2024-2025 Friday Letter
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 6th: Boys BBAll vs. St. Mary's Academy: MS B-Team 4, MS A-Team 5, JV 6, Vars 7:30 pm
Debate @ LHS
* Sat 7th: MS BBall @ Summit Christian Academy: Girls 9 am, Boys B-Team 10 am, Boys A-Team 11 am
Debate @ LHS
Blood Drive 10 am to 2 pm
* Mon 9th: MS BBall @ KC Christian H.S.: Girls 5, Boys B-Team 6, and Boys A-Team 7 pm
Boys Vars BBall Tournament vs. DeSoto HS @ DeSoto HS DHS main gym, 8 am
* Wed 11th: Boys Vars BBall Tournament @ DeSoto HS DHS main gym, TBA
* Fri 13th: Lessons & Carols @ Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St, 7:30 pm (choirs begin 5:45 pm)
End of 1st Semester Classes
Boys Vars BBall Tournament @ DeSoto HS DHS main gym, TBD
* Sat 14th: Boys Vars BBall Tournament @ DeSoto HS DHS main gym, TBD
MS BBall @ Barstow: Girls 9, Boys B-Team 10, Boys A-Team 11 am
Viking HS High Stakes Robotics Competition @ Seaman H.S.
Chess @ Cordley
* Mon 16th: Stop Day 8:30am-12:00pm--No Classes
* Tue 17th: Finals
8:15-9:45 am: English
10:15-11:45 am: Social Studies
* Wed 18th: Finals:
8:15-9:45 am: World Languages
10:15-11:45 am: Math
* Thurs 19th: 8:15-9:45 am: Science
Winter Formal @ the Eldridge Hotel, 8-11 pm
* Fri 20th: WINTER BREAK BEGINS!
4-Speaker Debate Regional Qualifier @ Tonganoxie
* Sat 21st: 4-Speaker Debate Regional Qualifier @ Tonganoxie
Dear Parents,
With the unusually warm spring and the oddly timed Thanksgiving this year, the onset of winter weather and the end of the semester can seem especially sudden!. I am including the full calendar (above) for the Weeks Ahead to help you navigate this one part of your lives!
For new parents, our core academic subjects include graded exams or projects that serve as the culmination of the semester coursework. Some teachers find that out-of-class papers or projects are more fitted to their courses, but many teachers need extended time for a sit-down exam. To accommodate those exams, we provide a schedule of final exam sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday following the end of the semester. The exam dates & times are published at the top of this letter according to subject. Your students should know whether they will have a scheduled exam, but I will also share with you next week the full exam schedule by course so you can verify whether your child needs to come to campus and at what time.
On the day prior to finals, we build in a "stop day" for students to get work done at home or receive guidance from teachers. Students are free to contact teachers remotely throughout the day for general guidance (and teachers will discuss availability with students in class). For students who would benefit from in-person assistance, teachers will be on campus from 8:30 am to noon on that day. If noon pick-up is a challenge for parents, students may remain on campus through 3 pm, but they will be restricted to the Commons (unsupervised) to study quietly throughout the day and will need to provide their own lunch.
Our annual Lessons & Carols will occur at Plymouth Congregational Church (925 Vermont Street) next Friday night, December 8th, at 7:30 pm. If you have not been to one of our Lessons & Carols productions, you really should. Parents often comment on how glad they were that they came out for this beautiful evening to hear our students sing us into the holidays. Please feel free to attend "the loveliest night of the year" regardless of whether your child will be participating.
Remember that BSA will host a Blood Drive on December 7th from 10 am to 2 pm. Here is the link to sign up for an appointment. Thank you for giving!
It is historically common in schools for parents or students to thank teachers during the holidays with a gift of some kind: cookies, tree ornaments, books, and such. Many years ago, BSAP had the great idea to streamline this process and create a Faculty/Staff Holiday Fund so parents can show their appreciation in a way that is both convenient and equitable. Such a gift is never an obligation, and you can always thank individual teachers in a different way, if you prefer. Regardless, I am grateful for your support and appreciation for our faculty and staff! No one enters teaching for the high monetary compensation but for the joy in positively impacting lives--so I appreciate your help in showing them that they matter.
Winter Formal is the premiere student event of the year. I have attached a related document that Mr. Whipple sent earlier in the week. For now, please note that students need permission to bring a guest and must complete the attached guest pass and submit it to the school office by noon on December 19th for approval.
Per Seabury tradition, I took the senior class on a trip Monday morning to hunt down, cut down, and bring back a school Christmas tree. They spent the morning decorating the tree in the Commons while enjoying homemade cookies, hot chocolate, and Christmas tunes. A few pictures have been attached for your enjoyment.
Yours Respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 22nd: Heritage Day (regular school hours)
* Sat 23rd: Chess @ Prairie Park elementary, 8 am registration
* Mon 25th to Fri 29th: Thanksgiving Break--NO CLASSES
* Mon 2nd: Senior Christmas Tree Hunt
* Tue 3rd: TCALC League Robotics competition
* Fri 6th: Boys BBAll vs. St. Mary's Academy: MS B-Team 4, MS A-Team 5, JV 6, Vars 7:30 pm
Debate @ LHS
* Sat 7th: MS BBall @ Summit Christian Academy: Girls 9 am, Boys B-Team 10 am, Boys A-Team 11 am
Debate @ LHS
Blood Drive 10 am to 2 pm
Dear Parents,
I hope you were able to attend last night's Convocation ceremony. The transcript from the event is attached to this email.
I want to thank all of our students and staff for their service efforts during Heritage Day today. We were able to serve and provide resources to the following: Balland Center, Brandon Woods, Community Children's Center, Dad Perry Trails, Family Promise, Friends of the Kaw, Haskell Greenhouse, Hidden Valley Camp, Lawrence Farmers Market, Lawrence Presbyterian Manor, LINK, Midnight Farms, Neuvant House, Operation WildLife, Prairie Park Nature Center, Senior Resource Center of Douglas County, SHY38 INC KC Farm Sanctuary, Social Service League, Trinity Episcopal Food Pantry, Tuckel Family Farm, Vinland Cemetery, and Woodlawn Elementary. *Wheh!*
And a huge thanks to Elena Buckner for organizing the service efforts this week. That was a lot of work!
Good luck to our Robotics team as they launch into their season of competition!
Bishop Seabury's Festival of Trees donation, which benefits the O'Connell Children's Shelter, was designed and made by Senior Elyse Hammann (see attached photo). You can view the BSA tree and other entries at Maceli's Banquet Hall from November 29th to December 8th.
Mr. Whipple typically sends reminders about the Winter Formal after Thanksgiving Break, but for new parents, the Formal is a much-anticipated post-finals tradition. Students from 6th-12th grade attend in their finest apparel and celebrate the end of the semester. The event takes place at the Eldridge Hotel, and the date is set for the evening of December 19th. Look for more information after the break.
Seabury will be the site where you can donate blood on December 7th. Here is the link to sign up for an appointment.
I hope the students and faculty enjoy their break! They have earned it.
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 15th: The Rose & the Rime (Upper School Production), 7 pm
Debate @ Blue Valley Northwest
* Sat 16th: The Rose & the Rime (Upper School Production), 7 pm
Debate @ Blue Valley Northwest
* Sun 17th: Carnegie Hall meeting in Choir Room, 7 pm
* Mon 18th: Senior Class Chili Feed in BSA Commons, 5-6 pm
Late Night with the Seahawks, 6-8 pm
* Tue 19th: TCALC League Robotics competition in Topeka
* Thurs 21st: BSA Convocation Ceremony, 7-8 pm (students arrive 6:30 pm; singers 6:15 pm)
* Fri 22nd: Heritage Day (regular school hours)
* Sat 23rd: Chess
* Mon 25th to Fri 29th: Thanksgiving Break--NO CLASSES
Dear Parents,
"Break a leg" to our Upper School actors and director Elizabeth Sullivan tonight as they launch their production of The Rose & the Rime! I hope you can come out to enjoy the talents of our oldest performers.
We have a busy week ahead! Please remember that our annual Convocation ceremony occurs next Thursday evening at 7 pm. Known by many independent schools as "Founder's Day," Convocation is a celebration of our school and its mission, and our guest speaker this year is 2016 BSA graduate Tanisha Kaur. All students are required to attend, and remember that this event requires more formal attire: dress pants/slacks, jacket and tie, dresses, dress shoes, and so forth. Parents are very welcome to attend this short ceremony (roughly 50 minutes), and "business casual" is fine for spectators. The event will occur in the Commons. Please attend if you can!
Also part of our Seabury pre-break tradition is Heritage Day on Friday. Heritage Day was originally founded by Upper School students in 2003 when we first moved to the Clinton Parkway campus and was a student-led celebration of the School's mission in conjunction with Convocation. The day begins with advising groups going out into Lawrence for a host of community service projects in the morning, followed by lunch and afternoon activities on campus. This day is not optional for students, and they can be picked up at their usual time: 3:30 pm
Today, we kicked off our Seabury Fall Items Drive, and community members have many opportunities to drop off donations. Items donations are gratefully accepted as admission cost for Late Night with the Seahawks (see below), but you can also send items with your children any day next week. We will transport donated items to various service organizations at the beginning of Heritage Day on Friday.
I hope you will be available to attend Late Night with the Seahawks on Monday. In lieu of an admission cost, we simply ask that you bring a few items to help with our Seabury item drive (see attached list). Be prepared to see student antics, a spirited cheer squad, ridiculously swanky prizes, and our first view of the basketball teams. Our varsity boys team will face off against a surprisingly agile alumni team! There is also a pre-event Chili Feed prior to the game, so feel free to come at 5 pm in the Commons for dinner ($10 per person to support the senior class trip--see attached flyer). To help grade sponsors get an idea of how many people will attend, you can purchase a ticket in advance here, but you can also pay at the door.
Don't forget that you can purchase holiday gift cards at face value and BSAP will earn a rebate of up to 13%! You can give the cards as gifts or use them for your own shopping. Sign-up and card options can be viewed here.
Have a great weekend,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 8th: The Trials of Robin Hood (Middle School Production), 7 pm
* Sat 9th: Debate @ Shawnee Mission East
* Sun 10th: Theatre Tech Day, 2-5 pm
* Mon 11th: Raku (Visual Arts) Field Trip
* Fri 15th: The Rose & the Rime (Upper School Production), 7 pm
Debate @ Blue Valley Northwest
* Sat 16th: The Rose & the Rime (Upper School Production), 7 pm
Debate @ Blue Valley Northwest
Dear Parents,
I hope you can come out tonight to enjoy the fun Middle School production of The Trials of Robin Hood at 7 pm. Next weekend, our new Theatre Director Elizabeth Sullivan and her Upper School performers will present the Rose and the Rime. This unique play is about a town called Radio Falls that is trapped in perpetual winter by an evil power. The young protagonist sets out to confront this evil, but will she unearth a deeper and darker secret that may undo her? Part fairy tale and part dark myth, the play will surprise you. Mark your calendars!
Our theatre production season will be followed by Late Night with the Seahawks--our traditional celebration to launch the Seabury basketball season. The event happens Monday 18th at 6 pm and includes skits, commentary, and a scrimmage that this year includes an all-star roster of Seabury alumni--all aimed at creating enthusiasm and support in our student and parent community. As always, "Late" does not mean too late, as the event will end around 8 pm. Admission is free with a donation of items to our November item drive. For your dining convenience, there will also be a Chili Feed from 5-6 pm in the Commons prior to Late Night to help raise funds ($10/person) to offset the cost of this year's Senior Trip in April (flyer attached). Please come out and support our basketball players and our seniors!
As we approach the holidays, please consider purchasing gift cards from BSAP. Aside from the Seabury Fund, we try to streamline any fundraising with opportunities that "give back"--such as the grocery card program--and the holiday gift cards follow the same premise. You buy cards at their face value and our parents organization earns a rebate of up to 13%! You can give the cards as gifts or use them for your own shopping. Sign-up and card options can be viewed here.
Our school receives regular supplies of COVID tests from the Kansas State Department of Health and Environment so our students and teachers can test as necessary to maintain a healthy community. COVID tests can be expensive, so we want to make these available to parents as well. Feel free to request a box of tests from Betsy when you are next in the main office.
December's Winter Formal is the premiere post-final exams event where students look swanky and dance all night in the Eldridge Hotel ballroom. Of course, formal wear can be pricey--and student bodies grow fast! So the Theatre Department is hosting a formal clothing exchange as a convenient way for students to obtain a Winter Formal outfit at thrift store prices. Please consider donating any gently-used formal dresses, suits, jackets, or ties to the clothes rack in the student entrance airlock by November 15th. (Please make sure all clothes are clean and on a hanger.) We will hold a sale outside the school's locker rooms during X-Block and after school on November 19th and 20th.
You may notice lawn signs in the parking lot with reminders about our Seahawk Referral Incentive Program. Current families will receive a $500 discount directed towards the subsequent year's tuition once the referred family enrolls and attends Bishop Seabury Academy. Referral information will be indicated by the new family on their application. For more information or questions, please contact lisalerouxsmith@seaburyacademy.org
Once we climb the intense mountain of October, the rest of the semester goes FAST! We have four weeks of classes remaining and then finals. And, of course, we have a host of fun events ornamenting the remaining weeks of 2024. I will encourage all of us adults--as I did the students--to enjoy every day of this festive season!
Have a great weekend!
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sun 3rd: Daylight Savings Time Ends
* Tue 5th: Election Day
* Thurs 7th: Seahawk Day
* Fri 8th: The Trials of Robin Hood (Middle School Production), 7 pm
* Sun 10th: Theatre Tech Day, 2-5 pm
Dear Parents,
I am so thrilled that we hit our Seabury Fund goal before November 1st! The energetic flow of gifts to the Fund is incredibly meaningful to me and is an important indication of a healthy culture in our school. On behalf of the students, I want to thank all of our families, faculty, trustees, alumni, and friends who stepped up to help us in this effort. Thanks also to our Seabury Fund Chairs Heath & Carrie Peterson, all of our class captains, and Development Director Ellen Chindamo for their collective work in organizing this effort. I am personally grateful to be at a school where people invest in education. To those who were not able to send their pledge or gift yet, please know that we will continue to accept donations to the Fund throughout the year. We often get many gifts before the New Year. Thank you again for your commitment and generosity!
On this theme and with this year's auction committee in full gear, I hope you have seen the new Seabury digital sign finally up and running in front of our school. Thanks again to everyone who gave to last year's Fund-a-Need and made the sign possible. And a loud shoutout to Scott Zaremba and Paul Werner for their invaluable help! We could not have done it without them.
Our first theatre production of the year will be the Middle School production of The Trials of Robin Hood next Friday. Penned by Lawrence playwright Will Averill, this frolicsome play asks the question, "Was Robin Hood a lusty hero, hopeless lover, or evil criminal?" as King Richard--fresh from the Crusades--must determine what happened to his kingdom in his absence. Please come out to enjoy the comic tale as performed by our youngest actors and directed by Mr. LaRocca. And mark your calendars for the Upper School production of The Rose & The Rime on November 15th & 16th.
Congratulations to all of our fall athletes as they conclude their season. We appreciate their hard work, dedication, and good sportsmanship!
Don't forget that the Tuition Assistance application process for 2025-26 opened today, and priority is given to current families.
Our national and local election is on Tuesday next week (in case you were not aware). I realize that for many citizens, the presidential election in particular can be more challenging than uplifting, and many adults at this point may just want to "get it over with." I would understand if you would rather not read anything more about the election season (especially in the comfortably safe zone of the Friday Letter). However, I do have one important message to relay before Tuesday arrives--namely that the noise of contentiousness and solicitous rhetoric of political campaigns can often distract us from the miraculous nature of the American project and the great privilege of living in a country that (generally) supports individual freedom and a democratic process. It is bigger than this moment, even if every moment has stakes and impacts the lives of real people. I cannot help but be romantic about the idea/ideal that this evolving collection of individuals can collectively debate, persuade, and participate directly in the determination of their future. It is easy to take that system for granted (and forget how rare it is in human history.) Of course, the quality and consequences of our decision-making depends on our populace receiving a strong education.
I want to give a shout-out to Ms. Czarnecki and her U.S. Politics class for engaging the school about various candidates (presidential, state, and local) as well as the election process itself. An important part of our school's mission is to develop "engaged citizens of the world," and if you are the parent of an Upper School student, you surely know that we take this goal seriously. Our 6th-12th grade curriculum includes ongoing components related to global awareness, leadership, civics, and ethical decision-making, and older students make connections at the state capitol and meet with political representatives ranging from city commissioners to the former U.S. secretary of health and human services. By the time our students graduate, they have developed into critically minded, thoughtful, and articulate young citizens.
My message to students will always be that no matter whom we elect to political offices, each one of us is responsible for educating ourselves, making ethically defensible choices, and putting our lives in service to improving the world. If we follow those steps, we are never helpless and are doing our best to live up to the American ideal.
Have a good weekend!
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sat 26th: Girls MS B-Team VBall Tournament @ Pembroke, 9 am
Fall Carnival, 7-9 pm
Senior Haunted house, 8-10 pm
* Tue 29th: KSHSAA HS Boys Soccer Quarterfinals @ Ottawa, 6 pm
* Thurs 31st: Halloween!
* Sun 3rd: Daylight Savings Time Ends
Dear Parents,
The Seabury Fund total has reached $141,020, and I am proud to emphasize that we have 100% participation not only from our trustees but also from our faculty and staff. They are incredibly dedicated in every way to your students and our school. Our total is tremendous progress towards hitting our goal of $155,000! I encourage everyone who reads this letter to please send in your gift or pledge if you haven't done so already. As always, here is the online link to make that process easier. Thank you everyone!
Congratulations to the Middle School A-Team girls volleyball squad for taking the championship title at the XRC conference this week! Great job! And good luck to the boys varsity soccer team at regionals this week!
The Tuition Assistance application process for 2024-25 opens on November 1st, and priority is given to current families.
Tomorrow night is the Fall Carnival. The event is open to all Seabury students & families, and students are welcome to bring a guest but will be responsible for those individuals. Please remember that the Senior Haunted House ends later than the Carnival (and student senators will be expected to help clean up directly after the carnival), so please coordinate with your child about pick-up time.
Halloween is a big deal at our school, especially our annual Jack-O-Lantern carving contest. Advising groups will be working with intensity next week and will present their pumpkin entries during morning meeting on Thursday. Standouts will receive prizes...and eternal glory. I am always amazed at what our staff and students can pull off in so little time!
On Halloween day, students are also welcome to wear costumes to school. I always ask students to be tasteful in their costumes--nothing offensive, too skimpy, or involving real weapons. (If there is any question about the appropriateness of a costume, students should ask an administrator in advance of the day) As always, thanks to parents for accommodating the spirit of this macabre holiday, and I especially appreciate the staff for tolerating a certain degree of chaos during this very busy time of the year.
Finally, I know you have the academic calendar accessible on the website, but I want to remind parents about two important events on the horizon. Convocation is an all-student event (less than an hour in length) on Thursday 21st at 7 pm. I will provide more details about this event for new parents in a later Letter. For now, please know that this is a required event for all students, parents are encouraged to attend, and students are required to dress more formally--dress pants/slacks, jacket and tie, dresses, dress shoes (no sneakers), and so forth--basically "business appropriate" for an office. An event called Heritage Day occurs on Friday 22nd during normal school hours and students will engage in service work and other activities. Students will be released for Thanksgiving Break at 3:30 pm on that day. Thanksgiving Break will occur from Monday 25th to Friday 29th. It will be here before you know it!
Have a great weekend!
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 18th: Debate @ Free State HS
Fall Night Crawl @ Lawrence River Trails, 6:30 pm
* Sat 19th: Vars XC Conference Meet @ WYCO Park, State Ave & 126th St (Bonner Springs), 10 am
MS XC Conference @ Summit Christian Academy, 9:30 am
Debate @ Free State HS
Chess vs. New York & Raintree
The American Exchange Project Information Meeting @ the Lawrence Public Library, 1 pm
* Mon 21st: Boys Vars Soccer vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Truman Library High School Trivia Contest @ the Truman Library & Museum, 6-7:30 pm
* Tue 22nd: Girls MS A-Team VBall Tournament @ BSA, 4 pm
KSHSAA HS VBall Regionals @ Burlingame, 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm
Boys Vars Soccer @ Bishop Ward H.S., 4:30 pm
* Wed 23rd: PSAT 10/11
SAT School Day
High School Information Night, 6:30 pm
* Thurs 24th: Girls MS A-Team VBall Tournament @ Marnatha, TBA
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Paola @ BSA, 4:30 pm
* Sat 26th: Girls MS B-Team VBall Tournament @ Pembroke, 9 am
Fall Carnival, 7-9 pm
Senior Haunted house, 8-10 pm
Dear Parents,
I have been in Chicago over the last few days, working for our accrediting organization ISACS. Although I enjoy that work, I always regret time away from our students. We hosted 27 visitors for our first Be-A-Seahawk Visit Day over the last two days, and I appreciate all of the efforts of our student hosts who helped our future Seahawks have a fun experience.
We have great momentum with our Seabury Fund, as we presently have $123,242 in gifts and pledges. Our goal of $155,000 is in sight and every gift does really make a difference. On a personal note, every time the Seabury "thermometer" goes up in front of the school before we have time to accumulate both gifts and pledges, I always take a breath and hope that this is not the time we fall short. I continue to be grateful every year to the members of the community and our many friends who believe in the value of education and of our school. So thank you to everyone who has already made a gift or pledge, and if you have not yet sent in the card you received in the mail, we can make it easy for you with this online link or you can reach out to Bonnie at bonniebribiesca@seaburyacademy.org, and she can bill it to your FACTS account. Thank you!
Lace up your running shoes and grab your headlamp! Mr. Nelson’s annual Fall Night Crawl (formerly "9 Miles @ Night") happens tonight at 6:30 pm. Join fellow students and parents as they make the 5K run, jog, or walk (as you wish). The path will be marked, and Wilderness Biology students will be on hand to help guide you. Plan for about an hour. There will be a fire and s'mores after the walk/run. Wear sturdy shoes and plan to bring a headlamp/flashlight, water, warmish clothes, and an optional camp chair.. Here is a location map link. Questions? Contact Eric Nelson at ericnelson@seaburyacademy.org.
Since most of our new students enter 6th or 7th grade, new families are primarily introduced to the Middle School Seabury program in the admissions process; subsequently, we find that parents appreciate an opportunity to learn more about the Upper School experience that follows. To that end, we will host our annual BSA High School Information Night on October 23rd, 6:30 pm. All parents of Middle School students are welcome to attend. Upper School teachers will overview the academic program, Mr. Patterson will explain what 1:1 college counseling looks like, and a panel of older students will provide insight into what MS students can expect in the coming years. Please RSVP to Lisa lisalerouxsmith@seaburyacademy.org if you are able to attend.
Good luck to our students who will be competing at the 15th annual Truman Library trivia contest this weekend!
Our Fall Carnival & Haunted House will occur next Saturday (26th). The Carnival involves a collection of games, and there is the option of entering the Senior Haunted House (which is intended to be scary, so young children should enter at parental discretion). The Carnival is from 7-9 pm and entry is $10 per patron. The Haunted House goes later, 8-10 pm, and admission to its terrors is $7 pre-sale and $10 at the door. (More information about pre-sale tickets will be sent out later.) Proceeds from the event help to fund the junior and senior trips in April. We do allow costumes on Halloween and we have some mad-skills jack-o-lantern action, but I will save that discussion for next week's letter.
Have a great weekend!
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 11th: Fall Break Begins--NO CLASSES
* Tue 15th: Classes Resume
Boys Vars Soccer @ Northland Christian School, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall @ Summit Christian Academy: 6th grade 4:30, B-Team 4:30, A-Team 5:30 pm
Boys MS Soccer Tournament @ Summit, 4 pm
* Wed 16th: Boys MS Soccer Semifinals @ MCA, 5:30 pm
* Thurs 17th: Seahawk Visit Day
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Heritage Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Boys MS Soccer Tournament, TBA
* Fri 18th: Seahawk Visit Day
Debate @ Free State HS
Boys MS Soccer Championship @ Pembroke, 6:30 pm
* Sat 19th: Vars XC Conference Meet @ WYCO Park, State Ave & 126th St (Bonner Springs), 10 am
MS XC Conference @ Summit Christian Academy, 9:30 am
Debate @ Free State HS
Chess vs. New York & Raintree
Dear Parents,
I am writing this letter as I wait for the next parent to hop on my Google Meets session. I hope your conferences have gone well (and without technical problems). I have always enjoyed conferences with parents, even if 10 minutes is not a lot of time to swap stories, advice, and such. Please remember that you can always follow up with teachers in the future. Thanks to Devon Kim's BSAP crew and trustee Scott Zaremba for providing snacks for our teachers and to Ellen Chindamo, Bonnie Bribiesca, Lisa Leroux-Smith, and Betsy for organizing meals. And a huge thank you to our teachers. These two packed days punctuate the end of a busy first quarter--and that is why we schedule fall break to happen right after!
I am grateful for the early support of $93,228 in gifts and pledges to the Seabury Fund--60% of our goal! We have great momentum halfway through October as we aim for our goal of $155,000. If you haven't done so already, please excavate the pledge form from the sediment of mail on your counter and send it in. Here is the online link for giving. Thank you for your support!
Next Thursday and Friday will be our first Seahawk Days. If you know any students who would thrive at Seabury but may not have considered our school as an option, please contact Ms. Lisa Leroux-Smith and let her know! Feel free to share this link directly with prospective families: Seahawk Day registration. We will also have a visit day on November 7th.
Enjoy the fall weekend!
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 4th: Fall Tapestry Choral & Instrumental Concert @ BSA, 7:30 pm
* Sat 5th: Debate @ Olathe NW
* Sun 6th: Family Bingo (Senior Class Fundraiser) @ BSA, door open 2 pm, fun starts 2:30 pm
* Mon 7th: Girls VBall vs. Northland Christian @ BSA, JV 5 & Vars 6 pm
* Tue 8th: Boys Vars Soccer @ KC Christian School, 4 pm
Boys MS Soccer vs. Brookside Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall vs. Pembroke Hill @ BSA: B-Team 4:30, A-Team 5:30, C-Team 6:30 pm
Girls Vars VBall @ Bishop Ward HS, JV 4:30 & Vars 5:30 pm
* Wed 9th: Picture Retakes
Parent-Teacher Conferences (online): 6-9 pm
* Thurs 10th: NO CLASSES
Faculty/Staff In-Service, 9-noon
Parent-Teacher Conferences (online): 1-4:30, 6:30-9 pm
MS XC vs. Eudora MS @ Eudora District Stadium, 4 pm
Boys MS Soccer @ Barstow School, 4:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall @ Heritage Christian Academy: C-Team 4:30, B-Team 5:30, A-Team 6:30 pm
Vars Girls BBall @ Heritage Christian Academy, JV 4:30 & Vars 5:30 pm
* Fri 11th: Fall Break Begins
* Tue 15th: Classes Resume
Dear Parents,
We had a great morning with about 75 grandparents and family friends. We had debated whether it was worth the more elaborate planning to have our guests visit during the school day, and there is no question that this was the right move. It was touching to have our extended family back on campus and visiting classes. I hope they enjoyed the experience as much as we did.
In my talk with our guests, I joked with them that the timing of Grandparents Day at the start of Seabury Fund month has always been a coincidence, and that is true. However, I reminded them that we reach out to everyone in the Seabury community for this annual fundraising effort: parents, alumni, extended family, trustees, faculty, and all friends and supporters. Every independent school works with an annual financial gap that is the difference between tuition income and costs for running the school. This year's gap is $2275. The Seabury Fund is our primary tool for closing that gap. We already have 100% participation from our faculty & staff, and I am truly thankful for their generosity on behalf of your children. This week, you will receive Fund brochures in the mail, and your Class Captains will reach out about the importance of the fund to our annual budget. As I told our guests today, we all have a philanthropic life and support the institutions that are meaningful to us. I hope you will support our school! Here is the online link for giving. Thank you!
On Monday, the school will conduct a lockdown drill. With fire and tornado drills, I generally do not give advanced warning to the students, but I treat the lockdown drill differently and give advanced warning (for obvious reasons). Lockdown drills understandably can create two different feelings in parents: appreciation that students are prepared for the unlikely incident of on-campus violence and apprehension about how students are impacted by even the preparation for such an unlikely event. With students of such an age range, I try to be very intentional about setting a reassuring tone while providing clear directions. I find that students are pretty clear-headed and resilient in the face of these issues, and they tend to bounce right back into class work once we finish the short drill. In addition to familiarizing students with lockdown procedure, the drill also helps the staff identify any problem areas where we can tighten up the process.
I hope you can come out and enjoy tonight's first music performance, the Fall Tapestry Concert. Ms. Lawrence's singers and Mr. Hamm's instrumentalists will both be featured. We had a great preview in morning meeting today and are looking forward to the performance. Good luck to our musicians!
Don't forget that parent-teacher conferences are Wednesday and Thursday of next week. If you have not done so yet, please use this link to sign up for conferences. Remember that the deadline for signing up for conferences is noon on Monday 7th. Betsy will close sign-ups then to allow the faculty time to prepare for the conferences. (FYI, Mr. Rios' sign-up is full, so you will need to reach out to him after Fall Break to discuss your student if you wish to do so.)
Prior to the conferences, Betsy will send out a list of names that serve as hyperlinks to Google Meet rooms, so you will simply need to find each teacher and click on those names when it is time for you to join your conference. In 2020-2021, we found that online conferences were much more convenient for parents and teachers than meeting in person, so we have continued to run conferences virtually. Since Zoom does not allow teachers to stay on that platform for more than 40 minutes, we use Google Meets for these conferences. For those of you who do not have a Google email account, you will need to create one prior to the session OR plan to join your first conference a few minutes early, as you will be directed to create a Gmail account on the spot when you click the name of your first teacher. This is a very easy process, but I have attached directions for those who tend to be anxious about tech issues!
A quick reminder: conferences are 10 minutes. Teachers will admit parents to the online session once they finish with their prior meeting, and they are under strict directions from me not to go over those 10 minutes, so please be on time for your conferences. We have had very few technical problems with these conferences, but please be patient if you run into an issue, and know that you can always follow up with teachers. Thank you!
We look forward to hosting Bingo on Sunday. Remember that all proceeds will underwrite the senior class trip to Florida in April. To help us plan for the event, please rsvp here. Door will open at 2 pm and gaming begins at 2:30 pm (You can find more details in Ms. Chindamo's 10/2 email.) Come support our senior class and have a great time!
If you selected a retake on the electronic school photo order form you received previously OR if your student was not present during the original photo shoot, please note that school photo retakes are on Wednesday. Reach out to Betsy if you have further questions.
Every fall, we host a high school information night where 8th grade parents can learn about the academic program, the college counseling process, the traditions and opportunities that await their children in the upper school grades. Class Captains have fielded requests from 6th & 7th grade parents to attend this event, so we are opening it up to all Middle School parents. The information night will occur on October 23rd, so please mark your calendars (and see the attached flyer).
Wooh! This was a long letter--on a very busy day! I hope you all have a beautiful weekend, and please remember that students will have no classes starting on Thursday (due to in-service, conferences, and Fall Break), and we will resume classes on Tuesday 15th.
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sat 28th: Girls Vars VBall @ Olpe HS, 9:30 am
* Sun 29th: 7th Grade Parent Get Together @ Fields & Ivy Brewery, 4-5:30 pm
9th Grade Parent Get Together @ Fields & Ivy Brewery, 5:30-7 pm
* Mon 30th: Boys MS Soccer vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA, 4:30 pm
* Tue 1st: Boys MS Soccer @ Northland Christian Academy, 4:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer @ Bonner Springs Senior HS Braves Stadium, 4:30 pm
Girls VBall @ KC Christian HS: JV 4:30, Vars 6 pm
Girls MS VBall @ Brookside Charter School: B-Team 5, A-Team 6 pm
* Wed 2nd: MSXC @ Centennial Park, Lawrence KS, 3:30 pm
* Thurs 3rd: Vars XC @ Zarda Farm, 4:30 pm
Girls VBall vs. Bishop Ward @ BSA: JV 4:30, Vars 6 pm
Boys MS Soccer vs. Barstow @ BSA, 5 pm
* Fri 4th: Grandparent & Family Friends Day, 8-11 am (NO LATE START!)
Senior Tailgate Lunch
Fall Tapestry Choral & Instrumental Concert @ BSA, 7:30 pm
* Sat 5th: Debate @ Olathe NW
* Sun 6th: Family Bingo (Senior Class Fundraiser) @ BSA, door open 2 pm, fun starts 2:30 pm
Dear Parents
This is an especially busy week for our teachers as they send progress reports for every student in every one of their courses. You should receive the remaining reports by the end of the day today, but if you are missing any, you might give teachers the weekend to send straggler reports before reaching out to them on Monday. And a huge thanks to our student senate for providing breakfast for the faculty this morning. It was awesome!
For most of your children, their first introduction to our school was a Seahawk Visit Day. These are important recruitment days in the fall, coinciding with parent-teacher conferences at local schools, and this year's dates are October 17th & 18th and November 7th. Prospective students (of all grades) will shadow a current Seabury student and attend classes, have lunch, and participate in the many traditions that make Seabury unique. If you know any students who would thrive at Seabury but may not have considered our school as an option, please contact Lisa Leroux-Smith and let her know! Feel free to share this link directly with prospective families: Seahawk Visit Days. Other days can be arranged as well for individual visits. Remember that current families can receive $500 toward tuition if they refer a family who enrolls and attends Seabury! For more information: Seahawk Referral Incentive Program.
Congratulations to seniors Landon Farmer and Josie Kim on being commended by the National Merit Scholarship Program for scoring among the top 50,000 seniors on the PSAT. Congratulations seniors!
We are a week away from Grandparents and Family Friends Day. If you have not sent an RSVP for your guest, please do so soon with an email to ellenchindamo@seaburyacademy.org. PARENTS, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE LATE START NEXT FRIDAY. STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE BY 8 AM!
Parent-Teacher conferences are on the horizon. Please refer to Betsy's email (9/25), and remember that you will have until Monday 7th @ noon to sign up. (After that, sign-up will be closed so that teachers have time to prepare for those conferences.) For new parents, we discovered during the pandemic that conferences tend to be much more convenient and effective when we conduct them online. Subsequently, after you sign up for conferences, you will receive a list of Google Meet links. Betsy will send more instructions later.
After a month of preparing, our intrepid Debate squad has entered its competition season. Best wishes to them!
The 2024 Kansas Book Festival this Saturday 28th at Washburn University will feature many Seabury community members, including teachers Melissa Johnson and Sonja Czarnecki and alumni parent Eric McHenry moderating panels--and Seabury parent and author Amy Stuber reading from her work. I am sure it will be a thought-provoking day if you can attend.
Congratulations also to James Madison fellow and Seabury teacher Sonja Czarnecki for the publication of her article "Entrepreneur, Editor, Provocateur: Nick Chiles and the Topeka Plaindealer" in the scholarly journal Kansas History, a Journal of the Central Plains!
It is time to get your Bingo on! Mark your calendars for Sunday 6th to bring your family to Seabury...for vicious Bingo competition. There will be boards, markers, and sudden shouts of "Bingo!" All proceeds will underwrite the senior class trip to Florida in April. To help us plan for the event, please rsvp here. Door will open at 2 pm and gaming begins at 2:30 pm Come support our senior class and have a great time!
Finally, we hope you can attend next Friday's Fall Tapestry Concert on our campus--an opportunity to enjoy the talents of our instrumentalists and singers.
Yours Respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sat 14th: Vars XC @ Wamego Country Club, 8:30 am
The Rave (All School Dance), 8-10 pm
Theatre Call Work Day, 1-3 pm
* Sun 15th 8th Grade Parent Get-Together @ Fields & Ivy Brewery, 5-7 pm
* Mon 16th: Boys MS Soccer @ Summit Christian Academy, 4:30 pm
Girls Vars VBall @ Burlingame High School, 6 & 7 pm
* Tue 17th Boys Vars Soccer @ Maranatha Academy, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall vs. St. Paul's Episcopal Day School @ BSA: C-Team 4:30, B-Team 5:30, A-Team 6:30 pm
Girls VBall @ Northland Christian Academy, JV 5 & Vars 6 pm
Upper School Play Auditions, 3:30-5 pm
* Weds 18th: Girls MS VBall @ University Academy: C-Team 4:30, B-Team 5:30, A-Team 6:30 pm
Upper School Play Auditions, 3:30-5 pm
* Thurs 19th: Vars XC @ Wellsville HS, 4 pm
Girls VBall vs. KC Christian @ BSA, JV 5 & Vars 6 pm
Open House, 6-8 pm
* Fri 20th: BSA Homecoming, 4-8 pm
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Northland Christian @ BSA, 4:30 pm
* Sat 21st: Vars XC @ Tonganoxie-Leavenworth Co. Fairgrounds, 8 am
Girls Vars VBall @ Hiawatha HS, 10 am
10th Grade Parent Get-Together @ Delicias del Sur, 4-6 pm
* Sun 22nd: Spirit Squad Clinic, 2-5 pm
6th Grade Parent Get-Together @ Delicias del Sur, 3:30-5 pm
Chamber Choir meeting in Music Room, 7 pm
Dear Parents,
The first school dance of the year is tomorrow night. I hope students enjoy it!
Our BSA Open House is on Thursday night. Please invite any parents whose children would thrive at our school--or anyone interested in the school. Open House is also open to our existing parents. Curriculum Night was your opportunity to learn about your child's present teachers and coursework, but the open house can also be an opportunity to learn about what lies ahead for your children. So don't hesitate to drop in!
Don't forget that we will have a Homecoming celebration next week in conjunction with the Varsity Soccer game against Northland Christian. All parents, students, alumni, and staff are invited to attend. At 4 pm, we will launch the Candy Land Golf Cart Parade. Every grade has been given a golf cart to decorate according to a specific theme, and the parade will occur in the parking lot and frontage road in front of the school. Everyone who attends the soccer game will receive a ticket to vote on the float that they find most impressive. The winning grade will receive something fantastic for their class trip in the spring. At 6:30 pm, following the game, we will host a carnival on the back patio with walking tacos and ice cream. The event will finish by 8 pm. I hope you can come out to support our athletes and have some fun!
To accommodate Homecoming festivities, please plan to pick up your child before 3:45 pm on Friday 20th unless students are going to stay for the events. (In general, whenever there are after school games, plays, or other student events on campus, students must be present in those spaces if they are on campus.) And if you want to attend the parade, you will need to be parked before 3:45 pm. The parking lot will be closed off from 3:45 to 4:15 pm.
Congratulations to our Middle School actors on being cast in the fall theatre production. Auditions for the Upper School production will occur this week on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
By Student Senate decree, next week is the much-anticipated fall Spirit Week. Expect your child to walk out the door in slightly "unusual" apparel. Well...maybe not that different than usual based on what I see each morning on the front steps. Here are the themes:
Monday: Fashion Flop
Tuesday: Bikers vs. Surfers
Wednesday: Wayback Wednesday
Thursday: Pajama Day
Friday: Seahawk Spirit
Have a great fall weekend!
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sat 7th: Girls Vars VBall @ McLouth HS, 8 am
Chess Team Kickoff Meeting, 12-2 pm
12th Grade Parent Get-Together @ the Rangarajan's home (27581 W. Highland Circle, Olathe), 4-7 pm
* Sun 8th: Japan International Trip Informational Meeting, 4 pm
11th Grade Parent Get-Together @ Fields & Ivy Brewery, 6:30-8:30 pm
* Mon 9th: Boys MS Soccer vs. St. Paul's Episcopal Day School @ BSA, 4:30 pm
* Tue 10th: Boys Vars Soccer vs. Baldwin @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall vs. Barstow @ BSA: C-Team 5, B-Team 6, A-Team 7 pm
MS Play Auditions, 3:30-5 pm
* Wed 11th: MS XC vs. Pembroke Hill @ Loose Park, 4:30 pm
MS Play Auditions, 3:30-5 pm
* Thurs 12th: Boys MS Soccer vs. Pembroke Hill @ Kroh Field, 4:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer vs. KC Christian @ BSA, 4:30 pm
Girls MS VBall @ Northland Christian School: B-Team 4:30, A-Team 5:40 pm
Girls VBall vs. Heritage Christian Academy @ BSA: JV 4:30, Vars 6 pm
BSA Picture Day
* Sat 14th: Vars XC @ Wamego Country Club, 8:30 am
The Rave (All School Dance), 8-10 pm
* Sun 15th 8th Grade Parent Get-Together @ Fields & Ivy Brewery, 5-7 pm
Dear Parents,
As the Week Ahead suggests, we are well into the season of athletics competition. In addition to our line-up of Seabury sports, we have a cooperative agreement with Perry Lecompton High School that allows our students to play football. Due to communication logistics, I don't include competition dates for non-Seabury teams in our Friday Letters; however, I want to give a shout-out to the Seabury students who are on that team: Zephyr O'Hara, Max Fagan, Milton Okazaki-Lopez, Lucien Brockhoff, and AJ Campbell. Good luck to them in their season!
Our theatre season also begins next week. Auditions for the Middle School production will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday at 3:30 pm. Upper School auditions will occur the following week.
School pictures for all students will be taken on Thursday next week. Because we use senior pictures for graduation purposes, seniors need to wear a dark jacket, a white dress shirt, and a tie or a nice black dress or blouse. Consult the flyer from Jostens that Betsy sent yesterday--especially the warning that your children not wear green, as the green screen the photographers use will otherwise turn your children into floating heads. (For those of you with mischievous children, re-dress them as necessary before they leave the house!)
Our Student Senate will host a Back-to-School dance for all students next SATURDAY from 8 to 10 pm. There is a $5.00 entrance fee, and the funds raised will underwrite student events like Palooza and Winter Formal. Students may bring one guest but will be responsible for that guest's behavior. Our BSAP President will be sending out a signup for parents to help chaperone and to provide snacks and refreshments. Should you have any questions about the dance, please reach out to Mr. Whipple at williamwhipple@seaburyacademy.org. The dance will be held in the commons area of the school. I always feel the need to instruct our new parents that our school dances are not the clumsy, unfortunate adolescent mating rituals you may remember from your youth. Try to picture a collection of sugar-injected students bouncing up and down for several hours...that is a Seabury dance. Our dance code of conduct form is attached as well as the guest form. I hope the kids have a good time.
Parents and alumni are invited to join students and staff in celebrating Homecoming on Friday, September 20th. The theme this year is Seahawk Candy Land (yes, just like the game), and every grade will decorate a golf cart and participate in a parade that starts at 4 pm in the Seabury parking lot. Following the parade, our boys varsity soccer team will play Northland Christian at 4:30 pm. Fans at the game will vote on their favorite float, and the winning grade will earn a special prize for their class trip in the spring. Everyone is invited to stay after the game for food, fun, and festivities on the patio behind the school. On a custodial note, we need seven volunteers to drive golf carts from the Jayhawk Club at 7:15 am and return them after soccer halftime (and yes, that is fun work!). Please contact Ellen Chindamo (ellenchindamo@seaburyacademy.org) if you can help.
A few requests related to our Admissions efforts: first, it is hard to believe, but the application process for 2025-26 opens on September 15. Our best marketing tool for admissions has always been our current families, and we want to reward you for helping us out. This year we have a new program to encourage our current families to refer new Seabury families. Current families will receive $500 toward tuition if they refer a family who enrolls and attends Seabury! For more information: Seahawk Referral Incentive Program.
One way to encourage prospective families to check out Seabury is by telling them about our upcoming Open House on Thursday, September 19, 6-8 pm. Families can take a student-led tour, visit with teachers, and learn about our programs. All are welcome! It's also time to register students wishing to shadow for the day for Seahawk Visit Days. This year's Seahawk Days are scheduled for October 17 and 18 and November 7. We also schedule additional visit days for individual students.
Congratulations to our 2024-25 student senators who were just elected today:
6th: Israa Aziz and Olivia Pavisian
7th: Levi Huerter and Nico Stinson
8th: Natalie Koprince and Ayden Wahla
9th: Jack Hawley and Livia Roesler
10th: Aidric Bernd and Eva Farmer
11th: Xeva Oldridge and Aiden Najafizadeh
12th: Tara Thompson-Glodich and Eliza Brockhoff
Finally, I know we are all disheartened by the news from Georgia and the violence at the Apalachee High School. Such incidents are difficult to digest in the course of our daily lives. Whenever national school violence occurs, I am aware of the anxiety this must cause in all parents at some level, and it is perfectly natural for parents to imagine how their own families would be impacted. In these moments, I always remind parents of a few things. First, school administrators and teachers do not become aware of school security only when there are incidents such as this one. We think about security and difficult scenarios every day, keep track of best practices in maintaining safe school environments, and have school security on our minds every time we walk down a hallway. Second, despite the high profile of this tragedy in the news, schools continue to be one of the safest places for children to be--even safer than their homes. And finally, one important reason you send your children to Seabury is because we know all of our students closely, we maintain a high standard for compassion and respect within the student body, and we are keenly aware when a student is struggling (and can act quickly to support those students). A strong culture of dignity and care is the foundation to school security and safety. No doubt, we will all have the Winder community on our minds in the coming days as they grieve their loss and navigate the long road to healing.
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Fri 30th: Girls VBall vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA: JV 4:30, Vars 6 pm
* Mon 2nd: Labor Day--NO CLASSES
* Tue 3rd: Boys Soccer vs. Northeast KS Homeschool Athletics @ BSA: Vars 4:30, MS 5:45 pm
Girls Vars VBall @ Veritas Christian School, 6 & 7 pm
* Wed 4th: MS XC Invitational @ Haskell Indian Nations University, 3:30 pm
* Thurs 5: Vars SC Meet @ Wyandotte County Park, 9 am
Boys MS Soccer @ Maranatha Christian Academy, 4:30 pm
Boys Vars Soccer vs. Cair Paravel Latin School @ Sunflower Soccer Complex, 4:30 pm
* Fri 6th: Student Senate Elections
* Sat 7th: Girls Vars VBall @ McLouth HS, 8 am
Chess Team Kickoff Meeting, 12-2 pm
12th Grade Parent Get-Together @ the Rangarajan's home (27581 W. Highland Circle, Olathe), 4-7 pm
* Sun 8th: Japan International Trip Informational Meeting, 4 pm
11th Grade Parent Get-Together @ Fields & Ivy Brewery, 6:30-8:30 pm
Dear Parents,
With two and a half weeks of "back-to-school" and all that comes with it, I am sure the students and teachers will appreciate the three-day weekend. The weather looks like it will cooperate...just in time!
Your class captains have organized fall parent get-togethers for each grade level, and I hope you will attend. I am always happy when we can get parents together for school events like curriculum night, convocation, games, performances, and dinner/drinks while your children are wearing themselves out at the winter formal. Likewise, the fall get-together is a great opportunity for you to get to know each other better and create stronger bonds. There is no question this is a good thing for your children and the school. And a big thank you to this year's class captains for their work on behalf of all of your children!
Our student athletes have been working diligently in these first weeks, and I am always impressed to see students finishing morning practices as I am coming to work each morning. Good luck to all of our teams as they begin their competitive season! Please come out and support them when you can!
One reason for our lengthy spring break is that our school has always hosted an international trip at that time. This year, we will inaugurate a trip to Japan! In morning meeting this week, the students enjoyed a presentation about the Japanese language and various destinations for the 2025 Japan trip, and there will be an informational meeting next weekend for interested students and their parents. You can also reach out to Sonja Czarnecki at sonjaczarnecki@seaburyacademy.org with questions.
A clarification on last week's message about illness: I mentioned that people who test positive for COVID should stay home, but that is not a precise reading of the CDC guidelines which now lumps COVID together with other respiratory illnesses. The important reminder continues to be that all students and adults should stay home until they are fever-free after 24 hours (without the benefit of related medication) and symptoms have improved over that period. Students and staff who test positive for COVID thereafter may return to school but should wear a quality mask and take precautions around others for 5 more days.
I am sure you will enjoy the shorter letter this week. More time for your long weekend!
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sat 24th: Senior Retreat @ Mr. Richmond's house, 5-9 pm
* Fri 30th: Girls VBall vs. Maranatha Christian Academy @ BSA: JV 4:30, Vars 6 pm
* Mon 2nd: Labor Day--NO CLASSES
Dear Parents,
Our first week is under our belt! Thank you to all of the parents who were able to come out for Curriculum Night yesterday. We always enjoy hosting you for that event.
Congratulations to our teacher Sara Asher for being chosen by the U.S. Institute of Peace as the Kansas educator for their 2024 Peace Teacher Program. This program provides teachers with resources and professional development as they endeavor to teach students about conflict resolution and the cultivation of peace in the community. Good job, Dr. Asher!
As I mentioned at Curriculum Night, we made the decision last year to transition from the learning management system Schoology to Google Classroom. Learning management systems are predominantly for internal school use (for students and teachers) in communicating lesson plans and assignments, receiving and grading electronic submissions, recording grades, and so forth. Our LMS works in tandem with our larger administrative management system RenWeb/FACTS which is a one-stop platform for parents to access semester grades, transcripts, student attendance, online billing, and so forth. One key difference between Schoology and Google Classroom is that despite students responding positively to the new LMS, Google Classroom requires additional steps for parents to view their child's course work and progress. Like driving any vehicle, until you use a system and live with it for a while, you don't know how it works and how to calibrate your expectations.
Earlier this week, Ms. Schrader sent out instructions on how to check grades in RenWeb, which may be all that most parents want or need to see. Keep in mind that most teachers (like me) do a lot of grading and course work on Sundays, so Sunday night is the one time during the week when we ask teachers to update RenWeb (by synching it with GC). (In other words, if a teacher grades a paper on a Monday or Tuesday, say, the grade will not show up in RenWeb until the following Monday morning.) For parents who want more detailed information about their child's work in a course, they can sign up for "guardian summaries" in Google Classroom. (Ms. Schrader also sent those instructions earlier.) Parents can choose the frequency of those email summaries, but I would caution parents that daily summaries for every course would mean a LOT of emails and data coming their way. If you want GC summaries (which may be more pertinent to parents with younger children), I would recommend weekly summaries.
A quick word about parent engagement with student grades and progress. The benefit of an LMS is that parents can be more engaged in supporting children who are struggling to complete their work, whether that is due to absences, bad habits, or some sort of challenge that requires more parent engagement. On the other hand, I reflect on the fact that for generations, students have gotten along just fine with parents learning about their progress four times during the school year: at two parent-teacher conferences (optional) and two semester grade card reports. Is parent access to the minutiae of lessons and grading a healthy thing for either students or parents--or teachers? My advice to parents in this regard would differ based on the student.
Honestly, for most students who have a good work ethic, they are probably best left alone to learn without a lot of oversight. Does it matter whether they get a B or an A+ on a test? I don't think so. Is it okay for a student to fail a few quizzes or get a zero on a homework grade? Absolutely, and such bumps in the road are probably an indication that the student is learning to make decisions about prioritizing certain assignments over others. From a teacher-administrator perspective, I want parents to focus on patterns that would demonstrate poor work habits, ongoing struggle to comprehend material, or declining performance (which may be an indicator of non-academic struggles). I can assure you that we teachers see those issues when they arise, and that is when we need to engage parents in an ongoing discussion about how to help students improve their work and well-being. And the objective is not to get a better grade on a prior assignment but to improve habits and abilities. I always stress to students that grades are far less important than learning, and learning is about moving from one point to the next, not achieving some perfect score.
Not to lengthen an already long letter, but a quick word about illness. As a culture, we do not have the same response to illness that we had 3-4 years ago, but it is understandable that some parents are now left to wonder, "So what should I do now when my child gets sick?" Simply put, your child does not need to stay home as long as they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the benefit of medication, though a child who is feeling terrible isn't helping themselves or their classmates and teachers by coming to school. That is the parent's call to make. I would strongly encourage that children who are sick but feeling well enough to attend school please consider wearing a mask. When a sick child or adult enters my personal space without one, I tell them to step away from me! Also, a positive COVID test still means "stay home," and CDC guidance applies at Seabury.
Have a great weekend!
Dr. Schawang
THE WEEK AHEAD:
* Sun 18th: New Parent Orientation, 4-5:30 pm
* Thurs 22nd: Curriculum Night, 7-9 pm (optional parent mixer @ 6:30 pm)
* Sat 24th: Senior Retreat @ Mr. Richmond's house, 5-9 pm
Dear Parents,
I know you get a lot of emails, so the Friday Letter is a method I use to provide streamlined communication. I will assume all parents will read these letters each week, as information here may not be repeated elsewhere. To create ease in reading, I bold-face the topics in each paragraph. On occasion, I will have a topic to discuss (see the Smartphones section below) and I will situate that text at the bottom of my letters.
On Sunday, we will host our New Parent Orientation in the Commons from 4-5:30 pm. New families, I hope that you can have at least one parent in attendance. (Students generally stay home.) After a presentation from me, we will use an open house format with various tables so you can focus on getting the information you need. Parents who already have children at Seabury (in addition to a new student) do not need to attend, but you are welcome!
Thursday evening is Curriculum Night. This will be your opportunity to follow your student’s schedule, meet their teachers, and learn about course work. Parents often tell me this is one of the most important experiences of the year, and my favorite comment from parents is always the same: “I wish I had these classes when I was in school.” We will also have an optional parent mixer at 6:30 pm on that evening, giving you time to have an adult beverage and wander the hallways. I hope you can attend. I will send more info next week prior to the event.
The chess team will hold an organizational meeting on Saturday, August 31st in the BSA Commons. The meeting will be for all students (and their parents) who are interested in joining the chess team this year. Anyone who has not already signed up at the club fair at student orientation should contact Mr. Richmond (Coach Robinson's staff contact). No knowledge of chess or experience is required to come out for the team. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Coach Robinson at steverobinson2k8@gmail.com
We bid adieu to Mr. Neuteboom this summer, and we have hired a new director of facilities, Mr. Joe Simpson. Mr. Simpson is a Seabury alum (class of 2014), and he has already made himself indispensable. We are very excited to have him here!
We have a few new school policies in place this year, and one is about smartphones. I could write a much longer message on this topic (and what I have here is longer than most of you want!). Smartphone technology is impressive, fascinating, and capable of saving lives. Apps can provide news and some light fun, even if most of the time we spend on our phones is about as valuable as thumbing through our Netflix queue without ever watching a show. In many ways, these devices have had a profound impact on human experience and behavior (children and adults).
I have been increasingly concerned about the negative impact this technology has had on human beings and especially children, as the capacity to access (at every moment) a universe of data, images, comments, and other diversions has made quite clear the limits of self-control. (I will not even get into the demoralizing impact of much social media on Middle School students, especially girls.) I do not criticize these devices off-handedly, as they can be incredibly handy and provide lightning fast access to data, but there is a powerful addictive response in the human brain to this sort of unregulated "connectedness" to the virtual world and its superficial content. Cognitive space that once was apportioned to imagination, silence, and reflection seems to have become a receptacle of media noise. Muscles once employed for imagination and socialization can atrophy, and for young brains, the tendencies being created and constantly reinforced can be difficult to reverse. As I told students this week, smartphones should be our tools...they should not turn us into one.
Over a decade ago, I knew that I would never allow open phone use in class (and if you have watched local news, you will see that teachers themselves in the Lawrence public schools are starting to push back on what one teacher described to me as "the Wild West"). On the other hand, I did not want to infantilize students. We are preparing them to go into a world where technology plays an increasingly prominent role. My goal was to create responsible use and protect the vital social connections that fortify our school culture. Subsequently, I allowed students to use their phones before school, during two midday breaks, and then after school (and 9th-12th grade open periods). Due to additional breaks in the day with the block schedule, the potential for connection increased, and I had good reason to believe that many students were leaving class to go to the bathroom in order to spend time with their phones. I won't go into more detail, but students were doing what a lot of us do when we have an empty moment to fill--we descend into our phones until we have to pull our heads out of that virtual space to attend to the next structured moment. I don't blame the students for this. They are young, and many of them when asked have acknowledged that something about this relationship feels off.
This year's approach to phone access is similar to our prior policy: students are never allowed to use their phones in class without consequences (unless related to a teacher's instructions) and students are permitted to use their phones at particular moments in the day: before entering the commons for morning meeting, during lunch break (once finished with jobs), and after school. Upper School students may still use phones during their open periods dependent on their demonstrated academic success. Students may not have their phones on their person during class and may be required to stow phones in a receptacle when they enter a room.
I will continue to encourage parents to avoid purchasing smartphones for children before they are ready for that responsibility, and no parent should apologize for monitoring phone activity or putting content filters in place. It is not my place to tell parents how to run their dinner table, but don't hesitate to blame me for encouraging all tech to be turned off (at home and at restaurants). I will happily take the heat for that one! Many children (dare I say "most") will take twice as long to complete their homework if they have access to social media (and the product of their efforts will be inferior), and you will be doing your children a favor by having them keep their phones in a separate room when studying. And I strongly encourage you to require your children (especially in Middle School, if you allow them to have a smartphone) to "turn in" their phones to you before going to bed. A child who sleeps with their phone will get very little rest.
Finally, I want to emphasize that if you need to contact your children about an emergency, you should always feel free to contact Betsy in the main office. Otherwise, your children will be able to read any messages after lunch or after school.
We have enjoyed a very positive and energetic first few days of classes. I realize that students (and teachers) quickly feel the impact of energetic days and changed sleep habits, so I hope they are able to get some rest this weekend.
Yours respectfully,
Dr. Schawang