From the School

QUERY

"How can we work together
to invent ways to keep the earth
and its oceans clean and safe
for creatures and all living things?"

- Grade 1

A REMINDER TO COMPLETE SURVEY

Last week, Tom Farquhar, Head of School, sent out a request asking you to participate in a confidential online survey that is designed to help assess the School’s climate and culture as it relates to inclusivity and multiculturalism. This is a reminder to please complete the survey by Friday, April 22. Parent participation is essential to the outcome of the survey. Please go to http://www.insightlink.net/aim-sidwell/ to complete the survey. For more information on the survey, please read Tom’s letter to the community by clicking on the Read More link below.

A MESSAGE FROM SALLY SELBY, MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPLE

Dear 4th grade parents,

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the panel discussion last week! As you have heard from your grade reps, this was the first in a very full calendar of activities designed to help 4th graders and their parents make a smooth transition to the Middle School. Some things will take place during the school day and are focused on the students, and others are designed for families or for parents.

The most important event is a transition meeting for all parents of rising 5th graders. This will take place on Tuesday evening, May 3 at 7:30 PM in the Middle School Drama Studio. This meeting will offer parents the opportunity to hear a presentation about the fifth grade academic program and meet the staff. Please mark your calendars for this evening.

If you are interested in seeing the Middle School building during the school day, I will offer at tour of the building on Wednesday, May 24 at 9:15 AM. Meet me in the MS lobby.

If you have thoughts about placement, please direct them to the Lower School staff, following the instructions in the Thursday Letter. Middle School personnel do not place 4th graders into 5th grade homerooms.

I am looking forward to getting to know you all over the next few months!

Sally Selby
Middle School Principal

TEAM TWO TO THE KENNEDY CENTER

On Friday, April 29, grades 2 and 2x will attend the performance The Cat Who Went to Heaven at The Kennedy Center. With a message of compassion for all beings, this show brings together contemporary jazz and the traditional Japanese art of bunraku puppetry. It takes three skillful puppeteers to work a Bunraku puppet, while a tayu, or narrator tells the story. The musical is based on the Newbery Award-winning children’s book by Elizabeth Coatsworth.

TEAM TWO TRIP TO THE FREER-SACKLER CANCELLED

Pending possible rescheduling, our April 21 trip has been cancelled as Founders’ Day will now take place on this date.

GRADUATION ATTIRE FOR FOURTH GRADERS

Boys – White dress shirt with collar or polo shirt (long or short sleeves); Dress pants, nice shoes, no jacket or tie.

Girls – Simple white or pastel dress or nice slacks and similar top. The outfit may be a solid color or with a subtle design. Dress shoes, flat or with a small heel.

Any questions, contact Anna Urciolo (urcioloa@sidwell.edu).

CLASS PLACEMENT

If you have any comments about your child’s classroom placement for next year please put your thoughts in writing and share them with Rich Lodish by Friday, April 22 (this includes rising 5th graders). However, please feel no obligation to do so as teachers carefully and sensitively look at what is best as each student moves on to another grade. Page 20 of the SFS Handbook for Parents and Students 2010-2011 gives a complete description of the placement process. The Handbook section is as follows:

“The placement of children within available classrooms is the Principal’s responsibility and incorporates the professional judgment of the teachers. At the end of each school year, teachers from adjacent grades spend a great deal of time discussing each child and determining the most suitable placement for the following year. Such factors as individual student needs, interests, temperament and learning styles are balanced with the logistics that make for a cohesive class. The teachers and Principal collectively determine class make-up with an eye toward an effective and diverse mix of student capabilities, achievement, leadership and friendship. If the teachers or Principal receive parent input, it enters into the placement equation, although the final decision rests with the School.”

PA Announcements

STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE MAY 2ND, 7-9 PM, LIGHT REFRESHMENTS 6:30 PM

Please join Head of School Tom Farquhar, the All-School Parents Association and the Sidwell Friends Board of Trustees for an update on Sidwell Friends School’s Strategic Plan. The gathering will take place at the New Quaker Meeting House on the Wisconsin Avenue Campus. The Board of Trustees has been working for over a year in consultation with parents, faculty, alumni and students on developing a strategic plan which will define the education skill sets through year 2024, the expectations for Sidwell Friends faculty as master learners, how the School's Quakerness defines our values and priorities, and the business models that allow us to reach our goals. As this important works approaches its final stages, please come for an update and discussion on these vital and exciting issues. We look forward to seeing you there.

Polly Bomstein and Lynn Sachs, All School PA Co-Presidents

RSVPs required to: Adrianne Isaacs at isaacsa@sidwell.edu

CHI (COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVE) NEWS

This Spring we have our Parent Peer Group Meetings, where parents gather with other parents from their child's grade to talk about a wide range of parenting issues. These gatherings, which focus solely on non-academic issues, are guided by parent facilitators; topics are generated by the parents on hand and often include conversations about playdates, regulating children's "screen time" and juggling extracurricular activities. Please mark your calendars, as these events are the last of their kind for this school year.

Parent Peer Group Meetings (all at Lower School from 7:30-9pm) Grades 1 and 2: Wednesday April 27 (Meetinghouse: grade 1; Multipurpose Room: grade 2)
Grades 3 and 4 : Tuesday May 10 (Meetinghouse: grade 3; Multipurpose Room: grade 4).

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO ASSIST COUNTRY AMBASSADORS

It's not too late to assist and support the diveristy committee and the country ambassadors at the spring festival on May 7. Fun jobs available for students in grades 3 and above, and parents too. Contact arringtonlp@hotmail.com for details.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE PA DIVERSITY COMITTEE

If you approach each new person you meet in a spirit of adventure, you will find yourself endlessly fascinated by the new channels of thought and experience and personality that you encounter.
— Eleanor Roosevelt, Wife of President F. D. Roosevelt, activist, UN diplomat (1884-1962)

We welcome your comments and feedback, as well as your experiences. Email arringtonlp@hotmail.com.

QUAKER LIFE COMMITTEE

You are always welcome to join your child in the classroom for Meeting for Worship. Please arrive a few minutes early to get situated. On Tuesday, April 26 the following classes will be in the Meetinghouse: K, 1, 4.

Mark your calendars for the last early morning Meeting for Worship of the year: Friday, May 13 at 7:45 AM.

GOING SOON ... TIME TO CHECK THE LOST AND FOUND

On Friday, May 6, volunteers will clean out the lost and found bin and donate unclaimed items to Martha's Table. Thanks to our second grade helpers, labeled clothing will be returned to its owner if possible. Please check the bin before May 6, and remember to label your child’s clothing.

Other News

SFS & BIKES FOR THE WORLD BICYCLE DRIVE, APRIL 30TH, 10AM-1PM, US BUS PARKING LOT

On Saturday April 30, 10 AM-1PM, US Community Service is offering SFS families and area residents a chance to donate their used bicycles as part of an effort to reduce waste and provide those in need with a means of personal transport. Through a partnership with Bikes for the World (BfW), the nation's largest bicycle reuse program, you are is invited to drop off your used bicycles (children, youth and adult - no tricycles, please) and cycling-related items. Tapping into a network of ov erseas non-profit partners, BfW will collect and distribute donated bicycles to impoverished communities around the world. There is a suggested donation of $10 to defray a share of the cost of shipping to overseas charity partners, which recondition the bicycles and distribute them to people who need them.

Volunteers are needed to prep the bikes and load them into BfW vehicles. If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact David Connell, connelld@sidwell.edu or June Das Gupta, junedasgupta@msn.com For more information on BfW, please see www.bikesfortheworld.org.

CAR WASH FOR CREW-MAY 1

Clean that winter grime off your car and support the Sidwell Crew team! The annual Spring Carwash is the team's primary fundraiser. Help the team, help yourself drive away clean! Sunday May 1, from 11 AM-2 PM, Upper School garage.

LS THURSDAY LETTER INFORMATION

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Note Concerning the School Calendar:
The calendar entries that appear in the right column of each Newsletter are automatically generated by the official school calendar and are not subject to editing by the Newsletter Editors. All changes or additions to the school calendar must be made through the school scheduling office, reachable at: scheduling@sidwell.edu.