Monday, February 27, 2012

Headlines - February 24, 2012

This week, Teacher Becky’s class went on a walk around the school to look for signs of spring. They found plants sprouting, birds singing, and even crocuses in bloom. While I always enjoy seeing those first signs of spring, this year I don’t feel like we earned them. What a strange season.

Next Tuesday will be the final day of our basketball clinics for this year. I can't tell you how much fun both Teacher Nick and I have had this year. The students who participated are an energetic bunch and fun to coach. Each student has come a long way and our collective skills are improving. The players should all be proud of their progress. To mark our final day, we will hold our annual Blue/White game. Teacher Nick and I will provide dramatic introductions for each player and coach one of the teams in a scrimmage game. There should be a lot of fun for the students and anyone who attends. All students and parents are invited. Game time is 5:00 at the Mt. Nittany United Methodist Church hall.

Look for progress reports in your mailboxes this week. Teachers have put a lot of effort in writing detailed reports about your student(s) and we hope that, upon reading them, you will understand how deeply we know your children. Special thanks go to Teacher Mary for proofreading, editing and compiling all the reports. It was a long week for her.

Another thank-you goes out to parents Elizabeth Skowron, Shelly Roderick, Kerry Weissmann, Nina Safran, Terri Eagles, Yi Zhang, John Katunich, Carla Myers, Bill Smith, and Marianne Stevens for their help with the Open House last Saturday morning. It is always great to see so many parents willing to come out and talk about the school. We were also happy that it was so busy that all of our volunteers were able to do multiple tours. Thanks, too, to student helpers Alex Eagles, Anna Beaver,and Grace Myersmith.

Announcements

Parent/Teacher Conferences
– Please stop by or call (237-8386) the office to sign up for your parent teacher conference. Conferences are next Thursday and Friday.

Drop Box – We have installed a drop box for our parents at the front desk. We ask parents to use the box for their payments and notes when no one is present.

Open Houses:
Our Admissions Open Houses are scheduled for the following dates and times

Date Time Notes

Sat., March 17th 9:30 – 11:30 am Winter Play Day Friends School - 1900 University Drive
Friends Schoolhouse (pre-K) Open House- 611 E. Prospect Ave.
Fri., March 23rd 10:00 – 1:00 pm Friends School (K-8) Open House – 1900 University Drive
Please tell your friends and encourage them to take a tour.

Summer Camp:
This is a reminder to register promptly if you’re interested in our summer camps. They are filling fast.

Financial Aid Applications:
We want to remind you that applications for financial aid for the 2012-13 school year are due to be submitted on February 27. If you’re currently receiving aid, you received information in the mail a few weeks ago explaining the process. If you need that information, contact Mary or go to www.sss.nais.org/parents and complete the Parents Financial Statement (PFS). That will be all you need to do to get the process started.

Science Fair:
We hope to see you at Friends School’s Annual Science Fair on Monday, February 27. There’s a schedule in this week’s Friday Folders.

Summer Maintenance Work:
We’ll be hiring part-time help this summer for maintenance, painting, and cleaning work. Please call if you’d like an application, and feel free to spread the word to anyone you know who may enjoy this type of summer job.

Have a good weekend


Dan