Greetings from the Dean's Office!

Long weekend has finally arrived!  It has been quite a trek to get to this point.  Our students have gone from August 18 to October 11, approximately eight weeks, without a "real break."  I know the students are very excited to get away, but I would like to think by the time Monday night rolls around they will be just as excited to get back to classes and practices, not to mention their friends.  Students may be picked up tomorrow after their last obligation of the day; for many that will be G block, which ends at 12:20 PM.  All boarders are to return to campus between 6:00 PM and 9:30 PM on Monday and must check-in at Kemp or in the dorm upon their return.

Before we officially depart tomorrow, our students are having an action-filled day today.  Our second formers were at the Washington County Fine Arts Museum, all of our third through fifth form students took the PSAT, and our sixth formers were with Mr. Harry, Ms. Goolman, and Mrs. Zawie for a college application lock-in.  This afternoon, we had our first Choices and Connections meetings.  Our second and third form students were in small groups learning about and discussing nutrition, sleep habits, and mindfulness.  Our fourth formers discussed group dynamics, and interviewed one another in order to develop more meaningful connections within their form.  It is all capped off with a barbecue tonight with lawn games and activities on the turf field.

When we return from long weekend, our fifth formers will be preparing for the Fifth Form Leadership Retreat. The retreat will be at Cedar Ridge Adventures, and will be made up of low-element team building activities as well as high-ropes course challenges.  The first group will be heading out on Sunday, October 21 just after Chapel (12:15) and will return to campus that evening around 5:30. They will then do it all over the next day, heading out around 8:15 AM and returning to campus at approximately 1:30 PM.  This should be a great opportunity for our fifth formers to start to develop the leadership skills they will need in the sixth form and beyond. 

I hope everyone has a restful and wonderful fall long weekend.

Sincerely,

Steve Lachut
Dean of Students

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

Reminder to day students that they are welcome to participate in any weekend activity!

Enjoy Your Long Weekend

IMPORTANT NOTES

From the Assistant Headmaster & the Registrar:

We hope everyone had an enjoyable time on campus during Family Weekend.  So that we may continue to improve our programs, we ask that you submit this short survey about Family Weekend (even if you did not attend).  We appreciate your feedback!

Blackbaud Tip of the Week:

Import a Blackbaud Calendar to Google or Microsoft

From the Parents Association:

Thank you to all of the parents who were able to support our Annual Meet & Greet Cocktail Party!  We hope everyone had a great time talking with faculty and other SJS parents.  Special thank you to Laura Zimmerman, Sabina Spicher, Lucia Avellaneda, Marie Walker, Deanna Starkoski, and Cindy Scott for the leadership that made the event so awesome.  There are many more behind the scenes who made it all possible, including our amazing Sage Dining staff who never fails to impress us with their culinary delights. Many thanks to you all, too!

Thank you, once again, to all of the parents (and students) who delivered treats for the teachers this month.  The day was made amazing by all of you.  The teachers were very appreciative and will enjoy these treats all month.

Congratulations to our 2018 Tuition Raffle winner, Pam Grandstaff!  Thank you all for playing.  Your support of this event makes it a success. 

Please take a minute to visit our volunteer website, iVolunteer.   Fall and heading into winter is our busiest time for concessions and there are several opportunities for you to help!   Please go to  www.stjames.edu/volunteer.  Thank you to the new faces that helped with concessions this past, super busy weekend!

Our Annual Fund calls began this week.  Thank you for answering our call for support and helping us to reach our 100% participation goal this year!   

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