|
November 7, 2008 |
| Dear Parents, Yes, you read correctly…I am going to make good on a promise that I made a year ago. I will be showing the Lord of the Rings film trilogy to all interested students next Saturday. Whether students prefer to watch the extended cuts or the theatrical releases will determine when we begin and end the event. There will be no charge for watching the films, but one of the classes will be selling food for lunch (and maybe dinner!). I absolutely believe that “geekiness” is the greatest sign of appreciation for life. To celebrate Election Day, students wore national colors and some wore positive campaign t-shirts. With the help of BSAP and under the guidance of Mr. Gollier, we hosted an Election Day Concert that included the faculty band, a student band, the O’Shea sisters, and—as our headlining act—the XYZ Affair, an alternative touring group who played for our school last year. The young musicians were perfect gentlemen and, like last year, helped pitch in to clean up the commons after lunch. All in all, I hope that the students had a memorable experience. Tonight is the first performance of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night by the Upper School Theatre, under the direction of Mr. Weaver (please note the start time of 8 pm!). This is the first production of the year, and the cast will bring to life the play that all of our students read in 7th grade. It is a beautiful and funny script, and I hear great things about the production! I hope that all parents and students will attend. We have an ambitious theatre program—and we need an audience! Our BSAP student activities committee has asked that you SAVE THE DATE! for our Late Night celebration on Friday, November 21st (starting at 7 pm). We always start off the basketball season with a spirited celebration of our athletes and an opportunity for shared fun for both students and parents. This year, after Late Night ends, we will be hosting a student Poker Night. This event is free and will be an opportunity for students to have a great time in a safe environment. BSAP will have prizes for winners and pizza/snacks for all students. (Lower school students—grades 7-9—will not be allowed to leave the building prior to 11pm without a parent to sign them out.) Once Late Night is over, you can head out on your own for the night, knowing your student is safe and having a good time. You’ll hear more about this event in the near future. We kick off our annual Seabury Food Drive next Thursday. Every November, we host this event to collect non-perishable food items for various community organizations in town, including the Salvation Army and the Ballard Center. Student Senate always kicks off the Food Drive with a “Sleep in Boxes” event to bring attention to the plight of the homeless in our community. Bill Gollier and his Senate students will spend Thursday night outside of the school with makeshift sleeping shelters and will go without food for 24 hours. The Senate hopes that Seabury families and the greater Lawrence community will bring out non-perishable food to the students at Seabury on Thursday night. The Food Drive itself will end on Monday, November 24th. Mr. Gollier, Student Senate, and the rest of the school appreciate your support! I spoke to students a few weeks ago about our Community Service Program and the service hour graduation requirement. There are a number of ways that students can fulfill this requirement—with just about any selfless help to others in community. If you or your student has any questions about their service requirement, the various opportunities for service, or the process by which hours are reported, please click on the Community Service link on our main web site. We are confident that this service work does not just help the community—it will make a difference in the character and the quality of life for all students, now and in their adult years. Yours respectfully, Dr. Schawang |