Lower School Book Fair 2018 was a big success!

Lower School News

Message from Kelly Pierre

Today we had the pleasure of hosting the Upper School jazz band, led by Carl Bradley. The students spoke about their relationship to their instruments and their role within the jazz band. Each one clearly contributes an individual strength, but each recognized that the ensemble's success is built on everyone's collective contributions. The musicians all encouraged the Lower Schoolers to continue with instruments they play or to pick one up at some point in their schooling. All of our 4th graders have begun lessons on the recorder in music, and our 5th graders are now dedicating one period of music a week to working with Galen Guindon and Dawn Ovalle in an Instrumental Ensemble comprised of students' individual instruments, as well as Orff and percussion instruments. As we entered the assembly, students had the opportunity to view a slideshow of work they created throughout our Fall Project: The Arts this fall. I invite you to view it here. Read Kelly's full message here.

LS Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-ups Available on Veracross

Registration for Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences is now live on Veracross. Click here to register. Extended Day is available during your conference time and for a cost for a longer stay/full day. Register for Extended Day during conference day here. 

Foray's Into Learning: Maple Sugaring with 4A
Click here for a great blog post about 4A's trip to the Treehouse Nature Center at the Wissahickon Environmental Center.

Don't Miss Upper School Play The Comedy of Errors Tomorrow!

The Upper School will present Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors at 2:30 pm and 7 pm tomorrow, Saturday, March 3. Check out a NEW trailer for the family friendly production here. We look forward to having more Lower School families able to go with the performance taking place tomorrow afternoon!

Lower School Book Fair Thank You!

Thank you to all of our volunteers for making the LS Book Fair a huge success. Whether setting-up on Sunday, taking time from your week to cashier, coming to Family Night, or packing it all up again on Wednesday, the Book Fair couldn't have happened without you! Special thanks to our wonderful committee chairs: Julie Lederman, who designed and organized our wonderful Family Night, and Jen Stern, who helped coordinate the Book Talks so parents could share their love of reading with the children. We thank Regina Ziffer, our Librarian, whose love of books and of our children inspires us every day. Finally, a big thank you to Emma Staton and Julie Ragatz Norton, our co-chairs, who tirelessly planned, organized, and guided everyone through the Book Fair. Their energy and spirit made Book Fair fun for students and for parents!

Kindergarten Movie Night 3/9: Come see Secret Life of Pets! 

Next Friday, March 9, 6-8:30 pm

Children can come dressed in PJs and drop off their sleeping bags, blankies, favorite stuffed animals, etc. in the Meeting Room and then come up to the cafeteria for pizza dinner. Siblings are welcome. Parent dinner is a potluck. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.) Click here to RSVP.

Get Ready for Baseball! Baseball Clinic for ages 6-12 next week!
Sunday, Mar. 11, 2018, 1-3:30 pm • Cost: $50
The clinic will be held on the City Ave. campus in the Linton and Shimada gyms. The focus of this clinic is to prepare each player for their spring season. Players will work in small groups with the FCS coaching staff and Upper School baseball players on all phases of the game. We will teach and practice throwing and fielding skills, hitting, and base running. Players will work in groups based on their age and ability. Click here for a registration form and more info. Please complete the form and mail it to: Varsity Baseball Coach Jon Rubin, 854 Roscommon Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

Lower School Parenting Workshop: Supporting Executive Functioning in Your Children with Perk Musacchio, M.Ed., and Jessica Corsaro, Lower School Counselor

Thursday, March 15 • 7 pm • Lower School Meeting Room

We will explore and discuss practical strategies for supporting study skills, keeping backpacks organized, managing time and space, and helping establish and stay consistent with routines. If you have specific areas that you would like to address please include it on the RSVP form. Click here to register.

Registration for Spring Break Camp is Open!
From March 26-30,children 3 years old up to grade 5 are welcome to join us on the Lower School Campus for arts, crafts, and more. We offer a balance of structured activities and free play opportunities, experienced early childhood educators, cooperative rather than competitive activities, and a low staff/child ratio. Please click here for more information.

Summer Camp Registration is Open for All Camps!
Check out our Mighty Maker Camp for grades K to 4 using the Lower School's brand new Light Lab. To learn more, contact Kat Clayton in the Summer Programs office at summerprograms@friendscentral.org or 610-645-5132.

Save the Date: LS Spring Fling Parents' Party
Friday, May 4, 7:30-9:30 pm (adults only!)
Invitation to follow. Come to a planning meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 6 at 8:30 am in the LS Cafeteria.

LETTUCE FEED YOU 

Monday, 3/5: Tomato soup, grilled cheese, tossed salad

Tuesday, 3/6: Chicken & cheese quesadillas, raw cut veggies

Wednesday, 3/7: Warm pasta salad w/peas & parmesan, garlic bread, tossed salad
Thursday, 3/8: Fresh-roasted turkey hoagies w/bagged chips, salad 

Friday, 3/9: Pizza day!

Prize winners at the MCATFL Oral Proficiency Contest this week

Middle School News

Message from Alexa Quinn

Earlier this week, I had the good fortune of hearing a talk by Dr. Ken Ginsburg, a pediatrician at CHOP who specializes in working with adolescents and has written a number of related books. Dr. Ginsburg spoke about the unfair, inaccurate, and harmful myths that our culture perpetuates about adolescents, namely that they don't care about anything other than themselves and that they think they are invincible. To the contrary, Dr. Ginsburg highlighted how deeply adolescents think about the world around them and how the current movement of youth in our country shows they feel far from invincible. He discussed how their idealism and hopefulness is essential for our society and the importance of listening to student voices in our homes, schools, and in the national political discourse. (To read a related article by Dr. Ginsburg, click here.)

As the week unfolded, there was example after example of what Dr. Ginsburg had described as I moved through the FCS community. We had three superb presentations by our multiracial, LGBT+A (allies), and WAFRE (white advocates for racial equality) affinity groups. We had a student led and organized presentation to conclude Black History Month. Along with other teachers, I facilitated a lunch conversation with more than 35 students who want to take actions to end gun violence. I was so impressed and inspired by the different and essential ways in which these students used their voices in our community this week. They make me proud every day. Read Alexa's full message, including information about the upcoming Mindfulness Workshop, the MS Play, ERB Testing, and more, here.

Middle School Play Practice Cancelled Today, Friday, March 2!

American Heart Association Donations Due Monday!

Last week, all Middle Schoolers participated in the American Heart Association event either by jumping rope, swimming laps, walking/jogging laps or shooting foul shots. The last step of this grand event is to bring in donations raised for the American Heart Association. This Monday, Mar. 5 is the last day for students to hand in their envelopes to their homeroom teacher. Thanks for your support!

Middle School Spring Sports
Spring Sports for Middle School will begin with sign-ups on Monday, Feb. 26, and first day of practice on Monday, Mar. 5.

Don't Miss Upper School Play The Comedy of Errors Tomorrow!

The Upper School will present Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors at 2:30 pm and 7 pm tomorrow, March 3. Check out a NEW trailer for the production here!

Oral Proficiency Contest Success!

This Tuesday, four US students and three MS students competed in the MCATFL (Montgomery County Association of Teachers of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Contest at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. This competition is open to all schools in Montgomery County, and this year there were about 140 students participating in the five languages offered (French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Japanese). The students competed in French and Spanish levels 01-Advanced. They all did an amazing job representing FCS, with the following five students making it to the final round:
French: Seth Casel '22 - 2nd place - level 1; Sammy Darling '21 - 2nd place - level 2; Spanish: Ankitha Gundala '22 - 2nd place - level 1; Anna Volpp '20 - 2nd place level 3; Lydia Russell '20 - 1st place - Advanced level

MS/US Parenting Workshop: Two-Minute Mindfulness Strategies to Keep Ourselves & Our Children Calm & Focused Within & Beyond the Classroom with Julie Coopersmith, Mindfulness Instructor

Tuesday, March 6 • 7 pm • Middle School Room 10

Last year, parents left this wonderful workshop with many helpful ideas. It was such a positive evening that we are offering it again this year! Through hands-on activities, learn practical mindfulness techniques that have been adapted and used successfully by school‐age children to promote self-regulation, enhance coping skills, and promote well-being. Click here to register.

Victoria Jamieson Autographed Books

The Middle School Library has signed copies of Roller Girl and All's Faire in Middle School available for purchase. Come visit the library with $13.77/book cash or check for your copy of these graphic novels.  

Get Ready for Baseball! Baseball Clinic for ages 6-12 Next Week
Sunday, Mar. 11, 2018, 1-3:30 pm • Cost: $50
The clinic will be held on the City Ave. campus in the Linton and Shimada gyms. The focus of this clinic is to prepare each player for their spring season. Players will work in small groups with the FCS coaching staff and Upper School baseball players on all phases of the game. We will teach and practice throwing and fielding skills, hitting, and base running. Players will work in groups based on their age and ability. Click here for a registration form and more info. Please complete the form and mail it to: Varsity Baseball Coach Jon Rubin, 854 Roscommon Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

MS/US Students & Parent/Guardians: SpeakUp! - Mar. 20
Join us on Tuesday, Mar. 20 at 7 pm in MS Room 10 for SpeakUp! SpeakUp! enables teens to talk openly, honestly, and without judgment about difficult topics and reach out for support within their homes and schools as they navigate the journey to become healthy, confident adults. Click here to register.

Upper School News

Message from the Upper School Office
We want to extend our gratitude to Dwight Dunston and Hardwork Movement who entertained a crowd of all ages with an incredible performance last Thursday that we didn't have a chance to celebrate in this space last week. A big shout out, too, to the students and teachers of the Humanities Core Team who have been studying hip hop this year and whose questions helped shape rapper Chill Moody's interview of some of the band's members. Thanks, too, for their expert distribution of the mic around the auditorium during the Q and A that followed the performance. Click here for the full message.

Don't Miss Upper School Play The Comedy of Errors Tomorrow!

The Upper School will present Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors at 2:30 pm and 7 pm tomorrow, March 3. Check out a NEW trailer for the production here!

InterAc Art Show - Mar. 7
Many of our US students have work on display at the annual InterAc show. It is being hosted by Baldwin this year and the opening is on Mar. 7 from 4-6 pm. Please stop by if you are able to see what students at our peer schools are creating and to celebrate our artists and the visual arts as a whole.

Oral Proficiency Contest Success!

This Tuesday, four US students and three MS students competed in the MCATFL (Montgomery County Association of Teachers of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Contest at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. This competition is open to all schools in Montgomery County, and this year there were about 140 students participating in the five languages offered (French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Japanese). The students competed in French and Spanish levels 01-Advanced. They all did an amazing job representing FCS, with the following five students making it to the final round:
French: Seth Casel '22 - 2nd place - level 1; Sammy Darling '21 - 2nd place - level 2; Spanish: Ankitha Gundala '22 - 2nd place - level 1; Anna Volpp '20 - 2nd place level 3; Lydia Russell '20 - 1st place - Advanced level

MS/US Parenting Workshop: Two-Minute Mindfulness Strategies to Keep Ourselves & Our Children Calm & Focused Within & Beyond the Classroom with Julie Coopersmith, Mindfulness Instructor

Tuesday, March 6 • 7 pm • Middle School Room 10

Last year, parents left this wonderful workshop with many helpful ideas. It was such a positive evening that we are offering it again this year! Through hands-on activities, learn practical mindfulness techniques that have been adapted and used successfully by school‐age children to promote self-regulation, enhance coping skills, and promote well-being. Click here to register.

Winter Athletic Awards Evening - Mar. 8
The Winter Athletic Awards Evening, for winter Varsity athletes and their parents/guardians, takes place next Thursday, Mar. 8 at 7 pm with light refreshments following in MS Room 10.

9th & 10th Grade Spring Fling - Mar. 10
​(​hosted by Student Council​ ​& Peer Mentors​)​

The 9th & 10th Grade Spring Fling will take place on Saturday, Mar. 10 on the 1st floor of the Main Building; 7:30 pm mocktails & hors d'oeuvres; 8-9:30 pm dancing. Semi-formal attire.

MS/US Students & Parent/Guardians: SpeakUp! - Mar. 20
Join us on Tuesday, Mar. 20 at 7 pm in MS Room 10 for SpeakUp! SpeakUp! enables teens to talk openly, honestly, and without judgment about difficult topics and reach out for support within their homes and schools as they navigate the journey to become healthy, confident adults. Click here to register.

Gr. 11 and 12 Parents - Reminder: AP Exam Registration

The deadline for registering for AP Exams is March 21. Register your child here.

Help Us Get to Carnegie Hall!

Please support our singers on their upcoming trip to Carnegie Hall in NYC to work with Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre. Eat at Snap Pizza in Ardmore on Thursday, March 15 between 5-9 pm. Show this coupon on your phone, and 50% of the proceeds will benefit the US Chorus NYC trip. 

Grade 11 Parent Gathering - Friday, Mar. 9, 7-9 pm
Come enjoy an evening of fellowship with friends. Kindly RSVP to Lisa Davis.

Grade 12 Parent Happy Hour to Toast our 12th Grade Teachers
Wednesday, Mar. 21, 6-8 pm at Iron Hill Brewery. Kindly RSVP to Jamie Sheller so we can have an approximate headcount.