Brooklyn Friends School -> E-News for Dec. 9, 2011

E-News for Dec. 9, 2011

TOP STORIES

BEGINNING THE NEW YEAR "IN CONVERSATION ON QUAKERISM"

Five parent gatherings will be held in January 2012 centered around discussion of the book A Quaker Book of Wisdom. Head of School Larry Weiss will lead the discussions along with a member of the Quaker Self-Study Committee. The book ($10) will be sold in the Pearl Street lobby next week, and loaner copies are available from Cheryl at the front desk. Dates and details.

AFTERSCHOOL IS GREENER . . .

But you still need to register with a paper form. Parents in preschool through grade 6 -- please send in your registration for Winter/Spring afterschool by Wed. Dec. 14. The brochure, registration forms, and updates are on the BFS website.

COME TO THE ORCHESTRA CONCERT TONIGHT AT 6 pm, and consider enrolling your child in afterschool music lessons at BFS starting in January. Information sheet and registration here.

LOWER SCHOOL PARENTS. . . Don't miss the Diversity Coffee Hour on Tues. Dec. 13 at 5 pm with Eddie Moore, Jr. BFS Director of Diversity. Register for childcare today.

PAT Update

What a party! Winter Festival was a great success AND great fun!

Thanks to all the families who came out to support this annual event that benefits Horizons at Brooklyn Friends. Everyone had a blast on Saturday, as did our 8th Grade and Upper School students who attended Friendsapalooza the night before. We also want to thank the dozens of parents, students, faculty and staff who volunteered their valuable time to make it happen. In particular, the PAT wants to thank and celebrate the work of the Winter Festival and Friendsapalooza committees and their hardworking and innovative leaders, Louise Olive, Susan Ferugio, Lauryn Small, and Jake Ottman.

Read an article about the festival published in the Brooklyn Eagle.

See a slide show of photographs from the festival.

Put on Your Dancing Shoes for the Family Folk Dance January 7th!
Save the date to put on your dancing shoes and have some family fun! The BFS Lower School Family Folk Dance -- sponsored by the PAT and the Performing Arts Department -- will take place on Saturday, January 7th from 2pm-4pm and is free for all BFS families. This year's event will feature BFS fourth graders assisting our own Margaret Bary as dance callers. Though our dance skills may be designed for the Lower School students, all are welcome! Music by Cynthia Shaw (piano) and Paul Friedman (fiddle). Please contact parent volunteer Ellen Barker if you would like to volunteer on the day of the event. See you after the break!

2012 African-American Celebration

Planning for the 2012 African-American Celebration on February 3 is underway. The committee meets on Thursdays at 8:30am in the Cafeteria and welcomes new members to join in the fun. This year's theme is the Afro-Latino Experience, inspired by Henry Louis Gates' recent PBS series, "Black in Latin America." For more information, please contact Alisa Martin Granderson.

PAT Leadership Nomination Process Continues
The PAT has begun accepting nominations for the positions of PAT President, Vice Presidents, Treasurer and Secretary. These are two-year positions, and role shadowing will begin in the late winter. If you are interested, know of someone who would be a great fit for one of these positions, or simply have questions, please contact Salome Galib, PAT President. You may also do this anonymously by placing the nomination(s) in an envelope labeled "PAT Nomination" and giving it to Cheryl at the front desk.

Development Report

Check it off your holiday to-do list!

Make a tax deductible donation to the Brooklyn Friends Fund here before heading out for Winter Break.

School News You Can Use
A Very Important Date
Friday, Dec. 16, 2011 is the deadline for financial aid applications for current BFS families. Information is on the BFS website and is outlined in a letter mailed to parents on Oct. 31, 2011.

NYC Construction Project on Pearl and Willoughby Streets

While the school had been cautioned by Community Board 2 in mid-November that there would be significant disruptions on our streets due to an underground NYC construction project, we are gratified that the disruption has been minimal and the traffic patterns remain the same (at this time). Head of School Larry Weiss and Director of Physical Plant Michel Rimpel have been working closely with the construction contractor, who has arranged to undertake major excavation and water main work during the school's winter break from 12/19 to 1/3. At the beginning of the year, we may find that Willoughby Street (between Pearl and Jay) turns into a two-way traffic road. This will not affect BFS drop off or pick-up routines. We are compiling an e-mail list of parents who wish to be informed of updates regarding the project as it may affect traveling to school by car. Join the list by sending an e-mail to info@brooklynfriends.org and put your child's name and grade in the subject line. Thank you.

The School at Your Fingertips

Classroom blogs, divisional calendars, information about parent events, student trips, and more are on the divisional parent portals. The portals are google sites and work best with the Safari, Firefox and Chrome browsers.

Exercise Your Brain

Congratulations to the following math wizards who completed the recent Lower School Math Challenges: KA - Judah, Will; KC - Julien, Santiago; 1A - Ryan; 1B - Zachary, Jack; 1C - Baurice, Ilan, William, Breyten; 2A - Maddy, Alex, Martine; 2B - Bijou, Yamila, Henry P.; 3A - Danielle; 3B - Ben, Mel, Mesta; 4A - Kennedy, Thomas, Gus, Finn, Sam, Ty, Anya, Violet, Sebastian, Nora, Salma M., Aja, Coby, Isabel, Jesse, Salma B., Milly, Gabe, Max, Susan, Henry; 4B - Betsy, Jack, Krish, Ben. New Challenges are regularly posted on the Lower School Mathematics Blog. Encourage your children to participate!

Last Chance for Lost and Found

Lost and Found Tables will be set up in the lobby on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Items not claimed by Friday will be donated to a local service agency.

Can You "Bienvenue"?

We still need two more members of the Brooklyn Friends School community to host French exchange students from the Lycée Victor Duruy in Paris from April 14-28, 2012. The students will be visiting cultural landmarks around New York City during the day, and only need to be hosted in the evenings and on the weekends. Knowledge of French language not required. Any interested faculty, staff, students or alumni should contact Tracy Bucci or Tiffani Hooper as soon as possible.

Sports Section

BFS athletic apparel for children and adults is now available for online purchase at MyLocker.

Read Weekly Highlights of BFS sports action every week on the

BFS website.
MS Basketball teams begin playing games next week on Tuesday and Wednesday.

US Basketball teams have been competing hard and representing BFS.

The MS/US Indoor Track Team has been practicing and enjoying use of the Brooklyn Armory in Park Slope. The US Team participated in its first meet of the season Wednesday at 168th Street Armory.

Friendly Flyers, a group of Lower School runners, is participating in the four-mile Jingle Bell Run this Saturday morning in Prospect Park. Good luck!

Learn more about the program.

BFS student athletes are invited to two upcoming special events at Madison Square Garden: the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday, Dec. 11, and an Open Practice with the NY Knicks on Sun. Dec. 18 starting at 12 noon. Learn more.

Please come down to the lower gym or travel with our winter track athletes to cheer on our teams and wonderful student-athletes. All BFS sports schedules are on the school website.

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