Sunday, February 1, 2009

Week of February 2, 2009






















Welcome to February as we near the end of the Winter Term. Amelia's Sculpture classes have a display of final projects in the glass case in the Meeting Hall. I have included some of their projects in this blog. Owen Martin's message of hope is made of twigs and leaves. Kyle Gouchoe-Hanas's corn husk fairy flies on the wire stand that she created. Iris Carter-Schafer created an underwater scene completely out of yarn...and complete with a yarn row boat that floats around her fish bowl. Above those pictures, you can see some shots of the Improv show that was performed this past weekend. This was Guillermo's first time on stage. He followed Sam Schopler's direction well and evoked much laughter from the audience. We look forward to one final performance that this class will offer to the Upper School community next week. As we move through the next few days, we will pack in a variety of activities, final projects, exams, papers, and a brief look ahead to spring.
PARENT FORUM
Does your child have difficulty focusing for long periods of time? Does s/he have trouble prioritizing assignments, especially long-term assignments? Is it hard for your child to get from point A to poing B without getting distracted or losing something? Is careful organization a challenge for your child? If you have answered Yes to any or some of these questions, I hope you will join us Wednesday night in the Meeting Hall for our Parent Forum. We will Meet and Greet from 7:00-7:30, and our program will begin at 7:30. Russell Colver (Academic Coach) and Sarah Bryce (Psychiatrist) will present information about ADD, ADHD, depression, and anxiety, most specifically, but will also deal more generally with issues of organization, focusing, keeping track of assignments, etc. The purpose of this evening is to share information, answer questions, and talk about ways that parents can support/help their children. We hope you can make it...and be sure to bring your questions.
NEW SPRING TERM CLASSES
During the coming week, we will finalize spring term classes with our advisees. The following new classes are being offered:
***Our Bolivian Intern, Alicia, will offer a class in Bolivian Literature, which will also cover Bolivian history. Alicia says that she will cover other South American countries as well.
***Olivia (Rob LaVelle's sub) will stay with us through the spring term, after Rob's return to his Spanish classes. She will teach a class on Global Health Challenges, which is designed like an introductory college course in public health, aiming to give students a solid knowledge of the greatest contemporary global health challenges: Infectious diseases, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, and analytical methods in public health.
***Senior Philip Mayer, under Bryce's supervision, will teach a class in International Diplomacy. Philip will take a historical approach and cover the League of Nations, the UN, the EU, NATO, and the WTO. (What a great opportunity for Philip AND our other students!)
***Upper School parent Philip Gary will offer a class that he is calling Profiles in Courage. He will look at the Civil Rights movement through the study of lives in history, such as Ghandi, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others. Philip plans to welcome guess speakers to this seminar/discussion-based class.
SPORTS THIS WEEK
We have a full week of sports ahead, with away basketball games on Monday at the American Hebrew Academy, and Home games on Tuesday (The Elon School) and Friday (Westchester). We will also host a home swim meet at the Sportsplex in Hillsborough on Thursday at 5:00. Please join us for some of the best free entertainment around!
Have a great week. Only 9 days left of the Winter Term!

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