Weekly Newsletter

ICYMI: Our Middle School Winter Sports and Electives season ended on Thursday, February 13th! The Spring season will begin on Monday, March 2. Just a friendly reminder to parents that dismissal for students will be at 3:40 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the Weeks of February 17th and February 24th. Aftercare is always available during these gap times between sports/electives seasons. Please contact Lindsay Kellogg for more info about MS aftercare drop-in options. 

The Middle School is having a Movie Night, sponsored by the Event Planning Committee, on Friday Feb. 28th. There will be a supervised recess right after school until the festivities start at 4:00 pm. Students will have pizza and snacks, and parents should pick up students promptly from the Middle School Circle when the event concludes at 7:30 pm. Click here to RSVP by Wednesday, February 26th. 

Join us for Coffee and Conversation on Friday, March 6th. Parents will have an opportunity to visit some classes in session, followed by coffee and Q&A with David Blake afterwards. Check-in starting at 8:00 am in the Middle School Conference Room, and the event will conclude by 10:00 am. Please RSVP by Monday, March 2nd so we can make a name tag for you. 

The Eighth Grade Science Teachers are in need of donations of empty paper towel roll tubes. Students are about to embark on an engineering project in class as part of their learning about physics, muscles, and joints. They will be designing and constructing prosthetic hands. Your donations for this STEM project are greatly appreciated. Tubes can be sent in with your student to give to Alice or Jamie.

ICYMI: The sixth grade, along with seven members of the Middle School Social Justice Diversity Committee, will be taking a field trip to the State House in Annapolis on Thursday, March 5. Students will meet with various representatives to lobby about gun control and climate change--two issues that came out of a MS survey sent to students from the Social Justice Diversity Committee. Following their meetings with representatives, students will then hear morning debates in both the House and Senate. In the afternoon, they will attend House committee meetings, and speak to representatives again. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to this experience.

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. 

The Sandy Spring Women's Basketball team won the PVAC Championship on Saturday night, Feb, 22, at Wootton High School 54-49 vs. McLean School in front of a packed house. Sophomore point guard, captain and PVAC First Team, Talia Trotter was named Tournament MVP behind a 36 point performance, including hitting 8-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Fellow Captain and PVAC First Team selection Junior Mia Broadway contributed 9 points, 7 of which came in the 4th quarter, including going 2-2 from the free-throw line with 3.3 seconds left in the game to seal the victory. Sandy Spring lead 19-11 at the end of the first quarter, but McLean fought back to tie it at halftime 23-23. Heading into the fourth, Sandy Spring was still down one 35-36, but held off McLean for the victory. Huge contributions came from Freshman Sophia Gould and Seniors Myan Wang, Elena Botia and Zoe Baylinson. Combined the Lady Beests were 19-24 from the free-throw line. With the victory, SSFS earned back to back Regular Season North Division and Tournament Banners. Congrats to the entire team on a spectacular season.

SSFS has officially launched a second semester pilot program: Senior Passion Projects. Grounded in experiential and project-based learning, and with inquiry, reflection and action at the core of its mission, the Senior Projects Pilot Program for 2019-2020 is a selective, elective, independent, learner-centered and self-directed passion project that affords qualified and approved participants the opportunity to let their lives speak beyond the traditional high school environment by sampling a potential career, serving the community or exploring a deep personal interest that culminates in a formal and reflective presentation to a panel of faculty, staff, alumni and Trustees on the expectations, challenges, lessons and rewards of said experience. Read more, and see this year's program participants, here.

Big congratulations to SSFS senior Michel Ruiz, who was named a 2020 Cooke College Scholar! Michel was one of 68 high-achieving high school students who will continue to receive the organization’s comprehensive educational advising and financial support as Cooke College Scholars. The names of the Cooke College Scholars from the Young Scholars Program can be found here, listed along with the states and high schools they represent (look for Michel's name under District of Columbia). We congratulate Michel on this exceptional recognition, and wish her all the best in her college career and beyond!

Break out your neon and retro attire! The Junior class will be hosting a disco-themed dance for Upper School students on Saturday, February 29th from 8-11pm in Westview Dining Hall. Tickets are $12 in advance or if you wear a costume to the event. All other tickets at the door will be $15. 25% of the proceeds will go toward the Ben Uzzell Scholarship Fund, so please come out and support our community! 

Grace R, 9th grader, received two Silver Key awards ("stand-out works submitted to local programs that demonstrate exceptional ability") in photography at the state level in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. There will be an award ceremony to celebrate Grace and other award recipients on Sunday, March 1st, 2020, from 2:00-4:00 pm at Baltimore Center Stage, 700 N Calvert St, Baltimore, MD 21202. Please join us in celebrating Grace’s accomplishment! Read more and see Grace's photos here...

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 Feb. 23 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! 

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.