Important Dates All School- February
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| February 3, 6:00pm, Cafe Barnum
February 6, No School (Professional Development Day)
February 8, 8:30am, TAPPS Meeting
February 15, 11:00am,
Multicultural Pot Luck Luncheon
February 15 - 19 - Barnum Room,
African American History Museum
February 20, Presidents Day, No School
February 24, Free Dress Day K-12
Please remember to check the online calendar for the most up-to-date information.
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Dear Pilgrim School parents, First Church members, alumni and friends,
Remember there is no school on Monday, as it is a Professional Development day. Camp Patriot is available for grades K - 5.
I hope you will take a moment to read my introduction, which is dedicated to Ms. Teresa McDugald, our Elementary Director, as she goes through an extremely difficult time.
Please read the following sections for more information:
Important Dates Next Week
Pilgrim Party Book
Visiting Writers and Artists Series
Secondary News
Middle School News
Elementary News
Preschool News
Afternoon in the Garden
Other News
First Church News
Conclusion
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 Introduction | As many of you are aware, this week Ms. Teresa McDugald, our Elementary Director, struggled with a nightmare that I hope none of us will ever have to face. Today, she says good bye to her sister and her brother-in-law who were victims of violence last weekend. Our community; families, faculty, and staff have rallied around her in so many ways. And I know we will all continue to support her in the following weeks and months as she copes with this monumental loss. Teresa is an exceptional in many ways. She always champions both her own children and all of the elementary students here at Pilgrim. She fights for what she believes in with passion and a sense of humor. Last year in the Friday letter, we ran a series on faculty and staff members (a series which will begin again, soon, by the way.) Please take a moment to read her words, it is a pleasure and a gift that she is part of our Pilgrim Family.
- I was born in San Antonio, Texas and will always be a Texan at heart.
- I am one of five children (the middle child - but please don't over analyze that).
- I have a twin brother. We both got engaged on the same night (completely coincidental) and both have mother-in-laws named, "Mimi." I'm taller than my twin brother, which has always driven him nuts. My brother was a Navy Seal and later became a Seal instructor. He was Henry Kissinger's bodyguard - he said the most exciting thing he ever did in that role was get a bat out of Henry Kissinger's suite. Hey- Maybe he should do this bio! In fact, my sister lived in the jungle, administering medical assistance to Guatemalan refugees- and slept in a hammock for a year! My siblings have much more interesting bios that I.
- My father was in the Air Force, and a Vietnam Veteran. When he was in Vietnam we moved near my Grandparents in Seattle. They played an integral role in my life.
- My family motto growing up was, "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." (Abraham Lincoln.)
- The only place we lived outside of the United States was Tehran, Iran. My dad helped train the Iranian air force. This was when the Shah was in power.
- I went to middle school and high school in the South Bay.
- I knew I wanted to be a teacher and work in education from the first time I was asked, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" ( I also wanted to be a nun.)
- I have been a swim instructor, camp counselor, PE teacher and coach, camp director, preschool teacher, and elementary teacher.
- I have run more 10 k's than I can remember, and spent a fair amount of time competing in mini triathlons. I trained for a while for the L.A. marathon - and then one day I woke up, after running eight miles a day for what seemed like forever, and was done.
- I love tennis, beach volleyball, hiking, going to the movies, spending time with my kids and gardening (when I have time which hasn't been for a long time).
- I love cooking especially for special holidays with my family. There is something wonderful about having everyone in the kitchen, talking, cooking, having a good time. The cooking becomes secondary.
- I have two dogs, a German Shepherd (Mac) and a Chiweenie (Francisco) - My daughter was so happy when she found out there was actually a name for him, we had been calling him "Dauch-wawa." (He is a dachshund Chihuahua mix - also known as a mutt.)
At the age of 20, Marcel Proust put his own psyche under the microscope by answering questions meant to reveal one's innermost thoughts. More than a century later, and as demonstrated on V.F.'s back page each month, the "Proust Questionnaire" continues to be a popular method of interviewing.
What is your current state of mind?
Grateful.
Which living person do you most admire?
My sister.
What is your greatest fear?
The power of fear itself.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Forgetfulness.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Entitlement, lack of empathy.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Seeing a matinee.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being frugal.
When and where were you happiest?
There is definitely not one time, probably every time one of my kids reached a milestone or had a moment of a-ha. I love being present for growth.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be a good dancer.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A better memory.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Happy kids.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being unwanted uncared for and unloved.
What is your favorite occupation?
Teaching.
What do you most value in your friends?
Their ability to always see the best in me.
Who are your favorite writers?
Truman Capote, Toni Morrison, Carolyne See, Sue Monk.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Horton from "Horton Hears a Who."
How would you like to die?
Surrounded by the people I love. I want my kids near me so that I can tell them it will be okay. That it is all good.
What is your motto?
Always do a little more than you are asked.
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Teresa has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to PAWS on behalf of her sister, Susan Poff and her husband, Robert Kamin.
Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) is a volunteer-based organization that provides for the comprehensive needs of companion animals for low-income persons with disabling HIV/AIDS and other disabling illnesses, as well as senior citizens. By providing these essential support services, educating the larger community on the benefits of the human-animal bond, and advocating for the rights of disabled individuals to keep service animals, PAWS improves the health and well-being of disabled individuals and the animals in their lives. Teresa has set up a link with Paws on their website.
Here is the link: http://www.pawssf.org/page.aspx?pid=291 If you scroll down a little on the page, you will see a "Paws Remembers" section. Just click on "In Memory of Susan Poff and Robert Kamin" to make a donation. Then enter the name "Susan Poff" on the line where is asks you "In Memory of -."
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Important Dates Next Week | |
(Please note that the sports schedules have been moved to the Secondary, Middle School and Elementary School sections)
Monday, February 6, Professional Development Day, No School PS - 12. Camp Patriot Available for K - 5.
Tuesday, February 7, Visiting Writer Oliver Chin (See Visiting Writers and Artists Section for more information.)
Wednesday, February 8, Barnum Room, 8:30am, TAPPS Meeting.
Friday, February 10, Stuart Hall, 8:45am, Special Guest Lula Washington Dance Theatre.
Friday, February 10, Stuart Hall, 3:30pm - 5:30pm, Elementary Sock Hop.
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| Sign up for the upcoming parties before it's too late!
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#11 Valentine Father-Daughter Dance
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Dip and twirl the night away while celebrating your little girl and Valentine love at this Father Daughter dance! Partner up with Uncles, Cousins, Big Brothers and Daughters, Nieces, and Little Sisters of Pilgrim to dance and swing! Your love for Pilgrim will spiral knowing that so much fun supports others.
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| Party Date: | Saturday, February 11, 2012 | | Party Time: | 6 PM -8 PM | | Party Location: | Stuart Hall, Pilgrim | | Hosted By: | Audrey and Mike Viola | | Category: | Fun for the Kids! |
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#13 Pilgrim Playdate at A Place 4 Kids!
| | Hey kids! Pull up your socks and jump around at the best indoor play space in town. Munch on snacks and meet new friends! Practice sharing and using your words while your parents sit back and observe. C'mon! Join the fun! There is something for everyone! Even a roller coaster! Pre K-1st Grade only please. Refreshments and Light Snacks will be served! |
| Party Date: | Saturday, February 25, 2012 | | Party Time: | 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM | | Party Location: | A Place for 4 Kids 1932 14th Street Santa Monica, CA 90404 | | Hosted By: | Evelina Ricci-Yuster - Pilgrim mom; Owner and Director of PT N' PLAY (pedriatic physical therapy services) at A Place 4 Kids | | Category: | Fun for the Kids! |
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Visiting Writers and Artists Series
The Visiting Artist Series is funded by a generous grant from the Ahmanson Foundation and Lee and Deborah Walcott. The Visiting Writers Series is funded by a generous donation from Janet Steeper.
| Our first Visiting Writer of the spring will be coming to celebrate Chinese New Year-just a little late, on Tuesday February 7. Oliver Chin is the author of a series of books on the animals of the Chinese zodiac and will be coming to talk about The Year of the Dragon with our elementary students. Then later, since he is also a comic book expert and was the cartoonist for the Harvard Crimson, he will lead a comic book workshop with the middle school and high school students. The new season of visiting writers will be off to a great start!
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| 6-12 Progress Reports for the mid trimester will be posted by 2/10 or before.
Per Dr. Brooks, all high school (9-12) students who earned a grade of less than C in a core academic subject for Trimester 1 are expected to attend mandatory lunch sessions with the teacher of the class in which they are having difficulty as many times per week as the teacher and the student determine are appropriate to get the student up to speed in the class. The teachers will be taking attendance; students who do not show up for these sessions will be seeing Dr. Brooks.
Hans Molnar writes of the Cedar Lake Winter Retreat, "Both the students and teachers had a great time on our annual Pilgrim Winter Retreat to Cedar Lake Camp! We had a fabulous time playing in the snow, watching movies, sledding, snowboarding and most importantly, bonding and getting to know one another better. I'm already looking forward to next years trip!"
Sports: Tuesday, February 7, Pilgrim Gym, 4:00pm, Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Westmark Tuesday, February 7, 3:00pm, Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Summit View Game Location: Whitsett Soccer Fields, 6900 Whitset Ave, N. Hollywood 91601 Directions: 101 Fwy/ N to the 170 Frwy/ N to Victory Blvd/ L Whisett Ave/ R to the park (right side of street)
Tuesday, February 7, 4:00pm, Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Hillcrest Christian (TO) Game Location: First Christian Church of Newbury Park, 801 Knollwood Dr., Newbury Park, Ca. 91320
Directions: 101 Frwy/ N to Lynn Rd./ L to Knollwood/ R to the church. Thursday, February 9, Pilgrim Gym, Girls at 4:00pm, Boys at 5:30pm, Girls/Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Concordia HS Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Concordia HS 3:15pm Game Location: Hanson Dam Rec. Center, 11770 Foothill Blvd, Lake View Terrace 91342. Directions: 2 Frwy/ N to the 210 Frwy/ W to Osborne St/ L onto Foothill Blvd to the park. Sports News: The boys varsity basketball team put itself in position to contend for an Omega League division championship with a 48-46 victory this past Tuesday at rival San Fernando Valley Academy. This is the first time there has been a Patriot victory against SFV in over four years. The Patriots avenged a 13-point defeat to SFV earlier this season when senior Johnny P. made the winning free throw with seconds remaining in the game. Johnny also hit a trio of three-point shots to lead Pilgrim with 14 points. Junior guard Allen P. added a career-high 12 points on several slashing drives to the basket. Sophomore center Alec P. added 11 points while hauling down 17 rebounds. Senior co-captains Cosmo K. and Xavier provided leadership and defense, especially down the stretch. You still have a chance to see the boys in action at home next Tuesday at 4:00 against Westmark, which could determine the division championship. It's Senior Night for both the boys and the girls next Thursday against Concordia. The girls play at 4:00 and the boys at 5:30. Come out and send off all the seniors in style. Musical News: As the secondary musical rehearsals continue, the students are progressing quickly and seem to be having a lot of fun. We would also like to thank parents and families who have donated items for the play. There are still some items left on the list including the following: - A BRIGHT & COLORFUL backpack
- A bear mask / costume or a LARGE stuffed bear
- A white (or beige) foamy mattress pad
- Large Mickey Mouse gloves
- A gavel
- A spotlight
In addition, the musical would appreciate help in the following areas -
- Lighting assessor/consultant
Community Service News: 
This week we are highlighting another Community Service Super Star, tenth grader Abby B. This young sophomore swims on a club team and she came up with a community service project that included her passion. Abby participated in Equality California's ocean swim fundraiser. She collected pledges using both word of mouth and emails and ended up raising almost two thousand dollars for this worthy cause. You can find out more about Equality California from their website: http://www.eqca.org/site/pp.asp?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=5609559
Abby swam 1.7 ocean miles, and you really have to have done ocean swims to appreciate the magnitude of this athletic accomplishment! Blending your passion with community service is the way to go! Abby earned over 130 hours on this project, more than fulfilling her required 80 hours of high school community service. We salute Abby as a Community Service Super Star. We also want to remind everyone to come out tonight at 6:00 to support Café Barnum. All the proceeds go to fund the Arts at Pilgrim. Parent volunteers remember to report your hours to Mrs. Sarafian. See you Friday night in the Café! ARC News: We are setting up our Secondary School Chess Club to start play on Thursday March 1st. We have purchased more chess sets, but if any of you have a sad and lonely chess set (complete sets only, please) at home gathering dust, please let it have a happy new life in our ARC. The students are excited and we're going to have some great times! Chapel Uniform: Please note- Secondary students should wear the formal chapel uniform every Tuesday. |
Middle School News (Grades 6 - 8)
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6-12 Progress Reports for the mid trimester will be posted by 2/10 or before.
Middle School Sports:
Tuesday, February 7, 5:00pm, Middle School Boys Basketball vs. Magnolia Charter. Game Location: Super Gyms, 2920S. Sepulveda, Los Angeles 90064 Directions: 10 Frwy/ W to National Ave/ R onto S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Thursday, February 9, 3:45pm, Boys Middle School Basketball vs. Berkeley Hall, 1600 Mulholland Dr, Los Angeles 90049
Directions: 10 Frwy/ W to the 405 Frwy/ N to Skirball Center Dr/ L to Mulhalland Dr/ L to the school.
Friday, February 10, 4:00pm, Boys Middle School Basketball vs. St. Jane Frances. Game Location: Culver City Middle School, 4601 Elenda St, Culver City 90230
Directions: 10 Frwy/ W to National Blvd/ L and continue onto Palms Blvd to Overland Ave/ L to Farragut Dr/ R (Farragut Dr. turns into Elenda Street.
Musical News:
As the secondary musical rehearsals continue, the students are progressing quickly and seem to be having a lot of fun. We would also like to thank parents and families who have donated items for the play. There are still some items left on the list including the following:
- A BRIGHT & COLORFUL backpack
- A bear mask / costume or a LARGE stuffed bear
- A white (or beige) foamy mattress pad
- Large Mickey Mouse gloves
- A gavel
- A spotlight
In addition, the musical would appreciate help in the following areas -
- Lighting assessor/consultant
Chapel Uniform: Please note- Secondary students should wear the formal chapel uniform every Tuesday.
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Elementary News (K-5)
| Sock Hop!!
Hey Elementary students in grade 3 - 5, come show off your dance moves in Stuart Hall, on Friday, February 10th, from 4:00 - 5:30!
All School Chapel:
Elementary students are to wear the formal chapel uniform for the following All School Chapels:
February 14th, March 13th, April 17th, May 15th. Parents are welcome to join us on these days for the chapel service. It begins each time at 9:40 am.
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Preschool News
| This month is the celebration of many exciting events and holidays. Our students are looking forward to learning about African American History, Valentine's Day, and President's Day. "Weather and Seasons" and "Sharing and Kindness" are our monthly themes.
We had a visit from Fire Station 6 this past Monday. The students loved taking a tour of the fire truck. Captain Trujillo and his team also shared their special tools and equipment with us. The students really enjoyed spending time with these role models of the community. A big thank to Rowland J.'s family for the wonderful experience!
Drum Circle was a lot of fun. Mr. Chazz introduced the children to the wonderful possibilities of drumming and music in their lives. We enjoyed celebrating the rhythms of the drums and listening to the rhythm of our hearts. Special thanks to Langston and Dashiell S.'s parents for organizing this event for all the preschool students!
Every year, John Tracy Clinic offers a hearing screening to our preschool students. They will be on campus on February 24th at 9:30 a.m. Your child's teacher will give you a form to register your student for a screening. If you would like your child to be screened, please fill out, sign and return the slip with $20.00 check made out to the John Tracy Clinic or cash to the front office by February 17th.
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Afternoon in the Garden
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50 yard line tickets to a USC home game are, in the two words of Samuel Goldwyn, "im possible." The impossible becomes possible if you are the lucky winner of these tickets at the silent auction on April 28. Parking is included, but a Trojan win is not guaranteed.Special thanks to Annie and Sean Johnson for their generous donation!
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Other News
| Black History Month All School Chapel:
On Tuesday, February 14, we celebrate Black History Month as we welcome two very special guests to our All-School Chapel at 9:40 in the Sanctuary. First, we're pleased to have with us The Reverend J. Lee Hill, Jr., who has been involved in ministry and youth development for more than a decade. Rev. Hill is a licensed and ordained Baptist minister with dual-standing in the United Church of Christ, and has formerly served such churches as the Riverside Church in New York City, where his ministry focused on children, youth and young adults. Currently, he is the Senior Pastor of Christian Fellowship Congregational Church. As a strong advocate for mission and social justice, he has led mission teams in Vietnam, New York City, Washington, D.C., throughout the southern United States, and annually to New Orleans for the continued ministry of relief and recovery from hurricane Katrina. In the winter of 2010, Ebony magazine named him among "the Ebony Power 100" as an emerging leader in the field of religion. And in the spring of 2010, he received the Distinguished Black Alumni Award from George Mason University.
We're also excited and honored to welcome a very special musical guest that morning! Internationally renowned Louisiana-bred artist, Margie Evans, the Executive Director and Founder of Los Angeles Music Week, Inc., is a legendary entertainer, businesswoman, spokeswoman and historian. As the only African American President of the civics-oriented 5-4 Optimist Club of Los Angeles, she taught music history, respect for law, educational achievement, endless perseverance and integrity to local schoolchildren and citizens. These are the tools of community building that springboarded the conception of L. A. Music Week. Executive Director Margie Evans is well established as a multi-talented lyricist, classy multi-genre entertainer, blues historian, community leader and motivational speaker.
Dr. Colglazier is looking forward to welcoming these two very special guests to our chapel service in honor of Black History Month. Our Pilgrim students are certainly in for a treat! Parents are, of course, invited and encouraged to join us for this celebration.
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First Church News
| The sermon this Sunday, February 5, by Rev. Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, is titled, "A Lifting-Up Kind of God."
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Conclusion
| Did anyone guess that Ohio Wesleyan was the college I was referring to last week? This is just one of the distinguished institutions of higher learning that are eager to welcome Pilgrim students into their communities. And here's a new school to try and figure out. This Southern California School was founded by an Irish Catholic, a Methodist and a German Jew, who together donated the land and enough seed money to begin the school. Any ideas? And congratulations Chloe C.!
Check back next week for the answer.
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Sincerely,
Mark A. Brooks
Head of School
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