From the School

This Week's Query

How can I know when to trust my friends with something personal?

Notes from Sally

This week we will have our spring concert for the 7/8 chorus and orchestra. The program will be held Wednesday night at 7:30 and repeated during the assembly time on Friday afternoon, beginning at 1:45. Please join us for either show!

Students and parents, please join us next Thursday to say farewell to Carlene Jackson, who will be moving on to a new school next year! We will celebrate her on June 2nd from 3:30 – 4:30 on the Tower Door patio outside the Middle School.

8th graders are beginning to fill their time capsules, envelopes of letters and mementos that will be opened in the spring of their senior year. Parents - please consider writing a letter to be included in the time capsule. These can be sent to my attention in the Middle School office, or drop by when you are in school and deliver them.

The best thank you that a teacher can receive at the end of the year is a letter of thanks from students and parents. As you write these, I would love to place a copy in the teacher's file - send these to my attention in the office as well. I also welcome your reflections on your child's year and suggestions for ways that we can improve the Middle School experience.

Parents of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders: students will be turning in their laptops during the final week of school. Each student should turn in a computer, a power brick, and a case. Those who do not have all components will be billed for their replacement.

All library books need to be returned to the library by June 3rd. Many thanks for your cooperation! Any student with outstanding books will be sent a bill for the book and will not receive the yearbook or the final report card until the bill is paid.

The Middle School collects and reuses all hard-bound textbooks to save money and resources. Please look around the house and send in those texts to be collected by the classroom teachers.

The two Lost and Found boxes in the Middle School are brimful! We will be putting items out for display as the year ends – please remind your children to seek out missing items.

Yearbooks will be distributed the afternoon of Tuesday, June 7th.

Instrumental Music Notes

No 5/6 Orchestra this week
7/8 All Instrumentalists: reporting times this week are in the Arts Center:
Wednesday 12:55-1:50
Wednesday 6:00 CALL 7:30 SHOW
Friday 12:30 CALL 1:45 SHOW

Concert Dress: “BLACK AND WHITES” (white dress shirt/blouse (tie for boys), black/dark dress slacks; girls black or dark dress skirt below the knees).

Choral Notes: Concert Week!

7/8 Chorus Rehearsals This Week:

Monday, May 23rd: Girls Ensemble 3:45-5:30 (note time extension)

Tuesday, May 24th: ALL SINGERS, 2:00-5:30pm

Wednesday, May 25th: ALL SINGERS, C PERIOD—8:15 to 9:25 (Final Rehearsal)
Rehearsal Period: TBA

Concert at 7:30pm Call time: 7:15 (MS Chorus Room)

Friday, May 27th: School Concert at 1:45pm (sharp)—Call time is 1:15

PA Announcements

6th Grade Hangout - Tuesday May 24

This is the third and final hangout for this school year. Please make sure your 6th-grader has reserved time to gather, socialize and relax with other students in the grade from 2:00pm to 3:30pm on Tuesday, May 24th. To help make this a successful event, we still need tons of parent volunteers to assist with setup/cleanup and to help chaperone. Please contact Portia at portia.robertson.migas@gmail.com if you are able to help.

7th and 8th grade parent peer group meetings on Friday, June 3rd, 8 to 10 pm

These peer group meetings will coincide with the 7/8 grade dance.
- The 8th Grade Parent Peer Group Meeting will take place in the SFS Middle School Library at 8pm.
- The 7th Grade Parent Peer Group Meeting will take place in the US Library Board Room at 8pm.
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.

7/8 Dance, Friday June 3, 7:30-10 PM

We are rolling out the red carpet to welcome you to Hollywood for the last 7/8 dance of the year! Join the fun Friday June 3 from 7:30-10:00 p.m. Parents and middle schoolers- if you can join us to help decorate at 2 p.m in the cafeteria and/or stay a few minutes afterward to clean up please let Liz (LBronder@ifc.org) or Shelley (s.schonberger@comcast.net) know.

Seeking Room and Team Parents for 2011-2012

Are you interested in serving as a Room or Team Parent for your child’s class/advisory next year? The MS Parents Association is seeking volunteers to serve as room and team parents in 2011-2012. If you are interested, please email Priscilla Cheng, ppcheng@aol.com, or Amin Abari, AminAbari@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance for your interest!

Other News

2011 Events for Student Scholarships Golf Tournament

Join Co-Chairs Andre Fraser, Margaret Weaver Krull ’70, and Stephen O’Neill ’77 for the 6th Annual SFS Golf Tournament on June 13, 2011 at the Kenwood Country Club. Players of all levels are encouraged to participate for a great day of golf and camaraderie all while supporting the student financial aid program. The tournament will conclude with a cocktail reception and awards. Register online now. Please contact the Events for Student Scholarships office at 202-537-8110 or events@sidwell.edu for more information.

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