Weekly Newsletter Emailed Each Sunday During The School Year.

Nov. 11, 2018

Upper School Play

Congratulations to the Upper School cast and crew who put on an amazing production of the play "She Kills Monsters" for the entire Upper School on Thursday afternoon, as well as two evening performances Friday and Saturday night. A selection of photos are available from our website here; see and download more photos on Vidigami 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, multi-divisional, and/or Parent Association 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.

• Mon, Nov. 12: New Upper School Building Groundbreaking and Reception, 2:30-4:00 pm
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 12-13: Community Play Auditions, 3:30-6:00 pm, PAC - Studio B
• Mon, Nov. 12: "Discover SSFS" Admissions event, 8:15-11:00 am (Current SSFS families welcome: no need to RSVP!)
• Wed, Nov. 14: Middle and Upper School Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm
• Sat, Nov. 17: Empty Bowl Making Session, 1-4, Art Barn - RSVP here
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 19-20: Professional Days - NO CLASSES for students

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

• Wed-Fri, Nov. 21-23: Thanksgiving Break; School & Offices Closed
• Fri, Nov. 23: Alumni Soccer Games and Turkey Trot 5K
• Mon, Nov. 26: Classes Resume
• Tues, Dec. 4: "Discover SSFS" Admissions event, 8:15-11:00 am (Current SSFS families welcome: no need to RSVP!)

Thank you to all who came out this weekend to make FriendsFest a huge success!  We are very grateful to everyone who contributed to or attended this event. People from all divisions of the school came together to make this a fun and successful community event, and we couldn’t be more proud of all of the work that was done. Thank you.

Our final permit has cleared, and we are excited to host a brief groundbreaking ceremony for our new Upper School building on Monday, Nov. 12! We will gather with students, faculty, and friends at the site of the new building (between the Athletic Center and the Performing Arts Center) at 2:30. After remarks and a celebration at the construction site, there will be a reception in the Athletic Center. See more in the email sent to the SSFS community on Nov. 2.

For those of us unaccustomed to text-speak, "ICYMI" stands for "in case you missed it." You may see this at the beginning of articles in the e-mailed version of the newsletter that have been posted in a previous newsletter, but whose topics are still relevant or upcoming, and we want to keep them on your radar. In the interest of space (and repetition), these repeated articles will appear in the emailed version of the e-newsletter with "ICYMI:" followed by very abbreviated text and a link to the original full text of the article with more detailed info. 

The SSFS Bookstore is open each day from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (closed from 12:00 – 1:30 daily).  We have lots of new spirit ware from fun hoodies, to flannel PJ pants!! What a great time to stock up on some holiday goodies.  Please be sure to stop by before Winter Break. We are located in the Yarnall Building next to the Beest Café. Happy Shopping!

ICYMI: Want to order butternut sqaush from the SSFS Farm? Complete this form and pick up on the afternoon of Nov. 20. Questions? Please email Joe Heathcock at joe.heathcock@ssfs.org.

ICYMI: Cool weather and apple cider season is a great time to come down through the woods to the Art Barn to have fun making bowls to help others. There is one more date for this service activity for 2018: Saturday, November 17th, 1-4 pm. More dates to come in the new year! If interested, please sign up here. No unaccompanied children, please. Find out more about the Empty Bowl Project here. 

ICYMI: The SSFS Arts Department proudly announces the 2019 Community Play, Seed Corn: a comedic evening celebrating the works of Barry Morley, one of the founding teachers at SSFS, and current and longtime music faculty member Bryan Seith. Find out more about this special event here! 

A reminder that audition dates are:

·        Monday, November 12, 3:30-6:00 pm
·        Tuesday, November 13, 3:30-6:00 pm

Sign up here if you are interested in participating. Note that this year, students must be in 6th grade or older in order to be in the play. Also, the casting will be limited.

ICYMI: Thinking about applying to SSFS for another child? We encourage admission applications for siblings to be submitted as soon as possible, and certainly by December 15th. Find out more here. Families are encouraged to create a Ravenna account, then select the "Washington, DC" area from the dashboard, and click on Sandy Spring Friends School to access more information and our application.

ICYMI: Help us put more leaves on our participation tree! Find out more here and join others who are helping us grow by making a donation to the Annual Fund!

ICYMI: Please join us on Friday, November 23, for the annual Men's and Women's Alumni Soccer Games &
the SSFS Turkey Trot 5K! The Turkey Trot begins at 11:00 AM and soccer kick-off is at 1:00 PM! Don't forget to arrive early to sign in! Learn more and register here.

ICYMI: As the holidays draw near, the Class of 2020 has agreed to try to make a small difference in a unique way.  The Junior Class invites the whole community to participate in the S.O.M.E Holiday Shoebox Gift Project. Please click here to find out more and see how you can help make a difference by contributing to this project.

ICYMI: The Financial Aid Deadline for returning families is less than 3 weeks away.

TADS Financial Aid has a helpline to assist families, including evening hours. Parent support hours: Mon-Fri, 8-9 EST. Phone: 800-477-8237. 

The online TADS application is available from October 1st until December 1st. Questions? Contact Dawn Griffith, Director of Financial Aid, at dawn.griffith@ssfs.org or x231.

Save the Date for the Upper School Dance Concert: Dec. 13-15, 7:15 pm, PAC

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.

• Mon, Nov. 12: New Upper School Building Groundbreaking and Reception, 2:30-4:00 pm
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 12-13: Community Play Auditions, 3:30-6:00 pm, PAC - Studio B (for parents + students in 6th grade and up)
• Mon, Nov. 12: "Discover SSFS" Admissions event, 8:15-11:00 am 
• Fri, Nov. 16: 3rd Grade Play, "James and the Giant Peach," 8:30 am, Clifton
• Fri, Nov. 16: 4th Grade "Oregon Trail" Adventures (on campus)
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 19-20: Professional Day - NO CLASSES for students

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

• Wed-Fri, Nov. 21-23: Thanksgiving Break; School & Offices Closed
• Mon, Nov. 26: Classes Resume
• Thurs, Dec. 13: LS Parent-Child Workshare, 3:30-5:00 pm

Our Fall Club session is drawing to a close over the next couple of weeks. Please note the following end dates for this session’s clubs:

• K’Nex Klub ends on Tuesday, 11/13
• Farm Club ends on Tuesday, 11/13
• Science for Little Friends ends on Monday, 11/26
• Harmony Club ends on Monday, 11/26
• Chess Wizards ends on Monday, 11/26
• Storybook Cooking ends on Thursday, 11/29
• Play Ball ends on Thursday, 11/29
• Excite Soccer ends on Friday, 11/30
• Young Movers ends on Tuesday, 12/4

Thank you to all the Fifth Grade parents who attended our Middle School Information Night, and Fourth and Fifth Grade parents who attended our Informational Coffee & Conversation and tour this past week. We hope you found these events informative as you look forward to your child’s middle school years. If you missed these events, or if you are looking to spend some time in the Middle School while classes are in session, we invite you to join us for an upcoming Discover SSFS event. The next one is tomorrow, Monday, November 12th beginning at 8:15 am with a light breakfast in Yarnall Library. No RSVP necessary for current families. Your calls and e-mails are also welcome any time. Contact Erin Ryan, Middle School Administrative Assistant, at x160 or erin.ryan@ssfs.org. 

ICYMI: On Thurs, Dec. 13, LS classrooms will be open from 3:30 until 5:00 pm for you to drop in and sneak a peek at your child's accomplishments this semester. 

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.

• Mon, Nov. 12: New Upper School Building Groundbreaking and Reception, 2:30-4:00 pm
• Mon, Nov. 12: Middle School Winter Sports Begin
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 12-13: Community Play Auditions, 3:30-6:00 pm, PAC - Studio B
• Tues, Nov. 13: Information Night for 7th-8th Grade Summer International Trips
• Wed, Nov. 14: Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm (Sign up here)
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 19-20: Professional Day - NO CLASSES for students

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

• Wed-Fri, Nov. 21-23: Thanksgiving Break; School & Offices Closed
• Mon, Nov. 26: Classes Resume
• Wed, Nov. 28: Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm (Sign up here)

ICYMI: Parent-Teacher Conferences will be offered on Wednesday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 28th. Please click here to register for conferences with those teachers with whom you would like to meet. Questions? Please read full article here, or contact Erin Ryan by phone at 301.774.7455 ext.160 or by e-mail at erin.ryan@ssfs.org. 

See highlights from Middle School fall season sports here...

ICYMI: MS families interested in finding out about the trips to Costa Rica (June 17-23) and France (June 18-25) should plan to attend informational meetings on Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 pm. See more here. Unable to attend our meeting? Please email Kristin M. at Kristin.mccarthy@ssfs.org for Costa Rica trip information, or Liz at liz.donelson@ssfs.org for France trip information. 

ICYMI: There will be 3 trips this year: January 11th and January 18th to Whitetail, and January 25th to Liberty. Click here to find out more about how to participate, and contact Sunshine.Klein@ssfs.org with any questions. 

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. 

• Mon, Nov. 12: New Upper School Building Groundbreaking and Reception, 2:30-4:00 pm
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 12-13: Community Play Auditions, 3:30-6:00 pm, PAC - Studio B
• Wed, Nov. 14: 10th Grade Symposium (required for all 10th grade day students and a parent/guardian
• Wed, Nov. 14: Upper School Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm
• Fri, Nov. 16: Mini Arts College Fair – PAC Studio B, 3:00-4:00 pm (see more here)
• Sun, Nov. 18: Dorm Closes for Thanksgiving Break, 10:00 am
• Mon-Tues, Nov. 19-20: Professional Day - NO CLASSES for students

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

• Wed-Fri, Nov. 21-23: Thanksgiving Break; School & Offices Closed
• Sat, Nov. 24: Dorm Re-Opens, 12:00 noon
• Mon, Nov. 26: Classes Resume
• Wed, Dec. 5: Upper School Coffee and Conversation, Scott House Collection Room, 8:15-9:15 am
• Thurs, Dec. 6: Upper School Zoom Parent Coffee and Conversation with International Families (scheduled time slots throughout the day)

ICYMI: The second of our two fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on  Wednesday, November 14th from 2:45- 5:00 pm in Westview Dining Hall. Read more here. If you still need to schedule your conference time, please click here. Should you have any questions regarding the online scheduling system, please contact Meredith at 301.774.7455 ext. 110 or via e-mail at meredith.shankle@ssfs.org. 

What: 10th Grade Symposium on Effective Communication about Substance Use and other Risky Behaviors. Build networks and collaborate in roundtable discussions with other students and their parents/guardians with a focus on how to communicate about risky behaviors. Our Guest Speaker is Beth Kane Davidson, Director of Suburban Addiction Treatment Center.

Who: All 10th grade local and homestay students are required to attend with a parent/guardian. International dorm students will have a separate event TBD.

When: Wednesday, November 14th. 6:30 pm seating- Program is from 6:45-8:45 pm

Where: Westview Dining Hall

On Friday, November 16th, the SSFS Arts Department and College Counseling Department are sponsoring an Arts College Fair. The Fair will take place from 3:00–4:00 pm in PAC Studio B. At the Fair, students will be able to meet with admission and department representatives from both liberal arts colleges and art schools in order to explore the wide range of opportunities available to pursue the visual and performing arts in college. The six schools attending are George Mason University, James Madison University, Kansas City Art Institute, Moore College of Art & Design, Savannah College of Art & Design, and University of Maryland. For more information, contact Hannah Kerr, Candice Ashton, or Chris Miller. See flyer here. 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of the 2018 Upper School Play, "She Kills Monsters." The cast performed the play for the entire Upper School on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 8, and also had evening performances on Friday and Saturday night, Nov. 9-10. The play was a truly collaborative effort: the Stagecraft built and painted most of the set, and created one of the "monsters," Tiamat. The students in the Play Production class played a large role in researching, designing, and creating their own costumes and some of the props, and designed the posters. Many other students lent their time and talents to help out with the set, costume, creature design, and construction. Thanks so much to everyone who dedicated their time and creative energy, as well as to those who came out to see the show. Everyone's hard work and careful attention to detail paid off. See photos from the dress rehearsal of the play on the online photo gallery here, and in Vidigami here. 

In Introduction to Engineering this quarter, students explored mechanisms that convert gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy by designing and building trebuchets to launch tennis balls within a range of 20 meters. The designs had to be gravity-powered and include a counterweight and a sling, and students were required to engage in all parts of the engineering design process. They began by writing a group SMART goal, outlining intermediate steps in the process, dividing up responsibilities among group members, and giving themselves a timeline for completion. Next, they researched trebuchets and came up with a list of research based design points that would inform their own trebuchet designs. Then they created a rough sketch of their design and brainstormed materials and sources of materials, after which they completed a formal 3-view projection drawing of their final trebuchet design. Finally, students collected materials, built their trebuchets to specification, and tested their prototypes on a 20-meter range. Through the whole process, students kept individual journals of their engineering process, and engaged daily in critical thinking, authentic problem solving, and working as a part of a team. These skills are important because they are some of the most highly sought-after skills in a continually evolving job market, and contribute to the development of grit and resilience. 

See summaries of the Upper School Fall team seasons here... 

ICYMI: Find out more about the community-wide service project, S.O.M.E Holiday Shoebox Gifts. A shoebox holiday gift is a shoebox filled with new personal items useful to a homeless man, woman, or child. Participants can donate complete shoeboxes, loose items, wrapping paper, boxes, and/or their time to help assemble and wrap the boxes. Please click here to find out more and see how you can help make a difference by contributing to this project.

ICYMI: The Learning Resource Collaborative (LRC) at Sandy Spring Friends School invites you to try out a FREE drop-in session for the Day or Afterschool Flex Program, now through Nov 29. See full article for more information, or register for a drop-in session here. Please contact the LRC for more information about registration and fees.

ICYMI: There will be 3 trips this year offered to Middle and Upper School students: January 11th and January 18th to Whitetail, and January 25th to Liberty. See full article here. Interested? Please sign up via the Google doc here. More information about Night Club Cards and links to the parent-guardian letter and expections here. Questions? Contact Sunshine Klein. 

ICYMI: This year’s “Careers in Writing” event is a panel discussion entitled “Writing in the Arts.”  On Thurs, Nov. 29 at 7:15 pm in Yarnall Library, we’ll host a panel of experts in arts writing to discuss their careers and emphasize the importance of clear communication among all of the arts. Find out more and see the panel experts in arts writing here... 

Save the Date for the Upper School Dance Concert: Dec. 13-15, 7:15 pm, PAC

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

Ski Whitetail, Liberty, and Roundtop any evening from 4:00-10:00 pm (3-10 pm on Sundays) starting on January 2nd with your very own Night Club Card! Click here to see your options. Early Bird rates continue through November 6th.
To purchase your Night Club Card:

• Go to https://www.skiwhitetail.com/ncc 
• Use the username: Sandy Spr 
• With the password: ssfsmember

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

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.