 A new episode of Stanbridge Student News has been posted to our website's Parent Portal—Stanbridge families can access by using their portal password. We are feeling the love in this episode, which is full of Valentine's Day highlights, including the junior high field trip to Bel Mateo Bowl; cookie decorating on campus; plus pizza, cupcakes, and the traditional exchange of Valentines. Beyond the February 14th holiday, our elementary students took an experiential field trip to Point Reyes to learn more about Native Americans and the local habitat—the SSN Team has exclusive pictures from their excursion. Finally, discover why Hayden Hall was decked-out in coats of arms earlier this month. A community-building activity, each high school advisory spent the past few weeks designing a coat of arms that represents their group. See the photos of each group's original design, and find out which advisory's entry was named Best of Show in the class vote. All that, plus an update on upcoming events and deadlines. We're back from break, so stay up-to-date with Stanbridge Academy's most trusted news source!
 Stanbridge Academy is hosting a group tour next Wednesday, March 6, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. This free event is open to the public, and will feature an opportunity to talk with current Stanbridge families; meet with our Admissions Director, Head of School, and Principal; and tour our campus to see teachers and students in action. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Stanbridge program whether you are thinking of enrolling your student this year or next, or if you simply want to know more about our school. Click here for more details and to RSVP—we look forward to seeing you!
 A new episode of Stanbridge Student News has been posted to our website's Parent Portal—Stanbridge families can access by using their portal password. In this episode, the reviews are in—literally. The News Team talks with Lynsey's Upper Elementary class; they have started to write individual reviews for each of the experiential field trips they take throughout the year. In addition to being a practical writing exercise, the student reviews also offer a thoughtful way for each trip participant to express their personal highlights and feedback about the experience. Hear what the class had to say about their recent experiential excursion to the California Academy of Sciences (highlights: birds, butterflies, fish, and sharks; lowlights: long lines). Plus, an exclusive look at this year's student-drawn yearbook cover finalists and the winning entry; an FYI segment on President's Day; and the latest important dates and announcements. Stay up to date on the Bulldog Beat with Stanbridge Academy's most trusted news source!
 For the past few weeks, we have been highlighting various aspects of what to expect at this year's Stanbridge Spring Gala—Saturday, March 9th at Domenico Winery. Still, the phrase "fundraising gala dinner" might have negative connotations for some people, so allow us to highlight a few things that this year's Stanbridge Spring Gala is not: • There will not be a rubber chicken dinner. Ugh. We've all been there. A perfectly good celebration ruined by a bland slab of flavorless meat or congealed pasta. Nothing worse than spending the dinner hour pushing peas around your plate and counting down the minutes until you can hit the In-N-Out drive thru on the way home. Which is why we're offering a full complement of delicious appetizers and entrees at this year's gala. From seafood and salads, to carved meats, eggplant parmesan, and the mashed potato bar, come hungry and leave happy!  • There will not be an endless silent auction. The Stanbridge gala is a chance to socialize and party with other attendees, not stare at tables of gift baskets and bid sheets all night long. While we will still have some great prizes that you can purchase tickets to win throughout the night—a Hawaiian timeshare; Giants box seats; a Wine Club membership; a LEGO/Maker's Faire package—we don't want guests to anxiously hover over auction items from the time you arrive. We want you to mix, mingle, have fun and dance! And speaking of dancing...  • It will not be amateur hour on the bandstand. We won't be piping-in muzak, clumsily shuffling through someone's iPod playlist, or hosting a ragtag rent-a-band that only covers 80's Billy Joel. For this year's gala—by popular demand—we're bringing back jazz vocalist Jesse Foster and his personally-selected group of ensemble musicians who have decades of combined experience playing with Grammy-winning headliners all over the world. They'll be bringing da noise and da funk, as well as da jazz, soul, pop, R&B, and groove, so bring your best moves and boogie shoes—the dance floor will be open all night.  • There will not be a long-winded boring speaker. Between band sets, our resident high school science teacher/improv comic Jay Huston will be the evening's emcee to keep things flowing and the energy up. For our post-dinner program centerpiece, we're excited to have counselor James Warren once again performing an original song, and we are especially thrilled to announce that this year's gala will feature the world premiere of our new Stanbridge video, shot on campus earlier this fall. While the fundraising portion of the evening is a critical means to support all of our Stanbridge students, the last thing we want is for someone to drone on endlessly as you slip into a food coma, so we'll keep things fun, lively, and brief so you can raise your paddles and then get back to raising the roof.  • The gala is not a SPA meeting. It's a party! Domenico's newly-renovated tasting room is even more spacious than last year (construction is done!), and we'll be hosting an open bar all night with their award-winning wines, a selection of beers, and top-shelf mixed drinks, too (not to mention soft drinks, coffee, and tea). Along with the food, drinks, and music, the evening will feature current and alumni Stanbridge parents, staff, trustees, outside donors and friends. We've designed the gala to be a fun, adults night out to socialize with the extended Stanbridge community, but also a perfect opportunity to invite your friends and neighbors to a one-of-a-kind event that celebrates the school that means so much to us. • It's not a party without you! Now that you have a better sense of what the gala is and what the gala is not, we hope you'll see for yourself and join us at the party on Saturday March 9th. Our RSVP deadline is this Friday, February 15, so time is running out to secure your seats. You can purchase tickets or make a donation online using your credit/debit card, or pay by cash or check in the main office. If you plan to attend but can't pay until later, simply complete the RSVP form on our gala webpage or complete the form in the office by Friday (payment in-full is due by March 9). If you have any gala questions, please don't hesitate to contact our Director of Advancement, Chris Myers, via email at [email protected].
In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has already purchased their ticket/tickets or made a pre-event donation. This is shaping-up to be our biggest gala ever—hope to see you there! We are excited to debut a new recurring blog series "On My Mind," which will feature student-written posts by two interns from the Stanbridge High School Bridges class, Seniors Alix and Grace. As part of their in-house marketing internship, Alix and Grace will write about things that are on the minds of Stanbridge students and post them on our website's blog. Be sure to check back regularly for new posts!  My name is Alix and I am a Senior at Stanbridge Academy. I have been attending Stanbridge for seven years now, and I will graduate this June. I am very happy to help write the Student Blog before I leave Stanbridge, because one of my passions is creative writing. I like to write stories, but writing a blog is a new experience for me. Other interests that I have are baking and fashion. I might want to go into fashion after I graduate. For my first blog post, I want to address that this Friday, February 8, is the High School Valentine’s Dance. The High School Dances can be a great opportunity for high school students to get together outside of school hours. However, at the dances, it’s important to use our social skills that we learn in our Social Learning classes at Stanbridge. For example, if you want to dance with someone, you should ask them politely. If they decline your offer, then you should be respectful of their choice, try to act as if it’s no big deal, and go talk to or dance with someone else. You should not insist on dancing, have a meltdown, or invade their personal space when they have asked for some space.
Hi, I’m Grace, a current student at Stanbridge Academy. I am in my Senior year and will graduate this year with the other Seniors. Currently, I live with my parents in the Bay Area. I like to volunteer in different areas such as helping with kids and adults. During my free time, I like writing and listening to music. Speaking of music, we have two more dances coming up this year: Valentine’s in early February and Prom in mid-May. Following are some expectations at dances:
 Our Bulldogs Basketball team is back in action and there are plenty of opportunities to catch a game this month. This Wednesday afternoon, the team will face off against Sterne Middle School at High-Five Sports Zone in San Francisco—tip time is 4:30 p.m. Next week, on Monday, Feb. 11, the squad travels to the Sports House in Redwood City for a 2:30 p.m. game against Holden High School; and on Monday, Feb. 25, the Bulldogs will be back there for another 2:30 afternoon game against STAR Academy. Can't make the games on weekdays? No problem! Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 2, and catch the Bulldogs in prime time playing a 7:00 p.m. evening game at Marin School. Additional details, along with upcoming games for our other athletic teams, can be found on our P.E. & Athletics page. The weather may be cold, but the action is hot on the court—come out and support our Stanbridge Stars. Go Dawgs!
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