Week of November 1, 2010

Happy Halloween! Once again, my photos are having a mind of their own. I will tell you about our Halloween celebration in the Upper School, and you can see if you can find some of the people I am talking about. We had a pumpkin carving contest by advisee group. Dylan's group won Funniest and Best Teacher Look-alike (see below). Elise's group took Best in Show with their daisy pumpkin (also below). We had three costume contests: Individual students, Individual staff members, and Groups. Above, you can see Asante dressed as Ken and teaching a French class. Somewhere below, you will find Ken dressed as Asante, talking to Hannah.
Here is Jon auditioning for the American idol judges. Miles and Samantha are doing a skit from Glee. Emma and Nick are auditioning for American Idol. Tasha, Emily, Anna, Zoe, Molly, and Mariah were an adorable group of nerds.





Jonas was amazing on his stilts. Julia and Alison were our trusty mc's. Here is a group of staff members: Dave, Ken, Elise, Allison, and Susan. Somehow, Daniel and his alter ego, Philip, got separated from the Halloween pix by the soccer players. You don't want to miss them.









































As the fall sports season comes to an end, I have included some great soccer shots that were taken by parent Brian Whittier. The following students were named to all-conference in the following sports: X-Country--Alexander K and Alex G; Soccer--Isaac and Dani; Tennis--Ellie; and Volleyball--Zoe. Congratulations to all of our fall teams on great seasons!

LYSISTRATA
The Advanced Acting class invites you to an evening of laughter and fellowship as they present the classic Greek comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes. There will be an open dress rehearsal on Wednesday, November 3rd and two performances on November 4th and 6th at 7:30pm in the Meeting Hall. Due to language and themes, this play is rates PG-14.

FALL SYMPOSIUM
We are still looking for parents to lead workshops at our fall symposium on Monday, November 15th. Our theme is Current Events. We are looking for people who can talk about the environment, food politics, the implications of this November's election results, the economy, and current US wars. If you can present a workshop on one of these topics and are available on the morning of November 15th, please contact me at chuff@cfsnc.org.

LAST DAY OF FALL TERM IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11.
WE HAVE A STAFF WORKDAY ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12. NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON THE 12th.

Week of October 11, 2010

Last week, our volleyball teams dressed in pink and held bake sales to raise money for Volley for the Cure, with a focus on breast cancer awareness. They raised $370 by selling their yummy goods. On Friday night at Volley for the Cure, they played Burlington Christian Academy and won 3 games to 1. As one of the parents stated, "We are proud of their sportswomanship!" The top picture is our varsity team. Just below that is our jv team. You can also see some wonderful action shots taken by parent Rachel Anderson.

Back to School Night was a great success. We were thrilled to welcome so many parents to the Upper School. Here, you can see 2/3 of our senior jazz trio who performed along with our wonderful Quaker N'Oats (below). There were so many singers that we couldn't capture all of them in one photo from the front row. We actually have over 20 singers. Right now, the group is rehearsing a Glee arrangement of Lean on Me, with the jazz trio as accompaniment. We will perform this number at our fall symposium in November.

PSAT

Just a reminder about the PSAT, which will be given in the US Meeting Hall at 8am on Wednesday morning. Students should bring 2 pencils, calculators, and Social Security numbers. We hope that students will arrive at 7:45 so we can start on time at 8:00.

JUNIOR NIGHT

Another reminder for juniors and their parents. Junior night is this Wednesday from 7-9pm in the Meeting Hall. This will be an information-packed evening. You won't want to miss it.

NOON DISMISSAL ON WEDNESDAY

We will have a noon dismissal on Wednesday for staff development. The staff will meet from 1-5 in a program that is being planned by the Diversity Committee. (As you can see, Wednesday is a jam-packed day!)

ALL-GIRLS SLEEPOVER

Yes, that's all the US girls! Friday at 7:30pm in the Meeting Hall. This evening is being planned by our senior women for all of the girls. They are planning snacks, talks, games, and movies. Girls should bring sleeping bags and pillows. This evening will be chaperoned by some brave and caring US parents.

STUDENTS STEP UP

It is our hope that students will take ownership of their learning. When we are able to witness students taking ownership and truly stepping up, it puts a big smile on my face. I have observed some amazing discussions in the QSA (Queer-Straight Alliance), the Environmental Club, and in Clerks (our form of student government). Members of the QSA have been focusing on identity and asking themselves challenging questions: How do you identify yourself? What is gender? What does "pride" really mean? Why change our name to the Queer-Straight Alliance instead of the Gay-Straight Alliance? Meanwhile, the Environmental Club is searching for ways to help our community be more deliberate about stewardship--collective responsibility. I know one thing for sure--We are in good hands!

Week of October 4, 2010

Dave Cesa's group at the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool.


Here are some memories of a very hot and most wonderful trip to Washington, DC. The record temperature reached 95 degrees as our students trekked from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, from the Smithsonian Museums to the Vietnam Memorial. Bob reported his best experience yet at the Natural History Museum with his Geology class. Susan visited the Holocaust Museum with her Holocaust and Human Behavior class plus 20 other students. Some advisee groups went as far as China Town and the Zoo, while others participated in an advisee group scavenger hunt. Here, you can see some scavenger hunt photos. Dave Cesa and his group can be seen in the reflection pool and at the Lincoln Memorial.

Here is Frances's group looking out at the Washington Memorial...and reflected in the pool.
Gustavo's group stops for a photo in the sun. WARNING: I cannot get this blog to behave today. I doubt that any pictures will be with the correct caption. Keep scrolling down to find Gustavo's group. I cannot get them to go where I want them!

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 7-9PM
We look forward to seeing you at our Back to School Night this Thursday. We will meet in the Meeting Hall. Refreshments will be available from 6:30-7:00. We hope to start promptly at 7pm with some entertainment by students and information from staff. At 7:30, parents will begin their evening of visiting periods 1-6 to meet their children's teachers and hear about classes. Please make time to join us for this important evening.

PREPARING FOR THE PSAT
The PSAT will be given on Wednesday, October 13th at 8am in the Upper School. In preparation for this practice exam, LS parent Rich Tapper is offering a free review session for all interested students this Wednesday evening from 6-8pm in the Meeting Hall. We hope that many of our students will take advantage of this generous offer.

HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH THE BLOG THIS WEEK. IT KEEPS TELLING ME THAT IT CAN'T SAVE AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PUBLISH. JUST IN CASE, I WILL STOP NOW, TRY TO PUBLISH WHAT I HAVE SO FAR, AND CONTINUE LATER THIS WEEK. OCTOBER IS A VERY FULL MONTH IN THE LIFE OF THE UPPER SCHOOL. I WANT TO BE SURE TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT SAFELY AND CORRECTLY.