Moorestown Friends School E-News - September 8, 2010

225th Anniversary Book Pre-Order Discount Extended | Important Information for Parents
While you were away... | New Faculty and Staff | Faculty/Staff Notes | Quaker Corner | Fox Tracks

Welcome to the 2010-11 School Year!

What's Happening at MFS ...

Wed., September 8
Orientation for new Upper School students, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Orientation for new Middle School students, 12:30 - 2 p.m.

Fri., September 10
First Day of School
Preschool, Prekindergarten, Kindergarten - 8:05 - 11:45 a.m.
Grades 1 through 12 - 8:05 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.

Mon., September 13
All students regular school hours
Middle School Sports Practices begin

Tues., September 14
225th Anniversary Convocation - Parents Welcome to Attend!
Moorestown Friends School will kick off its year-long 225th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, September 14 at 10 a.m. on the school’s Oval with an outdoor 225th Anniversary Convocation that will be attended by all students, faculty and staff. The program will mix students of all ages, alumni, faculty and special guests. The featured speaker will be National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) President Patrick Bassett. Also providing remarks will be NAIS Vice President for School Information Services and School Committee Member Mark Mitchell, MFS Class of 1986. Mitchell is a product of the Camden Scholars Program. In addition to guest remarks, the MFS Faculty/Staff Choir will sing the school alma mater “All Hail to the Red and Blue.” Head of School Larry Van Meter (MFS Class of 1968) and Clerk of the School Committee (Board of Trustees) William Guthe will also speak.

Click here for information on more 225th anniversary events.

Upper School Photo Day
Click here to view schedule.

Wed., September 15
DEADLINE to order MFS Apparel...click here to visit the MFS School Store.
Fall sports apparel will only be offered during this sale. 225th anniversary clothing will be sold during all three apparel sales. The winter sale will take place in November and the spring sale will take place in March.

Sat., September 25
All-School Picnic, 3:30 p.m., Athletic Fields
Boys Varsity and JV Soccer vs. Haddon Township - 2:30 p.m.
Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Abington Friends - 2:30 p.m.
Plan to attend the annual All-School Picnic for students, parents, faculty and staff. Come early and cheer on the MFS soccer teams! This event is hosted by the School Committee and Parent Council. Catch up with friends, and enjoy games on the fields! Hot dogs, hamburgers, water ice and beverages will be served. You are welcome to bring a blanket and a picnic basket with additional food for your family. There will be tables with information about volunteering and other school activities. For more information, contact Director of Parent and Alumni Programs Matt Nierenberg at ext. 216.

View the complete MFS September calendar

Doing Well and Doing Good: MFS at 225...PRE-ORDER TODAY!
PRE-ORDER DISCOUNT PRICING EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER

*Click here to purchase Doing Well and Doing Good: MFS at 225*
*Click here to purchase Doing Well and Doing Good: MFS at 225 (Founders Edition)*

Important Information for Parents

Overflow Parking - First Day of School
Notice to Lower School Parents: those planning to attend Lower School Meeting for Worship on Friday, September 10, at 8:30 a.m. in the Meeting House are encouraged to park in the former Acme at 123 Chester Avenue. The former Acme lot will be open on Friday, Monday and Tuesday (for Convocation) for overflow parking.

Important Pickup and Dropoff Procedures
Below are important documents for parents to review prior to the school year to ensure safe and orderly dropoff and pickup of students during the school year. New families have received these documents in the mail.
Overview Letter from Director of Finance and Operations Lisa Carbone Warren
A.M. Dropoff Map
P.M. Pickup Map
Traffic Do's and Don'ts
The MFS Driving Test

Get Your School Directory at Back-to-School Night
The print MFS 2010-11 School Directory will be distributed to families at each division’s Back-to-School Night (MS: 9/22, US: 9/29, LS: 9/30).

Emergency Notification System and Weather Closings
Moorestown Friends School uses the Saf-T-Net ALERTNOW Emergency Parental Notification System to communicate rapidly in case of an emergency and for weather closings. It allows the school to broadcast recorded voice mail messages in minutes to the entire school community. The system makes calls to home phones, cell phones and work phones as long as the number is a direct dial. (It cannot go through a switchboard in which there is a need to enter an extension.) Those with caller ID will see the number displayed as 411. This year the school will also be sending a blast e-mail in the event of a non-weather emergency closing. It is important that you keep the contact information provided on your Family Information Form current. If you need to make a change to your contact information, please notify your division office.

Funds for Student Transportation
The B6T form submitted upon your child’s enrollment or reregistration at MFS registers your children for either transportation or reimbursement. This is determined by your school district. Before transportation reimbursement can be issued, your district will send you two separate forms which verify your residence (B7T’s). These forms MUST BE RETURNED to your local school district when you receive them; both in the fall and the spring. If you have questions for MFS, please contact Rose Frola in the business office at ext. 206.

NJSIAA Institutes New Concussion Policy

Starting in 2010-11, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) has mandated that all athletes, parents/guardians and coaches follow the NJSIAA Concussion Policy.

A Concussion Policy Acknowledgment Form must now be signed by the student-athlete and parent. In order for Moorestown Friends School to be in compliance, the acknowledgement form must be signed yearly by parents/guardians and student-athletes to be eligible to participate in interscholastic sports.

The Concussion Policy Form outlines signs and symptoms of concussion along with current information regarding this type of injury.  Please visit the following link for current and up-to-date information on concussions: Information from the CDC regarding concussions in youth sports.

New Faculty and Staff

Please welcome the following new members of the faculty, staff and administration:

While You Were Away...

While students were away this summer, Moorestown Friends School was bustling with activity as a variety of campus improvement projects took place. Read about the wide variety of upgrades that took place...

MFS Hires Coordinator of Educational/Psychological Services

Susan Batastini was hired this summer as the school's Coordinator of Educational/Psychological Services. This new position focuses primarily on providing support for teachers and parents on learning and behavioral issues and on interface with Child Study Teams and other outside support providers. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Learning Technology from Drexel University. Her experience includes teaching in the Education Department at Drexel, serving as a School Psychologist in Moorestown Public Schools and serving as the Supervisor for Counseling and Psychological Services for Catapult Learning in Philadelphia.

Faculty and Staff Notes

Numerous faculty, staff and administrators participated in summer professional development activities and completed in-house curriculum work and/or courses for credit. Read a sampling of activities...

Quaker Corner — Meeting for Worship and International Day of Peace
By Priscilla Taylor-Williams and Lynne Brick

Each week, the school community gathers (by division) in the Meeting House for Meeting for Worship (MFW). Lower School and Middle School Meetings for Worship are on a six-day rotation. Lower School Meeting will take place on C day from 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. and Middle School Meeting will take place on D day from 12:56 to 1:36 p.m. Upper School meeting will take place every Wednesday at 9:39 a.m. read more about MFW and peace quotes...

Fox Tracks

Six Students Tour China with Philadelphia Boys Choir
Six MFS students were members of the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale that toured China in August. They are freshman Ricky Barash, sixth graders Hunter Harris, Tyler Soso and Liam Mace and fifth graders Zachary Durr and Ian Millstein.  The group toured Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing and performed seven concerts, including one at the Shanghai Expo (the current equivalent of the World's Fair) in the American Pavilion. In addition to performing the group was able to visit several Chinese landmarks and cultural sites, including the Great Wall, and the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an.

Junior is National Scrabble Champ
Junior Ted Barrett placed first in his division at the National Scrabble Championships held in August in Dallas. He was awarded $1,000 in prize money for his performance in five days of tournament play. The tournament hosted 408 competitors, in five divisions, ranked by the North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA). The rankings are earned by players that have competed in local and regional NASPA-sanctioned tournaments.

Submit all notable out-of-classroom highlights for Fox Tracks to news@mfriends.org.

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