It’s September, and that means it’s time for the Star-Revue’s first annual Back to School guide, featuring Q&A’s with some Red Hook’s dearest educational institutions. We sent questions to every school in Red Hook, and these were the responses we received.
Don’t forget to do your homework!
South Brooklyn Community High School
How many students attend SBCHS?
157
When was SBCHS founded?
South Brooklyn Community High School started as a program first at John Jay High School in Park Slope and then at the Miccio Center. We became an accredited high school and moved into our current building in 2001.
What makes your school unique?
SBCHS has a partnership with Good Shephard Services, and is a transfer school for students who have struggled at or dropped out of other schools. Our students are between the ages of 16 and 21, and we have a student to staff ratio of 6 to 1. Every student has a counselor, and we offers learn-to-work programs as well as many other community partnerships.
Are you adding any new activities or programs this year?
This year SBCHS is adding co-ed track and field as well as driver’s education. In addition, we are continuing our garden program and our partnership with the Red Hook Justice Center’s Peacemaker Program, which we started last year.
How do you keep parents in the loop?
SBCHS offers monthly parent meetings, which are often on a particular theme, such as financial aid for colleges. In addition, students’ counselors do weekly parent outreach, we host regular mandated parent teacher conferences, and we have a monthly newsletter. SBCHS’ school leadership team has parent members, and parents can also track their children’s grades through an online report system. Finally, at the end of every year we hold an awards ceremony honoring everyone in our community, including parents.
How do you handle bullying?
We have a very small student to staff ratio, and we very very carefully monitor our students’ relationships. At the first hint of potential conflict, we act on it immediately. If a conflict does occur, the students will address it with their counselors. Parents may be involved in the mediation. We also address bullying in group advising sessions.
How does your school integrate itself into the community?
Through our student partnerships. In addition to our work with the Red Hook Justice Center we collaborate with Dance Theatre Etcetera. Many of our alumni work in other programs in the community as well.
What skills or interests do you look for when hiring new teachers?
We look for a high level of competence, but also a sensitivity to trauma-informed practices. It takes a special person to work with our population. People who come here really want to be here.
Summit Academy Charter School
How many students attend Summit Academy Charter School?
320-350
When was your school founded?
Summit Academy Charter School was founded in 2008 and welcomed its first class of scholars in 2009.
What makes your school unique?
We set high expectations for our scholars and provide a loving, caring, and supportive space for everyone on board. From leadership to our staff, we believe that every kid has the capacity to strive in greatness.
Are you adding any new activities or programs this year?
Yes! Here at Summit we are introducing new programs and activities this year that have derived from 95% of our seniors receiving acceptance letters from colleges. These programs and activities include an academic lab, a coding class, a tech and engineering class, Genius Hour and an increase in musical productions.
How do you keep parents in the loop?
Here at Summit we keep parents in the loop by making a school newspaper titled Summit Times, which includes everything that’s happening for that week. We’re also creating a Tuesday Tribune which also includes what’s happening in the week, but mostly focuses on what events and trips are coming up as well as the prices of Summit gear and other stuff pertaining to summit uniforms.
In addition, scholars’ advisors keep in contact with parents, updating them on their child’s behavior, grade average, Parent-Teacher Conference date, and social, mental, and emotional states.
How do you handle bullying?
We have the scholars that are involved sit down and talk it out, and then we address the scholars’ parents for a parent and scholar meeting. From there we take steps to ensure that that type of situation doesn’t happen again.
How does your school integrate itself into the community?
Scholars are required to fulfill a certain amount of community service hours. This helps scholars learn what giving back and benefiting their community means. Also, we host our own events which invites the Red Hook community to attend and be part of something green, educational, and fun. We create and host our own health fair, canned food drives, toy drives, fundraisers, and walks.
Our way of integrating ourselves into the community is very authentic because it comes from our heart.
What skills or interests do you look for when hiring new teachers?
We look for someone who believes that our scholars have the abilities to strive in all areas – someone who understands and has the commitment to what a teacher is and whose main concern isn’t about the money.
BASIS Independent Brooklyn
How many students attend BASIS Independent Brooklyn?
675 serving Pre K – Grade 12.
When was BASIS Independent Brooklyn founded?
BASIS Independent Brooklyn was one of two flagship independent schools that opened in Fall 2014 (the other was BASIS Independent Silicon Valley). We started in 1998 as a charter school system in Tucson.
What makes BASIS Independent Brooklyn school unique?
Our program is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences and offers a well-rounded, accelerated curriculum. Additionally, all elementary students take engineering, physical education, fine arts, drama, and music, integrated math and science, humanities, and an interdisciplinary, project-based course called Connections. In the elementary years, all students have two teachers: A Subject Expert Teacher, responsible for delivering high level academic content in each classroom, and a Learning Expert Teacher who is responsible for ensuring what that content is. Our students are all required to take a minimum of six AP classes, which is well within their grasp after years of accelerated learning in the early grades.
Are you adding new programs or activities this year?
The way we develop our enrichment offerings is very student-led. We allow students to be entrepreneurs and create their own clubs and activities, which is a strong learning opportunity. Some examples of what we currently offer in Brooklyn are a Minecraft club, ballet, soccer, fencing, cooking club, Model UN, and more.
How do keep parents in the loop?
Students are put in the driver’s seat of their own education right from the start – homework assignments are not posted online, but rather children keep a “Communication Journal” that includes everything from teacher’s notes to homework assignments to test scores. Still, students, parents, and teachers are an important triad that sometimes must all meet.
We engage our parents in a number of social events, including Coffee with Administration, picnics, and family carnivals. Most importantly, however, we ask for parental support at home!
How does your school integrate itself into the community?
Our students have participated in the Red Hook Senior Games and the Red Hook Garden Clean-up. They have visited many local sites from the Red Hook Library to local restaurants on Van Brunt. We enjoy both utilizing and giving to the community!
How do you handle bullying?
We have very few bullying issues. We have implemented a code of conduct that promotes respect for fellow students and staff members. In particular, the school adheres to a zero tolerance policy toward any language or behavior that intimidates, belittles, or causes physical or emotional injury to others.
What skills or interests do you look for when hiring new teachers?
We look for not only pedigree but the ability to engage a student. To measure this, a candidate must go through a number of rigorous interviews including meetings with our central teacher recruiting staff and administration on-site. The last stage of any interview is always the demo lesson, when a teacher is required to perform a 25-minute lesson to a group of students who will then evaluate a teacher based on his or her ability to excite and inspire them to continue studies in the field.
