The calendar information below is for all-school, cross-divisional events and activities in the coming weeks. Please see the Lower School, Middle School, or Upper School sections for division-specific "must-know" info.

• Thurs, Oct. 5: Screening of "Angst" Documentary (Find out more and reserve your seats here)
• Fri, Oct. 6: Winterfest Committee Meeting, 8:00 am, Scott House Conference Room
• Mon, Oct. 9: NO SCHOOL, Fall Holiday
• Sun, Oct. 15: Admissions Open House, 1:00-3:30 pm RSVP here!
• Fri, Oct. 20: PA Community Connections Committee Meeting, 8:00-9:00 am, Scott House Conference Room
• Thurs, Oct. 26: PA Fundraiser - Jersey Mike's Subs: Show flyer between 10:00 am - 9:00 pm and 15% of all proceeds will be donated to SSFS!
• Thurs, Oct. 26: PA Auction Committee Meeting, 8:15-9:15 am, Scott House Conference Room (Conference line: Dial-in number: 866-894-8254; Participant passcode: 7545542)
• Fri, Oct. 27: NO CLASSES, Professional Day
• Sat, Oct. 28: Junior Class Halloween Carnival, 2:00-4:00 pm, Yarnall
• Wed, Nov. 1: PEP (Parent Encouragement Program) MS event: "Problem Solving with Teens"
• Fri-Sun, Nov. 3-5: Golf Getaway Outing (Find out more!)
• Wed, Nov. 8: Yearbook photo make-up day (for grades 6-11)
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Bow-Making Workshop for Winterfest, 8:00 am - 12:00 noon, Yarnall Lobby
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Meeting, 6:15-7:15 pm, Yarnall Library
• Thurs, Nov. 9: Open Forum with Head of School Tom Gibian, 7:15-9:00 pm
• Fri, Nov. 10: Admissions "Discover SSFS" event, 8:15-11:00 am (RSVP here)

When: Thursday, Oct. 5, from 7:00-9:00 pm
How: Sign up for tickets here
Cost: Free!
Contact: Ilene Lees, US Counselor
What: See below!

Please join us to learn more about recognizing the signs of adolescent anxiety, and start an important dialogue about reducing the stigma around asking for help. Parents, students and siblings in 5th -12th grades are welcome. This film is a tool for empathy-building and a means to deepen self-awareness. The prevalence of anxiety is high in our culture but can be easily misunderstood. This movie is not for everyone, and for individuals in treatment for anxiety, it is recommended that the viewing of the movie be shared and discussed with any treating professionals. This film is designed for showings in school settings for adolescents, and the film-makers have taken care to ensure the content is appropriate for 11-18 year olds. Parents are welcome to discuss questions about the movie in advance with their division level counselor. Upper School - Ilene Lees, Dorm- Meghan Cassidy, Middle School - Erin Rose, and Lower School - Tim Croft.

After viewing the 60 minute documentary, we will be joined by a panel of experts from The Center for Anxiety and Behavioral Change. We will have a question and answer session with these professionals. The SSFS Counselors and the Parent Association are excited to collaborate on this important topic. Please click here to RSVP for your free tickets.

The Parent Association is made up of ALL school parents and guardians, so we look forward to seeing you at many upcoming events as the year unfolds. Please visit the PA Website to see the 2017-18 PA reps and sign up to volunteer at one of our many fun events throughout the year.

Upcoming Events (Click here to see other PA Events scheduled for 2017-18)

• Thurs, Oct. 5: Screening of "Angst" Documentary (Find out more and reserve your seats here)
• Fri, Oct. 6: Winterfest Committee Meeting, 8:00 am, Scott House Conference Room. Come get involved! We are always looking for more hands to help with Winterfest.
• Fri, Oct. 20: PA Community Connections Committee Meeting, 8:00-9:00 am, Scott House Conference Room
• Thurs, Oct. 26: PA Fundraiser - Jersey Mike's Subs: Show flyer between 10:00 am - 9:00 pm and 15% of all proceeds will be donated to SSFS!
• Oct. 26: PA Auction Committee Meeting - 8:15 am, Scott House (Call in information: Conference line: Dial-in number: 866-894-8254; Participant passcode: 7545542.)
  
• Potluck Dinners: Every Fall the PA encourages each class to hold a potluck or other child free event for parents to get to know each other. As classes schedule these events we will list them in the Newsletter. We hope to see this list grow over the next couple of weeks:
  • October 7: PK4
  • October 14: PK3, Kindergarten, 3rd Grade, 10th Grade
  • October 15: 4th Grade
  • October 21: 6th Grade; 7th Grade; 2nd Grade Happy Hour
  • October 28: 9th Grade
• Wed, Nov. 1: PEP (Parent Encouragement Program) MS event: "Problem Solving with Teens"
• Saturday, November 18, Winterfest! We have a new date for the coming year: Winterfest 2017 will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18--before the holiday rush. (Find out more about Winterfest here),
  • If you would like to help with planning of this fun community event, you can learn more about some of the Winterfest Volunteer positions through this Winterfest Roles document. If you have questions on ways to help out, please email pa.clerk@ssfs.org.
  • Call for Vendors: If you or someone you know might be interested in having a vendor table at Winterfest, please submit your information through the vendor form available here.
    
  • Also, watch for donation bins for the Secret Shop around campus. The secret shop can use your gently loved items such as scarves, gloves, jewelry, mugs. Be creative: the kids love having a variety of things they can choose from when shopping for you.
    
    
  • With the new date, we need your help to rename Winterfest. Click here to submit your suggestion for a new name. After suggestions are submitted, the community will select the new name, which will be announced at this year's event.
  • Gobble Gobble!! Pre-order your organic turkey for the holidays and pick it up at Winterfest. Kip Kelley (SSFS Class of '0?) of Full Cellar Farms will be at Winterfest to deliver turkeys and sell additional farm products. Please contact Kip at kip.kelley@gmail.com to pre-order your turkey.

Join us November 3-5 for the second annual SSFS Golf and Spa Getaway! Last year's golf event was a smashing success, and we are excited to be adding a spa package to the weekend! Visit www.ssfs.org/events/golf-getaway for more information and to register.

Our Community Summer Read (Loving vs. Virginia for MS and US students and faculty-staff, and A Case for Loving for LS students) has stayed on our minds with several connected events—and more to come!

• On Thursday night, Sept. 28 (a perfect fall evening), a good crowd of people from school, Sandy Spring Friends Meeting, Friends House, and other Olney-area neighbors gathered for an outdoor showing of the movie Loving. The popcorn was popping and the movie was moving; we hope it is the first of many such film evenings.
• On Sept. 22, we hosted husband and wife author-illustrator team Sean Qualls and Selina Alko, creators of our LS community read, A Case for Loving. In a very full day, they spent time with the preschool classes, the 4th and 5th graders, MS English students, and presented at a Lower School assembly. They lunched with members of the MS book club, and all day long generously shared about their writing and art and listened to (and were very impressed by) our students.
• On Oct. 2, author Patricia Hruby Powell was on campus working with US Dance and English classes and presenting both US and MS assemblies about the creative and research processes behind her books. She shared her personal experiences, her inner wonderings, and the systems she set up to keep track of research materials she gathered. Patricia had a wonderful experience with our students and campus.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The library has copies of the other books our authors and illustrators have created. Come check them out, and stay tuned for information about a proposed panel of speakers relating to our all-school read this winter!

Dozens of lovely Kindness Rocks were carefully designed and painted by two family groups during Community Day this year. The artists included thoughtful supportive sayings on their colorful creations and the rocks will be hidden all around campus.

These two hungry pandas are having fun playing the Kindness game and can't wait to be found in their hidey spot on campus. If you are the one to find them, and if you want to take them home, please remember to make and hide a replacement rock, after you take a photo. (Post the discovery on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #SSFSROCKS to show off your find, connect with our community, and spread the words of support and smiles around, and/or, upload your photos to Vidigami (there is an #SSFSRocks album under Arts). Find out more about #SSFSRocks here! Questions? Suggestions? Contact Kate Santorineos.

Since the busy holiday season quickly approaches, we have already planned the final Empty Bowl sessions of the year. If needed, there might be a few additional glazing sessions in early 2018. The highlight event will be held on February 11th, 2018, so please put it on your calendars

• Saturday, October 10/7 adult only Tapas evening, bowl making (RSVP here)
• Saturday, October 10/21 final bowl making session
• Sunday, October 10/29 glazing
• Saturday, November 11/18 glazing
• Saturday, December 12/2 glazing

The first session is an adult-only, tapas-in-the-barn, bowl-making-fun evening. We have held a few in the past and they are a delightful opportunity for in-depth creativity, and a fun chance to quietly chat with friends while nibbling on deliciousness. 5 - 8:30 p.m. Please sign up on the link below. To maintain the intimacy, we will be a very small group.

• Empty Bowl Tapas Event, 10/7: SIGN UP HERE..

Sign-up links for the other sessions will be posted in upcoming newsletters.

Have any magazines around your house that you will be recycling? Please bring them by the Middle School - we need lots of magazines for a collage project! Thank you!

What: Upper School student production of The Outsiders, based on the book by S. E. Hinton and adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel
When: November 17, 18 @ 7:15 pm
Where: Sandy Spring Friends School Performing Arts Center
Cost: Admission is free for students and there is a $10 suggested donation for adults (cash only please).
Who: The play has some stage violence and deals with adult topics. Suitable for students grades 6 and up.

As timely as it was when the book was first published in 1967, The Outsiders is a dramatic coming of age story about a teen gang growing up in rural Oklahoma. The poor Greasers are constantly at odds with the Socials, a rival group. When Greasers Ponyboy and Johnny get into a brawl that ends with deadly consequences, they are forced into hiding. Soon Ponyboy and Johnny, along with their other Greaser friends, must contend with the consequences of their violent lives. While some try to achieve redemption, others meet tragic ends. Author S. E. Hinton was only 15 years old when she began writing this story inspired by her own high school, and thus the story is very compelling for young teens. The story was re-imagined in a well-loved Francis Ford Coppola film in 1983. You will be blown away by this powerful story in Sandy Spring Friends School's Upper School production. The play does have some stage violence and deals with adult topics. For reference, the film was rated PG. Admission is free for students and there is a $10 suggested donation for adults. No advance ticket sales. Open Seating. Feel free to email the director, Julie Borsetti, with any questions.

Do you have questions about financial aid? Are you considering applying for financial aid for the first time? Is your child moving into another division? Are you considering SSFS for another child for the 2018-2019 school year? If any of these questions apply and you would like to discuss financial aid, please contact Dawn Griffith, Director of Financial Aid, at dawn.griffith@ssfs.org or x231.

The online TADS application is available beginning October 1st. Current families receiving financial assistance as well as families applying for consideration for the next school year should be complete the TADS financial aid application and submit all required tax documentation before December 1st. More information about TADS and the financial aid process is available on the SSFS website.

Below is information about upcoming LS events. For questions or more information about an event, please contact Pam Gilmer, LS Administrative Assistant, at ext. 112 or pam.gilmer@ssfs.org.

• Thurs, Oct. 5: Screening of "Angst" Documentary (Find out more and reserve your seats here)
• Mon, Oct. 9: NO SCHOOL, Fall Holiday
• Thurs-Fri, Oct. 12-13: 5th Grade Camping Trip
• Fri, Oct. 13: Packing Smart Sacks, 8:15 am, Westview Dining Hall
• Sun, Oct. 15: Admissions Open House, 1:00–3:30 pm RSVP here
• Mon, Oct. 16: 3rd Grade to Skyline Caverns
• Tues, Oct. 17: Coffee & Conversation w/ Lower School Head Brenda Crawley, 8:30am, Scott House
• Tues, Oct. 17: 2nd Grade to Colvin Run Mill
• Fri, Oct. 20: Packing Smart Sacks, 8:15 am, Westview Dining Hall
• Thurs, Oct. 26: PK4/K to Sharp's at Waterford Farm
• Thurs, Oct. 26: 4th Grade to Montgomery County Recycling Center
• Fri, Oct. 27: NO SCHOOL, LS Parent Teacher Conferences
• Sat, Oct. 28: Junior Class Halloween Carnival, 2:00-4:00 pm, Yarnall (more info to come!)
• Tues, Oct. 31: LS Halloween Parade and Autumn Social, 2:30-5:00 pm
• Wed, Nov. 1: LS Parent Conferences, 2:30-5:00 pm
• Fri, Nov. 3: Packing Smart Sacks, 8:15 am, Westview Dining Hall
• Fri-Sun, Nov. 3-5: Golf Getaway Outing (Find out more!)
• Mon, Nov. 6: MS Information Night, 6:30-8:00 pm, Middle School Smith Collection Space
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Bow-Making Workshop for Winterfest, 8:00 am - 12:00 noon, Yarnall Lobby
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Meeting, 6:15-7:15 pm, Yarnall Library
• Thurs, Nov. 9: Open Forum with Head of School Tom Gibian, 7:15-9:00 pm, Yarnall Library
• Fri, Nov. 10: Admissions "Discover SSFS" event, 8:15-11:00 am (RSVP here)

What a way to welcome autumn, as the entire school joined together for our annual Community Day! Beginning with a lovely walk through the woods over to the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting for an all school Meeting for Worship, the remainder of the day was spent connecting with family groups, participating in service activities, playing games, and posing for the annual all-school photo! A good time was had by all and the weather couldn't have been better! A huge thank you goes to the members of the Community Day committee and all their hard work to pull off this tremendous event! Photos are available in Vidigami here.

You recently received an email invitation to sign up for your Fall Parent Teacher Conference through PTCfast.com. Fall conferences will take place on Friday, October 27, and on Wednesday, November 1. Please take a moment to sign up for a time that works for you. Thank you.

Brenda Crawley will hold her first Coffee & Conversation of the year on Tuesday, October 17, at 8:30 am in Scott House. Mark your calendar and plan to come and join in the discussion. More information will be coming your way next week.

At SSFS, we thoroughly enjoy celebrating Halloween in the Lower School. We strive to make sure that our creative expressions of the occasion leave everyone feeling comfortable. PK3 through Grade 5 parents are strongly encouraged to review our expectations for Halloween in the Lower School Handbook.

In keeping with our Quaker values, we encourage students to use their imaginations, inventiveness, and simple resources at home to create homemade costumes from old clothing, bags, boxes and recycled materials. Some of our students wear costumes that celebrate our love of stories, using characters from books as inspiration. Some students wear store-bought costumes, and some students choose to not dress in costume at all.

We ask that all students respect the possible reactions from our youngest community members by not wearing masks and fangs. We encourage face paint; however, face paint and make-up depicting scary themes, blood, and injury is inappropriate. Costumes that depict violence, violent acts, violent themes and aggression-focused characters are not appropriate. Costume accessories that depict weaponry (reality or fantasy-based) —as well as objects that can be perceived as weapons-- are not permitted.

A best practice for our SSFS Lower School Halloween celebration would be to save bloody and scary costumes for at-home celebrations. Parents are encouraged to help their child to join in our Halloween celebrations in a way that makes the festivities appropriately comfortable for the youngest of our Lower School students. Students should come to school in regular clothing for a normal morning of classes. In the afternoon, the Lower School has a costume parade at 2:30 pm, followed by our annual Autumn Social and dance party. Parents are cordially invited to participate in costume, to watch, or to photograph!

LS photo packets will be coming home soon to our LS families. If you have not already sent in your payment for your child's photo packet, please submit a check to the LS office now. The cost of the Lower School packet is $35.00, payable to Stone Photography. If you have any questions about LS pictures, please contact Pam Gilmer, x112.

We've already had some great Smart Sack packing sessions this year! All sessions start immediately after drop off at 8:15 am in Westview.

Packing dates for the coming months are as follows:

• October 13th, packing with 4A
• October 20th, packing with 4B
• November 3rd, packing with 3rd/KA
• December 1st, packing with 3rd/KB
• December 8th, packing with 5A/2A

Smart Sacks is a county-wide program started by MANNA food center to help combat children's weekend hunger in Montgomery County. Twice monthly during the MCPS school year, volunteers pack donated food and deliver it to county elementary schools. Children who usually receive free meals at school take a bag of food home every Friday to ensure that they have adequate nutrition throughout the weekend. SSFS lower school students and volunteers support two local elementary schools in this initiative. This is a fun and easy way to do something meaningful with the lower school kids and provide a very worthwhile service to the community. If you are interested in helping out with this ongoing service project please contact KERRY-ANN FARMER at kerryann.farmer@yahoo.com

Below is information about upcoming MS and all-school activities and events in the coming weeks. For questions or more information about an event, please contact Erin Ryan, MS Administrative Assistant, at ext. 160 or erin.ryan@ssfs.org.

• Thurs, Oct. 5: Screening of "Angst" Documentary (Find out more and reserve your seats here)
• Thurs-Fri, Oct. 5-6: 7th Grade Food/Farm Trip
• Fri, Oct. 6: Deadline to submit addresses for Grandfriends Day!
• Mon, Oct. 9: NO SCHOOL, Fall Holiday
• Wed, Oct. 11: MS Quakerism Day
• Sat, Oct. 14: MS Optional Weekend Trip for 7th and 8th Graders
• Sun, Oct. 15: Admissions Fall Open House (RSVP here)
• Thurs-Fri, Oct. 19-20: 6th Grade Chesapeake Bay Trip
• Thurs, Oct. 26: MS Fall Sports End
• Fri, Oct. 27: NO CLASSES, Professional Day
• Fri, Oct. 27: MS East Ed Diversity Conference
• Sat, Oct. 28: Junior Class Halloween Carnival, 2:00-4:00 pm, Yarnall
• Wed-Fri, Nov. 1-3: 8th Grade NYC Trip
• Fri-Sun, Nov. 3-5: Golf Getaway Outing (Find out more!)
• Wed, Nov. 8: Yearbook photo make-up day (for grades 6-11)
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Bow-Making Workshop for Winterfest, 8:00 am - 12:00 noon, Yarnall Lobby
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Meeting, 6:15-7:15 pm, Yarnall Library
• Thurs, Nov. 9: Open Forum with Head of School Tom Gibian, 7:15-9:00 pm
• Fri, Nov. 10: Admissions "Discover SSFS" event, 8:15-11:00 am (RSVP here)

We had glorious weather for our annual Community Day on Wed, Oct. 4. The day began with a walk through the woods to the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting for an all school Meeting for Worship, and the remainder of the day was spent connecting with family groups, participating in community service activities around the campus, playing Morley games, and gathering for an aerial photo of the entire school. A huge thank you goes to the members of the Community Day committee and all their hard work to pull off this tremendous event! Photos are available in Vidigami here.

The Middle School is excited to be hosting Grandfriends Day this year! The Grandfriends are treated to a short arts performance, followed by a campus tour and classroom visits. Their time on campus concludes with a special lunch with their grandchild and Meeting for Worship. The date if this year's Grandfriends Day is Tuesday, November 21st. In order for your child's Grandfriend to receive an invitation to join us for this nice tradition, we need you to provide us with their name(s) and address! This information must be submitted online by Friday, October 6th. This will give us sufficient time to print and mail the invitations. Thank you in advance for your assistance in providing the name(s) and addresses of any Grandfriends we should include in our invitation mailing. Questions? Please contact Erin Ryan.

Our Middle School Fall Sports and Electives season ends on Thursday, October 26th! (The kids are already starting to get excited about the Winter seaso,n which begins on Monday, November 13th, since we just completed our selections). Just a friendly reminder to parents that dismissal will be at 3:35 pm for ALL students on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the Weeks of October 30th and November 6th. Aftercare is always available during these gap times!

It's been an "eggs-citing" week in the 6th grade! On Tuesday, students enjoyed the second phase of their egg drop in math class, and also a presentation from Kexin Zhang, our Mandarin teacher, about the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. After the presentation, they had fun playing team Kahoot, always a favorite way to test their knowledge. Next week we will really begin gearing up for our trip on October 19-20. A reminder that included with the informational email about the trip that was sent last week (where we go and what we do and a packing/supply list) was a two-part form for you to print out, fill out, and return to Erin Ryan by Tuesday, October 10th. Thanks!

There will be 4 trips this year! January 12th and January 19th to Whitetail and January 26th and February 2nd to Liberty!

Here are your options for the season:

• Purchase a NCC for the season and pay for the bus rides to the mountains with the club. This means you can also head on up to the mountains on your own time! If you buy before November 7^th, this is absolutely the cheaper option for Ski Club. Night Club Cards (NCC) are available for anyone and everyone in the community (See Friends Mart section of the Newsletter) Go to https://www.skiwhitetail.com/night-club-card to learn more

NCC Options	Before 11/7, bus included	After 11/7, bus included
Lift	$350	$375
With Advantage	$375	$400
Lift and Lessons	$395	$420
With Advantage	$420	$445
Lift, Lessons, and Rentals	$440	$465
With Advantage	$465	$490



• If you are not interested in a Night Club Card, here are your ticket options:

Option	Price for all 4 Trips, Bus Included
Night LIft	$353
All MT Package (Lift, Lesson, Rental)	$549
EZ Package	$521
Learn to Ski/Board Package	$473

Have any magazines around your house that you will be recycling? Please bring them by the Middle School - we need lots of magazines for a collage project! Thank you!

This is an invitation for 8th-12th grade students and their families to attend the College Night for the Visual & Performing Arts in PAC Studio B on Wednesday, October 17th at 6:30 pm. Come learn about The George Washington University's Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, Temple University's Tyler School for the Arts, and Towson University. This event is a wonderful opportunity to get insight to the vast possibilities study of the arts offers at the collegiate level. In addition to learning about the specifics of these highly-valued art institutions and their course offerings, you will get a sense of occupational possibilities beyond college. You will also receive insight about art supplements, portfolios and other art admissions information. The evening concludes with a mini fair session where you will be able to walk from table to table to ask your questions and get your answers. Hope to see you there! Download flyer here.

Below is information about upcoming Upper School and all-school activities and events. For questions or more information about an event, please contact Meredith Shankle, US Administrative Assistant, at ext. 109 or meredith.shankle@ssfs.org.

• Thurs, Oct. 5: Screening of "Angst" Documentary (Find out more and reserve your seats here)
• Sat, Oct. 7: SAT Test Date
• Sat, Oct. 7: College Financial Aid Workshop, 9:00-11:00 am, PAC - Studio B
• Mon, Oct. 9: NO SCHOOL, Fall Holiday
• Wed, Oct. 11: US PSATs for 10th and 11th Grade Students
• Wed, Oct. 11: College Info Session: College Overview for 9th and 10th Grade Families, 6:30-8:00 pm, Yarnall Library
• Sun, Oct. 15: Admissions Open House, 1:00-3:30 pm (RSVP here)
• Tues, Oct. 17: US College Night for the Arts, 6:30-8:30 pm, PAC - Studio B
• Fri, Oct. 27: NO CLASSES, Professional Day
• Sat, Oct. 28: ACT Test Date
• Sat, Oct. 28: Junior Class Halloween Carnival, 2:00-4:00 pm, Yarnall
• Thurs, Nov. 2: US Coffee & Conversation, 8:15 -9:15 am, Westview Dining Hall
• Fri, Nov, 3: US Fall Sports End
• Fri-Sun, Nov. 3-5: Golf Getaway Outing (Find out more!)
• Sat, Nov. 4: SAT Test Date
• Mon, Nov. 6: US Winter Sports Begin
• Wed, Nov. 8: Yearbook photo make-up day (for grades 6-11)
• Wed, Nov. 8: 11th Grade Symposium, 6:30-9:00 pm. Effective Communication about Substance Use and other Risky Behaviors: Build networks and collaborate in round table discussions with other students and their parents with a focus on how to communicate about risky behaviors.
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Bow-Making Workshop for Winterfest, 8:00 am - 12:00 noon, Yarnall Lobby
• Thurs, Nov. 9: PA Meeting, 6:15-7:15 pm, Yarnall Library
• Thurs, Nov. 9: Open Forum with Head of School Tom Gibian, 7:15-9:00 pm
• Fri, Nov. 10: Admissions "Discover SSFS" event, 8:15-11:00 am (RSVP here)
• Fri, Nov. 10: 9th Grade Play, 7:15 pm, PAC

We had glorious weather for our annual Community Day on Wed, Oct. 4. The day began with a walk through the woods to the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting for an all school Meeting for Worship, and the remainder of the day was spent connecting with family groups, participating in community service activities around the campus, playing Morley games, and gathering for an aerial photo of the entire school. A huge thank you goes to the members of the Community Day committee and all their hard work to pull off this tremendous event! Photos are available in Vidigami here.

There will be 4 trips this year! January 12th and January 19th to Whitetail and January 26th and February 2nd to Liberty!

Here are your options for the season:

• Purchase a NCC for the season and pay for the bus rides to the mountains with the club. This means you can also head on up to the mountains on your own time! If you buy before November 7^th, this is absolutely the cheaper option for Ski Club. Night Club Cards (NCC) are available for anyone and everyone in the community (See Friends Mart section of the Newsletter) Go to https://www.skiwhitetail.com/night-club-card to learn more

NCC Options	Before 11/7, bus included	After 11/7, bus included
Lift	$350	$375
With Advantage	$375	$400
Lift and Lessons	$395	$420
With Advantage	$420	$445
Lift, Lessons, and Rentals	$440	$465
With Advantage	$465	$490



• If you are not interested in a Night Club Card, here are your ticket options:

Option	Price for all 4 Trips, Bus Included
Night LIft	$353
All MT Package (Lift, Lesson, Rental)	$549
EZ Package	$521
Learn to Ski/Board Package	$473

Over the summer current sophomore Ian Meyer O'Conner had one of his original photographs juried into a professional gallery exhibition showcasing high-school-aged photographers. The juror for the show, Ashley Givens, selected his image, "Blue Boy," as the First Place Award Winner for the 2017 Juried Youth Photography Exhibition at Photoworks in Glen Echo, MD. Congratulations!

What: Upper School student production of The Outsiders, based on the book by S. E. Hinton and adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel
When: November 17, 18 @ 7:15 pm
Where: Sandy Spring Friends School Performing Arts Center
Cost: Admission is free for students and there is a $10 suggested donation for adults (cash only please).
Who: The play has some stage violence and deals with adult topics. Suitable for students grades 6 and up.

As timely as it was when the book was first published in 1967, The Outsiders is a dramatic coming of age story about a teen gang growing up in rural Oklahoma. The poor Greasers are constantly at odds with the Socials, a rival group. When Greasers Ponyboy and Johnny get into a brawl that ends with deadly consequences, they are forced into hiding. Soon Ponyboy and Johnny, along with their other Greaser friends, must contend with the consequences of their violent lives. While some try to achieve redemption, others meet tragic ends. Author S. E. Hinton was only 15 years old when she began writing this story inspired by her own high school, and thus the story is very compelling for young teens. The story was re-imagined in a well-loved Francis Ford Coppola film in 1983. You will be blown away by this powerful story in Sandy Spring Friends School's Upper School production. The play does have some stage violence and deals with adult topics. For reference, the film was rated PG. Admission is free for students and there is a $10 suggested donation for adults. No advance ticket sales. Open Seating. Feel free to email the director, Julie Borsetti, with any questions.

This is an invitation for 8th-12th grade students and their families to attend the College Night for the Visual & Performing Arts in PAC Studio B on Wednesday, October 17th at 6:30 pm. Come learn about The George Washington University's Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, Temple University's Tyler School for the Arts, and Towson University. This event is a wonderful opportunity to get insight to the vast possibilities study of the arts offers at the collegiate level. In addition to learning about the specifics of these highly-valued art institutions and their course offerings, you will get a sense of occupational possibilities beyond college. You will also receive insight about art supplements, portfolios and other art admissions information. The evening concludes with a mini fair session where you will be able to walk from table to table to ask your questions and get your answers. Hope to see you there! Download flyer here.

The Learning Resource Collaborative (comprised of the SSFS Learning Specialists) is proud to announce the start of the FLEX program! Mission: The Flex Program at Sandy Spring Friends School is an after-school student support program that aims to elevate the efficacy of learners via small group homework help, executive function support, organization and time management strategies, and more.

Sessions for Upper School students will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 pm – 5:45 pm (take the late bus home) or 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm (perfect for our student athletes). Dinner is included (but not required).

First quarter sessions begin Tuesday, September 5th. Register now by clicking here.
Fees are as follows: Trimester 1 $725; Trimester 2 $995; Trimester 3 $995

Night Club Cards are back! Ski Whitetail, Liberty, and Roundtop any evening from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm (3:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Sundays) starting on January 2nd with your very own Night Club Card!

• To see your options go to https://www.skiwhitetail.com/night-club-card
• Early Bird rates continue through November 6th.
• To purchase your Night Club Card click here.
• Use the username: Sandy Spr
• With the password: ssfsmember

More detailed directions for online purchasing available here. For more information contact Sunshine Klein by email at Sunshine.Klein@ssfs.org

Friday, November 3rd to Sunday, November 5th, FGC's Ministry on Racism Program is sponsoring an opportunity for Friends of Color and their families to come together to build multigenerational community through:

• Mutual support and sharing
• Worship & Exploring our Faith
• Sharing ways to heal ourselves in these turbulent times
• Spend time tightening the bonds among us

Find out more about the conference and register here.

Friends House Retirement Community will be sponsoring Ligon's 5K Trail Run/Walk on Saturday October 7th. Your entry fee includes a t-shirt, snack and entry to a wellness fair. Cash prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place male and female winners. Proceeds benefit Aging Well With Friends, to help connect seniors with resources.

The race is open to any and all who would like to participate. We are also having a Walk and Roll to include people with wheelchairs, strollers and walkers.

If anyone would like to volunteer for the event please contact Erin Mitchell at emitchell@friendshouse.com or 301-924-7523.See the attached flier for information.

Do you ever wish you had a way to "connect" to the SSFS community of families about topics not part of the traditional school day or school related events? Maybe you've wondered if any of those nice high school students babysit, or if any parents know of a good violin teacher. Maybe you are looking for a plumber, a travel agent, or someone to work out with? Want to start a hiking group, a meditation group, or need help moving furniture??

Online communities abound these days, so the SSFS PA has created one (via Shutterfly) for our wonderful community of families. This is an opt-in choice open to current and alumni families for all divisions, home stay and boarding parents. The site is moderated by parent volunteers to ensure we don't misuse the tool for problems an online community can't address, and don't duplicate or replace what is official school business that belongs on other communication sites.

We hope this tool will be an additional way to support connections across this diverse community of families who share the choice of SSFS for their children. Please fill out this quick online form to opt-in. Questions? Please contact Nikol Jackson or Kathleen Landers.