October 19, 2025

Pale amber sunlight falls across
The reddening October trees, 
That hardly sway before a breeze
As soft as summer: summer's loss
Seems little, dear! on days like these.
                               - Ernest Dowson

6th Grade scientists are learning about atomic structure and phase change. Last week, students had the chance for some free exploration time with dry ice, observing how it sublimates under a range of different conditions. It was an excellent opportunity to practice lab safety while working with a substance that is -109°F!  

Just before the end of the 20th century, the movie “Sliding Doors”, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, came out, and I remember thinking it was a brilliant concept. “If X happened, then this series of events would occur, but if Y happened in that moment, then an entirely different series of events would unfold.” We’ve all had those sliding doors moments, and quite honestly, thinking about the what-ifs often stirs emotions that are probably best not dwelled on too long.  

But my sliding doors moment was not only life-changing, it was potentially life-saving. It was the summer of 2021, the middle of the pandemic, and a period of change and reflection in our household in Maryland. My daughter had just finished high school and was preparing to head to college in Ohio. A few months earlier, I had been a finalist for an administrative position at a school that felt like a great fit, and I genuinely believed I was a strong candidate. But I didn’t get the job. So there we were, spending the summer at home in Sandy Spring, enjoying the quiet campus without students around.

Book the babysitter, pack a cooler of bevs, and join us under the pines for an oyster roast with grown-ups! Local oysters and shrimp from Temple Shellfish.

Buy tickets by November 1st to secure your spot at the oyster table, or donate a ticket to a faculty member. All proceeds are donated to our School’s Annual Fund.

First 40 families to sign up for the oyster roast will receive their own oyster knife to take home! (Shuck yeah!)

Join the Green Team Book Club!

As trees come down and buildings and parking lots replace valuable wild spaces, the need for native plantings is more important than ever.

If you are interested in transforming your yard into an ecological wonderland, please join Meghan Sweeney and the Green Team book club as we read Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Doug Tallamy.

To sign up, please email Meghan (meghan@trifectapress.com).
You can check out copies of the book at NHC library, order through Pomegranate Books, or listen on Audible or Spotify.

We'll discuss the book during two sessions:
Thursday, November 13th @ 8:00 - 9:30am & Sunday, November 16th @ 3:00 - 4:30pm.

As a part of our meetings, we'll also consider a habitat enhancement project at Longleaf Center. We hope you can join us!

Picture days are this upcoming week!
We’re excited to welcome photographer Kathryn McRea back to campus for this year’s school pictures! Kathryn joined us last spring for preschool personality portraits, and her natural, joyful style was such a hit that we couldn’t wait to have her return.

Kathryn will photograph individual and sibling portraits as well as class pictures this year. Older siblings will join their younger sibling’s assigned day, for example, a 2nd grader with a Stargazer sibling will take their photos on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Class pictures will be taken on the group’s designated picture day. 

Families will have the option to purchase individual digital files or complete albums to print, post, and share however they wish.

Picture Day Schedule
Tuesday, October 21: Preschool
Wednesday, October 22: K–4th Grade
Thursday, October 23: 5th–8th Grade

You can preview Kathryn’s beautiful work on Instagram: @kathrynmcraephotography

Come one, come all to an all-time favorite FSW tradition, the Book Character Parade! 

On Wednesday, October 29th, students get to come to school dressed as their most beloved book character, and you can witness the creativity as we proudly gallivant our costumes through campus. 
The parade will start at 8:30 AM. 

Later that afternoon, is Fall Festival!
Parent volunteers are essential for making Fall Festival a success, so follow the link below if you want to sign up.

This is a day when spirits are high, costumes are spectacular, and students and faculty alike are full of enthusiasm. It's an event that you won't want to miss!

We are pleased to share that Happy Campers SLP, led by Micaela Camp, will soon be conducting a free speech screening for students in Stargazer 3’s and 4’s, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade. All students in Stargazer preschool through 1st Grade will be included in this opportunity.

If your child already receives speech services—either at school or outside—confirmed through our Learning Specialist, they will not participate in this screening.
If you prefer not to have your child screened, please contact our Learning Specialist, Michaela Shantry, at michaelas@fsow.org.

If the screening service shows a possible need for speech support, your family will receive a packet of information. It is up to your family if/where they proceed for further evaluation and services. We currently partner with two speech providers who come to FSW to work with some of our students and there are options to go through county resources through your local community school. 

We are delighted to provide this opportunity as this is the ideal age window to notice and support any challenges in speech and language development.

Speech and Language Screenings will be October 21st for Kindergarten and 1st grade, and October 22nd for Stargazer students. 

This fall at Longleaf Center, we are assessing the presence of invasive plants and beginning an eradication program for two problematic vines: Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and English ivy (Hedera helix). This effort will take several years to achieve and require seasonal monitoring to limit regrowth. 

Next week we'll consult with Steven Feuerstein of NC Invasive Plant Council to ensure we are following best practices in this work. The Council describes invasive plants as "non-native to the area, able to spread and reproduce rapidly, and cause harm to the environment, humans, or society." 

Thanks to Tuck Criswell, father of Usoa (3rd grade), for his dedication in helping us tackle this problem at Longleaf Center. Tuck is pictured here with one of our large Wisteria vines that is pervasive in the northeast corner of the property. For more information, or to join this effort, please contact Karen at karenl@fsow.org. 

Rob and his sixth grade science class stopped by Longleaf Center this week to check on our young trees in the Native Tree Nursery.

In less than two months, the "treelings" will leave their homes in the air-pruning boxes to be planted in one of several microforest sites around Wilmington -- or find a forever home in the yard of an FSW family!

Stay tuned for more info coming soon about our Community Tree Give-Away on Thursday, December 11th (same day as Night of Peace). 

This time of year, it's nearly impossible to walk anywhere on campus without encountering Gulf fritillary butterflies on the wing. You may see them alighting on nectar plants in one of our native gardens, or laying eggs on two different species of passion vine (Passiflora) that grow on our school grounds.

These beautiful orange butterflies with the silvery spots on the undersides of their wings follow seasonal migration patterns. After overwintering along the Gulf coast and peninsular Florida, they migrate north to establish summer breeding colonies. As temperatures drop in late autumn, remaining fritillaries may migrate to frost-free zones farther south. The adult butterflies aren't the only eye-catching life stage -- fritillary caterpillars are just as distinctive. Their bright orange bodies adorned with black prickly (and harmless) spines showcase the perfect Halloween costume.

Over the years, many students and teachers have enjoyed studying the Gulf fritillary life cycle both inside and outside their classrooms. Providing passion vine in campus gardens creates habitat for these important pollinators and endless learning opportunities for our community!

On Thursday, the 1st grade class completed their first service learning trip at Brightmore of Wilmington. They did a nature based craft with some of the residents, using dried florals from Caroline's recent wedding! They repurposed the flowers and greenery to make wreaths for the residents. 

Students in all Lower School and Middle School classrooms have service learning opportunities every month, and the nursing home is a favorite for many of us. The residents love the kiddos and the kids love them. One of our resident friends, Ms. Dolly, is 99 years old! 1st grade hopes to celebrate her 100th birthday with her in February.

Good Shepard Sign-Up Link

We're always looking for volunteers to help with our monthly dinner shifts at Good Shepard Center! Follow the link HERE to sign up for any of the upcoming shifts, now through January!
We serve on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 4:30-7:00 PM at 811 Martin Street.
Come lend a hand and be part of this meaningful community effort! 

Reducing Your Plastic Consumption- Little Changes Go a Long Way

Single-use packaging is a popular convenience these days, but it makes the waste accumulate at exponential rates. It can be easier to buy the 4-pack of individual cups of hummus, guacamole, yogurt, peanut butter, etc., to just grab-and-go, but think about how much plastic we could save if we bought the bulk package instead! It only takes an extra minute to portion out food into re-usable containers. Let's work together to keep our planet clean!