Brooklyn Heights Montessori School (BHMS) at 185 Court Street, announces the appointment of Martha Haakmat as the new Head of School, effective July 1. Haakmat currently serves as the Head of the Middle School at Brooklyn Friends School. She replaces Dane L. Peters, who will retire at the end of this school year.

Haakmat has been an educator and leader in New York City independent schools for 26 years. In her current role at BFS, Haakmat has led and participated in curriculum evaluation, improving inter-divisional transitions and retention, redevelopment of faculty/staff supervision and growth procedures, establishing and hiring for the position of a dedicated divisional learning specialist and serving on and leading development of several all-school committees, including academic affairs, diversity and guidance.

She previously spent 14 years at Packer Collegiate Institute in numerous administrative and teaching roles, including Middle School admissions, Education Leadership Council member, Diversity Coordinator and teacher of history, humanities, English and health. Haakmat is also the founder/director and former chief consultant to EDGE (Educators for Diversity, Growth and Empowerment), which designs and conducts workshops for boards, faculty, staff, and student training in educational institutions regionally and nationally through the NYC Board of Education, Interschool, NYSAIS and NAIS.

Haakmat served on the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School Board of Trustees from 2009-2012. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University and an MS Ed from the Bank Street College of Education.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8621

Susan Kuhlmann, the Principal of Linden Tree Preschool in Cobble Hill, informs CHB that the facility it has used for the past nine years, Christ Church at 180 Kane Street, is being closed permanently after the building was struck by lightning and severely damaged last July.

At that time, Kuhlmann says, for safety reasons, the school had to immediately vacate, “being told by Christ Church we’d be back within weeks.” Since, it has been operating out of St. Stephen’s Church in Carroll Gardens. But now, “weeks and months have gone by and in January (2013), we were informed by Christ Church that they are closing Linden Tree Preschool as of June 30, sending families clamoring for alternate preschools and leaving nine dedicated staff members unemployed.”

Linden Tree Preschool is now searching for a new permanent home. Kuhlmann notes:

In order to continue to serve our families, staff and greater community by providing a beautiful preschool experience, myself and a colleague, Jennifer DeLuna, have formed our own LLC, Building Bridges. We require a minimum of 3,000 square feet but are willing to exceed that for the right opportunity. We are also willing to sign a long-term lease.

As you know rental space in our community is costly and difficult to come by. We have been searching for months and continue to. If anyone can help us please reach out, we need a home and can provide a nice income stream for a rental space. We appreciate any assistance.

Susan Kuhlmann: susan@lindentreepreschool.com
Jennifer DeLuna: jennifer@lindentreepreschool.com
lindentreepreschool.com
718-687-8141

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8426

As we reported last October, Steve Levin, who represents our district in the City Council, has $1 million in discretionary funds that may be used to bankroll projects in the area. Back then he had a community meeting to solicit ideas; now he has a list of sixteen “viable” projects and is asking constituents to vote this week for up to five of these projects to receive funding. The top vote getters, totalling up to $1 million, will be funded. A list of projects on the ballot is here.

Of the projects listed, several would benefit Brooklyn Heights or the immediate area. One would provide funds for laptops and smartboards at MS 8, which serves local students. Another would improve lighting in the Atlantic Avenue access to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Two others would improve Cadman Plaza Park; one by rehabilitating a presently closed comfort station, and the other by installing weight-based fitness equipment.

To vote you must be a resident of the district and sixteen or older. You must vote in person at a designated polling place, and bring ID proving age and residence. These are the locations and hours of operation of the polling places in this area:

The Moxie Spot, 81 Atlantic Avenue (between Henry and Hicks), today (Monday, April 1) through Saturday, April 6, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Borough Hall, 289 Joralemon Street, Wednesday, April 3, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

PS 8, 37 Hicks Street (between Middagh and Poplar), Friday, April 5, 7:45 to 9:45 a.m.

101 Clark Street Community Room, 101 Clark Street (between Henry and Cadman Plaza West), Sunday, April 7, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57000

On Wednesday at the Packer Collegiate Institute, students and faculty listened raptly as two members of the Central Park Five shared their stories of being arrested, convicted, and jailed for the infamous 1989 Central Park jogger assault—a crime they didn’t commit.

Raymond Santana and Yusef Salaam spoke to members of the Packer community for two hours, explaining how they came to be arrested and convicted, and later exonerated.

The event was coordinated by Alice Lurain and Sarah Strauss, who teach chemistry and history respectively in Packer’s Upper School. Lurain teaches an elective in forensic chemistry, Strauss one in criminal justice, and last year, they began to talk about a way to offer inter-disciplinary work to their students.

“Sarah and I had spoken last spring,” said Lurain, “about getting a speaker who could talk about the use of forensic evidence, possibly in exonerations, as a way to begin our collaboration between our classes so that the students would have a more concrete understanding of why it was important to examine science and the law as fallible human institutions that can be improved if we understand their limitations.”

And at a conference last summer, Lurain found exactly the speaker she was looking for.

“I attended the American Chemical Society meeting,” said Lurain, “and there happened to be a symposium co-sponsored by the Division of Science and Law and the Innocence Project. I heard three exonerees, one of whom was Raymond Santana, speak, along with a number of forensic chemists and other people involved in law enforcement. That prompted Sarah and me to contact the Innocence Project back in August about the possibility of having Raymond visit Packer.”

The Innocence Project suggested that Salaam visit as well, a suggestion Lurain eagerly accepted.

“Raymond’s story really struck me, particularly because he was so young at the time of his arrest,” she said. “We had no idea that their case would begin to get so much press with the release of the documentary and the book.”

The film is The Central Park Five a documentary produced by Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah, and David McMahon; it  was released last fall in the United States and is currently showing at the IFC Center.

Joining Santana and Salaam was Edwin Grimsley, a case analyst at the Innocence Project, which is based in downtown Manhattan.

“Can you imagine,” Salaam began, “being at school, leaving to go hang out with your friends, doing what normal kids do, and then a portion of them don’t show up because they were kidnapped by the police department?”

A naïve teenager, he learned that the police were looking for him, and his first instinct, he said, was to go to the precinct and tell them he hadn’t done anything.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” he said. “’I’m going to tell them, and my name will be off this list.’ I came home seven years later.”

Arrested at age 15, Salaam spent five and a half years in prison and three more on parole before being exonerated in 2002.  Santana was 14 when he began his five-year term.

“One decision,” Santana told the Upper School students gathered in Packer’s chapel, “going to hang out with my classmates, some guys from the neighborhood, changed my life.” 

Both Santana and Salaam were classified as sex offenders and had to register with local precincts every time they moved.  Following their exoneration and the publication of Sarah Burns’ book on which the movie is based, the men feel that they have been able to re-claim some pieces of their lives.

“It’s awesome for people to embrace us,” said Santana. “It says how far we’ve come as a city.”

Salaam concurred. “We’ve been welcomed back, back into society.”

Neither man, though, was so generous that he’s put what happened wholly behind him. Santana still feels the sting of losing his mother to cancer while he was incarcerated and of her never knowing that he’d been exonerated.

Salaam spoke bitterly of Mayor Koch and Donald Trump. Koch was captured on camera at the time proclaiming gleefully, “We got ‘em!”, while Trump took out full-page ads in city newspapers calling for the death penalty to be reinstated so that the five convicted boys could be executed.

Despite the exoneration, the city has never publicly apologized to the Central Park Five or admitted any wrongdoing in the handling of their cases. The other men who were convicted and exonerated are Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, and Kharey Wise.

Said Salaam, “We channel our rage into coming to schools and talking to students.”

“We love these engagements because of you guys,” Santana told the students. “Nobody wanted to invest in us, and we decided to invest in you, by telling our story.”

Disclosure: The author has taught at Packer since 1998. 

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/54966

The Friends of the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library is presenting “Dedicated To Hart Crane” Wednesday, January 9 at 6:30 p.m. at 280 Cadman Plaza West. The Chief Librarian of the BPL will introduce Prof. Langdon Hammer, Chairman of the Department of English at Yale University, who will give a short talk about Hart Crane, one of Brooklyn Heights’ best-known poets, and read from his anthology of Crane’s poetry. He will also present the Branch with the Empire State Center’s Hall of Fame Plaque.

Books will also be available for purchase at the event, and refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/53506

The Brooklyn Friends School Winter Festival is coming up after Thanksgiving, Saturday, 12/1, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Get a jump on holiday shopping and have a blast with your children at the Downtown Brooklyn school’s 33rd annual holiday fundraiser benefiting Horizons at Brooklyn Friends School.”

Festivities include a craft fair with 45 local artisans, holiday plant and wreath sale, book fair, children’s carnival with bouncy rides and games, a children’s craft activity center, and entertainment by musicians and a magician. Free admission for the craft fair. All-inclusive tickets for the carnival and other entertainment are $35 and may be purchased at the door. Horizons at Brooklyn Friends School is an academic summer enrichment program serving low-income children living in Downtown Brooklyn.

The event’s address: 375 Pearl Street in 11201, one block from Borough Hall and the Marriott Plaza. More info here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51834

TONIGHT: Brooklyn Heights PS 8 is hosting its fourth annual “Night To Celebrate Reading,” with nearly a dozen authors participating, along with “wine, cheese, hors d’ouevres, author readings and hilarity.” The place: Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO at 16 Main Street, 7-10 p.m. Adults only, please.

This year’s authors include Katie Moline, Jeff Newelt, Monte Burke, Katie Roiphe, Dan Janison, Kevin Holohan, Tad Friend, Matthew Aaron Goodman, Seth Kaufman and more. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door, benefiting PS 8. More info here. See the flyer below.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51816

After BHB reported Tuesday about Brooklyn Heights area resident/NY Times’ 538 Blog guru Nate Silver’s prediction that “President Obama has a 90.9% probability of winning reelection” and his profile in Tablet, it appears the statistician/strategist correctly called every single state in last evening’s election—after being needled for weeks by political commentators who ridiculed his method for forecasting election results.

Poynter.org rounds up news reports from the likes of Slate, Huffington Post, Forbes, Newsday, Time and more. (Photo: Penguin Press)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51537

The Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club has launched a monthly series called “Dinner with the Doctor” to aid health education in the community. Free and open to the public, it takes place at the Brooklyn Marriott, 333 Adams Street. The series is moderated by Rotary Club charter member Cara Lubin, M.D.

The series kicked off October 11 with a discussions on dementia by Brooklyn Heights neurologist Dr. Richard Lechtenberg, a 35-year medical veteran. The second, Thursday November 8, will feature cardiologist Ozgen Dogan, M.D., also based in the Heights, on “Prevention in Heart Disease.” Subsequent lectures will cover breast cancer, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension and weight loss.

Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club president Vivian Hardison, tells NY1, “Sometimes, in a doctor’s office, there is no time to really ask questions. At this format, you can ask as many questions as you like in a relaxed environment.” For information, see the Rotary Club’s website here or email Hardison here.

The mission of the Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club is to provide a venue for Rotarians to grow and develop in humanitarian spirit while providing service to others. The motto of Rotary International is “Service Above Self.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49351

Tomorrow (Thursday, September 6), M.S. 8, the middle school extension of P.S. 8, will welcome its first students. The school is located in the George Westinghouse High School building (see photo). M.S. 8 students will use the building’s Tillary Street entrance, between Jay and Bridge streets.

State Senator Daniel Squadron, who advocated and worked to secure establishment of the new school, will be on hand to greet students and parents starting at 7:30 a.m.

Image: a child grows in brooklyn.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/47117

The Brooklyn Book Festival has announced its comprehensive lineup for the first-ever weeklong series of “Bookend Events” that will take place at venues throughout the borough from September 17 through September 23. The seventh-annual event is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, with support from AT&T.

It’s billed as the largest free literary event in New York City, with the full schedule here.

Markowitz commented, “Brooklyn has more writers per square inch than almost anywhere else in the country, all contributing to our growing reputation as the epicenter of the literary universe—where authors from across the globe gather each fall for the Brooklyn Book Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious free literary festivals. This year, the Festival expands from four days to an entire week of diverse literary offerings.”

Two events will take place in Brooklyn Heights…
Friday, September 21
“Poets & Passion: A Caribbean Literary Lime Presented by the Caribbean Cultural Theater”
A book party with a decidedly easy tropical flare. The Poets & Passion platform provides an inviting opportunity for audiences to engage Caribbean and Caribbean American fiction writers and poets and positions the writers’ work as part of a larger conversation on issues of identity, aspiration, heritage and the immigrant experience.
Location: St. Francis College, Maroney Theatre, 180 Remsen Street (between Clinton & Court Streets), 7:30 p.m., $5

Saturday, September 22
“American Eco-Poetry: Poetry of Ecological Sanity, Hosted by Daniela Gioseffi”
Join your favorite poets to celebrate the release of ECO-Poetry: American Verse of Ecological Sanity, an e-book published by the nonprofit website poetsUSA.com. Poets, including Myra Shapiro (“I’ll See You Thursday”), D. Nurkse (“The Rules of Paradise”), Colette Inez (“The Secret of M. Dulong”), Fran Castan (“The Widow’s Quilt”), Eliot Katz (“Unlocking the Exits”), Gil Fagiani (“Scarfing”), Juanita Torrence (“Breath-Life”), Maria Lisella (“Amore on Hope Street”), Rob Marchesani, George Held (“After Shakespeare: Selected Sonnets”), Nancy Mercado (“Going to Work”) and Stephen Massimilla (“Forty Floors from Yesterday”) will read selections of their own and others, highlighting issues of environmental sanity and racism, renewable safe energy and life-sustaining wonders of our planet home.
Location: Brooklyn Heights Public Library, 280 Cadman Plaza West at Tillary Street (between Pierrepont and Clark Streets). 2-4 p.m. Free. (poetsUSA.com)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/46258

Ever wonder how much it costs for college students to stay in the St. George Hotel? Kaplan International Centers is offering an end-of-summer residence special at the Weller Residence on 100 Henry Street for the bargain basement price through August 25 of… $320 a week!

Included with a furnished room & private bath are a desk, storage space, bed linens, free high-speed internet, cable TV and mini fridge; as well as a communal kitchen & cooking facilities and basement laundry. Sweet!

Kaplan personifies Brooklyn Heights as “an exclusive, historic neighborhood of beautiful brownstones, cafes, retail shops and lovely parks—a safe and wonderful sanctuary for students to call home. Pure city living without the hustle & bustle”… but misses the boat by also deeming it “a new and upcoming N.Y. neighborhood.” Whoops.

Meanwhile, for Pace University students, room & board for upper-year students at the St. George Weller Residence is as follows: single: $8,425/semester; double or triple studio: $6,760; and double or triple room: $6,660. For first-year students: double: $5,850; or triple: $5,720. In addition, all Pace students are required to purchase a base meal plan for $125/semester, as well as a supplemental meal plan for $925/semester.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45652

Emulating drug stores and supermarkets, the Brooklyn Public Library has installed self-checkout machines across the borough, including the Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Kings Bay, Highlawn, Mapleton,, Homecrest and Bay Ridge branches.

The library says the automated checkout “dishwasher-sized units” will enable patrons to borrow and return materials more conveniently and efficiently, allowing staff to spend more time engaging with the community, according to a story in the Brooklyn Eagle.

Two self-checkout machines have been in operation at the Brooklyn Heights branch at 280 Cadman Plaza West, for several months. Brooklyn Public Library President & CEO Linda Johnson says the initiative is part of a new model of public service, “one of many innovations including increased access to eBooks and a new books-on-demand Espresso Book Machine at the Central Library.” BPL was recently honored as a leading innovator by The Urban Libraries Council.

Let’s hope they work better than the self-serve check-out kiosks at CVS on Henry Street.

(Photo: McBrooklyn)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45030

Out of the Closet Thrift Store has opened its newest location in Boerum Hill, at 475 Atlantic Avenue. The destination benefits the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Regional Director Adam Ouderkirk tells DNAInfo.com that the shop will work in the community with other AIDS agencies to provide testing, information and treatment in the borough.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation was founded in 1987 by a group of men in Los Angeles who saw their friends dying of AIDS in the streets and in the hallways of hospitals. They wanted to provide a place to die with dignity and sponsored California legislation that enabled creation of the first licensed HIV/AIDS facility for the terminally ill in that state. Today the Foundation is the largest provider of HIV/AIDS medication in the U.S., according to their website. They also provide medicine and advocacy to people in 22 countries.

Out of the Closet was created to benefit the foundation. Community members donate clothing and accessories and for every item sold, 96 cents of each dollar benefits AIDS prevention and advocacy programs and services. There are several branches in San Francisco and Los Angeles, plus stores in Miami, Amsterdam… and now Brooklyn.

Ouderkirk tells DNAInfo, “We want the Brooklyn community to really own the store and feel that its theirs.” There will be free and confidential HIV testing every day in the store, plus a pharmacy that provides HIV medications.

According to Ouderkirk, while the Brooklyn borough has the third-highest AIDS/HIV rates after Manhattan and the Bronx, it also offers the fewest amount of services.
“Brooklyn was an important place for us to be. And being near the Atlantic Terminal, hopefully people from all over Brooklyn will have access to the store and its services.”

The store’s manager is Carlos Cartayas, who is known as “Peanut.” He says, “We have had several boxes of clothes donated from L.A. but none so far from the Brooklyn. I don’t think people know we’re here yet.” To donate, call 718-614-5949 or drop off clothes any weekday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m at 475 Atlantic Avenue.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7638

The Brooklyn Public Library has issued a one-sheet apologizing for the continued lack of air conditioning at its Heights branch, and the intermittent shutdown of the Cadman Plaza location as a result. “Please accept our apologies for the periodic closures at the Brooklyn Heights branch. The air conditioning system for most of the building no longer works, resulting in excessively high temperatures. In consideration of the safety of the Library’s patrons and employees, we are monitoring the temperature and closing the building as necessary,” the notice says.

Worse yet, because of the condition and age of the AC system, it cannot be repaired: “The only solution is to replace the entire system, which will take at least several months to complete upon receipt of the replacement equipment.” In its place, the branch is exploring a temporary central chilled water plant on the exterior of the building—which it admits will create “new disruptions related to noise and the smell of a diesel generator that must be refueled frequently”—as well as a timeline of several months to implement.

The library will continue to open the building only when “conditions are safe for the public and library staff,” although evening programs will continue as planned, since its auditorium has a separate AC system.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44363

Fitness center “everyday athlete” will open its second Brooklyn location in the Heights this summer at 130 Clinton Street. Tomas Anthony and Alejandra Belmar opened their first zen-centered store in 1998 in nearby Carroll Gardens at 136 Union Street.

According to the company’s website, “We believe fitness is essential and transformative. It also should be purposeful, challenging, joyful and full of play. We teach you how to explore your untapped potential in authentic and empowering ways. (Our) philosophy and methodology is rooted in: positive psychology, expert performance, functional training and “Play Theory,” with customized programs for men & women, kids, performance, outdoor & board sports surfing and snowboarding, recovery & stress reduction and meditation.

The website says the Heights location is opening “this summer.”

(Photo: Chuck Taylor)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43600

The summer 2012 reading list wasn’t supposed to be quite this steamy. An air conditioning outage at the Brooklyn Heights Library has closed the local branch at 280 Cadman Plaza West for much of the week. The shutdown began at 2 p.m. Tuesday, before the library—which also contains the Business and Careers Library—was officially closed for Independence Day Wednesday and Thursday. Patrons who then discovered that the branch would remain closed until Monday are hot under the collar, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

A volunteer with Friends of the Brooklyn Heights Library tells BHB, “The AC in the library is broken as it is wont to do every summer. Last Friday it was too hot for the ladies to work even though the library stayed open using fans.”

The cranky AC is hardly an unusual occurrence, according to Eagle reporter Don Evans, who says he’s written about the, uh, condition, many times: “The air conditioning broke down, they had a crew come in to make repairs, then it would happen all over again. On a warm day the staff wouldn’t work, so they closed it. People would go there and discover it was closed, with just a hand-written notice on the door.”

Councilman Steve Levin’s chief of staff Ashley Thompson said his office would be following up to see “how we can fix this. It’s not acceptable if the library closes every single hot day.”

(Photos: Library/Brooklyn Bridge Eagle; Sign/McBrooklyn)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43693

If you’ve walked past the St. George Hotel outside the 2/3 subway stop on Clark or Henry streets and been curious about what the EHS collegiate residences there offer today’s poor, starving, overworked college students, I’ve got two words to describe it: luxe living.

“You’ll have the time of your life,” EHS suggests. “Our all-inclusive accommodations with fully furnished rooms, fitness centers, laundry facilities, study lounges and state-of-the-art everything will make you feel right at home.” Indeed. Access is available to an 8,300-square-foot student community center located on the building’s main floor, where “you can make dinner with friends in our bistro kitchen, hold a study group in the library, watch a movie in the screening room or play pool while catching a game on a flat screen TV.” There’s also an on-site laundry room and free membership to the Eastern Athletic Club next door.

Rooms are furnished with “designer beds, desks, wardrobes and dressers,” as well as free Wi-Fi, TV with cable, refrigerator/microwave and local phone service. Options: a single, double or triple room, all with private bathrooms.

An email to EHS inquiring about how much it costs to live the high life at the St. George has not yet garnered response. But I can only imagine that most hard-working Brooklyn Heights adults would be so lucky to indulge in such accommodations. And I must wonder: With so many leisure activities showcased, do they actually study, too?

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43512

Recently, your BHB scribe was allowed to take pictures inside the majestic Othmer Library. Photos are below. If you’ve never seen it for yourself, this is truly a site to behold. BHS hours are as follows: Wednesday-Friday 12-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m.; closed Monday/Tuesday. The library is open Wednesday through Friday 1-5 p.m.

BHS members free, adults $6, seniors 62 & over $4, teachers and students 12 & over $4, children -12 are free.

(Photos: Chuck Taylor/Ingalls pic courtesy of the BHS Blog)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42034

Friends of the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library—which hosted a meeting June 5 to reinvigorate the non-profit organization—reports that the gathering fostered a new slate of Trustees, along with more than two dozen new interested attendees. “We are revitalizing,” reports an enthusiastic Deborah Hallen, who helped organize the FBHBL gathering with President Diana Prizeman.

The Friends will hold its next meeting Tuesday, June 19, at 7 p.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library in the Heights at 280 Cadman Plaza West & Tillary Street, on the second floor youth room. All are invited to join, as it continues to ramp efforts for its community-focused mission: raising money to purchase books, furniture, audiobooks and computers (as well as their ongoing maintenance); sponsorship of author visits & events; Friday book sales; and bringing crucial library issues to the attention of the community and elected officials.

FBHBL is still in the process of launching its website, Facebook page and a dedicated newsletter. For more information on the group and its upcoming meeting, reach out to Deborah Hallen at dmhallen@gmail.com.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41935

“We recently found a confirmed bed bug in your child’s school,” the letter reads. “Finding a bed bug does not mean that our school is infested. Bed bugs are often unknowingly brought into schools by building occupants and as a result we may have future sightings.” The notice also includes a description of the symptoms of a bed bug bite.

Patch contacted the school, where a source acknowledged that “a single bug” had been identified on a child and that a technician will be coming in for a second time later this week to check for a potential… second bed bug.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7200

According to the NYC Private Schools Blog, “That’s a big expansion, but school officials note it is necessary to keep up with growing demand for the Montessori method of education. More parents are seeking out a Montessori education for their children and Brooklyn Heights being one of the most prominent schools in New York City means they are poised to increase their student body in the next few years.”

Brooklyn Heights Montessori School opened in 1965.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7120

The next jocular, wonderfully educational Homer Fink’s Hidden Walking Tour takes place this coming Saturday, April 21, at 11 a.m. Learn about the odd, weird, controversial and amusing history of America’s First Suburb over a sprawling 90 minutes of fun, led by the faithful kingpin of the Brooklyn Heights Blog, Cobble Hill Blog and Brooklyn Bugle. More info is available by clicking on the black box at the top left of the BHB home page.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog » Brooklyn History
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/38866