Introducing the Fall All-School Spirit Week
Next week is All School Spirit Week and we are excited to share our themes! Drum roll, please…
- Monday is Blue Pride Day: Students and colleagues, show off your Brooklyn Friends School spirit! Wear your BFS gear and all of the shades of Blue and Gray!
- Tuesday is Pajama Day: Let’s be comfy and cozy for the day. Wear your PJs!
- Wednesday is Backwards Day: This one is up to you to interpret. Get creative! We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
- Thursday is Fall Colors, Wacky Hats, & Silly Socks Day: Celebrate the season by wearing autumn colors. Wear a wacky hat. Slip on silly socks. You can do all three or just one!
- Friday is the Fall Fantasy Parade: It’s the day we have all been waiting for! Dress up, parade together, have fun!
Families, you are invited to watch the Fall Fantasy Parade at Cadman Plaza! As the culmination of Spirit Week, on the morning of Friday, October 29, our students in grades K-12 will parade in costume from campus, to Cadman Plaza, and back. We expect that students will arrive at Cadman Plaza for families to see at about 9am. Preschool students and families are invited to watch the parade together from the steps at Borough Hall! More information will be sent directly to Preschool families.
For students who celebrate Halloween, the Fall Fantasy Parade Day is a day that they can wear their costume. For those who do not, this is an opportunity that they can dress up (or not) as they’d like. As an inclusive school community, we want to ensure that everyone can participate in our parade in a way that is developmentally appropriate. Our hope is that all will join in the joy and consider how to participate in this new experience. Think thematic ideas, funky pairings/groupings, and all-around creative fun! We ask that you spend time discerning with your family what is an appropriate costume for an all-school parade that is consistent with our school values and that avoids fear, violence, and offensive ideas that pertain to peoples’ lived experiences and identities. Below, we have included some helpful language and resources regarding appropriate costumes. In addition, Divisional Leadership is discussing with students how to ensure that they create respectful costumes. We also encourage everyone to consider creatively immersing themselves and going beyond store-bought costumes.
We can’t wait to joyfully celebrate All School Spirit Week as a community!
In Friendship and With Blue Pride,
BFS Leadership Team
Costume Guidance
As you begin your planning for the Fall Fantasy Parade, avoid costume stress, think before you dress. We invite you to center the spirit of our new school spirit week which is about joy, community, belonging and our values as a school. We encourage you to remember important awareness for your participation in the day:
Fall Fantasy Parade is the one time of year when you can come to BFS dressed as a unicorn, or your favorite fictional character. It is a day of wonder, fantasy, joy and the fantastical.
On this day it is not a time to embody a group’s culture, racial, ethnic or gender identity. Whether it is intentional or not, wearing certain costumes has real and irreparable consequences furthering erasure and harm.
Still unsure? As you plan, ask yourself:
- Does my costume represent human traits, identities, cultures, or race?
- Does my costume represent a culture that is not my own?
- Does my costume represent stereotypical cultural or identity differences?
- How would someone feel if they saw me wearing their identity as a costume?
- Culture is not a costume: cultural appropriation is never in style. Learn more about the impact of cultural appropriation: My Culture Is NOT A Costume | Teen Vogue