EMAIL DETAILS

Wednesday - May 14, 2014


From the School

Message from Lee
Everyone is working hard to finish up the school year, and it is cold and allergy season. Please help your child get plenty of sleep, good nutrition, and time for relaxation and fun.

At all times, I welcome your thoughts on the Upper School experience. Please don't hesitate to send me an email, phone, make an appointment, or contact your PA representatives to share your reflections.

Congratulations to the Upper School Dance Ensemble for a beautiful performance on Friday!
The Spring Play, “The Dining Room” by A.R. Gurney, will be performed on Friday, May 16 (8:00 pm), Saturday, May 17 (8:00 pm), and Sunday, May 18 (2:30 pm) in the Mary Ellen Caplin Theater. Please contact boxoffice@sidwell.edu or call 202-537-8141 to reserve tickets in advance.

The 2014 Sports Awards Evening will take place on Thursday, May 22 in the Mary Ellen Caplin Theater – refreshments at 5:30 PM and program at 6:00 PM.
Questions about exams and/or book buy-backs should be directed to Mamadou Guèye at gueyem@sidwell.edu or 202-537-8165.


Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday


5/26

Memorial Day
Regular School
Day


5/27

Review Day


5/28
Reading Day


5/29

Exam #1
English


5/30

Exam #2
Math


Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday


6/2

Exam #3
History


6/3

Exam #4
Science
MBS Book buy-back
10:45 AM to 3:00 PM
Crane Room


6/4
Exam #5
Language
MBS Book buy-back
10:45 AM to 3:00 PM
Crane Room


6/5

US Closing


6/6

US
Graduation


If you have any questions about Graduation or Prom, please contact Susannah Parker at parkers@sidwell.edu or 202-537-8160.
Upper School Closing Day will be Thursday, June 5, and all Upper School students, including seniors, will attend senior project presentations (starting at 8:00 AM) and the closing assembly which will end at 2:00 PM. There will be a PA-sponsored Ice Cream Social from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Only seniors and those students who are helping at graduation as ushers or in Chamber Chorus are required to attend graduation ceremonies on Friday, June 6.
SFS US Community Service Newsletter (May 2014)
The May edition of the Upper School Community Service Newsletter is now available on the SFS website. Click here to access the community service webpage. You will find the newsletter halfway down in the middle of the page. This newsletter highlights upcoming and recent community service and service learning events taking place at the Upper School. Please read this month’s publication if you would like to learn more, and/or get involved in the community service program at the Upper School.
Farewell Reception
Come help us say a fond farewell to Jennifer Mitchell, who has served as a Middle School science teacher, Middle School Assistant Principal, and All-School Diversity Coordinator. Join us for an informal reception on Friday afternoon, May 30th from 3:30 – 4:30 on the plaza between the Middle School and the Athletic Center.


PA Announcements

US PA Would Like to Say Thank You!
If you are one of the many wonderful parents who have volunteered your time at the school, please join us on Friday, May 16th at Zartman House, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Please join us if you have: led a peer group, organized a coffee, chaperoned on a field trip, assembled casseroles or pies, welcomed new students, or helped with any of the many things that parents do to make our kids' school experience a big success! We want to make sure everyone knows that their time commitment, big or small, is very much appreciated! Please RSVP to Sandi McCoy.
Parent Volunteers Needed to Join SFS US Newsletter Editing Team
We are looking for parents to serve on the Upper School newsletter editing team. This is a fun and easy way to get involved! Join the US newsletter editing team, and you will be able to support our school community from the convenience of your home, and be the first to read the latest news from the school. Contact US PA Clerks Laura Will (laura.will@me.com) or Gretchen Brevnov (gbrevnov@gmail.com) if you're interested.


Other News

Quaker Quotes
A bit of prose for Mother's Day week:
While the Quaker principles of equality, simplicity, non-violence, integrity and service have endured since their inception, many norms of everyday life have changed significantly. My mother's life provides a lens to understand these changes. The world my mother, Carolyn Nicholson Terrell, entered in 1921 was a typical Philadelphian Orthodox Quaker one, politically conservative, wealthy and strict by any standard. Quakers of that era married mostly within Orthodox Quakerism and went to Orthodox Quaker camps, schools and colleges - Haverford was Orthodox Quaker, but Swarthmore, run by denizens of the more activist Hicksite branch of Quakerism, was not. There was no smoking or drinking, and no gambling or financial speculation of any kind. Clothing was muted and music, art and novels were discouraged. Nationalistic and religious holidays that raised up one country or one day over another or commemorated war were not celebrated. There were no parades on the 4th of July or flowers on Easter or days off from school on Christmas for Orthodox Quaker children. Like all Quakers then, my mother and her family used "plain language," a legacy of early Quakers' commitment to the form of speech used by commoners and not the hierarchical "you" and "your" reserved for the upper classes. But by the 1930s, the "thee" and "thy" that originated in protest sounded anachronistic, even pretentious. Quakers flung themselves into the cause of reaching out to heal the wider world, establishing service (AFSC) and lobbying (FCNL) organizations and sending huge numbers of volunteers to work in nearby communities and across the world in Europe and Asia. The rigid customs of my mother's childhood gave way to a generation of Quakers who embraced service, engagement and activism and were drawn more and more into the mainstream as a result. My mother died a few years ago. I think the Quaker world she left is thriving in many respects - Quaker schools and Meetings are flourishing and are places where openness and tolerance of different-ness abounds. Yet, I find myself wistful for those days when our dress and our speech were markers of our tribe and of our values. My children are entering a world where they must define their Quakerness for themselves. I wish them well on that journey.
Cynthia Richie Terrell
SFS Parents of Black Students End-of-Year Celebration
Please join the Parents of Black Students on Tuesday, May 27 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Upper School Dining Room as we come together for an end-of-school-year celebration. This gathering is a wonderful chance to meet and greet other parents in the Sidwell Friends School community. The agenda also includes an important opportunity to hear tips and strategies for helping your child be a more effective learner. A light dinner will be served, so the favor of a reply is kindly requested at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C094CA8AB2BA4FE3-parents2 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Suzann King, sfspbsclerk@outlook.com.
Events for Student Scholarships
SFS TENNIS EVENT REGISTRATION DEADLINE MAY 14
All families are invited to join us for the Sidwell Friends Tennis Event, taking place on Saturday, May 17 from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center (home of the CitiOpen). This will be an afternoon of tennis and fun with community members of all ages and skill sets. Even if you are not a tennis player, come enjoy the food, drinks and fun! Adult tickets cost $50 and student tickets cost $30. Sponsorship opportunities are also available and all proceeds benefit student financial aid. Click here to register today! Please find the event schedule below. If you have any questions, please contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events at jacobsonj@sidwell.edu or 202-537-8442.
Tennis Event Schedule
3:30 p.m. Registration
4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Clinic, Warm Up Drills, Games and Round Robin Matches
US Wednesday Newsletter Submissions
How to Submit an Article to the Wednesday Letter. Send submissions to PA.USNewsletter@sidwell.edu by 2 pm Tuesday, and reference "Newsletter Submission" and the publish date(s) in the subject line (limited to 3 weeks). Items should be submitted as text in the body of the e-mail and should be succinct. If you have a form or flyer to include with your submission, please send it as a PDF attachment. The editor on duty will confirm receipt of all submissions -- if you do not receive a confirmation within a reasonable time period, your submission may not have been received. Lastly, if it becomes necessary to modify a submission previously sent or published, please send a redline or otherwise clearly indicate the change to be made.
Note Concerning the School Calendar: The calendar entries that appear in the right column of each Newsletter are automatically generated by the official school calendar and are not subject to editing by the Newsletter Editors. All changes or additions to the school calendar must be made through the school scheduling office, reachable at: scheduling@sidwell.edu.


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.
US newsletter submissions should be sent to PA.USnewsletter@sidwell.edu.


Calendar


Tue, May 13th

US Spring Play Production Week

AC Theater
6:00pm - 9:30pm


Wed, May 14th

US Spring Play Production Week

AC Theater
6:00pm - 9:30pm


Thu, May 15th

US Spring Play Production Week

AC Theater
6:00pm - 9:30pm


Fri, May 16th

US PA Volunteer Thank-you Reception

Zartman Drawing Rm
5:30pm - 7:30pm


US Spring Play - "THE DINING ROOM" by A.R. Gurney

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
8:00pm - 10:00pm


Sat, May 17th

US Spring Play - "THE DINING ROOM" by A.R. Gurney

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
8:00pm


Sun, May 18th

US Spring Production Week

AC Theater
12:00pm - 6:00pm


US Spring Play - "THE DINING ROOM" by A.R. Gurney

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
2:30pm - 4:00pm


Tue, May 20th

PA Transition Meeting

US Dining Rm
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Senior Parent Rehearsal

AC Theater
7:30pm - 9:00pm


Wed, May 21st

US PA Steering Comm. Mtg

Zartman Drawing Rm
8:00am - 9:30am


MS 7/8 Chorus and Orchestra Concert

AC Theater
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Thu, May 22nd

US Playwriting Festival

MS Drama Room
4:30pm - 8:00pm


US Athletic Awards

AC Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, May 23rd

US Prom

off campus (Four Seasons Hotel)
8:00pm - 2:00am
5/24/2014


Tue, May 27th

US Exam Period - Review Day


PA PBS End of Year Celebration

US Dining Rm
6:30pm - 8:30pm


Wed, May 28th

US Exam Period - Reading Day


Senior Parent Rehearsal

AC Theater
7:30pm - 9:00pm


Thu, May 29th

US Exam Period - English


MS 6th Grade Chorus and 5/6 Orchestra Concert

AC Theater
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, May 30th

US Exam Period - Math


Jen Mitchell Celebration

Outside Athletic Center/MS Tower Doors
3:30pm - 4:30pm


Sat, May 31st

Senior-Parent Event

Courtyard and Kogod Arts Center
6:30pm - 9:30pm


Sun, Jun 1st

Senior Family Meeting for Worship & Reception

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room, Arts Center Foyer
4:00pm - 6:00pm


Mon, Jun 2nd

US Exam Period - History


More


Athletics


Wed, May 14th

Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. ISL Tournament vs. Potomac


1:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A at Holton-Arms


2:45pm


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


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A at Holton-Arms


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 B vs. Holton-Arms


3:00pm


Softball - Varsity - DCSAA Away vs. Maret


5:00pm


Baseball - Varsity vs. MAC Championships


5:30pm


Thu, May 15th

Tennis - Boys 7/8 at St. Albans


2:30pm


Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


2:45pm


Baseball - 7/8 B at Maret School


2:45pm


Baseball - 7/8 A vs. Potomac School


2:45pm


Track & Field - Boys 7/8 - SFS meet


2:45pm


Track & Field - Girls 7/8 - SFS meet


2:45pm


Fri, May 16th

Crew - Girls vs. Stotesbury Cup Regatta


5/17/2014


Mon, May 19th

Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 B at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A at National Cathedral School


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A at Bullis


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A vs. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


2:45pm


Baseball - 7/8 A vs. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


2:45pm


Wed, May 21st

Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A at Flint Hill


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 B vs. Flint Hill


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A vs. Flint Hill


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 B at Flint Hill


2:45pm


Baseball - 7/8 A at Flint Hill


2:45pm


Baseball - 7/8 B vs. Flint Hill


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A vs. Flint Hill


2:45pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - A Team Away vs. Flint Hill


2:45pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - B Team Home vs. Flint Hill


2:45pm


Thu, May 22nd

Track & Field - Boys Varsity - DCSAA at Spingarn HS


Track & Field - Girls Varsity - DCSAA at Spingarn HS


Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 B at Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Track & Field - Boys 7/8 vs. MS Championships


2:45pm


Track & Field - Girls 7/8 vs. MS Championships


2:45pm


More


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