Weekly e-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.

• Mon, May 20: Book Discussion Series for parents in grades 4-8 (last one)
• Tues, May 21: Admissions Spring Open House, 8:15-11:00 am (current families do not need to RSVP)
• Wed, May 22: Our People, Our Planet Day
• Thurs, May 23: Prep for Middle School Coffee & Conversation for 5th Grade Families, 8:30 am, Scott House
• Fri, May 24: All books checked out from the SSFS Library are due back
• Mon, May 27: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar... 

• Wed, May 29: Mix-It-Up Lunch
• Mon, Jun 3: Moving On Day Rehearsal, 8:30-10:00 am, PAC
• Tues, Jun 4: 5th Grade Recognition Night, 6:30-8:00 pm, Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting House, 17715 Meeting House Rd, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
• Wed, Jun 5: Moving On Day Rehearsal, 8:30-10:00 am, PAC
• Thurs, Jun 6: Moving On Day Assembly, 8:30 am, PAC
• Thurs, Jun 6: Last Day of School - 1:00 pm Dismissal

Dear Lower School Friends,

How did we get to the middle of May? Just the other day, I overheard a group of second graders chatting. One mentioned that, “We only have three weeks of school left! I wish it was two months!” Clearly, the students are keenly aware that summer is just around the corner; and the silent countdown has begun.

The month of May is an eventful one in the Lower School! At the beginning of the month, the Fourth Grade students kicked off our busy season with their signature camping trip. Not to be outdone, the Preschool and Kindergarten students offered their presentation of "The Grasshoppers’ Journey." The play was an amazing display of their musical and dramatic talents; and the “adorable factor” was off the charts! Lower School Field Day was a big hit; and the cloudy, cool weather was ideal for a day of outdoor fun. The endcap of that exciting week was the Fifth Grade class play, The Story of Isis and Osiris. The clever script, songs and choreography put every fifth grader in the limelight. It was wonderful to see the fifth graders shine during their last class play as lower schoolers. Their performance was definitely well suited to the big stage in the Performing Arts Center. 

Every year, the first full week of May marks Teacher Appreciation Week. Though it’s difficult to fully express our appreciation to the talented and devoted professionals who serve the PK3 – Grade 5 students and families daily, the Lower School parents certainly did a great job of showing their love and gratitude.  Many thanks for the numerous breakfast treats, sweet treats, cards, flowers and other gifts of appreciation showered on the faculty members throughout the week. Your appreciation was truly appreciated! 

Friends, the end of our year is drawing near. The time of passages and moving on is fast approaching. We had six field trips this week—the last of this year’s off-campus adventures.  Soon, preparations for year-end events and traditions will begin and we’ll wonder, “How did it get to be June?” The upcoming weeks will be action-packed and quick. Be sure to stay closely connected during the last three weeks of school by reading the All-School Newsletter, class blogs, and teacher notices sent through My Backpack. The days will fly by, and we don’t want you to miss anything. (See the special note about our last day below.)

As the 2019 senior class prepares to graduate and move on, our Lower School “seniors,” the fifth graders, will also prepare for the end of their time in Lower School. Before our final goodbyes, we will have many opportunities for fellowship and friendship. 

In peace,
Brenda

The end of a school year holds many amazing SSFS traditions, and the last day of school involves many of those traditions. The last day of our 2018-2019 school year is Thursday, June 6. All PK3 – Grade 5 students are expected to arrive at the usual time and stay until dismissal at 1:00 pm. This will allow their full participation in year-end activities with their classmates and give us ample time for closure and goodbyes. 

Our day on June 6 begins with the Lower School Moving On Day Assembly in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at 8:30–10:00 am. This is a very special event to which ALL Lower School families and friends are invited. All PK3–Grade 5 students are involved in this performance. 

After the assembly, families are invited to enjoy strawberry shortcake at Scott House, beginning at 11:00 am while the students return to Lower school for the following activities: 

• Traditional T-shirt signing outdoors (parents welcome)
• Classroom activities (students and teachers only)
• Strawberry Cowbake (lunch outside - weather permitting)
• Return to classrooms for farewells (students and teachers only)
• Dismissal at 1:00 pm (Carpool and buses per usual at this earlier time!)

Please make every effort to ensure that your child can stay until our 1:00 pm dismissal on June 6. Like structure and routine, closure is important to our young SSFS wildebeests!

The annual parade of Super Silly Creatures took place on Wednesday, May 15! Under the guidance of Kate Santorineos, our 1st grade artists created these magical, mystical beings. The 5th grade recorder troupe provided the music and other 5th grade students helped carry the creatures as the parade wended down from the Art Barn to the Library, Scott House, and to Walbrooke, where we'll all get to enjoy seeing these colorful, fantastical creatures until the end of the school year. See the photos of students creating their Super Silly Creatures here, and more photos of the Super Silly Creatures Parade here. (Remember to log in to the website first to access these Vidigami album links.) 

The Middle School Spring Arts Evening is this coming 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.

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.

• Mon, May 20: Book Discussion Series for parents in grades 4-8 concludes
• Tues, May 21: Admissions Spring Open House, 8:15-11:00 am (current families do not need to RSVP)
• Wed, May 22: Our People, Our Planet Day
• Thurs, May 23: MS Arts Evening, 7:15 pm, PAC
• Fri, May 24: 8th Grade Field Trip to AFI
• Mon, May 27: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Tues-Fri, May 28-31: Middle School Green and Gold Week (note date change!)
• Tues, May 28: 7th Grade Solar Car Races
• Tues, Jun 4: 8th Grade Special Evening Activity
• Wed, Jun 5: Middle School Beach Day
• Thurs, Jun 6: Last Day of Classes - 1:00 pm Dismissal (no Middle School aftercare)
• Thurs, Jun 6: Eighth Grade Recognition Night, Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting House - 17715 Meeting House Road Sandy Spring, MD, 20860. Class photo will be taken at 4:45 pm; Meeting for Worship starts at 5:00 pm.
• Tues, June 11: International Trip Final Meeting
• Tues, June 11: MS Meet and Greet, 3:30-4:30 pm

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.

• Mon, May 27: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
• Tues-Fri, May 28-31: Middle School Green and Gold Week (note date change!)
• Tues, May 28: 7th Grade Solar Car Races

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Tues, Jun 4: 8th Grade Special Evening Activity
• Wed, Jun 5: Middle School Beach Day
• Thurs, Jun 6: Last Day of Classes - 1:00 pm Dismissal (no Middle School aftercare)
• Thurs, Jun 6: Eighth Grade Recognition Night, Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting House - 17715 Meeting House Road Sandy Spring, MD, 20860. Class photo will be taken at 4:45 pm; Meeting for Worship starts at 5:00 pm.
• Tues, June 11: International Trip Final Meeting
• Tues, June 11: MS Meet and Greet, 3:30-4:30 pm

Seventh graders continue to work towards completion of their solar cars, and many groups have been successful in this task!  The students will race their cars this Tuesday, May 28^th (rain/cloud date May 30^th) between 10 am and 12 pm in the Lower School parking lot. Seventh graders are reminded to bring a water bottle and wear sunscreen to school that day. We also invite families, faculty, and staff to join us to cheer on our racers. Please remember that the Lower School lot will be closed to traffic between the times of the race. 

The 8th Grade class has decided on laser tag and a game of Manhunt for their end-of-year outing. The students and chaperones will leave campus at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, June 4th, heading to Shadowland in Columbia, MD.  After laser tag, the group will head to the Columbia Mall food court, where students will have dinner and be allowed a little “free” time in the mall in small groups. Following dinner, it’s back to campus for dessert and to play a couple of rounds of the game Manhunt. Pick-up time is 10:00 pm at the Middle School. The school is covering the cost of laser tag and dessert, but students should bring $10 cash to purchase their dinner.

Middle School students and faculty are looking forward to our annual trip to Sandy Point State Park for a full day of fun in the sun on Wednesday, June 5th. Students should wear bathing suits under their clothes to school, and bring a towel, sunscreen, water bottle, and a change of clothes. Bag lunches from the dining hall will be provided. We will depart promptly after morning advisory and return in time for regular afternoon dismissal. 

The 8th Grade Recognition is being held on Thursday, June 6th at the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting House located at 17715 Meeting House Road in Sandy Spring. Eighth graders should arrive in time for class photos at 4:45 pm. Meeting for Worship will begin at 5:00 pm, and a reception with light refreshments in the adjacent Community House will follow the presentation of certificates. We ask students to wear appropriate dress for the celebration of the evening, which generally means long pants, collared shirts, closed toe shoes, dresses, skirts, or slacks. Parking close to the Meeting House is somewhat limited, so families are encouraged to travel together in one vehicle or to carpool when possible. There will be reserved seating marked for the 8th Graders and their advisors. All other seats on the main floor and second floor balcony of the Meeting House will be available for family members, guests, and non-advisor faculty.

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. 

• Sun, May 19: CANCELED - Upper School Sports Night, 4:30-6:30 am, PAC (see email from Steve Powers sent 5/16)
• Mon, May 20: Upper School Quiz Bowl Assembly, 9:00 -10:00 am, PAC
• Tues, May 21: Upper School Senior Recital, 7:15 pm, PAC
• Wed, May 22: Our People, Our Planet Day
• Wed, May 22: CANCELED - College Sports Info Night, 6:30-8:00 pm, Yarnall Library
• Mon, May 27: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

And coming up soon/to keep on your radar...

• Fri-Sat, May 30-31: Upper School Music and Dance Informal, 7:15 pm, PAC
• Fri-Sun, May 31-June 2: Alumni Weekend
• Mon-Thurs, Jun 3-6: Upper School Exams (exam schedule here)
• Mon, Jun 3: Senior-Parent Meeting for Worship, 7:15 pm, Meeting House
• Thurs, Jun 6: Last Day of Classes, 1:00 pm, Dismissal
• Fri, Jun 7: Senior Graduation Dress Rehearsal (more details here)
• Sat, Jun 8: Class of 2018 Graduation, 9:00 am, SSFS Campus

Inspired by the championing roar of supportive ‘Beest Boosters, SSFS earned an impressive It’s Academic semifinal victory on Saturday, May 11. En route to a nail-biting and historic victory, SSFS scored 550 points, on 23 of 26 questions answered correctly, defeating Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (520 points) and Langley High School (435 points), to advance to the championship match on Saturday, May 18. From an original field of 81 schools, SSFS now finds itself deservedly among the top three teams in the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan Area, vying for bragging rights on It's Academic, “recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running quiz program in TV history.”

SSFS was represented on stage by Captain Justis Dixon (’19), and flanked on either side by Assistant Captain Michelle Tobin (’19) and Alan Burd (’19), three of this year’s outstanding Quiz Bowl Team members. The team also includes seniors Bella Vignola and Thomas Perich, juniors Alex Fendig and MacKenzie Schless, sophomores Moira McCudden, Olivia Gilbert, Esther Feron, Leila Bobrow, and Allison Dixon, and first-year students Rebecca Megginson and Emily Thompson.  With a current record of 46-13-0, this year’s SSFS Quiz Bowl Team has left an indelible impression; having advanced to the final round for the first time in the school’s history, after having reached the semifinal round of It’s Academic for the fourth time over the past five seasons. To relive the memorable moment on TV, this episode of It’s Academic is slated to air on Saturday, June 8, at 8:30am on NBC4.

Returning to the NBC4 Studios on Saturday, May 18, SSFS will square off against Blair and Rockville high schools in the It’s Academic Final  (studio doors open at 11:15am). In an Intercity Match-up, the winner will play the Baltimore and Central Virginia area champions, immediately afterwards, that same day, in the It’s Academic Superbowl.

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.

With free admittance, this is a family-friendly show and community-wide event for nearly all ages that promotes academic excellence and provides the educational opportunity to be in a real television studio, participating vociferously in support of SSFS while spotlighting our unique sense of community.

Providing camaraderie for kindred spirits while celebrating academic achievement, intrascholastic Quiz Bowl Club (Spring) and interscholastic Quiz Bowl Team (Fall) provide healthy venues to foster friendships inspired by a mutual love of learning.  Best of all, it’s fun!  For more information contact Eduardo at eduardo.polon@ssfs.org and to learn more about It’s Academic visit http://www.itsacademicquizshow.com/.

Summer is an excellent time to begin your college search and explore the possibilities. There are local opportunities for rising seniors and juniors to attend college fairs this spring and summer. Here are a few:

• Monday, May 20, 7:00 pm - Colleges That Change Lives College Fair
  Omni Shoreham Hotel, Palladian and Diplomat Meeting Rooms
  2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC
  Register here
   
• Tuesday, May 21, 7:00 pm - Exploring Educational Excellence—Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Rice, and University of Chicago
  Washington Marriott Wardman Park, 2660 Woodley Rd NW, Washington, DC
  Register here
   
• Sunday, June 2, 7:00 pm - Coast to Coast College Tour—Dartmouth, Northwestern, Princeton, UC-Berkeley, and Vanderbilt
  Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, 4301 East West Hwy, Bethesda, MD
  Register here

The SSFS Varsity Baseball Team finished the regular season on Wednesday, May 15, with a heartbreaking loss in the Conference Championship. St. Anselm’s hit a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie and win the game. Senior Kevin Martin pitched 6 innings and had the game-tying rbi at the top of the 7th inning.  Senior Jason Sobel had played a great defensive game in centerfield. The Wildebeests finished 9-3 in the PVAC Conference. All Conference recognition went to  junior catcher Ben Gruodis-Gimbel (1st Team), P/1b Senior Ben Davis (1st Team), Senior P/1b Kevin Martin (2nd Team) and Senior 3b, SS, Justis Dixon (honorable mention). The 2019 seniors compiled an 8-3 playoff record over 4 years. 

It was another great season for the Ice Hockey Team! Ice Hockey players from Sandy Spring participate each year in the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League as members of a Co-op team with students from other area high schools. SSFS was represented by five players on the “Griffins,” joining students from six other public and private schools. Joining Seniors Quinn B-E (Team Captain) and Alan B. (Asst. Captain, 2^nd Team All-Conference), were Juniors Aidan C. and Jimmy H., and Sophomore Remy P. Quinn, Jimmy, and Aidan were significant contributors to the team’s offense – scoring nearly 50% of the team’s goals, with Alan and Remy anchoring a defense that frustrated opponents all season.

This year’s team was the most successful in team history, posting an 8-6 record. Highlights included sweeping season series against rivals Blair and Sherwood, and posting our first ever post-season victory - defeating Woodrow Wilson in the quarterfinals in an exciting 8-7 overtime match - before being defeated by eventual division champion Damascus in the semifinals.

The team would like to thank the SSFS fans who showed up to cheer them on, especially faculty members Cathy & Tom Harrison and Eduardo Polon, who appeared at almost every game!

Celebrate our Senior Artists! Tuesday, May 21 @ 7:15 pm in the PAC:

• Performing Artists: Abby Baldwin, Maeve Friedman, Sebastian Goodman & Andy Gao
• Tech Director: Mac Remy
• Visual Artists: Andrea Aresta- Katz, Bella DeHart, Jane Mikkelson, and more...
• See flyer here

Also, don't forget to come to the US Music & Dance Informal- Thursday, May 30 & Friday, May 31 @ 7:15pm in the PAC!

As the end of the academic year draws near, don't forget to review the email sent on April 22 from Meredith Shankle listing information and details about the various senior events and activities leading up to and including graduation. We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2019!

Congratulations to SSFS AP Environmental Science class students Allison Dixon, Jane Mikkelson, and Lucy Thomas, who won Best in State for Maryland in the "World of Seven Billion" video contest! Students in the AP Environmental Science were challenged to enter the World of Seven Billion video contest last January, where teams of students collaborated to create a 60-second video addressing a global challenge exasperated by human population growth. Allison, Jane, and Lucy's video was about "Healing Our Earth Through Bioenergy."

Do you ever wish you had a way to "connect" to the SSFS community of families about topics not part of the traditional school day or school related events? Maybe you've wondered if any of those nice high school students babysit, or if any parents know of a good violin teacher. Maybe you are looking for a plumber, a travel agent, or someone to work out with? Want to start a hiking group, a meditation group, or need help moving furniture??

Online communities abound these days, so the SSFS PA has created one (via Shutterfly) for our wonderful community of families. This is an opt-in choice open to current and alumni families for all divisions, home stay and boarding parents. The site is moderated by parent volunteers to ensure we don't misuse the tool for problems an online community can't address, and don't duplicate or replace what is official school business that belongs on other communication sites.

We hope this tool will be an additional way to support connections across this diverse community of families who share the choice of SSFS for their children. Please fill out this quick online form to opt-in. Questions? Please contact Nikol Jackson or Kathleen Landers.