From the School
This Week's Query
Which is more important, your actions or reactions?
Notes from Sally
Assembly: The Javanese Gamelan of the Embassy of Indonesia
Sixth graders will have their spring party Friday evening at the Lower School from 7:30 – 9:30.
All Middle School parents are invited to Meeting for Worship next Thursday, May 5th, at 8:10 AM. Please note the invitation later in this letter with an invitation for a coffee to follow Meeting. We hope you can join us to experience the beautiful new Meeting Room!
Parents of all sixth graders are invited to a Transition Meeting about the seventh and eighth grade program. This will be held Tuesday evening, May 10th in the Middle School Drama Studio at 7:30 PM. Please come ahead of time for light refreshments and the chance to meet parents of students new to the grade.
Our assembly presenter last Friday was storyteller Noa Baum. If students would like a CD of her stories, there are order forms in the office, or you can visit her website at www.noabaum.com
Many, many thanks to Colette Chichester, Felix Sanchez, and all the additional volunteers who worked at the middle school Book Fair last week. It was a fabulous success and we could not have done it – any of it—without you!
Each year our Latin students take the National Latin Exam. Congratulations to 8th graders Katie Liptak, Sophia Wonneberger, Andrew Sager, and Mikal Nathani who were recipients of gold medals and Summa Cum Laude certificates. Seventh grader David Hauge received a perfect score on the test. We also had twenty-one 7th graders and six 8th graders who received other medals and certificates. Congratulations, everyone!
Instrumental Music Notes
5/6 Concert Band Rehearsal Period Rm 101
7/8 Concert Band Wednesday Rehearsal Period Rm 101
Jazz/Rock Band Wednesday 3:30-4:30 Rm 101
Jazz/Rock Band Thursday 3:45-5:15 Rm 101
5/6 Guitar Quartet Friday 1:55-2:25 Rm 101
Chorus Rehearsals this Week
Monday, April 25th
Girls Ensemble 3:45-5:00
Tuesday, April 26th
No rehearsals afterschool
Wednesday, April 27th
Boys Ensemble 7:25
Boys Ensemble during rehearsal period
Immunization Requirements.rtfdback to school health form pointers for parents.pdfYearly physical health examination appointments should be made now. SFS will accept medical appointments starting from January of 2011. Attached you will find significant changes that have been made to the D.C. immunization schedule as well as answers to a few questions regarding adequate completion of health forms.
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Reminder: Please pick up your auction items from Zartman House between 8 and 4.
2011 Golf Tournament: Hope you will be able to join us for this event on June 13, 2011! Registration forms were mailed last week and online registration should be available by the end of this week. Please contact the Events office with any questions at events@sidwell.edu or 202-537-8110.
2nd Annual Tour de Friends! Join us for glorious day of bike riding and friendship in Rock Creek Park to help us raise money for student financial aid on Sunday, May 15th, 9 AM. Your participation includes rides of varying distances to be followed by food, drink, music, and plenty of give-a-ways! Register today to help make this event a success! For information on registering and additional information contact Michael Tierney, tierneym@ninds.nih.gov, or Mark Michael, mmichael@occasionscaterers.com. Please contact Lauren Mulcahy at 202-537-8440 or email events@sidwell.edu to join this exciting family oriented event for all ages.
Read MoreFair Share Celebrates the Classes of 2022, 2023, and 2024
Congratulations to the Class of 2022, the Class of 2023, and the Class of 2024 for reaching our challenge goal in parent participation in the Fair Share Fund. These classes were entered into a drawing for a pizza party lunch at the SFS Auction. All three grades will celebrate this milestone with a pizza party lunch!
We are continuing to work towards our overall goal of 95 percent parent participation. If you have not given, please consider making a gift of any size by June 30. Visit www.sidwell.edu/support or e-mail your pledge to Elizabeth Souder, Assistant Director of Annual Funds, at soudere@sidwell.edu. Thank you to all those who have already supported the Fair Share Fund earlier this school year!
PA Announcements
Attention SFS 8th Grade Parents--Mark Your Calendars for April 27th, 7:30-9:30pm!
Questions or concerns about courses, sports, extracurricular activities, homework? Please join us for an informal evening of questions and discussion with parents of current SFS 9th graders. A diverse group of 9th grade parents have graciously volunteered to answer questions and provide information about their own experiences as their children made the transition to Upper School. Last year was the first year that parents provided this information (previously it was done by students) and the evening was a great success. Join us for the second annual US-MS Parent Information Exchange, in the MS Drama Studio.
SFS 7th Grade Parents Coffee--Friday, April 29th from 8:00-9:30 am
The 7th Grade Parents Coffee will be held on Friday, April 29th from 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. in the Sledge Garden. We look forward to seeing you there.
Other News
6th Grade Student Party - Friday, April 29th
The 6th grade party is scheduled for next week Friday, April 29th. Students will be gathering in the Lower School Multi-purpose Room from 7:30 to 9:30pm. There will be a DJ playing music inside. Outside, students will have the opportunity to chat and hang out on the playground. We’ll need help with decorating the multi-purpose room, with refreshments, and we will need a few chaperones from each class. If you can help with snacks, please contact Hillary-Thomas Lake at HTLake@ltlstrategies.com. If you would like to help decorate, or if you’d like to help chaperone and pour drinks, please contact Claire Dwoskin at CD@dwoskin.com.
6th Grade Parent Peer Group Meeting - Friday, April 29th
While students are at the 6th Grade party, parents will be meeting just steps away. The Parent Peer Group Meeting is scheduled to take place in the SFS Lower School Meetinghouse from 8:00pm to 9:15 pm. The Community Health Initiative sponsors parent peer group meetings in an effort to build community among Sidwell Friends parents. Parent peer group meetings were created to provide an opportunity for parents to discuss non-academic issues of relevance to our children in a safe and intimate environment. They are for parents only and facilitated by parents from the class. The forum is non-judgmental and confidential. Please join us.
SFS/Bikes for the World Bicycle Drive, Saturday April 30th, 2011, 10 am - 1 pm. US Bus Parking Lot
On April 30th, 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 overseas 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 or June Das Gupta, junedasgupta@msn.com For more information on BfW, please see www.bikesfortheworld.org
Car Wash Sunday, May 1 from 11 am to 2 pm to Benefit the SFS Crew Team!
Clean that winter grime off your car and support the Sidwell Friends Crew team! The annual Spring Carwash is the team's primary fundraiser. Help the team, help yourself, and drive away clean! Sunday, May 1st, from 11 am to 2 pm in the SFS Upper School garage, 3824 Wisconsin Ave., NW.
Strategic Plan Update, May 2, 2011, New Quaker Meetinghouse, Wisconsin Avenue Campus 6:30 - 9 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 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
Alaska Trip
The Alaska Trip is on! There are a few more spaces available. First come first serve. Questions? Contact Dave Wood, Margaret Pennock, or the Summer Programs office. Information and details are available on the Summer Programs website.
PCW Webinar
The upcoming final PCW Webinar entitled Healthy Sleep Strategies and Stress Reduction is scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2011 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (http://parentscouncil.org/ content/webinars).
Sleep is an integral part of human health, essential to strengthening the growing mind and body. Unfortunately, stress, studying and socializing often are given priority over sleep by teens. To stay awake, alert and fully engaged during their waking hours, teens must adopt healthy sleeping habits. Overcome barriers to a good night’s sleep with our panel’s helpful tips and strategies for catching more ZZZs, getting more A’s and promoting adolescent wellbeing. Our PCW subscription validation code is 8P98S110. Previous PCW Webinars are available for viewing through our PCW Website Webinar Archives until June 1, 2011.
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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.
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