The Foote School 
E-News
December 8, 2016
In This Issue
Quick Links
Winter Assembly Schedule  



Parents are welcome to attend the Winter Assembly next Friday, Dec. 16 at 11:00 a.m. in the Hosley Gym.

*Please remember assembly dress.*
  • Long pants (no jeans, sweatpants or warm-up pants)
  • Dress/skirt of an appropriate length (no shorts, jeans or sweat pants)
  • Collared shirt (button-down, golf or polo)
  • No t-shirts or sweatshirts, no writing on shirts
  • No flip-flops
Schedule
11:00 a.m. - Assembly in the Hosley Gym
12:30 p.m. - All-school dismissal
No After School Program

Note: Rehearsals will be held throughout the morning. Seating will begin at 10:45 a.m.

Groups performing: 
1st Grade
3rd Grade
6th Grade
8th & 9th Grade Handbells
8th & 9th Grade Steel Pans
9th Grade World Drumming
Chorus
Orchestra
Jazz Rock Ensemble 

Please note: The PTC will have a lost-and-found table at the assembly. Any items not claimed will be donated to a local charity.
   
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Parents Are Our Best Ambassadors

  
If you know families who may be interested in Foote, please encourage them to visit the school to learn more about our exciting learning environment and warm community. We have several opportunities to visit in January, including parent tours for all grades and an evening parent program for grades K & 1.
 
We know that parents play a key role in keeping Foote strong. You are our best ambassadors, and we encourage you to share your experiences at Foote with others who may be interested in the school. Please note that we have eliminated our age cutoff for Kindergarten applicants, based on extensive research of demographic data and trends in independent school enrollment. Foote has always made admissions decisions based on a child's developmental readiness to ensure the best chance for his or her success. We are not changing our expectations for applicants, though with more spaces available we are able to consider students with fall birthdays who are ready for our program. 
Foote School Store Open for Holiday Shopping


You can shop for Foote apparel and accessories 24/7 from the comfort of your home at www.footeschoolstore.com. Pick up purchases at Foote or have them shipped to your door.

Order Foote gear for holiday gifts now and pick it up at the Winter Assembly on Dec. 16. There will be no actual sales on the day of the assembly, only pick up for previous online orders. The cutoff for all holiday gift orders is Dec. 15. We will resume processing orders on January 3. 
    
Play Photos Available for Download


Photos from the 7th/8th grade play, "Telling Tales: Three One-Act Comedies," are now available for download by clicking the links below.

 
Cast A Photos (performed on Dec. 1 & 3)

Cast B Photos (performed on Dec. 2 & 4)
  
The password for both galleries is: 2016
  PTCNewsPTC NEWS
Basketball Clinic Fundraiser - Jan. 19


Mark Your Calendars...

Basketball Clinic Fundraiser 
Grades K-9 
Thursday, January 19 
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Hosley Gym 
  • One-hour clinic with Yale Men's Basketball Coach (and Foote parent) James Jones, along with players from the Yale men's and women's teams
  • Group instruction followed by small-group activities by age
  • Basketballs provided
  • Pizza, snacks and water for sale
  • Crafts and other activities
  • $15 - All proceeds go to the PTC
Questions? Contact PTC Co-Presidents Amy Sudmyer and Melissa Castleman at [email protected].

DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Close-Up:
Foote's 'Mission Skills' in Action



As Middle School students participate in the Mission Skills Assessment this week, fifth graders embarked on a new interdisciplinary project that, like so many others at Foote, develops the essential skills that are key to our mission. Around a large table in the art room, Mike Golschneider introduced a compelling new project connected to fifth graders' unit on Ancient Egypt. The task was fairly straightforward: sculpt slabs of clay into Canopic jars, containers the Ancient Egyptians used to hold a person's organs after he died, that he might have them in the afterlife. Embedded in the project, though, was a focus on our six key "mission skills": curiosity, creativity, teamwork, resilience, ethics and time management. At their work spaces, students eagerly dove into the project.

Who Makes Up the New Haven Community?

 
First and second graders in Kim Yap and Chester Sharp's classes learned about the workings of New Haven city government this week from the woman who leads it. After sketching the churches on the Green, students met Mayor Toni Harp in her City Hall office. They were able to ask questions about the city's history and geography, what the mayor does and how city government keeps New Haven running. Mayor Harp explained her multi-faceted job: meeting with the Chamber of Commerce to attract businesses; working with the Board of Aldermen to craft legislation; ensuring roads are plowed, garbage is collected and parks are maintained; operating the public library. Students asked a range of thoughtful questions: "What do you do each day?" "What is the difference between the governor and the mayor?" "Do you go on trips for work?" "Do you feel like the boss?" "Do you have time to go on vacation?" "Do you have something to do with the president?" and "Do you have fun?"
At the end, Mayor Harp remarked,"Alright, you are some really smart young people."


*****

  Meanwhile, Grace Peard's second graders produced a class newspaper reporting on their interviews with New Haven restaurateurs. The project is tied into the class's curriculum on identity, Grace explains. First, students looked at who they are, then at who makes up the community of New Haven. "We thought restaurant owners would be a perfect place to find people whose cultures are important to them, as they share those cultures with people every day through food," says Grace. Students learned interview skills, how to hear other people's perspectives and how to synthesize that information into a cohesive article. Restaurants were chosen to reflect a wide range of cultures and traditions. Click here
to read their report.

 
DatesDates to Remember

Dec. 16 - Winter Assembly - 12:30 all-school dismissal - No After School Program

Dec. 17 - Jan. - Winter Break

Jan. 3 - Classes resume