Thank You, Parents!

 Dear Upper School Parents: Thank you sooooo much for the delightfully yummy lunch that you prepared for us last week. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food that was so lovingly prepared by you.

 I hope you enjoyed your student-led parent conferences as much as we did. When students know that they will be leading their own parent conferences, they truly step up and engage more actively in the learning process. During these student-led meetings, our partnership in learning expands to include advisors-teachers-parents-students, which helps us to get one step closer to our goal of students being responsible for their own learning.

 As you can see, we have many dishes, bowls, and other containers that have been left behind. If you recognize something that belongs to you, please ask your child to pick it up for you.

 Thank you, again, for our wonderful lunch!

 Welcome to spring term!

More of Make it, Do it, Learn it!

 This group went to the farm of Larry Bohs and Libby Searles-Bohs to learn about sustainable farming. Many of these students are seriously interested in sustainable farming. Yesterday's visit may turn into internship experiences for some and summer jobs for others.

 Thanks to Libby and Larry for taking the time to welcome our students to their farm.

 Caleb is a member of the Senior Service class. The members of this class spent the winter term building this outdoor classroom space that was designed by Rob LaVelle. Caleb is sitting on one of the benches that they completed during Spring Symposium.

 Emma and Abe lead a weekly Current Events Club at school. During Spring Symposium, their group created this bulletin board, which they will continue to update during the spring term.

Parents, we look forward to seeing you on Thursday and Friday for parent conferences. Just a quick reminder about Pizza/Bagel order forms and payments, which are due by Friday. Another reminder about yearbooks, which are still on sale for $45. Once they are sold out, they are truly sold out. We cannot order extras. Please see Tomeiko for either of these forms.

Make it, Do it, Learn it! 2.18.13

 What is happening in the Upper School this morning? Our Spring Symposium began with a variety of workshops. Here, you can see US parent, Becky Lenchek, working with students who are learning to quilt, the old fashioned way--no machines.

 In the Center, Ronnie West is teaching Hip Hop routines to a large group of excited students.

 In the gym, a group is learning how to play field hockey before moving on to volleyball.

 US parent, Kim Fraser, is working with the Pastry Making group. Here, you can see them making donuts.

 There was a good deal of flour flying around!

 The Yearbook staff is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the yearbook. Here, you can see Josh adding some artwork to a page.

 Yearbook editors, Emma and Rosie, are closely reviewing every page before sending the Yearbook to the printer.

We have a group out at David Gould's house, learning pottery. Another group is at the Searles-Bohs farm, learning about Sustainable Farming. Jim Henderson took the Zen Meditation group to Frances Brindle's quiet, zen-like house for silent meditation. We are having a great day! More to come about Spring Symposium...

Environmental Club Panel

 Congratulations to Davi and the Environmental Club for the very successful panel discussion that they hosted last week. Members of the panel included Mig Little Hayes, Anna Lynch, John McGovern, Michael Bonsignore, Tommy Johnson, Anthony Clay, and our very own Frances Brindle.

 The students wanted to hear about the school's vision with regard to the environment, most specifically climate change. The time was too short, and we look forward to future discussions. Davi reports that the Environmental Club had a very active and passionate meeting following this panel.

This type of leadership among students is exactly what we cultivate and hope for in the Upper School. Thank you Davi and Environmental Club for your outstanding leadership. We look forward to hearing about what's next on your agenda.

Senior Forum heads to NYC

 Notes from Philip:

Had a wonderful morning at the Downtown Manhattan Club. Breakfast was nice (very old school) and Linda Sutkin (the Wall Street Access Managing Director) was so impressed by the young ladies. After a session on issues on global finance, responding to a question, Linda spoke at length about getting to the upper echelons in finance as a woman. She dispelled lots of myths about the "kind of person" who can make it...and the upshot was all five of our students would be great candidates.  She talked school and goals with the ladies and told them if they had any questions to please feel free to be in touch.  We then walked (rainy Monday) to the NYSX and were shown around by a really nice young associate.

This afternoon we took the bus uptown to
42nd Street and walked over to Grand Central Station. We checked it
out and had a stand-up lunch before walking over to the
NY Public Library...truly one of the worlds great libraries! The ladies
were impressed with the reading rooms and found some interesting
works. In terms of one in Latin, I told Jenna that we needed Mike!!  A
shout out to Maria for translating some of the French for us.

From there we walked up 5th Avenue, got a little pick-us-up at
Godiva and walked up to Trump Towers.

Basketball Conference Tournament begins at CFS

 As I write this blog, the very first practice is taking place in the newly completed Quaker Dome! Very exciting! The Girls and Boys Varsity teams are preparing for the first round of Conference play tomorrow night, which will be hosted by CFS. The girls play at 5:30. The boys play at 7:00. Come on out and cheer our teams. Go Quakers!

 Feel free to stop by and take a peak at our newly renovated Quaker Dome. This beautiful new space will make a big difference in the lives of our on-campus students. We are very grateful for the opportunity to plan for classes, rehearsals, practices, and meetings in this space.

Last week of winter term!

 Here is our team of energetic students who attended the Quaker Youth Leadership Conference at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, last week. (William, George, Josh, Eliza, and Shauna) As we discussed this experience on the ride home, all of our students agreed that it was valuable and worthwhile. They especially enjoyed their student-led discussions and workshops. We also participated in service projects and visited museums. The theme of this year's conference was Creating a Climate of Change.

 Here are William, Josh, and Eliza enjoying dinner with students from other Quaker schools.

George attended a workshop on the Friends Council on National Legislation. George's poster says, "I am a young citizen. We're spending too much on the Pentagon and not enough on Sustainable Energy."

REMINDER: CFS BLOOD DRIVE, WEDNESDAY from 2-6:30 in the Meeting Hall. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Tomeiko Carter at tcarter@cfsnc.org or call her at 919.383.6602 x-230. Walk-ins are also welcome!

CALENDAR REMINDERS:
Last day of winter term: Thursday, Feb. 14
Staff workday for writing reports: Friday, Feb. 15
Spring Symposium for students: Monday, Feb. 18 (POTLUCK LUNCH)
Advisee Day: Tuesday, Feb. 19
Staff workday to prepare for spring term classes: Wednesday, Feb. 20
Student-led parent conferences: Thur/Fri, Feb. 21-22
First day of spring term: Monday, Feb. 25

CFS Blood Drive: Wednesday, February 13th

 The Second Annual CFS Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, February 13th, from 2:00-6:30 in the Upper School Meeting Hall. We hope you will join us if you are willing and able to make this important contribution. This year's blood drive is being organized by juniors, Hope Pungello and Shauna Pointer. They would like to schedule as many appointments ahead of time as possible. If you would like to make an appointment to donate blood next Wednesday, please contact our US Administrative Assistant, Tomeiko Carter, at 919.383.6602 x-226 or email her at tcarter@cfsnc.org. If you are able to volunteer time at the welcoming table, please contact Hope (hpungello@stu.cfsnc.org) or Shauna (spointer@stu.cfsnc.org).

Students who are 17 years old can give blood without parental permission. Students who are 16 years old must have a parent's permission in order to donate. Please spread the word about this blood drive. All are welcome! It is helpful to know ahead of time when you are coming, but walk-ins are welcome as well.

Upper School Improv Show: Coming Soon!

 Less than one week away--Our Upper School Improv Show will be presented next Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30pm in the Meeting Hall. This year's class has been taught by senior, Crispin Whittier. The class promises a PG performance that will be family friendly. We hope to see you there!

 The Improv Class warms up on the patio.

 Physicality is an important aspect of the improv experience.

 Even the improv players get a laugh every now and then.

 Isn't it time for a good laugh?

 Mark your calendar.

 You don't want to miss it!