The Foote School 
E-News
November 20, 2014
In This Issue
Quick Links



Thanksgiving Assembly



The Thanksgiving all-school assembly is next Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 11:30 a.m. in the Hosley Gym. (There will be a 12:30 p.m. dismissal that day.) The assembly will feature musical performances by first and second graders, as well as seventh graders dressed as historical figures for Early America Day.

Please remember assembly dress.

Boys: Long pants (no jeans, sweatpants or warm-up pants). Collared shirt (button-down, golf or polo). Shirts may be long- or short-sleeved. (No T-shirts or sweatshirts, no writing on shirts.) Closed shoes (no flip-flops).

 

Girls: Pants or dress/skirt of an appropriate length (no shorts, jeans or sweat pants). Appropriate top (no spaghetti straps, T-shirts or sweatshirts; no writing on shirts.) No flip-flops.

 

Assembly dress guidelines may also be found on the school website and in the Parent Handbook.  

 

AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Book Fair Social Tonight at 5:30 p.m.

The Book Fair pizza and ice cream social is tonight from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Hosley Gym. Visiting author Matthew Cody spent the day speaking to students in New Haven - first at Mauro Sheridan School and later to fifth and sixth graders at Foote (pictured) - and will speak tonight in the Sandine Theater and sign copies of his books. We hope to see you there!

ALSO: Saturday, Nov. 22 is Foote Day at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison. Mention 'Foote' to the cashier, and 20 percent of your purchase will benefit the school.
Get Your Tickets for The Mousetrap



The stage is set and tickets are on sale for the December theater production of The Mousetrap in the Sandine Theater. Seventh and eighth graders have worked hard under Julian Schlusberg's direction to bring Agatha Christie's murder mystery to life.

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.
  Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the front desk.

    MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Winter Sports Information


Winter sports will begin on Monday, Dec. 1. The first day will be a big group meeting in the Hosley Gym, followed by individual team meetings and uniform handouts.

Equipment needed:

Boys/Girls Basketball: properly fitting sneakers with good ankle support

Squash: squash racket, protective eye goggles and non-marking athletic sneakers (no black soles)

Swimming: properly fitting swimsuit (girls: one-piece suits only) and a Foote swimsuit for competitions. (Goggles and swim caps will be provided). Click here to download the swimsuit order form

Movie Event Tomorrow for EAG

There will be a movie event tomorrow for Middle School students, sponsored by Foote's Environmental Action Group (EAG):

Chasing Ice, an amazing documentary about global climate change by Jeff Orlowski.

Friday, Nov. 21 at 2:30 p.m. in the Twichell Room

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 [email protected].

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 ([email protected]) and Erika Villa ([email protected]) 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.
     LSNewsLOWER SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Reminder: Kindergarten Parent Meeting


Save the Date!

Parents of Kindergartners are invited to learn more about the Fundations program with Stephanie Kelsey-Reynolds, Foote's consulting occupational therapist. Stephanie's presentation will demystify what occupational therapy entails and offer suggestions for how you can support your child's continued kinesthetic development.

Wednesday, Dec. 3
8:15 a.m. in the Twichell Room

RSVP to Registrar Erika Villa at [email protected], or 203-777-3464 ext. 208.


Watch the Webinar on MAG Transition


Thanks to all Kindergarten and first grade parents who participated in last night's webinar on plans for transitioning from MAG to grades 1 and 2. If you were unable to join the online discussion, you can click the still frame below to watch the presentation by Head of Lower School Beth Mello.
MAG to Grades 1 & 2
 PTCNewsPTC NEWS
School Store Open at Thanksgiving Assembly





The Falcon's Nest (Foote's school store) will be open before and after the Thanksgiving Assembly next Wednesday, Nov. 26. Come check out some exciting new offerings. There will be specials on
long-sleeve t-shirts, and knit and fleece hats! Remember: cash or check only for purchases.


Holiday 'Cards' Raise Money for Foote


This holiday season, you can give to Foote by using Stop & Shop's "Cash for Causes" gift cards for all of your holiday grocery shopping. You get the full $100 value of the card, and Foote gets $5. It's win-win. Cards may be purchased at the front desk. Happy Thanksgiving from the PTC!

DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Helping to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving

This year's Thanksgiving Food Drive was a big success! Sixth graders, who coordinated the community service project, delivered two van-loads of canned goods, as well as cash for turkeys, on Nov. 18 to St. Ann's Soup Kitchen in Hamden, where sixth graders volunteer serving lunch every Monday. The sixth grade will reveal the final tally of food items collected at Wednesday's Thanksgiving assembly. Thanks to every family who donated. Your contribution helps ensure that our neighbors in need won't go hungry this Thanksgiving.
Dyeing Wool the Native American Way

Foote's Sacred Woods were transformed into an early Native American village on Nov. 18 for the first and second graders' biennial yarn boil. Mixed Age Group classes are engrossed in a fascinating study of eastern Native American culture as part of their social studies curriculum. On Tuesday, students tossed yarn skeins into vats of bubbling dye made from pokeberries, onion skins, acorns and marigolds. Later, they will weave the dyed yarn into bookmarks. The pots hung from stick tripods over open fires, providing some warmth to students and parent helpers on the chilly morning.

Students also explored a brand new wigwam their teachers built in the Foote woods as part of last week's professional development day. Children learned about its structure and how Native Americans used bark to shingle the wigwam and fire to heat it. Find more photos from the yarn boil on our Facebook page.



At Paleo-Bowl, Foote Team is Dino-Mite

Two teams of sixth graders had excellent showings at this year's Paleo-Knowledge Bowl, held Nov. 16 at the Yale Peabody Museum. The six students - Theo Curtis, Sabrina Carlier, Ian Haile, Olivia Mentz, Sophie Sonnenfeld and Julia Kosinski - gave up one recess per week, two weekends and countless hours in preparation for the bowl, learning as much as they could about pre-historic life. One group even held a "paleo-snore" sleepover and watched dinosaur documentaries through the night!
 


Both teams easily advanced from the first round and each placed third in the semi-final round. Unfortunately, only first and second place teams advanced to the finals. "I am so proud of their hard work and excitement," says sixth grade science teacher Kim Birge-Liberman. "This was truly an example of curiosity and self-directed learning."

Congratulations to all!
Fall Sports Wrap-Up

Foote student athletes showed sportsmanship, teamwork and perseverance in the fall sports season. No matter each team's win-loss record, every Foote student worked hard and developed this season - both individually and as part of a team. Click here to read a recap of each team's season written by its coaches.

Congratulations to every fall athlete!
Foote Chess Team Wins Silver at Tournament
Congratulations to Foote's student chess team, which earned a second place finish in the 2014 Greater New Haven Open held earlier this month at Hopkins. Six players from grades 2 through 5 helped Foote place second of the six teams competing: Elia Ahmadi, Kian Ahmadi, Henry Ferguson, Michael Illuzzi, Thaniel Illuzzi and Rufus McCleery. Bravo!
From the Faculty Blogs

Third graders were transported to America circa 1830 on a trip to Sturbridge Village (pictured). Ashley Schnabel, Melissa McCormack and Amanda Diffley have photos.

Forget Tom Turkey. Jake Burt's fifth graders teamed up with third grade buddies for a turkey-making contest and concocted bird names such as "Rainbow McGobbleguck," "Turkalicious the Red-Nosed Turkey" and simply "Dinner."

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.  
DatesDates to Remember
Nov. 20 - Book Fair Pizza and Ice Cream Social (5:30-7:00 p.m. in the gym)

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

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

Dec. 4-7 - Theater production, The Mousetrap

Dec. 9 - Photo Retake Day