julienugent

May 15, 2015

In This Issue…

Dear Parents,

Wow we are coming down the “home stretch” with a week and a half before Prize Day. We have finished the AP Exam Week, athletic teams are finishing their respective seasons, and we are preparing for the last week of school. Very exciting, if not exhausting!

As we busily prepare for the end of the academic year and prepare for Prize Day, we are all excited for our VI Formers. There are a number of events to celebrate and to bring closure to a very productive year. You should know that at this point, all VI Formers have been placed on a “probationary like” status until after Prize Day. Any Level I, II or III rule violation may jeopardize their privilege of marching at Prize Day and/or possibly graduating from St. Mark’s. If you have a VI Form student, please help him/her to keep their eyes on the prize … which is Prize Day! We want everyone to have a wonderful week culminating in receiving their SM diplomas. The celebratory week starts off with the VI Form Dance!

The students are very excited about the VI Form Dance on Saturday evening, May 16th, 2015 inside the beautiful, Charles View Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA. The evening kicks-off at 5:00pm for pictures on the VI Form Athletic Quad on campus. We will board the buses to the Hyatt Regency at 6:30pm, where all the exciting entertainment will take place! There will be a Photo Booth for students to take memorable pictures with their classmates and a DJ spinning their favorite tunes all evening. This is going to be a great evening for all of our students!

Timeline of Saturday Evening:

  • Student send off social & parent photos – VI Form Quad (5:00pm)
  • Board buses to Boston 6:30pm (sharp)
  • Dinner & Dance: The Hyatt in Cambridge 7:30-11:30
  • After party @ Main Building (12:30-2:00)
  • Shuttle Bus leaving back to Main and West at 2:00
  • Six Flags New England Trip on Sunday

Upcoming Events

With the last week of classes is upon us, listed here are the other events coming our way:

  • Sunday:Spring Student Concert 6:30 PM PFAC
  • Monday Housing Lottery 6:45PM
  • Tuesday:Our last evening Chapel and evening seated meal. A reminder that this event is required for all and that the dress code is “chapel dress” 6:00-7:15 PM
  • Thursday: Southborough Tea – 6:00 PM VI Form QuadThursday evening the young women of St. Mark’s will share in an event that we inherited from the Southborough SchoolVI Form Boys Social – 6:00PM Lions’ Den and Athletic Quad where the young men will have the opportunity to honor Mr. Harris and Mr. Baird.
  • Friday:Groton Games – Go Lions!VI Form Clambake – the Development Office is sponsoring a Clam Bake in the Quad for our upcoming graduates. 6:45VI Form Student Concert 8:30PM
  • Saturday The Center Student Showcase 9amEnd of Window 4Groton Games – Go Lions!
  • Sunday: Baccalaureate 11:00 AM – required for VI FormEnd of Year Concert – 4:00 P MSpring Athletic Awards Ceremony – 6:30 PM – required for all. This event will be held outside on Belmont Field
  • Monday: Prize Day/Graduation (Memorial Day) Yahoo!

Center Student Showcase

  • On the morning of Saturday, May 23rd, campus will be alive with students presenting their academic work for the broader community. The Center Student Showcase is a celebration of the intellectual vibrancy of our community in all of its various manifestations — the perfect capstone activity for our final academic day! Offerings will include projects, artwork, music, written work, and presentations, demonstrating academic excellence, curiosity, inquiry, and exploration across the broad range of our curriculum. We expect students to be present on campus for the morning programming, running from 9am to Noon. More importantly, families are also welcome and encouraged to attend!

Bookstore News!

  • There will be a Textbook Buyback event in the Bookstore on Thursday, May 21st and 28th from 10-2. Students will be given cash for their gently used textbooks and paperbacks.
  • Special Bookstore hours during Prize Day WeekendSaturday 11:30-2:00Sunday 12-2 (Baccalaureate Service)Monday 12:30-2 (Prize Day)
  • Diploma frames are available for purchase through the store. Contact Ginny Umiker if you would like one mailed directly to your home.

Business Office News

  • Parents of Graduates! Please note consistent with School policy, all Lion Card accounts must be current and have enough funds to cover VI Form Graduation Activities. If accounts are not current by May 18th blank diplomas may be issued and transcripts held.You can log in and add value at the Lion Card Account CenterAny questions please contact the Business Office or view our Lion Card FAQ page.

Check the Web Site for news about:

Academic News

  • As you know, the course planning season continues as advisors, students, and families have additional conversations about next year’s plans. Please be reminded that the initial round of planning involved students and advisors submitting course requests. The Academics office does not begin the actual scheduling process for another few weeks, giving time for processing of course requests from new families. While we do our best to create the optimal schedule for each student, there are times when students will have to make decisions based on their requests and what is actually possible in terms of building their schedule. Most of the building of schedules happens over the summer. As usual, preliminary schedules will be available in August.If you have any questions, please contact either Lynette Sumpter (5th/6th form dean) at lynettesumpter@stmarksschool.org or Nat Waters(3rd/4th form dean) at natwaters@stmarksschool.org.
  • The School is formalizing what had become, in recent years, an implicit expectation, to better communicate to students and families the tools they need to be successful as St. Mark’s students. The vast majority of our students already have and use laptops to support their studies as an irreplaceable research, writing and presentation tool in the early twenty-first century. The School has shifted from recommending to requiring laptops to ensure that all students have equitable access to the tools they need to pursue their studies. By ensuring that all students have comparable devices, the School better supports instruction in the classroom, allowing faculty to plan for predictable and reliable access to technological tools throughout the curriculum.Director of Academic Technology, Seth Battis, spoke about this program at a recent Parent Forum, and shares some of our thinking and planning behind this program.
  • SM SaturdaysWe are excited to share the 2015-2016 St. Mark’s Saturdays Course Catalog ahead of the formal opening of the St. Mark’s Saturdays course request period for returning students on May 18th. New Students will make Saturday course requests in the early summer, and should stay tuned for a subsequent communication from our office to this end. As a part of the course request process, students will be asked to rank their top four Elective Course choices in each season. We will look to include Saturday course enrollments in a communication from our office in the late summer. These courses represent an outstanding opportunity for our students to ask and answer the most significant questions of our time; to apply their learning in new contexts; and to develop skills that will help them succeed throughout their St. Mark’s careers and in the larger world beyond our campus. St. Mark’s Saturdays programming is aligned to the learning outcomes articulated in the St. Mark’s 2020: Strategic Plan, and adds significant dimension to our curriculum, all while maintaining the school’s commitment to a vital 6-day academic community with a vibrant residential program. Next year, students will take one Saturday course in each of three seasons — fall, winter and spring. Students will enroll in the Core Course for their Form in one of those seasons, and in Elective Courses for the remaining two seasons. All courses will appear on the student’s transcript, and will be graded “High Pass,” “Pass,” or “Fail.” These courses will meet seven times during the course of a ten week season, with each class meeting starting at 9 am and running until 11:30 am. Any questions should be directed to Mr. Nat Waters in the Academic Office.
  • Exam TimesTuesday 9-11 AM (Arts)Various Arts assessments dueTuesday 2-4 PM (Arts)Various Arts assessments dueWednesday 9-11 AM (Modern Languages)Chinese, French, German, and Spanish (Levels 1-3)Wednesday 2-4 PM (Modern Languages)

    All Advanced Courses

    Thursday 9-11 AM (Math)

    Geometry, Honors Algebra II, Advanced Topics

    Precalculus Presentations

    Thursday 2-4 PM (Math)

    Algebra I, Algebra I Enhanced, Alegbra II*, Honors Precalculus, Calculus, SFT

    Friday 9-11 AM (History/English)

    Survey of Literature

    Various class activities

    American Literature

    Various History assessments due

    Friday 1-3 PM (History/English)

    Various History assessments due

Athletic News

  • The Boys’ Varsity Crew 2nd Boat with Finn Reams, Jack Foley, Cooper Sarafin, Julian Palermo, and Jasmine Williams) dominated this past Saturday’s race at the Dupont Cup start to finish against some very strong competition: Taft, Pomfret, Gunnery, and BB&N. They started out the season as a relatively inexperienced crew, but are really coming into their own and have been steadily improving every week. Finn Reams set a relentless rhythm, backed up by Jack Foley. Cooper Sarafin, who started the year as a novice, is rowing really well and putting a lot of power down on every stroke. Julian Palermo is taking really long strokes and keeping everyone on their game from the bow seat. Jasmine Williams called a great race and kept everyone focused.
  • George Littlefield and Nick Harrison have stepped up together as a seemingly unbeatable doubles combination for the varsity boys’ tennis team. They won their last four straight matches against Governors playing at 1st doubles (8-0), Nobles playing 3rd doubles (8-1) and gaining one of our two points, Thayer at second doubles (8-4) , and Milton at third doubles (8-6). At Milton, there were signs of the Littlefield/ Harrison positive results starting to spread to some of the rest of the team and they have been instrumental in keeping the team on a positive track.
  • In varsity softball’s 8-2 win last Wednesday against Thayer, Micky had an amazing game behind the plate, catching two foul pop ups against the backstop, picking off a runner at third, and getting a runner out in an attempted steal at second. She got on base three total times in last week’s games against Milton and Thayer, once from a solid hit against a tough Milton pitcher.

Dean of Students Office News

  • Our school year is quickly coming to a close. One of the most difficult items for students to manage can be end of the year packing. Please talk with your child regularly about this process.This is particularly important for our Sixth Formers who will be managing the excitement and demands of participating in special events while preparing to leave our community. We will provide a timeline with regular evening check-ins on their packing progress and your support is appreciated. We hope that this timeline is also a help to families so that your time around Prize Day celebrations is not dominated by cleaning and packing.
  • It is about that time when Deans of Students at private schools in Massachusetts get very concerned and nervous about off campus parties. With the excitement of the end of the year, some parents host parties and allow alcohol to be served to underage students. We need to remind all parents of the Massachusetts Social Host Liability Laws and of the School’s expectations around substance use. Social Host Liability is the legal term for the criminal and civil responsibility of a person who furnishes liquor to a guest. We have all heard the stories of when good kids make bad decisions and well-meaning hosts painfully discover that the parties that they thought were harmless fun turn into catastrophes. We are asking parents to be aware of the social host laws and the liabilities that may result in civil and criminal charges as well as potential consequences to a student’s college admission. We expect students to obey the rules of the School and the laws of the Commonwealth concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, and we continue to expect our parents to support the health and safety of our students in this effort. Thanks!
  • Last Weekend of School: Our last weekend of the school will offer a variety of fun activities. There will be live musical performances, inflatable games, lawn games, and more! The night will conclude with our last dance of the year, which will take place on the Athletic Quad. It’ll be a fun and memorable evening!

Parents’ Association News

  • The Spring Exam Bake will be held on Wednesday, May 27 from 4:00-5:00 pm in the Hinkle Room. This amazing feast of treats, from cookies, brownies and cupcakes to salty snacks, fruits and beverages, is a welcome break for students in the midst of exams. Please visit the SignUpGenius page at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094EA9AE2BA75-spring3 to indicate what you will provide and/or to volunteer to help on the 27th. For additional information, contact Sue Gorman, slgorman17@gmail.com. Let’s give the students a fantastic Exam Bake as they finish out the year!
  • Many thanks to the following families for opening their homes for our spring Form gatherings!Thanks to Steve and Judy Hoffman for hosting III Form parents!Thanks to Anne and John Gobron for hosting IV Form parents!Thanks to John and Hayley Drohan for hosting V Form parents!VI Form, home of Beth and Billy Depietri, May 16 (after VI Form Dance pictures)
  • Did you see the video? Our gifts to the Annual Fund touch every aspect of life and learning at St. Mark’s, and our students and teachers want us to know that they appreciate our support! Already, 75% of parents have given or pledged their support to this year’s Annual Fund- thank you! If you haven’t yet made your gift (or if you’ve not yet fulfilled your pledge) please go online now and make your gift. We ask every family to support the Annual Fund- at whatever level feels appropriate for you- every year. Your support does make a difference- thank you!

All the best,

Dave