First grade's Peaceable Kingdom mural

Lower School News

Message from Kelly Pierre
As I told the students at Meeting for Worship this morning, one of the greatest parts of my job is watching them grow, learn, and improve over time. Whether watching them learn to wait their turn and share toys, listen for sounds as they spell new words in their journal, or learn to tell the difference between a summary of a book and its theme, watching their arc of development is a privilege. My vantage point was never more clear to me than when I had the chance to see former Lower Schoolers on stage and behind the scenes, making Shrek, Jr. the Musical come alive for so many community members on Sunday. Students took risks to sing high notes, deliver punchlines, dance, and move props in the dark. Seeing how they have grown, stretched, and developed as students was amazing.

I also shared with the students that when you experience a difficult or challenging time, it's important to remember that the way you feel in that moment is not how you will always feel. Just as we say, "That was fun!" when we have a great time, we can say, "That was hard" when we have a difficult time. This helps us move through the harder times and remember that we learn and grow and become stronger, better people because of those moments.

And as we move into winter, we must also remember that the cold blustery days are not how it will always be, and in every season we can find joy.

Autumn Woods by James S. Tippett
I like the woods

In autumn

When dry leaves hide the ground,

When the trees are bare

And the wind sweeps by

With a lonesome rushing sound.

I can rustle the leaves

In autumn

And I can make a bed

In the thick dry leaves

That have fallen

From the bare trees

Overhead.

Thank you for sharing your children with us. It is a privilege and an honor to help them all become the very best versions of themselves. Happy Thanksgiving on behalf of the entire LS faculty & staff. Have a restful and restorative break.

Grade 1 & 2 Transition Breakfast - Nov. 30, 8:30 am
Nursery, Pre-K, K, & Gr. 1 Families - Join us Thurs., Nov. 30 at 8:30 am for our Transition to Grades 1 & 2 Breakfast. You will learn important information about the transition to 1st and 2nd grade from Lower School faculty members and see classes in action. RSVP to Melody Acinapura by Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Transportation Updates as Fall Clubs End

All fall clubs are over. If your child(ren) will be doing anything different than what was originally scheduled at dismissal, please let Pat DeSabato know.

ElderNet Collection - Thank you!

Thank you for your generosity in making this year another successful ElderNet collection. We will deliver 16 food baskets to at-risk elderly and disabled adults in our community. We are especially appreciative of the work of our volunteers and parent reps to get this coordinated in such a short amount of time. Special thanks to Melissa Anderson, Chandra Thorne, and Julie Shapiro for taking the lead and coordinating the ElderNet collection this year.   

Winter Field Hockey Clinics

FCS is offering field hockey clinics free for FCS students. The clinic is open for girls in grades 5-8 on Mondays in December - Dec. 4, 11, and 18 - and are led by Varsity Field Hockey Coach Rachael Bloemker. The clinics take place from 7-8 pm in the FCS Linton Gym. Register online here.

Lower School Winter Break Camp: Registration Now Open!

Children age 3 to gr. 5: join us on the LS campus! Our Break programs offer full- and half-day schedules that feature games, sports activities, arts & crafts, and more. For working parents, this program offers a fun, safe environment for your child to spend part of the school vacation! Half- and full-day options available for: Wed., Dec. 20 to Fri., Dec. 22. Find out more here. Register online here. 

Cyber Monday sale for Tenderfoot and Trailblazer Camps – 10% off five weeks or more! Enroll here on Monday 11/27 to save! 

First graders love getting into books, literally!

They had the unique opportunity to REALLY get into the world's biggest Pop-Up book last week when they visited the Phila. Photo Arts Center. Colette Fu's work was on display, and Colette made arrangements to be there with them. As the children learned about the Peach Blossom Spring story/poem that inspired this artwork, they experienced it by actually crawling into the book. Their own "utopia" experience with The Arts! Pop-Up art seems to be a natural for them!

Check out the Giant Pop-Up book by Colette Fu with first graders inside here and a video of part of Colette's sharing with the first graders here. The work is on display until Nov. 25. Visit the Phila. Photo Arts Center website for details.

LETTUCE FEED YOU 

Menu for Nov. 28-Dec. 1

Taco Tuesday - Black bean tacos

Wednesday - Hamburgers

Thursday - Thanksgiving Lunch

Friday - Pizza day!

Middle School students shared handwritten  messages of thanks during their Meeting for Gratitude last week. Pictured is just a section of the many beautiful messages.

Middle School News

Middle School Concert: Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 pm in Shallcross Hall

Please join us to hear the instrumental and vocal talents of students in our Middle School Chorus, Orchestra, Jazz Band, and iPad Ensemble.

Save the Date! Free Heart Screening for Middle & Upper School Students - Dec. 3

Friends' Central is partnering with Simon's Fund to offer free heart screening for ALL students in grades 6-12 (FCS and non-FCS students) on Sunday, Dec. 3. Click here to download a flyer with more info.

Winter Field Hockey Clinics

FCS is offering field hockey clinics free for FCS students. The clinic is open for girls in grades 5-8 on Mondays in December - Dec. 4, 11, and 18 - and are led by Varsity Field Hockey Coach Rachael Bloemker. The clinics take place from 7-8 pm in the FCS Linton Gym. Register online here.

Grade 8 to 9 Parent Evening: Tuesday, Dec. 5

Grade 8 parents/guardians are cordially invited to an evening with Upper School administrators and faculty to learn about the Upper School curriculum and program. Please join us for this informative evening on Dec. 5 at 7 pm in the Fannie Cox Center (FCC).

Holiday Cheer Wish List

FCS is welcoming 30 teenagers from Families Forward Philadelphia for Holiday Cheer on Dec. 5 after school. Our guests will attend the boys' basketball game or complete a holiday project in the Makerspace. We will provide a pizza dinner for the teens, and they will stuff stockings with donated items from the community. Due to your generosity, we have enough online donations so that each guest will depart with a $25 gift card. Thank you! We still need MS/US student/parent/guardian volunteers and food/service items for the event. Please click here to volunteer/contribute. While you are out over Thanksgiving, consider our wish list: Travel-sized toiletries in multiples for teen boys and girls i.e. cosmetics, nail polish, cologne, soap, body wash, body oil, socks, Axe products, etc. Donation boxes are located in the lobby of the Main Building and the Middle School. Happy Thanksgiving from the Holiday Cheer Committee. Questions? Contact Wendy Frame.

MS Chorus Performs at Electrical Spectacle - Dec. 10, 5:30 pm

Our Middle School Chorus will be singing at the Electrical Spectacle in Franklin Square on Sunday, Dec. 10 between 5:30 and 6:30 pm! Come out and support our singers! Find out more here.

Thanks to all the community members who took A Night Out in the Classroom last night! Pictured are Bill Kennedy and Tom MacFarlane teaching a class on author Kazuo Ishiguro.

Upper School News

Message from the Upper School Office

The festive atmosphere of the upcoming holiday season is already being felt in the Upper School. Last Friday's assembly in Shallcross brought a particularly entertaining display of home-grown talent: diverse, accomplished, and warmly received. Acts included student/faculty juggling, a jovial MC with pun-heavy patter, and several talented singers (including a ukulele trio); the audience provided a concert atmosphere by waving cell phones (flashlights on) and singing along. Cell phones are used for many purposes, and we appreciated student leaders' reminder to the audience not to post images of performers on social media without their permission. We were also together in that space for Meeting for Worship last week, focusing on gratitude: "During this season of Thanksgiving, how can we, as individuals and a community, practice gratitude?" This query elicited thoughtful messages about how gratitude can build community as it disrupts hierarchical relationships, how important those who model gratitude are in our lives, and how our ability to practice gratitude develops when we commit ourselves to it. Speaking of gratitude, we are aware of how lucky we are to spend our days in this community with our students ... notwithstanding the fact that we're all ready for the Thanksgiving break! We wish the 60+ members of our DECA club good luck at the regional competition in King of Prussia on Nov. 27, and our teachers a productive in-service day on Monday at Pendle Hill, the Quaker retreat and conference center. We'll be working to deepen our understanding of Quaker pedagogy, Quaker decision-making and reflective practices with the help of Deborra Sines Pancoe, Associate Director of the Friends Council on Education. And, of course, much of the day will be spent talking about the mission that unites us, how we can better support our students. Happy Thanksgiving to all from the Upper School!

Eat Chipotle and Support the FCS Prom Committee on Nov. 28

The Prom Committee is hosting a fundraiser at the Ardmore Chipotle (133 W. Lancaster Ave.) from 4-8 pm on Nov. 28. Tell the cashier you're supporting the cause to make sure that 50% of the proceeds are donated to the FCS Prom Committee! Thank you for your support.

World AIDS Day Commemoration

In observance of World AIDS Day (Friday, Dec. 1), two panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be hanging in the FCC lobby from Monday 11/27 through Friday 12/1. On Friday, 12/1, the "Until It's Over" AIDS History Timeline will be displayed on campus all day on Felsen Common, and Al Vernacchio will offer a World AIDS Day HIV/AIDS Update to students during the US assembly block.

For more information on these events visit:
World AIDS Day

The AIDS Memorial Quilt

Save the Date! Free Heart Screening for Middle & Upper School Students - Dec. 3

Friends' Central is partnering with Simon's Fund to offer free heart screening for ALL students in grades 6-12 (FCS and non-FCS students) on Sunday, Dec. 3. Click here to download a flyer with more info. 

Upper School Orchestra at Liberty Place
The US Orchestra will be performing, once again, at Liberty Place on Tuesday, Dec. 5. They will be playing music from the upcoming Instrumental Concert (Friday, Dec. 7) and will be joined by parent Leonard Bernstein on the tuba. Performance is at 12 noon, and you're invited to come along! This is such a great opportunity for our students and a great way for them to represent FCS in a public forum.

Holiday Cheer Wish List

FCS is welcoming 30 teenagers from Families Forward Philadelphia for Holiday Cheer on Dec. 5 after school. Our guests will attend the boys' basketball game or complete a holiday project in the Makerspace. We will provide a pizza dinner for the teens, and they will stuff stockings with donated items from the community. Due to your generosity, we have enough online donations so that each guest will depart with a $25 gift card. Thank you! We still need MS/US student/parent/guardian volunteers and food/service items for the event. Please click here to volunteer/contribute. While you are out over Thanksgiving, consider our wish list: Travel-sized toiletries in multiples for teen boys and girls i.e. cosmetics, nail polish, cologne, soap, body wash, body oil, socks, Axe products, etc. Donation boxes are located in the lobby of the Main Building and the Middle School. Happy Thanksgiving from the Holiday Cheer Committee. 

Questions? Contact Wendy Frame.

Senior Parents - Send in your Yearbook ads!

Yearbook recognition ads are a great way for parents, families, and friends to commemorate student achievements and important milestones. Revenues from recognition ads also help us to create a better yearbook. To purchase your ad online, follow the instructions on this form. Jostens is managing our yearbook ad sales so please do not contact or send materials to the school. Please read the ad content guidelines on the bottom of this form during the creation of your ad online. All ad orders must be placed online by the end of December.

Senior Parent Social - Thursday, Dec. 7

Join us for a fun social evening on Thursday, Dec. 7, 5:30-7:30 pm, at Tria Rittenhouse, 123 S. 18th Street. Light nibbles/cash bar.