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Tuesday - December 13, 2011


From the School

Query

This week’s query: How can/should science and religion coexist in your daily life?
Notes from Sally
March Minimester Apprenticeships.docx
Assembly: The Annual Faculty Follies, Lost and Found Fashion Show, and Holiday Singalong! Feel free to join in the fun at 2:30 on Friday!

Northwest Current Correspondent: Ananya Kapur

Most of our announcements are looking ahead to the New Year! School will close on Friday for the holidays and reopen on Tuesday, January 3rd. One of the first activities when we return will be the National Geographic Geography Bee.

Also looking ahead: The concert for the 5th grade chorus and the 5/6 orchestra will be held on Thursday evening, January 12th at 7:00 PM. Students should wear their “blacks and whites.”

As you may remember, Minimester options fall into one of three categories: trips, apprenticeships, and local programs. Trip arrangements are now complete. The booklet with the local offerings will be available in mid-January. However, some students may be interested in doing an apprenticeship. For those students and families, we provide the following information:

While some prefer the camaraderie of being with a group in a learning experience structured by Middle School faculty members, others take these four days as a time to engage in an internship with a professional or group or mentor not affiliated with SFS.

For students interested in pursuing an apprenticeship, Winter Break may be the perfect time to think about and nail down options. The formal process begins after Break, when students attend a meeting to hear about requirements and receive forms they, and their sponsors, will need to complete. Guidelines are fairly simple. The intent is to gain valuable new perspective on a field of interest. Any apprenticeship should provide a meaningful learning opportunity that goes significantly beyond those the student usually encounters. Although it’s fun to apprentice with a like-minded friend, no more than three students may sign on with a mentor together. Transportation is up to the students and parents, and hours should roughly approximate the school day for all four days. Apprenticeships with nonprofit organizations that work for people, animals or the planet may fulfill the service requirement for Middle School.

Wait—there’s more! This year we’re asking parents to help us envision possibilities and expand options for all our apprentices. If you work in an organization or field that lends itself to having a curious Middle Schooler learn the ropes, please let us know. Or perhaps you know someone else who might be a perfect sponsor. Winter Break affords the time to think about logistics and find out what’s possible. In past years, scientists, chefs, veterinarians, costume designers, environmentalists, early childhood educators and museum curators have been mentors. Please think if you can contribute in this valuable way and if so, contact Susanne Saunders (saunderss@sidwell.edu) or Anne Kennedy (kennedya@sidwell.edu) via email. Thanks for all you do to make our programs a success.

The Sidwell Friends Middle School Debate team competed in the second of five tournaments of the DC Urban Debate League on Saturday, December 10th. SFS had eight teams that did extremely well against some excellent competition. This tournament was much larger than the first contest, with 60 teams from 28 schools in the metropolitan area, and a total of 180 debaters. All of the debaters, including several who had never debated before, performed admirably. SFS teams won 21 total debates, earning the first place trophy, and also earned the second place trophy for total percentage of wins by a school. The office is getting cluttered with hardware! A couple of standout performances are worth mentioning: Manny Carter placed 7th out of 180 in total speaker points and the team of Ananth Shastri, Anisa Hasan-Granier and Jade Lintott placed 10th out of 60 teams, earning a medal. Overall, 6 of Sidwell’s 8 teams were 3-1, one was 2-2 and one was 1-3. Congratulations to all of the debaters!

Several of our Middle School students have had roles in area productions during this season. 8th grader Becca Ritchie appeared in Measure for Measure at the Round House Theater, 5th grader Sydnee Lubar is dancing in The Nutcracker with the Washington Ballet at the Warner Theater, and 6th graders Serena Baldick, Joey Dunn and Ella Meyer appear as actors and dancers in the Choral Arts Society Chorus and Chamber Ensemble's Family Concert, Why the Chimes Rang, at the Kennedy Center this Saturday.

Our thanks to parents Capricia Marshall and Jenny Springer for their program for the sixth graders last week!

Very best wishes to you all for a warm and wonderful holiday!
Read MoreInstrumental Music Notes

5/6 Full Orchestra and Handchime Choir Wednesday (December 14th) rehearsal period Rm 101
Thanks to the 7/8 Orchestra for a fantastic holiday concert! No 7/8 Orchestra this week
Looking ahead: Mandatory after school rehearsal for 5/6 Orchestra Tuesday January 10th, 2:30-5:00 Arts Center Stage


PA Announcements

Performers for ArtRageous 2012

ARTRAGEOUS: CALL FOR PERFORMERS
Before the snow falls and you all disappear for destinations far and wide, please run to your computers NOW and send Maude Fish (maude.fish@comcast.net) the following information: who are you? What grade are you in? What will you perform and who is it by? Do you need an accompanist or audio/visual equipment? AND, Maude Fish will write you back! She will TRY to accommodate your scheduling needs, and she will confirm the time and place of your performance. Don't be late for an important date. ArtRageous 2012 is just around the corner.
Read MoreLower School Book Fair

LOWER SCHOOL BOOK FAIR AT BARNES AND NOBLE- DEC.2ND/3RD

The Annual Book Fair to support the Lower School Parents Association will be Friday, Dec. 2nd and Saturday, Dec 3rd at the Bethesda Barnes & Noble. It’s a perfect time to do holiday shopping! Sidwell Friends LS PA will receive credit for purchases made in-store and online using Sidwell's special code # 10455475 from December 2nd - December 8th.
TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VARIETY SHOW

Dancers Dancing, Drummers Drumming, Music, Song and Laughs!

Add variety to your holiday gifts with tickets to the Variety Show, the annual extravaganza featuring SFS alumni who are professionals in the performing arts, who return to entertain us for the benefit of student financial aid. The Tenth Annual Variety Show is set for Saturday, January 28, 2012, at 8 p.m. in the Kogod Arts Center. Lively and entertaining, this show is guaranteed to please the whole family. You’ll be giving your children an evening with great role models, you’ll be giving yourself a relaxing evening of professional entertainment, and you’ll be giving the gift of student financial aid – all proceeds go to Events for Student Scholarships. Visit https://www.sidwell.edu/support_sfs/variety_show_reg2012.aspx to buy tickets. Order now; this show SELLS OUT! Become a sponsor and give yourself the gift of a tax deduction!

Hosted by NBC4 News Anchor Eun Yang, with Glenn Pearson at the piano and students from the SFS Jazz Ensemble as the House Band, as of early December the cast of Variety Show 2012 includes: Opera Tenor Michael Belle ’91, Composer and Recording Artist Kathryn Bostic ’75, Bass Player John Daise ’05, Singer and Composer Rebekah Eden ’82, Drummer Jason Edwards ’04, Playwright, Actor and Director Daniel Gallant ’94, Pianist and Composer Michael Gallant ’99, Actor Hilary Kacser ’78, Violinist Soye Kim ’73, Dancer and Choreographer Brandye Lee ’96, Nashville-Based Singer/Songwriter Erik Thorson ’62, Conscious Comic and Vigilante Pundit Baratunde Thurston ’95, and Actor/Singer Emily Zickler ’07.

If you would like to place an ad in the Variety Show program or become an underwriter for this event, please contact the Events for Student Scholarships office at (202) 537-8110 or events@sidwell.edu.
Read MoreCommunity Service Corner

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the gift drive this year! A Wider Circle was thrilled to receive our donations.

Mark your calendars: There will be a Community Service Committee meeting on Wednesday, December 14th at 8am in the Upper School Crane Room (near the cafeteria). All are welcome!

Are you interested in doing some community service with your family over the break? There are many opportunities available including wrapping gifts at A Wider Circle and making sandwiches for Martha's Table. For more ideas, please click on the "read more" link below. Also, if you have a favorite organization to which you'd like to donate your time, check their website for ideas.

And finally, we will be collecting toiletries after the break, so bring a few home from your travels!
Read MoreArts Committee Meeting-Change of Location

The Arts Committee meeting scheduled for this Thursday evening, December 15th at 7:30pm has a new meeting location. We will now meet at the home of Maude Fish, 3224 Oliver Street NW, Washington, DC.
Fair Share Update

Due to post office cutbacks, the Fair Share year-end appeal has been significantly delayed. Although it went to the post office on November 28, it has yet to reach anyone. If you are interested in making a contribution to the Fair Share Fund before the end of the tax year, please visit www.sidwell.edu/support.


Other News

Winter Spark

Sign up now for the winter session of MS SPARC! Offerings this season include 5th/6th Grade Chinese and a new food & nutrition workshop, Food Explorers. For more information and the application, please visit http://www.sidwell.edu/middle_school/after-school-sparc/index.aspx. Questions? Email burcawk@sidwell.edu or call 202-537-8133.
Saving Shopping Bags

'TIS THE SEASON TO SAVE THOSE SHOPPING BAGS!

The Next to New Sale chairs are always looking for great ways to "Reuse, Renew, and Recycle" and even though our annual sale just ended, we're already looking forward to next year. You can help by saving all of your shopping bags. We need department store bags, paper grocery bags, reusable cloth/plastic bags, Ikea bags, etc - we'll take any undamaged shopping bag with a handle. We'll be collecting them all in January or February. In addition to using them for the sale, we'll be sharing some with Martha's Table so that families in need can take home donated clothing in nice bags rather than plastic bags. Information on collection dates and locations will be published in this newsletter in January. Questions? Contact Anne Honn at anhonn@gmail.com
Wrestling Tournament

The award winning Sidwell Friends Wrestling Team will host the annual Sidwell Friends Invitational Wrestling Tournament to be held on Saturday, December 17,2011, in our state of the art upper school athletic center. The tournament will feature the best wrestling teams in our region, including Georgetown Prep, Georgetown Day, St Albans and Mercersberg Academy, to name a few. The SFS Wrestling team, led by Coach Lou Heberer, has had an unrivaled record of success for many years and the team needs the support of the entire Sidwell community to raise funds to pay for team travel and expenses.
Read MoreQuaker Notes

"We are too ready to retaliate, rather than forgive, or gain by love and information. And yet we could hurt no man that we believe loves us. Let us then try what Love will do: For if men did once see we Love them, we should soon find they would not harm us. Force may subdue, but love gains: And he that forgives first, wins the Laurel." -- William Penn

“What we receive in contemplation, we pour out in love.” --Meister Eckhart

“Quaker Quotes” is a weekly submission by Melissa Belman (melissa@ecologicflooring.com
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Send submissions to PA.MSNewsletter@sidwell.edu by 2 pm Monday. Please reference "Newsletter Submission" and the publish date(s) in the subject line. Items should be submitted as text in the body of the e-mail. PLEASE 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, please send it as a PDF attachment to your email. Receipt of your submissions will be confirmed as soon as possible. Please be aware that submissions may not run for more than 3 weeks.
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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


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


Wed, Dec 14th

PA MS Community Service Committee Meeting

US Crane Room
8:00am - 10:00am


US Instrumental Music Concert

AC Theater
7:30pm


Thu, Dec 15th

PA Arts Committee Meeting

Maude Fish's Residence
7:30pm - 9:00pm


Sat, Dec 17th

Winter Vacation Begins


Mon, Jan 2nd

No School


More


Athletics


Tue, Dec 13th

Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity vs. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:15pm


Basketball - Boys Freshman vs. Wilson H.S.


4:30pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity at St. James School


5:00pm


Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at St. James School


5:00pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


5:45pm


Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Edmund Burke


7:30pm


Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Edmund Burke


7:30pm


Wed, Dec 14th

Basketball - Girls 7/8 A at Stone Ridge School


2:45pm


Basketball - Girls 7/8 B vs. Stone Ridge School


2:45pm


Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity vs. St. Albans


4:15pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity vs. St. Albans


6:00pm


Thu, Dec 15th

Basketball - Boys 7/8 A vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity at St. Andrew's School


4:15pm


Wrestling - Varsity vs. Potomac School


4:30pm


Basketball - Boys Freshman at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:30pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity at St. Andrew's School


5:45pm


Fri, Dec 16th

Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Georgetown Prep


4:00pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity vs. Georgetown Prep


5:45pm


Sat, Dec 17th

Basketball - Girls Varsity - Holiday Tournament Puerto Rico


12/20/2011


Wrestling - Varsity - Sidwell Invitational


9:00am


Tue, Dec 27th

Wrestling - Varsity - Damascus Tournament


12/28/2011


More


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