As we head into our final week of school for 2009, I find myself hoping that life just might slow down a little. The dance concert was a big success, and Annie is now in Wilmington celebrating her son's graduation from UNC-W. We will have only 2 days of classes this week, as Wednesday and Thursday are our Winter Service Days (see below). During our half-day on Friday, we will present our annual Upper School Talent Show, which is for the Upper School community only. We just don't have room to invite visitors. Meanwhile, I did want to share with you some Frances-related photos. Her fall term Advanced Biology class focused on permaculture. Frances's students built the cold frame you see here. Her winter term Cooking class is now using the yummy vegetables that are growing in the cold frame as they cook meals for the rest of us. Two weeks ago, we enjoyed vegetarian chili with a green salad. Last week, we had home-made macaroni and cheese with a green salad. What a treat!
Frances's freshman biology classes have been learning about cells. Using a Petri dish to represent the cell membrane of a eukaryotic cell, the freshmen made 3-dimensional representations of the organelles of the cell from colored clay. This activity really helped everyone to relate structure and function.
December is crunch time for our college counselor, Elise. She told me last week that every time she opens her office door, there is a line of students waiting to see her. Elise writes a detailed letter of recommendation for each senior. She also keeps track of all of the paper work that we send to colleges, which includes transcripts and letters of recommendation from teachers. She helps students with their essays and meets with them about their ever-changing (for some) college lists. College admissions officers call her for clarification about certain students. She makes herself available to students and parents through email and her cell phone. Meanwhile, she teaches two classes and meets with CFS grads who come to visit when they are home for winter break. Suffice it to say that January 1st (the deadline for many college applications) is a happy day for Elise!
WINTER SERVICE
As I mentioned, Wednesday and Thursday are our Winter Service Days. The call to service is one of our Quaker values and an important aspect of our Upper School education. As a part of our graduation requirements, students must get 2 community service credits each year. Most of our End-of-Year experiences are service based. During this time of year, we set aside 2 days for service. On Wednesday and Thursday, our students will be involved in the following activities: Eno River clean-up, gardening with SEEDS and at Duke Gardens, gleaning for the NC Food Bank, working for the Durham County Library, the Scrap Exchange, Carolina Tiger Rescue, and the Durham Land Trustees. A large group will be caroling in nursing homes and hospitals, while 2 groups will be working on campus. Just a reminder to parents that students should be dressed appropriately for the service in which they will participate.
UPPER SCHOOL RAVE
This announcement is hot off the press. The tech crew for the dance concert decided that the lighting was "so cool" that we needed to have a dance. This Thursday, from 8:30-11:00, we will host a RAVE in the Center. We have invited our most recent CFS grads to join in the fun. The donation is $5, which will be put towards the tech budget. Finances should not keep people away. We want everybody to come and have a great time! If the $5 is a problem, kids should talk to me and I will let them in.
More to come later this week. The lists for our End-of-Year program should be up by Friday at the latest. I hope to include some updates on our Winter Service days and the talent show. See you soon!
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