Weekly Newsletter Emailed Each Sunday During The School Year.
Jan. 19, 2020 MS International Potluck Lunch Thank you to all our Middle School families for contributing to the annual International Potluck Lunch! It was a delicious way for our students to share a piece of their cultural heritage with friends. Each grade had a wonderful assortment of culinary dishes from all over the globe. Thanks to our parent volunteers for their help with set-up, clean-up, and serving, as well. See a selection of photos online, and more photos are available for download in Vidigami (after login).
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 "Must-Know" Info for Jan. 19, 2020
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...
We are looking forward to the MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 20, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, when the community comes together to share the important work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by completing various service projects together. We need your help to make sure the day is a success! Sign up to help set up, clean up, and/or manage a service project here. We are also seeking donations of new/gently used shoes, children's books, linens, and baby products for charity organizations. Find out more... Please join us for the next PA meeting on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6:00 pm in PAC - Studio B. Dinner will be served, and childcare (including dinner) will be provided by KAH. We’ll be discussing upcoming community events and PA nominations. We would love your feedback and participation! Please RSVP if you plan to attend, especially if you plan to use KAH. Following the PA meeting, please join Head of School Tom Gibian at 7:15 pm in the PAC Theater for an open forum with all SSFS parents and guardians. If you have questions or topics that you would like to be addressed at the forum, please send them to Mary Lawson at mary.lawson@ssfs.org with the subject line: Forum Topic. The SSFS community will celebrate the Lunar New Year Festival with food and fun in Westview dining hall on Tuesday, January 28, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. We will have traditional Asian food, student performances, and games! Students and families are invited. Please RSVP here with number of attendees so that we can make sure we order enough food. We hope to see you there! The librarians need your help! We are informing students of any materials overdue from the first half of the year. All library books and materials checked out are due Friday, January 24th. Student accounts will be billed for the replacement cost of the book or other material and a $5.00 processing fee per item on January 31st. Students with outstanding library materials will receive notification by Friday, January 17th. Find out more... ICYMI: It's time to begin selecting next year's PA Executive Committee. The Executive Committee includes the Mentoring Clerk, two Co-Clerks, two Assistant Co-Clerks, three Division Representatives for each division (LS, MS, and US), the Treasurer, and the Recording Clerk (see job descriptions HERE, after logging in). This process requires thoughtful consideration and an entire team of people to facilitate it. Nominations are anonymous and will be shared only with the Nominating Committee. We will also be taking suggestions for Grade Representatives and event clerks. Feel free to nominate yourself or anyone else that you think would have a positive impact. We would especially welcome new faces! Please consider joining us, and make nominations using this nominating form. The committee will begin meeting in January. ICYMI: SSFS is hosting an art and craft show for the adults in our community: parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and alumni. This is a non-juried show intended to reveal the many talents in our community. Find out more here, and complete the online submission form if you are interested in submitting a work.
Lower School "Must-Know" Info for Jan. 19, 2020
Below is information about upcoming LS and all-school activities and events in the coming weeks. 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.
What a wonderful start to the New Year! Students joyously returned after time away for the holidays, admission events are bringing wonderful families on campus again, new students have joined our Lower School mid-year, and students are engaging (once again) in meaningful field experiences, community service, and projects in the classroom. Please click here to see the full January message from Liza Long, Head of Lower School... Our Winter Clubs have begun, with the exception of Indoor Excite Soccer which will begin on Thursday, January 23. Registration is still open for Art Café (PK4-K), Chess Wizards (1-5), Harmony Club (3-5), Excite Soccer (PK4-2) and Storybook Cooking (K-1). All other clubs are full. Click here to register. The second grade classes hosted their annual Family Journey Days last week. This wonderful second grade class tradition of sharing family histories is always a special event. Journeys took place on Wednesday, 1/15 and Friday, 1/17 from 8:30–10:00 am. See photos from the Wednesday morning Journey Days on Vidigami here (please remember to login first!) ICYMI: Our next LS Parent Education Forum will be held on Thursday, January 23rd from 8:15 – 9:15 am in Scott House. Please mark your calendars to come to this presentation, "Reading, Reading, Reading – How We Develop Reading Skills at Each Grade" with Courtney Benson and Bev DiTusa. We hope to see you there! The librarians need your help! We are informing students of any materials overdue from the first half of the year. All library books and materials checked out are due Friday, January 24th. Student accounts will be billed for the replacement cost of the book or other material and a $5.00 processing fee per item on January 31st. Students with outstanding library materials will receive notification by Friday, January 17th. Find out more... In what has become an annual tradition, the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students will head off-campus for an afternoon of cross-divisional bonding at the Bowl America in Gaithersburg. This event offers the opportunity for our upper level Lower School students to get better acquainted with the members of the 6th grade class. What’s more fun than an outing involving food and games?!
Middle School "Must-Know" Info for Jan. 19, 2020
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.
The Middle School's International Potluck Lunch on Friday, Jan. 17 was a HUGE success! We greatly appreciate the support of our families in assisting their students in preparing all of the delicious dishes. We also offer a special note of thanks to all the parent volunteers who donated many hours of time for set-up, serving, and clean-up. This event is a wonderful tradition that our community looks forward to each year. Again, gracias and merci to everyone who made it possible! See a selection of photos online, and more photos are available for download in Vidigami (after login). ICYMI: Be sure your calendar is marked for the Middle School Winter Arts Evening THIS Thursday, January 23, at 7:15 pm. This event is the culmination of a semester’s worth of work and study, and the majority of Middle School students will be performing. The Visual Art, Digital Media Arts, and Weaving classes 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 were sent in an e-mail communication to all Middle School parents, and parents may e-mail Michelle Puhl-Price with any questions. The librarians need your help! We are informing students of any materials overdue from the first half of the year. All library books and materials checked out are due Friday, January 24th. Student accounts will be billed for the replacement cost of the book or other material and a $5.00 processing fee per item on January 31st. Students with outstanding library materials will receive notification by Friday, January 17th. Find out more... On Monday, January 27, Sandy Spring Friends School will again open its campus to theEastEd Middle School Student Diversity Leadership Conference for the 9th year. Over 200 students and adults from all over the DC/MD/VA area will attend the all-day conference. Participants will be attending sessions led by adults and by middle and upper school students. This is an excellent opportunity for students to begin and/or continue exploring diversity topics. The conference is open to ALL middle school students (6th, 7th , & 8th graders). If students are interested and/or have questions, please have them contact Aimee Farley (MS Diversity Coordinator). See flyer here...
Upper School "Must-Know" Info for Jan. 19, 2020
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.
On January 8, the College Counseling Office hosted its Winter Junior College Night program. The college counselors explained how they will support the juniors in their college search process, and guest speakers James Massey from the University of Maryland-College Park, Thomas Perich (alumna - SSFS ’19) and Bryan Murray (SSFS Parent ’15, ’17) shared various insights on the college search and selection process and how students and parents work together navigate the experience. The program was recorded and can be accessed on the SSFS YouTube channel here. The SSFS community will celebrate the Lunar New Year Festival with food and fun in Westview dining hall on Tuesday, January 28, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. We will have traditional Asian food, student performances, and games! Students and families are invited. Please RSVP here with number of attendees so that we can make sure we order enough food. We hope to see you there! The librarians need your help! We are informing students of any materials overdue from the first half of the year. All library books and materials checked out are due Friday, January 24th. Student accounts will be billed for the replacement cost of the book or other material and a $5.00 processing fee per item on January 31st. Students with outstanding library materials will receive notification by Friday, January 17th. Find out more... The Upper School Mid-Term Exam schedule may be found online (as a Google doc) here. Please note that as per the Upper School’s Exams Week Attendance Policy, exams may not be rescheduled during Exam Week without the explicit permission of the Academic Dean. Travel-related or planned absences during exam week will likely not be accommodated. US families were recently sent information about the US Exam Attendance Policy. As a reminder: during midterms week, students are not required to be at school if they do not have an academic obligation. Furthermore, students may leave school after they have completed their last exam for the day. If a student has only one exam, they can go home following the exam, or come in late to take an afternoon exam. See more here...
Be sure to check the Athletics Today page for up-to-date info about games! Tuesday - January 21, 2020 4:00 PM Sandy Spring Friends School Wednesday - January 22, 2020 3:30 PM Washington International School Thursday - January 23, 2020 3:00 PM Barrie School 3:30 PM Sandy Spring Friends School Friday - January 24, 2020 3:30 PM Sandy Spring Friends School 4:00 PM Washington International School 4:30 PM Sandy Spring Friends School 5:30 PM Washington International School Monday - January 27, 2020 5:00 PM Sandy Spring Friends School Tuesday - January 28, 2020 4:00 PM Sandy Spring Friends School Wednesday - January 29, 2020 5:00 PM McLean School of Maryland
Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting invites all SSFS families for Meetings for Worship at SSMM, and other community events and activities throughout the year. Please see the Jan. 19 Silent Announcements for information and details about SSMM goings-on in the coming weeks. Questions? Please contact the SSMM office at ssmm.rsf@gmail.com. Thank you! Youth Mental Health First Aid USA is an 8-hour public education program which introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents, builds understanding of the importance of early intervention, and teaches individuals how to help an adolescent in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge. Training is offered Jan. 15, 22, and 29 free of charge through the MCPS Parent Academy. See flyer to find out more... Representatives from Baltimore Yearly Friends (BYM) Quaker Camps will be on hand at the Bethesda Friends Meeting on Sunday, Jan 26, from 11:15 to 12:15 in the Groome Building on the Sidwell Lower School Campus. SSFS families are welcome to attend to find out more about summer camp experiences at Catoctin, Shiloh, Opequon, and Teen Adventure! Questions? Contact Michelle Bird. 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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