September 18, 2024 

Beep! Beep! Beep! Did your little one come home talking about an alarm today? Not to worry, it was just a fire drill—one of many that we practice every month together, along with severe weather and shelter-in-place. Today's exercise coupled with Monday's "once-in-a-thousand-year" rainstorm served as excellent barometers of the school's emergency preparedness, and we're thrilled to report that both students and teachers were absolute pros!

Ask any student, parent, teacher, or alumni their favorite part of our community and chances are they'll say BUDDIES! Now that we've settled into the rhythm of the school year, our buddy classes are meeting up for work and lots of play. Here's Kindergarten and 5th grade during last Friday's get-together where they traced their hands and talked about common likes and interests—areas where their hands may intertwine.

Earlier this month at the Board of Trustees meeting, Co-Clerk Cara Stretch asked me to reflect on what my 5-year-old self would think of me today. 

I had a very fortunate upbringing. My home town of Wangaratta had strong community connections, centered mostly around sport participation, but there was also a good arts and music scene (known often as the hometown of musician Nick Cave who incidentally does not report the happiest memories of Wangaratta). I don’t remember having too many goals or aspirations as a kid. I enjoyed life and loved my family. It was safe, and we had everything we needed.

“Who knows their own story? Certainly it makes no sense when we are living in the midst of it. It's all just clamor and confusion. It only becomes a story when we tell it and retell it. Our small precious recollections that we speak again and again to ourselves and to others, first creating the narrative of our lives and then keeping the story from dissolving into darkness.” - Nick Cave (20000 Days on Earth)

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Our First Official Meeting a GREAT Success!

Thank you, all, for a wonderful turnout at this week's PA meeting! So many new faces and exciting energies around this year's projects and initiatives. We'll have the meeting minutes available next week, but go ahead and mark your calendars for October's meeting on Tuesday, 10/29, from 8-9AM in Longleaf Cottage!

P.S. Extra big thanks to Middle School Science Teacher Rob who came to discuss our Science Olympiad teams! If you're interested in learning about volunteer opportunities as a coach or as a competition day volunteer, reach out to him via email!

State of the School Webinar with Tony

You're invited! We warmly welcome you to join the 2024-2025 "State of the School" webinar, hosted by Head of School Tony McCudden on Tuesday, October 15th, from 6-7PM via Zoom.

Tony will share insights on FSW's financial standing, discuss our short- and long-term growth plans, and highlight strategic areas for improvement.

Do you have a question you'd like addressed during the webinar? Please submit it below to help us structure the agenda. We look forward to "seeing" you there!

Round 2...Trivia Night is Coming BACK!

It's time to dust off those encyclopedias, open up your Wikipedia browsers, and binge-watch Jeopardy reruns!

Save the date for our 2nd Annual Trivia Night at Longleaf Cottage, complete with beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres, door prizes, giveaways, and--of course-- ultimate bragging rights!

Follow the link below to register your 4 to 6 person team. No team? No problem! Enter as an individual, pair, or trio, and we'll play matchmaker to assign you with another group of friends.

We can't wait to spend the evening with you on Friday, November 15th, from 6-8PM at Longleaf Cottage. Be sure to come hungry and thirsty...for knowledge!

1st Grade Lead Teacher Application Open

With deep felt gratitude, we wish 1st Grade Lead Teacher, Julia Maguire, all the best as she and her fiancé, Lyndon, relocate to Charleston, SC, this winter. Julia has been a pillar of the FSW community, serving in multiple grade levels and in our Summer Camp program before stepping into the 1st grade Lead Teacher position last year. The application process is underway to find Julia’s replacement with the intention of shadowing her and Assistant Teacher Julie Smith in November and December and an official start date in January. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about this role, please follow this link to the job description. 

Tiny Trailblazers Is Back for Year 2!

Our Tiny Trailblazers parent-child nature program with environmental educator Lyndsay Schubert (also the wife of Middle School Social Studies teacher Glen!) is starting up again. If you know of a friend or neighbor with a 2-3 year old toddler who loves the outdoors, please spread the word and encourage them to register. Last year's program was such a success, we gained three new wonderful families to our school community!

Annual Fund Gratitudes

A tremendous thank you to Erik Bushey for your generous contribution to the Annual Fund. $100,000, here we come!

Last Week's FriendsMail (09/11/24)

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Middle School Handbook

Technology Guide & All-School Technology Policy

School News

Calendar

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