Tuesday News - September 28, 2010

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Merriconeag's Community Education Speaker Series

Please be sure to attend:

The Talk: What Your Kids Need to Hear

FROM YOU About Sex

This Friday, October 1, 7:00 PM

Community Hall

Please note, cost: $10

Issues of sexuality strike at the heart of what we like to think of as childhood’s innocence, and facing these issues directly takes a special breed of courage and clarity. Sharon Maxwell does this without losing sight of what it means to be fully human in a world that seems to value us more as a commodity than as creative individuals. Faced with outlandish attempts to manipulate, market, and undermine sexuality and desire, our children need our help to have the strength to chart their own course in life.  Ms. Maxwell, a clinical psychologist and “a mom who is passionate about the health and well being of children and families”, has worked with children, families and schools to throw light on what is really important for healthy human sexuality to develop.  We have brought her to speak as part of an ongoing discussion on sexuality and our role asteachers and parents in preparing our children for a healthy and responsible relationship to the world they will enter as teens and young adults.  Please join us in this important conversation and come to “The Talk”, this Friday, October 1, 7:00 PM in the Community Hall. (Please note: there is a $10 charge at the door for this event.) David Beringer

Dr. Sharon Maxwell is an author, educator and practicing clinical psychologist. Her work has been featured in TIME Magazine, US News and World Report, Working Mother, The Boston Globe, on NPR, Oprah and Friends and Fox News. The Boston Parents Paper voted her a 2009 Family Advocate of the Year. Read more

Merriconeag's First Viral Video on YouTube: We're No Chickens!

View We're No Chickens on YouTube

The Marketing and Outreach Committee has been busy at work on a number of different initiatives.  One idea that surfaced late last spring was to create a series of video "vignettes" that would celebrate who we are.  There are so many wonderful things happening in our community and sometimes they are hard to communicate.  Videos can assist in this communication. We have created the first of this series.  This video is the result of community-wide work (well beyond the committee) that was finally pulled together by Lisa Bossi.  We hope you will provide feedback and ideas for future videos. (And more great photos!) Nord Samuelson for the Committee

From the Development Office

Fall Fair & Open House 2010, November 5^th and 6^th

In a remarkable show of community and generosity, each fall, Merriconeag parents pull off one of southern Maine’s most delightful fall fairs, right here on our campus. Every parent can play a role in this wonderful community-building and outreach event, since we distribute the responsibilities across the entire parent body. There will be many ways to help, but if you are able and interested in helping at a coordinator level, please let us know. The Fall Fair Steering Committee thanks everyone listed below who has agreed to be this year’s Class Coordinators.

We hope to have all of the question marks below filled in by next week.

Contact anyone on the Fall Fair Steering Committee if you can help out!

Lynne Espy: developmentcoordinator@merriconeag.org  865-3900 Ext. 116

Deeda Burgess  publicrelations@merriconeag.org  865-3900 Ext. 105

Victoria Stefanakos:  mainevic@gmail.com 

Melisa Walker:  melisa_thompson@yahoo.com

Fall Fair Activity Coordinators 2010

Carried by Early Childhood Families

Children's Indoor Crafts:  Sarah Barmby and Julia Dodge

Squirrel's Attic:  Aly Fullagar and Sarah Currie

Carried by Grades 1-8

Grade 1: Waldorf Supplies (formerly Parent-made crafts): Mandy Andreson

Grade 2: Cafe:  Carina Wishman Freedner and Melissa Hoy

Grade 3:  Outdoor Games: ?

Grade 4: Outdoor Decorations and Pocket People: Wendy Akerlind and ?

Grade 5: Lunch (providing the food and drinks): ? and ?

Grade 6:  Lunch (set-up): ? and ?

Grade 7:  Preview Night Refreshments: ? and Rosita Moore

Grade 8: Take-home Meals (new this year!): ?

Carried by the High School

Grades 9-12:  Barbecue: ? and ?

 
Gently Used Outerwear and Cross-Country Ski Sale (Community Recycling)

Bring it in! It is time to start bringing in your children’s gently used outerwear and Nordic ski equipment for the Oct. 13 / 14 Sale.  Bins will be set up outside the Community Hall, at both grades buildings, and at the Early Childhood Center.  PLEASE help us recycle and reuse; all students are required to have rain and snow gear for our many outdoor activities, including Nordic skiing, and this sale provides these items at extremely reasonable prices. The more (good quality) items you donate, the better the selection!

Items to donate:  rain gear, snow jackets and pants, snowsuits, boots, hats, mittens, neckers, running apparel, Nordic racing suits, spandex tops and bottoms (technically underwear , but these are in big demand). Also bring in Cross-country skis (no 3-pins please), boots, and poles. The sale is intended to fit toddlers through young adults (ages 2 – 18).  No tears, stains or broken parts, only items in a condition you would purchase!

      We still need a few volunteers to help with sorting the day before the sale, and selling during the 2 day sale.

Outerwear Sale volunteers get first dibs, so email Lynne Espy or call 865-3900 Ext 116 now if you can help!

You can read more about the event here. Submitted by Lynne Espy, Development Coordinator

Update: Grandparents and Friends Day – October 22, 2010

Invitations for this event were sent out Monday to all grandparents listed on your web form that you were to have updated in our Renweb database. If you are inviting a special friend instead of a grandparent, please send Lynne Espy their name and complete address as soon as possible so they may receive an invitation. Lynne Espy, 207-865-3900, Ext 116.

School Community Updates

Michaelmas Celebration:

The days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the harvest is gathered. Morning mists are caught in spider webs, meteors streak through the night skies. We wonder at the blaze of leaves set afire by summer’s heat, preparing our hearts to meet the dragon of winter’s cold.

 This Friday, is a special day for the grade school and high school students. We will celebrate Michaelmas, the festival of the beginning of autumn, when we rise up out of summer’s ease in the strength and might of our own being.

As the days grow colder and darker, we seek the light and warmth within ourselves.

      After morning lesson and recess, students will gather in the Community Hall to hear Jeff O’Brien tell a biography with Michaelmas qualities. At 11:30, the sound of a trumpet will then call us to the playground for singing and the premier performance of a newly inspired pageant put on by some high school and upper grade students for our younger grades. An outside lunch will be followed by project crews working on our trails, gardens, and compost, picking apples, roasting potatoes, and baking bread. At the end of the day, we will gather on the playground to share our hard work and hearty preparations. There will be a regular 3:00 dismissal.

-Students are encouraged to come to come to school wearing fall colors.

- Grades 1, 2, and 3 will have a regular dismissal at 12:30. But parents are invited to stay for a harvest soup lunch on the side hill.

-The High School will be on the Desert Road campus from Morning Lesson through 3:00 dismissal.

-Grades 4-12 will be outside all afternoon and need carry a snack, lunch, extra water and wear weather-appropriate clothing. Please have your child wear sturdy shoes and bring work gloves if you have them.

-Parents are not expected but are most welcome to attend and please remember to attend THE TALK at 7pm that night!

David Sloan's Poetry Wins Awards:

David Sloan, Merriconeag High School’s Humanities and Drama teacher, is an accomplished poet. His poem, Lines in Algonquin, won Honorable Mention in Carpe Articulum Literary Review’s 2010 Poetry Competition and is featured in a beautiful two page color spread in their current fall issue.

     In addition to the Carpe Articulum acceptance, David has recently had poems published in the Northern New England Review, and was a prizewinner in the Friends of Acadia Nature Poetry Contest.

Congratulations, David! Please note: We are working with Carpe Articulum and hope to have a link to David's poem next week.

Do you have a canoe? The fourth grade class is planning to paddle out the Harraseeket River next Monday, and we are looking for eight canoes to borrow that day. If you have a canoe, as well as shorter adult paddles, to lend for the day, please contact Jill Fox (x141). 

Crochet, Anyone? Adele Espy, MWS 8th grade graduate has offered to teach crochet at the Farm House on Monday, October 4th at 9:00am.  Come early for tea and crumpet and learn how to crochet a Beanie (or for the Scottish in ya, a Tamoshanter. French? A Beret.)  Hope to see you there. Questions contact: Shelly Elmer 450-3962.

High School News

The 12th grade returned on Friday from their marine biology trip to Hermit Island.  From all accounts it was an outstanding experience as our 12th graders probed in the mud and tide pools and had Morning Lesson together with 12th graders from six other Waldorf High Schools. A big thank you to Sarah Buck and David Sloan for chaperoning. Jeff O'Brien, High School Faculty Chair

Athletic News - Sports Updates

Cross Country

Grades 6 – 8 Cross Country

Our cross country runners ran an amazing race last week at Pratt's Brook. Despite the challenging condition of the track, our team once again gave a beautiful performance; the boys won, and the girls came in second. Our next race will be in Hiram on Thursday, October 30. Please feel free to join us. Thank you to those who have been able to support the team; it makes all the difference in the world to actually see these children running! Please also remember that we will host the race on Oct. 7th on our campus! Oliver Kinzer. Link for a complete schedule.

High School Cross Country

The Cross Country Running team ran a tough course against tough competition in rough conditions as high heat and humidity took its toll on many runners in the Southwestern Invitational on Saturday. The Merriconeag runners did very well against some of the top teams in class A and class B.  The scores were not available due to a power outage. Jeff O'Brien

On Friday, October 1,  the high school cross country running teams will be racing Freeport, Cape Elizabeth, and Poland at Freeport. The boys will race at 4:30 p.m. and the girls at 5:00 p.m. Come out and support the team. It's lots of fun! Link for a complete race schedule.

High School Sailing News

Merriconeag sophomore, Tim Morse, was the only one of our four team racers on the SMHS team that did race on Saturday. He was slated as an alternate and substituted in -- and then won 2 races and came in 5 out of 14 boats.

Report from SailMaine: Saturday was an exciting day at SailMaine.  We had current, light wind, and then heavy wind.  The competition included Marblehead, St Johns Prep,Wellesley, Brewster, No. Kingston, and Duxbury.  Brewster has a good
team this year and finished 2nd overall.

     In Division A, we finished 5th.  In Division B, we finished 2nd. Overall, we were 5th.  Falmouth was 2nd overall. SMHS was finished ahead of the other SailMaine teams.
The outstanding pair of the day was Kevin and Tim with two 1sts and one 5th.  Tim substituted for Nina who suffered with illness, but courageously sailed the first two Div B races.

     On Saturday, October 2, Seirra Jeffers is set to Sail at Burlington VT (devoted spectators are welcome).

Link for a complete race schedule.

In the News

In this New York Times article by Ben Greenman, a dad takes steps to keep the internet's easy answers at bay.

Lives: Online Curiosity Killer

For links to recent articles about technology and brain development click here

Greater Community Link

Community Classifieds Link