In This Issue
New President
Change of Date
Math Review Sessions Announced
ERB
Art Show
Lacrosse
Hard Luck Life
BBQ Tickets
Best of Bristol
This Week in Pictures
Upcoming Events
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Faculty/Administration Participation in 2013-14 Annual Giving Campaign
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Board of Directors Participation in 2013-14 Annual Giving Campaign
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Parent Participation in 2013-14 Annual Giving Campaign to date (61%)
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Fun Facts of the Day
1. Did you know that on March 14 , 1794 the cotton gin was patented by Eli Whitney?
2.Did you know that Americans on the average eat 18 acres of pizza every day?
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Sullins Academy Mission
To ensure success for our children in the global community, the mission of Sullins Academy is to provide a positive educational environment, fostering academic excellence while maintaining a commitment to the core values of integrity, honesty, respect, responsibility, and service to others. We develop minds and character while providing inspiration for a lifetime.
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Be Sociable,
Stay Connected
at
instagram.com/sullinsacademy#
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 The Eagle's Nest |
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Greetings!
Here is your news for March 24-29, 2014
at Sullins Academy.
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Dr. Sykes Appointed as President for Sullins Academy
 | | Dr. Ronald Sykes |
As you may have noticed in last week's announcement about our new Head of School appointment, the Sullins Board also announced that our Interim Head of School, Dr. Ronald P. Sykes, has agreed to continue his leadership and work with Sullins by remaining for an additional year in the role of President. We are thrilled to have this opportunity with Dr. Sykes! In this new role, he will be responsible for managing the external affairs of the school, including development, admissions and marketing. During the course of this year, Dr. Sykes and the administrative team have undertaken many new initiatives and have built significant momentum in these areas, and we are eager to see that progress continue.
On behalf of the entire Sullins Board, I would like to express gratitude for the leadership and inspiration that Dr. Sykes has shown at Sullins this year. We are pleased that we will be able to continue to tap into his depth of knowledge, his breadth of experience and his deep understanding of the value of a truly independent school. We believe that the partnership of Dr. Sykes and Mr. Rehm working together will help promote the continued success of Sullins Academy.
Dr. Sykes and his wife Jane are excited to be staying in Bristol. During the course of this year, they have fallen in love not only with Sullins, but also with the Tri-Cities region. They have made many new friends and look forward to forging many more.
Again, please join us in congratulating Dr. Sykes on this role.
Courtney Cavatoni
Chairman, Board of Directors
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 Open House and Art Show Re-Scheduled for April 3This year our admissions office has set a challenging goal of 60 new students for the 2014-15 school year. We need your help to reach this goal. Please tell your co-workers and neighbors about this opportunity to learn about our school. Even better, offer to bring them to our Open House and Art Show on April 3 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Each year our research clearly shows that current parents are our number one source of new students!
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Math Review Sessions
Ms. Merrihue and Mrs. Hampton will be offering free practice sessions for the Algebra I and Geometry standardized tests. End-of-course exams are required in both VA and TN public schools in order to place students into an appropriate math course. These tests tend to be in a different format than our exams so we will be focusing on taking those types of tests in addition to reviewing the content. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 4:15 p.m. in Mrs. Hampton's room beginning March 24. Students are not expected to attend every session. Simply come when convenient. As with most things, more preparation generally leads to more success. Even if students are not able to attend often, we highly recommend taking these practice tests independently:
Virginia
http://education.jlab.org/solquiz/
Select Algebra I or Geometry
40 questions
I'm Ready Let's Start
*You can do this as many times as you wish. It will generate different questions each time.
Tennessee
http://www.state.tn.us/education/assessment/sec_samplers.shtml
There are three Algebra I practice tests you can do.
If you scroll down, then there are also two sets of item samplers that would be helpful.
Unfortunately, there are no geometry practice tests for TN. I recommend using the VA geometry test to practice instead. See instructions above.
Sarah Hampton
Amy Merrihue
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What in the World is ERB?
Many are hearing about ERB and wondering what an "erb" is. It is not a special flavor of oregano! Sullins Academy is introducing a completely different testing program effective in May. The Educational Records Bureau (ERB) provides an achievement testing program designed for high performance schools. As much as we like to boast that our students are annually in the top 15% nationally, we have to ask, "so what?" When a school requires students to sit through four and a half hours of testing over a four day period, there should be a strong purpose! The ERB will provide the Sullins faculty and administration with a concrete picture of the strength of our curriculum, showing us our successes and showing us clearly areas in need of strengthening. The norms are not simply the Stanford 10 public norms. The test has been standardized utilizing the scores of the best public and independent schools nationwide.
Therefore it will be impossible to compare previous scores on the Stanford to new scores this year. It would be the proverbial apples to oranges approach. In a world in which the 50th percentile should be the middle, our average scores have been above 85%! EXPECT YOUR STUDENT TO SCORE TO BE CLOSER TO A TRADITIONAL NORMAL CURVE.
The true purpose of testing at Sullins Academy is to evaluate our school. Through careful item analysis we will be able to continue on the road to true excellence throughout the school.
The ERB is a timed test! It is clear that for the foreseeable future testing will be a strong part of your child's life. If we do not adequately prepare them for this world, we are neglecting our duty. The first high stakes test can come as early as 8th grade if a student tests for boarding school (SSAT). Following that the PSAT comes quickly along with SAT and ACT now increased common core and SOL evaluations are a part of the testing your child will face.
We believe the change in our program will accomplish several goals:
1.) It will give you a more realistic picture of your child's academic progress measured against other strong students nationwide. 2.) It will provide Sullins Academy a much more realistic picture of our curriculum. 3.) it will begin to better prepare your student for the high stakes testing that lies ahead.
I will provide more detailed information on the ERB after Spring Break.
Sincerely,
Ronald P Sykes, Interim Head of School
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Good News!
The Art Show this year has been expanded to one week. Your child's best will be on display throughout the school March 31 through April 4. These dates are different from the one day March 27 date on the calendar. We look forward to seeing the entire school transformed by our budding artists.
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Got Lacrosse?
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The Sullins Drama Players in
Annie Jr.
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Annie Jr
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Golf Schedule Announced
The golfers, Matthew Manno and Riley Sullivan, will be playing as individuals but representing Sullins for golf this season. The matches are as follows:
(All matches are played at The Virginian and will begin at 3:30).
March 25 vs. Vance and Church Hill
April 1 vs. Providence and Liberty Bell
April 8 vs. Robinson and Chuckey-Doak
April 15 vs. Vance and Colonial Heights
April 22 vs. Virginia Middle and Sevier
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 BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!
"Bringing Back the BBQ," the SPA spring Auction will be on MARCH 29, 2014, at the Foundation Event Facility on State Street in Bristol, TN. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner and bidding on Silent Auction items. At 9:00 p.m., the nationally recognized band, "The Black Lillies," will perform. Tickets will be $60 per person in advance and $70 at the door. The sign-up sheet for tickets is located in the front office hallway. This event is a highlight of the school year. We guarantee great food, great music, and a great time for everyone so don't miss it!
--Melissa Steward, SPA President
msteward2010@yahoo.com
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The Sullins Drama Players presented Annie Jr. Thursday evening.
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Hugh (Oliver Warbucks), Blakesley (Annie) and Libby (Grace Ferrell) in Annie Jr.
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Macie raised $1250.00 for Jump Rope for Heart. This made her the top fundraiser at Sullins for the American Heart Association. Sullins raised a total of $7782.00 which is a new school record! Congratulations to everyone who participated in this special event.
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"Coach Paul, can we do our mile fitness run before Spring Break? I plan to eat lots of chicken in Charleston." Sydney, we love your honesty!
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Some 8th grade students show off their movie posters for Spanish class. They were asked to review their favorite movie in Spanish using current topics of study.
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Tickets are on sale now for the spring Theme Baskets in the front hall. ($2 per ticket or 12 tickets for $20)
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Have a safe and wonderful Spring Break! We'll see you back at school again on March 24!
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March 24-29
Spring Basket Tickets on sale March 10-27
Monday, 3/24
Calendar Change - Honors Assembly has been moved to Monday, March 31.
Tuesday, 3/25
Golf Match - Sullins vs. Vance and Church Hill at The Virginian at 3:30 p.m.
Archery- 5th-8th grade - 3:30-5:30
Wednesday, 3/26
Thursday, 3/27
Lacrosse Practice - 3:15 - 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 3/28
Cupcakes for a Cure Committee Meeting at 7:45 a.m. in Mrs. Looney's room.
Saturday, 3/29
Lacrosse Practice - 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
REMINDERS & ETCETERAS...
-Food City Cash Cards -
This is an ongoing fundraiser for our school. Stop by the office and get your cards; they spend the same as cash at Food City.
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If you have any items of interest that you would like included in the "Eagle's Nest", please feel free to send your suggestions to me at mbarrett@sullinsacademy.org by noon on Wednesday.
Best Regards,  
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