home-school partnership in which we all discuss and reinforce the conventions of acceptable dress will help your children learn what is expected of them and enable them to make the best impression in all situations.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia. As they do in many countries, students in these two nations wear uniforms to school, navy blue pants or skirts and white shirts. While BCS is not and does not plan to become a uniform school, it's a good time to pause and think about the equality conferred by uniforms. At this time when many of us feel the financial strain of our economy, our young people feel lots of pressure to buy and have the most expensive latest fashions. It's not uncommon for them to judge themselves and each other according to dress and while we recognize the importance of young people defining their identity and personal style, we also know how important it is for them to develop positive habits and values. For example, as they move closer to a time of financial independence, they should know how much of their income will be available for clothing. If their taste puts a strain on the family budget, now is a great time to start talking to them about money and to help them start saving for college and beyond. Those beautiful new sneakers that cost $100+ will be beautiful for a few days, but money in the bank will grow and can be used for education, travel, housing...

This month, all students and staff are focusing on the Expeditionary Learning design principle Empathy and Caring. In doing so we are discussing these words, recognizing acts of empathy and caring at school and in the greater world, and analyzing situations in which we need to show more concern for each other's well being. We would appreciate your efforts to continue these conversations at home and to let us know about examples of empathy and caring in your community, i.e. a community service project at your mosque, church, or synagogue, or a block association project to help others.

Important Dates
5/8/08 - BNS/BCS PTA meeting - 7:00 pm
5/8/08 - Band and Drama 12:30- 3:30 Dress rehearsal
5/8/08- EVS Camping at Gateway National Park, Brooklyn
5/9/08 - Band and Drama - Spring Performing Arts Festival 6:00 - 7:30
5/9/08 - Promotion in Doubt (for HS) and summer school notices (for MS) sent out
5/14/08 - Latin Dance Party
5/15/08 - High School Admissions Informational Meeting with current 7th grade families - 6:30 pm
5/16/08 - Interpretations of Blackness
5/19/08 - High School Admissions Informational Meeting with current 7th grade families - 9:00 am
5/21/08 - Science Practice Regents: Grades 9-11
5/21/08 - 7th Orange takes trip to Old Stone House
5/22/08 - 7th Pink takes trip to Old Stone House
5/23/08 - 7th Gold takes trip to Old Stone House
5/23/08 - EVS sailing South Street Seaport
5/28/08 - BCS Internship Program Culminating Event: Model Job Fair, 9:30-12:30
5/30/08 - Spring Fling Dinner Dance and Silent Auction Fundraiser
5/26/08 - MEMORIAL DAY - SCHOOL IS CLOSED
5/28/08 - Science Practice Regents: Grade 9-11
6/3-4/08 - MS 8th grade social studies exam
6/4/08 - Model Job Fair 9-11 9:30-12:30
6/4/08 - CURRICULUM EXPO NIGHT
6/5/08 - Staff development day for teachers - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
6/6/08 - BNS/BCS New Families Picnic 5:00 pm
6/9/08 - BNS/BCS PTA Meeting - 7:00 pm
6/10/08 - BNS/BCS PTA Meeting - 8:45 am
6/11/08 - Science Practice Regents: Grade 9-11
6/13/08 - Last day of marking period
6/16/08 - Last day of HS classes
6/17/08 - 8th grade trip to Bear Mountain (note date change)
6/17/08 - 9:15AM REGENTS – Integrated Algebra (all 9th, selected 10th and 11th)
6/18/08 - 9:15AM REGENTS – ELA Session One (all 11th)
6/18/08 - 1:15PM REGENTS – Global History (all 10th, select 11th)
6/19/08 - 9:15AM REGENTS – ELA Session Two (all 11th)
6/19/08 - 1:15PM REGENTS – Math A and Math B (some 10th and 11th)
6/20/08 - 9:15 AM REGENTS – US History and Government (all 11th)
6/20/08 - 9:15 AM REGENTS – RCT Math (select IEP)
6/20/08 - 1:15 PM REGENTS – Earth Science (all 10th, select 11th)
6/24/08 - 9:15AM REGENTS – Living Environment (all 9th, select 11th)
6/24/08 - 1:15PM REGENTS – Spanish (Spanish 3 and Native Speakers)
6/24/08 - 1:15PM REGENTS – RCT Global (select IEP)
6/24/08 - 8th grade graduation
6/25/08 - 8th grade dance (Note date change)
6/26/08 - Last day of school for students - report cards mailed home

Message from Lisa Bleyer, BCS/BNS Unity Coordinator: Dear Families, as we approach the end of the school year we are making a big push to get more parents and guardians signed up on the bns-bcs yahoo list serve. This e-group is a great way to stay informed about upcoming events related to both schools. Why now, at the end of the year? Well, actually a lot of information goes out during the summer, and especially before the New Year starts, so this is a great time to join and stay in touch. If you have an email address, you can join. It's that simple! Of course we will continue to use all methods to reach you (paper, phone, and email) but we encourage you to sign up and receive helpful reminders and interesting notices straight into your inbox. Please take just a few minutes to do this. Here's how:
- Option 1(super quick): send me an email at lisableyer@earthlink.net and ask me to add you to the BNS/BCS e-group.
- Option 2: send an email to bns_bcs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and state your affiliation to the school (child's name and grade).
We will also be inviting high school students who have their own email address to join. On another note, I hope you received the first edition of the 610 Henry Street News. It was attached to the April monthly letter. This newsletter was put together by the Unity Committee, and we are already working on the next one, to come out in June! If you'd like to be involved in the production of this newsletter, please feel free to contact me at: lisableyer@earthlink.net.

Message from Wanda Barbot, MS Director: Dear Families, as we approach the end of another school year there is still much to do. The 8th graders are very busy. 8th graders are still taking state exams. They have just taken the NYS Science exam and will be taking the NYS Social Studies exam and Spanish Proficiency Exam in the next month. In addition, there are many 8th grade activities taking place. June 24th is graduation, June 25th is the 8th grade dance, June 17th is the 8th grade trip to Bear Mountain. Summer School notification will take place after we receive the results of both the state Math and ELA exams. Any student that fails a state exam with a score of "1" is REQUIRED to attend summer school. In addition, any student that fails a class is REQUIRED to attend summer school. Please review your child's last progress report. If your child is failing a class please contact that teacher to discuss how to help your child pass ALL classes.

Message from Scill Chan, HS Director: Hello High School Families! Several announcements:
1) Please check in with your children about progress in their classes. Guidance counselors will be calling to follow up with any students who are in danger of failing any classes as of mid-May, and you will receive notice about this in the mail. The marking period ends on Fri June 13 after which time students are awarded credit for the second semester. STUDENTS WHO ARE FAILING ANY COURSES MAY BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND SUMMER SCHOOL.
2) TI-83 calculators are still on sale at the school (from $40-$100 depending on your child's free/reduced lunch status). These calculators are a vital part of the math curriculum and are useful to students for the rest of their academic careers through college. They are also used on all Math Regents exams. Please consider purchasing one of these calculators tax-free from the school.
3) As the weather gets nicer, please remind your children about appropriate dress that does not in or undergarments. Students who wear skimpy clothing will be required to change.
4) We also remind parents of our out-to-lunch policy. If students are late to class after lunch, they lose their lunch privilege. Please remind your children about the importance of taking responsibility for their attendance. Please call 718-923-4750 x516 with any questions. We are always glad to hear from you.

Message from Tracey Pinkard, Parent Coordinator: As the school year draws to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported BCS. BCS is a school which provides a forum where parents can be actively involved. We are fortunate to have an amazing group of parents who volunteer their time and energies in the furtherance of their children's education. Keep an eye out for future events, including our New Family Picnic, 8th grade commencement activities, and the band showcase.

Message from Amy Sumner, BNS Parent Coordinator: You're invited to join us to celebrate our schools at the annual Spring Fling on Friday, May 30. The Spring Fling is our annual fundraiser featuring restaurant tastings, a band, a DJ and a silent auction. We need you to make this a successful event. We need your auction items, we need your help the night of, and we need you to help publicize now! To donate goods or services to the auction, call Antoinette Love at 917.756.4313. To volunteer, call Margo Lewis at 917.373.8061. This year, we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of BNS. Older alumni (21 and up) are welcome to join us. This is an adults-only event. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Planning meetings are held every Tuesday morning in the cafeteria at 8:45 am.

Message from Guidance Team: Loren Fisher (Grades 6 and 11), Latisha Torres (Grades 7 and 10), Deb Rothenberg (Grades 8 and 9), and Beth Mowry (High School Admissions): From Beth Mowry, High School Admissions Counselor:7th grade families: Be sure to attend one of the high school admissions information sessions, either May15th at 6:30 or May 19th at 9:00, both in the auditorium.

College planning continues, with the 11th grade visiting Kutztown College, a Penn. State college, on Friday, May 9th, as part of its annual class trip. 52 students have signed up for the trip, which will also include a nature hike and conclude with some fun at Dorney Amusement Park. We'll be returning around 11PM. Students attending the free SAT prep course at the former John Jay HS campus, located in Park Slope, report that it's a good experience. Note: the 11th grade will be taking the SAT on Saturday, June 7th, at various testing sites in Brooklyn.

Message from Patsy Taylor, EVS Supervisor: EVS will be going on the annual overnight camping trip on Thursday, May 8th-9th at the Gateway National Park at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. We will be participating in many environmental activities including tide measurement, soil and sand composition, composting, recycling and shell identification. We will also be going sailing at the South Street Seaport on May 23rd. We are looking forward to these outdoor activities.

Message from 6th Grade Teachers:
Sixth graders recently began the Prospect Park Ecosystems expedition in which they explore the question: Does Prospect Park support healthy ecosystems? We visited the park last week for our first round of fieldwork. Students lead walking tours around the park to visit 3 park ecosystems. Ecosystems in Prospect Park include lake, pond, stream, forest and meadow ecosystems. After observing and photographing 3 ecosystems, classes will now decide which ecosystem they want to focus on. Each class will create a field guide for their chosen ecosystem and each student is responsible for one page in the field guide. The students' pages will be focused on one organism that lives in the ecosystem. They will research details about their organism, hopefully photograph it in the wild and will conduct a population survey to determine how prevalent it is in the park. Students will also be creating a watercolor painting of their organism for their field guide page. As final aspect of the field guide, students will conduct soil and water tests in their ecosystem to assess the health of the environment in Prospect Park. This is a science-based expedition but students will be writing and publishing their writing in their ELA classes. Our second fieldwork trip is scheduled for the week of May 12.
In math, sixth graders commenced their unit on data. They are learning to create graphs out of collected data. Students are also focusing on finding the mode, median and mean of sets of data.

In Social Studies, students are studying world religions. Some classes are focusing on the 5 major world religions (Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism). Other classes are conducting an in-depth study of one religion. This study will include trips to local religious institutions and talks from religious leaders. A major focus of this study is the "This I Believe" essay. Students write personal essays about their beliefs and views on religion. Some classes will do this essay as a way to start thinking about world religions; others are writing the essay as a final assignment after studying religions.

Message from 7th Grade Teachers:
In Science, the 7th grade will be continuing to work on the Gowanus Canal expedition. Water testing ended May 2nd; now it is time to analyze the data. In science, students will be working on understanding the meaning of the chemical tests they performed. Students will also look at the physical environment and habitat of the Gowanus in order to address our guiding questions. Each student has been assigned an animal that lives in the New York Harbor Estuary for at least part of the year. They will be responsible for doing in depth research and writing about the lifestyle of that animal and how it might fare living around the Gowanus Canal. The students will produce a "field guide" page for their animal, their web page entry and a hand drawn illustration of their animal for the final Gowanus project. Next we will be moving on to the cell and understanding the anatomy and functions of the human body.

In Math, the 7th grade is finishing working on their Middle School Survey projects, after which they will work on the Gowanus Expedition. Water testing has ended and all data has been gathered in order to be evaluated by the students. First, students will analyze the data using various measures of central tendency including mean, median, mode and range. Then they will create line graphs that show the change of results of a particular water test over time. They will then use those line graphs to draw possible conclusions about the data gathered and the results of the water testing. As soon as work on the Gowanus Expedition will be terminated, the 7th grade will start exploring right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem.

In Humanities, students are studying the Revolutionary War. We had an impassioned debate in each class where students took on the roles of Loyalists and Patriots and argued whether or not to declare independence from England. As part of this unit, we will also visit the Old Stone House and learn about the Battle of Brooklyn. Students have begun work on their Gowanus Canal web pages. They are responsible for writing about the procedures of the water test they have performed the most, as well as answering the guiding question for our expedition: What is the Gowanus Canal? As we move towards the end of the year, it continues to be important for students to keep reading every night in order to keep making progress as independent readers.

Message from 8th Grade Teachers: The Math and Humanities teams will be collaborating on an expedition about separate but equal school desegregation. The focus will be in three parts. The first part will be about how the doctrine of "separate but equal" came about and the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The second part will be about Brown v. Board of Education and the Little Rock Nine. The third part will focus on schools in New York City and the ethnic breakdown.

In Humanities, students will be exploring the Jim Crow era through a variety of texts, including articles, images, documents, and other primary and secondary sources. They will construct a timeline of key events and legislation leading up to Brown v. the Board of Education. In addition, they will engage in a close study of the Little Rock Nine and will demonstrate their understandings by writing an original personal narrative, told from the perspective of a historical figure involved in the integration of Central High School. Furthermore, building on our "Poetry and Social Justice" unit, students will continue writing to add to their poetry collections.

The math part will be the data collection, representation and analysis of the ethnic breakdown of school in New York City. Each student in each class will have a different district and will list the elementary and middle school breakdowns of race from the site insideschools.org. They will take that information, put it in a spreadsheet and then put it in graphical form. The main graphic will be pie charts and bar graphs. The students will utilize technology and have computer lab time during math class to create these charts. The students will have to show their math skills of graphing by making the same graphs manually before they put them on the computers. They will also answer analysis questions to have them think about the structure of the school system and how ethnicities are broken up in which parts of the city.

This month the 8th Grade will be knee-deep into our Expedition, which addresses the issue of segregated education in our current educational system. Our kick-off will be on May 5th and we will provide for the students background knowledge using various sources to explore and understand "Separate but Equal" (Segregation) as it relates to historical settings in United States. We will be studying, in-depth, Brown vs. Board of Ed. and the ruling which made segregation in education unconstitutional. Also how this ruling was critical and relevant to other events in history. The students will be involved in various fact finding investigations as they simultaneously connect their findings to questions to stimulate deep and critical thinking, while producing end products for this Expedition. This Expedition will continue throughout May.

Message from 9th Grade Teachers: In ELA, we are exploring the ideas of visibility and invisibility as they relate to people and issues in our world today. Some questions we are thinking about are: who/what is invisible in our world today? Why? When are we invisible/visible? When do we make others invisible/visible? In class we are reading articles/stories, as well as watching movies about many issues that the media and popular culture overlook or ignore altogether (thus making them invisible). We are also writing about how we experience visibility and invisibility in our own lives. If you (as parents, guardians, friends of BCS) are interested in coming in to talk about how you have experienced visibility or invisibility in your life, please contact Blaine at 617-549-2359, we would love to hear your story! We leave you with a quote (related to our current unit) to think about: "To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all." - Elie Wiesel

In Algebra, we are doing an intensive Regents Prep that requires the kids to start all the way back at fractions and work up to exponential functions. Students start the unit with a zero and must demonstrate a high level of understanding in order to move through a series of certifications. This will be a hard unit that requires students to stay on top of work throughout class and most likely, do a lot of work outside of class. Our goal is to get every kid to pass the Integrated Algebra Regents this year. If you have any questions, you can contact me at adam.chasen@gmail.com.

In Global History, we are finishing are unit on the Middle Ages. There are two units left to study which are the Renaissance and Meso-America. During the Middle Ages unit students completed a research project in which they researched one of the following topics feudalism, impact of the church, the Bubonic plague, and The Crusades. It was very exciting to see students go in depth within these topics.

In Living Environment students are working hard on a Comparative Anatomy project. This research project requires a well organized group of scientists to read and decode expert texts, gather data from laboratory experiments, and use evidence from these experiences to present a hypothesis and resulting conclusion about the similar features of specific vertebrate animals. The goal for each group is to present their research findings at a Comparative Anatomy Conference (Initial date is June 4th, please keep your eyes open for backpack mail advertising this community event, and final date!) In their groups, students apply for a job by earning licenses required to do that job, thus doing the work each license requires. This project involves a lot of hard work on the students' part in order to get through the entire project. Please support them at home, as they should have work every night for science! As students complete the licensing portion of this project, and start on to dissection and the comparative anatomy portion they will have less and less work they can accomplish outside of the classroom. We strongly recommend that they purchase (through us in science class when available, or at any major bookstore) the Barron's Living Environment Regents Test prep book. Students should start working through those books at their own pace. For more information on test prep opportunities and references, please read the letter sent home with students during science class. Studying and preparing for the regents on students' own time is very important. If you have any questions, please contact me at raka_nuernberger@yahoo.com. See the last page for our extended day opportunities are Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:15, and Fridays from 3:30 to 4:15.

Message from 10th Grade Teachers: In Global History, we are researching the essential question, "Why do people and nations fight?" We are looking at case studies of several wars including the French Revolution, the World Wars, the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War and the Cold War as samples. The unit will conclude with an artistic statement by each student reflecting on the reasons for war and possible solutions for peace. We are wrapping up the semester with a three week unit preparing students intensively for the Global History and Geography Regents exam June 18th.

In Earth Science, we concluded our Building Project with our "Night of Destruction" before break. It was an exciting night that showcased the talents and expertise of 21 of our students. After break, we began an intensive Regents preparation unit, giving the students the skills and practice they need to do well on the Earth Science Regents exam.

In Geometry, we are finishing up the year with our Regents prep unit. Students have to work through a series of certifications towards their unit grade. Each certification increases in difficulty and incorporates concepts from the Math A Regents exam, which students will take in June. The unit is self paced - students become certified once they have shown that they can pass an exit exam for each certification.

Message from 11th Grade Teachers: In American History, we are researching the essential question, "Why do we have civil rights?" We are exploring and explicating the twists and turns of the American Civil Rights Movement, from the reactions to Plessy Vs Ferguson to Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois/NAACP to King to SCLC to X to Chicano Power to the ERA's failure in the late '70s. Our first intellectual push is to piece together the puzzle of African-American leadership resisting Jim Crow and the Black Codes of the American South; the mid-unit exploration will take us to defining MLK as the prime mover of conscience and politics in the late 1950s and 1960s. Our written research work all comes down to a college-level research paper, fulfilling a tenet of our essential question. Last note -- a small cadre of students will launch our unit with a monuments study: What should a civil rights monument look like today?

It is hard to believe that we are already so close to the end of the year! In 11th grade ELA we are completing our final unit on the American dream with Arthur's Miller's play Death of a Salesman. As always it is recommended that students purchase their own copy of the text so that they are free to 'mark up' the text. Additionally, we are rapidly approaching the Regents season, and all 11th graders will be taking the Engish Regents in June. The English Regents is an exam that is given once during high school, and must be passed in order for a student to graduate. It is an intensive exam that takes place over the course of two days, and is heavily based on writing. Although we will spend two weeks in June preparing for the exam, we strongly encourage students to take every measure to prepare by attending afterschool sessions and buying a Barron's English Regents prep book to study with at home.

In Internship, students are preparing for their final authentic assessment on May 18 at the BCS Model Job Fair where they will be representing their organizations and be evaluated by their supervisor mentor. Students have created their resumes and organizational descriptions that will be part of their displays. Parents, the public and the media are invited. Please come support your future member of the labor force.

Above and beyond, several students have participated in events with their organizations after their required hours: Sharan E. and Edgardo M. , from the Spain/US Chamber of Commerce, attended a networking event with Latin American chambers of commerce at the Queen Sofia Cultural Center on the Upper East Side; Rachel M., Dominique R., and Entasr M., from Long Island College Hospital, received awards at the Hospital Volunteers Recognition Dinner; Kira C. and Elyse M., from Health Education Alternatives for Teens, participated in a day-long peer educator conference at SUNY Downstate.

In Spanish III: Students will be taking a practice Spanish Regents exam on Wed., May 7. The goal is to achieve an 85 or better which grants students three years of Spanish credit and exempts SUNY-bound students from the language requirement. As a break from Regents preparation, this month, we will be engaged in a Latin music unit, featuring the musicians from the Buena Vista Social Club and a culinary unit featuring a simulated class-room restaurant with student-make foods.

College Advisement: SATs: All 11th graders will be taking the SAT on Saturday, June 7. They have registered to take this test at a test center of their choice. The SAT is not given at BCS. Please make sure your child gets enough sleep the night before, eats a good breakfast and has a plan to get there on time at 7:45 am. She/he will need to bring: photo ID (school ID is good), the SAT admission ticket (which they should already have -- we printed them out at school), two No. 2 pencils (not mechanical pencils), a good eraser, a calculator with fresh batteries, and snacks (for breaks). They must use a No. 2 pencil on the answer sheet. The test should be finished by 12:30 or 1pm. For more information, please go to www.collegeboard.com. Students have been continuing to meet individually with me, Zan, to discuss college choices. Please remind them that this semester's grades are very important. By the end of the school year, your child should have an idea of two or three colleges they would like to apply to next year. If possible, you and your child should plan to visit colleges over the summer. Please see, email, or call me for more information. Zan, room 401A, Mondays and Weds; AJacobu@schools.nyc.gov, (718) 935-4750 x701 or voicemail at (718) 768-6839. Feel free to contact me.

Messages from Spanish, Art, Music, Drama, Photography and Sign Language:
Spanish News: High School Spanish 1 classes we have begun preparing students for the Performance Based Assessment Tool (PBAT) that will be used to determine whether they have successfully passed the class. Students must hand in 50 typed sentences about themselves, a multimedia project (drawing, poem, photo, video, or audio recording) and be prepared to answer questions about themselves and their family.

Sixth graders have been continuing with Bomba class with Jose and preparing for a show that is tentatively scheduled for Monday May 19th. Spanish 2a (7th graders) are working on a magazine project that involves creating their own 4 page magazine based on models used in class. They are also practicing for the dance contest at the Latin Dance Party on May 14th 6:30-8:30 pm ALL FAMILIES INVITED! 8th graders are also practicing for this event and starting to prepare for the State Spanish exam.

Art Studio News: Greetings from the art studio! This first week of May, 8th and 9th graders have been completing sculptural collages based on feelings or ideas they are comfortable sharing with the public and feelings or ideas they consider to be private. Following the sculpture activity 9th graders will be developing maps of their lives through drawing and painting. These maps will be a way for students to discuss and represent visually their life trajectory i.e.; where they started, where they are now and how they imagine themselves in the future. Altogether, the sculpture work, map and printing making activities (from earlier in the year) are all ways for students to reflect on issues of identity, to think through the qualities of materials that support their vision of "self" and to show those ideas and feelings in a work of art that feels authentic to them. As noted earlier in this newsletter; 8th graders are focusing on issues of social justice. These studies will carry over into the art studio. 8th grade students will be using mark making and color mixing as a language through which they will create metaphorical paintings based on social justice issues as they experience them in their own lives.
A few last words...Thank you Yolanda in the office and Sara and Joann from Spanish for all your thoughtful donations to the art studio! Remember, the art studio is open at 8:00 am Monday mornings for students who would like to extend their time working or for portfolio consultation. Sharpen your drawing pencils students! Soon we will be sketching in Italy!

Music News: Do you hear what I hear? I believe it is the sound of students practicing, but also packing for ITALY!!!! WE DID IT! The band leaves May 29th for Florence, Italy. They will be performing at a middle school in Tuscany. Please stay tuned for the Welcome Home celebration!! The sixth graders are working on their composition skills and piano performance. They are creating group compositions to be played on the keyboard and Orff instruments! Stop by room 213 for a sample of their creative work!

Drama News: The Drama and Band programs present our first Spring Performing Arts Festival with scenes from three plays, "Over the Road", an original musical by BCS teachers Sarah Safford and Jonathan Hardy, "Hellen Keller" a musical first produced at Kori Schneider's Interborough Repertory theater and "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansbury. The Band will play a variety of classical selections previewing their concert for Italy. The actors, singers and musicians include students from all three schools within BNS/BCS, from elementary, middle and high school. The performance is May 9th at 6pm. Please come and support the hard work of all of our amazing students.

Photography News: In Photography (digital), the students have been honing their skills with Adobe Photoshop to enhance their images into strong works of art. Furthermore, they have been critiquing other people's works and also their own, based on criteria of composition and lighting techniques. In addition, our students' works will be featured in several photographic exhibits during the summer. Some students have already registered for photographic workshops organized by well-known organizations that will expose them to a wider world of image making and collaborative working experience. Finally, the students will produce a digital portfolio that includes all the projects they did during the school year.

Sign Language News: As we continue to build vocabulary and confidence to communicate, the ASL classes have also been working on participating in the Spring Performing Arts Festival. Some students will be interpreting a poem after the "Helen Keller" scene. On June 6th Deaf students will be coming down from Rochester to perform "Raisin in the Sun" in Sign Language for all of the students in the ASL program.

Message from Technology Teachers: The computer lab is very busy this time of the year. The 7th graders are working on their Triangle Trade project, 8th graders are doing a data analysis project as part of their expedition on school desegregation, while 9th graders are producing their silhouette posters for their ELA tech project. The computer lab is open everyday after school; whether it is math, science, ELA or history, we can help. We encourage students to come by to work on their projects, conduct their research and engage in school related activities.

Message from PE Teachers: As the weather gets warmer, students are receiving the opportunity to display their skills on the baseball field behind the school. It is our intentions to record certain classes and games onto a DVD and distribute them to the students so hey could take them home and show their achievements. For 8th grade students, we are collaborating with the 8th grade science team for a final project where your child will learn and present their knowledge of diseases in various ways ranging from posters, pamphlets and public service announcements. We urge all parents to come and enjoy the children’s hard work and accomplishments.

Message from Susan Westover, Librarian: Many students have been taking advantage of the new books we have in the BNS/BCS library. Encourage your child to come take a look as May is the last full month of borrowing at our library. We have many new titles for Teens and we've created a new "Teen Interest" section in our library to guide our BCS students to books that might interest them. Stop by for a peek!