November 9, 2025

This is the time of year when life can become a mad-dash to the finish line, feeling like we have a million tasks to accomplish with no time to rest. Naturally, the colder months are meant for hibernation. Carving out a few moments each day to slow down, breathe, and reset is the secret for surviving the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. 

FSW knows how to have fun! The roots of a strong community start with parents gathering around the same table… or in this case the same OYSTER table. Huge thank you to everyone who donated to the annual fund and joined us for seafood, music, and laughter under the full moon and long leaf pines. 
Additional gratitude to Lexi, Tim, Rachel, and the rest of the PA for their tireless efforts to make this event a smashing success! 

As the weather cools and the daylight fades earlier each evening, many children experience emotional shifts that can surface as worry, restlessness, or mood changes. This time of year also marks a turning point in the school calendar: roughly a third of the way through the academic year, routines are well established, and some students may begin to feel a sense of sameness or even boredom. These patterns are normal but can be challenging for children who are still learning how to manage changing emotions and expectations.

The holiday season often adds another layer of excitement, anticipation, and sometimes pressure. Schedules fill up, families travel, and social interactions can feel complicated. It’s important to recognize that what looks like irritability or distraction may actually be a sign that a child is feeling anxious or overwhelmed. Encouraging children to talk about their feelings, maintain healthy routines, and spend time outdoors, even briefly in cooler weather, can make a significant difference.

As trees come down and new developments replace important wildlife habitat, the need for native plantings is more important than ever. If you're interested in transforming your yard into a place where wildlife can thrive, we invite you to join Meghan Sweeney, Karen Linehan, and the Green Team Book Club at Longleaf Cottage 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@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 at Longleaf Cottage:
Thursday, November 13th @ 8:00 - 9:30am or 
Sunday, November 16th @ 3:00 - 4:30pm. 
You can attend one or both sessions, but they will feature similar discussions. As a part of our meetings, we'll also consider a habitat enhancement project at Longleaf Center. We hope you can join us!

For more information about this workshop, read Time with Tony

Feeding Children. Fueling the Future.

In the spirit of the C in SPICE (Community), we are joining together to help support our local food banks, specifically NourishNC, who provide amazing food resources to children in our community. Bring your donations and help us spread kindness!

Drop-off boxes will be located at Preschool & Upper School buildings all week from November 10th - 14th. 

The list of needed items below was published by NourishNC to be used as a guide on what to donate. 

If you are looking for other ways to help support NourishNC, they also have an Amazon Wish List available.

Follow the QR code or click on the image-link to order yours today. 

Stargazer students visited our Native Tree Nursery this week to check on hundreds of tree seedlings, some of which they planted last January. Our baby trees will soon be ready for forever homes either in microforest sites or perhaps in your yard!

On Friday, December 5th, 2nd and 3rd grade students will plant trees including bald cypress, black gum, and several kinds of oaks along a tributary of Burnt Mill Creek near the campus of Peace Rose Montessori. Planting in microforest sites will continue over December 6th -7th. 

The following week, on Thursday, December 11th (same day as Night of Peace), we'll offer several hundred trees of diverse species to the Friends School community for a modest donation. There will be two opportunities that day to take home trees:
7:45am - 9:00am and 3:45pm - 4:45pm at Longleaf Center before Night of Peace begins.

Keep your eyes open for more info and a parent survey coming soon where you can indicate your preference for specific tree species and numbers. This gives us advance notice of how many trees to remove from our air-pruning boxes.
Contact Karen karenl@fsow.org if you would like to help with planting in microforest sites or our tree give-away!

Former, long-time Friends School faculty and staff members, Jane and Richard Lawrence, returned to Longleaf Center this week to remove invasive plants and establish a new trail.

The beloved couple began as parents at FSW in 1998 and continued as employees for more than 20 years. Jane co-founded the Stepping Stones program with Susan Willis in 2002 and went on to become our first preschool coordinator. She also started our Wednesday Weeders program and created many school traditions that continue today.

Richard became our first facilities manager after retiring as NC Director of Underwater Archaeology, a job he held for 35 years. In his final years at FSW, Richard managed the construction of our preschool and lower school buildings and was instrumental in helping the school acquire the property that became Longleaf Center.

Their passion for supporting children in outdoor play inspired the Lawrences to design the natural play elements on our lower school playground. Leaving behind a lasting legacy, Jane and Richard brought a nurturing influence to every aspect of campus life from our buildings and landscape to classroom celebrations. 

After retiring in 2021, the Lawrences have volunteered at Longleaf Center for the past four years, and helped create many of the forest trails on the property. They'll be back for more trail work on Tuesday mornings in November and December. Thank you to Jane and Richard for their many contributions to our school community for more than a quarter century.
We look forward to seeing them at Longleaf Center this fall!

We extend a warm welcome to Elliott Quinzi, who will be joining Stargazer Blue when we return from winter break in January. Elliott’s parents are Jessica and David, and his siblings are Lila and Gray.

We’re so very pleased to have the Quinzi family join the FSW community!

Good Shepherd Sign-Up Link

We're always looking for volunteers to help with our monthly dinner shifts at Good Shepherd 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!