Fantastic job by grade 4 students in their puppet show Scrambled States of America, based on the picture book of the same name. Check out a gallery of pics here.

Lower School News

Lower School Parents - Early Pick-up Reminder

When picking up children early from Lower School between 2:30 and 3:10 pm, please park in the gravel lot and walk up to the office to get your child(ren), as the bus loop is closed off to car traffic during that time for safety reasons since School District and Philly Trans buses are lining up around and in the loop. Thank You, in advance, for your cooperation.

Grade 5 ERB Reports

Grade 5 students' ERB reports are now available. If you would like your child's scores, please contact Pat DeSabato. If you have any questions, please contact Melody Acinapura or Kelly Pierre.

Grade 5 Science Fair - Wednesday, May 30, 9-10 am
Stop by the LS Meeting Room to see all the fantastic grade 5 science projects on Wednesday, May 30 at 9 am! The project is a cross-curricular culminating event in LS science, where students pull together all of their experiences in science while also incorporating writing skills from language arts, table-making and graphing tools from mathematics, and design acumen from Art. Projects range from estimating density using different liquids, discovering the inks in a marker with chromatography, and measuring transpiration rates in flowers, to evaluating different brands of waterproof mascara, determining the alkalinity of water, and recreating Galileo's experiment with falling objects.

Rescheduled Grade 5-6 Transition Coffee with Alexa Quinn - Thursday, May 31, 8:45 am, MS Room 10

Wonder how athletics works or where to pick up and drop off?  Parents of rising 6th graders (current 5th graders) are invited to a morning coffee with Middle School Principal Alexa Quinn. She will be answering your questions about the transition from the Lower School to the Middle School.

Service Project - Support Planting Local Trees! 

In conjunction with Earth Day, the LS faculty presented their rendition of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax last Friday during assembly. Its message about the value of trees has resonated with the Service Committee, and we are launching our final service project of the year. Your child will have brought home a packet of seeds for you to plant. Not truffula seeds, but watch the beautiful zinnia flowers grow, and harvest the greens beans for your family to enjoy! If you'd like to contribute to our collection to support planting trees in the area through Plant One Million, there is an optional donation envelope supplied. Cash donations will be collected through Thursday, May 31. Direct questions to Sborrero@friendscentral.org or JBowker@friendscentral.org

New Phoenix Press Issue!
Click here to read the latest Phoenix Press, a publication of the Grade 5 Newspaper Club.

Do you have paper grocery bags? Please send them to Tiffany!

Science teacher Tiffany Borsch would like to collect paper grocery bags for the farm. We will use them under straw to combat weeds. If you have paper grocery bags, please drop them off in the LS science room. Thank you!

Farming
If anyone is interested in helping Tr. Tiffany on the farm this summer with weeding, harvesting, planting, or preserving, please email her directly at tborsch@friendscentral.org. She will send a weekly email to those interested, describing the work she will be doing that week. Note, most work times will be early morning or late afternoon and will span Monday-Sunday.

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

LETTUCE FEED YOU 

Menu for the week of May 28-June 1

Monday, May 28: Memorial Day (no classes)

Tuesday, May 29: Grilled fish tacos, veggies, fruit

Wed., May 30: Baked mac & cheese, sautéed peas, salad, fruit

Thursday, May 31: Pancakes, house-made turkey sausage, fruit

Friday, June 1: Pizza day!

Great performances at last Friday's MS Spring Concert! Click here for more photos. 

Middle School News

Message from Alexa Quinn

I hope this email finds you well during these busy final weeks of the school year. As you read in Craig's message on campus safety, and as students heard from me this week, the Middle School will be piloting students using their ID cards as the City Ave. campus card access system becomes active. Students will receive ID cards on FCS lanyards on Tues., May 29 and will be expected to wear them during school hours (8:25 am-3 pm) to access the Middle School building. This is the only building where the card access will be turned on during this pilot.

Because this is a pilot, we are going to encourage students to leave their IDs in their locked lockers at the end of each school day. We will collect students' ID cards on Wed., June 6 so that we can keep them during the summer. We will also gather student feedback on the pilot week. Using that feedback and further administrative planning during the summer, we will look forward to starting the 2018-2019 academic year with campus-wide card access and the expectation of Middle & Upper School students using their IDs to enter all buildings.

Students will receive one free replacement ID card and lanyard if they lose their card. Any additional replacement cards cost $10. It is important that students let us know if they lose or misplace their card so that we can assist them and turn off access for the lost card. If you have any questions about this one-week pilot, or about the card access system in general, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or Tom McDaniel, Director of Facilities and Campus Safety. 

Support 8th graders' Earth Force Project - School Supplies

Eighth graders Jai S. and Daija B. are gathering supplies for the Jay Cooke Elementary School for their Earth Force project. Please see their flyer for a list of supplies they are collecting.

Grade 7 History Projects and Gallery Walk - May 29

Tuesday, May 29, 2-3 pm, MS Room 10

Attention Gr. 8 Parents: Showcase is Coming - Fri., June 1, 7 pm

Please consider lending some time and/or some dessert to help make this evening a success. We need volunteers and donations for both the pizza party and the dessert reception. Click here to see how you can help! We appreciate any help you are able to give to commemorate this wonderful evening. Responding by May 28 will allow us to plan appropriately. More details about the specifics of the evening will be coming shortly.

Grade 8 Showcase Recording
Grade 8 parents: this year, the Grade 8 Showcase will be recorded for parents by the Home and School Association. The link to this video will be distributed in the summer to all Grade 8 parents free of charge.

Speed Camp for MS & US Students

FCS Speed Camp is designed for athletes 10 and up to learn and apply proper running mechanics and acceleration to take individual athletic development to the next level. Camp will be led by Jason Kilgore, Director/Head Coach of Track & Field and Cross Country at West Chester University. Coach Kilgore holds USATF Level 2 certifications in Hurdles/Relays and Jumps while also earning USTFCCCA Specialist certifications in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and Jumps, as well as strength and conditioning. Alongside Coach Kilgore will be FCS Varsity Baseball coach Matt Rowley. Coach Rowley earned a master's degree in exercise science and has been an assistant indoor track coach at Lower Merion HS since 2014. He was a member of a WCU record-breaking 4x400 meter relay and held the individual indoor 300m record. Rowley has also spent time working as a minor league strength and conditioning coach with the LA Dodgers and the Texas Rangers. Cost of the speed camp is $175; dates are June 11, 13, 18, 19 from 4:00-5:30 pm. Register here.

Among other award-winners, Ava Forman, Nicholas Tuverson, and Gabrielle Wilkinson were recognized as this year's recipients of the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award at the US Athletic Awards Evening on Wednesday.

Upper School News

Message from the Upper School Office
What a great week to be on campus...breezy, sunny, plenty of seating in the shade, not quite time to be worried about exams. Of course, exams are on the horizon: world languages and chemistry are scheduled for Monday, June 4; English for Tuesday; math, biology and physics for Wednesday; and history for Thursday. Make-up exams happen at the end of the week, and there's a big picnic to celebrate the year on Friday.
Click here to read the full Upper School message, including news of this week's Athletics awards, Cappies achievements, and tonight's grade 9 and 10 play. 

Arts Banquet - Wednesday, May 30 at 6 pm
All US students involved in the arts and their parents are invited to the Arts Banquet on Wed., May 30 at 6 pm in Shallcross. Click here for the invitation.

Join Us for Upcoming Drama Performances - Stage Acting Showcase and Fringe Festival!
Join us for an evening of scenes and improvisations at the Introduction to Stage Acting final showcase next Thursday, May 31 at 6:30 pm. Annual Fringe Festival of outdoor performance pieces by the Ensemble Theatre class also takes place next Thursday, May 31 from 10-11 am on Felsen Common.

Spaces Still Available for Spring Break Trip to Iceland

We still have 5 open spots for students on the Spring Break Equinox Trip to Iceland, scheduled for March 23-28, 2019. The early registration discount has been extended to June 5. Don't miss out on the trip of a lifetime! This trip is open to all students in Upper School next fall (so that includes our current 8th graders!). Register today at worldstrides.com/signup with trip ID 162177. Questions? Contact Deborah Skapik.

Commencement 2018 Recording
Senior parents: this year, Commencement will be recorded for parents by the Home and School Association. The link to this video will be distributed in the summer to all parents of the Class of 2018.

Speed Camp for MS & US Students

FCS Speed Camp is designed for athletes 10 and up to learn and apply proper running mechanics and acceleration to take individual athletic development to the next level. Camp will be led by Jason Kilgore, Director/Head Coach of Track & Field and Cross Country at West Chester University. Coach Kilgore holds USATF Level 2 certifications in Hurdles/Relays and Jumps while also earning USTFCCCA Specialist certifications in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and Jumps, as well as strength and conditioning. Alongside Coach Kilgore will be FCS Varsity Baseball coach Matt Rowley. Coach Rowley earned a master's degree in exercise science and has been an assistant indoor track coach at Lower Merion HS since 2014. He was a member of a WCU record-breaking 4x400 meter relay and held the individual indoor 300m record. Rowley has also spent time working as a minor league strength and conditioning coach with the LA Dodgers and the Texas Rangers. Cost of the speed camp is $175; dates are June 11, 13, 18, 19 from 4:00-5:30 pm. Register here.