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.

• Thurs, Dec. 13: LS Parent-Child Workshare, 3:30-5:00 pm

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

• Mon, Dec. 17: LS Winter Program Rehearsal, 8:30 – 10:00 am
• Wed, Dec. 19: LS Winter Program Rehearsal, 8:30 – 10:00 am
• Thurs, Dec. 20: LS Winter Program Performance, 8:30 am, PAC
• Fri, Dec. 21: Lower School Professional Day, NO CLASSES - Winter Break Begins
• Mon, Jan. 7: Classes Resume

Our first LS Child/Parent Workshare of the year will take place on Thursday, Dec. 13, from 3:30-5:00 pm in the Lower School classrooms. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to come in and have your student be your tour guide as they showcase their work in progress as well as their completed projects.  Classrooms will be open from 3:30 until 5:00 pm for you to drop in and sneak a peek at their accomplishments this semester.  

Our Young Movers Dance Club ended their fall session this week with a performance for family and friends! This first-time club was sponsored by Kindergarten teacher, Mary Anne Peacock, and led by Upper School dance student, Maeve F. Log in to the School website to see more photos and video of the dances on Vidigami here.    

Our winter session of clubs will be announced before Winter Break. This next session of clubs will begin after we return to school. Look for the brochure in a future newsletter.

Please mark your calendars: LS Winter Program rehearsals will be on Monday, Dec. 17 and on Wed, Dec. 19th at 8:30 am. Students should arrive at school on time in order to go together with their class for rehearsals. 

Our annual LS Winter Program will be on Thursday morning, December 20th, at 8:30 am in the PAC. Please remember that students are requested to wear dark pants or skirts and white tops for this assembly. This is a special event with most of our LS families in attendance, so please make sure that you give yourself time to find a parking space and arrive in the PAC on time. There is parking in the lot behind the Performing Arts Center.

Amanda Hill and the Upper School Women’s Varsity Basketball team are offering a Basketball Clinic for lower school and middle school girls in PK4 through 8th grade. The clinic will be on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, beginning with the women’s varsity game at 3:30 pm vs. Washington Waldorf and followed by a clinic run by the varsity girls until 7:30 pm. The girls will be gathered from the Lower School and Middle School and taken over to the Athletic Center for the start of the game. Students are asked to bring a snack to eat during the game so they are ready to play after. A t-shirt will be given and the cost of this clinic is $35.00 per person. Download PDF of flyer for more information and to register for this event.

Special guest Pinki Shah, SSFS 5th grade teacher, has spent the fall working with the Upper School dancers sharing her expertise in the Raas and Garba dance styles, as well as broadening the student’s cultural competency. Pinki grew up dancing Raas and Garba, and was thrilled when Hannah said "yes!" to a collaboration. Pinki credits her motivation to Hannah's openness and willingness to team up. Both Pinki and Hannah are excited to debut this dance piece at the Upper School Winter Dance concert Dec. 13-15, and will also share the dance piece as well as the "Our People, Our Planet" day in the spring. Read more about the dance concert here...

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.

• Thurs, Dec. 13: Bake Sale to Benefit the SEGA School for Girls

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

• Fri, Dec. 21: 1:00 pm Dismissal (NO Middle School Aftercare)
• Mon, Jan. 7: Classes Resume

With construction of the new Upper School beginning, the MS traffic circle is getting used more than ever as a campus drop off/pick up location. We thought it would be helpful to review the circle procedures in order to ensure everyone’s well-being and to keep the line moving along quickly. Please remember that there is more traffic at the beginning and end of the day than any other time, and safety is our main priority.  

Morning:

• Please wait your turn to drop off, even if the line is moving slowly.  The line begins along the outside of the circle.  Passing traffic moves though the interior.
• The circle is designed as a quick drop off location. The more prepared your child is to leave with all of their belongings, the quicker the line will move.  If your child needs extra time to assemble their items or needs to make multiple trips, please park in an appropriate parking lot.
• Please do not create a “doublewide” drop off line.  The drop off lane is only designed to be single file.

Afternoon: 

• Please wait your turn to pick up, even if the line is moving slowly.  The line begins along the outside of the circle.  Passing traffic moves through the interior.
• If you see your child, please do not 
  • Pass other families waiting in line and double park in the drop off line, unless instructed to do so.
  • Pass other families waiting in line to occupy the first or second space unless instructed to do so.  
  • Direct your child to walk across traffic to come to your vehicle.
• When buses come through, all traffic is frozen. Buses operate on tight schedule and are given priority for the few seconds that they come through the circle.  

A member of the MS team tries to be a presence at the MS circle as much as possible. Please pay attention to any directions you may be given and follow the above guidelines even when an adult is not present. If everyone cooperates, we can ensure that we maintain an efficient and safe process for all.

The sixth graders have been busy wrapping and assembling the MANY donations students and their families brought in for the S.O.M.E. Shoebox service project for the homeless, which we took on to support the Junior class. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY! It was quite a scene watching 33 kids wrap shoeboxes (which is actually not too easy). They seemed excited to be working for such a meaningful cause, and really got into the spirit of the season. Please click here to view more photos on Vidigami. 

The Middle School Heart in Hand committee is holding a Bake Sale on Thursday, December 13 at 10:15 am during break time. Several girls from the SEGA School for Girls in Tanzania visited us last month; our students were very inspired by their stories, and decided to raise money to donate to the school. Here is a link to the school's website and an accompanying video that was played for the MS community during their visit. 

Please mark your calendars for the annual Middle School International Lunch, which will be held on Friday, January 18. This annual potluck lunch is a chance for our students to taste some delicious cuisines from around the world and to celebrate the diversity of our school community. Each middle school student will be asked to bring in a dish (details coming soon), and we will also need lots of volunteers to make this year's event a success. Please be on the lookout for a Sign-Up Genius coming your way soon, and thanks in advance for your help. Gracias and merci!

Amanda Hill and the Upper School Women’s Varsity Basketball team are offering a Basketball Clinic for lower school and middle school girls in PK4 through 8th grade. The clinic will be on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, beginning with the women’s varsity game at 3:30 pm vs. Washington Waldorf and followed by a clinic run by the varsity girls until 7:30 pm. The girls will be gathered from the Lower School and Middle School and taken over to the Athletic Center for the start of the game. Students are asked to bring a snack to eat during the game so they are ready to play after. A t-shirt will be given and the cost of this clinic is $35.00 per person. Download PDF of flyer for more information and to register for this event.

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. 

• Wed, Dec. 12: College Info Session - Standardized Testing Info, 6:30-8:30 pm, Yarnall Library. The College Counseling Office Standardized Testing Information Program for Juniors will provide an overview of standardized testing, how to understand the PSAT/NMSQT, and the differences between the SAT and ACT.  
• Thurs-Sat, Dec. 13-15: Upper School Dance Concert, 7:15 pm, PAC-Theater
• Sat, Dec. 15: Optional Practice ACT for Juniors, 8:30 a.m, Yarnall Library. Registration is required, and open to 11th grade students ONLY. (11th grade families - see email from Chris Miller with link.) Registration closes on at 12 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 13. This practice test will help students compare the style of the ACT with the SAT, as mirrored through the structure of the PSAT. Seating the administration of the practice test will begin at 8:30 am in Yarnall Library, and the test will conclude at approximately 12:00 pm.  

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

• Fri, Dec. 21: 1:00 pm Early Dismissal for Winter Break
• Sat, Dec. 23: Dorm closes for Winter Break, 10:00 am
• Sat, Jan. 5: Dorm re-opens at 12:00 noon
• Mon, Jan. 7: Classes resume

With construction of the new Upper School beginning, the MS traffic circle is getting used more than ever as a campus drop off/pick up location. We thought it would be helpful to review the circle procedures in order to ensure everyone’s well-being and to keep the line moving along quickly. Please remember that there is more traffic at the beginning and end of the day than any other time, and safety is our main priority.  

Morning:

• Please wait your turn to drop off, even if the line is moving slowly.  The line begins along the outside of the circle.  Passing traffic moves though the interior.
• The circle is designed as a quick drop off location. The more prepared your child is to leave with all of their belongings, the quicker the line will move.  If your child needs extra time to assemble their items or needs to make multiple trips, please park in an appropriate parking lot.
• Please do not create a “doublewide” drop off line.  The drop off lane is only designed to be single file.

Afternoon: 

• Please wait your turn to pick up, even if the line is moving slowly.  The line begins along the outside of the circle.  Passing traffic moves through the interior.
• If you see your child, please do not 
  • Pass other families waiting in line and double park in the drop off line, unless instructed to do so.
  • Pass other families waiting in line to occupy the first or second space unless instructed to do so.  
  • Direct your child to walk across traffic to come to your vehicle.
• When buses come through, all traffic is frozen. Buses operate on tight schedule and are given priority for the few seconds that they come through the circle.  

A member of the MS team tries to be a presence at the MS circle as much as possible. Please pay attention to any directions you may be given and follow the above guidelines even when an adult is not present. If everyone cooperates, we can ensure that we maintain an efficient and safe process for all.

The Upper School news site The Wildezine is back with another quarterly issue! Our latest round features student perspectives on gender norms in The Gambia, beauty standards in China, and mental health in communities of color. For featured articles, community news reporting, student art, and more, visit www.wildezine.com. Extra credit is available in any English class when commenting on a Wildezine article. We hope you enjoy your read.

After the first competition of the WAICL held at Sport Rock in Alexandria, VA, the Wildebeest Climbing Team had an amazing performance. Girls Varsity won 68 to 43. Boys Varsity won 156 to 115. Girls JV won 17 to 16. Boys JV won 111 to 102.

Sandy Spring held 10 of the top 20 climbers versus Woodberry Forest/Foxcroft School:  1-Sam S., 2-Magnus C., 3-Sam S., 4-Seth G., 6-Ian S., 7-Minwoo R., 8-Reuven S., 15-Kathleen McC., 16-Isaac M., 17-Brandon R., and 18-George McA.

The Upper School Jewish Affinity Group met on Mon, Dec. 3, to have a Hanukkah party and enjoy playing dreidel together. 

The Upper School Ceramics Classes visited the Freer Gallery on December 6. We were hosted by Collection Manager Christina Popenfus and had the unusual opportunity to handle work stored in the archives. We were able to see examples of work we had been reading about from Thailand and Korea. We also saw work from Morocco, Iran, Syria, Burma, China and Japan. The oldest piece in the collection is 5000 years old.

Special guest Pinki Shah, SSFS 5th grade teacher, has spent the fall working with the Upper School dancers sharing her expertise in the Raas and Garba dance styles, as well as broadening the student’s cultural competency. Pinki grew up dancing Raas and Garba, and was thrilled when Hannah said "yes!" to a collaboration. Pinki credits her motivation to Hannah's openness and willingness to team up. Both Pinki and Hannah are excited to debut this dance piece at the Upper School Winter Dance concert Dec. 13-15, and will also share the dance piece as well as the "Our People, Our Planet" day in the spring. Read more about the dance concert here...

Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting will be hosting a Christmas Potluck + Pageant on Dec. 16th of December (one seating at 9:00 am and one at 10:00 am). SSMM is also hosting a cookie exchange on Dec. 23rd, which will run at the usual 12 to 1:30 coffee hour time. All are welcome!

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.