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Tuesday - May 26, 2015


Principal's Letter


NOTES FROM SALLY


Announcements


7/8 PARENT PEER GROUPS
SENIOR PROJECT PERFORMANCES
FRIEND TO FRIEND
ALL COMMUNITY MEETING FOR WORSHIP
PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP WELCOME FAMILIES
THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOU
PBS AND PLAS END OF YEAR RECEPTION
REIMBURSEMENT REQUESTS FOR PA ACTIVITIES DUE BY JUNE 4


Other


NEWS FROM THE NURSE: ANNUAL PHYSICAL EXAMS
GENERAL SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY
MS NEWSLETTER INFORMATION


News Around the School


US NEWS


LS NEWS


Principal's Letter


NOTES FROM SALLY
This week’s query: How can we make sure to think twice before we act?
The spring concert of the 5/6 instrumental groups and the 5th grade chorus will take place on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and Friday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. Parents are welcome to join us for either performance. Students should wear their “blacks and whites” for both performances.
On Wednesday afternoon all 7/8 students will have the opportunity to work with Farajii Muhammad, a staff member with the American Friends Service Committee in Baltimore. (This was originally scheduled for March but was postponed due to a snow day.) LIVE From Baltimore: The Pain, The Protests, The Movement is an interactive session presented by Peace By Piece Baltimore of the American Friends Service Committee. It will teach and train middle school students of the need and importance of social justice within the context of the Baltimore Uprising. LIVE from Baltimore will help students become further informed about the challenges facing other youth and also provide an opportunity for students to share their ideas and insights on how to empower the voiceless and unheard.

Current 6th and 7th graders will sign up for their PE/athletics choices this week during PE class and do not require a parent signature. If you are interested in the choices offered, please go to the athletics section of the SFS website, click on the physical education tab, and then choose 7/8 curriculum. Changes in choices may be made at the beginning of each season.
7/8 Parents: The final dance of the year is next Friday evening, May 31, from 7:30 p.m. – 10p.m at the Lower School in Bethesda. Please note that this is different from our usual location! At 6:30 p.m., 8th graders only will be honored at a dinner prior to the dance in the dining room. We ask that they dress nicely for the dinner and they may change into more comfortable clothes for the dance if they wish.
Student talent shows will be held next week. The 7/8 talent show will be held Monday June 1st at 2:00p.m. in the Caplin Theater of the Arts Center. The 5/6 talent show will be Tuesday June 2 at 1:10 p.m. in the Middle School Drama Studio. Parents are welcome to attend!
Summer reading lists for Middle School will soon be posted on the website. Please go to the Middle School section, then the library tab, and then look for summer reading lists. Current 6th grade families received reading lists as part of the transition packet.
Library Update: Report cards and yearbooks will be withheld until all library materials are returned, replaced or paid for. Notices of outstanding items and fines due are distributed to homeroom teachers and advisors. Feel free to contact the library directly with any questions.
Send a Rabbit to Camp! If you’d like to host Charlie the Library Bunny for a week or 2 (or a month), please contact Cynthia Grady(gradys@sidwell.edu) or Alicia Hanson (hansona@sidwell.edu) in the Middle School Library.
The best thank you that a teacher can receive at the end of the year is a letter of thanks from students and parents. As you write these, I would love to place a copy in the teacher's file – so please send these to my attention in the office as well. I also welcome your reflections on your child's year and suggestions for ways that we can improve the Middle School experience. Please do send along your suggestions – we have a Growth Mindset here in Middle School!
The last day of school is Thursday, June 4. It is a full day, and dismissal will be at 3:30 p.m. Middle School students with 4th grade siblings who wish to attend the Lower School graduation event on June 4 are welcome to do that; please coordinate arrangements with the homeroom teacher or advisor.


Announcements


7/8 PARENT PEER GROUPS
Instagram. Snapchat. What's it all About?Join us for a 7/8 Grade Parent Peer Group meeting on Friday May 29 from 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Sidwell parent Erin Egan, VP & Chief Privacy Officer of Facebook & Instagram, will share her insights on online safety, followed by questions and discussion. You will learn current trends on how teens are using Facebook and other social media sites and suggestions on what to talk about with your kids. This meeting will be held in the Lower School Meeting House during the 7/8 dance. Please contact Susie Schwabacher if you have any questions: s.schwabacher@gmail.com

SENIOR PROJECT PERFORMANCES
The PA Arts Committee and Upper School Arts Faculty invite you to the performances of four students who are doing performing arts senior projects. Lemonade and cookies will be served after each performance:

May 28

Sophia Wonneberger
4:30 p.m., Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
A viola recital


May 29

Sofia Campoamor
7 p.m., Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
A 90 minute program including 12 original songs from Sofia’s senior project album, plus extra original material. Sofia will be joined by other musicians from the Sidwell Friends community.


June 1

Isabelle Charo
6:30 p.m., Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
A 40-minute classical piano recital featuring works by Ravel, Mozart, Bach, Debussy and more.


June 2 and 3

Matteo Caramazza
7 p.m., Rosenberg Theater
A 50-minute performance of Eric Bogosian’s Wake Up And Smell The Coffee. Due to language and subject matter, audience discretion is advised.


FRIEND TO FRIEND
Photos from Middle School Grandparents and Friends Day?
On Friday, May 8, more than 250 grandparents and friends gathered at the Middle School for Grandparents and Friends Day. The afternoon included a welcome by Head of School, Bryan Garman,, and Middle School Principal Sally Selby, classroom visits, photos and fun! Click here to view photos from the event. The Office of Institutional Advancement will send printed photo keepsakes to all guests who attended in the coming weeks but photos can be downloaded immediately by clicking the down arrow in the bottom right. Link: http://sidwellfriendsschool.smugmug.com/MS-Grandparents-Day-2015??
Photos from the Tennis Round Robin?
On the afternoon of Sunday, May 17, more than 80 people came out to play and watch the matches at the Sidwell Friends Tennis Round Robin, hosted at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center (home of the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation and the CitiOpen). On behalf of co-chairs Raina Fishbane and Eleni Rossides, varsity Tennis Coach Octavio Delasobera and Assistant Coach Mike Kennedy, many thanks to all those that supported the event. We are pleased to announce that $5,000 was raised in support of student financial aid. If you are interested in volunteering for the 2015-2016 Tennis Round Robin, please contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events at jacobsonj@sidwell.edu.
Photos of the event can be viewed online. ?Link: http://sidwellfriendsschool.smugmug.com/Tennis-Round-Robin/i-L7vCGSH/A
VOLUNTEER FOR THE 2015 NEXT-TO-NEW SALE!
We are currently seeking volunteers and section heads for the 2015 Next-to-New Sale. Starting in early September and running through mid-October, we need volunteers to manage sections, organize, price, set up donations for display, serve as cashiers at the Sale, clean up post-Sale and pick up local donations. You can spend as much time helping as you would like -- even a few hours is a huge help! If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Co-Chairs Felice Roggen at froggen@mac.com and Melanie Jacobsen at mjacobsen12345@gmail.com
Link: http://www.sidwell.edu/support_sfs/events-for-student-scholarship/next-to-new-sale/index.aspx
Spring Cleaning or Moving? Donate Items to the Next-to-New SaleAre you in the throes of spring cleaning? Do you anticipate a summer move? Are you going to tackle a home improvement project once school is out? Consider donating gently used items to the Next-to New Sale, the School's large community secondhand sale that takes place in the Wannan Gym over Homecoming weekend! Our biggest needs include furniture, bikes, clothing (including boutique items, bags, wallets, jewelry, shoes), toys, housewares, rugs, sporting equipment, strollers, infant/toddler clothing, and children’s books (we are not accepting adults' books). All donations are eligible for tax deduction. To coordinate a drop-off time before the next school year starts, please contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events, at jacobsonj@sidwell.edu with your suggested drop-off day and time.
Link: http://www.sidwell.edu/support_sfs/events-for-student-scholarship/next-to-new-sale/index.aspx

ALL COMMUNITY MEETING FOR WORSHIP
You are invited to join the Sidwell Friends community for an All Community Meeting for Worship on Sunday June 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the Robert L. Smith Meeting Room on the Wisconsin Avenue campus. Light refreshments will be served at the rise of Meeting.
An alternative program will be offered for school-age children. Children will start Meeting with the group and be invited to join the leaders of the children’s meeting after about 20 minutes of worship. Please RSVP to Kathi Webb (webbk@sidwell.edu) if your children will participate in this program.
If you would like to learn more about Meeting for Worship, the PA Quaker Life Committee's page on the parent portal contains helpful materials and links provided by the faculty and parent Quaker Life Committees. A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert L. Smith also contains a helpful chapter titled “Worship” sharing his experiences at Meeting from childhood and as an adult.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP WELCOME FAMILIES
Can you host a potluck, hangout or any fun group activity to welcome new 5th and 6th grade families?
Families of current 5th and 6th graders are needed to help welcome new families this spring and summer! Can you host a potluck dinner for a small group of parents? Can you and your child host a hangout for either a small or large group of new kids? You might go bowling, spend a couple hours at the local pool, make casseroles for Martha’s Table, go for a hike and get ice cream, or shoot baskets in your backyard. Whatever the activity, you will help us welcome these nearly 40 new families to our Middle School community. If you can help, please contact Carrington Tarr (cctarr@gmail.com) or Allison Leader (ableader@gmail.com), MS Welcoming co clerks.
OR, could you help welcome new-to-Sidwell 6th and 7th grade students at our popular Scavenger Hunt?
Did you know that 39 new students are coming to Middle School next fall (in addition to the rising 5th graders!)? We need your help welcoming them: new 6th and 7th graders are invited to a Scavenger Hunt and Ice Cream Social from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. Current parents and students will show new kids around and answer parents’ questions. This is a great chance to get to know the new families and enjoy some ice cream with friends. If you can help, please contact Carrington Tarr (cctarr@gmail.com) or Allison Leader (ableader@gmail.com), MS Welcoming co-clerks. Thank you!

THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOU
We are Seeking Volunteers to Fill Middle School Positions for Next Year:
If you enjoy community building and would like to make an important contribution to the School and your child's experience at Sidwell, please volunteer as a room parent for your 5th or 6th grade class, team parent for your 7th or 8th grade team, or dance committee clerk. Each of these positions are only a year long and we are looking to fill positions in all grades in the Middle School.
If you are interested in serving, would like to suggest someone else, or simply would like more information, please e-mail Renee Fried, MS co-vice clerk, at reneefriedzone@gmail.com, or Beth Zeugin, MS co-vice clerk, at bczeugin@comcast.net.
Thank you! It feels great to get involved and help out at SFS.

PBS AND PLAS END OF YEAR RECEPTION
Parents and students from all three divisions are cordially invited to join the Parents of Black Students and the Parents of Latino Students for an end-of-year reception. We will be gathering in the Upper School Dining Room on Thursday, May 28 from 6 - 8 p.m. Graduating seniors will be recognized. In addition, seniors and their parents will share their thoughts about progressing successfully through all the divisions at Sidwell.
A light dinner will be served and we would like to know how many guests to expect, so the favor of a reply is kindly requested at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D4AA8A728A31-sidwell2
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Maurice Ross, PBS Co-Clerk at mbross@verizon.net or Lisa Fuentes, PLAS Co-Clerk, LisaFuentes@gmail.com.

REIMBURSEMENT REQUESTS FOR PA ACTIVITIES DUE BY JUNE 4
Please submit all reimbursement requests for Parents’ Association activities to the PA mailbox in Zartman by Thursday, June 4 – the last day of school. Original receipts are required and should be taped (not stapled) to the back of the reimbursement forms. Please email Rebecca Rippey, PA Treasurer, at rippeyrebecca@gmail.com if you need a copy of the reimbursement form or have any questions. Thank you.


Other


NEWS FROM THE NURSE: ANNUAL PHYSICAL EXAMS
This is just a friendly reminder as we begin to prepare for the 2015-2016 school year.
Physical Examinations and Immunizations Required for Attendance
All health-related forms must be submitted online via Magnus Health. No paper health forms will be accepted at the School.
Annual Physical Exams: All students are required to have an annual physical exam during the 12-month period immediately preceding the first day of the school year. You will receive an automated email reminder directly from Magnus Health 6 weeks prior to the expiration of the physical examination. A DC Universal Health Certificate must be completed and signed by a physician or advanced practice nurse and submitted to the School via Magnus Health. (Sign into the Parent Portal and click on the link Update Student Health Information). Parents will be given both oral and written notice if they fail to provide the required form. If after 30 days it has not been submitted, the public health authorities will be notified.
In addition to submission of the DC Universal Health Certificate as described above (12-months prior to first day of school), in order to participate in all school and physical activities, students must update the Vital Health Record (by July 1stwithin the calendar year), and the Consent to Treat Form (by July 1st within the current calendar year). If you find that you will not be able to furnish the School with an updated Health Certificate by the expiration date of the last physical examination, you may have the health care practitioner write a note indicating that your child “is cleared to participate in physical and other school related activities until next physical exam scheduled on….” This note will suffice until that scheduled physical exam is completed and should be submitted via Magnus Health.
Immunizations: In accordance with DC law, all students must submit documentation that they have been vaccinated against specific illnesses before the school year begins. Tdap, Meningitis and HPV immunizations are required by the D.C. Department of Health for students 11 years and older entering 6th through 12th grades. No student will be allowed to attend School without a Certificate of Immunization unless the student has been exempted in accordance with law. In order for a student to be exempted from providing certification of immunization, parents must submit a completed religious or medical exemption form on an annual basis to Magnus Health, via the parent portal on the SFS website.

GENERAL SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY
Parents, please take a few minutes to share your opinions on general School communications including weekly division e-newsletters, social media, wall calendar, printed directory, and more.
Click on the link below to take this survey, which will be available until June 5.
(Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/26KR5LH)

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.


US NewsBob Woodward and Elsa Walsh are the 2015 Commencement speakers
Two esteemed journalists will usher the 127th class of graduates into the future on June 5.
Read MoreHow far can you go on three wheels and a battery? Upper School students test the limit!
Quakers take third in the Washington, DC, Electric Vehicle Grand Prix.
Read More


LS NewsMore than 20 countries come together to celebrate diversity and community
Lower School families enjoy sharing rich cultures and traditions at the third annual Heritage Festival.
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, May 26th

US Exams - Review Day


Wed, May 27th

US Exams - Reading Day


Thu, May 28th

US Exams - Science

US Dining Rm, US Classrooms
8:30am - 10:30am


Senior Project Recital

Robert L. Smith Meeting Rm
4:30pm - 5:30pm


PBS/PLAS End-of-Year Reception

US Dining Room
6:00pm - 8:00pm


5/6 Spring Concert

AC Theater
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, May 29th

US Exams - Language

US Dining Rm, US Classrooms
8:30am - 10:30am


7/8 Dance

LS Multipurpose Rm
6:30pm - 10:00pm


Senior Project performance

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


7th Gr. Parent Peer Group Mtg

LS Meeting House
8:00pm - 9:30pm


8th Gr. Parent Peer Group Mtg

LS Library
8:00pm - 9:30pm


Sun, May 31st

New 6-8 Grade Student Ice Cream Social/Scavenger Hunt

Sledge Garden (Wannan Gym in case of rain)
1:30pm - 3:00pm


Mon, Jun 1st

US Exams - English

US Dining Rm, US Classrooms
8:30am - 10:30am


Senior Project Recital

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater Kogod Arts Center
6:30pm - 7:30pm


Tue, Jun 2nd

US Exams - Math

US Dining Rm, US Classrooms
8:30am - 10:30am


Senior Project Performance

Rosenberg Theater
7:00pm - 8:00pm


Wed, Jun 3rd

US Exams - History

US Dining Rm, US Classrooms
8:30am - 10:30am


Senior Project Performance

Rosenberg Theater
7:00pm - 8:00pm


Thu, Jun 4th

Middle School - Last Day of School


8:00am - 3:30pm


Lower School Closing Ceremony


9:00am - 10:30am


Lower School - Last Day of School


9:00am - 12:00pm


Middle School Closing Ceremony

AC Theater
7:00pm - 9:30pm


Fri, Jun 5th

US Closing Day


Upper School Commencement

Zartman Garden
10:30am - 12:00pm


More


Athletics


Wed, May 27th

Baseball - Varsity - DCSAA Quarterfinals vs, Maret


5:00pm


Fri, May 29th

Baseball - Varsity vs. DCSAA Semifinals


6:30pm


Sat, May 30th

Baseball - Varsity - DCSAA Rain Date


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity - Alumni Game


10:00am - 1:00pm


Sun, May 31st

Baseball - Varsity - DCSAA Championships @ Nationals Stadium


11:30am


More


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