Headlines    -                                 October 11, 2013 

A dog wins the day!

I love animals.  I have always owned pets.  Even during my bachelor days, I owned a cat named Boomer who lost a tail to a car, took extended hikes with me and even played fetch.  He was a little confused but that is another story. 

Today I want to talk about a dog named Flower.  As you can guess from the name, Teacher Nick’s dog is a very gentle and somewhat skittish soul.  In past years, Nick has brought Flower into the classroom to assist with math and writing lessons.  This year was different, though, because one of his students harbors a strong fear of dogs.  As a school, we are always mindful when a child has fears and Flower understood that she would have a diminished role in the classroom this year.  However, as Nick shared stories about himself with the class, they began to learn more about Flower and her antics.  Gradually, after hearing about this gentle and loving dog, the dog-averse student became curious, and when Nick asked her if she would like to meet Flower, the answer was a shaky “yes”.

On the day Flower visited, our student started by watching from the other side of the classroom door.  After watching the other students receive dog kisses and tail wags, she became a little bolder and entered the classroom.  She stood on the outside of the circle of students surrounding Nick and Flower.  Progress!  Then it was time to take Flower outside and give students a chance to walk and run with her (also an exercise in descriptive writing).  Everyone took turns walking and running Flower up and down the field.  As I watched from a window in the hall, I was stunned to see our dog-shy student grab the leash and begin running up the field!  The smile on her face spoke volumes.  I walked out to Nick’s porch to get a better look and had the pleasure of watching her bend down and give the dog a big two-handed head rub.  What a breakthrough for this girl!  Flower got an extra treat.

Here at Friends we are able to transcend the typical student/teacher relationship and add levels of empathy, understanding and support that go beyond the school walls.  We are dedicated to helping children grow in many different areas of their lives, and we do whatever we can to help each student.  On this day, it took a dog named Flower. 

Announcements and Reminders

Inservice Days, October 17 and 18 -  Reminder...Thursday and Friday, October 17^th and 18^th are inservice days for our faculty and there will be no school for students.

Pumpkin Decorating Party - On Friday, October 25^th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, we will celebrate the spirit of the season with a Pumpkin Decorating and Monster Mash Dance Party. You are invited to join us for pumpkin decorating, pizza, and our own unique Monster Mash dance led by Tr. Lori. We will provide lots of pumpkin decorating materials and pizza. A supply of pumpkins will be on hand or you can bring your own. There is no charge for this event or for After School on this day, but a small donation when you join or pick up your child is appreciated.  

Annual Fund Campaign – In a day or two, you will receive an Annual Fund Appeal letter in the mail.  Please take a few minutes to read the enclosed brochure and letter that explain the importance of the annual fund, and consider making a pledge or a contribution.   Contributions can be included with tuition, or may be sent independently, and every gift makes a difference.  100% participation by our families makes a significant statement about your commitment to our school.  Visit our website for more information.  Thank you. 

Have a great weekend!

Headlines     -                                 October 4, 2013

The books were selected in June, ordered in July and then the wait began.  They were purchased through the very limited state funding our school receives for educational materials.  It amounts to about $700.00 for a classroom.  In addition, there is a labyrinth of rules governing this money and it takes a real master (i.e. Mary) to decipher the codes and place orders with only selected suppliers.  The rules are so convoluted that student textbooks are OK for purchase but the teacher edition is not.  Graphing calculators need to be purchased at twice the price from an approved vendor rather than a store in town.  This year, due to staff cuts in Harrisburg, the process was agonizingly slow.  So it was a welcome surprise when the books finally arrived on Wednesday, three months after they were ordered. 

 

Mary was excited to find the shipment as she has been fielding several inquiries about their status.  She decided to hand deliver the box full of books herself.  So she lifted the weighty box (she works out and would glare at and refuse anyone who offered to help).  When she entered Teacher Christy’s classroom and announced her treasure, the classroom erupted in applause.  They had more reading material!  I will say it again. Middle school students applauded getting new books to read.  We will also finish installing our new Smartboards in the middle school classrooms this week and, while we welcome the new technology, there was no clapping.

 

Announcements and Reminders - School Lunches, "Ask Dan" Coffee, Blood Drive, Pumpkin Painting

 

School Lunches are Back - In addition to Pizza Fridays, Cafe Karla will be providing students with healthy hot lunches every month.  Please make sure you sign up as they start next Thursday the 10^th . (Friday the 11^th  for 5th-8th graders who will be at the Renassaince Faire on Thursday)

 

“Ask Dan” - Parent Coffee - On Thursday, October 10^th from 8:30 – 9:30 am, all parents, especially those new to our school, are invited to attend a Q&A session with Head of School, Dan Hendey.  Please join us for an hour of conversation, fellowship and treats.

Red Cross Blood Drive - In conjunction with the Red Cross, Friends School will be hosting a Blood Drive on Friday, October 11^th from 12 noon – 6:00 pm in our Community Room.  Many students heard from a Red Cross representative this week about the importance of blood drives and the many ways in which donating blood can help the wider community. We hope our parent community will consider helping. More information is coming to you via Friday folders.

If you’d like to schedule a time to donate, please complete and return the form you’ll find in Friday folders. Or, you can go to www.redcrossblood.org and enter FriendsSchool as the code.

Also, we’re looking for a couple of parent volunteers who could help at the blood drive between the hours of 3:00 – 7:00 pm. This would involve serving as greeters during the drive and then helping with packing up afterwards. If you’d consider this, please let Mary know at mziegler@scfriends.org 

Pumpkin Decorating Party - On Friday, October 25^th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, we will celebrate the spirit of the season with a Pumpkin Decorating and Monster Mash Dance Party. You are invited to join us for pumpkin decorating, pizza, and our own unique Monster Mash dance led by Tr. Lori. We will provide lots of pumpkin decorating materials and pizza. A supply of pumpkins will be on hand or you can bring your own. There is no charge for this event or for After School on this day, but a small donation when you join or pick up your child is appreciated.  

Please enjoy this summer(?) weekend.

 

Dan

Headlines     -                                 October 4, 2013

The books were selected in June, ordered in July and then the wait began.  They were purchased through the very limited state funding our school receives for educational materials.  It amounts to about $700.00 for a classroom.  In addition, there is a labyrinth of rules governing this money and it takes a real master (i.e. Mary) to decipher the codes and place orders with only selected suppliers.  The rules are so convoluted that student textbooks are OK for purchase but the teacher edition is not.  Graphing calculators need to be purchased at twice the price from an approved vendor rather than a store in town.  This year, due to staff cuts in Harrisburg, the process was agonizingly slow.  So it was a welcome surprise when the books finally arrived on Wednesday, three months after they were ordered. 

Mary was excited to find the shipment as she has been fielding several inquiries about their status.  She decided to hand deliver the box full of books herself.  So she lifted the weighty box (she works out and would glare at and refuse anyone who offered to help).  When she entered Teacher Christy’s classroom and announced her treasure, the classroom erupted in applause.  They had more reading material!  I will say it again. Middle school students applauded getting new books to read.  We will also finish installing our new Smartboards in the middle school classrooms this week and, while we welcome the new technology, there was no clapping.

Announcements and Reminders - School Lunches, "Ask Dan" Coffee, Blood Drive, Pumpkin Painting

School Lunches are Back - In addition to Pizza Fridays, Cafe Karla will be providing students with healthy hot lunches every month.  Please make sure you sign up as they start next Thursday the 10^th . (Friday the 11^th  for 5th-8th graders who will be at the Renassaince Faire on Thursday)

“Ask Dan” - Parent Coffee - On Thursday, October 10^th from 8:30 – 9:30 am, all parents, especially those new to our school, are invited to attend a Q&A session with Head of School, Dan Hendey.  Please join us for an hour of conversation, fellowship and treats.

Red Cross Blood Drive - In conjunction with the Red Cross, Friends School will be hosting a Blood Drive on Friday, October 11^th from 12 noon – 6:00 pm in our Community Room.  Many students heard from a Red Cross representative this week about the importance of blood drives and the many ways in which donating blood can help the wider community. We hope our parent community will consider helping. More information is coming to you via Friday folders.

If you’d like to schedule a time to donate, please complete and return the form you’ll find in Friday folders. Or, you can go to www.redcrossblood.org and enter FriendsSchool as the code.

Also, we’re looking for a couple of parent volunteers who could help at the blood drive between the hours of 3:00 – 7:00 pm. This would involve serving as greeters during the drive and then helping with packing up afterwards. If you’d consider this, please let Mary know at mziegler@scfriends.org 

Pumpkin Decorating Party - On Friday, October 25^th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, we will celebrate the spirit of the season with a Pumpkin Decorating and Monster Mash Dance Party. You are invited to join us for pumpkin decorating, pizza, and our own unique Monster Mash dance led by Tr. Lori. We will provide lots of pumpkin decorating materials and pizza. A supply of pumpkins will be on hand or you can bring your own. There is no charge for this event or for After School on this day, but a small donation when you join or pick up your child is appreciated.  

Please enjoy this summer(?) weekend.

 

Dan