Thanks for reading the April 5, 2018 newsletter, emailed to all SSFS families each Thursday afternoon during the school year with news, photos, upcoming events, and "must-know" info. 

View This Week's Newsletter on our Website

Upper School Intersession trips arrived home safely and with wonderful stories and images to share of their adventures both close to home and abroad. See the 2018 Intersession blog page, and see more photos from the trips via Vidigami by logging into into Parents Portal page, clicking the "Photo Galleries - Vidigami" link at the top of the page, and when you get to the Vidigami home page, you can click the SSFS logo and scroll down to the Off-Campus > Intersession folder. 

• Fri, Apr. 6: Last Day of 3rd Quarter
• Fri, Apr. 6: Packing Smart Sacks, 8:15 am, Westview
• Fri, Apr. 6: PA Auction Committee Meeting, 8:15 am, Scott House Conference Room
• Sat, Apr. 7: Youth Peace Conference, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
• Mon, Apr. 9: NO CLASSES, Professional Day
• Fri, Apr. 13: PA Meeting for Worship, 8:00-9:00 am, Meeting House
• Sat, Apr. 14: Post-Prom Event (Parent volunteers in all divisions still needed!)
• Mon, Apr. 16: PA Auction Committee Meeting, 8:15 am

More upcoming All-School events...

Sandy Spring School Musical Production is pleased to present Pippin (the musical) at the Performing Arts Center On April 26-27-28. Audiences across the age spectrum will enjoy this spectacular show and connect with Pippin’s universal message. All performances begin at 7:15 pm, and donations are appreciated. Read more here...

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

• Fri, Apr. 6: PA Auction Committee Meeting, 8:15 am, Scott House
• Fri, Apr. 13: PA Meeting for Worship, 8:00-9:00 am, Meeting House
• Sat-Sun, Apr. 14-15: Post-Prom Event from 11:30 pm - 6:00 am. Parent chaperones in grades PK3-Grade 10 still need (see more info below, or sign up here)
• Mon, Apr. 16: PA Auction Committee Meeting, 8:15 am, Scott House
• Fri, Apr. 20: PA Community Connections Committee Meeting, 8:00-9:00 am, Scott House Conference Room
• Tues, Apr. 24: FriendsFest Marketing Meeting, 8:15 am, Scott House 

SSFS Post Prom is just a week away on April 14! Parents of Juniors and Seniors can contribute in several ways, but it's up to the rest of the village to chaperone the event. Whether your child is in 10th grade or Preschool or anywhere in between, please consider signing up to chaperone. Giving a couple of hours in the middle of the night is a great way to support the kids and the community, and when your little 'Beest goes to Prom, other parents will be doing it for you. Please sign up online here. Questions? Contact Lauren Deichman or Dawn Lee, Post Prom Co-Clerks.

On Tuesday, June 12, the PA will be hosting an appreciation lunch for our wonderful faculty and staff. Please take a moment to sign up to volunteer and show your gratitude! Also, look for a signup genius in the coming weeks for food donations. We appreciate your help!

MAY 12, 2018 @ 7:00 pm - Save the date, and find out more about this important (and fun!) event!

• Fri, Apr. 6: Last Day of 3rd Quarter
• Fri, Apr. 6: Packing Smart Sacks, 8:15 am, Westview
• Mon, Apr. 9: NO CLASSES, Professional Day (LS Parent-Teacher Conferences)
• Wed, Apr. 11: Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm 
• Fri, Apr. 13: PA Meeting for Worship, 8:00-9:00 am, Meeting House

See more upcoming Lower School events...

The Spring Club brochure was sent out earlier this week to LS families, and online registration is now open. Click here to see the Spring Club brochure and to register. Spring clubs begin next week. Club stats as of Thursday morning:

• Farm Club – CLOSED
• Cooking Up Some Fun – CLOSED
• Young Explorers – CLOSED
• Simply Soccer (3rd-5th) needs more students to run
• ZAP Math (3rd-4th) needs more students to run
• Chess Wizards (1st-5th) needs more students to run
• Excite Soccer PK4 – 2nd Grade will run and has room for more students

Lower School parent-teacher conferences will take place next Monday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 11.  If you haven’t signed up for your conference yet, please contact your child’s teacher. KAH will be on site for conference care on Monday for the time of your child’s conference.

Despite all of the wintry weather that we had during the week before Spring Break, the Lower School Talent Shows (Groups A and B) took place back-to-back on Friday, March 23rd! We were treated to many spectacular acts ranging from dance, gymnastics, comedy and singing. Congratulations to our many talented performers on a job well done!  Photos from both shows can be viewed online here, and on Vidigami.

• Fri, Apr. 6: Last Day of 3rd Quarter
• Sat, Apr. 7: Youth Peace Conference, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
• Mon, Apr. 9: NO CLASSES, Professional Day
• Tues, Apr. 10: 7th Grade Trip to Newseum (Please bring $15 for lunch, as food is not allowed in the Newseum!)
• Fri, Apr. 13: PA Meeting for Worship, 8:00-9:00 am, Meeting House
• Wed-Fri, Apr. 18-20: 7th Grade Overnight Trip to Gettysburg
• Wed-Fri, Apr. 25-27: 8th Grade Overnight Trip

See more upcoming Middle School events...

Just a reminder about two upcoming events for our 7th Graders. They will enhance their studies on Civics with a field trip to the Newseum on Tuesday, April 10. Students should bring $15 to cover their lunch expenses, as no outside food is permitted in the Newseum. 

The annual 7th Grade trip to Gettysburg quickly follows. As was outlined in an e-mail to parents, the group will leave campus on Wednesday, April 18 at 1:30 pm and will return to campus on Friday, April 20 by 3:00 pm, in time for normal participation in sports and electives before dismissal on Friday afternoon. Any medicine to go on the trip must be brought to the Health Center by a parent or guardian by Thursday, April 12th. Parents may contact Aimee Farley with any questions about this spring trip. 

The spring MS weekend trip opportunity will be on Saturday, May 5. We will be going to Hershey Park, and all three grades are invited to sign up! The bus will leave SSFS at 8:00 am and return to school at 7:00 pm. The cost of this trip is $90, plus spending money to purchase food. This was a popular and fun trip last year, and spaces are limited. Please complete the sign-up form and return to Kristin McCarthy by Thursday, April 12 if interested!

Middle School will be offering four clubs to students who want to explore an extracurricular activity this spring:

• Fishing with Franny
• Conversacion, Cultura, y Comida
• Spring Running and Fitness 
• Discovering Paint Workshop 

Clubs will run for 6 weeks and meet once a week for an hour, starting at 4:30 pm (after sports and electives). Club Information and Sign-Ups are at the link here. If you have any questions regarding clubs, please e-mail Lindsay Kellogg.

Our own Middle School teacher Kiki Vargas is the recipient of the Basil Harrison Memorial Fellowship, a commemorative award in memory of an extraordinary teacher, athlete, and coach who exemplified the life-affirming ancient Greek call to the education of mind and body and inspired thousands of students in his 30 year career. The Fellowship honors a teacher who is passionate about teaching and learning; demonstrates such outstanding qualities as compassion, wisdom, and generosity of spirit; and has made a lasting impact on students.

Kiki was nominated for the fellowship by her former 5th grade student Sophia Harrison. As part of the Fellowship, Kiki will be traveling to Greece from April 13-22 and participating in the 2018 Examined Life Program, where she will be joining other educators, librarians, authors, and museum specialists in an exciting exploration of ancient (and modern) Greece through the eyes of world-class scholars. 

Congratulations to Kiki for this very special award, and we look forward to hearing about her travels abroad when she returns! 

Be sure your calendar is marked for the Middle School Spring Arts Evening on Thursday, May 24th, at 7:15 pm. This event is the culmination of a semester’s worth of work and study, and the majority of Middle School students will be performing or will have their work on display in the Performing Arts Center Lobby. For Music, Movement, and Drama students, attendance and participation is essential and required. Students in those classes must arrive by 6:30 pm. Full details will be forthcoming in May, and parents may e-mail Michelle Puhl-Price with any questions.

The Youth Peace Conference is an annual student-organized social justice conference focusing on youth activism as a means towards local social change. YPC 2018 will be April 7th, from 11am-4pm, hosted on the Sandy Spring Friends School campus. SSFS students from grades 8-12 are encouraged to attend and bring a friend from another school. Student participants will earn 6 hours of community service for their participation in the conference. SSFS Upper School student organizers are inspired by the potential for social change in the youth of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC, and want to be catalysts for change in our communities. For more information and registration, please visit youthpeaceconferencemd.org or see full article for more information.

• Fri, Apr. 6: Last Day of 3rd Quarter
• Sat, Apr. 7: Youth Peace Conference hosted at SSFS, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm (see details)
• Mon, Apr. 9: NO CLASSES, Professional Day
• Wed, Apr. 11: 10th Grade Symposium, 6:30-9:00 pm, Westview (see flyer)
• Sat, Apr. 14: ACT Test Date
• Sat, Apr. 14: Prom and Post-Prom, 7:00-11:00 pm (see details)
• Thurs, Apr. 19: Upper School Coffee & Conversation, 8:15 am, Scott House Living Room
• Thurs, Apr. 19: Finance Talk, sponsored by the Upper School Financial Innovation Analytics Club, "Entering the Trump Economy: Implications of Tax Reform," 12-12:40 pm, Yarnall Library

See more upcoming Upper School events...

The Junior and Senior Prom will be held on Saturday, April 14th from 7:00-11:00 pm at The Great Room of Savage Mill. The prom will include a buffet dinner, dessert, and dancing. The tickets cost $50, and the final day to purchase your ticket is tomorrow, Friday, April 6, using a Google online form. Once the ticket sales end on April 6th, no more tickets can be purchased. Tickets can be charged to your SSFS account or paid with cash or check. We are excited for an amazing prom. Please let Ilene Lees, US Counselor know if you have any questions. Thank you. Parents: we still need volunteers for the Post-Prom event; please sign up here to help!

The Youth Peace Conference is an annual student-organized social justice conference focusing on youth activism as a means towards local social change. YPC 2018 will be April 7th, from 11am-4pm, hosted on the Sandy Spring Friends School campus. SSFS students from grades 8-12 are encouraged to attend and bring a friend from another school. Student participants will earn 6 hours of community service for their participation in the conference. SSFS Upper School student organizers are inspired by the potential for social change in the youth of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC, and want to be catalysts for change in our communities. For more information and registration, please visit youthpeaceconferencemd.org or see full article for more information.

Sandy Spring Friends School students and families (all grades) are invited to the 10th Annual Sherwood College Fair from 6:30-8:30 pm at Sherwood High School, 300 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Sandy Spring, MD 20860.

Wednesday, April 11th is the 10th Grade Symposium on "Effective Communication about Substance Use and other Risky Behaviors."

• What: Build networks and collaborate in round table discussions with other students and their parents with a focus on how to communicate about risky behaviors. Guest speaker is Beth Kane Davidson, Director of Suburban Hospital Addiction Treatment Center 
• Who: All 10th grade Day Students/5 Day Boarders are required to attend with one or both parents/guardians. 7 Day Dorm students will have a separate event on April 11th.   
• When: Wednesday, April 11th. 6:30 seating- Program is from 6:45-8:45 pm (This is a Homework Alert night.)
• Where: Westview Dining Hall
• Questions: Contact Ilene Lees, Upper School Counselor

Intersession is an important component of the emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning at SSFS. It is a one- to two-week period in the spring in which all Upper School students and faculty participate in special projects locally, nationally, or abroad. 

The 2018 Intersession trips were a great success, with a variety of experiences and opportunities for community service, outdoor education, arts activities, scientific exploration, cultural and language immersion, historical or informational trips, or a combination of the above. The Upper School students will be sharing their trip experiences with their peers and the 8th grade on Tuesday, April 17, during the annual Intersession assembly.  You can also see blogs and photos sent in by students and staff throughout Intersession week on the 2018 Intersession Blog page. 

SSMM’s FCNL rep, Michael Conklin and SS Friends in Unity With Nature Committee are sponsoring 2, all-generations sessions — with a special invitation to high school students and young adults — to express Sandy Spring’s priorities to FCNL. The first session is on Saturday, April 7, at the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting House in the Lyceum (17715 Meeting House Rd, Sandy Spring, MD 20860) at 7:15 pm, the second is on Monday, April 9, at Friends House’s Miller Center (17340 Quaker Ln, Sandy Spring, MD 20860), at 7:15 pm. Both are open to all. Click here for more info.

A local group with experience at peacemaking in Northern Ireland and Cyprus is seeking families in central Maryland, suburban Maryland, or Washington, DC, that would like to help support its new peace-building work in the Israel-Palestine region. The Israel-Palestine Program, which is run entirely by volunteers, is looking for a total of six families in this area, each to host a pair of Israeli and Palestinian teens for the last two weeks of July. Two spots are filled, so four spots remain open at this time. The Program coordinator provides extensive support for families that volunteer for this mission. The families provide housing, food, the arrangements for social activities and general hospitality. There are some optional group activities. The Program pays the teens’ travel and insurance costs. The host families may have other children of any age or may be empty-nesters. The teens do not expect to be entertained but simply to be part of your household. Find out more...