Weekly Newsletter Emailed Each Sunday During The School Year.
Jun 9, 2019 Class of 2019 Graduation Congratulations to our newest alumni, SSFS's Class of 2019! We are so proud of each graduate, and look forward to hearing about the ways they all will continue to "let their lives speak" as they move on to college, and beyond. See photos from the day on our online photo gallery; add or download more photos from this Vidigami photo album (remember to login to the website first!); and/or view the full graduation ceremony on our YouTube channel 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. ALL SCHOOL NEWS All-School "Must-Know" Info for June 9 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.
Final Newsletter of 2018-2019 School Year This is the final e-newsletter for the 2018-2019 academic year. We hope you have a wonderful and rejuvenating summer! Don't forget to complete the Parent Satisfaction Survey; bookmark your child's "Summer and Back-to-School" page (LS, MS, and US) to see information about summer reading and other useful resources for the 2019-20 school year; and check out the new website redesign over the summer. Have a great one! 2018-2019 Parent Satisfaction Survey All parents should have received an email on May 31 with a link to the 2018-2019 Parent Satisfaction Survey. Please contact David Hickson if you did have trouble accessing the survey. We use your anonymous feedback to track opinions and trends over time, so we ask that you participate each year, based on your experiences for the most recent school year. Your feedback truly does help shape both short-term and long-term planning by the School, and this survey is a great opportunity to have your voice heard. Results of the feedback are shared in the fall. Thank you for your help! Accessing Vidigami Photos Summer is a great time to review and download any photos you'd like to keep of your child's year at SSFS from Vidigami, our online photo sharing service. Click here for Vidigami access instructions for returning and non-returning families (including families of seniors). Volunteers Needed for Wed, June 12 PA-Hosted Faculty-Staff Appreciation Lunch ICYMI: Volunteers are needed to help celebrate our awesome faculty and staff at the PA-Hosted Appreciation Luncheon, Wednesday, June 12th. Click here to sign up today! Questions? Please email pa.clerk@ssfs.org. Don’t Leave Town Yet: It’s the SSFS Annual Fund Calling! Friends! If you have already given to the Annual Fund this year, THANK YOU. We are so grateful for your support. If you have not given this year, this is your chance! We will be making phone calls during the month of June to our Sandy Spring community to remind everyone it is not too late to make a donation to the SSFS Annual Fund. Help us close the year out strong with a contribution celebrating that all that our students and teachers have accomplished, achieved, and made possible in 2018-19. Join us by giving TODAY! PA Auction: Thank You for a Huge Success! Thank you to everyone who made this year’s “Glowing Together” auction a huge success! We had a wonderful evening (click here to see pictures on Vidigami) and netted just over $110,000 for financial aid. To the volunteers, guests, donors, and participants who made “Glowing Together” possible, thank you! Website Redesign Coming Soon! ICYMI: A "heads-up" that we are in the final stages of completing a new website redesign, which we plan to launch in June. The new SSFS website will have a clean, fresh look and an improved design for optimal viewing whether you are accessing the site from a large desktop, a mid-sized tablet, or a small phone or mobile device. We've also updated and provided additional content about the fantastic programs here at SSFS. See more... New Blog Post from David Hickson: "Schools Cannot Stand Idly By" ICYMI: Assistant Head of School David Hickson's latest blog post puts us face-to-face with a startling report that forecasts the dire consequences of our environmental actions, and the importance of schools' roles in educating our students about this. Click here to read the blog post, titled, "Schools Cannot Stand Idly By." Secret Shop Donations - Thank You! ICYMI: Thank you for your generous Secret Shop donations! Although we have concluded our spring collection, please look for a message in the fall when we re-launch in preparation for the November 9th FriendsFest. See a list of items we are collecting here. PA Executive Committee for 2019-2020 Finalized ICYMI: Click here to see 2019-2020 PA Executive Committee positions. Moving forward, we are finalizing Grade Representative positions for next year. If you have an interest in being a grade representative or volunteering for one of the many PA events, please contact pa.clerk@ssfs.org.
LOWER SCHOOL NEWS Lower School "Must-Know" Info for June 9 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.
5th Grade Recognition Night 5th graders and their families gathered for a special recognition event and Meeting for Worship on Tuesday, June 4, as we celebrate their move from Lower School to Middle School. Photos from the evening are available on VIdigami here. Moving On Day – What an Amazing Day! Moving On Day in the Lower School is always a day filled with mixed emotions: the anticipation of summer, the good-byes and farewells, along with the excitement of successfully completing the school year! A day full of traditions, our MOD assembly started us off with music, joy, and heartfelt messages, and was followed by the annual t-shirt signing, along with a special presentation by the PA of a tree planted in Brenda Crawley's honor. Due to Wednesday night’s rain, our Strawberry Cowbake was served in Westview, but our indoor picnic was delicious! Click here to see photos from the online photo gallery, and/or log in to the website and click here to view/download more photos from the Vidigami album. The SSFS Lower School faculty and staff wish all of our families a safe and happy summer. Go well and safely! Message from Lower School Head Brenda Crawley Dear Lower School Friends, Our 2018-2019 school year is over! The PK3 – Grade 5 students had an action-packed year filled with many challenges and adventures. Our Moving On Day program, Come Out of Your Shell, was a wonderful tribute to the astounding growth and progress made by every student this year. Curiosity took us on a learning journey that took many detours. We learned that experimenting, failing and trying again actually pay off. Practice makes progress; and every member of our community experienced progress during our 2018-2019 journey. As I leave Sandy Spring Friends School and make my transition to the Plymouth Meeting Friends School community as Head of School, please know that I hold this wonderful SSFS community in my heart and will always treasure the time that I spent in the company of the youngest friends on campus. They each have a Light that, if nurtured and kindled, will surely change the world! Please click here to see Brenda's final remarks from the 2019 Moving On Day program.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Middle School "Must-Know" Info for June 9 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.
Reminder: Please Come to the Middle School Meet and Greet on June 11th Start your summer with a sweet treat! The SSFS Middle School will host a "Meet and Greet" for all new and returning Middle School students and their families on Tuesday, June 11, from 3:30-4:30 pm in the Middle School Smith Collection Space. This will be an excellent opportunity for our incoming families to meet current families, and for all to enjoy games, treats, and good company together as the summer begins. Students will play a few games with P.E. staff, and we’ll conclude with a frozen treat. We hope you'll join us! Congratulations 8th Graders! The 8th grade class gathered on Thursday, June 6, for their Recognition Night and special Meeting for Worship. We wish them all the best as they move on to Upper School! The 8th grade class photo is available on Vidigami here. Sixth Graders Connecting Continents through Artist Trading Cards I remember when I was in 5th and 6th grade, my best friend and I wrote to our favorite TV show “Big Blue Marble” in order to get pen-pals for the summer. That bond, started in the early 1980s, transformed into a lasting friendship over the decades. Today, students use email, text, and Snapchat to communicate brief messages. This year, an art teacher at the North American International School in Dubai asked if we could exchange Artist Trading Cards. Artist Trading Cards are not like baseball or Pokemon cards. No stats or averages, instead, they are individual, miniature examples of art. Approximately 2 X 3 inches, students used a variety of media and techniques to express themselves. Take a look at some of our SSFS 6th graders' creations. We received the shipment from Dubai and plan on sending our batch this week. The students enjoyed the activity so much they want to make it a tradition and hopefully find more schools to participate both nationally and internationally. Seventh Graders Transform the Collection Space into a Civil War Museum Upon return from their signature trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 7th grade students chose a Civil War topic of interest to research. Selections ranged from a day in the life of a Union vs. Confederate soldier, amputations and medical advancements, espionage, specifics of artillery and military strategy, generals and their battle tactics, the role of photography, and more. Students delved into their learning, taking notecards on digital platform NoodleTools. A final outline including cover page, thesis, topic sentences, content, and works cited was presented to the class, along with an artifact of learning. Our MS Collection Space became a Civil War Museum of models; posters; interactive slide shows; manuals, journals, and books; and animations. What incredible effort and learning! Follett Rental Book Return and Online Sellback - Middle School Families who rented books from Follett for the 2018-2019 school year must return those books, postmarked by June 6, 2019. Look for an email reminder from Follett containing a link for a pre-paid return label. If you can't find the email, instructions are available here. Please note that this label will not be available after June 6! Click here to see the full article, including information about what to do if you miss the deadline; lost or damaged rentals; online sellback opportunities; and books that students will continue to use in certain classes.
UPPER SCHOOL NEWS Upper School "Must-Know" Info for June 9 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.
Congratulations, Class of 2019! Congratulations to the Class of 2019! We can't wait to see how you all will continue to "Let Your Lives Speak" in college and beyond! Photos from graduation are available online here and in Vidigami here; video of the ceremony is online here. Maeve Friedman Receives Honorable Mention for the Maryland Dance Education Organization Award Let’s give a standing ovation to Maeve Friedman '19, who received Honorable Mention for the Maryland Dance Education Organization’s 2019 Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award.
Congratulations to Maeve Friedman and Sebastian Goodman for their induction to the National Honor Society for Dance. New & Updated Arts Courses for 2019-2020 The Arts Department continues to grow to meet both the needs of our students and the expectation of evolving art disciplines. Looking for the perfect addition to your schedule? Consider enrolling in one of the following courses: Chorus (C block): Do you love to sing? Are you looking for ways to improve your English? Looking to reduce your stress? Want to be part of a team? These are just a few of the benefits Chorus offers. Whether you are a novice in your church choir or an advanced singer in the shower, consider joining the SSFS Chorus! Digital Media Arts: Yearbook (A Block): The class formerly known as Yearbook is shedding its old name to take on new approaches. In addition to producing the SSFS Yearbook, this class will place emphasis on learning and using digital technology in the creative process. If interfacing digital technology with the arts interests you then this class is for you. If you are interested in learning more about the curriculum for any of the above courses please contact, Hannah.Kerr@ssfs.org. To make any changes to your schedule please proceed with the Add/Drop process with Meredith Shankle. Follett Rental Book Return and Online Sellback - Upper School Families who rented books from Follett for the 2018-2019 school year must return those books, postmarked by June 6, 2019. Look for an email reminder from Follett containing a link for a pre-paid return label. If you can't find the email, instructions are available here. Please note that this label will not be available after June 6! Click here to see the full article, including information about what to do if you miss the deadline; lost or damaged rentals; online sellback opportunities; and books that students will continue to use in certain classes.
Be sure to check the Athletics Today page for up-to-date info about games!
2019 Summer Volleyball Professional Training ACEF is offering position-specific volleyball clinics at SSFS over the summer to help every athlete achieve their goals. Athletes must have at least one year of club experience or be participating in the CCACC high-level clinics.
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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