EMAIL DETAILS

Wednesday - April 9, 2014


From the School

Message from Lee
The Upper School query for April: How do we let our lives speak to promote equality and social justice in our community?
We were honored to have Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S Secretary of State, speak to the Upper School at Collection on Monday as part of the Zeidman Lecture Series.
“Let’s Talk About Sex: What Do Teens Really Want (Need) to Know” - Please join Gaby Grebski, US Counselor, and Irene Addlestone, Sex Educator and Program Developer, on Wednesday, April 9th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the RLS Meeting Room for a unique opportunity to provide insight into issues and questions your sons and daughters have regarding sex and sexuality. They will share the sex education program being provided to the 9th and 11th graders at Sidwell Friends in addition to having an interactive conversation addressing many of the topics of concern to your adolescent. If you have any questions, please contact Gaby Grebski at grebskig@sidwell.edu.
The Sidwell Friends School Black Student Union Go-Go will take place on Saturday, April 12 in the Athletics Center from 8:00 pm until 11:00 pm. Tickets and student identification are both required for entry. SFS students will be admitted for free until 9:00 p.m.; after that they will have to pay $10 for entry (the normal door price is $15). Please note that all parking/pickup should be in the parking garage as 37th Street will not be available. If you have any questions, please contact Michael Woods, Dean of Students.
There will be an Upper School Parent Conversation with Upper School Administration on Thursday, April 17 from 7:45 am to 8:45 am in the RLS Meeting Room. This will be an informal discussion of the Upper School experience looking back and looking forward. Please let me know if you have specific topics that you would like us to address.
The Chamber Chorus traveled overseas during spring break to participate in a Sidwell Friends School Alumni Reunion - the first one to be held in Europe - at the Hotel George Sand in Paris and to compete in the the 2014 YoungPrague Choral Competition. While in Paris, the ensemble performed concerts at the Cathedral of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle and participated in a joint concert with singers from Lycée Henri-IV (an independent high school comparable to Sidwell Friends School). While in Prague, the group competed with thirty–one choruses and was one of only two to be awarded the gold rating. Choruses from various countries participated including ensembles from China, Japan, Denmark, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Canada, the United States, and Russia.
West Virginia Workcamp chaperone needed - From June 15–21, 15 Upper School students will visit the Appalachian region of West Virginia to discover the people and culture, and renovate affordable housing. The group will stay in Caretta, West Virginia, a town of 300 people in McDowell County (the 6th poorest county in the United States). Upper School Director of Service Learning, David Connell, will be leading this workcamp. A youth group from Buchanon, West Virginia, the site of a recent coal mining disaster where 12 coal miners were killed, will also join the Sidwell Friends contingent. The workcamp will include a performance by a bluegrass/country music band, a community barbeque and a trip to a coal mine. If you are interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity to support our students in service, please contact David Connell, (202) 537-8182.
New Information Regarding Health Forms
As per D.C. DOH oral health exams are now required on an annual basis. There is a newly revised Oral Health form uploaded to the parent portal for you to download for completion due July 1st 2014.
As you may have noticed, annual physicals are on a rolling 12 month basis. This means you will receive automatic email reminders directly from Magnus Health 6 weeks prior to the due date of your child's next physical examination.
All documentation and blank health forms must be submitted via the Parent Portal on the SFS website by clicking on the Update Student Health Information link. Please note the following D.C. immunization requirements:
1. Students 11 years & older entering 6th through 12th grade in the District of Columbia are due to have a TdaP vaccination, if they have not had a dose of DTP/DTaP/Td in the past five years. This immunization must be documented and on file with your child's health records.
2. For students 11 years & older entering 6th through 11th grade in the District of Columbia, a series of three HPV vaccinations are required. A parent/guardian may sign the District of Columbia Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Opt-out Certificate. This certificate can be found by logging in to your student's Magnus Health Tracker. The immunizations or the completed Opt-out Certificate must be documented and on file with your child's health records.
3. Students 11 years & older entering 6th through 12th grade in the District of Columbia are due to have a Meningococcal vaccination. This immunization must be documented and on file with your child's health records.
From the Director of Special Events
Thank You for Supporting Student Scholarships: We would like to thank the many guests who attended the Around the World Together Auction this past Saturday – it was a smashing success! Thank you to the many supporters – donors, underwriters, volunteers and attendees for their generous support and enthusiasm. Please stay tuned for results and photos from the event!
Auction Prize Pick Up: All auction items may be picked up starting Tuesday, April 8 in the Office of Institutional Advancement, located on the lower level of Zartman House on the Wisconsin Avenue campus. Please bring your online auction winning bidder confirmation e-mail or auction statement from Saturday. If you have any questions, please contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events, 202-537-8442.
Tennis Event Registration Now Open: The SFS Tennis Event is back! This year’s event will build upon the excitement surrounding the growth of our new tennis program and gather SFS tennis enthusiasts of all ages and skill sets for a day of matches and fun. Please save the date for the SFS Tennis Event to take place on Saturday, May 17 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. Register online today! For questions, please reach out to co-chairs Eleni Rossides ’85 or Raina Fishbane.
US Community Service Newsletter
The April edition of the Upper School Community Service Newsletter is now available on the SFS website. Use this link 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 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.


PA Announcements

Apollo Orchestra and Piano Concert
April 11, 2014, 8:00 pm, Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
Arts Department Chair John Touchton and Alumni Parent Virginia Lum will be performing with the Apollo Orchestra Concert on April 11, 2014, in the Caplin Theater. The concert is free, open to the public. This is the same orchestra that performed with the Chamber Chorus and the Cafritz/Kennedy Center Opera Singers last November. Don't miss this extraordinary free concert!
Conductor: Stephen Czarkowski
Works include: Strauss, Don Juan; Poulenc, Double Piano Concerto in D Minor (featuring John Touchton and SFS Alum parent Virginia Lum, pianists); Brahms, Fourth Symphony.
Admission is free.
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Breakfast
The US Parents Association is sponsoring an Appreciation Breakfast for our dedicated faculty and staff on Friday, April 25. The teachers, coaches and administration welcome these special breakfast treats, and your USPA thanks you for your help in showing our appreciation to them.
We are looking for volunteers to donate baked goods or other breakfast goodies, fresh fruit, ground coffee, tea and juice as well as plates and utensils. Contributions should be dropped off at the Upper School Faculty Lounge no later than 7:45 am on the morning of Friday, April 25. If at all possible, please send your donation on an attractive platter or tray. Please also place your name on any non-disposable dishes and have your student pick them up by the end of the day in the Faculty Lounge. We are using SignUp Genius to track contributions.
Please follow this link to sign up today!
In addition to delicious treats, we also need three volunteers to help set up at 7:30 am, two volunteers to accept donations from drivers in the carpool lane from 7:30 to 8:00 am, and three volunteers to help clean up at 1:30 in the afternoon. If you can volunteer your time for any of these please also sign up in SignUp Genius.
If you have any questions, please email Joan or Ivy by clicking on our names below.
Joan Siegel and Ivy Howells, USPA At-Large Representatives
Lecture: "The Mind of the Athlete"
April 16 from 7:30pm -9 pm, Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
Please join the Athletics Department and PA Athletics Committee for a lecture on “The Mind of the Athlete” by sports psychologist Dr. Jarrod Spencer. Dr. Spencer’s passion is to assist athletes in attaining peak performance through sound emotional health. Dr. Spencer has a unique and provocative way of challenging us to re-think clearly and carefully about how we parent our young athletes. Dr. Spencer works with a number of professional, Olympic, college and high school athletes, coaches and teams and has served as the sports psychologist for athletic teams at the University of Maryland, Old Dominion University, Lehigh University and Lafayette College. For more information about this event, please contact Tony Mazlish.


Other News

Donations and Volunteers Needed for the Black Student Union
The Black Student Union (BSU) is hosting its annual Go-Go dance on April 12 from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The BSU needs donations of candy items and water to sell at its concession stands during the event, such as lollipops, twizzlers, airheads, etc. Parent volunteers are also need to help with the coat/bag check room (especially at the end of the event) and to sell items at the concession stands. Please sign up here. The Parents of Black Students (PBS) encourages Upper School parents to please sign up to help make this event a success. Concession items may be dropped off in the Upper School office of Susannah Parker or Hayes Davis if you are unable to bring the items to the event. For more information please contact PBS clerk Suzann King.
Special Guest Speaker: Michele Norris
Thursday, April 17, 2014 @ 6:30pm in the RLS QMH
Michele Norris, an award-winning journalist, is one of the most recognized voices in radio. She was host of NPR's longest-running national program All Things Considered until 2012, where she received many of journalism's highest honors, including a Peabody Award, duPont Award, and Overseas Press Club Award. She was named the 2009 Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists, solidifying her as an in-demand speaker on current events and American culture. In 2013, as a special correspondent for NPR, Norris traveled the country and developed two successful initiatives: The Race Card Project and NPR's Backseat Book Club. The Race Card Project defines “race card” literally, inviting listeners to share Six Word summations of their racial ideas and experiences that became the basis of compelling reports about race, pride, prejudice and identity.
Please join the MS PA Diversity Committee in welcoming Ms. Norris as she invites the Sidwell community to participate in the Race Card Project. Parents and students are invited.
Special Guest Speaker: Representative John Lewis
Tuesday, May 6, 2014, 7:30 pm in the RLS QMH
Representative John Lewis is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District, serving since 1987, and is the Dean of the Georgia Congressional Delegation. He is the only living "Big Six" leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. He was instrumental in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Congressman John Lewis chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), playing a key role in the struggle to end legalized racial discrimination and segregation. Please join the MS PA Diversity Committee in welcoming representative John Lewis to Sidwell Friends for his presentation about his life as a young activist, the importance of political engagement, and his conviction that today’s young people can transform a society.
Parents Council of Washington
Invites you to the 2014 Spring Forum: Using Mindfulness to Cultivate Resilience, Focus and Compassion at Home and at School, Wednesday, April 9, 8:30-10:30 at the Langley School,1411 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA. Parking is limited, please carpool!
Quaker Quotes
In 1947 the Nobel Committee presented the American Friends Service Committee and the Friends Service Council with the Nobel Peace Prize for their relief work during World War II. The speech below is from Gunnar Jahn, then Chairman of the Nobel Committee:
"It is now three hundred years since George Fox established the Society of Friends. It was during the time of civil war in England, a period full of the religious and political strife which led to the Protectorate under Cromwell - today we would no doubt call it a dictatorship. What then happened was what so often happens when a political or religious movement is successful; it lost sight of its original concern: the right to freedom. For, having achieved power, the movement then refuses to grant to others the things for which it has itself fought. Such was the case with the Presbyterians and after them with the Independents. It was not the spirit of tolerance and humanity that emerged victorious."
Read MoreUS 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


Wed, Apr 9th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Irene Addlestone and Gaby Grebski with US Parents - Sex Education

Robert L. Smith Meeting Rm
7:00pm - 8:30pm


Fri, Apr 11th

Apollo Chamber Orchestra

AC Theater
8:00pm - 10:30pm


Sat, Apr 12th

BSU Go-Go

Athletic Center
8:00pm - 11:00pm


Sun, Apr 13th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
1:00pm - 5:00pm


Mon, Apr 14th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Tue, Apr 15th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Wed, Apr 16th

US Parents Association Steering Committee Meeting

Rusch Team Room
8:00am - 9:30am


US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


PA Athletics Speaker - Dr. Jarrod Spencer

Robert L. Smith Mtg Rm
7:30pm - 9:00pm


Thu, Apr 17th

All US Parent Conversation with US Admin.

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room
7:45am - 8:45am


PA Speaker Event - Michelle Norris

Robert L. Smith Mtg Rm
6:00pm - 9:00pm


US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Sun, Apr 20th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
1:00pm - 5:00pm


Mon, Apr 21st

11th Grade Mock Admissions Reception

Meeting Room Foyer
5:30pm - 7:00pm


US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


11th Gr. Mock Admissions

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


Tue, Apr 22nd

Founders Day


US Arts Guild

Robert L. Smith Meeting Rm
1:00pm - 2:30pm


West VA Workcamp Mtg

Zartman Drawing Rm
6:00pm - 8:00pm


US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Wed, Apr 23rd

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


9th Gr. Parent Peer Group Mtg

Zartman Drawing Rm
7:00pm - 9:00pm


Thu, Apr 24th

Blood Drive

Wannan Gym
2:00pm - 5:00pm


US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater, Rosenberg Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Fri, Apr 25th

MS Musical

AC Theater
7:30pm


Sat, Apr 26th

MS Musical

AC Theater
1:00pm - 4:00pm


Sun, Apr 27th

11th gr. Parent gathering

TBD


US Play Rehearsal

AC Theater
1:00pm - 5:00pm


Mon, Apr 28th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


Tue, Apr 29th

US Spring Rehearsal

AC Theater
6:00pm - 9:00pm


More


Athletics


Wed, Apr 9th

Track & Field - Boys Varsity vs. Flint Hill Invitational at Flint Hill School


Track & Field - Girls Varsity vs. Flint Hill Invitational at Flint Hill School


Tennis - Boys 7/8 vs. Bullis


2:30pm


Baseball - 7/8 A vs. Mater Dei


2:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A at Bullis


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 B at Bullis


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A vs. Stone Ridge School


2:45pm


Baseball - Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


4:30pm


Thu, Apr 10th

Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A at Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Softball - 7/8 A at Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Softball - 7/8 B at Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Baseball - 7/8 A vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - A Team Home vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - B Team away vs. Landon


2:30pm


Baseball - 7/8 B at St. Albans - NOTE: reschedlued from 4/7


2:30pm


Track & Field - Boys 7/8 at Landon


2:45pm


Track & Field - Girls 7/8 at Holton-Arms


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity at National Cathedral School


4:15pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Wilson H.S.


4:15pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity at Landon


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Potomac School


4:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity at National Cathedral School


5:30pm


Fri, Apr 11th

Track & Field - Boys Varsity vs. CRONLY at Episcopal HS


Track & Field - Girls Varsity vs. CRONLY at Episcopal HS


Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Wilson H.S.


4:00pm


Softball - Varsity at Episcopal High School


4:30pm


Baseball - Varsity vs. Flint Hill


4:30pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity at Flint Hill


4:30pm


Sat, Apr 12th

Crew - Club (Girls) vs. Baltimore Invitational Regatta


Track & Field - Boys Varsity vs. Woodward Relays at Georgetown Prep


Track & Field - Girls Varsity vs. Woodward Relays at Georgetown Prep


Baseball - Junior Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


10:00am


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. Heights


11:00am


Wed, Apr 16th

Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A vs. Maret School


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A vs. Maret School


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 B at Maret School


2:45pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - B Team Home vs. St. Stephen St. Agnes


2:45pm


Baseball - Varsity at Maret School


4:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity at Holton-Arms


4:15pm


Softball - Varsity vs. Georgetown Visitation


4:15pm


Softball - Junior Varsity at Georgetown Visitation


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity at Georgetown Day


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity at Potomac School


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Potomac School


4:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity at Holton-Arms


5:45pm


Thu, Apr 17th

Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A at St. Andrew's School


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A vs. St. Andrew's School


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A vs. St. Andrew's School


2:45pm


Baseball - 7/8 A at St. Andrew's School


2:45pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 vs. St. Andrew's School


2:45pm


Track & Field - Boys 7/8 - SFS meet


2:45pm


Track & Field - Girls 7/8 - SFS meet


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. St. Andrew's School


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity at Bullis


4:15pm


Softball - Varsity vs. Bullis


4:15pm


Softball - Junior Varsity at Bullis


4:15pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity at Georgetown Prep


4:15pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Georgetown Prep


4:15pm


Baseball - Varsity at St. Andrew's School


4:30pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity at Baltimore Friends


4:30pm


Lacrosse - Boys Junior Varsity at St. James School


5:00pm


Mon, Apr 21st

Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A at Bullis


2:45pm - 2:24pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 A at Potomac School


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 B vs. Potomac School


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 A at Potomac School


2:45pm


Softball - 7/8 B vs. Potomac School


2:45pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity at Landon


4:15pm


Baseball - Varsity vs. St. Andrew's School


4:30pm


Tue, Apr 22nd

Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


4:00pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity at Episcopal High School


4:15pm


Softball - Varsity vs. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:15pm


Softball - Junior Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity vs. St. Andrew's School


4:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity at Episcopal High School


5:30pm


Wed, Apr 23rd

Track & Field - Boys Varsity - SFS Invitational at Sidwell Friends School


Track & Field - Girls Varsity - SFS Invitational at Sidwell Friends School


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


2:45pm


Thu, Apr 24th

Track & Field - Boys Varsity vs. Penn Relays at The Univeristy of Pennsylvania


4/26/2014


Track & Field - Girls Varsity vs. Penn Relays at The University of Pennsylvania


4/26/2014


Lacrosse - Boys 7/8 A vs. Landon


2:30pm


Baseball - 7/8 A at Landon


2:30pm


Baseball - 7/8 B vs. Landon


2:30pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - A Team Home vs. Landon


2:30pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 - B Team Away vs. Landon


2:30pm


Track & Field - Boys 7/8 at Potomac School


2:45pm


Track & Field - Girls 7/8 at Potomac School


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls 7/8 B vs. Potomac School


2:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity vs. Sandy Spring


4:15pm


Softball - Varsity at National Cathedral School


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Flint Hill


4:30pm


Baseball - Varsity vs. St. James School


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Junior Varsity at Flint Hill


4:30pm


Tennis - Boys Varsity vs. Flint Hill


4:30pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity at St. James School


4:45pm


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity vs. Foxcroft


5:30pm


Fri, Apr 25th

Baseball - Junior Varsity vs. Georgetown Day


5:00pm


Sat, Apr 26th

Crew - Club (Girls) vs. Charlie Butt Regatta


Tennis - Boys Varsity - NEMA Invitational


Track & Field - Boys Varsity vs. Viking Invitational at Walt Whitman HS


Track & Field - Girls Varsity vs. Viking Invitational at Walt Whitman HS


Lacrosse - Girls Junior Varsity at Madeira


9:30am


Lacrosse - Boys Varsity at Flint Hill


1:00pm


Softball - Varsity at St. James School


1:00pm


Softball - Varsity at St. James School


3:00pm


Sun, Apr 27th

Tennis - Boys Varsity - NEMA Invitational


Mon, Apr 28th

Baseball - 7/8 B vs. Georgetown Day


2:30pm


Tennis - Boys 7/8 at Potomac School


2:45pm


Softball - Junior Varsity vs. National Cathedral School


4:15pm


Lacrosse - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Dematha


4:30pm


Lacrosse - Girls Varsity - BCC


4:30pm


Softball - Varsity - Falls Church


6:00pm


Tue, Apr 29th

Softball - Junior Varsity at Bullis


4:15pm


Baseball - Varsity at Potomac School


4:30pm


Baseball - Junior Varsity vs. Potomac School


4:30pm


More


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