February 2011 Lower School Newsletter
All School News
Dates to Remember:
Feb. 4 – Select Chorus performs at WB/Scranton Penguins Game
Feb. 9 – A+Pride Program: pre-K and K
Feb. 11 – 5th/6th grades Game Night; 7th/8th
grades Dance
Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day
Feb. 18-19 – Middle School Players present “A Mid-Summer
Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare
Feb. 23 – Fourth Grade Primary Program
Feb. 24 – Grade 8 Roaring 20s Day
Feb. 25 – Sem Bowl; Primary Gymnastics Show
Feb. 26 – Spring Break begins; classes resume March 14
Feb. 28-March 4 – First week of Spring Break Camp
No season like snow
season!
Not sure about the best way to find out when Sem has delayed
or cancelled school? Here is a fast and easy method:
Check Wyoming Seminary’s home page at www.wyomingseminary.org (updated
usually by 6:30 a.m. or earlier).
Also,
please remember that although local radio and television stations do announce
school delays and closings, their postings may be delayed. Relying on local
broadcast announcements should be parents’ last resort.
Sem
Merit Scholarship Exams are Saturday, Feb. 5!
Still time to register: The
thirtieth annual Sem Merit
Scholarship Exam will be offered at both Upper and Lower Schools on Saturday,
Feb. 5, 2011. If you know of a student who would be interested in a Sem
education, encourage him or her to contact the Lower School Admission office at
718-6610 or e-mail at admission@wyomingseminary.org.
Kropp named Director of Communications
Alexis
Kropp ’99, formerly Director of Public Relations at Rosemont College in
Rosemont, Pa., has been named Sem’s new Director of Communications. She
rejoined the Sem community in this capacity on Monday, Jan. 10. She will
oversee all aspects of the school’s marketing, public relations, publications
and web site efforts.
During
her four-year tenure at Rosemont Kropp managed public and media relations,
developed and managed advertising and marketing campaigns, organized and
managed special events and edited publications such as the college’s magazine.
She also worked as an account executive and public relations coordinator for
CDS Creative in Forty Fort.
Kropp,
who graduated from Lower School in 1995, holds a bachelor of arts degree in
communication from Rosemont College.
Visitation
Day is Monday, Feb. 21
Do you
know a young person not currently a Sem student who might benefit from
attending Sem? Why not invite him or her to visit the Lower School for a day
and see what the school has to offer. Visitation Day will be held on Monday,
Feb. 21, Presidents Day.
Since
most other schools are closed for the day, this event gives prospective
students an exciting opportunity to attend classes, eat lunch and meet new
people while they learn about Sem’s outstanding academic, arts and athletic
programs. Contact the Lower School Admission Office at 570-718-6610.
WSLS Family Ski Club offers fun in February
Join your Lower School friends and
their families at nearby Sno Mountain for an afternoon of skiing or boarding at
significantly reduced rates. Remaining days include Feb. 6 and 13. Family
Ski Club members have the opportunity to enjoy the mountain from noon until 9
p.m.
WSLS Family Ski Club rates are as
follows:
Skiing
and Snowboarding Lift Options Rates
Lift
Ticket only
$18
Lift
Ticket and Lesson (ages 11+ only) $21
Lift
Ticket, Lesson, and Ski Rental $25
Lift
Ticket, Lesson, and Snowboard Rental (ages 8+) $25
Superkids
– Skiing only (ages 6-10)
$33
In order to receive these discounted school rates, we must guarantee a minimum
of 15 participants each week and pay for our lift tickets, rentals, and lessons
in advance. PERSONAL CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED BY SNO MOUNTAIN, therefore,
all participants MUST PAY CASH. Order forms and payment should be
returned to Mrs. Kolessar, WSLS Ski Club Advisor, by Friday of each week.
Distribution of lift tickets, rental forms, release forms, and Superkids’
vouchers will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the lodge. All tickets, forms, and
vouchers MUST be picked up by 1 p.m. Please email or call Mrs. Kolessar (mkolessar@wyomingseminary.org;
718-6605) with any questions. Visit the Sno Mountain website, www.snowmntn.com, for additional information, including lesson times.
Select Chorus sings for the Penguins!
Don’t miss the Lower School Select
Chorus as they perform for the W/B-Scranton Penguins and their fans on Friday,
Feb. 4 at 7:05 p.m. in the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Chorus will sing the National
Anthem to start the game and later will perform “God Bless America” and
“Furaha.” For more information or to order tickets, check the web site.
Bookfair at Barnes & Noble benefits Parents Association
Plan now to stop by the Wyoming
Seminary Bookfair at the Barnes & Noble store in the Arena Hub on Saturday
and Sunday, Feb. 12 and 13. Choose
a book or other item, present your voucher (available for printout from the web
site here) at checkout and a portion of the proceeds from your purchase
will benefit the Lower School Parents Association Wish List and Auction. The
third grade also will present some of the music from their production of “A
Winter Fantasy” in a special performance at the store on Saturday, Feb. 12 at
10 a.m.
Spring Break Camp is almost here!
Ready
for some fun over spring break? Then sign up for Spring Break Camp held both
weeks of spring break at the Upper School. For more information or to sign up,
visit the Spring Break Camp page on the Lower School web site.
Primary News
It never ceases to
amaze me how our new year takes off!
Wasn’t it just yesterday when we arrived back to Sem after our holiday
break? And now...it’s February! The end of a long winter is in sight.
Thank you to everyone
for your patience as we work through our snowstorms and snow days. The safety of our students and their
families is at the top of our list when we have to make the decision to delay
or close school for the day. I
tell my children that we’ll just need to wait and see. With so many wonderful school
activities taking place in February, there really is no terrific time for more
snow days. Only Mother Nature will
tell.
Primary continues to
work hard and move forward in spite of these weather obstacles.
Fourth grade students
have begun work on their Primary Program:
“School House Rock- Our Tale.”
Pre-kindergarten flew off to the Antarctic and kindergarten is currently
in Australia. Third grade students are preparing to present their
musical “A Winter Fantasy”
at Barnes & Noble on February 12, first
grade students are beginning their underwater adventures and second grade has
entered the impressionist period of art history, studying Mary Cassett and
Vincent Van Gogh.
Below is our February
newsletter. Please take a moment to
read more about our upcoming Valentine’s Day celebrations and more.
Enjoy the longer and
warmer days,
- Dr. Hornung
February Dates of
Importance:
February 9 – A+PRIDE Program- Pre-k and kindergarten
presents
February 14 – Valentine’s Day
February 18 and 19 – MS Players present “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream”
February 23 – Fourth Grade Primary program at 9:20 a.m. and
7:00 p.m.
February 25 – Gymnastics Show at 2:00 p.m.
February 26 – Spring Break begins; classes resume
March 14
Spring
Break Camp for Two Weeks!
Spring Break Camp will be both weeks of Sem’s Spring Break: February
28-March 4 and March 7 – March 11; 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (Aftercare will be available
until 5:30 p.m.)
Spring Break Camp will be at our Upper School Campus, which means swimming
and other fun and recreational games. We sent home registration forms with our
Primary Comments at the beginning of January. If you need additional
information please call our office at 718-6600. Those students registered before February 1 will receive a
$25 discount. The brochure and
registration form can be found on the Lower School web site.
Primary
Comments
By now you have already
received the first round of Primary Comments for our
kindergarten through fourth graders.
This is our opportunity to keep you updated on the benchmarks of each
grade level and where your child is in relation to these benchmarks.
The way our faculty
document these milestones in your child’ academic history is through many forms
of inclass assessment. Each child is assessed on his or her
own abilities. With each benchmark (in first-fourth
grade) we are commenting on our students and how they are meeting our expectations,
exceeding them or need improvement.
Please know that
the expectations for each child are unique to his or her
abilities and strengths.
Therefore, we challenge our students to meet high
expectations set for them.
Kinderarten benchmarks use a different phrase of
expecations to be met: beginning, developing and secure. These terms were borrowed from our
Everyday Math program.
It is important that
you feel comfortable and understand Primary Comments. If there are ever any questions, please
feel free to contact your child’s classroom teacher for clarification.
Should you share the
comments with your children?
Absolutely. Depending upon the age of your children,
they will want to read the comments themselves. This is a great time to talk about how
school is going; if there is an
area that needs improving, consider ways to work as a
family so that your child feels
supported to take on that challenge. Asking your classroom teacher for suggestions
will help, as well. Remember that these comments are a
snapshot of your child’s experience. There is no end to learning,
and our goal is to instill this in all of our Primary
students.
Preschool and Pre-kindergarten Conference Days
Please mark your
calendar if your child is in our preschool or pre-kindergarten classes.
- 1
(afternoon)
- 2
(afternoon)
- Woytach’s conference da
More information will
be coming home from our classroom teachers with your child.
Valentine’s
Day
Valentine’s Day is
right around the corner, so get out the
glitter and the glue. We’ll
be celebrating on Monday, February 14.
Homeroom
Coordinators have been assigned the task of
organizing small class parties. We
are doing our best to make these as simple as possible. Please do not send in
extra goodies unless you have been asked.
We don’t need to overwhelm bellies or bookbags. Thank you for your understanding. These are always good lessons we can
demonstrate for even our littlest students.
Please remind your
child(ren) that Valentine’s Day is a day for friendship and fun. It’s also a day to dress in red and
pink...let’s see how bright and cheery we can be in Primary.
Absent
from school...
If your child(ren)
will be absent from school for either illness or family needs please call the
office before 8:30 a.m. that day and let us know. In addition, if you come to take your child home
early, please make sure to stop in the office, say
a quick hello to Mrs. Z. and Ms. Ostrum
and sign your child(ren) out.
Inclement
Weather
In case of inclement
weather, please remember to check the School’s Web site for morning delays,
early dismissals or school closing information.
Sem Attire Updates
A couple gentle reminders:
- Every Wednesday is a Blue and White Day! We ask our Primary children to wear
dark blue bottoms (jumper, pants, shorts, skort) and a white top.
- In the spirit of our Sem Attire we ask the
children to only wear Sem Attire sweaters, turtlenecks and long sleeve shirts:
navy blue, yellow and white.
- Reminder that socks should be navy blue or
white.
- At recess time, we’ve asked those third and
fourth graders who wish to play on the back field to wear boots for outside and
to bring a change of shoes for inside the building. This will keep the mud outside and help us keep our carpets
clean.
Morning Drop Off
Reminder
Please remember that all drop offs should be done in the
back of the school. A faculty
member is there to greet cars as they pull up to the glass foyer. Parents may NOT drop off their children
in the bus drop off lanes at the front of the school. This is extremely dangerous. If parents wish to walk their Primary students in to school
they may park in the back lot or on Arlington Road. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
After Care update
Any Lower School student who participates in our Aftercare
program must be part of an Aftercare plan or purchase 10 hours of Aftercare
coupons.
We have many payment options for families who participate in
our Aftercare program. Ms. Ostrum,
in the front office, is the Aftercare administrator. If you are unsure what program is appropriate for your
child’s schedule, please speak with Ms. Ostrum. She is available from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. each school day.
Effective immediately, January 17, those families who do not
purchase a prepaid Aftercare plan or who do not purchase a coupon book for
attending Aftercare on an hourly basis will
be charged an additional fee of $7 per hour. This will make the cost of an hour of Aftercare $15 per
hour.
If Aftercare bills go unpaid for more than a trimester your
child/children will not be allowed to attend our aftercare or enrichment
programs.
The purpose of our prepaid plans is to offer a lower cost
option to all of our families and eliminate the extra billing. It also allows us to plan
accordingly for our staffing needs.
Out of courtesy for the faculty who work at Aftercare, all
students must be picked up by 6:00 p.m.
Please note: there is a late fee for pick-up after 6:00 p.m. of $15 per
15 minutes.
Primary Programs
During the month of January we celebrated “Appreciative”
people. The paw print recipients
for “Appreciative” were Caroline, Chrissy, Yash, Lukas, Sophia, Daniel, Max, Saechow,
Haley, Scott, Jacqueline and Becca.
Our latest A+PRIDE word is Leadership. Our fourth grade friends, under the
direction of Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. McCarthy, shared with us what this word means
to us at Wyoming Seminary. They
did a splendid job. Thank you!
On January 26 the third graders presented their Primary
Program “A Winter Fantasy.”
Highlights include the songs “Winter is our Favorite Time of Year” and “Snow
Song.” Copies of the DVD can be purchased through Ms. Ostrum in the front
office.
Our next Primary A+PRIDE program will be February 9 when we
will learn about a new word. As
always, parents and friends are invited to join us for our program which begins
at 9:20 a.m. in the Amato Auditorium.
Fourth grade students will present their Primary Program
highlighting the many facets of fourth grade using “School House Rock” (a video
campaign launched in the 1980s).
Highlights include the songs “Unpack Your Adjectives” and “3 is a Magic
Number.”
Wyoming Seminary and
Barnes & Noble
On Saturday, February 12 at 10:00 a.m. our third graders
will be sharing some of their musical repertoire from “A Winter Fantasy” in
a performance at Barnes & Noble in the Arena Hub. Come join in the fun and help out our Parents Association,
too. Ten percent of the proceeds
from B&N will go towards our Parents Association Wish List fund.
Middle School News
Mark your calendar:
Feb. 4 Select
Chorus at WB/Scranton Penguins
Feb. 11 5th/6th
Grade Game Night
7th/8th
Grade Dance
Feb. 18-19 Middle-School
Player’s Production
Feb. 24 Grade
8 Roaring 20’s Day
Feb. 25 Sem
Bowl
Feb. 25 Spring
Break begins; last day of classes
DVDs for Order
Don’t miss your chance to order a DVD of the
Middle-School Band Concert or the Holiday Choral Program. DVDs are $5 each. If
you are interested in a DVD, contact Ms. Ostrum in the office, jostrum@wyomingseminary.org.
Geography Bee
Winner
Congratulations to the 2010 Geography Bee winner, eighth grader Meera
P., at left next to contest moderator Mr. Will Davis. Kyra Z., eighth grade, at right, was the runner-up.
Bookstore is Open
The bookstore is now open for
middle-school students. Click here
for order form.
Save the Date
Dawn Leas, eighth-grade English
teacher, is doing a poetry reading of her Chapbook, Saturday, April 2 at 2 pm
with Brian Fanelli at the Osterhout Library for National Poetry Month.
Spring Break
Camp!
Spring Break camp is available
to fifth-graders at our Upper School campus. Please contact the office at 718-6600 for more information
or click here.
Absent from
school?
Remember if your
child(ren) will be absent from school for either illness or family needs,
please call the office before 8:30 a.m. that day to let us know. In addition, if you come to take your
child home early, please make sure to stop in the office, say a quick hello to
Mrs. Z.. Ms. Ostrum, and Mrs. Hartman, and sign out your child(ren).
Inclement Weather
Please
remember to check the school’s Website for school closing information. The Website always has the most
up-to-date information.
National French Test
The National French
Test for grades 4 through 6 will be given in school during the week of Feb. 21-25.
The test for seventh and eighth grades will be given at King’s College on
Saturday, March 19, at 11:00 AM.
Select Chorus sings for the Penguins!
Don’t miss the Lower School Select
Chorus as they perform for the W/B-Scranton Penguins and their fans on Friday,
Feb. 4 at 7:05 p.m. in the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Chorus will sing the National
Anthem to start the game and later will perform “God Bless America” and
“Furaha.” For more information, please view the flyer.
Select Chorus Trip to NYC
The
WSLS select chorus is traveling to see "The Lion King" on Sunday, Feb. 13. The bus will leave the Lower School at
7:30 a.m. for the 1 p.m. matinee.
We will return around 8:30 p.m.
The cost is $104 and checks can be made out to WSLS. For more information, contact Mrs.
Paciotti at ppaciotti@wyomingseminary.org.
WSLS Family Ski Club offers fun in February
Join your Lower School friends and
their families at nearby Sno Mountain for an afternoon of skiing or boarding at
significantly reduced rates. Remaining days include Feb. 6 and 13. Family
Ski Club members have the opportunity to enjoy the mountain from noon until 9
p.m.
WSLS Family Ski Club rates are as
follows:
Skiing
and Snowboarding Lift Options Rates
Lift
Ticket only
$18
Lift
Ticket and Lesson (ages 11+ only) $21
Lift
Ticket, Lesson, and Ski Rental $25
Lift
Ticket, Lesson, and Snowboard Rental (ages 8+) $25
Superkids
– Skiing only (ages 6-10)
$33
In order to receive these discounted school rates, we must guarantee a minimum
of 15 participants each week and pay for our lift tickets, rentals, and lessons
in advance. PERSONAL CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED BY SNO MOUNTAIN, therefore,
all participants MUST PAY CASH. Order forms and payment should be
returned to Mrs. Kolessar, WSLS Ski Club Advisor, by Friday of each week.
Distribution of lift tickets, rental forms, release forms, and Superkids’
vouchers will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the lodge. All tickets, forms, and
vouchers MUST be picked up by 1 p.m. Please email or call Mrs. Kolessar (mkolessar@wyomingseminary.org;
718-6605) with any questions. Visit the Sno Mountain website, www.snowmntn.com, for additional information, including lesson times.
The Middle School Players present…
This month’s Middle School play is William
Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which will be performed on Friday
and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Amato Auditorium. Tickets are
by donation only which will be accepted at the door. Please come and support
our Middle School Players and their hard work.
Fine Arts Fiesta 2011 Poster Contest
Students in grades 5
through 8 are eligible to submit his/her original artwork for this year’s Fine
Arts Fiesta poster contest. The
theme for the fiesta is Enrich your
Senses. Prizes are awarded. Deadline for entries is March 1,
2011. Interested students should
see Mrs. Warren for all details.
You can also visit the website at www.fineartsfiesta.org.
CALL FOR ENTRIES - 2011 Fine Arts
Fiesta Exhibit: This year's Fine Arts Fiesta will be held on Public Square, May
19, 20, 21 and 22. Students in
grades 5 through 8 are eligible to enter 2-D or 3-D original art works. Students will need to have works framed
and ready for hanging or display. Pieces will be judged and selected for
exhibit. The deadline for entries is April 23. Students should see Mrs. Warren for details and entry forms.
Dress Code Reminder
With cold weather upon us, please keep in
mind that long-sleeve polo shirts are available from Land's End.
Long-sleeve t-shirts should not be layered under short-sleeve polo
shirts.
Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Dance Date
Change
The winter term dance for
seventh- and eighth-graders will be held Friday, Feb. 11, 7-10 p.m.
Eighth-Grade Speeches
Students giving
speeches in February are as follows:
2/4: Regan
B., Matt D., Courtney M., and Tasha T.
2/11: Neel
G., Zubin G., and Patrick L.
2/18: Joe
B., Brandon G., Jacob I., and Kasey S.
Sports News
Student Athletic/Academic Policy: A reminder from the athletic director – At
WSLS we take our athletics as well as our academics seriously. Our student-athletes are expected to
maintain good grades. Any athlete
who earns either one F or two Ds becomes ineligible for both practices and
games the following week, During this time, the athlete is expected to work on
raising his or her grade by completing assignments and conferencing with
teachers.
WSLS athletics: Winter sports at the Lower School are
nearing their end. Nearly 90
students in grades 4 through 8 have been training hard and improving their
skills every practice. Both the
boys and girls teams have been very competitive and have represented them self
and the school very well.
Please check the schools Web page (click on athletics then
scroll down to middle school sports) for up to date results and upcoming games.
Spring Sports:
Spring 2011 sports will begin after spring break. More information will be sent home as
well as posted on the middle-school sports Web page. Schedules are being finalized and will also be posted on the
middle-school Web page.
