Camelot Update 12/15/2013

Greetings!  We are about to embark on the last school week of 2013!  No matter how many other things change with the passage of time, you can count on this time of year to be one of joy and energy in the lives of children and those of us who love them!  In the life of a K-12 school, the excitement of the season is mixed with the anticipation of exams and the suspense of college decisions.

Along those lines, congratulations go to senior Ku Lu (aka LUKE) for his acceptance to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Many wonderful efforts have concluded with the season:

- First Semester publication of our literary magazine - Broken Silence -  check it out here:

http://camelotmagazine.tumblr.com

Password: CamelotMagazine

Kudos to Ms. Erin (Advisor) and the students in Literary Magazine Club for this wonderful showcase of art and writing from Camelot students of all ages.

- Veteran's Day Collection - message from senior Olivia Arges, NHS president

Great job, Camelot! On Tuesday we put nine boxes of snacks, toiletries and games in the mail for soldiers in Afghanistan, and they should be there in time for Christmas. Thank you for your donations and your support.

- Candy Cane sale for pet adoption - message from senior Carolyn MacNair

Thank you to everyone who donated and bought candy canes for the fundraiser! We raised $133 and the extra $23 went towards pet food. The dog that was sponsored is a pit bull named Cupid and the cat is a black short-hair named Sheena. I'm sure they'll have forever homes soon.

-  Also, we have just surpassed the 100 hour mark in our count of community service time that students have completed.  The National Honor Society has set a goal of 300 hours for the year.  Visitwww.handsontriangle.org to find ways to get your student involved with the community over Winter Break.

- The performance bands share their holiday tunes with us and the community:

Today, Northgate Mall at 3 PM - set up near Santa Claus!

Wednesday, 8:30 AM - in Morning Meeting

Saturday, December 21 at 1 PM  - University Mall in Chapel Hill

Other items:

MISSING - red skateboarder's helmet - did anyone take it home by mistake?

CALL FOR PARENT SPEAKERS - we are looking for guests to speak on a topic relevant to our theme of the year - "What's Love Got To Do With It?"  Do you have a life story that relates?  An idea for an activity? Parent Service credit available for presentations given to Upper School students on January 13 or 14 or on a Wednesday during Second Semester from 12:15-1:15 PM.  Interested?  Please send your ideas to Ms. Amy at amy@camelotacademy.org.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR THIS WEEK:

Monday

- All Upper School students return their SIGNED exam review sheets (one for each subject area)

- Middle Grades students continue Semester Exams

- Junior and Senior MAPP students bring instruments from home for Show and Tell in Music class.  A keyboard will be provided for piano players.

Tuesday

- Middle Grades students continue Semester Exams

- Lunch orders due by midnight for the week of January 6th

Wednesday

- EARLY DISMISSAL!

MAPP and Middle - dismissed at 11:30 AM

US - dismissed at 11:45 AM

NOON - school closed for all.  (No Optional Care available)

- On Friday, January 3rd at 5 PM we have an alumni pizza dinner at school.  We look forward to welcoming home our graduates.  The Class of 2014 is also invited to attend.  Alums/seniors should RSVP to:

http://www.camelotacademyalumni.org/events.html

-Students return to classes on Monday, January 6th.

I hope that you have a wonderful Winter Break with safe travel, quality family time and much peace and relaxation. 

Happy New Year!  I look forward to the memories and accomplishments that we'll have together in 2014.

Best,

Thelma

Camelot Update 12/08/13

Greetings! 

Congratulations to senior Carolyn MacNair on her acceptance to UNC Greensboro.  Way to go, Carolyn - first acceptance for the Class of '14!

Kudos to Module 4 Merit and Honor Roll students:

Merit - Ashley Hartman, Nate Hopkins, Gabriella Taylor, Gray King Baker, Ephram Oliver and Olivia Goldsmith.

Honor Roll - Nick Johnson, Ray Palma, Carson Blythe, Virginia Bruhn, Willa Holt, Rachel Kowis, Chris Radcliffe, Ben Sharp, Richard Carruthers, David McShea, Rachel Milkereit, Danny Sutton, Peter Zhao, Jeffrey Zheng, LeahFlood, AJ Johnson, Cole Kurtzman, Cameron Stell, Jeremy Lin, Yuqing Liu, Alex Berro, Cole Farmer, Zack Milkereit, Spencer Ahn, Grace He, Ke Lu, AJ Palomar and Rachel Roush.

Congrats to our Basketball Knights who won their first home game of the season this week - 42 to 14 - versus Fletcher Academy.

Way to Go, Roboknights, who participated in an invitational FLL tournament yesterday. Congratulations to the teams for their following placements:

Robo Tofu Cubes Reloaded: 2nd Place in Programming.

Robo Rainbow Unicorns: 3rd Place in Robot Design

Robo Foxes: 4th Place Team Work

Titanium Pegasi: 5th Place Team Work

Thank you to parents TJ Johnson, Chris Rusconi and Brennan Stephens for their support at the tournament.

This is the last week of Fall Clubs.  Ms. Michelle's Science Club is due one make up session which we'll schedule in January.

Middle Grades students start Semester Exams later this week.  Please consult the exam schedule that was sent home with the applicable Exam Review Sheets.

Student entrepreneur freshman Rachel Milkereit has once again had her note cards selected for sale at Morgan Imports and Dolly's (downtown Durham).  She will make the cards available at school with a percentage of the proceeds to benefit a charity.  A pack of six cards sells for $8.00.  See this link from last year:

http://www.camelotacademy.org/2012b-student_entrepreneur.php

Our performance bands will be presenting their holiday repertoire on each of the next two weekends:

Sunday, December 15 at 3 PM at Northgate Mall

Saturday, December 21 from at 1 PM at University Mall

Please try to drop by to support their beautiful music.

Camelot Update 12/01/13

Greetings!  I hope that you have had a nice holiday.  It has been great to have a break from routine but it will also be wonderful to all be back together.

Congratulation to FLL Team 92 The Robo Tofu Cubes Reloaded on their performance at the Qualifier Tournament in Greensboro, NC on November 23, 2013.  The team consisting of Collin Wilkes, Elias Stephens, Danny Sutton, Nick Johnson, Bobby Henninger and Christopher Radcliffe did an amazing job of representing Camelot Academy and brought home a Team Spirit Award! Thank you to parent Bob Sutton for volunteering in the official capacity of Field Manager for the tournament. Thank you also to parent volunteers, Stephen Reardon and Brennan Stephens. We also had  appearances from Camelot Alumni, Ryn Wilkes '12 and William Radcliffe '13  (via web from Germany) cheering on the team!

School resumes tomorrow for thirteen busy days before our Winter Break.

Here's the plan:

Lower and Middle Grades students finish work for the semester before the break. 

Lower School students do not take cumulative exams. 

Middle Grades students were sent home before Thanksgiving with Exam Review Sheets for each class.  They will return to another week of classes before review and semester exams.

Upper School students have thirteen days of regular classes.  When we return in January, they will have two days of review and then take semester exams. 

Details of all of this info can be found on your school calendar.

Highlights of this week:

Tuesday- Basketball Knights play their first home game at the JCC at 4 PM.

We'll transport Middle and Upper School fans for whom I receive an email by Monday night.  Parents of fans pick up from the JCC at 5 PM.

Thursday - We host an Open House for prospective students from 4-5:30 PM.  Invite your friends to stop by!

Rest up - lots of great things to come!

Camelot Update 11/24/13

What does it take to make a great family gathering?

It takes a lot of dedicated and wonderful people.  Occasions such as Friday's Academic Fair and Thanksgiving Feastremind me that I am very thankful to be able to share my life with all of you - our Camelot Family.

Huge thanks to Ms. Jill, Ms. Erin and Ms. Michelle who had the daunting task of coaching many students with varying levels of research experience through a myriad of topics - and all while teaching their regular course load.  Fantastic job!

Much appreciation to Ms. Stephanie, Ms. Lori and Mr. Tom for giving extra support to our international students in helping them to understand the expectations of this research assignment.

Kudos to Ms. Wendy for coordinating the great meal and the new venue. Both were a hit.

Well done, Mr. Matt, whose "cool energy" was key to onsite management - including the troubleshooting involved when all of the display boards were stuck in traffic on 147!

Thanks to Ms. Judith and Ms. Roni for their help with student presentations and Ms. Judith for working with Lower School art classes in creating the table decorations.

Way to go, Mr. Glenn and Ms. Teresa, for filling the room with the wonderful sounds of music from our young people and to Mr. Dan and Ms. Amanda for their great work in coordinating all that goes into that behind the scenes.

Awesome job, Ms Lynne, on the Scavenger Hunt and thanks to Ms. Denise, Ms. Liz and Ms. Amy for their help in executing this new activity.

Kudos to Mr. Scott for getting the word out to prospective families and to the press about the event and, of course, for working every day to help assemble such an amazing student body.

A thousand thanks to Mr. Mike, Ms. Joyce, Ms. Jenny, Ms. Charlotte and Ms. Krista for the myriad ways they supported our students in preparation for this event.

Special thanks to the tutors for their many hours of help and guidance.

Thank you, parents and families, for your work and encouragement pacing your students through this important work. Also, thank you for arranging your very busy schedules to attend the event - there is nothing that sends a stronger message to our children about what we value than being there- and we fully appreciate the enormous effort made by all to gather together for this occasion.

Finally, a word of thanks to our students, who were exemplary in supporting each other, welcoming our guests and rising to the occasion.  I couldn't be more proud of you.

I wish you all a week filled with time to count your many blessings and with much peace.  I look forward to seeing you on Monday, December 2 for the last module of 2013!

Camelot Update 11/17/13

Greetings!

Congratulations to Ms. Denise and family on the birth of granddaughter Aurora (Rory)!

Congratulations to Camelot’s FLL Teams: Robo Rainbow Unicorns (Ian Robinson, Chase Laster, Harry Jones, Zach Ireland, and Evan MacDonald) and Titanium Pegasi (Eoin Stephens, Gray King Baker, and Ryan Rusconi-Warner). The two teams competed in an FLL tournament in Winston Salem on Saturday with great success. The Robo Rainbow Unicorns won a 2nd place trophy for Robot Design and Titanium Pegasi led a spirited dance party at the end of the day. Thank you to parents Becky Wilkes, Brennan Stephens, Chris Rusconi and David MacDonald for volunteering either with the teams or at the tournament itself. Thank you, also, to Camelot senior Rachel Roush for her role as an FLL YAM (Young Adult Mentor).

We are entering a special week that culminates with us all gathering at the Durham/Marriott Convention Center in downtown Durham on Friday morning!  Please be sure to be clear on arrival and pick up times and other directions as found here:

http://www.camelotacademy.org/admin/editor_assets/documents/1314-Academic_Fair.pdf

Today, Ms. Stephanie and her husband David are hosting a "coffee talk" at Bean Traders on Hwy 54 (104 West NC 54 - near Shiki Sushi and Harris Teeter).  Beverages are Camelot's treat.  Please stop by to chat with our international students anytime between 1:30 and 3:00 PM.

Sign-up opportunities for the June Costa Rica trip are winding down.  Please register here:

http://www.explorica.com/sign-up.aspx

Code:  Frysinger-136

Can't decide? More questions? Please be in touch with Ms. Charlotte (charlotte@camelotacademy.org) so that our plans include your feedback.

Our long and short sleeve Camelot shirts have arrived.  If you ordered one please send in $20 per shirt and see Ms. Lynne for pick-up.  Shirts will also be available at the Academic Fair on Friday.

Also on Friday, please bring your contributions to the Academic Fair collection for the Veteran's Day Care Package drive.  You can find a list of needed items here:

http://www.camelotacademy.org/admin/editor_assets/documents/1314-vet_day_care_pack_donation_list.pdf

Now that cooler weather is in our forecast our number of "found" items skyrockets.  Please label all jackets, hats, gloves, etc.

Camelot's wonderful music instructor, Glenn Mehrbach, is directing/musical directing "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood" which also features Camelot Junior Lance Wilkes as the stage manager. The show is next weekend only - more info and online ticket sales info is here:

http://www.glennmehrbach.com/drood-publicity.html

The upcoming week:

Wednesday-

Middle(those presenting) and Upper School students bring in completed poster boards.  Upper School students present to teachers for a grade.  Presentation boards stay at school from this point forward.

First game of the Camelot basketball season - at Emerson Waldorf (4 PM)

Friday-

Academic Fair and Thanksgiving Feast - at Durham Convention/Marriott Center

(no Before/After School or On-Campus Activities that day)

- Middle Grades and Upper School arrive at 8 AM

- Kindergarten and MAPP students arrive at 10 AM

Come enjoy the student work, musical performances, good food and family time!

We will be closed for Thanksgiving vacation the entire week of November 25. 

I look forward to seeing you this Friday to celebrate the holiday and the accomplishments of our wonderful students.

Camelot Update 11/10/13

Greetings!

I hope you are doing well.  Lots of important things to share - please read this carefully!

School IS open tomorrow and our day will start with a Morning Meeting recognition of Veteran's Day - thanks to the efforts of students Chris Radcliffe and Olivia Arges.

Here's a note from senior Olivia Arges:

The NHS is sponsoring a care package drive for soldiers overseas in honor of Veteran's Day.  This was a great success last year and we are excited about doing it again! All items can be placed in the labeled boxes in the Big Hall and Upstairs.  There is a list of items to donate posted on the Camelot website here:

http://www.camelotacademy.org/admin/editor_assets/documents/1314-vet_day_care_pack_donation_list.pdf

We will be collecting donations starting Veterans Day until the end of November.  There will be a collections box at the Academic Fair.  Thank You for taking time to honor our Veterans!

Also, we raised $304.87 for UNICEF.  Thanks to everyone for their help.

Congratulations to Module 3 Merit Award students: Ashley Hartman, Nate Hopkins, Gabriella Taylor and Ian Robinson. Also, kudos to Module 3 Honor Roll students:  Brian Powell, AJ Palomar, Ke Lu, Grace He, Olivia Arges, Spencer Ahn, Lance Wilkes, Zack Milkereit, Cole Farmer, Fiona Castorina, Alex Berro, Elizabeth Provenzale, Cole Kurtzman, Ben Kirby, AJ Johnson, Danny Sutton, Rachel Milkereit, David McShea, Richard Carruthers, Collin Wilkes, Abby Weber, Ben Sharp, Christopher Radcliffe, Rachel Kowis,Virginia Bruhn, Amzie Yurko, William Whetzel and Ray Palma.

Congratulations to the RoboFoxes: Virginia Bruhn, Amzie Yurko, Kathleen Stancil-Sutton, Claire Rusconi-Warner, Annabelle Brown, Heather Hartman and Susannah Hill! Saturday the Robofoxes won a spot at the State FLL Robotic's Championship AND they won first place in Core Values!! The Core Values of FLL are: sharing what you've learned, working together as a team, friendly competition, GRACIOUS PROFESSIONALISM, AND learning is more important than a win.  Also, congrats to coaches Robyn Stephens, Chris Wilkes and Amanda Fox.

YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A LARGE ENVELOPE IN THE MAIL FROM US THIS WEEK.  The contents included TWO items needing your response and return, please.

1)    Thanksgiving Feast RSVP - needed back from EVERYONE tomorrow (Monday) - this is a not-to-be missed highlight of the year - truly a celebration of our students and our Camelot Family.  Copies of all of the info is on our website and the RSVP form is here:

http://www.camelotacademy.org/admin/editor_assets/documents/1314-Thanksgiving_Feast_RSVP.pdf

2)    Second Semester paperwork - due back Monday, December 2

The Upper School biking unit has wrapped up.  Please ask your student to see Ms. Krista at end of day Monday for bike pick up.  Thanks to everyone for the cooperation to make this a fun few weeks.

Basketball practice starts this week.  Interested 6th-12th grade male students should let me know if they would like to sign up.  Players will receive a separate email today and every Sunday of the season.  Note to all - we have a player in need of a ride home to Chapel Hill after practices/games - especially on Wednesdays.   Please let me know if you can help.

Here are the details of this coming week:

Monday -

Kindergarten snack sale  (all items 75 cents)

Upper School crates out for parent review

Thanksgiving Feast RSVP due from everyone

Tuesday-

Upper School crates are out

Achieve portal closes for viewing of Upper and Middle School  Mid-Semester grades

Basketball practice begins

11:30 AM - Hollins University (VA)

Wednesday -

Upper School students may bring presentation boards and speech notes for optional Academic Fair help from Ms. Roniand Ms. Judith

Noon - Senior Group picture will be taken

1:00 PM - Randolph College (VA)

Next Sunday (November 17) -

Coffee and Conversation hosted by Ms. Stephanie at Bean Traders on HWY 54 (near Southpoint Mall) from 1:30-3:00 PM.  Please turn out for a beverage courtesy of Camelot and partake in the opportunity to converse with one of our international students to assist them in getting practice speaking English to a variety of people on a variety of topics.

Have a great week!

Camelot Update 11/3/13

Greetings!

Did you remember to "fall back"?  I hope you enjoy the extra hour of weekend.

We had a great week - full of the activity of documenting Mid-Semester progress and the excitement of Halloween.  Ms. Charlotte and Ms. Stephanie traveled to a professional conference on foreign language instruction and came back full of great ideas and Ms. Erin was off on Friday to share her ideas and present a paper at a professional conference.  We are very fortunate to have such a dynamic and passionate faculty.

All Upper School students and a portion of our Middle Grades students are gearing up for their own presentations at our upcoming Academic Fair to be held at the Durham Convention Center (new venue) on Friday, November 22 (a required parent event).  In preparation, Upper School students will have the option of working with Ms. Roni and Ms. Judith on the oral and visual components of their presentations during the 4th period choice-time offered the next two Wednesdays (November 6 and November 13).  Students should come prepared to avail themselves of this opportunity with presentation boards, visual components and the "talking points" of their topic.

Many thanks to parent Lisa Warner for replanting the porch planters for the fall and to Ms. Jenny who frequently putters around the grounds doing "little things" to beautify the place.  Our season-specific tasks include an annual call for Parent Service leaf rakers - please email Mr. Mike to "get on the list" of Saturday rakers.  mike@camelotacademy.org.

Thanks, again, to alum Meg Rusconi-Warner ('13) for getting yet MORE pictures on our website -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camelotacademy/sets/

This Week:

Monday

- Kindergarten bake sale at lunch

- Upper School PE goes biking

- Individual picture order info goes home

Wednesday

- Sr MAPP trip to symphony in Raleigh

- Upper School bike option- 4th period

- Upper School - Academic Fair presentation prep option - 4th period

Friday

- Upper School PE goes biking (make up from rainout last Friday)

IMPORTANT REMINDERS!

Costa Rica sign up!

http://www.explorica.com/sign-up.aspx

Code:  Frysinger-136

Mid Semester Warnings (sent home in the mail) need to be SIGNED and RETURNED by this Wednesday, November 6.

Basketball practice starts next week!  Boys in grades 6-12 should let me know if they want to join the team!

Have a great week!

Camelot Update 10/27/13

Greetings!

Thank you for the wonderful turnout at the Fall Festival last week.  It was a joy to share the beautiful fall afternoon with everyone.  Again, many, many thanks to Ms. Denise for orchestrating the whole thing, and Ms. Stephanie for learning the ropes - and to their husbands Brian and David, respectively, who are deserving of much gratitude for many hours of help before, during and after the event.

This week the soccer season wrapped up with two tournament games.  The first game, a win vs. Fletcher Academy on Monday, was followed by a loss to Clover Garden on Tuesday in a game that by all reports featured much good play. We are deeply appreciative of the efforts of Coach Carlos and Athletic Director Krista Moll and congratulate the team members Spencer Ahn, Grace Balk, Alex Berro, Devan Chichester, Sarah Fauver, Jude Holt, Zach Ireland, Nick Johnson, Harry Jones, Rachel Milkereit, Brian Powell, Johnny Qian, Ian Robinson, Mack Taylor and William Whetzel.  The team will be honored, along with members of our other teams, at the all-sport athletic dinner in the May.

Boys' Basketball starts in a couple of weeks and there is still room for 6th-12 graders on the team.  Please let me know if you'd like more information.

This week has a few highlights of its own!

Last Friday was Mid-Semester (!) and teachers will be turning in Mid Semester grades to the office by end of day Monday.  By this Friday, November 1, Middle and Upper Grades families will have access to grades via the online Achieve portal.  An email will be sent to you when the portal is opened.  Kindergarten and MAPP students will have Mid-Semester info mailed home by Friday.

As you know, this Thursday is Halloween which we celebrate as a School Spirit Day!  Students may dress as theirfavorite book character.  Please note that costumes of witches, ghosts, devils or anything gory or involving weapons of any kind are NOT school-appropriate and should not be worn or brought to school.  Also, many thanks for limiting sugar consumption in school lunches and treats.

The Upper School PE biking unit started this past week.  Biking days this coming week are Wednesday (4th period choice activity) and Friday (Friday PE classes).

Kindergarten students will be running a small school store to gain experience with money skills.  They will be selling snack-size bags of chips (Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos, potato chips) and Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies atlunchtime on Mondays (only).  Each bag of chips or cookies will cost $.75. Thank you for your support!

Due to popular demand, we are going to place another order for the black New Camelot Logo shirts - offered as a LONG SLEEVE or as the short sleeve V-Neck (BE
SURE TO NOTE "V-Neck" in the comments box) order here BY THIS THURSDAY!  The cost is $20 per shirt payable upon receipt.

http://www.customink.com/signup/4i2c8ga1

Weekend Parent Service will be available soon for leaf rakers!  Please contact Mr. Mike to get on the list atmike@camelotacademy.org.

College Reps this week:

Monday - Elon University (NC) at 11:30 (lunch visit)
Wednesday- Davidson College (NC) at 11:30 (lunch visit)
Thursday - Earlham College (IN) at 11:40 (lunch visit)

Many thanks to alum Meg Rusconi-Warner ('13) for getting recent photos on our website.  Much more to come!

Check out pics from the Middle Grades trip here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camelotacademy/sets/72157636917115166/

I hope that you have a great week.

Camelot Update 10/20/13

Greetings! 

I look forward to seeing everyone this afternoon at our Fall Festival being held at school from 2-4 PM.  There will be fun for students of all ages - including games, crafts, a magic show and a snake show.  Mellow Mushroom pizza will be sold by the slice. Please plan to participate in this fundraiser to support various student organizations within our school.  Many thanks to Ms. Denise -  and her assistant on this project, Ms. Stephanie - for pulling together this ever-more-exciting event for us.

At the end of each module for the duration of the school year we will announce the names of students who have achieved Merit Award or Honor Roll status.  Our first Honor Roll/Merit Awards were announced in Morning Meeting this week.  Camelot students have nine opportunities to receive this honor each year - once in Modules 2-10.  (As you will recall, a module is approximately 15 class days - module start and end dates are noted on your school calendar.)  Merit Awards are for students in SR MAPP and Middle Grades.  Honor Roll is for students in the Upper School.  To achieve this distinction, students must have a module free of Homework, Classwork, Make Up or Behavior Notices and must be in attendance for greater than 80% of the class days.  They must also be enrolled in four or more core classes on campus.  More details are provided in your Family Handbook.

Congratulations to Module 1/2 Honor Roll students:

Ke Lu, Grace He, Olivia Arges, Zack Milkereit, Fiona Castorina, Olivia Castorina,

Alex Berro, Yuqing Liu, Jeremy Lin, Cameron Stell, Johnny Qian, Elizabeth Provenzale,Cole Kurtzman, Leah Flood, Rachel Milkereit, David McShea, Collin Wilkes, Rachel Kowis, Willa Holt, Virginia Bruhn, Grace Balk and Amzie Yurko.

Huge Kudos to Mr. Matt and Ms. Michelle for coordinating the Upper School and Middle Grades overnight trips.  They were greatly supported by faculty chaperones Charlotte Frysinger, Tom Mitchell, Scott Mitchell and Amy Cummingsas well as parent chaperones Kathy Kowis, Greg Kowis, Albert Mirich, Lisa Warner and alum chaperone Meg Rusconi-Warner.  Please look for pictures from the trips on our website later this week.

Back at home, the Upper and Middle Grades students had a great mixture of productivity and recreation thanks to the orchestration provided by Ms. Lori.  Ms. Judith planned a great excursion to UNC CH School of Journalism and Ms Stephanie, Ms. Jill, Mr. Dan, Ms. Erin, Ms. Jenny, Ms. Amanda, Ms. Krista, Ms. Roni, Ms. Denise, Ms. Liz, Ms. Joyce, Ms. Teresa, Mr. Glenn and Mr. Mike were instrumental in seeing that the atypical days were a success for all.

Coaches Chris, Robyn and Amanda led our FLL members to Robostock yesterday in Concord, NC. The Robo Rainbow Unicorn team won second place and has brought back a trophy to present in Morning Meeting!  Way to go, Zach Ireland, Chase Laster, Harry Jones, Ian Robinson and Evan MacDonald!

Senior Feixiong Zhen is eager to make rapid gains in his spoken English.  As such, he and his family have given me permission to seek some homes of Camelot families that may be able to offer him short term stays (a few days or up to a week at a time) to allow him opportunities to practice his listening and speaking skills.  Ideally, families who participate will be able to provide Feixiong with a private bedroom during his visit.  If your family is interested in helping, please send me an email.  This is both a Parent Service Opportunity and a wonderful way to serve as a Cultural Ambassador.

Picture order forms (for group and whole school pictures) are due on Monday!  Your student was provided a special envelope for these orders last week. We were thrilled that we were able to take the whole school, homeroom and individual pictures in between the raindrops that fell last Monday.  Many thanks to Ms. Wendy and Ms. Lynne for their expertise in coordinating all of the activity.  Please be on the look-out for more info about ordering individual pictures and direct any questions to Ms. Wendy at wendy@camelotacademy.org

This week is the last week of the soccer season as our players engage in the CCAL tournament games.  On Monday they will play their last game on our home field at Piney Wood Park at 4 PM.  We will transport Middle Grades and Upper School fans for whom I have a parent email request by Monday at 9 AM.  FANS NEED TO BE PICKED UP AT 5 PMfrom Piney Wood Park.

College Reps this week:

Tuesday at 11:30 AM - Cultural International Exchange Program

Wednesday at 12:30 PM - High Point University (NC)

Wednesday at 2:30 PM - New York University (NY)

Thursday at 2:50 PM - Goucher College (MD)

Sign up for the June Costa Rica trip is underway.  Tour info/sign up is here:

http://www.explorica.com/sign-up.aspx

Code:  Frysinger-136

Contact Ms. Charlotte with any questions at charlotte@camelotacademy.org

Thank you to everyone for using your yellow carpool visor tags.  I think they are going to be helpful in keeping pick-up time running well. Please contact Ms. Wendy at wendy@camelotacademy.org if you would like additional tags.

I look forward to seeing you this afternoon at Fall Festival.

Camelot Update 10/13/13

Thank you to everyone for a very productive week of conferences.  Families came in very prepared and it established a great tone for setting things in place to get the most out of the semester and the year.  I am proud to work with this wonderful team of teachers who brought great dedication and care to each and every meeting.

Also, thank you to all of the parents who provided job shadow opportunities for our high school students last week. We heard several enthusiastic reports in our conferences.  Thank you to Ms. Amy for all of her great work to coordinate these experiences.

Message from Ms. Charlotte:

It was very exciting to hear so many families express interest in the Costa Rica trip during our conferences! Remember to enroll by October 16 (that's Wednesday!) to take advantage of over $200 in promotions. Log on towww.explorica.com/Frysinger-136 for details and contact Ms. Charlotte at charlotte@camelotacademy.org with any questions.

Families received a yellow car pool visor tag at their conference session.  Please be sure to display this on your PASSENGER side visor starting this Monday at pick-up.  We are eager to see how efficient we can make our dismissal.

Monday, October 14 is whole-school Picture Day!  Please note the email sent on Friday by Ms. Wendy including details for ordering group, homeroom and individual pictures.  Please send your student to school on Monday in clothes appropriate for these pictures and note that we request students NOT wear T-shirts for any of the group pictures.

Wednesday-Friday, October 16-18 is the Upper School trip to Williamsburg and the Middle Grades trip to the NC mountains.  All participants were sent an email from Ms. Lynne last Thursday with packing info and itinerary specifics. Please spend some time this weekend being sure that you are clear about all of the information.

Also on Wednesday, a representative from Meredith College will be visiting campus at 2:00 PM.  Upper School students are encouraged to sign up.

Ms. Michelle's science club is canceled this week as she will be on the Middle Grades trip.  A make-up session will be scheduled at the end of the semester.

There is a lot of activity planned for this upcoming weekend!

On Saturday morning, all of our 10th and 11th graders will come to campus for an administration of the PSAT. Families of these students should consult the email that was sent by Ms. Lynne last Monday with detailed information.

Also on Saturday, FLL members are traveling to Robostock in Concord, NC.  Please see Coach Robyn's email sent yesterday.

Exciting message from Ms. Denise:

Fall Festival is just one week away!! There will be games, activities, food, a magic show, and a snake exhibit!! Everyone is invited, so bring your family and friends for a fun-filled afternoon! If anybody wants to help, we still need volunteers to sell tickets, run booths, set up, clean up, etc.  We also need baked goods (individually wrapped) for the cake walk.  If you can help with any of these needs, please email me at denise@camelotacademy.org.  This is a fun Parent Service opportunity! Thanks!

Finally, please help your student have a good re-entry to school on Monday by assisting in reviewing the homework assigned over break and being sure it all makes it to school!  Many students had AR books to finish, Academic Fair outlines and other assignments - many of which were discussed in conference.  We can all get the most out of the time and energy spent in conferences by keeping our students feeling confident and successful.  After an extended break, a little extra care to take stock of everything will go a long way.  Thanks, in advance, for making this a part of your day today.

As you can tell, we are deep into the exciting part of the semester.  Please continue to carefully read the info we send you to be sure to maximize your student's experience.  On behalf of all of us, I want you to know that we deeply appreciate your commitment to your student's education and school experience.

I look forward to seeing you next Sunday at Fall Festival, if not before!

Camelot Update 10/6/13

Greetings!

Congratulations to senior Lyn Mattox who has been named a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student (one of just 34,000 students recognized for exceptional academic promise of the 1.5 million students who took the test).

We are looking forward to an amazing week of Family Conferences.  Many thanks to Ms. Lynne for the incredible job coordinating so many complicated schedules.

There are many important details for you to know about this week:

- Upper School is closed for classes all week – homework has been assigned.

- Lower School and Middle Grades are closed for classes on Wednesday-Friday – homework will be assigned.

- Optional Care is available on a space-available basis on Wednesday-Friday - contact Ms. Wendy atwendy@camelotacademy.org.

- No clubs next week EXCEPT FLL on Monday

- No lunch service next week

- Middle and Upper School students MUST attend their conference - younger students attend at teacher/parent discretion

How to Get the Most from Your Family Conference:

- Plan ahead - make a list of your questions, comments or topics you would like to discuss.

- Parents and students should review homework assigned over break and the 9-Day Planner (US) or 5-Day Planner (MG) students were given to organize their time.

- Arrive early to preview student work completed - conferences are scheduled every 45 minutes and we need every moment of that time to accomplish our agenda.

- Bring something to take notes.

What Should You Expect from Your Family Conference?

Expect to meet with all of your student's academic subject teachers together in one room with your family.

Expect to be presented with pretest info and with the resulting plan for the year.

Expect to dialogue about any fine-tuning that seems appropriate.

Expect the information that is shared to be mailed home at Mid Semester (late October).

In Other Business:

Sr MAPP students are reminded to bring their instruments to music class on Tuesday

There was a great turnout for the June Costa Rica trip information meeting on Thursday!   The aspect of the trip that has everyone talking is volunteering at each destination we visit. Other highlights will include relaxing in the hot springs of Arenal Volcano, a zip-line tour of Monteverde Cloud Forest, a horseback ride through the Santa Elena Biological Reserve, kayaking, and beautiful beaches! If you would like additional information, you can contact Ms. Charlotte atcharlotte@camelotacademy.org or visit the tour website at www.exploica.com/Frysinger-136. The tour company is running over $200 in promotions for participants who enroll by Oct. 16.

The National Honor Society is sponsoring a Community Service Challenge!  Our goal is to reach 300 hours of recorded community service hours performed by the student body by the end of the school year.  Service hour sheets are in a folder at the front of the Big Hall.  Service hours can be verified by parents or supervisors, and then turned in to the second folder in the Big Hall.  If you would like to find out more about service opportunities in Durham, please visit The Volunteer Center of Durham website at:   http://www.thevolunteercenter.org/tp42/Default.asp?ID=139710.

Thank you in advance for serving our community!

The Upper School rafting trip has been confirmed for Friday, March 14.

Upcoming Events:

Monday, October 14 is whole-school and individual Picture Day!

Wednesday-Friday, October 16-18 is the Upper School trip to Williamsburg and the Middle Grades trip to the NC mountains.

I look forward to seeing you in conference this week!  It is always an honor and a joy to spend the time with each and every Camelot family to shape the year.