Subject: SFS US Wednesday Letter 11-10-10
From: "SFS US Wednesday Letter" <[email-masked]>
To: "R. Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Wednesday - November 10, 2010

		

		

		 

					

								From the School
                                
                                FROM TOM FARQUHAR, HEAD OF SCHOOL
Host Families Needed for International StudentsHost Families Needed for International Students
SFS is seeking families to host an 11th grade boy from Shanghai, Yifei Zhao, and a 10th grade boy from Ramallah, Aziz Shehadeh, for the second semester beginning in January. We hope to find two families from the Upper School who could each host for the whole second semester, but we welcome interest from families with students in Middle School, and from families who would prefer to host for shorter periods, whether two-three months, or just an occasional weekend. Please contact John Flower, Director of Chinese Studies and Global Programs, [email-masked], (202) 537-8181 for more information, if your family is interested in hosting one of these students. The full announcement is attached. Read More FROM LEE PALMER, UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
How can parents feel connected to their child's Upper School experience while still allowing them the space they need to grow?
- If there is an opportunity to attend a school-related activity in which your child is involved and to which parents are invited &ndash; take it!  Athletic events, plays, concerts, fundraisers and any other events that would benefit from parent participation are always a great way to show students that you care and provide topics for meaningful conversations with your child. 
- Volunteering for the Parents' Association will model community service for your child and allow you to become involved more deeply in the School community.
- Attend as many School-sponsored events as possible so that you can develop supportive relationships with other parents, faculty, and administrators.
- The Wednesday Letter is now distributed to Upper School students as well, providing another opportunity for you to initiate a conversation with your child about School life.
- If you receive an Interim Report for your child and have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact the teacher who sent it and your child's advisor so that you can understand how best to support your child.  9TH GRADE PARENT CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Teacher conferences for parents of ninth-graders will be held on Friday, November 12. There will be no classes that day. Parents may register for up to three conferences beginning Friday, November 5, when first-quarter teacher comments will be available to view online. To register, please log into the Parent Portal and click on the link to Educator Online. Registration closes online on Wednesday, November 10 at noon. Please contact Diana Lazarus, 9th Grade Dean ([email-masked]), if you have any questions.MARK WATSON EAGER FOUNDATION SUMMER GRANT 
Mark Watson Eager '74 Summer Challenge Award InformationMark Eager &rsquo;74 appreciated and enjoyed the demands of the outside world. He lived a physically rigorous and healthy lifestyle. After he died of melanoma in 1985, his parents established the Mark Watson Eager &rsquo;74 Award to encourage students to engage in physically challenging activities and explore the outdoor world. The recipient of this award receives the opportunity to develop new skills and test themselves in a physically demanding outdoor environment. The Mark Watson Eager Foundation awards a scholarship to one 11th grade student each summer. The grant covers a portion of tuition and travel costs for an excursion lasting three to four weeks. The student must select the program he or she wishes to participate in, which must include a rigorous physical challenge. No past outdoor experience is necessary. Essays and applications for summer 2011 are due by Friday, January 21, 2011 to Lee Palmer, Upper School Principal. The program is open to juniors. Additional information about the application process is attached.  Read MoreSUMMER OPPORTUNITY IN JAPAN: CLASSES 2012, 2013 
2001 Japanese Language and Culture Summer Study ProgramFor the 26th year, Sidwell Friends School will send four of its students, three students from area schools, and one Sidwell Friends faculty member to Japan for approximately three weeks during July 2011. The mission of the program is to help students learn about the culture and history of Japan, and to foster cross-cultural friendships. The program is open to sophomores and juniors (Classes of 2012 and 2013). More information about the application process is attached. Read MoreSALLY FOSTER GIFT-WRAP 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.FROM THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
Financial aid information will be mailed on December 1, 2010 to families currently receiving aid.  If you are not currently receiving financial aid, but want to apply for the 2011-2012 school year, please call (202) 537-2402 to be added to the financial aid mailing list.
THE 2010-2011 FAIR SHARE FUND IS UNDERWAY!
The Fair Share Fund (the Annual Fund for parents) is well underway for the 2010-2011 school year. To the many parents who have already contributed to this vital effort - thank you! Your gift helps support the students, the teachers, and the programs that make Sidwell Friends the strong school it is.
Please help us reach our goal of 95% family participation in the Fair Share Fund, by making your gift before Thanksgiving. Visit www.sidwell.edu/support today, to give online. Thank you!
For questions, please contact Leslie Hutchens, Director of Annual Funds, at (202) 537-8147 or [email-masked]. UPPER SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE NEWSLETTER
The November 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&rsquo;s publication, if you would like to learn more, and/or get involved in the community service program at the Upper School.  UPPER SCHOOL FALL PLAY
The Real Inspector HoundThe Real Inspector Hound, by Tom Stoppard
Friday, November 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Rave reviews greeted this masterpiece of farce when it was revived in London. Feuding theater critics Moon and Birdboot, the first a pompous and vindictive 2nd stringer, and the second a fusty philanderer, are swept into the &quot;whodunnit&quot; they are viewing. As mists rise about isolated Muldoon Manor in this hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie-type melodrama, the critics become dangerously implicated in the lethal activities of an &ldquo;escaped madman.&rdquo;
Sidwell Friends School, Kogod Center for the Arts, Mary Ellen Caplin Theater
3825 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016
Tickets: $8/adults, $3/non-SFS students, FREE/SFS students
Reservations: (202) 537-8141, ext. 2 or [email-masked]
Poster is attached. Read MoreMIDDLE SCHOOL FALL PLAY
There is a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom!There is a Boy in the Girls&rsquo; Bathroom!
Sidwell Friends Middle School Drama presents Louis Sachar&rsquo;s There&rsquo;s a Boy in the Girls&rsquo; Bathroom, a modern take on the classic subject of a misfit schoolboy. Based on the National Book Award-winning novel, the play features young oddball Bradley Chalkers, who is labeled &ldquo;with serious behavioral problems&rdquo; by teachers, and a &ldquo;monster&rdquo; by classmates. But then the school gets a new counselor: is she right in believing that Bradley Chalkers isn&rsquo;t so bad after all?
This heartwarming story starts to make people think: is this happening in my life? Filled with characters easy to relate to, it makes one associate &ndash; whether with the kind mother, the by-the-book principal, the new kid (or teacher) trying to fit in, or another one of the many touching characters. Leaving the performance, you will feel light-hearted and content, but will also have another self-evaluating question in mind: &ldquo;Do I accept others as much as I should?&rdquo;
Free public performances will be held on Friday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 13, at 2:00pm at the Middle School Drama Studio. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended by calling (202) 537-8150. The Drama Studio is on the 1st floor of the Sidwell Friends Middle School building. Parking is located at 3825 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC. Poster is attached. 
 Read More

								PA Announcements
                                
                                FRUIT FLIES - ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FOR US ACTIVITIES
ORANGE YOU &hellip; Interested in boosting Upper School student activities, while receiving healthful and delicious fruit for your family and friends?
We hope so! Because today marks the start of the FRUIT FLIES CITRUS SALE, PA&rsquo;s only annual fundraiser for Upper School activities.
It&rsquo;s simple to help out: order fresh-off-the-tree citrus fruit, and all profits support PA-sponsored student events.
Just like last year&rsquo;s successful fund-raiser, this year too all ordering is ONLINE! It&rsquo;s easy.
As is our tradition, purchases may be donated to Martha&rsquo;s Table or S.O.M.E. Write in your request in the NOTES section of the payment page, and our FRUIT FLY volunteers will deliver your gift directly to the agency.
Orders will be accepted through November 19th. Fruit will be ready for pick up on Saturday, December 11th.
Click here to order!THANKSGIVING FRESHMAN PIE BAKE 
Annual 9th Grade Thanksgiving Pie BakeSave the date: Sunday, November 21, 2010, from 12 to 2pm, in the Upper School Cafeteria
Contact: Tina Sandri, pie-a-la-mom, at [email-masked], or (301) 587-9779
At this annual event, 9th grade students and their families bake around 200 pies that are delivered to local feeding programs, including Martha&rsquo;s Table, Thrive DC, Rosemount Center, and Central Union Mission. An October 19, 2010 article in Washington Post noted that between 2008 and 2009, 40% of households with children in DC did not have enough money to buy food at least on one occasion. We feel that it is important to support the vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community that benefit from the services that these agencies provide, particularly in this time of economic distress.  Read MorePARENTS' COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON WEBINAR ON INTERNET SAFETY
Webinar Registration InformationShort Summary of Dr. Stixrud's PresentationExtended Summary of Dr. Stixrud's PresentationParents&rsquo; Council of Washington has another webinar scheduled for Monday, December 6, from 8:00-9:00 p.m. on the topic of &ldquo;Internet Safety and Technology - How Logging on Affects Career Options.&rdquo;  This webinar will cover a number of timely topics, and is a great resource for parents.
PCW-sponsored registration information is attached. This webinar, as well as the other two webinars, are archived on the PCW website, www.parentscouncil.org.
Also, attached are the short and extended summaries of the presentation by PCW Fall speaker, Dr. William Stixrud. His presentation on how to alleviate stress in our children was fabulous.  Sidwell had a good showing at the presentation. If you missed it, or would like a printed summary you can also get these at www.parentscouncil.org. Read MoreTHE LOWER SCHOOL BOOK FAIR IS COMING!
Come to the Lower School Book Fair on November 13th at Politics and Prose. Long a resource and opportunity for parents and faculty to encourage the joy of reading, proceeds from the event support the LS Parents Association, which funds a variety of activities for our community throughout the year. It is a perfect time to do some early holiday shopping while supporting the local community and our school! Read More

								Other News 
                                
                                NEWSLETTER BASICS 
How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Our automated listserv subscription service is currently down. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the newsletter, please send an email to [email-masked] and indicate whether you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe.
How to Submit An Article
Send submissions to [email-masked] by 2 pm on Tuesday. Please reference &quot;Newsletter Submission&quot; and the publish date(s) in the subject line. Items should be submitted as text in the body of the email. PLEASE 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, please send it as a PDF attachment to your email. Receipt of your submission will be confirmed as soon as possible. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt by the deadline for submissions, please contact the editors at [email-masked].
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: [email-masked].
							
						 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 [email-masked].

					

							
								
									 Calendar

									

												
												
	Wed, Nov 10th 
		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal 
				
				AC Theater
				6:00pm - 9:00pm

				

	Thu, Nov 11th 
		
				10th Grade Parent Coffee with Ms. Grebski 
				
				US Dining Hall
				7:30am - 8:30am

				

		
				10th Grade Pizza Hangout 
				
				US Dining Room
				3:00pm - 4:00pm

				

		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal 
				
				AC Theater
				6:00pm - 9:00pm

				

		
				Optional 9th grade History Fun Night  
				
				US 104/106
				7:30pm - 10:00pm

				

	Fri, Nov 12th 
		
				9th Grade Parent Conferences 

				

				

		
				No School for Upper School, 9th Grade Conferences 

				

				

		
				MS Fall Play: There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom  
				
				MS Drama Studio
				7:30pm

				

	Sat, Nov 13th 
		
				Robotics Team Meeting 
				
				US 104/106
				10:00am - 2:00pm

				

		
				MS Fall Play: There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom 
				
				MS Drama Studio
				2:00pm

				

	Sun, Nov 14th 
		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal (Tech) 
				
				AC Theater
				1:00pm - 6:00pm

				

	Mon, Nov 15th 
		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal (Tech) 
				
				AC Theater
				3:30pm - 9:30pm

				

	Tue, Nov 16th 
		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal (Tech) 
				
				AC Theater
				3:30pm - 9:30pm

				

		
				12th Grade Parents Peer Group Meeting 
				
				US Crane Room
				7:30pm - 9:00pm

				

	Wed, Nov 17th 
		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal (Tech) 
				
				AC Theater
				3:30pm - 9:30pm

				

	Thu, Nov 18th 
		
				11th Grade Parent Coffee with Ms. Grebski 
				
				US Dining Room
				7:30am - 8:30am

				

		
				US Fall Play Rehearsal (Dress) 
				
				AC Theater
				3:30pm - 10:00pm

				

		
				Volleyball Banquet 
				
				US Dining Room
				6:00pm - 7:30pm

				

	Fri, Nov 19th 
		
				Football Dinner 
				
				US Dining Room
				6:00pm - 9:00pm

				

		
				US Performance of "The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard 
				
				Arts Center Theater
				8:00pm

				

	Sat, Nov 20th 
		
				US Performance of "The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard 
				
				Arts Center Theater
				8:00pm

				

	Sun, Nov 21st 
		
				9th Grade Thanksgiving Piebake 
				
				US Dining Room
				12:00pm - 2:00pm

				

		
				US Performance of "The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard 
				
				AC Theater
				2:30pm

				

	Wed, Nov 24th 
		
				Thanksgiving Break begins - No School 

				

				

	Mon, Nov 29th 
		
				All School Community Service Holiday Gift Drive 

				

				

		
				School Reopens 

				

				

	Tue, Nov 30th 
		
				All School Community Service Holiday Gift Drive 

				

				

		
				Kidpower Tutoring Program  
				
				US Dining Room
				4:00pm - 6:00pm

				

											More

									

									Athletics

									

                                                
												
	Fri, Nov 12th 
		
				Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity vs. Good Counsel 

				5:30pm

				

		
				Basketball - Boys Varsity vs. Good Counsel 

				5:30pm

				

	Sat, Nov 13th 
		
				Cross-Country - Boys Varsity - Private School Championships 

				

				

		
				Cross-Country - Girls Varsity - Private School Championships 

				

				

	Fri, Nov 19th 
		
				Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Landon 

				4:30pm

				

		
				Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity at Holton-Arms 

				4:30pm

				

	Sat, Nov 20th 
		
				Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes 

				

				

		
				Basketball - Boys Varsity at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes 

				

				

		
				Basketball - Girls Junior Varsity at National Cathedral School 

				10:00am

				

		
				Basketball - Girls Varsity at National Cathedral School 

				12:00pm

				

	Tue, Nov 23rd 
		
				Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity - Friendly 

				4:45pm

				

		
				Basketball - Girls Varsity vs. Baltimore Friends 

				5:00pm

				

		
				Basketball - Boys Varsity - Friendly 

				6:30pm

				

	Mon, Nov 29th 
		
				Basketball - Boys Junior Varsity at Landon 

				4:15pm

				

		
				Basketball - Boys Varsity at Landon 

				6:00pm

				

	Tue, Nov 30th 
		
				Swimming & Diving - Boys Varsity vs. Potomac School 

				7:30pm

				

		
				Swimming & Diving - Girls Varsity vs. Holy Child 

				7:30pm

				

                                            More

									

							

				

		

		

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