Academics

Jack shows off his adirondack chair that he made in his woodworking class this year. All students got to pick an item to design and create in woodworking. Nice work Jack!

We celebrated the culmination of the shoe design project with Renbrook School’s Tinkering Academy. Betsy Flynn, Lower School Learning Specialist, has been working with students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 along with the classroom teachers designing shoes for their buddies. Using a design thinking model, with a focus on empathy, the students interviewed their buddies to learn about their shoe preferences for style, color, and function. Their designs were on full display with a runway show, lights and music! 

On Thursday, April 19, Renbrook ninth graders showed off their Senior Projects.  The subjects varied from the role of advertsing in todays world, to the evolution of hip-hop. Students also displayed their favorite artwork for their family and friends to admire.

Some kindergarten students explored how to program some robots and did an awesome job getting them to start to move!

Leading up to the Invention Convention, fourth graders learn about the world through the lens of one particular country. They research what makes their countries special and they champion these countries as members of a model U.N. Students also study simple machines and the history of inventors and inventions. They then combine what they have learned in these fields of study in order to solve a real world problem people in their regions face today.

On February 5, Renbrook School ninth graders participated in “Poetry Out Loud”, a nationwide poetry recitation contest for high school students. The students chose their poems before winter vacation from the Poetry Out Loud Website, memorized them, analyzed them, and recited them at Renbrook School before a panel of judges. Students are judged on accuracy, physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. This year our school winner, Nicole R. ’18 of West Simsbury will move on to the next round of competition. Runner up: Aubrey B. ’18 of Burlington

Kindergarten students had a blast in STEAM! They are using conductive paint to build simple circuits! 

On Saturday, February 3rd, 14 Renbrook students competed in the Hartford Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition at the University of Hartford. There were 28 schools, both public and private, represented either by having students compete as Alternates and Individuals. Each school designates four of their “Individuals” who then compete in a “Team” round. Their score in this round along with the average of the scores of these four students make up the Team score. This year there were 25 “Teams”, 205 “Individuals”, and 25 “Alternates” competing. This competition is getting stiffer and stiffer every year as students try to qualify for a spot in the State round and rankings very often differ by a quarter of a point in many cases. Only the five top scoring Teams move on as well as the top 40 Individuals. This year Renbrook had a very respectable showing, ranking 9th out of 25, and we had one student, Sophie G. who ranked 31st /205. She will compete in the State Competition in March.

Congratulations to Sophie and to all our Mathletes and thank you for spending, what turned out to be a very long Saturday, at the competition.

Certificate of Participation Recipients are: Alternates: Sahil A., Andrew K. Will N., and Jayden Y.

Individuals: Manu N., Jake O., Shauna S., Ethan S., Brendan S., and Zoe W.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”