05.22.20: Friday Update

From: Julie Smith, Head of School
Subject: Friday update; Schedule for last two weeks of school; Summer School and more

Dear Stanbridge Parents and Guardians,

The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, and we get an extra day to enjoy it thanks to Monday's Memorial Day holiday. No distance-learning on Monday for any of our students, but plenty of events lie ahead as we enter the final two weeks of the school year. The Divisional Updates in the previous post highlight some of these activities, but to ensure everyone is on the same virtual page, below is a detailed look at our calendar through June 5th, along with some additional admin notes and reminders:
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• Monday, May 25: No school (Memorial Day holiday)
• Wednesday, May 27: SPA/Parent Check-In, 8:30 a.m. Zoom link will be emailed to families on Tuesday evening.
• Thursday, May 28: Student Government Elections for 2020–2021. At 9:30 a.m., candidates will present their speeches during a special Zoom session for all returning high school students and eighth-graders. Following the speeches, students will cast their votes via online ballots. A special "Election 2020" edition of the Stanbridge Weekly News will be published in advance of Thursday's presentation, highlighting each candidate and their platform. Election results will be announced live during the Spring Sing concert on Friday.
• Friday, May 29: Spring Sing, 2:00 p.m. Matt Robidoux has reimagined this year's Spring Sing as an online talent show that will highlight students from all grade divisions. For students who are interested in participating, Matt offers the following guidance: "I ask that each performance is pre-recorded in advance, no longer than three minutes, and emailed to me by Tuesday, May 26. Video or audio recordings are both acceptable formats for the concert. If students have music-themed artworks they would like to share, I would also find a way to work these in." Contact Matt via email with any questions. All students and their families are invited to watch this special presentation next Friday at 2:00; link will be shared next week.
• Monday, June 1: Summer School Enrollment Deadline. See below for more information.
• Monday, June 1: Final day of P.E. and Specials for Middle School (music, art, tech)
• Monday, June 1: Final day of electives and Social Learning for High School
• Tuesday, June 2: Final day of core academic instruction for Middle School and High School
• Tuesday, June 2: Middle School Awards for 6th & 7th Graders. Zoom link will be sent to families in MS division; all Middle School students encouraged to attend.
• Wednesday, June 3: No direct instruction for Middle School and High School students. This will be a student work day and teachers will hold office hours. Students will use this day to complete any outstanding work.
• Wednesday, June 3: Final day of school for Elementary; Awards and Step-Up Ceremony for Elementary. Elementary students will hold distance-learning throughout the morning, concluding their academic year at 1:00 p.m. At 2:00 p.m., there will be a Zoom session for all elementary students that will feature year-end awards and a special "Step-Up" ceremony for fifth-graders graduating to Middle School (link to come).
• Thursday, June 4: Middle School Eighth Grade Graduation, 10:00 a.m. See details below. This is the final day of school for Middle School students, though they are invited to attend the High School graduation ceremony on Friday morning.
• Friday, June 5: High School Class of 2020 Senior Graduation, 10:00 a.m. See details below. All Stanbridge families are invited to attend the online ceremony. This is the final day of school for all students; teachers and staff will hold in-service meetings the following week.

Notes on Middle School and High School Graduations: Because graduation this year will be a virtual commencement ceremony, we are holding separate events for our eighth-grade and senior graduates. We are working with an outside production company that is creating a unique video for each division that will be livestreamed on the mornings of June 4 and 5 at 10:00 a.m. PT. Much like our traditional ceremony, these videos will include end-of-year graduate awards, teacher introductions of all graduates, and our 12th-graders giving their senior speeches. Each ceremony will be broadcast on a specially-created website that will include the video of the ceremony, an active social media feed during the livestream, and personal messages from all graduates. Eighth-grade and 12th-grade families will be receiving e-invitations next week that will include the web links to share with family and friends; we will also share the links with all Stanbridge families on the Parent Portal. Chris Myers is working with the producers and will be available during Wednesday morning's check-in Zoom to answer any specific questions regarding these online commencements.

Summer School enrollment is open (and now open to the public). As noted in a previous update, we have opened our Summer School offerings to non-Stanbridge students. With this year's program being an online Summer School, including outside students in these virtual classrooms is a great way for current Bulldogs to connect with friends, siblings, and new faces in a structured, safe environment. We have already received a number of inquiries expressing interest in summer enrollment, so I encourage you to sign-up your student as soon as possible. With a wide variety of classes that include art, humanities, STEAM, technology, and extended school year (ESY) academics, many families are looking for ways to keep kids engaged and avoid the "summer slump." The course guide and enrollment form are published on our website's Summer School page, and any questions should be directed to Linda Bargas.

Thank You Annual Fund Donors! Last week, we launched a special Spring Appeal of our Annual Fund Campaign, and I'd like to thank the families who responded so quickly. Nearly $5,000 of our $25,000 matching funds have been secured, and participation is up in all grade divisions. This is tremendous news given the stress and unknowns that so many families are going through right now. Any contribution you can make now through the end of the school year will go toward our $60,000 challenge, but will go even further by helping to ensure that all families who need the support of the Stanbridge program can continue to have access to our teachers, specialists, and counselors. Click here for more information on the spring campaign, and to make a difference by donating.

As was echoed frequently in our weekly check-ins, our teachers, specialists, and counselors have been doing a tremendous job over these past ten weeks to keep the school year running as smoothly as possible. Looking above, it will be a sprint to the finish, but there are a lot of celebrations on the calendar ahead and I look forward to the many times we will come together as a community during these next two weeks. Until then, a relaxing and happy Memorial Day Weekend to all of you. Stay safe and Stay Strong, Bulldogs!