Weekly Newsletter Emailed Each Sunday During The School Year.

Sept. 16, 2018

Senior-LS Buddy Program

The Class of 2019 met (and was embraced heartily by) their PK4, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade buddies on Monday, Sept. 10. Our annual Senior-Buddy tradition is a great way for the Upper School students to get to bond with Lower School friends and contributes to our sense of community here at SSFS. Seniors and their buddies meet for play dates and special get-togethers many times throughout the year. See a selection of photos from their first meeting and play date on our online photo gallery, and view and download many more on Vidigami (be sure to log in to the parent portal first!). You can also check out our social media posts from the week here.

Dive Into This Week's News

Read The Latest News Across Our Divisions On The SSFS Website.

News At Your Fingertips

Your Mobile-Friendly Email Digest Of Our Weekly Must-Know Information And More.

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

• Back-to-School Nights: Visit classrooms and meet your child's teachers during these parent/guardian only events in September. 
  • Sept. 20: Lower School Back-to-School Night
  • Sept. 27: Upper School Back-to-School Night
• Sat, Sept. 22: Montgomery County Education & Activities Fair, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, hosted at SSFS (see more below)
• Sat, Sept. 22: Upper School Quiz Bowl Team on "It's Academic," 1:30 pm, NBC4 Studios, 4001 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 - All families are welcome to come cheer on the team during their filming this weekend!

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Mon, Sept. 24: Mid-Autumn Festival, 6:00-8:00 pm, Westview Dining Room (More information coming soon)
• Mon, Sept. 24: Families New to Quaker Education, 7:00-8:30 pm, On-Campus Meeting House. All families are welcome to join Head of School Tom Gibian for an evening to learn more about the history of Quaker education and how Quaker principles and practices inform our program at SSFS.
• Mon-Fri, Sept. 24-28: Spirit Week - get ready for Crazy Hat & Hair Day, Pajama Day, Green-and-Gold Day, and more! Details to come. 
• Wed, Sept. 26:  Auction Committee Meeting, Scott House Conference Room
• Thurs, Sept. 27: PA Spirit Night - Enjoy a day off from cooking: pick up a meal at Jersey Mike's anytime from 10am-9pm, show this flyer, and 15% of proceeds will go to benefit SSFS!
• Fri, Sept. 28: Packing for Smart Sacks, 8:15 am, Westview Dining Hall (more info below)
• Fri, Sept. 28: Feed the BEESTS, 4:00-6:00 pm, outside next to Preuss Field - Enjoy concessions while supporting your MS and US sports teams! Proceeds to benefit the Class of 2020 class fund.

What: Washington Parent magazine Presents the MONTGOMERY COUNTY EDUCATION & ACTIVITIES FAIR, sponsored by Sandy Spring Friends School
When: Saturday, September 22, 2018 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at Sandy Spring Friends School
Who Should Come: SSFS families, and ALL families in the Montgomery County area interested in finding out more about kids' activities in the area. Spread the word!
Who Will Be There: Representatives from the best education and activity resources in the county, including

• Private Schools 
• Tutors 
• Visual Arts
• STEM Programs 
• Gyms 
• Dance Studios
• Sports Programs 
• Performing Arts 
• Language Programs

What else? Face Painting • Entertainment • Giveaways 
Bring a picnic and a blanket or purchase lunch from our food trucks. SSFS is on a beautiful 140 acre campus. Enjoy the serenity while you "digest" the best Education & Activity resources in the county. Indoors & outdoors (weather permitting) See flyer for more info.

The SSFS residential community will celebrate the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival with food and fun in Westview Dining Hall on Monday, September 24, from 6:00-8:00 pm. Dorm and homestay students are expected to attend, and host families and SSFS community members are invited. Please send questions and RSVPs to anne.pulju@ssfs.org.

Meeting for Worship? SPICES? Sense of the Meeting?? Find out more about these terms and other information about what it means to attend a Friends Schools at the "Families New to Quaker Education" meeting with Head of School Tom Gibian on Monday, Sept. 24 from 7:00-8:30 pm in the on-campus Meeting House. ALL families are welcome - not just new families! 

Stop by Jersey Mike's Subs anytime from 10am - 9pm on Thursday, Sept. 27 and show this flyer (can be digital or hard copy) to have 15% of proceeds donated to SSFS!

Each year on the last Saturday of September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we come together under the banner of Laps for Lexi to stand with families facing childhood cancer today, remember the young lives like Lexi Speight who were taken too soon, and rededicate ourselves to combating this terrible illness. 

On Saturday, September 29 starting at 8 am we hope you will join us for the 9th annual Laps for Lexi. This wonderful, family-friendly celebration honors the life of Lexi Speight, a beloved member of SSFS's class of 2019, who after a brief, but intense and courageous battle, passed away from liver cancer in February 2010 at age 8.

Laps for Lexi includes a 5K cross country run and a 1-mile cross country walk. Well-trained, child-friendly dogs on leashes are invited to join in the fun on the 1-mile walk. Gross proceeds will benefit the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders to create the LEXI SPEIGHT Chair in Pediatric Oncology, an endowed professorship created in memory of Lexi as well as the Lexi Speight scholarship here at SSFS. Read more about how you can get involved, and register online.

The entire student body (age 3 through 12th grade), plus faculty and staff, gathered in the PAC for our first all-school assembly of the 2018-2019 school year on Tuesday, Sept. 11. After welcoming the Class of 2019 accompanied by their Lower School buddies and having a moment of silence, we then heard welcome remarks from Upper School Torch clerk Samaa Eldadah '19 and Head of School Tom Gibian, and enjoyed dance and music performances by the Upper School Step Dancers and Andy G and Matt R. We also saw a beginning-of-year slideshow featuring photos from the first week of school, and finished up with our traditional community singing of The George Fox Song. See photos from the assembly here (more are available in Vidigami). 

During this week's Beginning of Year All-School Assembly, Head of School Tom Gibian shared remarks with our community about whether SSFS is a "bubble." These remarks have been posted on the "Head of School" Wordpress site. (You can see all Tom's blog posts here.)

Tom says that, "from time to time, someone will ask me 'Is Sandy Spring Friends School a bubble?' This question is sometimes asked with a degree of skepticism. Underlying the question is this notion that if Sandy Spring Friends School is too nice, too pleasant, too understanding then, when students are no longer here, they will not be prepared for the real world. We will have somehow disadvantaged them. Yes, Sandy Spring Friends School is a bubble. And this is why." Click here to read more...

The SSFS Annual Fund would love to be in full bloom this year with parent participation. Watch throughout the year as our virtual trees grow as a way of showing how our community supports the culture of philanthropy. Be a part of something wonderful! 

The Secret Shop, an integral part of FriendsFest (Nov 10th), is a store where lower school kids can purchase secret gifts for family members. All items in the store are donated by the SSFS community. Please  look out for donation bins for the Secret Shop around campus soon! The Secret Shop can use your gently loved items, e.g. scarves, gloves, jewelry, mugs, and etc. Be creative! The kids love having a variety of things they can choose from when shopping for you.

US Art Department Faculty Jordan Taylor has been included in a Group Exhibition at Baltimore Clayworks, Smith Ave in Baltimore.

Where: Baltimore Clayworks Gallery, Baltimore
When: Opening Reception Sept 15, 6-8pm, On view Sept 15-Nov 3, 2018
What: Taylor is exhibiting a recent addition to his series The Door is Ajar with a piece titled

"(de)gentrifenestration: redlining and other structural experiments"

An earlier example from the series is featured here.

Hello, Smart Sacks volunteers! Our first packing of the school year will be on Friday, September 28th with 5A, immediately after drop off at 8:15 am in Westview. (See article in LS section for other dates this fall.) We are seeking 3-4 parent volunteers to join our Smart Sacks team this year. Parent volunteers role and responsibilities as follows:

• Picking up food from MANNA (located off Shady Grove Rd. in Gaithersburg) once amonth and bringing it to SSFS cafeteria
• Delivering sacks to our two partner schools Roscoe Nix and Cresthaven Elementarylocated off New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring about 20 minutes from SSFS.

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. Read more about the Smart Sack Program here.

The Community Day committee is looking forward to "Letting Our Lives Speak" through stewardship, community-building, and fun, on Wednesday, October 3rd! Community Day, a longstanding tradition at SSFS, is when all students, faculty, and staff set aside a day to work, play, and reflect together. Students, faculty, and staff divide into "Family Groups" who spend the day together participating in on-campus community service projects, Morley games, crafts and bonding time. New students will learn and returning students will be reminded of their "family groups" from their homeroom teacher (LS) or advisor (MS/US) prior to Community Day. Click here to see a brief video about the day and click here to see full article with reminders about what to bring/wear for the day. 

For questions or more information about an event, please contact Pam Gilmer, LS Administrative Assistant, at ext. 112 or pam.gilmer@ssfs.org, or visit the Calendar web page to see full calendar.

• Sun, Sept. 16: Deadline to submit Grandfriends contact information for Grandfriends Day invitations (see more info below) 
• Thurs, Sept. 20: PK3-2nd Grade Photos
• Thurs, Sept. 20: Sibling Photos, 3:30 pm - By Appointment Only! (Call Stone Photography to set up, 301-654-3185)
• Thurs, Sept. 20: Lower School Back-to-School Night; Optional Tech Q&A session in the Library from 6:00-6:30 pm; BTSN program begins at 6:30 in the Meetinghouse (more info below)
• Fri, Sept. 21: 3rd-5th Grade Class Photos

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Mon-Fri, Sept. 24-28: Spirit Week (more info to come!)
• Mon, Sept. 24: Families New to Quaker Education, 7:00 pm, Campus Meeting House
• Sat, Sept. 29: Laps For Lexi

This year, our LS Grandfriends Day is scheduled for Friday, October 19 from 11:45 am – 2:45 pm. Invitations will go out very soon for this event, but we need to know who to send invitations to. If you have not already provided us with address/contact information for your LS student’s guest(s), please visit the link below to complete the Invitation Mailing Form by Sunday, September 16:

www.ssfs.org/events/grandfriends-day

A longstanding tradition, LS Grandfriends Day is an opportunity for grandparents and “grandfriends” to join their LS students for a special day. Questions? Please contact Pam Gilmer at pam.gilmer@ssfs.org or 301-774-7455 x 112.

Our Lower School Back-to-School Night is scheduled for Thursday evening, September 20. Members of the Inquiry Guides Department will be available in the Library to answer parents’ questions regarding technology from 6:00 to 6:30 pm prior to the start of our Lower School Back to School Night program. If families have questions about technology at SSFS, including Finalsite and 1:1 iPads in grades 4 and 5, they are welcome to stop by. 

For families who are interested in purchasing SSFS “swag," Mary Mayes, our Beest Café & Bookstore Manager, will have items for sale in the Beestro, adjacent to the Library from 6 to 6:30 pm. 

The LS program will begin in the campus Meetinghouse at 6:30 pm with opening remarks by Brenda Crawley, LS Head. Parents will then move on to their child's classroom for an overview by the classroom teacher(s). This adult-only evening will conclude by 8:30 pm. Remember to bring your calendar as there will be opportunities to sign up to volunteer to chaperone field trips and other activities throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you there!

All Lower School students will have their school pictures taken next week when professional photographers from Stone Photography will be on campus. On Thursday, September 20th, PK3, PK4, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders will be photographed, and on Friday, September 21^st, all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be photographed. Individual, as well as class photos, will be taken. All students are automatically photographed on their picture day. Sibling photographs are also being offered on Thursday, Sept. 20, from 3:30-5:00 pm by appointment only (contact Stone Photography directly at 301-654-3185). Click here for more information about the photo packet and payment information...

Hello, Smart Sacks volunteers! Our first packing of the school year will be on Friday, September 28th with 5A, immediately after drop off at 8:15 am in Westview.

We are seeking 3-4 parent volunteers to join our Smart Sacks team this year. Parent volunteers
role and responsibilities as follows:

• Picking up food from MANNA (located off Shady Grove Rd. in Gaithersburg) once amonth and bringing it to SSFS cafeteria
• Delivering sacks to our two partner schools Roscoe Nix and Cresthaven Elementary located off New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring about 20 minutes from SSFS.

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. Read more about the Smart Sack Program and see additional packing dates here.

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, or visit the Calendar web page to see full calendar.

• Tues, Sept. 18: Coffee & Conversation for 7th Grade families, 8:15-9:15, Scott House
• Fri. Sept. 21: Coffee & Conversation for 8th Grade families, 8:15-9:15, Scott House

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Mon-Fri, Sept. 24-28: Spirit Week 
• Mon, Sept. 24: Mid-Autumn Festival, 6:00-8:00 pm, Westview Dining Hall
• Mon, Sept. 24: Families New to Quaker Education, 7:00-8:30 pm, Meeting House
• Wed, Sept. 26: Middle School Parent-Advisor Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm (sign up for an available time slot here and see more info below)
• Thurs, Sept. 27: Sixth Grade Social, 4:15-5:15 pm, Middle School 
• Thurs, Sept. 27: Tech Drop-In for MS Parents, 4:15-5:15 pm, Yarnall Library
• Sat, Sept. 29: Laps For Lexi

David Blake is hosting two more Coffee and Conversations in the Scott House Collection Space this week. Topics will include the fall overnight grade-level trips and the expanded Advisory program. Dates are as follows:

• Tuesday, September 18^th at 8:15 am for Parents of 7^th Graders
• Friday, September 21^st at 8:15 am for Parents of 8^th Graders

Parent-Advisor conferences will be held on Wednesday, September 26th from 2:45-5:30 pm in the Middle School. (Note: Kristin McCarthy and Devon's Advisory conferences will be offered on September 24th). This conference is designed to be quick check-in with your child’s advisor as the school year gets underway. Parents may click here to sign-up for an available time, and may sign their child into aftercare free of charge while they are participating in their conference.  

If Parents Have Technology Questions, our Inquiry Guides Have Answers! SSFS’s Inquiry Guides are offering a Tech Drop-in for parents and guardians in Yarnall Library on Thursday, September 27, from 4:15 to 5:15 pm. Please visit the library for questions regarding Finalsite, iPads, eTextbooks, MyBackpack, and more. We ask, if possible, that you bring your device so any set up and troubleshooting can happen on your personal tech, though public computers will be available. This drop-in session is occurring while our 6th grade students will be participating in the sixth grade fall social, and any 7th or 8th grade students may be signed into aftercare free of charge during the time their parents are getting support with using all the amazing resources we have available literally at our fingertips. 

The big news is in sixth grade is that the first Social is on Thursday, September 27^th, from 4:15-5:15 pm. We will have a snack, then play indoor and outdoor games (weather permitting). A reminder that your child should simply come to the 6^th grade pod at 3:40 (or after sports practice at 4:10). We will supervise all 6^th graders from their arrival until the Social ends at 5:15 pm. Please plan to pick up your child at that time, or they may of course go to Aftercare until you can arrive.

On the horizon in the not-too-distant future is the fall Signature Trip to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Sandy Point State Park on Thursday, October 11 through Friday, October 12. Click here to read the full article and find out more about this trip...

The Fall Signature Field Trip for seventh graders is just around the corner.  Students will be spending the two days bonding with classmates, doing service work, and exploring the principle of sustainability.  A detailed letter about the trip along with a supply list was emailed to parents. Read more about the trip plans here...

While we as teachers spend hours planning the perfect lesson, some of the best teachable moments occur simply by happenstance. This past week, I took my students out to see a monarch cocoon hanging from the back of the Middle School building, in an effort to begin and end my classes in a novel and interesting way. However, when we got there, we were completely surprised and awed by what we saw: hanging on to the outside of the cocoon was a recently hatched monarch butterfly!! The moment was one that will be etched into my mind, and I hope my students will remember the excitement of making a discovery in nature. What a great way to start the year!  See before and after photos of the cocoon and monarch butterfly.

Below is information about upcoming US and all-school activities and events in the coming weeks. For questions or more information about an event, please contact Kerry Foley, US Administrative Assistant, at ext. 109 or kerry.foley@ssfs.org, or visit the Calendar web page to see full calendar. 

• Thurs, Sept. 20: 10th & 11th Grade Coffee & Conversation, 8:15 am, Scott House (note date change!)
• Sat, Sept. 22: Upper School Quiz Bowl Team on "It's Academic," 1:30 pm, NBC4 Studios, 4001 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Mon-Fri, Sept. 24-28: Spirit Week 
• Mon, Sept. 24: Mid-Autumn Festival, 6:00-8:00 pm, Westview Dining Hall
• Mon, Sept. 24: Families New to Quaker Education, 7:00-8:30 pm, Campus Meeting House
• Tues, Sept. 25: 12th Grade Coffee & Conversation, 8:15 am, Scott House
• Thurs, Sept. 27: Upper School Video Conversation for Non-Local Families:More info about how to video conference in will be emailed to non-local families.
• Thurs, Sept. 27: Upper School Back-to-School Night, 6:30-9:00 pm
• Fri, Sept. 28: Feed the BEESTS, 4:00-6:00 pm, outside next to Preuss Field - Enjoy concessions while supporting your MS and US sports teams! Proceeds to benefit the Class of 2020 class fund.
• Sat, Sept. 29: Laps For Lexi
• Sat, Sept. 29: Upper School Dance, 8-11 pm, Westview Dining Hall (Download Emergency Contact & Permission Form and return to Ben McClellan)

If your child will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early from school, please use our new e-mail to let Upper School staff know:  usattendance@ssfs.org, or you can email Kerry Foley at kerry.foley@ssfs.org. 

On Saturday, September 22nd, with studio doors opening at 1:30 pm, the SSFS Quiz Bowl Team returns to the NBC4 Studios (4001 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016) for a match on "It’s Academic"! Come cheer on our Quizards in this opportunity to see them compete with area schools in front of a live studio audience. It's a free, family-friendly event, and lots of fun for all. See full article here...

Upper School students are welcome to sign up to join science teacher Alice Chmil for Conservation Discovery Day at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Luray, VA, a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes learning about the National Zoo’s conservation work. This is a first-come, first-served, all-day field trip on Saturday, Oct 6, leaving school at 7:30 am and returning around 5:30 pm. It's a great chance to explore the wide range of science careers available in Wildlife Management and Conservation. Students will be able to take part in hands-on activities, panels with conservation biologists, field ecologists, research scientists, veterinarians and animal keepers, and much more. Please contact alice.chmil@ssfs.org with questions or to sign up.

Come to the Sept. 29 Quaker College Fair in Philadelphia to hear a discussion on the college admissions process and how to find the right school. Panelists will include representatives from LIU Global, Friends Central School, Wilmington College, Earlham College alumna, and Haverford College. After the panel, meet with reps from historically Quaker colleges including Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Earlham, Guilford, Malone, Swarthmore, Wilmington, LIU Global, and Earlham School of Religion, plus get information from Whittier College, George Fox University, William Penn University, Friends University and Barclay College.

It's all taking place starting at noon on Saturday, September 29 at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia. This free event is hosted by the Friends Association for Higher Education and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Register online here, and find out about other upcoming college events online here. 

Be sure to check the Athletics Today page for up-to-date info about games!

On September 25, 2018, Friends House will break ground on our expansion project. This long-awaited event will be will begin at 3:30 pm and proceedings will go until 5:30.  The program will begin in the Miller Center and continue outside in the friends circle with shovels in hand.  Refreshments will be served, and we will welcome several disguised guests. Please join us! See flyer here.

This is an optional, opt-in virtual bulletin board for all members of the SSFS community to share resources and announcements about topics not part of the traditional school day or school related events (think: finding babysitters, repair service recommendations, hiking groups, etc.)   Please fill in this quick online form to opt in.