| | | In this column:
From the Head of School * eBooks Are Here * 8th Grade Outplacement * X-C Team Takes 2nd in MJAC Championship |  |
| From the Head of School | | John Huber
Despite this weekend’s snow (snow?!? Before Halloween?!?), I was able to stop by Kingsbury’s Orchard to pick up this week’s apples. You will be happy to know that the orchard is open for a few more weekends, thus giving us a few more chances to enjoy local apples. While the end of the growing season always makes me feel a little melancholy, I do believe it’s an important lesson for our students about seasonality – that even in today’s world of always-on-always-available, there are cycles of life to be recognized and understood. I’ve written about this before in Bits, but today, I’d like to write about another feature of apples.
When I arrived at the orchard to buy this week’s apples, I was presented with a wide range of varieties from which to choose. Fuji? Mutsu? Arkansas Black? In the end I was torn between two varieties. In one hand I held a Pink Lady, a sweet red apple with just a little tartness. In the other I had a Granny Smith, a tart green fruit that was my own childhood favorite, but I worried it might be too tart for our students. Which to choose? In the end I chose both, hoping that some will sample both varieties to note the differences in flavor and texture.
In deciding to embrace a variety of apples both sweet and tart, I was put to mind of a passage from Henry David Thoreau. In his book Wild Fruits, he sings the praises of the diversity of apples, and notes that even the wild crab-apple can delight. He writes:
Every wild-apple shrub excites our expectations thus, somewhat as every wild child. It is, perhaps, a prince in disguise. What a lesson to man! ... Poets and philosophers and statesmen thus spring up in the country pastures and outlast the hosts of unoriginal men.
Not every local apple may look perfect, but it is in the diversity that great things arise. I believe that an analogy can be drawn with education. If we are bored by rows of identical apples in the grocery store, why would we want rows of identical students in our classrooms? Thoreau dismisses bland apples, saying they are eaten “with comparatively little zest” as they have “no real tang or smack to them.” I believe that a little zest and tang are good things in our classrooms, and in our students as well. | |
| eBooks are Here | |
If you've been waiting for your child to have access to eBooks at Barnesville School, wait no more. This year we purchased a number of eBooks for students in grades 5-8. Please see the list below for specifics:
Eighth Grade
The Outsiders
Of Mice and Men
To Kill a Mockingbird
Animal Farm
A Girl Named Disaster
Seventh Grade
Dicey's Song
Freak the Mighty
I Am the Cheese
Akeelah and the Bee
Shakespeare Stealer
No Turning Back
Black Eyed Susan Books
Cosmic
Out of My Mind
The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter
The Smoky Corridor
Closed for the Season
Fish
Trash
Half Brother
Bystander
One Crazy Summer
The seventh and eighth grade titles above are available to students at no cost and can be read using the free Barnes & Noble Nook Reader software. Eighth grade students already have this software on their personal computing devices and have been given access to their B&N reading accounts. Parents of seventh grade students... please contact me to request a B&N account for your child and ask your child to bring their computing device to me if they need help setting up the B&N software.
Students in fifth and sixth grade may check out one of our new Barnes & Noble Nook Readers from Mrs. Barr if they would like to read the Black Eyed Susan books electronically. We are very excited about our new eBook program this year and would like feedback from parents. | |
| 8th Grade Outplacement: Interviews with the Class of 2012 | | Susanne Johnson, Admissions Director
Here at The Barnesville School, we are extremely proud of our outplacement process for our 8th graders. Last year, for example, 100 percent of the Class of 2011 was accepted to their 1st choice High School!
The support begins in the early Fall with a “Looking Ahead to High School” evening presentation for Middle School parents. Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School, helps parents navigate the secondary school application process. This is followed by individual student and parent meetings with John Huber, Head of School, and Vickie  Roos to suggest specific schools for each family to consider. Lastly, our Faculty does an outstanding job of writing individualized and thoughtful teacher recommendations to highlight the caliber and talents of each of our students.
This year, Tara Barnhart, Middle School Language Arts teacher, added another great element of support. Tara dedicated class time to review sample application and interview questions. Then each student had a mock interview with me to experience interviewing… everything from waiting, shaking hands, responding to questions, asking questions and thanking the Admissions Director. Even though many of the Class of 2012 were nervous, they all did beautifully and there is no doubt in my mind that they will have many excellent choices for High School! Best of luck! | |
| X-C Team Takes 2nd in MJAC Championship | | In the MJAC Cross Country (X-C) Championship Meet, Monday, Oct. 24 at the Friends Meeting School, The Barnesville School X-C Team put in an outstanding performance. The TBS team brought home the second place trophy in a field of five MJAC schools, with a total of 40 runners competing.
In this championship meet, every individual on the TBS X-C team posted a season personal best time for the 1.5 mile course (name, time, place):
Hundertmark, Anne: 12:28, 21
Hundertmark, Gretchen: 14:15, 31
Markoff, Alexandra: 11:50, 16
Markoff, Isabel: 10:52, 12
Mehra, Simran: NA, NA
Nichols, Ali: 12:02, 18
Reeves, Joy: 10:21, 5
Reeves, Gordan: 10:49, 11
Smith, Abby: 13:21, 29
Walker, Bailey: 12:54, 26
*Times in red indicate Personal Best
“Members of the X-C team ran their hearts out today,” said Cross Country Coach Dave Reeves. “We worked hard all season on conditioning and form, and it paid off in a second place finish in a strong MJAC league. The X-C team runners were in top shape, and they ran with passion. I’m very proud of every one of them. It has been a fun and rewarding season for all of us.”
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| | | | In this column:
Important Dates * Admissions Open House * Annual Fund Update * Adopt a Grandparent/friend * Auxiliary Programs * Notes From Mrs. Nave... | |
| Important Dates | | November
4: MS Fall Dance
5: Admissions Open House
7: 5th & 6th Grade Potomac Hunt Club Field Trip
7-9: 7th Grade to Echo Hill
8: 8th Grade Rockville Courthouse Field Trip
10: 7th Grade Out; 1:30 Dismissal
16: Admissions Open House
17: 8th Grade Exams
18: 8th Grade Exams; After School Activities Session I Ends | |
| Admissions Open House | | Our first Open House is this Saturday, Nov. 5 at 9:30 am. Please invite your friends and neighbors to join us to get a sense of our mission of Joy, Support, and Excellence! Word of mouth is our very best marketing! | |
| Annual Fund Update | | Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement
We’ve crossed the $100,000 threshold and surpassed it! As of November 2, the school has raised $132,149 through the Annual Fund! Thank you to all the parents, Board members, faculty and staff who have participated by making a pledge or contributing a donation!
We still have a long way to go to reach the $225,000 goal by November 15. As of November 2, 41% of parents have participated. If you haven’t already, please support the school philanthropically with a gift or pledge in an amount that your means allow. Each gift, no matter the size, will make a difference!
Pledge online and pay any time before June 2012 OR
Make a one-time gift online today OR
Make a gift to be automatically paid over several months OR
Make a pledge commitment in response to the Annual Fund Volunteer Committee member’s outreach to you | |
| Kids' Club Pick-Up | | All students must be signed out by a parent or gaurdian when picked-up at Kids' Club. Even if the students are outside playing, parents/gaurdians are required to initial the attendance sheet to indicate the child is no longer at school. | |
| Adopt a Grandparent/friend | | Please let us know if your child will not have a grandparent/friend available to attend Grandparents' Day on Nov. 23. We are recruiting adoptive grandparents to match up with students whose grandparents can't be present for the event. Email Georganna Glen if you are interested. | |
| Auxiliary Programs | | The hallways, classrooms, and fields are buzzing with activity each afternoon after school. The first session of after school enrichment activities are ending in the next couple of weeks. It is time to move into holiday mode! This year we will offer three holiday activities for your child to choose from. Mr. Garth will return with his Holiday Greens workshop and Mrs. Birkholz will offer two different holiday treat workshops. Look for registration information by the end of this week! Registration for the second session of after school activities will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6. We are in the process of selecting classes to offer. If you have any ideas, please let me know. The session will run from Jan. 9 through mid-March. Remember -- Camp is just around the corner! | |
| Notes From Mrs. Nave... | | Changes in Normal Plan
Any change to a student's dismissal (early dismissal, going home with a different family/caregiver) requires advance notice from the parents/guardians to the Receptionist’s Office, preferably in writing or email. If communicating by phone, please call no later than 2 pm. I can‘t always locate your child in a timely manner to give them the message especially if they are in PE.
Tooth Box Report – Just for Fun!
In the past two weeks only one tooth box left my office with a tooth that decided to come out of Nicholas Toth’s mouth at school on Oct. 28.
Cold weather is here!
Please remember to label all coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves and boots with your child’s name. Items are much easier to find if they have a name on them. | |
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