The Foote School 
E-News
October 17, 2013
In This Issue
Quick Links
A Splendid Grandparents Day

This year's Grandparents Day was one for the record books. More than 435 grandparents and special friends came to Foote from as far away as Hawaii, Oregon - even Turkey, Colombia and Lithuania! Guests visited grandchildren's classrooms, toured campus, and attended minicourses in soap carving, dumpling making and banjo playing. Thanks to everyone who made last Friday such a special day. Click here for more photos. And click here for a video shown at the Grandparents Day assembly of Foote students explaining what Falco's PRIDE means to them.

 

 

 
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Parking on Loomis Place - Don't Get Towed!

In the past week, we have received multiple reports of blocked driveways on Loomis Place during drop-off time. Please note that parking on the east side of Loomis Place is for residents only. If you park there momentarily while dropping off your child(ren), please make sure you aren't blocking any driveways. If you are, your car will be subject to towing under city parking regulations. Thank you for helping Foote be a good neighbor.  
Halloween Parade and Fair

Here is the lineup for the Halloween Parade & Fair, to be held Fri., Oct. 25. 
 
12:30 p.m. - All School Dismissal  - Eighth and ninth graders remain on campus (No After School Program, practices or rehearsals) 
 
1:45 p.m. - K-7 meet in classrooms

2 p.m. - Halloween Parade on middle school recess field, followed by the fair

4 p.m. - Fair ends

5 p.m. - Pick up for eighth and ninth graders

Important Details:

    *    Kindergarten and MAG students will return to classrooms after the parade to meet their parents. Parents may then take their children to the Fair.  
    *    Third graders will meet at the hill by the art room after the parade. 
    *    Fourth graders will be dismissed to their parents on the middle school field at the end of the parade.  
    *    Fifth, sixth and seventh grade students have responsibilities at the fair and will be dismissed from the middle school field to their parents when their jobs are done.  
    *    Eighth and ninth grade students do not go home at 12:30 p.m. They stay at school between 12:30 and 2 p.m. to set up and decorate. They will need to bring a lunch. After the fair they will clean up and enjoy pizza on the deck of the Milikowsky Building (or in the small gym if raining). Pickup is at 5 p.m. Proceeds from the fair are directed to Columbus House and their class gift.
    *    The ninth grade manages the food tables and food sales. Their proceeds go toward their class gift.

    *    Tickets go on sale Mon., Oct. 21; they will be available at various locations on campus before 8:15 a.m. Buying tickets ahead of time allows you avoid the long ticket line that day. Tickets will also be sold at the fair.

An Important Note: 
If going home between 12:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. will be difficult for you, you are welcome to bring lunch and eat with your child at one of the picnic tables on campus. Parents of students in grades K-7 are responsible for their children from 12:30-1:45 p.m., and again after the parade.

Please note that the city prohibits parking on the residential side of Loomis Place. 
MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Upcoming Field Trips

Bear Mountain
The sixth grade will hike Bear Mountain, Connecticut's highest peak (2,316 feet), tomorrow, Fri., Oct. 18. We will meet in homerooms at 7 a.m. and leave by bus at 7:15 a.m., so please arrive on time. Click here for more information, including suggestions on what to wear.

United Nations and Chinatown
The ninth grade will travel by train to New York City on Tues., Oct. 22,  for a tour of the United Nations Headquarters and a visit to Chinatown. We will meet at 7:45 a.m. at Union Station (not at Foote School). Our train should arrive back in New Haven by 7:55 p.m., so please arrange for a ride home for your son or daughter at that time. Click here for more information.
 
Questions about either trip? Contact Debra Riding at driding@footeschool.org. 
LSNewsLOWER SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Parent Feedback Wanted on MAG Program

The Foote School faculty and administration routinely review the different disciplines through the Curricular Review Process. The objective is to identify opportunities to enhance the programs offered to children at Foote. In a similar fashion, the Mixed Age Group structure (as a combined first and second grade) is periodically reviewed.

In the coming months, we will be inviting parents who have had children in the program (past or present) to come in to share their experiences with Mixed Age Group. If you are interested in sharing your thoughts, please schedule a time with either Carol Maoz, Head of School, or Beth Mello, Lower School Head, by contacting Erika Villa at 203-777-3464 x208, or evilla@footeschool.org. We look forward to hearing your feedback.    
PTCNewsPTC NEWS
Buy Kids Clothes, Raise Money for Foote
Families who shop Tea Collection online through Foote's storefront can get free shipping and Foote earns 15 percent of all sales! Here is how it works:

1. Tea Collection is an amazing retailer of globally inspired, modern and quality clothes for children in sizes newborn to 12. 

2.  The offer runs from from Oct. 21-27.

3.  You must use Foote's "storefront website" at http://footeschool.onlinefundraiser.net. Do NOT use Tea Collection's own website.

4.  Shop 'til you drop! Tea has great clothes for school, the holidays and more. Get a head start on holiday shopping or outfits.

5.  Get FREE shipping for helping out Foote!  Enter the promo code SCHOOLDAYS15 at check out.

6.  Please forward the store front link to all your family and friends so Foote earns more free money!
Volunteers Needed for Vision and Hearing Tests

On Oct. 28, Oct. 29 and Nov. 11, school nurse Maryanne Peterson will be checking vision and hearing of all the students from Kindergarten through third grade, as well as all new students. We need volunteers to chaperone the kids from their classes to the Sturley Room and to help Nursie during the screening. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Cristina Baiocco at cbaiocco@hotmail.com. Thanks!
DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Fifth Graders Take Deer Lake

Fifth graders are halfway through their three-day trip to Deer Lake, the 253-acre scout reservation in Killingworth. On Wednesday, students participated in team-building games, explored a rock gully for an activity called "Fat Man Squeeze," studied frogs, fish and snails they scooped out of the water, and went on a night hike. Still to come: archery, rock climbing and a campfire with stories and songs.
The annual camping trip is a culminating event of the Lower School experience that ties into the study of ecosystems. Says fifth grade teacher Jim Adams, "It's a really powerful experience for the group. The kid who doesn't shine in the classroom often shines here." Click here for more photos.
 
Will the Real Falco Please Stand Up?

Foote students are accustomed to seeing Falco the furry mascot around campus, but an actual peregrine falcon is a rarer bird. On Wed., Oct. 16, MAG students met a real live falcon named Athena and three other raptors brought by Horizon Wings, a bird rehabilitation facility in Ashford. Along with Athena, the class met a saw-whet owl named Sprite, a great horned owl named Oscar and a red-shouldered hawk named Cyprus. MAG students also learned how balloons, plastic shopping bags and other everyday items threaten wildlife. Click here for more photos. 
From the Faculty Blogs

Chinese teacher Lely Evans shares the turkey dumpling recipe from her hugely popular Grandparents Day minicourse.

Cara Hames' MAG students "read" a picture, and learned something about visual literacy in the process.

Third graders are building vehicles out of K'Nex toys to learn about force and motion, and Melissa McCormack has video of their creations.

Meanwhile, Debbie Rhoads' third graders literally buried "ugly words" that can be hurtful and unkind (pictured).

And Adam Solomon posted video of fourth and fifth graders singing "I Love the Mountains" and "Waddaly Atcha" from last Friday's Grandparents Day assembly.

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs. 
DatesDates to Remember
Oct. 25 - Halloween Parade and Fair - All School Dismissal 12:30 (No After School)
Nov. 1 - Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL (No Vacation Program)
Nov. 3 - Open House for prospective families, 1-3 p.m.
Nov. 7 & 8 - ERB Testing - 12:30 dismissal (After School available)
Nov. 14 - Parent Conferences for Middle School