Middle School Kicks Off Year with Joyful and Meaningful Retreat

Following the first-day-of-school welcome celebration, 8th graders loaded onto a bus and headed to Camp Newman for the middle school retreat (6th and 7th graders joined the following day). The programming for the first day of the retreat for the 8th grade was “geared toward asking them to be reflective of their years at Brandeis,” explains Director of Middle School Dr. Sivan Tarle. “They identified moments of gratitude and moments centered on our Brandeis community values, and then identified ways they will live out those values as leaders of our student community.” The 8th graders also engaged in a design thinking program, where they designed fictional high schools. “This allows our students the opportunity to begin thinking holistically about what inspires them as learners and what they are looking for in a community outside of Brandeis.”

 

The following day both the 6th graders and 7th graders joined their older peers, as the camp became a community of middle schoolers. For the first time ever, Battle of the Advisories kicked off at the retreat (in the past it has been only the final Friday of the year), with teams creating chants and songs for their teams. And, of course, what would camp be without pool hangouts, tower climbs, and games of gaga, ultimate Frisbee, and boomer ball?

 

Adds Dr. Tarle, “For me, developing a sense of trust among our learners and educators and infusing fun into that process is a key to starting off a year of work together. And I was blown away by the efforts, the dedication, and the passion of our faculty, and was elated with the joy that our students brought from the first day of school and the retreat. It was a really magical camp experience.” MORE PHOTOS