SFS LS Thursday Letter 12-9-10

SUBJECT:

PRI: NORMAL

FROM:

T

thursday@listserv.sidwell.edu

DATE:

2010-12-09 08:30:00

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<5d9c280e624313d3c18459153c0c21f8@listserv.sidwell.edu>

RECIPIENTS:

TO:

H

R. Hunter Biden <hbiden@senecaga.com>

CONTENT: TEXT: YES | HTML: YES

PROCESSED

Thursday - December 9, 2010

From the School

QUERY
“How can we listen to others with an open heart,
respect others and include others in play and
in games?”
-- Grade 2CHANGES IN AFTER-SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION
Change_in_Transportation_form.pdfWe take the responsibility of keeping your children safe very seriously. We will not accept any changes that are requested by phone. Please remember to inform your child’s teachers in writing about changes in transportation. We encourage you to send in a paper note on the day of the change as this is a reminder to your child about the change and helps him/her to feel responsible and comfortable with the plans. Please include the first and last name of your child and the first and last name of the child with whom your child is leaving school. If your child has forgotten the note, you may email the classroom teacher/s and Barbara Conte conteb@sidwell.edu before 10 AM to inform us of the change. Emails are not accepted happily as we are very busy throughout the day and often do not have time to check emails. Late changes will not be honored unless it is a true emergency. Last minute changes usually cause anxiety. See below for hard copy of transportation change. Read MoreWEDNESDAY MORNING MATH SCHEDULE CHANGES
Over the years, we have come to realize that it is difficult for families to get the children to Wednesday Morning Math in the weeks right before and after winter break. Therefore, we have decided to cancel the Wednesday Morning Math sessions for those two weeks – Wednesday, December 15 and Wednesday, January 5.
Wednesday Morning Math will return after its holiday break on Wednesday, January 12. We hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing break.
Raina and Merry
IMPORTANT HOLIDAY PROGRAM INFORMATION!!!
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The Grade 2 - 4 Holiday program is presented twice to accommodate all the parents.
Thursday, Dec. 9, 9:15 AM: The parents of the following classes are invited: 2, 3, 3x, and 3y
Friday, Dec. 10, 9:15 AM: The parents of the following classes are invited: 2x, 4, 4x, and 4y
Please come only on your assigned date.

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 9:15 AM: The Holiday program is presented by PK, K, Kx, 1 and 1x. Their parents and siblings are invited.
GRADE 2-4 HOLIDAY PROGRAM ATTIRE
Grade 2 – 4 Holiday Program attire:
(Thursday, Dec. 9 and Friday, Dec. 10 9:15 AM)

All wear white tops (e.g., turtleneck, sweater, polo shirt, blouse or shirt.) Boys wear nice pants – any color. No sweatpants or blue jeans. Girls can wear a comfortable skirt with tights or nice pants.

Please remember to have your children wear these outfits both days. Same program – different audience. Thank you.TEAM TWO TRIP TO NMAI

On Thursday, January 6, the Team Two clan will visit the National Museum of the American Indian. As we enjoy the wealth of information, artifacts and media presentations in the different exhibits, we will learn more about and appreciate the amazing diversity of Native American cultures. This visit will help us prepare for our upcoming research projects. The incredible richness of this museum can hardly be appreciated in the short time we have, so we encourage you to take your child for a follow-up visit.
For more information please visit the museum website: www.nmai.si.edu.

PA Announcements

COMMUNITY SERVICE CORNER
Wednesday Vegetable Collection
On Wednesday, December 15 we will be collecting fruit in addition to vegetables for Martha’s Table. When the weather is cold, the hot soup is greatly appreciated. Please send fruit which is easy to transport such as apples, oranges, and slightly green bananas.
Holiday Gift Giving---LAST CALL
In the spirit of holiday gift giving, the LS Community Service Committee invites the Sidwell Friends families to share with our neighbors in need. As in past years, Lower, Middle, and Upper School families are welcome to donate gifts during the first two weeks of December. Donations will be delivered by parent volunteers to children at local agencies with whom we have long-term partnerships: A Wider Circle, Martha’s Table, and Brightwood Elementary School. Please drop off unwrapped gifts in the collection boxes located in Manor House by tomorrow, December 10. If you have any questions or are interested in lending a hand, please contact Beth Zeugin at bczeugin@comcast.net , LS Community Service co-clerk. Thank you for your generosity!
GIFT SUGGESTIONS:
· Toys, board games, puzzles, African American and Latina dolls, picture books, dramatic play costumes & props, and craft kits for children (please no action figures that carry weapons). Also, rolls of wrapping paper are appreciated. Gift cards to Target or Old Navy for teenagers (shops within walking distance of recipients) and personal care items for moms are greatly appreciated. .A Wider Circle and Martha’s Table.
· High quality books for very young children such as board books about ABC's, 123's, shapes and colors (please no cartoon books). Brightwood Elementary School.
For information about our service partner organizations, please click the "Read More" link below. Read MoreWEEKEND VOLUNTEERING FOR FAMILIES IN JANUARY
Weekend slots fill quickly.
A Wider Circle
Join SFS families at A Wider Circle in Silver Spring on Sunday, January 9th from 1 to 2:30 PM. Volunteers will help sort children’s clothing, household items, pantry foods and furniture. Your time will greatly benefit AWC’s Neighbor to Neighbor as they help families who are just leaving shelters to make a warm, safe, and comfortable home. All families welcome (ages 4 and up), Kindergarten and First Grade families encouraged. Please RSVP to Sara Jane Harris, sjrharris@comcast.net.
Read MoreALL SCHOOL MEETING FOR WORSHIP
Please join your child in the physical education building for an all school Meeting for Worship celebrating the Winter Solstice on Tuesday, December 14 at 1:30 PM. FRUIT FLIES PICKUP
Thank you for supporting the Fruit Flies Citrus Sale! For your orders arriving by truck, the time to pick up your fruit is this Saturday, December 11, between 9 AM and 12 noon, at the Wisconsin Ave. campus. Drive to the end of the carpool lane, near the Security Office, and a volunteer will load your fruit into your car. Fruit that has not been picked up after Monday afternoon will be donated.
Speaking of volunteers, we could use some helpers to distribute fruit on the 11th and especially to help unload the truck on Friday, December 10, at 4 PM If you have questions or wish to volunteer, please e-mail Andrew Trotter, atrotter@aol.com.
MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR THE HOLIDAYS FROM THE LS DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
Reflections "Perhaps the greatest strength of the United States is the diversity of its people and to truly understand this country one must have knowledge of its constituent parts. But an unstudied, not discussed and ultimately misunderstood diversity can become a divisive force" Attorney General, Eric Holder
Query: Are we a nation of cowards or are we ready to discuss our diversity at school, at work, and in the privacy of our home? We truly welcome your comments, feedback and suggestions. Please email arringtonlp@hotmail.com.GREEN TIP: WINTER HOLIDAYS
Green up your winter holiday with these tips:
1. Switch your old incandescent bulbs for LEDs (using about 15% the energy). www.holidayleds.com will take back the old ones.
2. Choose a small “bulb” tree that can later be planted outside OR buy your tree from a local sustainable farm. Check out www.localharvest.org to find one.
3. Turn down the lights when you light your menorah.
4. Green gift options that don’t involve buying or manufacturing new things:

a. National Park membership for your favorite hiker.
b. Environmental group donation for the tree-hugger who has everything.
c. Plan a volunteer vacation with another family and enjoy the experience.
d. A year of fresh produce from www.localharvest.org for the foodie.
Wishing you a happy, green holiday! The Green Team: micallefj@aol.com. Read MoreLOST AND FOUND
Please remember to label any article of clothing that could be removed by your child, including pants. Thanks to our second graders, many pieces of clothing have been returned to owners. Many more, over 50, are headed to Martha's Table.SALLY FOSTER GIFT WRAPS AND GIFTS
STOCK UP NOW FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
Sally Foster is a school-wide sale that includes quality gift-wrap and delicious gourmet chocolates among many other great gift items available through a convenient online catalogue. 50% of all sales go directly to student financial aid. All orders may be placed now through January 31, 2011 at www.sallyfoster.com. When prompted at check-out, enter the SFS account code 505552 so that 50% of the proceeds are properly recorded to our school.

Other News

75 FOR 75 FAIR SHARE CHALLENGE
We are excited to announce that a few anonymous parents have joined forces to issue a collective Fair Share challenge to the current parent community at Sidwell Friends. Never before has your participation in the Fair Share Fund had such a monumental impact!
THE CHALLENGE: If parent participation in Fair Share reaches 75 percent by December 31, 2010, our anonymous donors will give a combined contribution of $75,000 to the Fund!
Click on the "Read More" link to find out more about the 75 for 75 Fair Share Challenge. Please make a gift or a pledge today and help us meet this extraordinary challenge! Visit www.sidwell.edu/support to make a gift or e-mail your pledge to Leslie Hutchens, Director of Annual Funds, at hutchensl@sidwell.edu. Thank you to all those who have already supported Fair Share! Read MoreEVENTS FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS ANNUAL AUCTION ON APRIL 16
Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 16, 2011 for the All Hands on Deck themed benefit auction at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. All auction proceeds go directly to student financial aid. This will be a fabulous event you won’t want to miss!
Click on "Read More" below to find out about making a tax-deductible donation. Donation deadline is January 31, 2011. Donate today!

We still need volunteers to help solicit donations. This is much easier than it sounds. It entails following-up with about ten parents or businesses to make sure they get their donations in by the deadline. It only takes a couple hours, yet makes a huge different. To volunteer please contact events@sidwell.edu. Read MoreNINTH ANNUAL VARIETY SHOW: JANUARY 29
Forget the Stock Market -- This is The Way to Get a Triple Return on Your Investment!
SAVE THIS DATE!! Saturday, January 29, 8 PM in the Kogod Arts Center, for the Ninth Annual Variety Show – the showcase of SFS alumni who are professionals in the performing arts, who come back and entertain us for the benefit of student financial aid. This Show gives you that triple return! Your children are inspired by some of Sidwell's finest role models. You enjoy a relaxing evening of great entertainment followed by a reception with the performers. On top of it all, you support the worthiest of causes – Events for Student Scholarships. Click here to buy tickets -- and to quadruple your return by getting the tax deduction of a sponsorship. Get your tickets early; this show SELLS OUT!
ARTRAGEOUS SHOUT OUT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
ARTRAGEOUS SHOUT OUT! Friends, Parents, Patrons, lend us your love of all things Art! ArtRageous (Sunday, January 30 from 1-4 PM) promises to bring out the artist or art appreciator in you if you'll help us bring out the RAGE in ART! This SCHOOL-WIDE day of COMMUNITY and ART is fabulously fun, and it CANNOT happen without YOU! We are excited by a new venue this year - the beautiful Middle School - and it's going to be exhilerating to celebrate the arts in ways old and NEW in the cool Blackbox Theatre, the professionally designed Art Studios, the inspiring Instrumental and Choral Classrooms - BUT WE NEED YOU. Set up (morning), Clean up (4-5:30 PM), Assisting Art Stops and other events (1-4 PM) - we've got a place only YOUR SHOES will dance in! To reserve your place in making this happen, please contact Rebecca Boylan at boylanr@georgetown.edu, and THANK YOU!ARTRAGEOUS WANTS YOU!
Put on your dancing shoes, exercise your fingers, warm up those voices, plug in the guitars, and rise up to this CALL for all performing musicians to participate in the fun event known as ArtRageous! This happening takes place in the beautiful spaces of the Middle School this year on Sunday, January 30, 1:00-4:00 PM. Write it down now, and reserve your chance to participate by sending a note to maude.fish@comcast.net. Please include your name, and/or your parent's name, and contact information, how you wish to perform, what you wish to perform, i.e. the title of the piece and its author, composer, or choreographer. If you have a specific time preference for your performance, you can include this in your email and we will TRY to accommodate. We seek performers of all ages and skill levels! Due to the high volume of talent at Sidwell, we suggest that you limit the duration of your performance to 2-3 minutes. Do you want to rock out with your band? Play the piano as a solo or in a chamber ensemble? Sing a folk tune with a fiddler or two? Perform a dance? or act out a skit? PLAN AHEAD, start preparing now, and send an email to Maude Fish. You will receive an acknowledgment via email in return.SIDWELL'S GOT TALENT-CHILDREN NEEDED!
Last year, the Lower School children brought Star Wars the Musical and Chorus to Artrageous. The children were sensational. This year, we are asking for your child to participate in the first lower school talent showcase: Sidwell’s Got Talent!: Spotlight on the Lower School!

What is SIDWELL’S GOT TALENT ABOUT? A talent show showcasing the talents of dance, vocals, movement and the performing arts. The show will comprise of a collection of performances-each performance lasting no longer than 2 minutes. We are looking for original artistic expressions of the things your children enjoy and find fun. It should be both Artrageous and age appropriate! Examples include a song from a Broadway musical, a pop song, grade performance of one number from a grade play, fresh take on famous speeches.... Click on the "Read More" link below to find out more about participating in Sidwell's Go Talent!

The first open rehearsal will take place on Sunday, December 12 from 1-4 PM at the home of a SFS parent. (Please note date change). Students seeking solo or small group performances may as always perform in Chamber Arts or Town Hall; please see article in Newsletter from Maude Fish re Artrageous. Read MoreSUPPORT SFS DURING THE HOLIDAYS (AND ALL YEAR) WITHOUT EVEN TRYING!

Take just a minute and register your Giant bonus card and Safeway card to automatically send $ to SFS. Each dollar is greatly appreciated. It’s easy and quick. See below:
It's Not Too Late to Register your Giant Card! Enroll on-line at www.giantfood.com/aplus by December 31 and Sidwell Friends will receive credit for ALL of your December purchases! To renew for the Safeway eScrip program. SImply visit www.escrip.com and click on "Yes! Renew". Renewing will reinstate contributions from that date forward.
Thank you for your continued support of Sidwell Friends School. Questions? contact Donna Grell at dgrellbv@yahoo.com.
WINTER BREAK CAMP
winter_break_flyer.pdfPlease join us over winter break – we are offering programs by the day for students in PK – Grade 10! Whip up delicious dishes with Chef Kevin, create adorable gifts and fashionable outfits and accessories with Handwork Studios, kick around with travel soccer coaches from Stoddert, and burn off excess holiday spirit our Sports & Games camp for the young ones! Click here for the flyer or apply online at www.sidwell.edu/summer. Sign up by the day with half, full and extended day options. Contact us with any questions – 202-537-8133 or summer@sidwell.edu. Read MoreGREAT NEWS FROM THE FOX DEN!
Now you can shop at the Fox Den 24 hours a day! The online store is up and ready for your viewing and shopping pleasure. Just click here and shop. Please feel free to call or email Donna C. Osborn (202.537.8198 or osbornd@sidwell.edu ) if you have any questions.SIDWELL FRIENDS SCHOOL ADMISSIONS DEADLINE APPROACHING
In keeping with the school’s spirit to increase diversity in its student body, the Sidwell Parents of Latino Students (PLAS) would like to encourage Latino families in the Washington area to consider Sidwell Friends School for their children.

More information is available at Sidwell’s website: www.sidwell.edu, along with information regarding financial assistance. Accepted students are eligible for financial aid, awarded on financial needs basis. Please use the financial aid calculator on the school site to determine potential eligibility/award. http://www.sidwell.edu/broadcast/action/clickthru.aspx?id=366.1190.626861.25157.7520.

Families and their prospective students are welcome to contact the Admission’s office.

The application deadline is December 15, 2010; supporting documents are due by January 15, 2011.LS THURSDAY LETTER INFORMATION
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Calendar

Thu, Dec 9th

All School Community Service Holiday Gift Drive

2, 3, 3x and 3y Grade Holiday Program

LS Multipurpose Room
9:15am

LS PA Diversity Committee Meeting

LS Meeting Room
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Fri, Dec 10th

All School Community Service Holiday Gift Drive

Grade 2x, 4, 4x, and 4y Holiday Program

LS Multipurpose Room
9:15am

7th & 8th Choral and Instrumental Holiday Concert

AC Theater
1:45pm - 3:20pm

Sat, Dec 11th

Grade 4 Martha's Table Family Community Service

Off Campus
10:00am - 12:30pm

Sun, Dec 12th

US Winter Choral Concert

AC Theater
2:30pm

Tue, Dec 14th

PA Executive Committee Meeting

Athletic Center Meeting Room
8:00am - 9:00am

Grade PK, K, Kx, 1 and 1x Holiday Program

LS Multipurpose Room
9:15am

Wed, Dec 15th

US Instrumental Concert

AC Theater
7:30pm - 10:00pm

Thu, Dec 16th

PA Arts Committee Meeting

US Library Board Room
7:45pm - 9:30pm

Fri, Dec 17th

Assembly: US Chamber Chorus

LS MultiPurpose Room
9:00am - 10:00am

Sat, Dec 18th

Winter Vacation Begins

Mon, Dec 20th

Winter Break Camp

Lower School
9:00am - 3:00pm