Weekly Newsletter Emailed Each Sunday During The School Year.
May 5, 2019 Upper School Musical Congratulations to the cast, crew, and musicians who made the 2019 Upper School spring musical production, "The Boyfriend," a great success! See photos online here, or log in to the School website and see/download many more photos in this album.
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. ALL SCHOOL NEWS All-School "Must-Know" Info for May 5th Newsletter 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.
And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
PA Auction 2019 – THIS Saturday, May 11 The SSFS Parents Association Annual Auction for Financial Aid is THIS SATURDAY, May 11th. RSVP today and join us for dinner, dancing, and SSFS’s biggest annual fundraiser! Where? Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville, MD Join the PA Auction Committee in making this year's auction a roaring success! The next PA Auction Committee planning meeting will be in the Scott House conference room on May 8th, from 8:15-9:30 am. Volunteer opportunities still available! Auction Volunteer Sign Ups HERE. May 7: Join the SSFS PA and Counselors for a Screening of "Like" ICYMI: The SSFS Parents Association and the School Counselors are excited to present a screening of Like, a documentary that explores the impact of social media on our lives. After the screening, there will be a panel of experts to answer questions from the audience. WHEN: Tuesday, May 7th, 2019 from 7:00-9:00 PM May 10: SBP Memorial Concert Featuring "Mostly Moss" Sandy Spring Friends School is delighted to present the fifth annual SBP Memorial Concert, held in honor and memory of Nan Schwarz Pricher '67 and Jane Schwarz Binger, on May 10 at 7:15 pm in the Performing Arts Center at SSFS. This year's concert is "Mostly Moss," featuring the music of contemporary classical composer Lawrence Moss. Questions about the SBP Memorial Concert? Please contact Lauren Mossman, Director of Advancement, or find out more here. May 16: FriendsFest Planning Committee Meeting FriendsFest has a new date: Saturday, November 9, 2019 Nominating for the PA Executive Committee: Recording Clerk Needed We are in the home stretch of completing our 2019-2020 PA Executive Committee! We are in need of a recording clerk who can take minutes at the Executive Meetings and PA Meetings. If you, or anyone you know, would like to take on this position, please nominate them! Please make nominations through this nominating form. Spring Cleaning? Redecorating? Moving? 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
LOWER SCHOOL NEWS Lower School "Must-Know" Info for May 5th Newsletter 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.
And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
The Grasshoppers’ Journey – An Amazing Tale! Our PK3, PK4 and Kindergarten students put on an extraordinary performance of "The Grasshoppers’ Journey" in Clifton on Friday, May 3. With lots of toe-tapping music and lively dancing, our little flowers, moon, stars, butterflies, dragon flies, house flies, mosquitoes, beetles and narrators pleased a "standing room only" crowd of students, parents and friends. It just doesn’t get much cuter than that! Kudos to all of our performers and the adults that made it all come together. See photos online here, or log in to the School website to view and download more high-res photos from the Vidigami album. LS Recorder Karate Students in the Olney Days Parade May 8: Lower School Field Day Wednesday, May 8th, is LS Field Day! The Middle School students have been hard at work and are very excited about helping to provide the Lower School with a fantastic day of fun activities. In preparation for the day’s events, we remind parents to please have their child come ready for a full morning outside with the following items: PK3: Dark Green 4th Grade Campout Our 4th graders embarked on their annual campout Friday morning, May 3rd. This event includes activities such as performing service work, climbing in the trees at the Adventure Park, and hikes in the woods, as well as a campfire along with s’mores and a night in our SSFS woods! Collecting Donations for the Montgomery County Humane Society ICYMI: Fifth graders Quinlan G-P. and Caitlin S., along with their Girl Scout troop, are collecting donations for the Montgomery County Humane Society. Items needed are bath towels, AA batteries, paper towels or toilet paper, pet toys (no feathers), cat litter, and cat or dog food. Donation boxes are located in the Walbrooke lobby and in the upper level hallway of Tanglewood. Book Discussion Group for Parents of Students in Grades 4-8 ICYMI: Middle School Head David Blake is 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, the group will be discussing The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age by Catherine Steiner-Adair. Find out more, RSVP, and sign up to receive information shared during the sessions here.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Middle School "Must-Know" Info for May 5th Newsletter 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.
And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
May 9-10: Sixth Grade Trip is THIS Week! The sixth grade spring trip is THIS Thursday and Friday (May 9-10)! We will drive to Calvert Cliffs State Park Thursday morning and spend the day hiking, playing, looking for fossils, and learning about the geology of the area. Later that afternoon, we will drive to the Sandy Point State Park to have dinner, camp, play games, and eat s’mores. Friday we will stay at the park until about 1:15 p.m. before heading back to SSFS in time for sports practice or electives. Any medication your child may need during the trip is past due – be sure to connect with the Health Center ASAP if you have not already done so. Congratulations to the MS Book Club – Read All About It! The MS Book Club participated in The DC Metro Independent Schools Battle of the Books hosted by National Cathedral School in Northwest Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 30, and won first place! The competition was structured similarly to a Quiz Bowl event with team mates able to confer before giving an answer. Questions, which always began with “In which book…”, focused on characters, setting, plot, theme or other aspects of the book selections for this year’s competition. The students worked very hard in preparing for the event by reading and meeting during lunch to discuss the books, and their efforts paid off with a first place victory for the second year in a row! We’re incredibly proud of their accomplishment. Eighth Grade Trip to Science Center The 8th grade class enjoyed a great field trip to the Maryland Science Center on Friday, May 3, where they attended enrichment programs on DNA discovery and statistics. See more about the activities here... A Timely End to the School Year With the end of the school year just 5 weeks away, we wanted to encourage all Middle School families to recommit to a timely arrival each morning. Our start of school day bell rings at 7:55 am, and all students are expected to be in their advisory classroom by this time. Students entering the building after the morning bell has rung are required to sign in with the office. It is recommended that carpooling students arrive to school by 7:45 am. This allows students adequate time to enter the building, unpack at their locker, and be settled into their advisor’s classroom by 7:55 am. Students arriving at or after 7:55 am do not have adequate time to unpack and settle in which means they are starting their school day feeling rushed and possibly missing important information communicated during that morning advisory time. Thank you for your support in ensuring our students have a timely and strong finish to the school year. Spring Sports and Electives End on May 10th Our Middle School Spring Sports and Electives season will end on Friday, May 10th! Just a friendly reminder to parents that dismissal will be at 3:40 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for ALL students during the final weeks of school. Aftercare is always available during these gap times. Thurs, May 23: Middle School Spring Arts Evening The Middle School Spring Arts Evening will be Thursday, May 23rd at 7:15 pm in the PAC. 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 are being sent to families via e-mail, and parents may e-mail Michelle Puhl-Price with any questions. Middle School Book Discussion Series ICYMI: Middle School Head David Blake is 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, the group will be discussing The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age by Catherine Steiner-Adair. Find out more, RSVP, and sign up to receive information shared during the sessions here.
UPPER SCHOOL NEWS Upper School "Must-Know" Info for May 5th Newsletter 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.
And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
AP Exam Attendance Policy & Permission Slip Students taking AP exams may be excused from the remainder (AM or PM) of the school day on their exam days with prior parent permission. Students should check with their individual teachers to make sure they are current with their classwork and homework assignments and have rescheduled any assessments. Students need to submit this completed & signed form to Kerry Foley in US Main Office by the morning prior to their first exam. For example, if your first exam is on Monday, May 6th, then this form must be submitted by the morning of Friday, May 3rd. Upper School Musical Production - Congrats on a Great Performance Congratulations to the cast, crew, and musicians who made the 2019 Upper School spring musical production, "The Boyfriend," a great success! See photos online here, or log in to the School website and see/download many more photos in this album. SSFS Quiz Bowl Team Advances to It's Academic Semifinals - May 11 Led by Captain Justis Dixon (’19), alongside Assistant Captain Michelle Tobin (’19), and Alan Burd (’19), the SSFS Quiz Bowl team (44-13-0) is primed for its return to the NBC4 Studios on Saturday, May 11 (studio doors open at 10:45 am) to compete in the semifinals of It’s Academic, “recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running quiz program in TV history.” Having already earned bronze medals this season of the very competitive MABL (Montgomery Academic Beltway League), SSFS now finds itself fittingly among an elite group of 9 remaining teams, from an original field of 81 schools, vying for It’s Academic bragging rights. Therefore, this is a call to all ‘Beest Boosters! Come form part of the Wildebeest herd and cheer on your Quiz Bowl Team! The NBC4 Studios are located at 4001 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, about 15 miles and 35 minutes away from SSFS, down Connecticut Avenue, off Nebraska Avenue. Parking is free and ample, as there is a large gated parking lot on site, along with overflow parking at the National Presbyterian Church next door. Find out more... Sophomore Olympics: The Tradition Continued May 2! The Sophomore Olympics have been a time-honored tradition at SSFS for over thirty years, and that tradition was alive and well on Thursday, May 2, as three teams of sophomores competed in fun and friendly games. The students created flags to be flown high on the day of the Olympics. After a spirited morning of flag relays, spear throwing, and chariot races, the competition came down to the tug of “peace” between the teams. As always, the day was completed with the annual Sophomore v. Senior Tug of Peace, and the Class of 2019 emerged victorious after a courageous effort by the sophomores. Another one for the history books! See photos from our online photo gallery here. (More photos available on Vidigami; log in to the parent portal page and then click here to access full album.) Tues, May 21: Quiz Bowl Club Championship Match Following two months of regular season play and two rounds of head-to-head playoffs that pit the top Quizards against one another in single elimination format, only two teams remain to vie for the ultimate prize: the SSFS Quiz Bowl Cup. SSFS Quiz Bowl Cup Congratulations to this year's finalists, and "may the odds be ever in your favor":
Come see what the buzz is about at this championship game, or the SSFS Quiz Bowl All-Star Assembly on Monday, May 20th. Read more here... Sandy Spring Museum Seeking Volunteers for the Strawberry Festival The Sandy Spring Museum is looking for student and adult volunteers to help with their annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2. Click here to find out how you can volunteer. Young World Leaders Cultural Immersion Program: July 7-Aug. 3 ICYMI: International students ages 14-19 years old are invited to join fellow students from across the globe in an exciting, American academic and cultural learning experience. Young World Leaders (YWL) is a 4-week Cultural Immersion Program from July 7 – August 3, 2019, hosted at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Residential and day programs available. See full article, or
Be sure to check the Athletics Today page for up-to-date info about games! Tuesday - May 14, 2019 4:00 PM Gallaudet University Wednesday - May 15, 2019 4:00 PM Gallaudet University
ISO Participants for a Survey on Quakerism and the Outdoors Elise Nikolich, a Religious Studies major (with minors in Chemistry and Environmental Studies) at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, is currently engaged in her junior and senior independent study thesis research and would love your help. She is researching experiences in the outdoors/nature that are connected to Quaker spirituality, and to Quaker communities and affiliated groups. Elise's experiences attending and working at Quaker camps have led her to question the ways that this may pertain to the connection and willingness we feel to participate in religious communities, when many such communities are on the decline in the 21st century. If you are or have ever been Quaker, have participated in Quaker communities or organizations, or have had a Quaker experience and are over the age of 18, you are eligible and encouraged to participate in this survey on the connections between outdoor/nature experiences and Quaker spirituality. The survey should take you no more than 10-15 minutes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Elise. Thank you! 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.
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