ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL

Lower School

Boys should arrive any time between 8:00-8:15 a.m. and proceed directly to their classrooms during that window of time. Boys are considered late if they arrive after 8:15 a.m.

All Lower School boys are dismissed between 2:45 and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Teachers will bring classes out to the sidewalk in front of the building. Grade 5 boys may self dismiss with family permission.

Middle and Upper School

Middle School boys are expected to be in their homerooms at 8:10 a.m. and Upper School boys at 8:35 a.m.

Grades 6-8 are dismissed at 3:10 p.m. each day. Boys may self-dismiss with family permission.

ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Guiding Principles

All students are expected to attend class daily unless they are excused for an approved reason as detailed below. All students are expected to arrive at class on time. School attendance is fundamental to children's academic and psychological well being.
Students, families, and the School all have a role to play in ensuring that the School's attendance policy is upheld.

Why Attendance Matters

In order for Browning students to learn most effectively and participate meaningfully in our community, school attendance is a requirement. Consistent, punctual attendance improves student achievement and promotes student learning. Students who are present can collaborate with their peers and receive the full benefit of attention from their teachers. Persistent student absences exact a cost on our community, teaching and learning, and on fostering compassionate and courageous men who can contribute meaningfully to our world.

Absences

Families are asked to notify both their son’s homeroom teacher and the school office via phone or email (frontdesk@browning.edu) before 8:25 a.m. to report any absence. Families are asked to respect the school calendar and organize family vacations and celebrations accordingly.

More detailed information regarding attendance policies for each division will be included in The Browning School Family Handbook, which you will receive in August.

CALENDAR

A list of school closures and other important dates can be found here.

COMMUNICATION

All teachers have voicemail and email. If you contact a teacher, he/she will return your call within 24 hours of the next school day. In an emergency, please contact the front desk at 212-838-6280. Browning parents receive emails from the Parents Association, a bi-weekly e-newsletter, and communication from various members of the faculty that keep them updated on school events.

DRESS CODE

Lower School

• Official uniform supplier: Lands' End
• Website: www.landsend.com/school
• Preferred School Number: 900031170
• All shirts must feature the Browning logo.

Formal Dress Uniform

(Required only on Formal Dress Days, as listed in the school calendar)

• Dark jacket (Browning patch optional)
• Dress shirt
• Tie
• Khaki or dark pants
• Sneakers or dress shoes (e.g. loafers)

Casual Uniform

• Red, white or black Browning polo shirt or turtleneck with Browning logo (purchased from Lands’ End)
• Red, white or black Browning sweater with Browning logo — optional (purchased from Lands’ End)
• Khaki or dark pants
• Sneakers or dress shoes (e.g. loafers)

PE Uniform (Grades 3 - 5 only)

During the first week of school, students in Grades 3–5 will receive their PE uniform and a drawstring bag for storing and transporting gym clothes. Each student will be provided with:

• 1 t-shirt
• Gym shorts
• Sweatpants
• Sweatshirt Families may purchase extra uniforms starting the second week of school using this form.

Click here for a printable document outlining these guidelines.

Middle and Upper School

Browning boys are expected to present themselves in a manner consistent with the commonly accepted traditions of the School. Extremes in fashion or appearance are not acceptable. Boys in Middle and Upper Schools must wear a sports jacket, dress shirt and tie, dress slacks, close-toed dress shoes (or sneakers) and socks. Boys are expected to present a neat appearance, with their ties properly drawn up and their shirt tails tucked in. No other attire is acceptable in the School or at school functions unless specifically stated in advance. Clothing should be appropriate, neat and clean. Jeans of any color, work pants, cargo or painter’s pants, polo shirts, sweatshirts or hats are not permitted. Sweaters may be worn underneath but not in place of jackets. Non-athletic, solid-color shorts may be worn after Spring Break.

On Fridays, boys may wear Browning Casual dress. Browning Casual permits khaki pants, chino pants, dress shirts, sweaters, and appropriate golf shirts. Appropriate golf shirts have a collar, no writing on them, and have a small logo or no logo at all. No tie or blazer is required, but a boy may wear standard dress code if he would like.

If a student does not properly comply with the Browning Casual attire, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against them for not being in dress code. Browning boys are required to observe Browning’s dress code when attending classes at Interschool, and other students are expected to dress according to their school’s code while at Browning. Students may be sent home if a change of clothes is considered necessary.

Click here for a summary of uniform guidelines for Middle and Upper School boys.

ENCORE (AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES)

Encore is the School’s extended-day activities program for Kindergarten through Grade 4. For more information about Encore, please contact encore@browning.edu.

Chess: After school chess lessons are offered for one hour or two hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday by registering through Veracross. Professional chess masters teach the fundamentals of the game, including various defensive and offensive strategies. Please contact Giorgi Bakhtadze or Julianne Rowland for more information.

Private music lessons are offered on piano, violin, guitar, cello, trumpet, saxophone, drums, and voice through the Encore program. It is customary for a student who starts lessons in the fall to keep his appointed day and time for the entire school year. The after school music, Encore, and chess programs work together to coordinate, when possible, a student’s participation in more than one of these programs during the course of an afternoon. For more information please contact encore@browning.edu.

HANDBOOKS

Families have access to the Parent Handbook via our Parent Portal. You will receive access to the portal shortly after your son is fully enrolled.

HEALTH FORMS

Health forms, including the New York State requirements for physical examination, immunization and athletic participation forms are accessible through the Magnus Student Medical Records portal, and should be updated in advance of each school year. The portal opens in April for the coming year and can be accessed through our parent portal. It is imperative that student medical forms be completed properly and thoroughly by both parent and physician as required by New York State law. Completed forms must be uploaded to the Magnus Student Medical Records portal before a boy may begin classes. Click here for instructions. Please do not email these forms as they must be accessed and approved through the Magnus portal.

WORLD LANGUAGES

Lower School

First and second grade boys receive weekly language instruction, which includes exposure to Spanish and French. In third grade, students choose a full-year beginner course in either French or Spanish, which continues into fourth and fifth grades. At this level, both courses are introductory and focused as much on culture as they are on language acquisition. We believe it is important that children of this age have the opportunity to be exposed to a second language, and that this is as relevant as the actual language acquisition. If, for example, your son is already fluent in one language, we would strongly encourage him to choose the other language.

While we cannot guarantee that every child will receive his first choice, we will try to accommodate all requests and the option to change languages may be available in the future. The selection form will be available by April.

Middle and Upper School

As students enter Grade 6, they are given the opportunity to choose between French, Spanish, and Latin. French and Spanish classes will be a continuation of our current Grades 1-5 program, and Latin will be offered at the introductory level.

New students who enter Browning in Grade 6 and 7 with experience in French and Spanish (or who complete summer work assigned by Browning's World Language department if new to the language) can take a diagnostic assessment to enter the target language class. Alternatively, they will be placed in Latin. New Grade 8 students will be placed into the Grade 8 French or Spanish class and the Grade 8 Latin class. We will recommend summer work to facilitate the transition into these language courses.

Rising Grade 9 students will be offered the option of Mandarin, in addition to our traditional offerings of Latin II, Spanish II, and French II. Students will be able to take two languages if they choose to do so, as long as they still fulfill Browning’s requirement of a three-year sequence in at least one language.

For Grade 9 students new to Browning, those with prior study in Latin, French, or Spanish will need to demonstrate proficiency in order to be placed in a level II course, or must choose either Mandarin I or Latin I. Browning requires three years of study in at least one world language, so these students will be expected to take the same language through level III.

NUT AWARENESS

Browning makes every effort to keep all nuts out of the menu. The kitchen does not cook with any nut oil, and there are no nuts in the food served at lunch and during snack time. Peanuts are not included on the lunch menu.

In an effort to maintain the aforementioned, we ask the following:

• All food brought into school must be nut- and nut oil-free. This includes food for any special celebrations and food brought during field trips, Field Day, etc.
• If you are at all uncertain of ingredients, please reach out to our head chef; she is happy to answer any questions.
• For prepackaged items, please read the label to determine if any nut or nut oil is an ingredient.
• If your son participates in any after-school program and leaves school to buy a snack between dismissal and the beginning of the program, please discuss with him our efforts to keep Browning nut-free and remember to buy nut-free snacks.

PARENT PORTAL (VERACROSS)

You will be sent information on how to access the Parent Portal soon after your son is fully enrolled. You may log in through the school website. You will find important information including a family directory and your child's report cards in this portal.

PLAYDATES AND BIRTHDAYS (LOWER SCHOOL)

Playdates

When your son has a playdate and is leaving directly from school, the teacher must receive notes from the parents of both children (both guest and host) explaining the plan.

Birthday Parties

We realize that it may not be possible to invite an entire class to a party held outside the School; therefore, please be sensitive to the feelings of the other boys who are not attending the festivities. Please invite the entire section or fewer than half.

REPORT CARDS/PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Browning operates on a semester system, the first beginning in September, the second beginning in the middle of January.

All Lower School students receive mid-semester reports in November and April, which will be followed by parent-teacher conferences.

Middle and Upper School reports are sent home four times a year--at the midpoint and at the end of each semester.

The interim progress reports, sent out in the middle of each semester, describe a boy’s performance. The grades included with these reports indicate a boy’s current standing but are not used to calculate the yearly average.

School Store

Click here to stock up on all the latest Browning gear available for purchase in the School Store.

SUMMER COMMUNICATION

You will receive email in mid-August that will direct you to registration for Encore, chess, and music, as well as various sports programs, class rosters, and other important information you'll need to start the school year. You should receive this email mid-August.

TRANSPORTATION

The Department of Education (DOE) offers free yellow bus transportation to K – Grade 6 students within a defined geographic area. The NYC Bureau of Pupil Transportation sets the resident requirements for this service.

The DOE also provides MetroCards for boys of any grade level who reside within the five boroughs. The NYC Bureau of Pupil Transportation determines the guidelines as to who receives a full- or half-fare card and makes all final decisions regarding who is eligible for a MetroCard.

Please note that only one method of transportation may be selected, as per the DOE. (For example, a student who rides the DOE bus is not also eligible for a Metrocard.)

Browning also provides free private bus service for families that live downtown (below 40th Street).

Click here for frequently asked questions about buses and a list of bus stops for the 2023-2024 academic year (route is subject to change).

Metrocards
Towards the end of this school year, arrangements for bus and subway passes will be made through our front office. Homeroom teachers distribute passes to eligible students in September and January. If a bus pass is lost, the loss should be reported to the Director of Operations who will submit a claim for replacement. Please note that the replacement cards are issued by the city only at the beginning of the next month after the loss is reported, so a student will have to pay for his own transportation until his replacement card arrives.

NYC Transportation policy for a Metrocard:

• Grades K-6: Students must reside one mile or more from school.
• Grades 7-12: Students must reside 1 1/2 miles or more from school.

Please contact Theresa Rodriguez, Director of Operations, with any questions on DOE transportation options.

TUITION PAYMENTS

A deposit to secure enrollment for the next school year is due in February to the Office of Admission and Enrollment. Tuition payments thereafter are collected by the Business Office in July and December, or they can be made on a monthly basis through FACTS for an additional fee.

WELCOME EVENTS

The School hosts events for incoming families in the spring prior to the coming year. You will receive invitations and information about such events from The Office of Admission. Closer to the start of the school year, you will receive information about fall events for new families.

PA VOLUNTEERS

The Parents Association welcomes all volunteers for the activities listed below.

BOOK FAIR

The Browning Book Fair takes place each fall and promotes the love of reading while raising funds to support the school library. The event showcases books for all reading levels and features selected authors and illustrators who discuss their books in the classrooms prior to the fair.

CHESS

Learning to play chess has been shown to enhance academic performance and mathematical ability and is a long-standing part of Browning’s Lower School curriculum. PA funding supplements chess in the classroom with after-school chess programs, Chess Club, Browning tournaments, and participation in local, state, and national tournaments.

HOLIDAY PARTY

The Browning Holiday Party is an annual cocktail reception that brings our parent community, alumni, past parents, and faculty together to celebrate the season. For one night, the School’s gym is festively transformed and guests enjoy viewing student artwork based on what they are studying in the classroom.

PROJECT CICERO

The goal of Project Cicero is to supplement and create libraries for children in under-resourced NYC public schools, pediatric hospital units, homeless shelters, community centers and wherever there is a need. Browning is one of over 50 NYC independent, public and parochial schools to participate. We collect new and gently used hardcover and paperback books in boxes set up in the lobby. The event takes place in March.

SPEAKER PROGRAM

Throughout the year, the Parents Association sponsors speakers of interest to the Browning community who come to talk to parents on a variety of topics.

WINTER CARNIVAL

This all-community winter event sees three hours of thrilling games, onbstacle courses, carnival delights, and additional activities like face painting and balloon animals. Parents are invited to volunteer to assist.