Week of October 26, 2009

I love this photo of the Upper School community in front of the Hello Friends sign. It was a beautiful fall day and everybody was happy to be on the deck. We had just had Bagel Tuesday, the Clerks Committee had just finished their meeting...all was good with our world.

The rest of these pictures are from Annie's 2nd period dance class. Her students had designed pieces in response to their visit to the Picasso exhibit at the Nasher Museum, which touched on the idea of putting images together so that they are viewed from multiple perspectives. Students were encouraged to "dare to be different." I was able to visit Annie's class, and I thoroughly enjoyed being an audience for these creative pieces.

I wanted to share news about Bryce's Primary Source papers in his junior US History classes. The first term paper in this class is intended to give students experience in the location, background research, and interpretation of one primary source document, from the period 1492-1900. Any type of document can be used: trial transcripts, legislation, newspaper article, journal, painting or other work of art. The intention of this paper is to "expose the student to the detective work which is both a requirement and a source of vast excitement for historians." What pleasantly surprised Bryce this year were the creative and innovative choices that many of his students made for their primary sources. He has enjoyed reading papers on the following topics (just to name a few): Battle Hymn of the Republic, an 1851 speech to the NC Medical Association on the origin of disease, the first American protest against slavery (1688-Mennonites), Olmsted's plan for Central Park, diary of a teenage girl on the Oregon Trail, and a diary entry on the massive 1835 fire in New York City. Fascinating!

VOLUNTEER WITH LEGAL AID of NC

We have a volunteer opportunity that is open to any interested parents and our junior and senior students. The Legal Aid of North Carolina will train interested volunteers to help people in need do their taxes. The training is online and will take place in either November or December. The volunteer work will be done one night/week at Legal Aid in downtown Durham between January and April. Spanish speakers would be especially helpful. If interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, please contact me at chuff@cfsnc.org.

FALL SYMPOSIUM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

The theme of our Fall Symposium this year is the Middle East. I am looking for parent volunteers who might be able to offer a workshop session between 10:00-12:15. Topics might include teaching Arabic or Hebrew, Religions of the Middle East (or choose one), Dancing, the education of girls, art projects, cooking...or a topic that you would like to suggest. If you know of someone who might be able to offer a workshop, please pass their names on to me. I am working with a student committee to plan this day. We are very excited about the topic and the many possibilities it offers.

HALLOWEEN

We will celebrate Halloween in good fashion on Friday. Each advisee group will enter a pumpkin in our pumpkin-carving contest. Prizes will be awarded for Scariest, Funniest, Best Staff Look Alike, and Best in Show. We will also have student and staff costume contests. Prizes will be awarded for individual costumes and for group performances. Halloween is a big day at the Upper School. Students don't understand why we have classes on this day...but we do!

Three weeks are left in the Fall Term. We are registering for Winter and Spring Term classes. Life seems to be flying by. Let's all stop, take a deep breath, and just enjoy the beautiful fall colors. As I write this blog, my window is open, the sun is shining, and the dogwood that is just outside my office is full of bright red berries. Dazzling and magnificent!

Week of October 19, 2009 (A short week!)

As promised, last week was quite full in the Upper School. The Meeting Hall went from a theatre space to Yoga to PSAT's for 80 students to staff development to Junior Night in the course of 24 hours. Below, you can see a relaxed moment during lunch on the steps. Can you spot our visiting Board member? She spent the morning and lunch with one of our students as a part of Take a Board Member to Lunch. We welcomed three Board members to the Upper School as a part of that activity.
Elise is addressing the juniors and their parents at our annual Junior Night. We were happy to welcome admission directors, Steve Farmer from UNC-Chapel Hill and Randy Doss from Guilford College, who shared their expertise with our families. Parents and students found this evening to be quite informative and helpful. Both Randy and Steve emphasized the need for parents to RELAX and enjoy the college discernment and application process.

As you know, last Wednesday afternoon was Staff Development time for our staff members. Our focus for the day was Technology. Here you can see Amelia getting acquainted with her newly donated large color printer. She is looking forward to being able to print students' digital photography.

Dave and Gustavo are working on Geometry Sketchpad. Dave was learning to use it for the first time. Gustavo was preparing worksheets for classes. He will be taking his Geometry classes to the computer lab to work on Sketchpad.

Tim, Frances, and Dylan enjoyed a lesson in Robotics with Sharon, our Director of Technology. They played with Lego robots by programming movements into their computers and seeing what they could get their robots to do. Other staff members created websites and wikis. Some worked on film editing. Our foreign language teachers were able to research intractive websites and textbooks. All in all, this staff development afternoon allowed our staff the time they often don't have to move forward in a variety of areas.

On Tuesday, we honored our four seniors on the soccer team, Shane, Tony, Aydin, and Tyson.

Happy students are Skyping a friend who was at home following his surgery. While waiting for his return to school, teachers were able to use Skype so that our home-bound student could "attend" his classes. Very cool!

PATRICK COOK DEEGAN

On Tuesday, Patrick Cook Deegan will address our community. In 2006, Patrick cycled 2,800 miles across Laos, Cambodia, and Burma to raise $22,500 to build a school in Laos with scholarships for girls. Patrick is an engaging young man who travels to schools in the US to share his story. We look forward to his return to CFS. For more information about Patrick, please go to his website at www.cycleforschools.com.

SENIOR PARENT POTLUCK

Just a reminder to senior parents about our potluck on Monday, from 6-8pm, in the Meeting Hall. Elise and Carrie will join you for conversation. Bring any questions/concerns that relate to being a parent of a senior.

PARENT CONFERENCES

In preparation for parent conferences, on Wednesday (staff workday) staff members will participate in a Round Robin when they will each meet with every other staff member to share news about students with their advisors. Conferences will be held on Thursday and Friday. Upper School staff members are looking forward to meeting with the parents of their advisees. Parents are encouraged to come to these conferences with any questions or concerns they may have about their children.

Have a great week. The fall colors are beginning to appear in our area. Acorns are falling like rain onto our house from our giant pin oak tree. Enjoy!

Week of October 12, 2009

Our fall advisee day proved to be a day of service for many groups. Not pictured here are Bob's group who blazed trails near West Point on the Eno, Tim & Sherri's group who worked at Welcome Baby in downtown Durham, and Elise's group who baked cookies all morning and delivered them to a variety of locations during the afternoon. Below, you can see some of our groups in action. Willy's group painted the bathrooms in the old building, complete with silver stars, moons, and suns. Very pretty!
Frances's group pounded in fence posts for a new fence to protect Frances's orchard alongside the baseball field.

Ken's group tackled a huge pile of mulch, which they distributed to the area between the Meeting Hall, the Resource Building, and the old building. What a difference!

Dave's group had a full-blown cookout, complete with burgers, bacon, and grilled onions. Even for a vegetarian like myself, those burgers looked and smelled pretty good. (No, I did NOT eat one!)

Senior Night at a volleyball game honored our senior players: Esther, Chloe, Sarah, and Emily.

Terry's Woodworking students are hard at work in the shop.

Chemistry test in action.

At this point, we are exactly halfway through the fall term. Papers are due this week in a variety of classes, and many tests/quizzes will be given. Student progress is being monitored and evaluated in preparation for Parent Conferences.

PARENT CONFERENCES

On Wednesday, October 21st, the staff will meet for the entire day to share information on every student. We will hold a Round Robin so that each staff member can meet with every other staff member. Information is shared with Advisors to prepare them for meeting with parents. Thursday and Friday, October 22-23, are set aside for parent conferences. We ask our parents to honor the fact that this time is designated for parents to meet with their child's advisor so they can receive pertinent information with regard to their child's progress in classes as well as participation in the Upper School community and advisee group. This is a great time for parents to come with questions and/or concerns. On behalf of the US staff, I encourage parents to make use of these days and not to ask advisors to re-schedule. Thank you in advance for working with us to make the best possible use of these Parent Conference time.

PSAT

The PSAT will begin at 8am on Wednesday morning in the Meeting Hall. We encourage students to get a good night's sleep and have a good breakfast. They should arrive at 8am with two #2 pencils, a calculator, and their Social Security number.

JUNIOR NIGHT

All juniors and parents of juniors are invited to Junior Night, Wednesday (Yes, a busy day for juniors!) from 7-9pm in the Meeting Hall. Our speakers are directors of admissions from UNC-Chapel Hill and from Guilford College in Greensboro. Elise will also talk about the college process at CFS. This is an important evening for junior families. Bring your questions!

CSI

A new group is born in the Upper School: the Celebrate Student Identity group. This group has grown out of the Essence affinity group for students of color. The CSI is open to all students and will be supervised by MS staff member Toni Williams and our own Jon Lepofsky. Some of our best ideas often come from students. I think this may be one of them.

I will close with the opening lines of Afreya's poem entitled

"Heritage"

I'm an African Jamaican and those are my roots

I'm a Guyanese African and that's the whole truth

I'm a Brooklynite in Durham and this is my proof

That everyone has a heritage and needs to learn it--no excuse

As I sit back and think about the lines that I'm writing

Barack is sitting, thinking how to solve problems without fighting

And a black kid is learning more and feeling enlightened

We have come a long way from the hoses and the biting...

What an opening! Thank you, Afreya.

Week of October 5, 2009

Bear Night was a huge success. Fifty students donated over $200 to Father Tony's ministry, and a very good time was had by all!

The tetherball court was originally a student idea. Two CFS grads designed and built it. They would be happy to know that it gets lots of use. During every Break and lunch, students are waiting in line to play.

Amelia's Drawing & Painting students are receiving instruction in the art studio.
Frances's Advanced Biology: Permaculture class is preparing the land in back of the Meeting Hall for a cold frame. This class is studying ecology and designing an ecological garden.

Bob is tutoring students on the deck.

Fancy Friday has become a weekly event. These students and one dapper staff member have dressed up for the occasion.

Jon's advisee group is enjoying lunch at a picnic table for their advisee time. In the Upper School, we have advisee time every Friday during lunch, from 12:15-1:35.

Here is a picture of Father Tony with our students and Tim at the Episcopal Ministry in Newton Grove. Susan was taking the picture.

We are looking ahead to a very full week in the Upper School.

PICTURE DAY

Wednesday, October 7th. No need to order pictures on this day. Once you receive the proofs, then you may order copies.

OUTDOOR ACADEMY PRESENTATION for FRESHMEN

The Outdoor Academy offers a semester-long educational experience in the mountains for sophomores. Each year, a representative comes to CFS to make a presentation to the freshmen. This year's presentation will be made during lunch on Thursday.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

Our Back to School Night is Thursday, from 7-9pm. Our Parent Liaisons will host a social time from 6:30-7:00 when you are invited to meet and greet one another. In response to feedback from last year's Back to School Night, parents will visit their children's periods 1-6, when most of the core academic classes meet. Consequently, we will have a very tight schedule. Please plan to arrive on time so we can get you to class on time!

ADVISEE DAY

Our fall advisee day is Friday, October 9. Many groups have planned service work in addition to fun. Your child's advisor should be communicating with you about their group plans. Service projects include the following: Chapel Hill Early School, fencing for a new orchard at CFS, Eno River clean-up, and painting the bathrooms in the old log cabin building. Building community is at the core of our philosophy. As we state in our US Community Affirmation, "A community like this does not just exist; it is created and actively maintained." US staff members continue to affirm that the time we take to get to know one another and bond in advisee groups on days like this advisee day is time well spent.

IN THE WORDS OF A STUDENT...

Guillermo is teaching a class in Poetry and Music. I thought I would conclude this blog with a section of Jamilah's poem, "What is Poetry?" (I'm not sure what this blog will do to Jamilah's spacing. I will do my best to keep it true. Enjoy!)

Poetry, lines to capture the mind

Poetry

A sense of space and time

Looking deep inside not just to rhyme but to subtly comment on one another's

state of mind and find a way to consume feelings,

Without damage to release built up tension that the mind itself cannot manage

Poetry...

Thank you, Jamilah! Have a great week everybody.