Greetings!
I hope that you enjoy the extra hour of your weekend!
Thanks to everyone for the great turnout at Fall Festival. Huge thanks to Ms Denise for the conceptualization and execution of such a wonderful afternoon and to all of the parent and teacher helpers who made it so much fun for our students.
Congratulations to our soccer team on a great season:
Spencer Ahn, Grace Balk, Alex Berro, Devan Chichester, Rachel Milkereit, Zack Milkereit, Sam Ofner, Elisabeth Parker, Brian Powell, William Radcliffe, Liz Reeder, Rachel Roush, Meg Rusconi-Warner (co-captain), Josh Stallings (co-captain).
Special note to the award winners:
MVP: William Radcliffe
Most Improved: Devan Chichester
Most Energetic: Zack Milkereit
Most Courageous: Liz Reeder
Thanks to Mr Scott for updating our web site with pictures of the Soccer Awards Dinner and of the DC trip. Also, special thanks toMs Amanda and Ms Krista for the beautiful and poignant photography. Check the pics out here:
Middle Grades and Upper School Mid-Semester grades were mailed home on Friday. Please note that these are simply a “snapshot” in time and only End of Semester grades are entered on the official report card. First Semester grades – with extensive teacher comments – are mailed home in January. In the meantime, all Mid-Semester Warnings should be signed and returned to school by Friday. There are tremendous gains and accomplishments being made by our students. They are juggling Academic Fair projects, AR requirements, math pace goals and the “heart” of the semester in their other classes. We are working together to help them prioritize, manage their time and strive for excellence. I am happy to work with any student individually to create a personalized time management plan – just let me know if you want me to initiate this with your student. The challenge of working to meet ambitious goals will be rewarded by the priceless sense of accomplishment to follow – and some much-deserved time off for all at holiday-time!
For the first time Kindergarten and MAPP students will also be getting mid-semester updates. Look for these in the mail this week.
Students are coming home tomorrow with detailed information about the Academic Fair and the Thanksgiving Feast to be held at the Durham Armory on Friday, November 18. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ACTIVITIES THAT DAY ARE HELD AT THE ARMORY AND THAT WE HAVE SPECIAL HOURS BASED ON STUDENT GRADE LEVEL. In addition to the Middle and Upper School academic projects that will be on display, Kindergarten, MAPP and all three musical groups will perform at the fair. All of this excitement is followed by a Thanksgiving buffet luncheon that our Camelot Family shares together before adjourning for the week off. WE NEED AN RSVP FROM EVERY FAMILY BY WEDNESDAY as to who will joining us for this meal. Copies of the materials coming home with your student can be found on our web site here:
Parent Service Opportunities:
- Fall Flowers need to be shopped for and planted in our porch containers. I’d like this done no later than next Saturday. Please email me if you would like this assignment.
- Mike needs parent service help on Saturday for Open House preparation. Please contact him directly atMike@camelotacademy.org or call him on his cell 919-818-0047.
OPEN HOUSE – our final one for 2011 – will be held Sunday, November 13, from 2-4 PM. Please help us to spread the word!
IPAD apps – I’m working with students to find the apps that work for them. I’m proud to see the investment of energy that many are making to try different tools. For instance, in classroom note-taking there are many options in terms of notes by hand, by text, converting one to another and synching or not with recording. It takes a lot of invested time to find the tool that works for any individual and we are very much in the experimentation mode. Another area where I am still exploring is To-Do lists – I have tried many options and I continue to return to Post-It Notes and paper! Nevertheless, this week I’m excited to try out iNow. I’ve also been experimenting with recording time spent on different tasks and setting Time on Task goals on certain projects. I can see this having a real application for students who also need to be held accountable to putting daily time into tasks such as fact drills, nightly reading, Academic Fair, etc. Hours and Eternity Lite are the two Apps I’ve been experimenting with. Eternity Lite seems most adaptable. PLEASE share with me apps that you or your student are finding useful so that I can eventually create a “greatest hits” list for all to access.
Camelot Talent in the Community!
Senior Will Cunningham is currently featured in Durham Family Theatre’s production of As You Like It. The show runs through next weekend. Check out the web site:
Also, running next weekend only, is Into the Woods. This show features Lance Wilkes, Ryn Wilkes, Lennon Klinger Mehrbach and both of his parents – Deborah and Glenn!
Check here for more info:
Finally, Camelot basketball season launches this week. Look for a separate email with all of the details.
Have a great week and thanks for all that you do.
Best,