The Foote School 
E-News
September 29, 2016
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Grandparents Day - Oct. 7 



Grandparents Day is Friday, Oct. 7. Invitations have been mailed to Foote grandparents and special friends, who are invited from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to visit grandchildren's classes, participate in a minicourse or school tour, and enjoy an all-school assembly.

Invitations
If your child plans to bring a special friend in place of a grandparent, let us know so that we can prepare name tags and schedules for them. Please email the special friend's name to Amy Sudmyer in the Development Office, at asudmyer@footeschool.org.

Grandparents or special friends can also register from our homepage or by clicking here.

Please Volunteer
Grandparents Day volunteers are still needed! If you can donate a few hours of your time - either on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 12:00-3:00 p.m., or Friday, Oct. 7  from 8:30-12:30 p.m. - please contact Amy Sudmyer at asudmyer@footeschool.org.
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
No School on Monday, Oct. 3
 
Reminder: There is no school on Monday, October 3, in observance of Rosh Hashanah.

Vacation Program will be available on both October 3 (Rosh Hashanah) and October 12 (Yom Kippur). Click here to download the Vacation Program registration form.

Room assignments for Vacation Program: All ages will be in Chester Sharp's and Kim Yap's classrooms (L5).

Sign Up for After School Minicourses
 
It's time to sign up for After School minicourses for the fall term. Courses being offered include Yoga, Model Kit Club, Chess (beginners and advanced), Cartooning, Multi Sportz and Fall Arts & Crafts.

Students may participate in a minicourse even if they are not enrolled in the After School Program.
Questions? Contact Dawn Walsh (dwalsh@footeschool.org) or Bill Manke (bmanke@footeschool.org) in the After School Program.

Admissions Update
 
If you know families who may be interested in Foote, please encourage them to visit Foote for a Family Open House, Parent Program or Parent Tour to learn more about our exciting learning environment and warm community.

For siblings applying to Foote, we welcome applications now by applying online. For current families, we ask that you complete applications by January 10 so we can send early notification on February 10.

Questions? Contact Rachelle Byron, Director of Admissions and Outreach, at rbyron@footeschool.org.

Join Us to Discuss Whistling Vivaldi

 
Over the summer, the entire Foote faculty and staff read Whistling Vivaldi by social psychologist Claude Steele as professional development. The book "sheds new light on how pervasive stereotypes can actually influence behavior and performance and how these stereotypes, if left unexamined, perpetuate themselves." We are using the book this year in our ongoing efforts to achieve an inclusive, supportive, nurturing environment for children, families and teachers. (Read more about our efforts on our Curriculum Conversations blog).

In June, we invited parents to read the book along with us. We will host a book discussion on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 8:15 a.m. in the Sturley Room. All parents are welcome. Curriculum Coordinator Lauren Goldberg and school counselor Kossouth Bradford will facilitate the discussion.

Several copies of the book are available for checkout in the Perrine Library.

RSVPs are not required but would be helpful (email Silvia Gee at sgee@footeschool.org) We hope to see you on Oct. 6.

School Photo Day - Oct. 18

 
All Foote students will have their photos taken on campus on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Class photos will also be taken at this time. Photo Day is a fund-raiser sponsored by the PTC.
  • Every child's photo will be taken for the yearbook.
  • If you would like copies of the photos (individual or class), you may order a photo package. Please complete the order form available here.
  • Please enclose the exact amount for the photo package you are ordering, in the form of cash or check made out to "David Frost Photography." If ordering for more than one child, please fill out one order form for each child and pay separately.
  • There is a pocket on the PTC bulletin board in the Main Building for completed order forms, or you may deliver your form to your child's teacher. Please return them by Oct 4.
Questions? Contact Photo Day coordinator Sandra Curran
at shelena2002@yahoo.com or 203-907-6045, or Buffy McCleery at buffymccleery@gmail.com.

LSNewsLOWER SCHOOL NEWS
Kindergarten Parent Coffee Social - Oct. 17


RSVP to Erika Villa at evilla@footeschool.org.



 MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Grade 8 Parent Meeting - Oct. 5


Grade 8 Parent Meeting

Wednesday, Oct. 5 
6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 
Sandine Theater

We will discuss the unique benefits and opportunities of The Foote School's ninth-grade program and provide an overview of the secondary school placement process. We will be joined by recent graduates and their parents, who will share their perspectives on the ninth grade experience at Foote.

Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to Erika Villa at evilla@footeschool.org.


PTCNewsPTC NEWS
PTC Meeting - October 5

   
Volunteer with the PTC

 
Each year, members of the Foote community are asked to select the PTC committees they would like to join for the upcoming year. Participation levels and time commitments vary. Volunteers are always needed and appreciated. Please review the committee descriptions and select any you would like to join. We will contact you as the events you have selected approach. Thank you!

Amy Sudmyer & Melissa Castleman
PTC Co-Presidents
 
Earn Rewards for Foote at Stop & Shop

 
Please help Foote earn cash rewards every time you buy groceries at Stop & Shop. Simply register your frequent-shopper card to earn points for Foote through Stop & Shop's A+ School Rewards program. Signing up is easy and costs nothing; it won't affect Gas Points; your purchases cannot be seen by Foote.
To register, start by clicking here. Under "Already know your school's ID?" enter 08832 in "School 1." If you registered within the past few years, you do not have to re-register. Last year, Foote earned more than $3,000 through this program--money that will be used this year for field trips or summer reading books. Thank you in advance for your participation.

 
There is another no-cost way to support Foote!  Use "Cash for Causes" Stop & Shop gift cards, purchased through the PTC, for all your Stop & Shop grocery or gas purchases. For every $100 gift card you buy, you get $100 worth of groceries, and Foote earns $5. Gift cards are available at the front desk or by contacting the PTC's Stop & Shop coordinator, Vicki Murphy, at vgmurphy1848@gmail.com.

 
DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Gladly Learning and Teaching with Yali Guests

Twenty-nine students and three faculty members from Yali, our sister school in China, have spent the week at Foote engaged in a fascinating cultural exchange. The Yali guests have visited classrooms in every grade to teach and learn from our students and are staying with Foote host families.

On Tuesday, the entire school participated in sharing activities based on the school's motto, "Gladly will I learn and gladly teach," in which Yali and Foote students each taught each other something from their respect homelands.

On Wednesday, we gathered for an all-school assembly at which fifth graders recited a Chinese poem and Yali students performed dances (both modern and traditional) and demonstrated caligraphy art. Music teachers led everyone in singing the classic American tunes "Make New Friends" and "My Favorite Things."

The experience has deepened our friendship with Yali and our shared commitment to breaking down stereotypes by knowing each other as individuals and developing cross-cultural understanding.

Find more photos on our Facebook page.




Highlights from Yali all-school assembly

Close-Up: Mapping the World and Its Cultures
"Journeys" is the theme of our interdisciplinary curriculum in sixth grade, and this week sixth graders in Trevor Rosenthal and Deb Riding's classes began a journey in map-making that will open their understanding of world geography and cultures. Over the course of the school year, each student will produce a hand-drawn, color-coded map of the Earth indicating continents, national boundaries, land forms, rivers and oceans.  With a focus on longitude and latitude, students use yardsticks and pencils to plot a grid that serves as a guide to placing each element onto the map.

The maps are just one part of a global study of world religions, music, art, population statistics, literature and storytelling -- a year-long endeavor that culminates in the Festival of the World in the spring. As students connect the location of the Himalayas to the travels of Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, the mountain range is no longer a mere spot on the map; it is the setting of a dramatic voyage.

Read more on Lauren Goldberg's blog, Curriculum Conversations.

 
Looking Back: The Foote Archives blog




Foote's centennial year may be past, but we're still discovering great old photos in the Anna Huntington Deming '35 Archives. Check out the  Archives Blog for a look back at 100 years of gladly learning and teaching at Foote.

From the Faculty Blogs

Cara Hames' first graders decorated puzzle pieces incorporating parts of their identity, then put it together to realize, "We are all connected" (pictured).

Margy Lamere's first graders discovered a variety of creative ways to count to "target numbers" using classroom objects.

Kim Yap's second graders painted "Eric Carle paper" for an upcoming aquatic creature project.

STEM marshmallow building, animation, virtual reality: Lower School Technology Coordinator Julianne Ross-Kleinmann has posted highlights from the first, exciting weeks of tech class.

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

Sept. 29 - Oct. 1 - Yali delegation from China at Foote

Oct. 3 - Rosh Hashanah - NO SCHOOL - Vacation Program available

Oct. 6 - Book discussion of Whistling Vivaldi - 8:15 a.m. in Sturley Room

Oct. 7 - Grandparents Day - 12:30 All-School Dismissal - After School Program available

Oct. 10 - Fall Weekend - NO SCHOOL - No Vacation Program

Oct. 12 - Yom Kippur - NO SCHOOL - Vacation Program Available

Oct. 22 & 23 - City Wide Open Studios at Foote