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Thanks to your tremendous generosity and the participation of over 150 current and alumni families, faculty, trustees, alumni graduates, and friends of the Stanbridge community, we raised more than $150,000 at last Saturday's Gala. Your support has made our Fund-A-Need vision of permanent shade structures for the courtyard a reality, with installation set for this summer! Spring Gala photos are now available at Gala2025. On behalf of our students—the ultimate beneficiaries of your support—thank you for being part of the Stanbridge community!
Spring Sing
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for another fantastic celebration of music in our Spring Sing. We are grateful to Tobias Banks, our talented music teacher, who is able to encourage and support our budding musicians. It is even more remarkable how cohesive the musicians played together, noting that our elementary and middle school only have music one day per week. You can see remarkable growth in our high school music students who take music class as a full semester or year long elective. To all our participants, congratulations! Support Stanbridge's Fund-A-Need and enter to win incredible donation prizes. Are you still finalizing your plans for Stanbridge’s Spring Break April 14-18? Why not make a difference while entering for a chance to win an unforgettable getaway? Donate to our Spring Gala Fund-A-Need and you could win a five-night stay in South Lake Tahoe at the luxurious Marriott Timber Lodge! This spacious two-bedroom, two-bath villa offers the perfect home base for exploring the beauty of Lake Tahoe. Hike the scenic Mount Tallac Trail, visit Emerald Bay, or unwind at Carson Hot Springs. After a day of adventure, indulge in Mongolian-style cuisine at FiRE + iCE Grill and Bar, then relax in the resort’s modern fitness center, outdoor pool, whirlpool, and sauna. This incredible getaway is available from Sunday, April 13th, through Friday, April 18th. Looking for something closer to home? Treat your child and their friends to an action-packed afternoon at LaserMaxx in San Carlos! Use our gift certificate to create a Deluxe Party Package, which includes:
Other exciting prizes include:
Our Fund-A-Need this year will be raising funds for permanent shade structures in the high school and the elementary/middle school lunch courtyard. Those of you who attended the Spring Sing today, saw that we could REALLY use them! All funds raised at the gala this year will support this campus project. Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Julie Smith Head of School  We would love to have you join us and celebrate Stanbridge. Last Chance to Get Your Gala 2025 Tickets! Today is the final day to purchase your tickets for Gala 2025, happening on Saturday, March 29th! Join us for an unforgettable evening as we honor Mary Stadler, dance to the energetic Justin Geraci duo, and hear from inspiring speakers—all while celebrating and supporting the incredible work being done for your child. Plus, don’t miss out on our Donation Drawing Prize giveaways! Whether you’re attending or not, you’ll have the chance to win amazing prizes like tickets to local sporting events, luxury getaways, and fun family experiences. Entries open this Monday, March 17th, so stay tuned for details on how to participate! Secure your spot today and be part of this special night with the Stanbridge community! Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Julie Smith Head of School Fun moments from some past years' gala celebrations! Plus (now) alumni enjoy a Stanbridge campus visit from our musical guests, the Justin Geraci Duo. We are looking forward to a stunning new venue this year with gorgeous views from the Farallon Room at Skyline College.
SPRING GALA 2025
The Stanbridge Gala is only three weeks away! We are busy planning the biggest fundraiser of the year and hope you join us for sunset in The Farallon Room at Skyline College. This year we will honor Director of Counseling Mary Stadler for her 20 years of service at Stanbridge. The festivities feature yummy appetizers, delicious dinner, and thirst quenching drinks; dancing to live music from The Justin Geraci Duo; raising the paddle for this year's fund-a-need: permanent shade structures in the inner courtyard; chances to win donation drawing prizes, including stays at timeshares; and more. Join us for an unforgettable night of fun! Click the link below to purchase tickets. Book the babysitter now and we hope to see you all for this adults-only event on Saturday night, March 29th! Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Danny Martin Principal & Spring Gala Emcee GALA INVITATIONS MAILED LAST WEEK!
We are excited to invite you to a special evening supporting the vital work of our school. Join us as we honor Mary Stadler’s contributions and raise essential funds to continue providing excellent educational opportunities for our students. If you haven’t received your invite yet, please let us know. You can purchase your tickets HERE or by returning the response card. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available for Gala 2025. Does your company want to connect with our community? As a premium corporate sponsor, your brand will be featured on the event program, website, and all related correspondence, along with prominent signage at the event. Corporate sponsorships play a crucial role in covering the costs of this important fundraiser and ensuring that all proceeds directly benefit Stanbridge's educational programs. This year, our Fund-a-Need centerpiece will focus on completing our Inner Courtyard, enhancing the space with permanent shade structures to promote year-round socialization and learning opportunities for our students.  Dear Stanbridge Community,
The Stanbridge Academy Showcase series traditionally takes place mid-winter afternoons before dismissal. We invite current parents to experience the learning that your child is engaging in at school. Think of Showcases as what used to be called (in our school days) a traditional school open house. Each division showcase builds on previous learning to challenge our students in public speaking, presentation skills, sharing of knowledge, individuality and creativity. Please see your division schedule and plan to have at least one family member attend the event. Also plan to arrive early for parking, as both our lot and the neighborhood are sure to be impacted by these community events. HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION High School classes will have two to three student speakers per class period. We will follow your individual student's daily schedule. Please pick one up in Hayden Hall prior to programming.
Middle School Advisory Groups will present slide decks about life in Middle School. We will meet in Advisory classrooms. Please pick up your individual student's daily schedule in Hayden Hall prior to programming.
Families will gather in Hayden Hall to see a variety of presentation formats by all students.
Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Danny Martin Principal This year, the focus of our Spring Gala fundraiser was Celebrating The Arts at Stanbridge… and we continue the celebration every day! As the Public Relations Support Intern, Senior Aaron Fong has observed both Music and Visual Art classes during 4th period Bridges Internships. His surveillance gives readers a sense of our comprehensive onsite Arts programming. Greetings! Music class at Stanbridge Academy allows students K-12 to express their individual emotions, tones, and creativity. Matt Robidoux’s Music class inspires students! It gives them the opportunity to learn how to read music, understand technique, and learn how to play musical instruments such as the drumset. Middle School (MS) is learning how to use hand drums as percussion, as well as understanding the variations of beats while playing a musical instrument. A special guest [Tim Russell, the Dance Department’s Music Director at University of Wisconsin, Madison] visited Stanbridge. The guest demonstrated an instrument that students found very interesting. It’s called the Suitcase Drum. The suitcase drum features a cymbal, a snare, tongos, and a cowbell. Students tried out the sound effects on the suitcase drum, which can be great for kids to try at home. Also, students listened and played along with the beat with the drumkit and the suitcase drum to provide rhythm. The students transitioned from playing the drums into the instrument of the week. The instrument was called the Mbira. The Mbira was classified by musicologists as an African musical instrument traditional to the people of Zimbabwe. The Mbira consists of a wooden board with a few keys to pluck on, which is a seventeen thumb piano. The Mbira was produced by ethno musicologists, who study music from different cultures all over the world. Students watched a presentation on Google Slides along with a video on Youtube about the Mbira. The Middle School students tried out the Mbira with their thumbs to pluck the keys for major and minor tones. The Middle School Topaz group I observed learned an interesting word: “Solfege”. Solfege tells the students about the syllables for music notes that can be used for a choir or any other performance -- Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, and Do. Students sing along the Solfege with the assistance of Matt on guitar by using different keys using A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. After playing the Mbira, they learned about a musician named Moondog. Moondog is a person who dressed up as a viking and performed street music. Students sang out a quick song called “Do Your Thing”, a song from Moondog. They were handed out a music sheet to follow along with the lyrics. Aaron's interview with Matt Robidoux answered additional questions about music classes at Stanbridge Academy.
Q: Why is it important for schools to offer music?
A: I am a supporter of arts curriculum in schools - it helps so much with social/emotional learning, and solidifies mathematical and scientific concepts for students who engage in a musical practice. Music is also great for exercising gross and motor skills. Q: Why is it important for schools to offer instrument instruction? A: Learning a musical instrument provides a firm external structure with lots of room for creativity and personal growth. For example, at Stanbridge one can engage in music class in a number of ways depending on which instrument one chooses. Q: What are the cognitive thinking skills learned through music? A: Structured study of music has been proven to enhance language-based reasoning, short term memory, and planning skills. I have also seen it help students to learn more about themselves, or “come into their own” if you will. Q: What courses of study do you need to become a music teacher? A: Generally someone teaching music in a school has at least a [Bachelor of Arts] in music education and sometimes a teaching certificate. I would also say that teaching music happens in many ways; in community programs, via individual lessons instruction, and in ensemble settings. Q: What is your favorite part of being a teacher? A: Providing students with the tools to understand how music works and eventually be themselves, and engaging in something I am passionate about all day every day. In general, I enjoy being part of this wonderful Stanbridge community! |
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