The Foote School 
E-News
November 13, 2014
In This Issue
Quick Links
The Book Fair Is Next Week!


The annual Book Fair is next week, Nov. 18-20, in the Twichell Room. This year's special guest is Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award nominee Matthew Cody, the author of Powerless, Super, Villainous and other great middle-grade fiction.

The on-campus pizza and ice cream social with Matthew Cody is Thursday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hosley Gym. RSVP to bookfair@footeschool.org.

Saturday, Nov. 22 will be Foote Day at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison. Mention 'Foote' to the cashier, and 20 percent of your purchase will benefit the school.
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Reminder: No School Tomorrow


Tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 14, is a Professional Development Day
 for Foote faculty and staff.

There will be no school and no Vacation Program.

Thanksgiving Food Drive Extended


Many thanks to students and their families for all of their contributions to the Thanksgiving Food Drive for St. Ann's Soup Kitchen. The donations are really stacking up!

Because of the long weekend, we are extending the food drive until Tuesday morning, Nov. 18, to give families extra time to make their final contributions.

We are asking each grade to collect a specific item:

Kindergarten: canned cranberry sauce
MAG: canned green beans
Grade 3: canned soup
Grade 4: boxed instant stuffing
Grade 5: canned fruit
Grade 6: boxed baking mix (Bisquick)
Grade 7: canned peas or corn
Grade 8: boxed mashed potatoes
Grade 9: canned yams
Faculty and staff: ground coffee 

We are also collecting money to purchase 25 turkeys for St. Ann's guests. The collection box is in the main office.

Your donations will help ensure our neighbors in need have a great Thanksgiving. Thank you!

Tickets for The Mousetrap Go On Sale Next Week
Tickets for the winter theater production of The Mousetrap went on sale to cast and crew Nov. 10, and go on sale to everyone Monday, Nov. 17. Seventh and eighth graders have been diligently rehearsing to bring Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery to life for the Foote community.

Performance dates are:
  • Thursday, Dec. 4 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, Dec. 5 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, Dec. 6 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, Dec. 7 - 1:00 p.m.
All tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the front desk.

Annual Fund Update

AF logo Many of you received a phone call this week during our Annual Fund parent calling night. Thank you to those who have already given. If you have not yet contributed, please click here.

Your support helps fund field trips, new technology, financial aid and so much more!

Questions? Contact Ann Baker Pepe (abakerpepe@footeschool.org) or Amy Caplan (acaplan@footeschool.org) in the Development Office.

    MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Seventh Grade Opera Trip - Dec. 8

The seventh grade will take a music field trip to see La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on Monday, Dec. 8. The bus will depart from Foote at 6:45 a.m. and return at 4:00 p.m. Look for more detailed information in a letter from music teacher Sarah Heath.

Movie Event to Support Environmental Action Group

Foote's Environmental Action Group (EAG) is hosting a movie afternoon for all Middle School students on Friday, Nov. 21 at 2:30 p.m. in the Twichell Room. The featured film will be Chasing Ice, an amazing documentary about global climate change by Jeff Orlowski. This film has been nominated for an Academy Award and was a winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Please note that the film is rated PG-13 for strong language. Concessions will be available to purchase and proceeds will support future EAG endeavors. The anticipated pick-up time from this event is 4:15 p.m.

Questions? Contact EAG faculty adviser Kim Birge-Liberman at kbirgeliberman@footeschool.org.

Secondary School Recommendation Forms


Parents of students in Grades 8 and 9:

If your child intends to apply to secondary schools this year, please remember that all recommendation forms must be submitted to the proper teacher and the Registrar's office by Wednesday, Nov. 26. On or before that date, please send an email with the subject line "Schools Applying To" to Liam Considine (lconsidine@footeschool.org) and Erika Villa (evilla@footeschool.org) indicating the final list of schools to which your child will be applying.

Additionally, please encourage your child to carefully complete and submit the student questionnaire that Mr. Considine will make available to them early next week.
 PTCNewsPTC NEWS
Support Foote With Your Holiday Purchases


A simple change in the way you pay for groceries could have a large impact on Foote. Please buy and use Stop & Shop "Cash for Causes" gift cards for all of your Stop & Shop purchases (including gas!). The Foote PTC buys the cards at a 5 percent discount, so when you buy a $100 card, you get $100 worth of groceries, but Foote nets $5. Last year fewer than 10 Foote families bought Cash for Causes gift cards, but they raised over $1000 for Foote - just by grocery shopping! Gift cards are available for purchase at the Front Desk. Or, if you prefer, email Vicki Murphy (vgmurphy1848@comcast.net) to arrange a monthly delivery of cards.

Many retailers have programs to donate money to schools or nonprofits on behalf of their customers. Please sign up for these programs; it is a great way to support Foote while making everyday purchases or doing holiday shopping. These programs cost you nothing, but they help Foote enormously! The money Foote earns goes toward important items for your children such as field trip buses, required summer reading books, and playground upgrades.

Amazon.com: Sign up for AmazonSmile, and Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of your purchases to Foote. 


Target: If you have a Target credit card (the Target REDCard), sign up for Target's Take Charge of Education
 program, and Target will donate 1 percent of your purchases to Foote. Currently, 18 Target REDCards are signed up to support Foote. Last year they collectively earned $375 (about $20 per Foote shopper). 

DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Take Me Home, Falco's PRIDE

Foote School Kindergartners Sing About Falco's PRIDE

Kindergartners in Jess McKinney's class wanted to perform something related to Falco's PRIDE at the Lower School morning meeting last week, so they took a vote. After considering a poem or skit, they settled on an original song. Next they voted on the melody. "Twinkle, Twinkle" and the "ABC's" weren't quite right, but John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was perfect! The Kindergartners wrote the lyrics and performed the song as a class, with each student sharing an original picture illustrating how he or she demonstrates Falco's PRIDE (which stands for Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dependability and Excellence) in their own lives. Click the still frame above to watch video of the song, with Lower School music teacher Tina Cunningham accompanying on guitar.
Middle Schoolers 'Mix It Up' At Lunch

Middle School students left their homerooms - and their comfort zones - this week for a special lunch activity aimed at breaking down stereotypes and fostering community at Foote. The "Mix It Up at Lunch Day" event was organized by F-STAND (Foote Students Together Against Negativity and Discrimination) as part of a national campaign by the group Teaching Tolerance.

Students in grades 6-9 and faculty members were mixed randomly for lunch and conversation. Groups engaged in ice-breaker games then split into pairs for an exercise: find five things you have in common with your partner, and five ways you are different.

F-STAND advisers Veena Raghuvir and Megan Williams said Foote's first Mix It Up Day Lunch was a success. "It's a great opportunity for students to get out of their comfort zone and get to know students they might otherwise not," Veena said.
From the Faculty Blogs

Margy Lamere's MAG students made commemorative poppies for Veterans Day (pictured).

On her birthday, Kim Yap's MAG class surprised her with homemade cards and singing.

Adam Solomon's fifth graders created food webs for the 30 different animals they found living in the Foote woods.

Librarian Jennifer Friedman previews books that will be available at next week's Book Fair.

Curriculum Coordinator Lauren Goldberg reflects on the dawn of "Sesame Street" and technology at Foote today.

There's no "i" in team, Head of Middle School John Turner notes....but there is an "i" in science.

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.  
DatesDates to Remember
Nov. 14 - Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL - No Vacation Program

Nov. 18-20 - Book Fair and Author Visit

Nov. 26 - Thanksgiving Assembly, Early America Day, Young Alums Day (12:30 p.m. dismissal)

Nov. 27-28 - Thanksgiving Recess (No Vacation Program)

Dec. 9 - Photo Retake Day