Surprise visit on March 27, 2009

I know I said that you wouldn't hear from me until after spring break, but I just couldn't resist. As you may know, Jon and Susan's Capstone class started the Adopt a Box campaign for the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Newton Grove. This wonderful ministry, headed by Father Tony, responds to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families. Advisee groups have been invited to adopt a box and fill it with personal and household items that are badly needed. Dylan's Building Tech class is building the boxes, which are unfinished. Susan brought lots of wonderfully bright shades of paint for advisee time today. As you can see by the photos, students had a great time painting their boxes. Brynna seems to have done a lovely job of painting her hands as well! Families are also welcome to adopt a box. The most artistic box above was painted by school parent Courtney Munroe. If you are interested in adopting a box, please contact Susan at skincaid@cfsnc.org.

I also included a photo of four of the books in the Jacky Faber adventure stories by E.L. Meyer. A few weeks ago, I was in need of some light reading. I shared with some students that I couldn't decide between starting the Harry Potter books from the beginning or delving into the Twighlight series. Sarah and Julia grabbed my arm and steered me to the Fiction section of the library and pointed to the Jacky Faber books. "You will LOVE these books!" So, I decided to try book #1, Bloody Jack. I am now in book #4, In the Belly of the Bloodhound, and I can't put them down. Jacky is smart, adventurous, funny, loving, loyal, and resourceful. I couldn't help but fall in love with her. Never let it be said that we don't learn from our students. I learn from them every day.

Have a great week!

Week of March 23, 2009

As you might be able to tell from a couple of these photos, this will be Elise's last week before she goes on maternity leave. In one shot, she is experiencing the laying on of the hands from her trusty advisees who gave her a baby shower this weekend. In the other photo, Elise is sharing important information with regard to our college process with parents of freshmen and sophomores. The positive feedback from this informative gathering suggests we should definitely do it again. Two of these photos show the basket weaving process that is being taught by Willy. As the weather gets nicer, our basket weavers enjoy sitting in the sun and working on their baskets. I also included a shot of the students in our Princeton Review class who are hard at work on Wednesday night. In the other more joyful picture, you can see happy students sharing a laugh on the deck.

FRIENDS SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE

This weekend we hosted 32 students and 4 staff members from the Friends School of Baltimore. After spending their spring break working for Habitat for Humanity in Miami, this group left for home at 4am Saturday morning. They arrived at CFS 14 hours later, ready for some pizza and a good night's sleep in our Meeting Hall. We quickly realized that our schools had much in common, which came as no surprise. Next year, when they plan a repeat trip, the Upper School may become more actively involved. We discussed the possibility of sending a group to go with them. At the very least, they will plan a longer stay at CFS so we can get to know each other better.

NCAIS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Next Sunday, Jon and I will take a group of 18 Upper School students to Charlotte for the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools Student Inclusivity and Leadership Conference, which will be held on Monday, March 30th. Students from Jon's African American History class will present a workshop. The rest of our students will attend workshops and have the opportunity to interact with students from across the state. MS teachers Toni Williamson and Christel Greiner and 4 MS 4th years will also join us.

JUNIOR RETREAT

After a day of "rest" on Tuesday, Bob, Dylan, Jon, and I will take off for Quaker Lake with the juniors for our annual junior retreat. Leaving after school on Tuesday, we will return at noon on Wednesday, April 1st. This retreat offers juniors the opportunity to begin to think ahead to their senior year as they share specific ideas about ways they hope to lead the Upper School when they return as seniors for the 2009-2010 school year. We have found this experience to be important for the junior class. During this retreat, we plant the seed of leadership as the realities of their approaching senior year begin to take shape. Very exciting!

ALL-SCHOOL MEETING FOR WORSHIP

On Wednesday April 1st at 10:35am, all units of the school will once again come together for an all-school Meeting for Worship. We shared a Meeting such as this in November and found it to be quite meaningful for all ages. With the Lower School sitting in the center, surrounded by Middle School students, and Upper School students encircling the group, we will light candles for the Early Schools and share 30 minutes of silence together. During this Meeting, our image of community, which often includes each individual unit, will be broadened to include the the school as a whole. Together, we will share the power of silence.

Due to my trips to Charlotte and Quaker Lake, I won't attempt a blog until after spring break. Enjoy the spring weather, and I'll see you in April!

Week of March 16, 2009

Welcome to a wet and rainy weekend in North Carolina. As I often include photos of specific events that are occurring in the life of the Upper School, I thought for this week that I would get some shots of what we do best--teach and learn! You can see Jon preparing for his classes, Guillermo helping students in Spanish, Gus helping a student in precal, Bob teaching chemistry, and two students studying in my office. These photos are truly representative of life in the Upper School. As we settle in to our spring term classes, I have heard many students express excitement about what they are doing in class. Two of my advisees never want to miss IPS (Introduction to Physical Science with Bob) because "it's our favorite class and we are learning so much!" Music to my ears. (Speaking of specific events, our Ultimate Frisbee team beat Chapel Hill High last week. They were very excited.)

GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL

Congratulations are in order for two of our students who were accepted to the Governor's School program for this summer: Naomi Baumann-Carberey in English and Hannah Anderson-Baranger in Math. The Governor's School of North Carolina is the oldest statewide summer residential program for academically or intellectually promising high school students in the nation. The academic environment of the Governor's School thrives upon the intellectual curiosity of students and faculty alike. Classes blend intellectual discussion with practical application of theory. The two GS campuses are alive with visiting speakers, performances, exhibitions, fieldtrips, demostrations, optional seminars, and film series. Naomi and Hannah are looking forward to a great experience.

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES

Although it is still early with regard to the college acceptance calendar (most colleges send out their final decisions at the end of March), all but 3 of our seniors have already been accepted to at least one college. Many of our seniors applied for early decision this year, which meant finding out by November and December. Students who have already made their decisions will be attending Davidson, Colorado College, Wesleyan, George Washington, Connecticut College, Grinnell, Middlebury, and Gardner Webb. Other acceptances include UNC-CH, Guilford, NC State, Wooster Politechnical Institution, American, Case Western Reserve, and Earlham...just to name a few. In the next few weeks, many more envelopes will be arriving in the mail with college acceptance information. Good luck to our seniors as they make these important decisions.

FRESHMAN/SOPHOMORE COLLEGE NIGHT

Just a reminder that Elise and I will be meeting with the parents of freshmen and sophomores to share information about our college process and to help parents and students think about what they can be doing now, as they look forward to college in the future. We will meet in the Meeting Hall at 7pm on Wednesday night.

NOON DISMISSAL TUESDAY

We will have a noon dismissal on Tuesday for Staff Development. If your child is involved in Footloose, we have planned a singing rehearsal from 12:30-3:00 in the Center. I promised to provide pizza for their lunch. The band will also rehearse with Drew in the Hut.

Have a great week. Enjoy the dazzling Bradford Pears and radiant Forsythia!

Week of March 9, 2009

Early Footloose Rehearsals

Cabaret 2009

Busy, busy weekend! We had a huge crowd for our Cabaret Saturday night and a really good time was had by all. Such amazing talent! The three bottom pictures highlight the Boys Loco (Joseph and Miles), Xin and Reut (Mathematical Pi), and our fabulous MC's, Sam and Molly. Thanks so much to all who came and contributed to our End of Year service projects. The top three pictures were taken Sunday afternoon at one of our early Footloose rehearsals. You can see Annie teaching a dance move while Susan is checking the script with two of our actors. At the top, a group of actors strike a serious pose. Even with the time change, a late Saturday night, an 80-degree day, and the Duke-UNC game, we had 30 dancers (of all ages!) working through the afternoon. (Yes, they were out in time for the game!)

STUDENT TEACH IN WEDNESDAY
Our Student Teach-In is one of our favorite days of the year. The only problem is that the staff is not around to enjoy it! We will be off campus working on curriculum for next year. Mike Hanas and Bob Druhan (by special permission) will be on hand as an adult presence. The students will be in charge. Juniors and seniors have signed up to teach classes. On Tuesday, staff members will meet with their student subs to discuss class plans. It has been our experience that this day runs smoothly, and the students really feel that they have taken responsibility for their learning.

TIME TO ORDER YEARBOOKS

It is time for students to reserve their 2008-09 Upper School Yearbook. Yearbooks cost $40 when reserved before Spring Break (April 3rd). After Spring Break the price will be $45. Checks should be made out to CFS. Order forms are on Willy's counter.

REMINDERS: WHAT'S COMING UP?

Tuesday, March 17 Noon dismissal for Staff Development

Wednesday, March 18 Freshman/Sophomore College Night (7pm)

Tuesday, March 24 Learning Outside the Lines program for students with LD/ADHD

This program is for parents as well. (www.unc.edu/asp)

Saturday, March 28 Sophomore Retreat in Newton Grove (Watch for letter from Susan)

Monday, March 30 North Carolina Assoc. of Independent Schools student leadership

conference in Charlotte. Some US students attending.

Have a great week. There is lots going on in the Upper School--lots of opportunity for dinner table talk!

Week of March 2, 2009

Welcome to the beautiful month of March. As the saying goes, March comes in like a lion--very true this year, as we await possible snow and ice! The group shots above were taken of the Varsity basketball teams on the afternoon before their State Tournament games. As you can see, these were candid shots taken on the spur of the moment, so we were missing a couple of players. I included a photo of Miles and Chris performing to remind everyone of our big Cabaret that is coming up this Saturday night at 7:30. You can see a shot of Yearbook Editor Susannah and Yearbook staff member Esther working on the final stages of the Yearbook. Yearbooks will be going on sale very soon. The last picture is of junior Sarah Nydick Cheshire who just won a regional Scholastic Art and Writing Award from the Alliance for Young Artists for 2 poems and a piece of journalism. Sarah will now be entered into the national competition. Good luck, Sarah!

CABARET

As mentioned, our annual Cabaret will be held Saturday night at 7:30 in the Center. We have lots of wonderful talent lined up for this 2-hour, family-friendly show. Our talent comes from US students, staff, family members, and alums. Drinks and desserts will be on sale. If you would like to donate baked goods, please contact Frances at fbrindle@cfsnc.org. The US Cabaret is our one community-wide fundraiser to raise money for our End of Year service projects. We hope you can join us for this great evening.

FRESHMAN PARENT MEETING

The theme for this gathering is Coming Together as a Community/Parenting Teenagers at CFS. Parents will meet in the Meeting Hall on Tuesday night at 7:00. (Refreshments from 7:00-7:30, Meeting from 7:30-9:00) The discussion will be facilitated by Mindy Oshrain, MD. Mindy is a freshman parent and a psychiatrist who works with adolescents.

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE LINES

This Seminar for Academic Achievement is sponsored by the Academic Success Program for Students with LD/ADHD, a learning center program at UNC-CH. This program will be held on March 24th, from 1-4:30pm at the Carolina Club, Alumni Hall and is open to parents and students. The Keynote speaker is Jonathan Mooney, one of the authors of Learning Outside the Lines. Mooney, an honors graduate with dyslexia from Brown University, will offer students with LD/ADHD tools for educational achievement. I have read and loved this book. This seems like a great opportunity. For more information, visit www.unc.edu/asp or call 962-7227.

CFS COMMUNITY READ: CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-SINNER: Tracking Down the Sources of my Stuff.

The next book discussion will be held this Thursday from 7-8:30 at the Open Eye Cafe, Carrboro. The moderator will be our own Jon Lepofsky. According to folks who have read it, this book is eye-opening and a good read, even if you choose a few chapters.

Have a great week. Keep warm and dry. I'm off to a Footloose rehearsal!