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, Apr. 1: Classes Resume
• Wed, Apr. 3: PA Auction Committee Meeting, 8:15-9:30 am, Scott House Conference Room
• Thurs, Apr. 4: A More Mindful Approach to Technology with Joan Green, 7:00 pm, Middle School Technology Lab
• Sun, Apr. 7: Empty Bowl Glazing Session, 1-4 pm, Art Barn - RSVP here
• Mon, Apr. 8: MS & US in session - weather make-up date (originally a professional day). LS no classes - parent-teacher conferences. See email from David Hickson here. 

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

• Sat-Sun, Apr. 13-14: PA Post-Prom Event - sign up to volunteer here!
• Thurs, Apr. 18: PA Community Connections Quest Speaker - Julie Baron LCSW-C, co-author of What Works With Teens, will be speaking on this topic at 7:00 pm in Yarnall Library. ​Read more here, and RSVP online here.  
• Tues, Apr. 23: PA Coffee & Conversation, 8:15 am, Scott House Living Room

Are you looking for a more mindful approach to technology for your child? Do you want to help your child use technology in a way that will maximize productivity and minimize distractions? The Learning Resource Collaborative at Sandy Spring Friends School is delighted to host an evening with technology specialist, published author and nationally known Speech and Language Pathologist, Joan Green.  Join us on Thursday, April 4^th at 7:00 p.m. in the Middle School Technology Lab as Joan highlights current features, apps, and online resources to help you and your family get the most out of the devices you already have. You can reduce family stress, get things done more efficiently, and free up time so you can do what you enjoy. Joan will demonstrate what she has found works best with the families she has helped. As parents, let’s “be in the know” so we can help our kids thrive! If you have specific questions or topics for Joan, please email them to Patti Lemere at patti.lemere@ssfs.org for submission.

On April 7th, from 1-4, we will be having a glazing session for many of the absolutely awesome previously-made bowls. These bowls were made earlier in the school year and, once glazed and fired, will be saved for our upcoming fundraiser against hunger dinner that will be held February 2020.  All supplies are provided, no experience is needed, other than a willingness to help others.  We are collecting  nonperishable food supplies that will be taken to Manna. Space is limited, so please RSVP here if interested in reserving space at the art tables for glazing. 

When: Thursday, April 18th, 7:15 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: SSFS Yarnall Library
RSVP: Please register online for this free event. There will be refreshments served based on the number of adults who register.
Get the book in advance (Can be autographed at the event)
Questions? Contact Kathleen Landers

Parenting and working with teenagers pose challenges unique to this developmental stage. Teens are not always receptive to our efforts at teaching, rearing, directing and coaching them toward goals for growth and development. Better understanding these developmental challenges and ways to utilize your relationship with teens can make an enormous difference in helping them achieve positive growth and change. In this program for parents and professionals, Julie Baron, LCSW-C will share the tools you need to make the most of your interactions with the teens in your life, whether at work or at home (or both!). Find out more here...

ICYMI: The PA-sponsored Post Prom is Sat. evening - Sun morning, April 13-14, from 11:00 pm - 6:00 am.  We are getting geared up for a fun night for both the kids & chaperones, but it can’t come together without volunteers. Every parent from every division is welcome to join in. Just click the link and sign up now to help decorate, donate food or drink, or chaperone. We thank you, and the 11th -12th grade kids thank you!  Feel free to reach out with any questions to Dawn Lee or Lauren Deichman.

ICYMI: Come celebrate cultural diversity at the "World Fair" hosted by the SSFS Student Ambassadors on April 18, 12:10 - 12:50 pm in the Beest Café! Journey across the globe to learn about the history and culture of the home countries of our large international student community. Read more and see flyer here.

ICYMI: It's that time of year again to start thinking about next year's PA Executive Committee. See more info about PA positions here. All SSFS Community members should feel free to nominate anyone (even yourself!) you feel would be a good fit for SSFS's PA Executive Committee and/or a Grade Representative. Please make nominations through this nominating form.

ICYMI: Join the PA Auction Committee in making this year's auction a roaring success! Can't make it in person? Join via conference call! The dial-in number is 866-894-8254 and the participant passcode is 7545542.

Auction Committee Meetings: Join the Auction Committee for their planning meetings in the Scott House conference room. Meetings will take place on the following dates:

• April 3, 2019 | 8:15-9:30 am
• April 17, 2019 | 8:15 -9:30 am

Auction Volunteers: From picking up donations  to decorating the venue, there are a number of ways for you to volunteer!  Visit our sign-up genius page to sign up for your preferred volunteer role, or visit our auction volunteer page. 

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for the big event on Saturday, May 11, 2019, 7pm – 11pm, at our new location: Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville, MD! Visit Glowing Together to learn more and RSVP! 

ICYMI: Are you interested in helping to create connections between members of the amazing SSFS community? Families, faculty, alumni parents, international families, you name it, we are one community and this is one way to build bridges between us. Read more here, and contact Kathleen Landers (Irene 10th, Vivien 3rd) if you are interested in joining this committee!

ICYMI: Have treasures that you no longer want or need? Gift your stuff to us! In support of several SSFS PA events, we are collecting new or gently-used items. (Click here to see a list of items we are especially looking for.) Look for the collection boxes labeled “Secret Shop” in the carpool drop off circles of the Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. For questions email:  pa.clerk@ssfs.org  Thank you!  SSFS PA

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, Apr. 1: Classes Resume
• Tues, Apr. 2: Book Discussion Series for parents in grades 4-8 begins - Find out more!
• Wed, Apr. 3: "Discover SSFS" Admissions Event, 8:15-11:00 am. Come see what's on the horizon in the Middle and Upper School at SSFS! Current families welcome - no need to RSVP.
• Thurs, Apr. 4: A More Mindful Approach to Technology with Joan Green, 7:00 pm, Middle School Technology Lab
• Mon, Apr. 8: NO LS CLASSES - LS parent-teacher conferences - sign up here; MS and US in session. See email from David Hickson here.

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

• Tues, Apr. 9: Book Discussion Series for parents in grades 4-8
• Wed, Apr. 10: LS Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:45-5:00 pm (Sign up here)
• Thurs, Apr. 18: PA Community Connections Quest Speaker - Julie Baron LCSW-C, co-author of What Works With Teens, will be speaking on this topic at 7:00 pm in Yarnall Library. ​Read more here, and RSVP online here.  

Lower School students, staff, and parents were treated to some very special talent at the annual LS Talent Shows on Thursday and Friday, March 21-22!  From singers and dancers to bagpipes, piano players, and more, the fun and entertainment were abundant!!

Many thanks to our directors, Linda Garrettson and Erin Scott, for supporting, planning and designing this year’s performances!  Kudos to all of our performers for their hard work!  Both shows were phenomenal!

See photos on our online photo gallery, or log in to the School website using your SSFS username and password to view and download many more in Vidigami album here.

Our Spring Parent Teacher conferences will take place on Monday, April 8^th (all day) and after school on Wednesday, April 10^th. Please take a moment to sign up for your parent teacher conference by clicking here and following the instructions to select the time for your conference. Thank you.

The Spring Club brochure was emailed out to families on Friday, March 22.  Please click here to see our spring club offerings and to register. Remember that clubs are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.  Enrollment confirmations will be sent out before clubs start.  Please direct any questions to the LS office.

Middle School Head David Blake will be hosting a book discussion series for parents of students in grades 4-8 during the months of April and May. Over the course of seven weeks, we will be discussing The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age by Catherine Steiner-Adair. We’ll roughly cover one chapter per meeting, although parents are welcome to join me for as many (or few) sessions as their schedule permits. Meeting dates are as follows, and a morning (7:45-8:45 am in the MS Conference Room) and evening (6:45-7:45 pm in Yarnall Library) option will be offered on each date:

• Tuesday, April 2^nd
• Tuesday, April 9^th
• Tuesday, April 16^th
• Tuesday, April 23^rd
• Monday, April 29^th
• Monday, May 13^th
• Monday, May 20^th

*Note: in lieu of meeting during the first week of May, we encourage all parents to attend the screening of “Like,” a documentary about the impact of social media on kids. The PA and Counseling Department are sponsoring this screening from 7:00-9:30 pm in the PAC on Tuesday, May 7^th.  

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, Apr. 1: Classes Resume
• Tues, Apr. 2: Book Discussion Series Begins
• Thurs, Apr. 4: Welcome to 9th Grade and Course Registration Event (for 8th grade students and parents/guardians), 6:30-8:30 pm, PAC - Studio B
• Thurs, Apr. 4: A More Mindful Approach to Technology with Joan Green, 7:00 pm, Middle School Technology Lab
• Mon, Apr. 8: Weather make-up date - LS parent-teacher conferences; MS and US in session. See email from David Hickson here. 

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

• Tues, Apr. 9: Book Discussion Series for parents in grades 4-8
• Wed, Apr. 10: 8th Grade to AFI in Silver Spring
• Thurs, Apr. 11: Middle School Coffee & Conversation, 8:15 am, Scott House
• Mon, Apr. 22: Middle School Summer Trip Meetings, 6:15 pm; Costa Rica trip will meet in the Athletic Center Multipurpose Room and the France trip will meet in the Beestro Cafe. 
• Wed-Fri, Apr. 24-26: 7th Grade Trip to Gettysburg

Middle School faculty and students enjoyed the launch of 2019 Immersion Week, March 18-22. This year's theme was inspired by highly-acclaimed film Hidden Figures. Students cycled through three workshops daily, including Cryptology, Rocketry, and Game Design. See photos from the week on our online photo gallery here, and log in to the School website using your SSFS username and password to see the Vidigami photo album. 

Middle School Head David Blake will be hosting a book discussion series for parents of students in grades 4-8 during the months of April and May. Over the course of seven weeks, we will be discussing The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age by Catherine Steiner-Adair. We’ll roughly cover one chapter per meeting, although parents are welcome to join me for as many (or few) sessions as their schedule permits. Meeting dates are as follows, and a morning (7:45-8:45 am in the MS Conference Room) and evening (6:45-7:45 pm in Yarnall Library) option will be offered on each date:

• Tuesday, April 2^nd
• Tuesday, April 9^th
• Tuesday, April 16^th
• Tuesday, April 23^rd
• Monday, April 29^th
• Monday, May 13^th
• Monday, May 20^th

*Note: in lieu of meeting during the first week of May, we encourage all parents to attend the screening of “Like,” a documentary about the impact of social media on kids. The PA and Counseling Department are sponsoring this screening from 7:00-9:30 pm in the PAC on Tuesday, May 7^th.  

Students thoroughly enjoyed our recent Social! After snacks, they danced and played non-stop until parents came for pick-up. We were so glad to have such a strong turnout, and are considering holding one more Social before school ends in June.

Please mark your calendars for another exciting event - the 6th Grade Spring Signature Trip on May 9-10! We’ll be taking the students to Calvert Cliffs and Sandy Point State Park for a variety of activities and a night of camping. We will send much more detailed information after Spring Break.

ICYMI: Students in grades 8-12 are invited to Youth Peace Conference (YPC) 2019 on April 6 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at Blake High School. This year's topic is "Student Activism - Past and Present." Please visit the Youth Peace Conference website for more details and to register. 

ICYMI: On April 18, English classes in the Middle and Upper School will welcome SSFS alumnus John Schoffstall '69 to talk about his book Half-Witch, the craft of writing, and his fascinating career. See more here...

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, Apr. 1: Classes Resume
• Thurs, Apr. 4: A More Mindful Approach to Technology with Joan Green, 7:00 pm, Middle School Technology Lab
• Mon, Apr. 8: Weather make-up date - LS parent-teacher conferences; MS and US in session. See email from David Hickson here. 

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

• Sat, Apr. 13: US School Prom and Post-Prom (see more here - note tickets must be purchased by April 8th!)
• Thurs, Apr. 18: PA Community Connections Quest Speaker - Julie Baron LCSW-C, co-author of What Works With Teens, will be speaking on this topic at 7:00 pm in Yarnall Library. ​Read more here, and RSVP online here.  

Our Upper School students and faculty had an amazing Intersession week, full of opportunities for learning, service, art, travel, and outdoor education in locations from our own backyard to countries around the globe. Some Intersession leaders and students sent in email blog posts and updates throughout the week; these updates and photos from trips are available on our website here. Many trips also posted photos on Vidigami; be sure to log in to the School website and view Intersession albums on Vidigami here. 

Congratulations to Talia Trotter '22, who earned an Honorable Mention in the DC-area's 2019 Winter All-Met - Girls Basketball Team! 

Congratulations to SSFS junior Kuan “Jimmy” Hu for being selected to compete with his home country of China in the 2019 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Division II in Belgrade, Serbia on March 25 – 31, 2019!

ICYMI: All 11th and 12th grade students are invited to the prom. This year the students need to fill out a Google Form to get their tickets. The tickets can be paid for by cash/check, or through a student’s school account. All ticket sales will end on April 8th. Students are required to stay for the entirety of this event (until 11:00 pm) unless given parental permission by phone during the evening. Read more here, or contact Ilene Lees with questions.

ICYMI: The spring musical by the upper school musical production class will be THE BOY FRIEND. Performances are scheduled for May 2-4 at 7:15 pm in the PAC theater. Read more here, or for more information about the musical production class or this year’s musical, contact stage director, Carlo Grossman.

ICYMI: On April 18, English classes in the Middle and Upper School will welcome SSFS alumnus John Schoffstall '69 to talk about his book Half-Witch, the craft of writing, and his fascinating career. See more here...

ICYMI: Students in grades 8-12 are invited to Youth Peace Conference (YPC) 2019 on April 6 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at Blake High School. YPC is an annual student-run social justice and community-building summit held in Maryland for students in grades 8-12. This year's topic is "Student Activism - Past and Present." Please visit the Youth Peace Conference website for more details and to register. 

Conversations for Peace is a program bringing teens from Cyprus, Israel and Palestine to participate in a peacemaking journey here in the Sandy Spring area. The program involves camping, training, and social activities. Host families are needed to host two teens together. The Cyprus teens will need host families from July 6-28. This 3-week program can be shared by two families if needed. The program has an urgent need now for a family that can host 2 students from Cyprus from July 6-17.  The Israel/Palestine teens will need host families from July 21 to August 4.  You can contact Jonathon (301-570-4761 or rojofam4@verizon.net) for more information. Click on the PDF for more information about the program. 

The Advancement and Outreach Committee of Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting is pleased to announce Seeker Sessions that begin Sunday, March 10, at 12:30 pm in Room 201 of the Community House at Sandy Spring Meeting. All are welcome. The Quaker testimonies will serve as a focal point of discussion, one testimony per meeting, for a total of six sessions. Advance preparation is not necessary to participate, but readings will be suggested to anyone interested. The committee will provide snacks and have child care arranged. The dates are March 10, 17, 24, and 31, April 14 and 28 (no session on Easter). To let us know you are coming, and give us a way to contact you if we have to reschedule any meetings, email Advancement@SandySpring.org. Please specify in your email whether you will need child care.

Summer at Sandy Spring OPEN HOUSE - Sat, Mar. 9, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Getting a jump on summer fun has never been easier; navigate to our website to check out all the new and amazing options for this season, or see our viewbook here. We encourage you to go through the exciting programming you'll find on our website. SSFS families can enter the code BEESTSATCAMP during registration for a 10% discount.

If you have any questions or if we can be of assistance, please e-mail us at camp@ssfs.org or call 301-774-7455 x167.

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.