Subject: US Weekly Newsletter: 5-14-17
From: "Sidwell Friends School" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 May 2017 13:01:46 +0000

May 14, 2017

Principal's Letter

MESSAGE FROM MAMADOU

Dear Friends,

The school year is really winding down! We have two more weeks of regular classes before the Memorial Day holiday, and then we move into the final exam period. Here is the exam schedule:

May 30: Review day
May 31: Reading day (students are not required to be at school)
June 1: Math
June 2: Science
June 5: Language
June 6: English
June 7: History

Final exams will not be returned to students, but teachers will include final exam scores in students' second semester report cards, which will be posted online on June 19. Students may request to see their final exams in September of next year.

June 8 is our final day of school. We welcome seniors back to campus on this day, and students will have the chance to hear about the many wonderful projects they have been engaged in over the past month. We will close the day with an ice cream party, and students will be dismissed at 2:30 p.m.

Prom will take place on Friday, May 26, at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. Parents of juniors and seniors have already received many emails about the event from the Parents Association. I want to thank the PA for its incredible work in planning this special evening. Countless hours go into preparation, and we are grateful to our parent volunteers! All juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend the prom. Dates are not required. In fact, every year, students attend the prom with a group of friends rather than with a date. It's a wonderful night, and I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Warmly,

Mamadou Guèye
Upper School Principal

Announcements

LEARNSERVE FELLOWS PROGRAM: SEEKING LEADERS, INNOVATORS, AND PROBLEM SOLVERS

LearnServe is looking for rising 10th and 11th graders with the passion to make a difference and the commitment and motivation to take action for the 2017/18 LearnServe Fellows Program. You'll join peers from schools across the DC area to develop your skills as leaders and entrepreneurs.

As a LearnServe Fellow, you will have the opportunity to create your own organization, nonprofit, business, or campaign to serve your school or community. Previous projects include

a college scholarship program for children of incarcerated parents

after-school science, math, and foreign language programs

an app that prevents texting while driving

a schoolwide disaster-relief fundraiser

sports, nutrition, and health workshops for kids

Information about the LearnServe Fellows Program, including the application, is available online. The program meets on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., typically at the School without Walls in Washington, DC, on the George Washington University campus near the Foggy Bottom Metro. LearnServe Fellows are selected from more than 30 high schools across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

The deadline is June 10. Please contact Shoshanna Sumka with any questions.

Events

UPPER SCHOOL PLAY, "MUSEUM": MAY 19–21

Museum is set in a major museum of modern art, on the final day of a group show featuring the work of three artists. A variety of people walk through the show: art lovers, skeptics, foreigners, students, lost souls—and, of course, museum guards.

Performances:
Friday, May 19, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 20, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 21, 2:30 p.m.
While walk-in tickets are available at the door 45 minutes before the show, you can also reserve tickets online. Walk-in tickets may only be purchased with cash or check. The show costs $10 for adults, $5 for non-SFS students, and is free for Sidwell Friends students and faculty members. All performances will take place in the Mary Ellen Caplin Theater.

US SENIOR CELEBRATION WITH PBS, PLAS, AND PAS: MAY 30

Please join us as we celebrate our Class of 2017 students of color. Parents, students, and faculty members from all three divisions are cordially invited to join the Parents of Black Students (PBS), Parents of Latino Students (PLAS), and Parents of Asian Students (PAS) for an end-of-year graduation celebration dinner on Tuesday, May 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Upper School Dining Room. Come and enjoy this opportunity to honor our graduates and reconnect with families and friends before the summer is upon us.

If you have any questions, please contact Georgine Newman-Alawode or Nicole Lang.

HOST FAMILY RECEPTION, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: MAY 31

Many Sidwell Friends families have generously hosted exchange students in their homes over the years. We want to thank you for your contribution to the School's mission of furthering global understanding by celebrating the end of another school year with students from the Ramallah Friends School and sister schools in China.

If you are a current host family, have hosted in the past, or have wondered if you might like to host in the future, please join us on Wednesday, May 31, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Zartman House Bernstein Drawing Room. We will toast current host families and share their stories and experiences. Students and siblings are welcome. Please RSVP to Shoshanna Sumka.

MEET AND GREET WITH KEITH LEVINTHAL: MAY 31

Please join us for coffee in the Rubenstein Gallery and lobby of the RLS Meeting Room from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, to welcome our incoming athletic director, Keith Levinthal, to Sidwell Friends. Although Keith does not officially start work until July, he is in town for the day and excited to join us on campus. Please RSVP if you are interested.

Other

QUAKER QUOTES AND QUESTIONS

In Meeting for Worship, how do I find the courage to share a personal message with a large group, especially when I don't know everyone? I worry it might not be well received, or made fun of and shared outside of meeting and out of context.

Concerns like yours are perennial and widely shared. It may help to know that, even when we speak in spite of what we are sure is our better judgment, the most common experience is to be sincerely thanked. Even among students, it's rare to be given a hard time about a sincere message.

Accepted Quaker practice also helps guide speakers. To quote one semi-serious "Friendly Guide to Offering Ministry" rubric:

A strong or resonant message arises within you.

Has sufficient time for appreciation and reflection elapsed since the last speaker? (No? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Is your message intended for, or does it reply to, a previous speaker? (Yes? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Might others hear your message as hurtful, a political comment, personal announcement, lecture, or pontification? (Yes? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Is this a message you have prepared or planned? (Yes? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Is the message not you—that is, is it a gift? (No? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Is the message intended for you alone? (Yes? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Must your message be shared here and now—sharing later won't do? (No? Center into Gathered Worship.)

Are you compelled to speak? (No? Center into Gathered Worship.)

SPEAK! And finally ... center into Gathered Worship.

Quaker Quotes alternate with questions about Quakerism in this newsletter feature. To ask a question about Quaker history or practices, email our Sidwell Friends Quaker Life Committee's authors at [email-masked].

Calendar

Monday - May 15, 2017

Lacrosse - Girls' Varsity - ISL Tournament @ Madeira (Away)

4:30 PM

PA Transition Meeting

6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room and Upper School

Thursday - May 18, 2017

US Play Dress Rehearsal

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Caplin Theater

US South Africa Trip Parent Meeting

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room

Friday - May 19, 2017

Crew - Girls’ - Stotesbury Regatta (Away)

Philadelphia, PA

PA-10th Grade Parent Coffee

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Off Campus - Le Pain Quotidien

US Art Show and Reception

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Daryl Reich Rubenstein Gallery, Arts center

US Play Performance: "MUSEUM"by Tina Howe

8:00 PM

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater

Saturday - May 20, 2017

Crew - Girls’ - Stotesbury Regatta (Away)

Philadelphia, PA

US Play Performance: "MUSEUM" by Tina Howe

8:00 PM

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater

Sunday - May 21, 2017

US Play Performance: "MUSEUM" by Tina Howe

2:30 PM

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater

Monday - May 22, 2017

Global Programs Parent and Student Orientation

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

RLS Meeting Room and US Classrooms

Tuesday - May 23, 2017

Track and Field - Girls’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Track and Field - Boys’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Wednesday - May 24, 2017

Track and Field - Girls’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Track and Field - Boys’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Thursday - May 25, 2017

Track and Field - Girls’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Track and Field - Boys’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

US Athletic Awards Ceremony

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Caplin Theater + Arts Center Lobby

Friday - May 26, 2017

US Prom

8:00 PM

Upper School Weekly Newsletter Submissions

How to Submit an Article to the Newsletter. Fill out the form at www.sidwell.edu/submit by 12:00 p.m. Thursday.

Note about 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 Upper School Weekly Newsletter is a forum for communication among parents and is designed to provide announcements about school events or information.

Sidwell Friends School

3825 Wisconsin Ave. NW • Washington, DC 20016 • 202-537-8100

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