EMAIL DETAILS

Tuesday - March 10, 2015


Principal's Letter


NOTES FROM SALLY


Announcements


FRIEND TO FRIEND
MIDDLE SCHOOL GRANDPARENT & FRIENDS DAY: THURSDAY, MAY 7
PARENTS INVITED: MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETING FOR WORSHIP, THURSDAY, MARCH 12
8th GRADE SPRING PARENT POTLUCK
SPARC CHESS REGISTRATION OPEN
JOHN FISHER ZEIDMAN '79 MEMORIAL LECTURE
ALL COMMUNITY MEETING FOR WORSHIP - MARCH 15 AT 10:30 AM
THE MS NEW BOOK FAIR IS COMING
SHOOTBACK - PHOTOS BY KIDS FROM NAIROBI AND DC


Other


COMMUNITY SERVICE CORNER
STUDENT MATHEMATICIAN OF THE MONTH
MS NEWSLETTER INFORMATION


News Around the School


MS NEWS


Principal's Letter


NOTES FROM SALLY
This week’s query: In this contemporary era with new technologies, how can we check our actions before making hurtful posts?
Assembly: Vertical Voices: Challenging Stereotyping and Bias
This week’s Northwest Current Correspondent: Layla Dawitt
Parents are warmly welcomed to join us for Meeting for Worship on Thursday morning.
6th grade parents: Please remember to complete and submit the language choice form to the Middle School office – we need these by April 1st. Thank you!
We were sorry to miss our all-school service day on Thursday. We will make up these activities in April.
Minimester begins on Monday morning. All students involved in local Minimester programs will be receiving a permission slip and daily itinerary; please be sure to return permission slips to the project leader. Unless otherwise noted, students will begin and end their school day at the regular time. The Shuttle Bus and Aftercare will operate normally next week. Absences should be reported to me – Julia Porter will be in China for the week! (selbys@sidwell.edu)
Please note any suggestions for dress and things to bring for the week; this is a good week to pay attention to the weather and dress accordingly since many students will be spending significant time outdoors. A small daypack and a water bottle are probably standard equipment for all programs, and as always we will not be providing drinks with lunch.
We will be cleaning out the Lost and Found boxes over break and donating unclaimed items. Please encourage your son or daughter to track down things that may be missing. Any item with a name in it will be returned to the owner.
Thanks to everyone who attended Conversations with Sally over the last few weeks! I have several things to follow up on as a result of those meetings. The first is Haiku notifications. 5th grade parents noticed that they were getting notices of assignments from Haiku at 10 PM and wondered what they were supposed to do with that information – a great question!
Teachers are asked to post any material on Haiku for the next day by 5:00 PM. They are putting the information on to the website, not sending it by email. However, once a day, later in the evening, Haiku sweeps up any new postings and sends a notification email. That often comes in the late evening!
As parents, you can change the notifications so that you receive these emails immediately, once a day, or not at all. Here’s the way to make a change: Log into Haiku. On the top bar, far right, you will see a round red symbol – looks sort of like a tree. That brings down a menu. Click “notifications.” Down that list you will see the option to notify when a new class announcement is posted.
I hope that’s helpful! More information will be out in April to follow up from those meetings.


Announcements


FRIEND TO FRIEND
AUCTION INVITATIONS HAVE ARRIVED - RSVP ONLINE TODAY!
Check your mailbox. Your auction invitation is waiting! This year’s event, “Celebrate DC!,” will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. in the Athletic Center. Highlights of this year’s event include a special taste of DC during the Silent Auction, the premiere of the 2015 Fund-a-Scholar Video during the Live Auction, student performances by a cappella groups Passing Notes and Consensual Sound, US Jazz Ensemble and the US Chamber Chorus. Post-Live Auction entertainment by local jazz band Cheek to Cheek . Tickets are now on sale! Purchase your ticket today! There are a limited number of tickets available. Please RSVP no later than April 3.
For questions, please contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events at 202-537-8442 or jacobsonj@sidwell.edu.
SEEKING AUCTION NIGHT VOLUNTEERS
Auction "night-of" volunteers needed on Saturday, April 18, 2015 4:00 – 11:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity! People on the "night-of" committee enjoy an evening at the Auction and help this great cause; raising money for financial aid. Duties include hosting Silent Auction tables and helping with bidding procedures in both the Silent and Live Auctions. No experience required, no meetings beforehand (instructions by email and a question and answer session that evening). If you are willing and available to help for the duration of the Silent and Live Auctions, then we'll help you have a fun Auction experience! Contact Bart Hipple at 301-699-8373 or barthipple@comcast.net.
REGISTER TODAY FOR OUT & ABOUT WITH FACULTY AND FRIENDS!
Please join us for our upcoming Out & About with Faculty and Friends discussions. Tickets are $40 per person or $75 per couple, and all net proceeds benefit student scholarships at Sidwell Friends. Space is limited, so please register online today (http://www.sidwell.edu/support_sfs/events-for-student-scholarship/book-club/index.aspx). Light refreshments will be served.
· “Revolution Radio: African Protest Music from Soweto to Dakar" with Shields Sundberg
Tuesday, April 28 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Hill and Dale Records in Georgetown
· “Lincoln’s Last Speech” with Ashish Patwardhan and Steve Steinbach
Wednesday, May 13 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldier’s Home
TENNIS ROUND ROBIN ON SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015
The SFS Tennis Round Robin is coming! This year’s event will celebrate the continued growth of our tennis program and gather SFS tennis enthusiasts of all ages and skill sets for a day of matches and fun. Please save the date for the SFS Tennis Tournament to take place on Sunday, May 17 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.
If you have questions or would like to participate, please reach out to co-chairs Eleni Rossides ’85 at erossides@wtef.org or Raina Fishbane at raina.fishbane@verizon.net.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GRANDPARENT & FRIENDS DAY: THURSDAY, MAY 7
Grandparents & Friends Day will be held at the Middle School on Friday, May 8, 2015. The School will be sending an invitation this month to all Middle School grandparents and special friends. To share the most updated contact information for your Middle School students’ grandparents and/or special friends, please fill out this online form this week.
If you have any questions about the form or the upcoming event, please contact Director of Special Events Jessie Jacobson at jacobsonj@sidwell.edu or 202-537-8442.

PARENTS INVITED: MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETING FOR WORSHIP, THURSDAY, MARCH 12
Thursday, March 12, 8:10 - 8:45 a.m. Parents and caregivers are invited to worship with the Middle School staff and students in the Robert L. Smith Meetinghouse. Please arrive by 8:05 a.m. or earlier to settle in before students arrive.

8th GRADE SPRING PARENT POTLUCK
Please join your fellow parents for an enduring and cherished Sidwell Friends tradition, the Grade-Wide Potluck. These potlucks provide a great opportunity to spend some quality time with parents from your child’s grade in a relaxed, informal environment. The 8th grade potluck will be held at a parent's home on the date below:
8th Grade - Saturday, March 14 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Be on the look out for an email from your Grade Reps with all of the details, including the name of the host and directions to their house, as well as the foods each guest may bring. Please come, eat, and enjoy!

SPARC CHESS REGISTRATION OPEN
Dates: April 7- May 26 on Tuesdays
Time: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Cost: $175
How about a 1,500 year old game played by kings and commoners, young and old, and boys and girls, that builds memory, concentration, and reasoning skills while you play? Join Coach Charlie for this exciting Chess class! Open to students with some experience playing chess. Registration is limited to a minimum of 5 students and maximum of 16 students. Click here: http://www.sidwell.edu/middle_school/after-school-sparc/index.aspx.


JOHN FISHER ZEIDMAN '79 MEMORIAL LECTURE
Join us for the 33rd Annual John Fisher Zeidman ’79 Memorial Lecture. This year’s lecturer is Evan Osnos, a staff writer at The New Yorker and a fellow at the Brookings Institution. Based in Washington D.C., Osnos writes about foreign affairs and politics. He is the author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China, which won the 2014 National Book award.
The lecture is on Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. in the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room. Kindly RSVP by March 13 to events@sidwell.edu.

ALL COMMUNITY MEETING FOR WORSHIP - MARCH 15 AT 10:30 AM
The next all community Meeting for Worship for families, employees, alumni, and friends is on Sunday, March 15, at 10:30 a.m. In the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room. We welcome all members of our community including families, faculty and staff, alumni and parents of alumni to these Meetings which occur several times each year. Activities for young school-age children will start about 20 minutes into Meeting. Meeting for Worship will run until about 11:30 a.m. Refreshments will be offered at the rise of Meeting.
Please RSVP to Kathi Webb (webbk@sidwell.edu) if you plan to attend; please let us know if you anticipate bringing children who will participate in the children’s program.

THE MS NEW BOOK FAIR IS COMING
Calling all student artists! The MS New Book Fair will be held on April 20 and April 22-24, and we could use your artistic talents to help decorate the halls with flyers and posters. We will provide you with all of the book fair dates, details and instructions. You will send us your artistic creations to be proudly displayed during the weeks leading up to the fair. If you hear your inner Van Gogh calling, just stop by the library and talk to Ms. Grady or Ms. Hanson.
For those of you who prefer to recite poetry, tell a story or sing, your turn is coming. The MS library will be hosting an open mic night on Thursday, April 23 at 5:00 p.m. Thanks for your support!

SHOOTBACK - PHOTOS BY KIDS FROM NAIROBI AND DC
Rubenstein Gallery, Kogod Arts Center
February 2- March 13, 2015
Shootback empowers young people to tell their own stories and express their creative voices through photography, writing, and critical thinking about the world around them. Founded in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1997 by American photographer Lana Wong, Shootback started by putting cameras in the hands of teens in Mathare–one of Africa's largest slums–and culminated in the publication of Shootback: Photos by Kids from the Nairobi Slums, a documentary film, and an international traveling exhibition. Eighteen years on, Shootback continues to train a new generation of young photographers in Mathare; eight of the original Shootback students are now professional photographers and filmmakers.
In Washington, DC, Shootback is helping to bring photography and writing programs to DC public schools and at-risk youth in collaboration with various nonprofit education organization.
http://www.shootbackproject.org


Other


COMMUNITY SERVICE CORNER
WAF_Sidwell_food_drive.pdfFinal days to contribute canned food, toiletries, linens through March 13:
Winter Canned Food Drive - Help Fight Senior Hunger with We Are Family!
We Are Family is excited to partner with Sidwell Friends School and Hearst Elementary School on a food drive and volunteer activities that will benefit District older residents!
We Are Family provides services such as free monthly grocery bags, friendly visits, transportation, and advocacy to older residents of the Columbia Heights, Petworth, Adams Morgan, Shaw, and North Capitol neighborhoods.
Please help us collect food for distribution through our Helping Hands Minimester. Click on the document above for more information.
Toiletries and Linens
- Dignity-condition items (for humans) at A Wider Circle
- Shabby fleece blankets and towels (for our four-legged friends) at Washington Animal Rescue League
- Tattered linens will be transformed into dog/cat toys during our “Paws and Claws” Minimester
Collection bins for WARL linens also in the 5th grade hallway. See Susanne Saunders or Michael Salmon if you have questions.
Important Dates:
March 15 and March 29 - 5th and 6th grade service club at A Wider Circle: ongoing project to manage the Kids' Corner.
Contact Dana.Milbank@washpost.com for additional information.
Contact MS Community Service Co-clerks Eva Xanthos at eva.xanthos@verizon.net or Lisa Arrington at arringtonlp@hotmail.com or your Grade Reps for volunteer opportunities.

STUDENT MATHEMATICIAN OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to 8th grader Mitchell Jubeir, our newest Mathematician of the Month! Mitchell was the only person to correctly solve the January/February Math Challenge. You can see his elegant solution on the Math Counts Bulletin Board outside Room 306 or on the 5/6 Math Bulletin Board. The final Math Challenge of the year will be posted after Spring Break.

MS NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
How to Submit an Article to Tuesday Letter: Please send submissions, in the body of the email, to PA.MSNewsletter@sidwell.edu by 2:00 p.m. on Monday. Please reference "Newsletter Submission" and the publish date(s) in the subject line. Do not include any formatting such as indents, bullets, boldface or all-caps and keep submissions succinct. If you have a form or flyer to include with your submission, send it as a PDF attachment. Receipt of your submissions will be confirmed as soon as possible. Submissions may not run for more than three weeks.
How to Modify an existing Submission: Please send a redline or otherwise clearly indicate the change to be made in a second email.
School Calendar: Calendar entries that appear in the right column of each Newsletter are automatically generated by the school, not by the Tuesday newsletter editors. Any changes to the school calendar are made through the school scheduling office at scheduling@sidwell.edu.


MS NewsChina Minimester trek prepares for their big adventure with the help of several guest speakers
Why should you never tell a Chinese host family member that you “like” their shirt? Middle School students preparing for the China trek know – thanks to insights from guest speakers.
Read MoreMiddle School Playback Theatre group honors the human experience
Vertical Voices performs for a group of 6th graders from National Presbyterian School.
Read More


The Parents Association newsletters are a forum for communication among parents and provide announcements concerning School or PA events or information related to a School or PA event.
MS newsletter submissions should be sent to PA.MSnewsletter@sidwell.edu.


Calendar


Thu, Mar 12th

All MS Meeting for Worship - Parents Invited

Robert L. Smith Mtg Rm
8:00am - 8:45am


PA Arts Committee Mtg

US Library Board Rm
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, Mar 13th

US Musical - "Merrily We Roll Along"

AC Theater
8:00pm - 10:00pm

Visit this Link


Sat, Mar 14th

8th Grade Parent Social

Off-campus
7:00pm - 9:00pm


US Musical - "Merrily We Roll Along"

AC Theater
8:00pm - 10:00pm

Visit this Link


Sun, Mar 15th

All Community Meeting for Worship

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
10:30am - 12:00pm


US Musical - "Merrily We Roll Along"

AC Theater
2:30pm - 4:30pm

Visit this Link


Mon, Mar 16th

MS Minimester


Tue, Mar 17th

MS Minimester


Wed, Mar 18th

MS Minimester


33rd Annual Zeidman Lecture

Robert L. Smith Mtg Rm
8:00pm - 9:00pm


Thu, Mar 19th

MS Minimester


Fri, Mar 20th

First Day of Spring Break/Potential school make-up day


Spring Break


3/27/2015


Thu, Mar 26th

Chamber Chorus & Jazz Ensemble 2 in New Orleans

Old US Mint


Sat, Mar 28th

Chamber Chorus & Jazz Ensemble 2 in New Orleans

NOCCA


Mon, Mar 30th

School Reopens


More


Athletics


Tue, Mar 10th

Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. Bishop O'Connell


4:00pm


Wed, Mar 11th

Tennis - Boys Varsity - Scrimmage vs. Bishop McNamara


4:00pm


Thu, Mar 12th

Baseball - Varsity vs. Gonzaga High School


4:45pm


Fri, Mar 13th

Softball - Varsity vs. Stone Ridge School


4:15pm


Softball - Junior Varsity at Stone Ridge School


4:15pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity vs. Gonzaga High School


6:00pm


Sat, Mar 14th

Baseball - Varsity - Quaker Classic - Johns Hopkins University


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. DC Classic vs. St. John's


1:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. DC Classic vs. Wilson


1:00pm


Mon, Mar 16th

Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. Mercersburg Academy


4:15pm


Softball - Varsity vs. Calverton


4:30pm


Tue, Mar 17th

Baseball - Varsity at Maret School


4:00pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Landon


4:00pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity vs. Maret School


4:15pm


Softball - Varsity at Holy Child


4:15pm


Wed, Mar 18th

Track & Field - Boys Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:00pm


Track & Field - Girls Varsity - St. Stephen's & St. Agnes Meet


4:00pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Bullis


4:15pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity at Bullis


4:15pm


Thu, Mar 19th

Softball - Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. Bishop Ireton


4:30pm


Fri, Mar 20th

Softball - Varsity - March 20 - 24: Disney Wide World of Sports


3/24/2015


Baseball - Varsity - March 20 - 25: Disney Wide World of Sports


3/25/2015


More


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