
Hello again and welcome to another edition of The Weekly Bridge. Graduation--and the end of another school year--is getting closer every day, a fact that became more prominent as we celebrated another year-end milestone this past weekend. As always, the final weeks of the school year are jam-packed with activities and events, so here is your weekly reminder of what's going on at Stanbridge:
Another busy week is in the books, as last week featured another experiential excursion. Our middle and upper elementary students enjoyed sun and fun at the YMCA Camp in Point Bonita for their spring overnight trip. From rugged hiking trails to sandy beaches, the group explored the natural habitat and marine life of the area, and the staff chaperones captured many of the highlights in pictures. Be sure to click over to our Google+ page, where we have posted over 100 shots from the trip.
While on the G+ page, you can also view pics from last Tuesday's High School "Day of Service." All students in the high school division participated in community service projects at three different Bay Area locations: The InnVision Shelter in San Mateo; the San Francisco Food Bank; and Golden Gate Park. Similar to the Day of Service that was organized in the fall, the spring service event again helped students connect with and give back to the community. The day capped-off another full year of volunteer and community service events here at Stanbridge, highlights of which are posted on our website's Community Service page.
Last Friday was also an eventful day at Stanbridge as next year's high school students voted for their Student Leadership Team representatives. Eight high school underclassmen ran for the positions of Student Body President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. In addition to making their own campaign posters, all candidates gave speeches to the student body on Friday morning. Written by the candidates themselves, the speeches were idealistic, inspiring, and even a bit emotional. It takes a lot of courage to run for office, compose a campaign speech, and deliver an address to your peers, so a huge round of applause to all of the candidates for sharing their ideas and participating in the election process--all of you had great ideas and truly want to keep Stanbridge moving forward. We have posted some of the election day highlights on our Facebook page, and you can see who was elected to next year's Student Leadership Team on their webpage.
Friday ended with a healthy dose of fun, fun, fun...literally. Students, staff, family and friends gathered in the Multipurpose Room on Friday afternoon for the Stanbridge Choir & Band's Spring Showcase concert. Featuring a number of group and solo performances by the choir, the show ended with a rousing performance of The Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Stanbridge Rock Band. Again, kudos to all involved for their courage to take the stage and perform. It was a fantastic concert and a great way to segue into the weekend.
And the fun kept going into Saturday, when our graduating seniors and their parents gathered for the annual Senior Luncheon. A yearly tradition at Stanbridge, the group met at Trapeze Restaurant in Burlingame where the high school teachers and I joined them for an afternoon of looking back at their time at Stanbridge. It was a fun and somewhat emotional day as parents, students and staff all shared stories over lunch, highlighted by a slideshow that featured a look back at years of memorable moments for the Class of 2014. They are just a few weeks from walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas, but there is still plenty ahead before the big day. To wit...
This week is Spirit Week at Stanbridge, another year-end, annual tradition. Each day this week will feature a special theme, selected by the Student Leadership Team. Below are this year's Spirit Week theme days:
Monday, May 19: Teacher Day (students can dress as one of the teachers)
Tuesday, May 20: Disney/Fantasy Day (students can dress as their favorite Disney or fantasy character)
Wednesday, May 21: Scary Day (students can dress in "scary" attire/costumes)
Thursday, May 22: Superhero/Villain Day (students can dress as their favorite good or bad guy)
Friday, May 23: Beach Day (students will spend the day at Pomponio Beach in Half Moon Bay)
Regarding Friday's Beach Day, students will report to school at regular time and then parent/staff volunteers will drive everyone to the beach. We wil spend the morning and early afternoon participating in games and activities, SPA volunteers will provide a BBQ lunch, and we will return to campus by 3:00 p.m. for dismissal at regular time. Permission forms for all students are required for Friday, and the forms will be distributed to students on Monday. If you are a volunteer driver for Friday, please ensure you provide Anne Barrows a copy of your driver's license and proof of insurance. Finally, SPA is in need of volunteers to provide items and assistance on Friday. Check the SPA Spot page for details on what is still needed and how you can sign-up to help.
Speaking of SPA, the Stanbridge Parent Association is planning a Volunteer Thank You breakfast on campus for all parents and guardians who helped with the numerous school-related events throughout the year. Invitations were emailed last week, and the event will take place on Tuesday morning, May 27. Please RSVP if you have not done so already. This has been a year filled with events--big and small--that would not have happened without the support of our SPA volunteers. So Thank You to all who have helped throughout the year--hope to see you at the breakfast next Tuesday!
Finally, this past Friday marked the initial enrollment deadline for Summer School. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the two-week July 21-August 1 "History of the Comic Book" class for junior high and high school students. The good news is that all other classes remain open and have room for students! Please note, however, that a few of the classes are filling-up, so please do not delay in getting your summer school paperwork turned-in. You can read about this year's course offerings and download the necessary forms on our Summer School page. (Also, junior high and high school students who want to enroll in classes during the final two weeks of summer school can sign-up for the July 21-25 "Photography in Nature" class, and the July 28-August 1 "Cinematic Cooking" class. These two courses will be modified to accommodate older students due to the cancellation of the comic book class).
Before signing-off, a few more calendar reminders:
- Monday, May 26: No school in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
- May 28-30: 9th, 10th & 11th grade trip to Angel Island. This experiential trip is for the students who did not go on the Angel Island trip at the beginning of the month. Bag checks will be held on Tuesday, May 27; please ensure you have all items on the packing list and any necessary meds turned-in to the main office. High school students not on the trip will be participating in group activities on campus while the others are away.
- May 30: The Eighth-Grade graduates will be holding their year-end Class of 2014 Dinner. For details, contact Maureen Zane.
- June 3 & 4: We will be holding our annual year-end Student Awards on Tuesday, June 3rd and Wednesday, June 4th. The ceremonies will be held in Hayden Hall and family members are encouraged to attend. Students in grades K-6 will have their awards ceremony on Tuesday the 3rd at 10:15 a.m.; Junior High will hold their ceremony on Tuesday the 3rd at 2:00 p.m.; and the High School ceremony will be Wednesday, June 4th at 1:00 p.m.
That leaves only Graduation, which is Friday, June 6th. So close...yet so much coming up before that. Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend. See you in the (busy) days ahead!
Marilyn