September 25, 2019 PARENT NEWSLETTER Greetings from the Dean's Office!
Family Weekend is THIS weekend, and here is the preliminary general schedule for the weekend. The Saturday class schedule can be found here. We are excited to welcome all of our families to Saint James for a great weekend filled with meet and greets, athletics, and more. Festivities kick-off Friday with Varsity Field Hockey playing at 4pm, with JV to follow. We welcome and encourage you to come by on Friday for the game, or to watch your student practice and take them out for dinner afterwards. Our faculty will be around all weekend if you would like to speak with a specific teacher, advisor, dorm parent, or coach. Registration will begin at 8:00 am on Saturday in Kerfoot Refectory.
Don't forget to register for the Parents Association Meet & Greet Saturday night (more information on that below). During the party, the students will be engaged in a variety of activities on campus. There will be a movie in Kellam Auditorium, various games in Alumni Hall, and board games in the Holloway-Detweiler Wrestling Center. All students, boarding and day, are welcome to attend the evening of activities.
This week's article, "My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation" is a few years old, but still very relevant, especially with many of you coming to visit with your student this weekend, so seeing them for the first time in a few weeks when long weekend arrives. The author, Paul Barnwell, is a teacher and many of his points reinforce our campus-wide views on technology use by our students.
Lastly, don't forget that long weekend begins Thursday, October 10, at 12:20 PM. Boarders must return to campus by 9:30 PM on Monday, October 14, and classes resume the morning of October 15.
Sincerely,
Steve Lachut WEEKEND ACTIVITIES Duty Captains: Mr. & Mrs. Zawie Notes: Open Weekend
Friday: 4:00 Varsity Field Hockey vs Walkersville 5:30 JV Field Hockey vs Walkersville 5:45 Grill Club shopping run then cook-out at Mr. Batson's 6:00 Dinner (Required)* 6:30 Movie Run 6:45 Coffee Run 7:00-9:00 Open Gym 10:00 Check-in at Kemp Hall (Required)* 11:00-Lights out campus-wide (early because of Family Weekend)
Saturday: 8:00 Breakfast (Optional) 9:00-11:00 Chapel and Mini-Classes for families 12:00 Lunch (Required)* 1:00 JV Volleyball vs Washington HS 1:00 Varsity Boys Soccer vs St. Maria Goretti 2:00 Varsity Volleyball vs Washington HS 2:00 Varsity Football vs Bullis School 2:00 Varsity Golf vs Flint Hill (off-campus) 3:00 Varsity Girls Soccer vs Fannett-Metal HS 6:00 Dinner (Required)* in the wrestling room 6:30 On-Campus Activities (movie night, open gym, and board games) 10:00 Check-in at Kemp Hall (Required)*
Sunday: 3:00-5:00 Library, Fine Arts & Gym Open 5:00 Dinner Out to El Ranchero 6:00 Dinner
IMPORTANT NOTES From the Assistant Headmaster:
We look forward to our parents' arrival this weekend. At registration, several members of the administrative team will be available if you have any questions. After the chapel meeting, please enjoy the company of our teachers as you go through the academic schedule. Be sure to be in touch with teachers prior to the weekend if you would like to arrange a time to talk.
I take this opportunity to let you know that we have been exploring several schedule changes to our daily routine for next year. Our search is governed by the knowledge that the students feel very stressed by every class meeting three days a week. We have spoken to several schools about changes they have made to address the same concerns we have, and to this end we are narrowing down options that we think will work for our community. Once we have made a final decision, which will take place in the next two weeks, we will make that schedule known to everyone. We have polled students, faculty, and administrators during this process, so we feel that the schedule we choose will be one that everyone supports. In addition to the daily schedule change, it is likely that we will move to a semester system, which has broad appeal to our community
From the School Nurse:
The influenza vaccine will be offered on campus to all students whose parents desire them to be vaccinated. Written permission is required; please sign this permission slip and return by October 12 to have the vaccine administered. You may fax your request to the Infirmary at 301-671-2591 or email jcampbell@stjames.edu.
There will be a $25.00 fee charged to the student's school account for this vaccination. This vaccine will be available at the school during the month of October.
Students are strongly encouraged to get the influenza vaccine, either on campus, with their own doctor, or other clinics where the vaccine is offered.
Should you have any questions about this vaccine, please do not hesitate to contact School Nurse Jamie Campbell at jcampbell@stjames.edu or 301-733-9330 ext. 3006.
Student Travel Opportunity:
The enrollment deadline for the spring break trip to Belize is September 30th. Mr. McDonald still has a few spots remaining. He would also like to open the trip to parents who might want to accompany their child on the trip. Please note that after the deadline the price goes up and spots may no longer be available.
For information (including adult prices), and to enroll, check out the trip site.
From the Yearbook Staff:
Information regarding yearbook ad sales will be available in the McIntyre Room Saturday from 9-11 AM.
From the Parents Association:
Our Annual Meet & Greet Cocktail Party is THIS Saturday at 6:30pm in the Refectory. It is a fun event and we hope to see you all there. Tickets can be purchased online for $55 per ticket. The food and drink will be amazing this year (as usual) and the company will be even better! If you would like to help us before, during, or after the event, please visit our volunteer site.
We would love to see you at the Parents Association meeting this Saturday. It will be quick, but very informative.
Our volunteer site has several events that still need volunteers. If you would like to see how you can help, please go to www.stjames.edu/volunteer. We always need help at our games and it is a great time to see all the students and other parents. We also have several remote volunteer opportunities throughout the year.
We still need help in a few areas within the Parents Association. Several positions can be handled remotely! Please contact Donna Almany if you are willing and able to help us. You can email her at tdalmany@yahoo.com
From the Director of College Counseling:
Revolution Prep, a nationwide leader in online test prep and tutoring, will be joining us for Family Weekend on the morning of the 28th in the McIntyre Room. See this flyer for more information about Revolution Prep. Please note that it is required of all fifth form parents to visit the Revolution Prep booth on Saturday to sign their student up for the full-length practice ACT on Sunday, January 12th and practice SAT on Sunday, March 22nd, which are mandatory for fifth form boarding and day students.
Please join us on Wednesday, October 2 at 7pm for "Serious About Science: College Admissions in the STEM Fields." Boarding and day students in the third, fourth, and fifth form are required to attend, as well as any sixth former who is applying to these institutions or planning a career in the STEM field. Families are also warmly welcomed and highly encouraged to join us.
From the Athletic Department:
We have prepared team specific "store fronts" so that parents, grandparents, and athletes can purchase Saint James swag at reduced prices since we will be buying in quantity. Here is the link to all of the store fronts for the Fall Season teams.
From the Admissions Department:
Every year our best source for fantastic new prospective students is our current families. Please encourage families you may know to attend our Fall Open House on Saturday, October 19. We also welcome you to pass along our information to families that you think would be a great addition to our community or send us their contact information and we will follow up.
From the Chaplain:
Prayer Requests and Low Mass Intentions
If any community member wishes to have particular prayer requests added to the Wednesday and Sunday Eucharistic Prayers of the People or as part of the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evening Low Mass intentions, please email bmontgomery@stjames.edu to make them known. QUICK LINKS Saint James School |