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| Week of September 29, 2014
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Authors and Experts and Spanish, Oh My!
Our wonderful St. Michael's faculty is aways looking for learning experiences that will help our students build real world connections with nature, self and others.
Over the last week and a half, our students have engaged with a children's author, an insect classification authority, a stock market expert, as well as practiced their Spanish fluency at an immersion Spanish lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. Here is a glimpse into these learning experiences:
--Author and parent Hilary Grant Dixon visited our kindergarten classes to share her book, Maggie Sinclair, Will You Please Fix Your Hair? Maggie is a little girl whose big curly hair is rivaled only by her big imagination. This wonderful book celebrates the individual traits that make each of us special.
--Our 2nd grade students learned the different body parts of insects and how to safely catch bugs in their own backyards from insect enthusiast and parent, Chris Dodson. Prior to his lesson, Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Wozniak gave the students the opportunity to research and identify various insects using books and internet tools in their classrooms. Every student had a “pet” rubber insect that they were able to take home.
--As a launch to a highly-anticipated stock market project, Mrs. Eckmann's 7th grade math class welcomed Jim Baber, a stock broker at Janey, Montgomery and Scott, for an introduction on the stock market. The class learned the difference between saving and investing, what it means to own stock, how to read a stock table and the global factors that cause fluctuation in stock prices (i.e., company results, general economic news, and news/strife in the world).
--Our 8th graders in Sra. Whitaker's Spanish 2 class took a Spanish immersion learning lunch field trip to Nuevo Mexico to practice their Spanish language conversational skills with native speakers as part of a unit on "Vamos a un Restaurante."
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An Invitation to our "Meetings With Michael" Series
Community, curriculum, communication and collaboration are areas of importance for Mr. Turner. His first months as Head-Elect have been about "discovery and learning" as it pertains to the culture and community of our School. Integral to the fabric of St. Michael's is our family community.
With the year off to a great start, Mr. Turner would like to extend an invitation to families to join him for conversation and an exchange of ideas and insights on the theme of "community." He knows folks have questions about new policies and his vision for the School, and he is eager to listen to your insights and ideas.
In order to accommodate varied schedules of families, the opportunity to meet with Michael will be offered three times over two days. The schedule is as follows: - Tuesday, October 14 at 2 p.m. and at 7p.m. (Singleton Campus, Great Hall)
- Wednesday, October 15 at 8:15 a.m. (Bon Air Campus, Dundas-Hatcher Hall)
We hope you can be a part of this exciting discussion!
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Important Dates and Announcements:
A Warm Welcome to Our New Information Literacy and MS Librarian Aide, Melanie Price. Ms. Price joins us from the Maymont Foundation and has a wide-reaching background in Information Literacy and Technology. She graduated cum laude from Auburn University's Honors College.
Friendly Reminder: When children are to be dropped off late or picked up early, please email the homeroom teacher and copy either Anne Bridgforth for Lower School students or Erbie Godwin for Middle School students. Thanks!
SMPA Tennis Social: It's not too late to sign up for the St. Michael's Tennis Social on Friday, October 3rd from 9 a.m. to noon at Bon Air Community Center. Payments are due to the office no later than Wednesday, October 1st. Cost is $30. Please contact Carol Pfeiffer or Bo Ewell with any questions. (Rain Date: Friday, October 10th.)
News You Can Use: Current and past issues of This Week at St. Michael's are now archived on the website under "News and Events."
Basketball Heads Up: Tryouts for SMBA, St. Michael’s Intramural Basketball League for grades 4-6, will be held in November. Stay tuned for the exact dates. Games are played Saturday mornings beginning in December. Practice times vary depending on the availability of the coaches. Please see Mr. Kern if you are interested in playing.
Gym Need: Please save and send in any empty 2 liter bottles for Mrs. Martin. She needs about 70-80 bottles for use as part of gym games. Bottles may be brought to either campus gym. Many thanks for your help!
Lower School:
- Championship Chess: Wednesday, 10/1, 2:40 to 3:40 p.m.
- Intramural Field Hockey: Friday, 10/3, 3-5 p.m.
- Intramural Soccer (grades 3-5): Tuesday, 9/30, 3-3:50 p.m.
Middle School: - Boys (grades 5-8) Lacrosse Clinic: Wednesday, 10/1, 5:30-6:45 p.m. (Bon Air Campus upper field)
- Cross Country Team Practice: Monday-Friday, 3:15-4:45 p.m.
- Cross Country Meet (Virginia Middle School X-C Invitational): Saturday, 10/4
- 6th grade race: 9:30 a.m.
- Girls 7-8th grade race: 10:00 a.m.
- Boys 7-8th grade race: 10:30 a.m
- Field Hockey Team Practice: Monday, 9/29, 3-4:30 p.m.
- Field Hockey Game (Core and Blue teams): Tuesday, 9/30 at Home (against St. Catherine's), 4 p.m.
- Field Hockey Games: Wednesday, 10/1 vs. Panther's at Sportsquest
- Blue & Core, 5 p.m.
- White & Core, 6 p.m.
- Field Hockey Game (Blue and White teams): Thursday, 10/2 at Williamsburg Christian, 5:15 p.m.
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Admissions Yard Sign Ambassadors
Our best ambassadors for St. Michael's are our families! Will you help us get the word out to prospective families about our Fall Admissions Open Houses?
We are looking for families willing to post Open House signs in their yards, preferably in high visibility areas. Presently drawing families from 32 zipcodes, this is an wonderful opportunity to spread our message. (Over the past four years, we have added an average of two new student zipcodes per year.) As an incentive, each family that offers to be a Yard Sign Ambassador will be entered in a raffle to win a pair of free tickets to the St. Michael's Auction Event on November 22nd!
Interested? Please send your name, address and email to Betty Issacs by October 2nd. Thanks so much!
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Emergency Notification System Test
St. Michael’s subscribes to an emergency notification system created especially for schools, called ParentReach, to communicate quickly and efficiently in the event of an emergency or a school closure.
We will conduct a test of the emergency notification system at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 2nd. The effectiveness of the test will be monitored by the system; there is no need to verify receipt of the messages.
In an emergency, the School will record a brief, informative message on the ParentReach system and send it to the School’s database of contacts. In addition, the system will send the message to your e-mail address and, for those who have mobile data plans, as a text.
Please let us know if your contact information changes to ensure that emergency information is communicated to everyone in a timely manner. If you have provided multiple telephone numbers, you will receive multiple notifications. We apologize for any inconvenience, but believe it is outweighed by the benefits.
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We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do! Want Some Spiritwear? Orders Are Due!
Showcase your Dragon Pride with St. Michael's Spiritwear! Spiritwear also makes great stocking stuffers and Holiday Gifts (think hats and apparel, jewelry and key fobs, flags and umbrellas, and dragon stuffed animals!) Order now to receive items before the holidays. Don't miss out! Click here for the order form. Order forms are due in by October 6. Q's? Contact Sandy Myers.
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Planning for High School (A Program for our Eighth Grade Families)
For Eighth Grade families, choosing the right High School to meet your child’s needs and interests is a big decision. As part of our parent engagement program, St. Michael's cordially invites you to attend our High School Planning Program on Friday, October 10, 1:00-2:30 p.m. to learn about options and the application process.
The schedule for this program is as follows: 1:00 p.m. 8th Grade Parent Education Program (Singleton Library) 1:55 p.m. 8th Grade Students join conversation (Singleton Library) 2:05 p.m. Open House with High School representatives (Great Hall) Please contact Cheryl Broga with questions. Seventh grade students and parents will have the opportunity to explore their high school options next year.
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Join us for the Annual Auction! Celebrating Blue and White!
Mark your calendars for November 22, at 6 p.m., for an evening of fun, culinary delights and competitive bidding. Auction items and volunteers needed! Click here to volunteer and to donate! Q's? Contact Mary King Coleman.
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Before School Care at St. Michael's Church: Available 7– 8 a.m.
Did you know that St. Michael’s Church offers before school care from 7– 8 a.m.? The program is looking for more enrollment so that they can continue to offer this convenient aspect of the Extended Day program. If you would like to enroll your child(ren), contact the Program Director, Merry Norris or call 272-0992 x106 by Sept. 30th.
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Let's Be Friends!
Get connected to keep abreast of St M news, events, calendar changes and information.
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