EMAIL DETAILS

Tuesday - December 2, 2014


Principal's Letter


NOTES FROM SALLY


Announcements


7TH AND 8TH GRADE MUSIC CONCERTS
UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS EVENTS
GAME TIME - WINTER SEASON
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK
MEET THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REMINDER - AMBASSADOR RASOOL SPEAKING ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCLUSION
ADVERTISE IN THE 2015 AUCTION CATALOG
NOW ACCEPTING AUCTION DONATIONS


Other


COMMUNITY SERVICE CORNER
SFS NIGHT AT THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS
HOLIDAY SEASON AT THE FOX DEN
QUAKER QUOTE
MS NEWSLETTER INFORMATION


News Around the School


MS NEWS


Principal's Letter


NOTES FROM SALLY
This week’s query: How do you express your ideas without hurting people’s feelings?

Reminder: The Middle School will dismiss on Friday (12/5) at noon. All students will eat lunch before dismissal. If your child does not normally attend aftercare but you need it for Friday, please register through the website!

The Middle School winter concerts are coming up! Next Wednesday evening (December 10), the 7/8 choral and instrumental ensembles will be performing. The concert will also be the assembly next Friday, December 12. Parents are welcome to attend either show, and concert dress is expected for both performances. The instrumental call time for Wednesday evening is 5:30 p.m., and the choral call is 6:15 p.m.

Following the break, all sixth graders and members of the 5/6 instrumental ensembles will be performing on Thursday evening, January 15. This concert will be repeated for the assembly on January 16.

Thanks to everyone for your contributions to two of our fall service initiatives. Leftover Halloween candy is being split between two organizations: SOME (So Others Might Eat) and the Washington Home. In addition, our Trick or Treaters raised $675 for UNICEF. Thanks to everyone!

We welcome back Gretchen McCourt to the 6th grade – she has been away for the first part of the year with her new baby. As she comes in, we also say goodbye and thank you to Thu Nguyen, who has subbed for her since September. Finally, congratulations to 7/8 math teacher Ethan Merlin, whose son was born on November 21.

Are you planning family travel that will necessitate your child’s absence from school? While we understand that these are often important family occasions, we also hope that you recognize that missing school creates difficulties for your child and for his/her teachers. If absences are absolutely necessary, we ask that you follow these procedures:

Please notify both the office and the child’s homeroom teacher/advisor as far in advance as possible that such an absence will take place. Parents should then notify all of the child’s teachers of the absence in the week prior to the trip. While we will attempt to pull material together for the child in advance, it is not possible to develop a comprehensive list of assignments ahead of time. The student is responsible for checking Haiku for homework during the trip and for seeing each teacher upon his/her return to obtain a list of missing work and due dates for such work. Teachers are not expected to reteach material covered during the student’s absence.

It is important for parents to understand that it is impossible to duplicate the experience of being in class and that a decision for a child to miss an extended period of time should be the rare exception rather than the rule. Absences put children under pressure in our already rigorous curriculum.

Attention 8th grade parents: PLEASE NOTE as you are making your vacation plans for next summer: Upper School athletic teams all begin pre-season practice before school begins! If your child wants to play a fall sport, you must take this into consideration when scheduling your summer.

Diversity Spotlight:
We’ve had a very busy fall! The 5/6 A to ZSU met at the end of October to discuss topics they might explore this year. The 7/8 A to ZSU met in November and shared personal stories about how we express and support our unique backgrounds in the Middle School community. The group is also planning a Cultural Food Celebration for December 12, where students will bring a food to share that is typical of their unique family and cultural traditions.

On November 18, the Middle School Diversity Committee offered the first of two annual mini-conferences for faculty entitled Diversity University. Faculty attended one of the following sessions: Beyond the Canon: From Toni Morrison to Tupac, James Baldwin to Jay-Z; Needs to Speak More in Class; It’s Complicated: Managing Your Relationship with Technology in the Networked Era; and The Art of Graceful Conversation and its Cohesive Societal Influence. In these sessions faculty engaged in discussion and shared resources on teaching introverts, choice of texts in the classroom, the interpersonal interaction we have with technology, and how communication enhances interaction and understanding among all diverse groups.

Fifty-two students have signed up for the 2015 Metro D.C. Middle School Student Diversity Leadership Conference to be held at Sandy Spring Friends School on January 26, 2015! This year the conference will examine stereotypes, judgment, and bias and is entitled “Crossing Borders.” Our own drama teacher, Tim Reagan, and his Vertical Voices troupe, will be performing at the conference.

Finally, in response to the Grand Jury decision and reactions in Ferguson, Missouri and throughout our nation, the Middle School observed silent reflection during an extended Advisory/homeroom on Tuesday, November 24. Discussions took place in 5th grade homerooms and 7/8 advisories, and the 6th grade was able to engage in a conversation about Ferguson in a full-group advisory lesson that morning. Over the long weekend, two 7/8 teachers developed a lesson around Ferguson and social justice, which was piloted yesterday during advisory. Other advisories will have the opportunity to do this lesson next week. We will continue to work with the entire SFS community to develop opportunities to explore the complex issues that this decision presents, and we invite you to share your perspectives with us as we seek to help our children learn how to have difficult conversations with each other as we seek to forge a more peaceful world. My thanks to Middle School Diversity Coordinator Julia Porter and the faculty Diversity Committee for their leadership in these critically important areas.


Announcements


7TH AND 8TH GRADE MUSIC CONCERTS
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC NOTES
CONCERT TIMES:
Wednesday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. - call time is 5:30 p.m. in the Arts Center
Friday, December 12 at 2:00 p.m. - call time is 12:30 p.m. in the Arts Center
MANDATORY REHEARSALS:
Monday, December 8 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. (refreshments provided) in the Arts Center
Wednesday, December 10 from 12:55 to 1:50 p.m. in the Arts Center
CHORAL NOTES
CHORAL ENSEMBLES:
Wednesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. - call time is 6:15 p.m. in the Arts Center
Friday, December 12 at 2 p.m. - call time is 1:15 p.m. in the Arts Center
MANDATORY REHEARSALS:
Tuesday, December 9 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. (refreshments provided) in the Arts Center
Wednesday, December 10 from 8:15 to 9:25 a.m. in the Arts Center

UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS EVENTS
Upper School Winter Chorus Concert Sunday, December 14 at 2:30 p.m. in the Robert L. Smith meeting room. You will hear the full chorus, chamber chorus, and several student-led upper school a capella groups.
Upper School Art Gallery Opening & Reception Wednesday, December 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Rubenstein Gallery followed by an Instrumental Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Caplin Theater.

GAME TIME - WINTER SEASON
Presenting two opportunities to cheer SFS athletes before winter break and two more after:
Swimming & Diving on Wednesday, December 10 at Stone Ridge at 4:00 p.m. Teams from 4 schools will be competing against the Quakers whose squad includes league champions in both swimming and diving. The meet will begin with diving at 4:00 p.m. Swimming events start around 4:30 p.m. and conclude around 6:00 p.m. Indoor swimming pool venues are warm and cheers reverberate, making your voices sound really loud. Competing schools are: Stone Ridge, Georgetown Day, Gonzaga, Georgetown Visitation, and SFS. Stone Ridge is at 9101 Rockville Pike, just beyond the Navy Medical Center, entrances off Cedar Lane and Rockville Pike.
Wrestling on Friday, December 12 against Georgetown Day School at 4:30 p.m. at SFS. Come cheer the Quakers, MAC league champions 8 of the last 9 years. The wrestling room is in the Athletic Center, and we’ll be serving donut holes and cider to those coming to cheer.
Girls and Boys Basketball on Friday, January 23 at SFS. Girls Varsity vs St. Andrews at 4:30 p.m. and Boys Varsity vs. Maret at 5:45 p.m.
Dance Ensemble Winter Performance, Friday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the Caplin Theater.

COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK
Computer Science Education Week is an annual effort to raise awareness about the importance of computer science education. Usually held every year during the second week of December, this week also recognizes the birthday of computing pioneer and United States Navy Rear Admiral, Grace Murray Hopper.
To celebrate Computer Science during this week and beyond, the Sidwell Friends School Academic Technology Team has developed a page with the intention of providing resources, activities, and articles that provide information about computer science, and other forms of creative computing. We hope it will provide our community information about creative computing projects that are happening at school and possibilities for explorations at home. You can find it at the following link: SFS Creative Computing Page.

MEET THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Profiles and photos of the trustees are now available online, click here to learn more about the members of the board.

REMINDER - AMBASSADOR RASOOL SPEAKING ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCLUSION
South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool will be our guest Tuesday December 2 at 7:00pm in the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room. The Ambassador will be speaking about human rights and his own experiences working for tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion. Please email Kathi Webb at webbk@sidwell.edu if you would like to use the free child care will be provided for Sidwell Friends students. Older students are welcome to attend this talk. Light refreshments will be available at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the meeting room. This event is sponsored by the Parents Association and all in the Sidwell Friends community are invited.

ADVERTISE IN THE 2015 AUCTION CATALOG
Interested in showcasing your business or organization in the Sidwell Friends auction catalog? Advertisements help defer the costs of producing the auction, and will be seen by over 8,000 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the School. To learn more about advertising opportunities, please view the Advertising Agreement. The deadline for ad copy is January 30, 2015. For questions, please contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events, at jacobsonj@sidwell.edu, or call 202-537-8442. Thank you for your support!

NOW ACCEPTING AUCTION DONATIONS
This year's scholarship Auction - "Celebrate DC" - will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2015 in the Athletic Center. You don't want to miss it!
We hope you will support this important fundraiser by making a contribution by February 1, 2015. Not sure what to donate? View the list of donation ideas. Donation contracts can be filled out online or you may print this contract and send to the school or fax to 202-537-8449.
For questions regarding the auction, please contact Jessie Jacobson at jacobsonj@sidwell.edu, Director of Special Events. Thank you for your support!


Other


COMMUNITY SERVICE CORNER
We have two wonderful opportunities to give this holiday season.
We have collection bins in the lobby through December 16 for Mary’s Center, a longtime Sidwell partner. Mary's Center provides health care, family literacy, and social services using a holistic, multipronged approach to help each participant access individualized services that set them on the path toward good health, stable families, and economic independence.
Please use the collection bins for new and unwrapped gifts that will be delivered to Mary's Center.
Please note that charities get lots of toys for babies and young kids and far fewer for the older children they serve. See suggestions for boys and girls age 8 to 13 here or here.
Or, you can consider adopting A Wider Circle Family. Read on for how this experience impacted one Sidwell family.
"This was one of the highlights of our family's holiday season last year! After receiving a detailed wish list, the four of us had so much fun putting gifts together for each member of our Wider Circle family. Our experience was made even more rich by getting to know the parent, a single mother in this case, and delivering the gifts to her apartment when her kids were away. It was a powerful opportunity to put ourselves in the place of those less fortunate and help make their holiday wishes come true. Please consider signing up or, if it feels like too big of a commitment, you may wish to partner with another Sidwell family!"
If you're interested or have any questions, please contact Marjan at marjanehsassi@hotmail.com or at 202-664-4706.
December 14 at 1:00 p.m: 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).
Ongoing Toiletries Collection Bins in Lobby for A Wider Circle.
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.

SFS NIGHT AT THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Saturday February 7 is SFS community night at the Washington Wizards game against the Brooklyn Nets, with a 7:00 p.m. tip off. We’ve got a block of seats for $25 each in sections 424 & 425 so we can cheer together. Assuming we sell our 100 tickets, we’re entitled to watch pre-game warmups from courtside, and 50 of our youngest fans can high cheer in the tunnel as players run onto the court (6:25 p.m.). We’ll also get our own Wizards-SFS custom t-shirts. Tickets can be purchased now in the Fox Den. Lower School parents can also buy tickets the two mornings of the holiday concerts at the Fox Den pop-up store in the Meeting House. There are a limited numbers of student tickets available for families on financial aid. We are offering one free ticket per family on a first come first serve basis. Please contact Valerie Foster at 202-537-2402 or fosterv@sidwell.edu. These are REAL TICKETS, not re-printable e-tickets, so please don’t lose your ticket. Questions - Contact PA Athletics Committee Clerks Estee Portnoy (Estee.Portnoy@jumpdc.com) and Andrew Aurbach (andrew.aurbach@gmail.com) or Kathi Webb (webbk@sidwell.edu).

HOLIDAY SEASON AT THE FOX DEN
‘Tis the season to be giving… ‘Tis the season to be gifted…
‘Tis the season to be thankful for all this new Sidwell Swag!
‘Tis the reason to shop – great t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, sweatpants, quarter zip jackets, flannel pants, mugs, and more.
Lots of great opportunities to shop Sidwell Friends School Store!
November 28: The Fox Den is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
December 10: The Fox Den stays open until early evening.
December 12: The Fox Den “Pop Up” Store will be at The Lower School - Quaker Library Room from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
December 16: The Fox Den “Pop Up” Store will be at The Lower School - Quaker Library Room from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
December 17: The Fox Den stays open until early evening.
The Fox Den
3825 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016
202-537-8198

QUAKER QUOTE
"There is a quiet, open place in the depths of the mind, to which we can go many times in the day and lift up our soul in praise, thankfulness, and conscious unity. With practise this God-ward turn of the mind becomes an almost constant direction, underlying all our other activities."
~ Kenneth Boulding, 1910-1993
Kenneth Boulding was an economist, poet, philosopher, educator, and peace activist who traveled widely among Friends with his wife, Elise Boulding.
Quaker quotes are intended to deepen the understanding of Quakerism in the SFS community. Suggestions and questions may be addressed to Cynthia Ritchie Terrell at ctcabin@gmail.com.

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 NewsParty Clothes!
Community celebrates Middle Schoolers who brought eco-friendly t-shirts to The Fox Den’s inventory
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


Tue, Dec 2nd

PA Diversity Committee

US Library Board Room
5:00pm - 7:00pm


PA Event - Ambassador Rasool

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Thu, Dec 4th

PA Executive Steering Committee Mtg

Rusch Team Rm
8:30am - 9:30am


Fri, Dec 5th

MS Report Writing - Half Day


Wed, Dec 10th

MS Winter Concert

AC Theater
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Thu, Dec 11th

PA Arts Committee Mtg

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


Fri, Dec 12th

LS Holiday Program - Gr. 2,3,4

LS Gym
9:00am - 10:00am


6th Grade Culture Celebration

2nd Floor of the Middle School
4:00pm - 8:00pm


Sun, Dec 14th

US Winter Choral Concert

Robert L. Smith Mtg Rm
2:30pm - 4:30pm


Tue, Dec 16th

LS Holiday Program - Gr. PK, K, 1

LS Gym
9:00am - 10:00am


Wed, Dec 17th

Fall Art Show Opening

Rubenstein Gallery
5:30pm - 7:30pm


US Winter Instrumental Concert

AC Theater
7:30pm - 9:00pm


Mon, Dec 22nd

Winter Break


1/2/2015


More


Athletics


Tue, Dec 2nd

Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Open Diving Meet


3:45pm


Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Open Diving Meet


3:45pm


Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at Maret School


4:15pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. Baltimore Friends


4:30pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity at Maret School


5:45pm


Wed, Dec 3rd

Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Quad Meet


4:00pm


Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Quad Meet


4:00pm


Wrestling - Varsity at Landon


5:00pm


Thu, Dec 4th

Basketball - Boys Varsity - SFS Tournament: 12/4 - 12/6


12/6/2014


Wrestling - Varsity - Tri with SFS, Maret, & Wilson


4:30pm


Fri, Dec 5th

Basketball - Boys Varsity - SFS Tournament: 12/4 - 12/6


Basketball - Girls Varsity - SFS Tournament 12/5 & 12/6


12/6/2014


Sat, Dec 6th

Wrestling - Varsity at Model Secondary School


Basketball - Girls Varsity - SFS Tournament 12/5 & 12/6


Basketball - Boys Varsity - SFS Tournament: 12/4 - 12/6


Mon, Dec 8th

Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Madeira


4:00pm


Basketball - Boys Freshman at Landon


4:15pm


Tue, Dec 9th

Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity vs. Holton-Arms


4:15pm


Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at Flint Hill


4:30pm


Wrestling - Varsity - St. Stephen's & St. Agnes Tri


5:00pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. Holton-Arms


5:30pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity at Flint Hill


6:15pm


Wed, Dec 10th

Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Quad Meet


4:00pm


Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Tri Meet with Gonzaga & GDS


4:00pm


Thu, Dec 11th

Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


4:00pm


Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity at Maret School


4:15pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity at Maret School


5:45pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


5:45pm


Fri, Dec 12th

Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity vs. National Cathedral School


4:00pm


Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Dive Invitational


4:00pm


Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Dive Invitational


4:00pm


Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Dive Invitational


4:00pm


Wrestling - Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


4:30pm


Basketball - Boys Freshman at Flint Hill


4:30pm


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


5:30pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. National Cathedral School


5:45pm


Sat, Dec 13th

Wrestling - Varsity - Mercersburg or Loudon County Duals


Mon, Dec 15th

Swimming - Boys 7/8 vs. Holton-Arms


2:45pm


Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Holton-Arms


2:45pm


Basketball - Girls 7/8 A at Holton-Arms


2:45pm


Basketball - Girls 7/8 C at Holton-Arms


2:45pm


Basketball - Girls 7/8 B vs. Holton-Arms


3:00pm


Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Holton-Arms


4:30pm


Tue, Dec 16th

Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity vs. Madeira


4:15pm


Basketball - Boys Freshman at St. Albans


4:15pm


Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at St. Albans


4:30pm


Wrestling - Varsity at St. Albans


5:00pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. Madeira


5:45pm


Basketball - Boys Varsity at St. Albans


6:15pm


Wed, Dec 17th

Indoor Track - P.E. Class (Coed) vs. Georgetown Preparatory Run & Gun


Swimming - Boys 7/8 at Stone Ridge School


2:45pm


Swimming - Girls 7/8 at Stone Ridge School


2:45pm


Basketball - Boys 7/8 B at Bullis


2:45pm


Wrestling - 7/8 vs. Bullis


2:45pm


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


2:45pm


Swimming - Girls 7/8 vs. Stone Ridge School


2:45pm


Swimming - Boys 7/8 vs. Meet @ Stone Ridge


2:45pm


Thu, Dec 18th

Basketball - Boys 7/8 A vs. Georgetown Day


2:45pm


Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity vs. Potomac School


4:15pm


Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at Potomac School


4:15pm


Wrestling - Varsity vs. St. Andrew's School


4:30pm


Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. Potomac School


6:00pm


Fri, Dec 19th

Basketball - Girls Varsity - Quaker Invitational 12/19 & 12/20


12/20/2014


Basketball - Boys Varsity - Florida Trip


12/22/2014


Basketball - Boys Freshman vs. Wilson H.S.


4:15pm


Sat, Dec 20th

Wrestling - Varsity - SFS Tournament/Beast of the East


More


3825 Wisconsin Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 Tel: 202-537-8100 Fax: 202-537-8499