The Foote School 
E-News
April 17, 2014
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Auction Items Available for Preview

The Annual Fundraising Auction is just a week away and items up for bidding are now listed on the event website.

WTNH sportscaster Erik Dobratz (husband of Foote fourth grade teacher Denise Quinn) will be the emcee and auctioneer for the evening.

Time is running out to register for the auction at the lower price.

Congratulations to parents Andrea and Klaus Radebold, who won last week's drawing for front-row seating during the live auction and comedy show.
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Festival of the World is April 24

The sixth grade will hold the Festival of the World on Thurs., April 24, in the Hosley Gym to share what they have learned this year. The festival will feature a research fair about the countries students have studied, a performance of music, poetry and dance, and an international buffet. Sixth grade artwork and three-dimensional models will decorate the gym.

All families and friends are invited and encouraged to attend. The afternoon's schedule will be as follows:

4:30 p.m. - Research Fair
5:30 p.m. - Performance
6:30 p.m. - International Buffet
Save the Date: Faculty Appreciation Breakfast

The Faculty Appreciation Breakfast will take place on Wed., May 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.  The event is a wonderful opportunity for parents to express their appreciation to the Foote faculty and staff. The breakfast is sponsored by the PTC and supported entirely by parents providing breakfast items and flowers.

Non-perishable food items can be dropped off in the faculty room on Mon., May 12 or Tues., May 13. Please label them clearly: "Faculty Breakfast." Cold food should be labeled and put in the refrigerator; hot items should be brought in between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. on May 14. A microwave, oven and warming plates will be available. Please remember to label your bowls and utensils for pick up after the breakfast.

Parent volunteers are needed to help with this event. Click here to sign up on VolunteerSpot.
Earth Day Assembly Rescheduled

Please note that the Earth Day Assembly, originally scheduled for April 22, has been rescheduled to Tues., April 29.
 MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Ninth Grade Meeting - April 28

There will be a meeting for parents of ninth graders on Mon., April 28 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Perrine Library.

The meeting will cover:
  • The end-of-year calendar
  • Details of the "mystery trip"
  • Special dress considerations for the closing days
  • The June 11 graduation ceremony
  • Graduation party options
RSVP to Registrar Erika Villa (evilla@footeschool.org, or 203-777-3464 ext. 208).
  PTCNewsPTC NEWS
Spring Cleaning - Donate to the Foote Tag Sale



DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Getting to Know... Jake Burt

Part of a series of short interviews with Foote faculty and staff.

Jake Burt
Fifth Grade Teacher
Years at Foote: 4
Lives in: New Haven

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A TEACHER?
Midway through college. I joined Teach For America right out of college and was placed in rural North Carolina teaching sixth grade science and social studies. Those were two of the most difficult, intense and rewarding years of my life.

IS THAT WHERE YOU PICKED UP THE BANJO?
Yes, although that was a present from my wife for my 30th birthday.

WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE BANJO PLAYER?
John Hartford. He can make it sad and melancholy. You don't usually think of the banjo as a melancholy instrument but Hartford could pull it off.

WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF TEACHING AT FOOTE?
Kids. I have yet to have a class where students are not willing to engage in anything at least once. No matter what hair-brained lesson you come up with, they are into it. They are intrinsically motivated and intensely creative.

WHAT'S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I starred in a rabbit meat commercial in China in 2003. It was for the Ying-Tai Tu Rou rabbit meat company and it played on westerners' inability to say that name. My wife and I were in it.

WHAT'S THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand.

PEPE'S, SALLY'S OR MODERN?
None of the above. I dislike apizza.
Jumping Rope for a Good Cause

This week, Foote students came together to participate in the Jump Rope for Heart event to raise money for the American Heart Association. Every inch of the Hosley Gym was filled with students doing individual jump roping, long ropes, double-dutch, jump the shot and other techniques they've been practicing in physical education class. Students collected donations for the AHA from parents and teachers for their time spent jumping rope. Click the video link below to watch a compilation from the two-day event.

Jump Rope for Heart at Foote
Jump Rope for Heart at Foote



Foote Jazz Players Perform at Yale Gallery

On April 13, a quartet from the Foote Jazz Rock Ensemble was invited as one of three bands to perform at the Yale University Art Gallery in celebration of the exhibit "Jazz Lives," the photography of Milt Hinton and Lee Friedlander. The Foote group shared the gallery stage with the premier groups from Neighborhood Music School and ECA, surrounded by photos of legendary jazz icons and a standing room-only audience. Directed by Max Heath, Foote students Rody Conway (electric guitar), Ben Barton (acoustic guitar), Dani Zanuttini-Frank (electric bass) and Noah Hermes de Boor (flute) played music by Duke Ellington and George Gershwin and had a chance to interact with members and directors of the other groups, both before and after the show. The next show in the series will feature Foote piano teacher Craig Hartley and his trio at the YUAG on April 24. Click here for more information about the series.

Learning About Novel Writing From a YA Author
Imagine you were trapped in a shopping mall during a deadly flu outbreak. There is no place to hide and no escape, as more people inside are becoming infected. That's the premise of No Safety in Numbers, the first book in a trilogy by Vermont-based author Dayna Lorentz, who visited Lara Anderson's seventh grade class on April 11. Dayna is the author of two young-adult series: No Safety in Numbers, and Dogs of the Drowned City, about pets learning to survive after a Katrina-like hurricane destroys Miami. Dayna talked with Ms. Anderson's students about creating characters and plot lines, "researching" fiction, writing drafts, and her professional path from lawyer to young-adult author. She read an excerpt from her book and then had students write the next scene to practice using dialogue and narration to convey essential information in a story. Afterward, Dayna said she was impressed with the students' writing, and left a copy of her book for the class to enjoy.
From the Faculty Blogs

Librarian Jennifer Friedman considers what wordless picture books can teach children (pictured).

Head of Lower School Beth Mello blogs about the first meeting of the task force reviewing Mixed Age Group.

Head of Middle School John Turner sends a dispatch from Chicago, where he's representing Foote at a Mission Skills conference.

Curriculum Coordinator Lauren Goldberg likens curriculum development to photography, examining student learning using wide-angle views and close-ups.

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.  
DatesDates to Remember
April 18 - No School, Good Friday (No Vacation Program)
April 24 - Sixth Grade Festival of the World
April 26 - Spring Fundraiser Auction - "LOL: Laughs on Loomis"
April 29 - Earth Day Assembly
May 7 - Field Day