Dear Families and Supporters of BASIS Independent Brooklyn,
I hope that by now you are feeling the full rejuvenating effects of summer! Your children are no doubt preparing for various summer adventures: travels and camps and other recreational pursuits. We hope that, in addition to this, they are able to take a moment to reflect how far they have come over the past school year.
We spend a lot of time thinking about the word "community." What does it means for us and our students at BASIS Independent Brooklyn? "Community" is a noun, but it acts like a verb; a community is ever-changing, growing, and shifting. Our school community at BASIS Independent Brooklyn, the community of Red Hook, and the larger New York City community are all in constant motion. This is the city that never sleeps, right?
Helping our students understand community and the importance of joining, creating, belonging, respecting, and growing, is a pretty big idea to wrestle with.
Good thing we've never been afraid of big ideas.
Sharing her thoughts on community, BASIS Independent Brooklyn Head of School, Ms. Hadley Ruggles states, "students often ask about their relationship to the world around them. It is critical that a student feels the comfort that comes with a community and a sense of belonging, while also recognizing what makes us a collective whole and what defines us as individuals. We foster this sense of inquiry by immersing students in their community."
On Monday, May 9, we jumped at the opportunity to connect students with neighboring Red Hook Seniors by attending the Torch Relay at the Red Hook Recreation Center and showing their support for the Brooklyn Senior Games.
On April 25th and 26th, we hosted the families of our currently enrolled students at the very first Hard Hat Tours of our new construction at 556 Columbia St.
Beginning in the entryway, we showed off progress on our beautiful, Greek-style theatre as well as the community space we have designated for parents and guardians looking to connect with each other.
Moving through the cafeteria, we walked out to one of our two outdoor play spaces, and up one of the three staircases in the building.
Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of being on the ground floor of starting a new educational community in Brooklyn is seeing students excel, of hearing time and time again, “I love my school.”
A close second is the recognition we have achieved as an institution in the prestigious educational landscape of New York City. In a few short months, in a temporary facility, BASIS Independent Brooklyn has become a school to watch.
We’re also making our mark as a program that the educational community is looking to for insights, to have us share how we do what we do, and why we do it.
Join our Enrollment Team Saturday, March 7th at 10:30 AM as we participate on a special panel hosted by the Brown University Club in New York on all things High School Admissions in New York City. As we grow our High School program beginning in the Fall 2015-2016 school year, we’ve been asked to weigh in on the high school landscape, the search process, and how to determine the right fit for students.
For more information on tickets, location, and panelist bios, see here.
Inspired by the blissful feeling of uncovering connections, our blog Eureka! Brooklyn is about sharing moments that capture the essence of what it is to be a BASIS Independent student, teacher, administrator, or family.