The Foote School 
E-News
January 14, 2016
In This Issue
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Please Wear Special Colors for Tomorrow's MLK Assembly 

 
An all-school assembly will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, January 15 in the Hosley Gym.
 
To tie into the themes of inclusiveness and community, we are asking each grade to come dressed in a specific color so that together we make a giant rainbow on the gym floor. This is not assembly dress.

Students have been assigned the following colors:
  • Kindergarten & Grade 9 - Red
  • Grades 1 & 7 - Orange
  • Grade 2 - Yellow
  • Grades 3 & 5 - Green
  • Grades 4 & 6 - Blue
  • Grade 8 - White, as directed by their teachers
  • Faculty & Staff - Purple, Maroon or Pink
Please note: This is an assembly for students and faculty. 
 
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Reminder: No School Jan. 18



As a reminder, school will be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There is no Vacation Program. Enjoy the long weekend.

MOSAIC Event Tonight - 7:00 p.m.


Two-Headed Imagomancy 
  A storytelling performance of Persian culture, history and politics by Iranian-born artists Shahrzad Changalvaee and Iman Raad 

Thursday, January 14 
7:00-8:30 p.m. 
Sandine Theater

Please note: this event is appropriate for all parents
and students in grades 8 & 9

Presented by MOSAIC (Multicultural, Open-Minded, Supportive, Accepting, Inclusive Community)  

 
   
2016-17 Vacation Calendar - Revised

   

A revised 2016-17 vacation calendar has been posted to the website. Click here to download it. The new calendar corrects the date on which classes resume after Winter Break; school will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - not January 2.

ERB Results Are Now Available


Individual student reports from November's ERB administration are now available. Middle School parents who would like to review their child's results are invited to schedule an appointment with John Turner or Liam Considine. Fifth grade parents may set up a conference with Beth Mello.

To schedule an appointment, please contact Erika Villa at evilla@footeschool.org, or 203-777-3464 x208. 
   
*STARS* Begins This Saturday - Sign Up!


*STARS* is a Saturday morning program for children in grades K-5 that brings together students and teachers from Foote and New Haven public schools for fun activities and shared learning. The program runs from January 16 through March 5, and there is no cost to participate.

Click here for more information and enrollment forms.
(Please note: "Cooking With Stories" and "Acting Out Stories" are full.)

After School Minicourses
  
There is still time to sign up for two After School Minicourses that have not yet started:

 Math Enrichment
For Grades 3, 4 & 5  
Jan. 21, 28 & Feb. 4, 11, 18 
  
 Taught by Yale students, the course uses tools children learn in the classroom to explore mathematical problem-solving after school. We use team-based games and worksheets with the goal that children finish with increased excitement about math. All levels are welcome.

Basket Making with Angela Giannella
For Grades 3 - 6
3 two-hour classes - Feb. 5, 19, 26

Students make their own baskets and take them home for multiple uses. We will be using a natural fiber called reed, and will decorate the baskets with sea grass and some colored reed.

 
Support Horizons at Foote with Coffee Purchases
From now through June, Blue State Coffee at 320 Congress Ave. in New Haven will donate a portion of its profits to Horizons at Foote, the school's new summer enrichment program for low-income New Haven Public School students. Support a great business and a great cause. Many thanks to Blue State Coffee for their generosity!
Scratch Day - Jan. 23
Scratch Day
A morning to meet, share and learn about coding and technology

Saturday, January 23
(Snow date January 24)
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Open to students in grades 3-7

Click here to view the program and register.

Registration is open to the general public; space is limited.

Questions? Contact Julianne Ross-Kleinmann (jross@footeschool.org) or Debbie Carpenter (dcarpenter@footeschool.org).
   
Warburg Visiting Artist Concert - Jan. 26

Warburg Visiting Artist Concert

The inaugural performance of the Ellie Warburg Class of 1945 Visiting Artist Program, featuring Rob Kapilow (of NPR's "What Makes It Great"), pianist Andrius Zlabys and the Haven String Quartet
 
Tuesday, January 26
7:00 p.m.
Sandine Theater
Admission is free

For all ages - students, parents, grandparents and siblings

Reservations are required: concert@footeschool.org.
   
 LSNewsLOWER SCHOOL NEWS
Reminder: Grade 5 Parent Meeting - Jan. 26

Grade 5 Parent Meeting
Tuesday, January 26
8:15 a.m. in the Twichell Room

Head of Lower School Beth Mello and Foote's consulting psychiatrist, Michael Kaplan, will discuss how to support your changing child and three aspects of the fifth grade experience:
  • The Educational Records Bureau standardized tests (the ERBs)
  • Math placement decisions for Grade 6
  • The joys and challenges of pre-adolescence and adolescence

RSVP to Erika Villa at evilla@footeschool.org. 

   
  PTCNewsPTC NEWS
All-School Ice Skating Social - Jan. 21


Foote Family Ice Skating Social
A chance to have fun and build community

Thursday, January 21
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Ralph Walker Ice Rink
1080 State St.
New Haven

$5 per skater, or $20 per family
Skate rentals $2/pair

Bake sale, pizza and hot cocoa additional.
All proceeds benefit the PTC, supporting enrichment for classrooms.

Volunteers are needed to make treats for the bake sale. Please click here to sign up.

Register for small-group skating lessons (by age)
by clicking here.

 
DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Breaking Down Stereotypes with 'Julia's Star'

Fourth graders participated in a hands-on activity about stereotypes and acceptance this week using the book "Julia's Star" and a bunch of lemons. Students began by observing the general characteristics of the lemons - yellow, sour, round, etc. - before examining each more closely to notice how it was similar, and different, from the others. Next, students arranged fruit in groups to visually illustrate what cliques and exclusion can look like.

Leading the activity were eighth and ninth grade students from F-STAND (Foote Students Against Negativity and Discrimination). After the lemon exercise, the older students read the fourth graders "Julia's Star," a picture book written by a 15-year-old girl that illustrates how curiosity, friendship, knowledge and trust can overcome prejudice.

The objective of the exercise, says School Counselor Kossouth Bradford, was to see that not all lemons are exactly alike - just as people within a given ethnic, religious or cultural group. "It enhances their awareness that there are numerous stereotypes out there and that we may sometimes engage in stereotyping without even realizing it," Kossouth says.


Looking Back: Learning on Loomis, 1958-67
 
As we celebrate Foote's centennial year, we are digging through the Anna Huntington Deming '35 Archives to tell our school's remarkable story on our archives blog. This week's installment
covers 1958 to 1967, a period of growth and change as Foote moved to Loomis Place and transitioned through three different heads of school. Be sure to check out the Centennial display in the glass case outside the Hosley
Gym/Sandine Theater.  

From the Faculty Blogs

Alexandra Wittner's Kindergartners are doing yoga to learn breathing techniques and calming strategies.

To celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., and prepare for tomorrow's assembly, Amanda Diffley's third graders read a book, created a timeline and discussed the incredible legacy of the civil rights leader.

What's the best way to configure 24 candies in a box? Ashley Schnabel and Melissa McCormack's third graders investigated (pictured).

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.
DatesDates to Remember

Jan. 14 - MOSAIC Event - Persian storytelling performance - 7:00 p.m. in the Sandine Theater

Jan. 18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL - No Vacation Program

Jan. 21 - Foote Ice Skating Social - 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Ralph Walker Ice Rink 

Jan. 23 - Scratch Day - 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Jan. 26 - Warburg Visiting Artist Concert - 7:00 p.m.