Subject: SFS MS Tuesday Letter 11-13-12
From: <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:30:00 -0500

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  MIDDLE SCHOOL TUESDAY LETTER
  
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FROM THE SCHOOL
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This Week's Query

     Should you still help people even if they don't want it?

Notes from Sally

     This week's assembly will be the 7/8 PE awards, followed by 
school announcements.

     Parents are welcome to join us for Meeting for Worship on 
Thursday morning at 8:10 in the Meeting Room.

     This is a busy week for parents of sixth graders: there is a 
Parent Peer Group meeting tonight and Conversations with Michelle on 
Thursday morning at 7:45 in the Dining Room.

     Seventh grade parents: Your Conversations with Michelle is 
Friday morning, also at 7:45 in the Dining Room.

     Eighth grade parents: the new date for your Conversations with 
Michelle is Thursday morning, December 6th. Also, PLEASE NOTE as you 
are making your vacation plans for next summer that Upper School 
athletic teams all begin pre-season practice before school begins! If 
your child wants to play a fall sport, you should take this into 
consideration when scheduling your summer.

     Just a reminder about the schedule for next week: Monday and 
Tuesday will be regular school days. 7/8 students will have their A, 
B, and C classes on Monday and their D, E, and F classes on Tuesday. 
Aftercare will meet on Tuesday afternoon, and the Thanksgiving 
holiday will begin at the close of the day on Tuesday. 5/6 Math club 
will meet next Tuesday.

     Next Monday the Middle School will be holding a bake sale to 
raise money to send to the Red Cross for relief in the New York/New 
Jersey area. This effort will be coordinated by Ms. Carneal's math 
classes, Ms. Saunders' homeroom, and Ms. Badia's advisory. We invite 
everyone to bring in baked goods to sell on Monday, and we hope 
students will stop by the bake sale during break and purchase some 
goodies to contribute to this worthwhile cause!

     We are approaching the concert season. 7/8 choral and 
instrumental groups will perform in December, and the 5/6 orchestra 
and 5th grade chorus will perform in January. For all concerts the 
dress requirements are as follows: Boys - black* pants, black* shoes, 
white dress shirt, and any color tie. Girls - black* pants or skirt, 
white top (must have sleeves), and black* shoes (*or the darkest you 
own). No tennis shoes please.

     On Friday we practiced a fire drill using our new evacuation 
location on the soccer/baseball field. This changes our evacuation 
location for any contingency so that we are no longer gathering on 
the Athletic Center roof. This is an example of the kind of 
rethinking of our Crisis Plans that we have done since our evacuation 
in October so that we are better prepared in the event of an 
emergency.

     Congratulations to the cast and crew of "Frindle" - what a great 
show!

Financial Aid for 2013-14 School Year

     If you are a current financial aid recipient, an email will be 
sent on December 1st with information including the deadline for the 
SSS Parent Financial Statement. If you are not receiving financial 
aid currently, but want to apply for the upcoming school year, please 
call 202-537-2402. If you have questions, please contact Valerie 
Foster at [email-masked].

Instrumental Music Notes

     5/6 STRING ENSEMBLE Master Class - Wednesday rehearsal period

     7/8 STRING ENSEMBLE Master Class - Wednesday rehearsal period

     5/6 Violin II, Guitars, and Harp - Friday DEAR period

     7/8 Full Concert Band - Friday break period

Choral Notes

     7/8 Choral Rehearsals This Week

     Wednesday, November 14th

     Boys Ensemble - 7:25 a.m. AND Rehearsal Period

     Girls Ensemble - 3:45-4:45 p.m. (note time change)

PA ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Parent Volunteers Needed at 8th Grade Hangout

     The first of two 8th grade hangouts is scheduled for this 
Friday, November 16, 3:30 -5:00 p.m. Students will meet in the Wannan 
Gym and, weather permitting, will overflow outside. Please encourage 
your child to attend! There will be pizza, ice cream, and drinks to 
add to the fun. In keeping with school tradition, there also will be 
a service component. We are looking for 8-10 parent volunteers to 
help set up, supervise, clean up, and organize the service activity. 
Please email Gretchen Brevnov at [email-masked] if you are 
able to help.

Parents Invited to Meeting for Worship

     Parents of Middle School students are invited to attend Meeting 
for Worship with their child on the following Thursdays, 8:10 - 8:40 
a.m., in the Smith Meeting House: November 15 and December 20.

     For Quakers, wisdom begins in silence. This is a wonderful way 
for parents to experience Meeting, take part in your child's 
education, and demonstrate the value of silent worship.

OTHER NEWS
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New Date - 2013 SFS Live Auction

     Please note that the date of the 2013 SFS Live Auction has been 
changed to April 27, 2013. The Online Auction will take place one 
week before, starting April 15 and ending April 21. Please re-mark 
your school calendars and stay tuned for information later this month 
about this year's exciting fundraiser to benefit student 
scholarships. In the meantime, if you are interested in making a 
donation, please click here for more information 
http://www.sidwell.edu/events-for-student-scholarship/auction/index.aspx.
 Our donation deadline is February 1, 2013. For questions, please 
feel free to contact Jessie Jacobson, Director of Special Events, at 
[email-masked].

Community Service Corner

     Hurricane Relief Bake Sale

     Need some sweet treats for your Thanksgiving Feast? The Middle 
School will be holding a bake sale on Monday, November 19th to 
benefit the Red Cross Hurricane Relief. Please see Sally's letter for 
more details.

     Ask Your Child

     Ask your 8th grade student about serving our school community 
during their hangout time.

Quaker Quotes

     "Do we practice the art of listening, even beyond words?" 
~Pacific Yearly Meeting, "Faith and Practice, 2001"

     ".Listening is a skill that we're in danger of losing in a world 
of digital distraction and information overload.Luckily, we can train 
our listening just as with any other skill. Listen to new music when 
jogging rather than familiar tunes. Listen to your dog's whines and 
barks: he is trying to tell you something isn't right. Listen to your 
significant other's voice-not only to the words, which after a few 
years repeat, but to the sounds under them, the emotions carried in 
the harmonies. 'You never listen' is not just the complaint of a 
problematic relationship, it has also become an epidemic in a world 
that is exchanging convenience for content, speed for meaning. The 
richness of life doesn't lie in the loudness and the beat, but in the 
timbres and the variations that you can discern if you simply pay 
attention."

     ~The Science and Art of Listening by Seth S. Horowitz, "The New 
York Times," Sunday, November 11, 2012

     "Quaker Quotes" is a weekly submission by Melissa Belman, 
[email-masked], Holly Moore, [email-masked], and 
Cynthia Terrell, [email-masked]. We welcome your thoughts.

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Sidwell Friends School
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