Subject: MS Tuesday Letter
From: <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:30:00 -0500

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  MIDDLE SCHOOL TUESDAY LETTER
  
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FROM THE SCHOOL
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This Week's Query
How can we focus on simple things when life is so complicated?

Notes from Sally
The winter sports season ends this Friday, February 22nd. The second 
trimester ends Friday, March 1st.

7th grade parents: Please join me for "Conversations with Sally" 
tomorrow morning in the dining room at 7:45. 8th grade parents - our 
"Conversations" are next Wednesday, February 27th. On both mornings 
we will talk about "What's New on My Bookshelf" as well as other 
topics.

Next Tuesday morning (2/26) students in grades 6-8 will participate 
in the Maryland Math League Contest. This half-hour written activity 
is a competition among students in both public and private schools in 
the area.

Please note two corrections from last week's Tuesday Letter: There 
will not be an all-Middle School Meeting for Worship (for parents to 
join) on Thursday, February 28th. Instead, that is our all-school 
Service Day, and Meeting will be incorporated into grade level and 
team activities. Also, the debate announcement should have 
congratulated Jack Blazes!

Instrumental Music Notes 
5/6 String Ensemble Wednesday rehearsal period

Knighting Ceremony Handchime Choir auditions this week

5/6 Guitars Friday DEAR period

7/8 Concert Band Wednesday rehearsal period

Mulan Pit Band Wednesday and Thursday 3:45 - 5:00

Choral Rehearsals this Week
Wednesday, February 20th

Boys Ensemble 7:25-ALL SINGERS MUST BE PRESENT-Ms. Holtz must be 
notified of any potential absence.

Girls Ensemble during rehearsal period

Events for Student Scholarships
SEEKING GOLF AND TENNIS TOURNAMENT VOLUNTEERS!

Save-the-date for the 2013 Golf and Tennis Tournament at Kenwood 
Country Club on May 13, 2013. For the first time, we will be 
combining these two wonderful fundraisers! Interested in volunteering 
for either the golf or tennis committee? We would love your help. We 
need volunteers to help recruit players and sponsors, as well as to 
help the day of the event. Please contact the Events for Student 
Scholarships office at 202-537-8110 or [email-masked] for more 
information.

SEEKING NIGHT-OF AUCTION VOLUNTEERS

We are looking for volunteers for the night of the auction - 
Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 5:00-11:30 PM. This is a great 
opportunity! People on the "night-of" committee enjoy an evening at 
the Auction and help this great cause of raising money for financial 
aid. Duties include: monitoring Silent Auction tables, closing 
sections, collecting and organizing items, handing out invoices, and 
disbursing items. No experience required, no meetings beforehand 
(we'll send instructions by email and provide training at the start 
of the evening). You just need to be ready, willing and available for 
the duration of the event - and you'll have a fun auction experience! 
Contact Bart Hipple at 301 699 8373 or [email-masked]. If you 
are interested in helping with event set-up between 9:00 and 11:00 
AM. on auction day, please contact Jessie Jacobson at 
[email-masked]

PA ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Community Service Corner
February 25 Middle School Food Collection Kick Off

Starting the week of February 25 and running through Minimester, the 
MS will be collecting food for the Helping Hands Minimester to 
deliver to area food banks. Please be on the look out for more 
details.

February 28 Middle School Service Day

Every student and teacher in the Middle School will be working with 
their grade or team to serve a variety of Sidwell Friends' community 
partners. Your help is needed to make this amazing day run more 
efficiently, so be on the lookout in case your Room or Team Parents 
send an email requesting volunteers! Don't forget to bring in those 
toiletries too! Collection basket in MS office.

Talk to Your Kids About Hanging Out

February 22 at the 8th grade Hangout students will be making cards 
and gifts for various Sidwell Friends staff who often work behind the 
scenes, but serve as an integral part of our school community. March 
1 at the 5th grade Hangout, students will be decorating pillow cases 
for residents at the Children's Inn at NIH. Visit their website: 
www.childrensinn.org/.

Questions? Contact MS Community Service Co-Clerks, Sara Jane Harris 
[email-masked] or Felice Roggen at [email-masked]

OTHER NEWS
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Quaker Quotes
325 years ago this week Quakers in Germantown, Pennsylvania signed 
the first known antislavery petition in the New World. Below is a 
description of that event, written by members of Germantown Monthly 
Meeting and the much-shortened text of the petition itself: "

In 1688, five years after Germantown was founded, men gathered at 
Thones Kunders' house and wrote a petition urging the Meeting to 
abolish slavery based upon the Golden Rule in the Bible. The petition 
argues that every human, regardless of belief, color, or ethnicity, 
has rights that should not be violated. The Meeting decided that 
although the issue was fundamental and just, it would need to be 
considered further and in the usual manner sent the petition on to 
the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, where it was again considered and 
sent on to the Burlington Yearly Meeting. The practice of slavery 
continued and was tolerated in Quaker society in the years 
immediately following the 1688 petition. Gradually, due to the 
efforts of many dedicated people, Quakers became aware of the 
essential wrongness of the institution of slavery. In 1776 a 
proclamation was written by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting that banned 
the owning of slaves.

The 1688 petition was the first document of its kind that made a plea 
for equal human rights for everyone. It compelled a higher standard 
of reasoning about fairness and equality that continued in 
Pennsylvania and the other colonies with the American Revolution and 
the abolitionist and suffrage movements. Lost and forgotten for 150 
years until 1844 when it was re-discovered, it soon became a focus of 
the burgeoning abolitionist movement. After a century of public 
exposure, it was misplaced again, and once more re-discovered in 
March 2005 in the vault at Arch Street Meeting. It has since been 
conserved and currently resides at Haverford College Library. Today 
the 1688 petition is a powerful reminder about the basis for freedom 
and equality for all.

'This is to the monthly meeting hold at Rigert Warrells.

These are the reasons why we are against the traffick of men-body, as 
followeth: Is there any that would be done or handled at this manner? 
viz., to be sold or made a slave for all the time of his life? ... 
Now tho they are black, we can not conceive there is more liberty to 
have them slaves, as it is to have other white ones. There is a 
saying that we shall doe to all men licke as we will be done 
ourselves; macking no difference of what generation, descent or 
Colour they are. and those who steal or robb men, and those who buy 
or purchase them, are they not alicke? Here is liberty of conscience 
wch is right and reasonable; here ought to be likewise liberty of the 
body..to bring men hither, or to robb and sell them against their 
will, we stand against.

Pray, what thing in the world can be done worse towards us, then if 
men should robb or steal us away, & sell us for slaves to strange 
Countries, separating housband from their wife and children. Being 
now this is not done at that manner we will be done at, therefore we 
contradict & are against this traffic of men body...

This is from our meeting at Germantown, hold the 18 of the 2 month, 
1688, to be delivered to the Monthly Meeting at Richard Warrels.

gerret hendericks

derick up de graeff

Francis daniell Pastorius

Abraham up den graef'

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