The Foote School 
E-News
December 5, 2013
In This Issue
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Treasure Island Strikes Gold!

Treasure Island opens a four-day run tonight in the Sandine Theater. Shows are 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All four showtimes are now sold out. The stage adaptation by playwright Phil Willmott is filled with all the swashbuckling adventure of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel. The play has rollicking dance numbers, great combat scenes, a boys-versus-girls tug-of-war and a wise-cracking parrot. Drama teacher and director Julian Schlusberg and the cast and crew of seventh and eighth graders have spent months rehearsing for Treasure Island and are proud to share the fruits of their hard work with the Foote community.





Check back soon on our photo galleries page for more pictures from the play.
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Annual Fund Update

AF logo Annual Fund parent participation percentages are rising, but we still need your help! Please consider making your tax-deductible donation by year's end by
clicking here. Many thanks again to those who have already sent their support!





2013-14 PARENT PARTICIPATION as of Dec. 5, 2013.

Grade                Class Year         Percentage

9th Grade           2014                   57%

8th Grade           2015                   44%

7th Grade           2016                   45%

6th Grade           2017                   42%

5th Grade           2018                   40%

4th Grade           2019                   40%

3rd Grade           2020                   42%

MAG 2nd           2021                   51%

MAG 1st            2022                    50%

Kindergarten      2023                    58%

TOTAL                                         46%

Swimsuit Fitting Information

Foote School Swim Team Parents/Guardians:

 

On Thurs., Dec. 12, Metro Swim Shop will be at Foote to do fittings for team swimsuits. If your child's suit from last year fits and is in good shape, you are welcome to use it. 

  • New swimmers or swimmers in need of new suits must bring the order form - filled out - to the fitting along with a check for the correct amount made out to Foote School. (Please note that Foote will again this year subsidize the cost of one suit, making these a great value. That information is included in the order form. If you opt to purchase a second suit, it's at full cost.)
  • You also have the option to purchase Foote swimming sweatpants or a hoodie; however, the school does not underwrite the cost of these.

Metro Swim will arrive at 2:20 p.m. Swimmers should go to the Hosley Gym immediately after they check in at study hall.

 

Click here to download the order form.

 LSNewsLOWER SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Candle House Celebration - Dec. 16

The fourth grade will be having a special celebration to display the candle houses they made in art class and to recite winter-themed poetry they have written. The ceremony will be held in the Sandine Theater on Mon., Dec. 16 from 2:15 p.m. until dismissal time. Any parents who are interested are welcome to attend.  

PTCNewsPTC NEWS
Next PTC Meeting - Dec. 11

The next Parent Teacher Council meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Wed., Dec. 11 in the Sturley Room. The PTC will be discussing plans for the Spring Fundraiser Auction. All parents are welcome and encouraged to get involved with the PTC and attend the meeting.

Questions? Contact PTC co-presidents Christina Herrick and Jaime Cole at ptc@footeschool.org.
Save Your Box Tops

The PTC is collecting box tops this year. The school gets 10 cents for each box top donated, so please drop yours off at the collection box on the PTC desk near the front desk. Thank you!
DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Young Alums Return to Campus

Recent Foote grads returned to Loomis Place on Nov. 27 for Young Alums Day, and there were many happy reunions. Students from the graduating classes of 2011-2014  converged on campus to visit with teachers, greet old friends and participate in a panel discussion for current ninth graders about options for high school. Click here for more photos.
Foote Delegation Heads to D.C. for Diversity  Conference

Four faculty members and six ninth graders hopped a train to Washington, D.C. Wednesday afternoon to attend the People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Foote has sent faculty to the conference before, but this is the first time students will attend. The ninth graders were selected based on essays they wrote about why they wanted to attend the conference and what they thought they could bring back to the school community. The Foote delegation will spend two and a half days at the conference, sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools. They will participate in workshops and dialogue sessions related to how schools like Foote can promote equity and justice in their communities by exploring racial and ethnic identity.

Faculty members attending the conference are: MAG Teacher Kim Yap, School Counselor Veena Raghuvir, Middle School Math Chair Megan Williams and Middle School Humanities Co-Chair Debra Riding.

Pictured at New Haven's Union Station, students attending the conference are (from left in top photo): Juliet Friedman, Courtney Joshua, Patrick Gallagher, Robinson Armour, Henry Jacob and Matthew Diemand.

Patrick Gallagher sent the group photo below from D.C.'s Union Station after the delegation's arrival in the nation's capital.

Third Graders Program LEGO Robots

As part of their STEM curriculum, third graders are building and programming robots made from LEGO WeDo kits. In the exercise, students build simple, motorized machines from LEGO pieces then use click-and-drag software to program them to move. In Leslie Long's science class on Wednesday, students made goalies that moved side-to-side defending a goal, airplanes with motorized propellers, a spinning top and other inventions. The project was a warmup of sorts for the spring, when third graders will begin learning to write computer code using Scratch programming language. Click here for more photos of the LEGO robots. And click the still frames below for movie trailers documenting the project created by Lower School Technology Coordinator Julianne Ross-Kleinmann.
Robots Robots Robots
Robots Robots Robots

3rd Grade Meets LEGO WeDo
3rd Grade Meets LEGO WeDo

3X Lego WeDo
3X Lego WeDo

From the Faculty Blogs

Alexandra Wittner's Kindergartners learned all about Hanukkah traditions
from a special guest. And Sue Delaney's MAG students learned about the Jewish holiday from a mom who brought special treats to eat.

Jim Adams' fifth graders made Puppet Pal videos about Egyptian gods and goddesses, and dressed up as them too (pictured).

Head Librarian Lynda Johnson blogs about her view of eighth graders' "book sculptures."

Looking for song lyrics, photos or videos from Lower School music classes? Check out Tina Cunningham's "Sharing Our  Song" blog.

Head of Middle School John Turner blogs about the Hour of Code and what he learns during classroom visits.

And Curriculum Coordinator Lauren Goldberg compares Foote's curriculum-mapping project to a journey with unanticipated twists and turns.

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.  
DatesDates to Remember
Dec. 5-8 - Theater Production: Treasure Island - Sold Out
Dec. 11 - PTC Meeting, 8:30 a.m. in the Sturley Room
Dec. 18 - Winter Assembly, All School Dismissal 12:30 p.m. (No After School)
Dec. 19 - Jan. 1 - Winter Vacation