Weekly Newsletter Emailed Each Sunday During The School Year.
Mar. 15, 2020 6th Graders Share Social Activism Lessons with 2nd Graders As part of ongoing discussions about social activism, second grade students were invited to visit with the sixth grade Humanities students, who had prepared individual lessons and activities. Sixth grade students were paired up with second graders to read stories and bios about inspiring leaders and to participate in other hands-on activities highlighting different methods social activists use to make change and solve problems in their community. More photos are available on Vidigami (please login to the website, first!).
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 Mar. 15, 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.
Coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
Recognizing the fast-moving events surrounding Coronavirus updates in our area, we have created a web page to help consolidate communications from SSFS and provide resources to our families. Please take a minute review our web page, which is updated frequently to help provide transparency and information for our community. Note the following important calendar changes as a result of our response: Monday, March 16 will be a professional day for SSFS faculty and staff as they prepare for our Virtual Learning environment. will begin on Tuesday, March 17: Our Virtual Learning begins, and continues through Friday, March 20. Monday-Friday, March 23-27 is our Spring Break. Monday, March 30: Virtual Learning resumes. We are asking faculty to plan for continuing in virtual school mode for at least two weeks after spring break (weeks of March 30 and April 6), with an understanding that virtual school may well be extended. We will be in communication with our families about our plans as soon as we have more visibility in the coming weeks. Please see the March 11 email from David Hickson for more details, and visit our COVID-19 web page for real-time updates and consolidated information and resources.
The PA Executive Committee is proposing a minor change to the wording of the PA by-laws. Parents are welcome to read the details, which will be presented for approval at the April 14 PA meeting. The substance of the proposed change can be found HERE. ICYMI: SSFS's new Upper School building is well underway, and the School is looking to commission one or more permanent works of art for the building. We hope to feature works by Sandy Spring Friends School alumni and friends! Please review the RFP for an Upper School Permanent Art Installation and share with anyone you think might be interested. Please contact Hannah Kerr (hannah.kerr@ssfs.org or 301-774-7455 x226) with any questions. Feb. 7 Update: To accommodate the high level of interest in RFP submissions, the deadline has been extended to Fri, Feb. 28. 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 Mar. 15, 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.
And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
As part of ongoing discussions about social activism, second grade students were invited to visit with the sixth grade Humanities students, who had prepared individual lessons and activities. Sixth grade students were paired up with second graders to read stories and bios about inspiring leaders and to participate in other hands-on activities highlighting different methods social activists use to make change and solve problems in their community. More photos are available on Vidigami (please login to the website, first!). Fourth graders are loving our unit on the Alaskan Iditarod. We picked mushers last week and each started tracking his or her progress through this nearly 1000-mile race which began on Sunday, March 8. We are learning about the dogs, the climate, the communities, and the history of this fascinating race in Alaska. We are feeling very lucky this year to have a 4th grader with a wonderful connection to the race: Max E’s uncle John Thain is part of KTVA’s coverage of the Iditarod. He sent a video answering a long list of our student’s questions and has sent along photos and small videos he thinks we will find interesting. What a gift it has been to us all. Here is a link to the video he sent. MUSH ON!
Middle School "Must-Know" Info for Mar. 15, 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.
And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
As part of ongoing discussions about social activism, second grade students were invited to visit with the sixth grade Humanities students, who had prepared individual lessons and activities. Sixth grade students were paired up with second graders to read stories and bios about inspiring leaders and to participate in other hands-on activities highlighting different methods social activists use to make change and solve problems in their community. More photos are available on Vidigami (please login to the website, first!). Our 8th grade scientists have been hard at work for the past couple of weeks building prosthetic hands as the culmination of a long unit of study that incorporated the human musculoskeletal system, forces and levers, and the scientific method. The students worked in teams to engineer “hands” that could lift weights, open and close around different diameter objects, and open cabinet doors. They had to creatively problem solve and address questions of functionality versus aesthetics, limitations on time and materials, and challenges of balancing competing needs. Students also had the opportunity to meet with engineering students from the University of Maryland and a neurologist from Johns Hopkins who work on prosthetics in real life. ICYMI: Is your Middle School student looking for an exciting way to spend a week or more this summer? If so, please have them join us and apply to be a Summer at Sandy Spring Volunteer! We need friendly volunteers who are talented, outgoing, and energetic team players. Volunteers assisting with our international program will also help students practice conversational English, engage in cultural activities and games, and explore the sights in Washington D.C. Apply today at Camp dates: June 22nd – August 14th, Monday – Friday (no Camp on July 3rd). Lunch is provided.
Upper School "Must-Know" Info for Mar. 15, 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.
Coming up soon/to keep on your radar...
AP Statistics students have been exploring "margin of error" and "confidence intervals" by examining election data and other real world situations. Click here to see photos of students calculating confidence intervals for color distributions of M&Ms and comparing them to the company’s published data.
Be sure to check the Athletics Today page for up-to-date info about games!
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. Bella Vita Farm in Brookeville is launching a CSA program… and SSFS is the pick-up point! Click HERE to learn more and order fresh pastured eggs, fresh lettuce and greens, and more. Deliveries will be Fridays at the gazebo by the three-way stop between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. Registration for BYM Summer Camps (Catoctin, Shiloh, Opequon, and Teen Adventures) is open! Register online here. Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting supports Meeting families with a scholarship of 1/3 of the cost of camp for each camper. Please send the application by Mar 8 to robinmcc@verizon.net for each camper (or you can modify the form for multiple campers in a family with a row for each camper: name, camp, number of weeks, grade, and age).
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