Subject: SFS 8th Grade Welcome Back Letter --Draft
From: "Hattie Ruttenberg" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hattie Ruttenberg" <[email-masked]>
Cc: <[email-masked]>, "Meg Clerc" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, "Anne Conlee Mazlish" <[email-masked]>, "Haidara, Fatim" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2012 20:16:40 +0000

Dear Friends,

We hope that everyone has been having a wonderful and relaxing summer! We will be serving as the 8th Grade Representatives for the 2012-2013 school year.  We wanted let you know about some important dates that are coming up quickly.

We plan to use e-mail as our primary method of communication for grade related business. However, if you are not able to access e-mail regularly, let us know, and we will make alternative arrangements. Please note that e-mail addresses may only be used for class business; the school's e-mail policy can be found on the SFS Parents Association website.

Please note that there is a change in dismissal time for Middle School (MS) this year.  School dismisses at 3:30 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and at 2:00 pm on Tuesdays. Students who ride the shuttle bus back to the Lower School campus in the afternoons will also have a later departure time.  If you are new to MS, please read the attachment about carpool drop off and pickup called "Using 37th Street" which you will receive in an email with the all-school announcements.
Parents of 8th graders may wish to attend one of the following laptop orientation sessions:
·         Parents of all 6th graders and parents of new 7th and 8th graders:  Wednesday evening, September 12th at 7:30 PM in the Middle School Drama Studio (strongly encouraged).

·         Parents of all returning 7th and 8th graders: Wednesday, September 19th, also at 7:30 PM in the Middle School Drama Studio (optional for those who have questions).

To keep abreast of what is going on at MS, we strongly encourage all MS parents to read the weekly Tuesday Letter which is distributed electronically each Tuesday morning.  You can find out how to sign up to receive the Tuesday Letter on the school website.
There are a few important dates coming up early in the school year that we want to let you know about:
·         Friday, August 31, 8:30-11:00 am _ Orientation Day all new 8th graders;
§  Parents' Association Coffee:  8:30 - 9:15 am bagels and coffee; Please note that all parents are encouraged to attend this first PA meeting, even if their student is not participating in Orientation Day;
§  1st MS PA meeting:  9:15 - 10:00 am.

  *   Tuesday, September 4 - First day of school (dismissal at 2:00 pm).

  *   Saturday, September 8, 4:00-6:00 pm - 8th Grade Back-to-School Family Gathering, Zartman Drawing Room.

  *   Thursday, October 4, 6:00 pm - Back-to-School Night, Roger L. Smith Meeting Room.  This meeting, for parents only, is an important opportunity to meet with your child's teachers to learn about what will be happening in all of the classrooms this year.

  *   Wednesday, October 17, 7:30 pm - 8th Grade CHI meeting, MS Drama Studio.  This meeting is led by Sally and Michelle and is an important "what to expect this year" meeting.

  *   Monday, October 22 (no school) and Tuesday, October 23 (half day) - MS parent-teacher conference days.

  *   Friday, October 26, 7:30-10:00 pm - MS Dance, US Dining Room;
        *   8th Grade Parent Peer Group Meeting, 8:00-9:30 pm.

  *   Wednesday, October 31, 7:30-8:30 am, Small Quaker Meeting Room, 8th Grade Parent Conversation with US Administration and Student Panel.

We are hoping that everyone will consider volunteering during the year.  We want to include as many parents as possible.  For a list of MS parent volunteer opportunities, please go to www.sidwell.edu<http://www.sidwell.edu/> and login to the Parent Portal.  Click on Volunteer Opportunities, then scroll down to the MS volunteer opportunities.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We look forward to working with you in the year ahead.  Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Sincerely,

Gretchen Brevnov           [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Meg Clerc                     [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Emogene Mitchell          [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Sandhya Rajan             [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Hattie Ruttenberg           [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]