December 7, 2025

Welcome back, Friends!
December is well known as a -doozy- of a month, but we're one week down and off to an incredible start! With another successful Day of Giving in the books, and our most beloved Night of Peace on the horizon, we are feeling oh-so joyful.

Thank you!!! For all of the generous donations made toward our annual fund on Giving Tuesday this past week. If you were able to keep up with our updates throughout that day, you may have seen this video montage already, but it's worth a second (and third, and fourth) watch. Our students sure do love their school, and we love being here! 

We are well on our way to reaching our annual fund goal!
Click the button below if you've not yet had a chance to donate and would still like to.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Annual Fund, whether before or during our very successful Day of Giving on Tuesday. We’re already at 55% of our annual goal, and we’re not even halfway through the year. What a great reflection of our community’s generosity and care for our school.

This stretch between Thanksgiving and Winter Break is always an interesting one in schools. There’s a lot of excitement as students and teachers look ahead to the holidays and time with family. At the same time, there’s some fatigue, too. Teachers have just wrapped up progress reports, students are counting down the days, and for some, this season can stir up deeper emotions, memories of loved ones or distance from family and friends. It’s a mix of joy and reflection, which is part of what makes this time of year somewhat unsettling.

It’s also a good reminder to be gentle with one another. We never really know what someone else might be carrying, so approaching every exchange with kindness and thoughtfulness matters. Earlier this week, after a long day, I sent a quick text to a colleague just to check in. My intention was kind, but what I didn’t think about was that it landed after work hours, right when that person probably needed to unplug. It was a good reminder for me that even well-intentioned communication needs to respect boundaries.

As we move toward Winter Break, I hope we can all take a little extra care with how we communicate. With our students, colleagues, and families. I remember being told early in my teaching life to write that tough email, but hold off on sending it until the next day. More often than not, I’d wake up with a slightly different perspective and send a more thoughtful version.

Our students are always watching and listening. They notice not just our words but our tone, our body language, and the way we handle tough moments. If we can lead with empathy, honesty, and respect, then even in our busiest or most stressful times, we’ll show them what it means to “Let our Lives Speak.”

Thank you for all of the many donations we've received so far!
This Wednesday, December 10th is the last day to drop off items for the Free Christmas Shop drive.

Last call to drop off items specifically for the Stocking Drive will be Monday, December 8th, and students will be assembling stockings on Wednesday, December 10th.

If you are interested in volunteering to help that day, please reach out to Lexi at pa@fsow.org. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year at FSW - Night of Peace has finally arrived! 

Join us Thursday evening for a collection of joyful performances by all of our students.
It'll be a chilly night, so be sure to dress in your coziest (and most festive) holiday attire. 

Parking will be available on the field beside the basketball court, and access to campus will only be available through Peiffer gate. Camellia gate will close at 4:30 PM.

Performances begin at 5:00 PM, and remember that our Native Tree Give-away is happening that afternoon from 2:30-4:30 PM, so feel free to arrive early and grab your tree!

We'll see you under the twinkle lights!  

We are excited to offer more than 20 species of native tree seedlings at our first ever FSW tree give-away! All of the trees were grown from seeds that were collected by our community and planted by students last winter in our Native Tree Nursery. 

Trees will be available to pick up during two time frames at Longleaf Center:
7:30 - 9:00 AM
& 2:30 - 4:30 PM

We are accepting optional donations and suggest $5 per household when you pick up your trees. Cash or checks are preferred, but Venmo and a QR code for an online checkout form will also be available. 

To help us plan and prepare the tree seedlings, please consider completing the FSW Tree Give-away survey. Let us know what tree species you prefer and how many of each you would like. 

We also still need volunteers to help prepare our trees on Wednesday morning, December 10th, as well as during our tree give-away time frames on December 11th. 

Learn more about the different types of tree species we're offering

A few weeks ago, Bryan Stephany, former assistant United States Attorney, was joined by a local FBI agent to conduct a workshop for our parent community centered on Internet Safety. They spoke about trends in safety issues with everything from video games and group chats to online dating and bullying.

Bryan touched on many important concepts, including the direct impact that excessive screen time has on children's mental health, as well as the importance of parental supervision over video games with chat features, like Roblox and Minecraft. 

Stay tuned as we share more ways parents can get involved in intentional, collective action around supporting our students with screen time and online activities.

Bryan provided a PDF form with all of the information from this workshop, so follow the link below if you would like to learn more! 

For information about the tree species we are offering, check out the list of our offerings here, and use the species Search function on the NCSU Plant Toolbox. 

The trees will be presented as bare-root seedlings, wrapped in moist newspaper. You can access a short video here to learn more about planting bare-root trees. 

Would you like to help prepare trees on Wednesday, December 10th or help with our tree give-away sessions on December 11th?
If so, please access our SignUp Genius to join the fun. 

Thanks to former FSW parent, Jennifer Biringer, for her leadership in establishing our Native Tree Nursery project last year. This project was made possible through the generous support of New Hanover County Cooperative Extension, Friends of the Arboretum, and Alliance for Cape Fear Trees. Additional thanks to our faculty, staff, parent volunteers, and all of our students who continue to nurture our trees and prepare them for their forever homes!

Earlier this week, Fifth-grade students were surprised to discover a male eastern box turtle emerging from a mound of pine straw at Longleaf Center. After staying overnight in the cottage, the turtle participated in several lessons with First-, Second-, and Third-grade students. We are happy to report he was released on Friday afternoon during a light rain!

Native to deciduous woodlands, eastern box turtles are the official state reptile of NC and one of the longest lived vertebrates in North America. They spend their whole lives (which can stretch to 75+ years in age!) living within close proximity to their original nest site. They remember sources of food, water and shelter throughout their home territory. As temperatures drop in the fall, box turtles seek shelter in rotten logs or shallow burrows where they undergo a period of brumation until warm weather returns.

We appreciate the presence of box turtles on our school campus and enjoy seeing a variety of male and females. Our wooded areas at Longleaf Center are an important part of their habitat.  

Prepare for MLK Day! 

Our MLK Day Community Celebration is right around the corner!!

If you have MLK shirts that you've outgrown and would like to donate to another family, please drop them off to the front desk by Wednesday, December 10th.

An FSW t-shirt swap table will be available during Night of Peace on December 11th. 

Got wrap scraps?

Before tossing those loose pieces of ribbon, garland, and wrapping paper, think about all the fun ways they could be repurposed!

Tie scraps around jars and candles, create bookmarks or paper & ribbon chains. Feeling bored and brave? Create a wall-art masterpiece!
The design featured here uses simple materials to make useful and environmentally-conscious home decor.

Looking for ideas? Check out any of these articles!
Creative Ways to Display Holiday Cards
No-Sew Scrap Fabric Projects
Sustainable Winter Crafts

Credit to Tiny Trailblazers spearhead and preschool parent, Lyndsay Schubert for the sustainability inspiration this week!

Have any helpful hints about living sustainably that you'd like to share? We want to hear it!! Send your ideas to mariyam@fsow.org to be featured in this column.