April 8, 2021 | Vol. 20-21, No. 26 KINDERGARTEN LEARNING OUTDOORS A MESSAGE FROM OUR COLLEGE COUNSELING DIRECTOR
Chris Teare, Director of College Counseling, provides useful and timely information about the importance of Personal Attention in the College Process in his recent blog post. Below is an excerpt:
Because each student in our care is unique, personal attention is essential to success in the college process. The development of self-knowledge and the search to identify options, one of which will become the best next step in the life of the young person we serve, is a very personal undertaking. We cover all aspects of the size, type, location, personality, program, and price tag of college options, and help students present themselves in the best possible ways in the applications they file, the conversations they have, and—perhaps most precisely on this point—the personal statements that they write, commonly known as their college essays.
SCHOOL CALENDAR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL CALENDAR BUSY WITH EVENTS The home stretch of the 2020-2021 school year begins with a busy month of April. Below is a list of major school events taking place in April: April 8 – Lower School Coffee and Conversation (Virtual) – 6:30 p.m. April 10 – Summer Programs Open House (Virtual) – 10 a.m. April 12-14 – Eighth Grade Summit April 14 – Upper School Symposium April 17 – Middle School Service Learning (Ashbrook Preserve) – 9 a.m. April 18 – Spring Music Recital – 4 p.m. April 19-23 – Upper School Capstone Presentations April 22 – Earth Day April 22 – Middle School Coffee and Conversation (Virtual) – 6:30 p.m. April 29 – Seventh Grade Experience STUDENT MUSICIANS EARN ACCOLADES Congratulations to Luke Tan '24 and Shourya Chhabra '25 for receiving recognition for their musical talents during Spring Break. Both W+H students were accepted into the Region Jazz Band Dizzy Gillespie Ensemble through video audition on March 25. A large number of students auditioned this year and the best student videos were chosen for two ensembles this year. The performance will be virtual this year and presented in May. Luke also participated in both the NJ Arts Solo and Ensemble Festival and the POTS (Percussion on The Sound) Percussion Festival. For the Solo and Ensemble Festival, Luke scored the top rating of Gold 1 for both jazz drum set and snare drum. Luke was one of only eight students to receive a Gold 1 rating for two performances. Because of his Gold 1 ratings, he is now eligible for the state competition. For the POTS Festival, Luke scored the top multi-percussion performance for his division. Both of these festivals were adjudicated by top professional percussionists and educators. UPPER SCHOOL SET FOR SYMPOSIUM The Upper School Symposium – "Inclusive Communities - Race and Identity" – will be held next Wednesday, April 14. The daylong event will feature keynote speakers, presentations, workshops and breakout discussions moderated by an impressive group of guests. Danielle Belton, newly appointed editor of The Huffington Post, will deliver the first keynote – "Be Proud of Who You Are" – in the morning. Imam Khalid Latif, a W+H graduate from the Class of 2000 who is the chaplain at NYU, will follow with a second keynote and speak on "When Hate Wins, We All Lose: Our Role In Breaking Down The Roots Of Racism." Breakout sessions include those moderated by Mr. Zduy Chu (Cultural Competence), Dr. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters (Black Lives Matter Less: Race, Place, & Health), Mr. Kerel Cooper (Professional Development and Growth (Moving Through The Ranks), Ms. Gaby Acosta (What Makes a Good Ally? Establishing Ground Rules for a Supportive Community), Dr. Sahar Aziz and Ms. Habibbah Johnson (Islamophobia: Present Day Impact and Solutions) and Mr. Alvin Gilmore (Continuing Conversations About Race). The Symposium Committee, led by Mrs. Nicole Nolan, Director of Global Scholars and Community Outreach, is excited to host this meaningful event. Other committee members include seniors Taliyah Williams '21, Neil Shah '21, Anna Razvi '21, Mikayla Cole '21 and John Papetti III '21, and faculty members Mr. Kyle Modes, Ms. Jean Castellano, Mr. Jason Murphy and Dr. Deb Clifford. EIGHTH GRADE SUMMIT ON TAP NEXT WEEK The Eighth Grade Summit – "Race and Climate Justice" – is set for Monday-Wednesday, April 12-14 with the students also participating in the Upper School Symposium on the final day of the event. Early this school year when it became clear that the traditional eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C. would not be possible due to the pandemic, an alternative plan was developed. Ms. Noreen Jafri, Eighth Grade Coordinator, has worked with Ms. Ana DeLeon, Associate Director of Admission, Dr. Corinna Crafton, Middle School Head, and a dedicated group of eighth grade student volunteers to plan a three-day Summit that will focus on areas of social justice important to our community. The goals of this special program are similar to those of the traditional trip to our nation's capital: provide opportunities for civic engagement and develop a deeper understanding of problems confronting our nation and the world in order to work toward solving them. Race and climate change were identified as two key topics to be addressed during the first two days of the Summit. On the third day, eighth graders will spend part of their day attending the Upper School Symposium – "Inclusive Communities - Race and Identity" – and then conclude their Summit with an action challenge to plan next steps. The student leaders have contributed their creative ideas and suggestions to make this event highly engaging and brimming with activities, discussion, reflection and personal growth. SPRING ATHLETICS POLICIES, PROCEDURES Karl Miran, Athletic Director, recently shared a letter with the W+H community with details on best practices and procedures for spring sports. The document includes information about student daily screening, students in virtual learning, water bottles, masks, spectators, use of locker rooms, inclement weather adjustments, student pickup, bus travel, sanitation, and use of the training room and fitness center.
CHECK OUT W+H SUMMER PROGRAMS Wardlaw+Hartridge will offer a robust array of summer programs in 2021! The year's offerings include Camp Funshine, Adventure Camp, Brain Boosters Junior Academics, Summer Scholars, Teen Leadership Camp and Summer Sparks Enrichment. Other special camps including Drama, Egypt, Technology and Entrepreneurship, Dungeons & Dragons, and Marine Biology will also be held. There is one more virtual open house session coming up on Saturday, April 10. To learn more, visit WHschool.org/summer
From the W+H Parents' Association WHPA Meeting - Thursday, April 15 from 7-8 p.m.
Please join us to hear about our fun Spring and year-end events, plus all the great ways you can help support our students, faculty and staff. Plus, we will be congratulating our Lower School Parents for their outstanding showing at last month's Trivia Night (our MS and US teams were SCHOOLED!) Below is the Zoom link, we look forward to seeing you!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3198110157?pwd=bmUxYXdlMUtUYVFPek53cDN0UVR2UT09
IMPORTANT REMINDERS Giving Thanks for Our Wardlaw+Hartridge Fund Parent Donors
The Development Office would like to thank the W+H community for supporting The Wardlaw+Hartridge Fund. Click here to view a list of W+H parents who have contributed to The 2020-2021 W+H Fund between July 1, 2020 and April 7, 2021.
Join Doorstop Donations to Help Serve Those in Need
Doorstep Donations is a nonprofit organization founded by a group of New York high school students committed to serving underprivileged and food-insecure families. We are starting our own chapter here at Wardlaw+Hartridge!
Donors will receive a Doorstep Donations reusable grocery bag, filling it every other month with non-perishable food items and either leaving items at their doorstep or bringing it to W+H. Every two months, a volunteer driver will pick up the bags of non-perishable food from outside the donor's door and take them to a local food pantry.
Our school's next pick-up and drop-off is Monday, May 24 If you have any questions, please reach out to Nicole Nolan, Director of Global Scholars and Community Outreach, at nnolan@whschool.org.
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