Tuesday News - April 12, 2011

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All submissions for the Tuesday News should be sent to publicrelations@merriconeag.org by Friday at 3:00 pm.

Click here to view our Google Calendar of Events.

Reminder: School will be closed from April 18 through April 22 for April Break                                                                                                                              

Upcoming Events

8th Grade Play: Cheaper by the Dozen

Wednesday, April 13, 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, April 14, 6:30 p.m.

     The 8th grade warmly invites families of children in grades 3 and up to our play, Cheaper by the Dozen, to be held on Thursday evening, April 14th, in the Community Hall.

     It is a play about the Gilbreth family who lived in New Jersey during the 1920’s. Mr Gilbreth, the father, was an efficiency expert who made his living streamlining production in factories in the US and Europe. His wife held one of the first PhDs in psychology and, after the death of her husband, took up his work and designed efficient and labor friendly products for the housewife, including a refrigerator with shelving on the door and a kitchen garbage can which could be opened using a pedal, two items that we take for granted today. The couple brought 12 children into the world, and their rambunctious, yet efficient, family life was immortalized in a book by two of the children, published in 1949. Our play is based on a few episodes from that book. Please come and enjoy!  During intermission at the evening performance, homemade cookies will be sold iand they will be cheaper by the dozen!   Hugh Renwick, 8th grade class teacher

Merriconeag at the Market

Saturday, April 16, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Brunswick Winter Farmers' Market

Merriconeag Faculty will be on hand to talk about the school and Early Childhood Teacher, Kam Anderson will be making fleece butterflies with children at the

Brunswick  Winter Farmers' Market, Fort  Andross, 14 Maine St. (large mill building at the end of Maine St).

The High School Coffee House

An Evening of Sweet Words, Sweet Music, and Sweet Treats!

Friday, April 29, 7:00 p.m. in the Community Hall

What has become one of the most eagerly awaited traditions in the life of the our young high school will take place on Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m. Juniors Tyler O'Brien and Liza Simmons will co-host a program that should satisfy all Worshippers of the Word, music aficionados, and dessert addicts in the community. Come hear award-winning poetry, stirring short stories, and moving music. You may even experience--live and in-person--several You Tube celebrities in action! Although there is no entrance fee for this memorable evening, donations at the door will be gratefully accepted. Delectable desserts and beverages will also be sold during the program.

The 4th Annual

Merriconeag Poetry Festival

Sunday, May 1, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Featuring Maine’s new Poet Laureate, Wes McNair, and finalists from the following high schools: Aucocisco, Cheverus, Deering, Falmouth, Gorham, Merriconeag Waldorf, North Yarmouth Academy, Scarborough, Thornton Academy, and Yarmouth. In the Community Hall, 57 Desert Road, Freeport

News From the Grade School

Fourth Grade Dioramas:

Last week the fourth grade students presented their dioramas from their animal projects. This is an event that the whole grade school looks forward to and enjoys. Two fourth graders write their experiences of the project below.

In the photos: Fourth Graders Sofia Donisvitch and Zachary Mogul-Campbell display their animals.

From Lindley Saffeir: If you had passed by the fourth grade classroom and peered curiously through the windows, you would have seen sixteen heads studiously bent over books with such titles as The Encyclopedia of Animals, for the fourth grade class was reading, taking notes, writing drafts, rewriting, and drawing. And if you were so interested that you peered into our classroom one rainy Monday afternoon, you would have seen dioramas placed on desks with fourth graders behind them, answering questions from visiting classes, for in fourth grade we study animals — and maybe they even study us!

From Maya Joy O'Leary-Cyr: My animal was the opossum, and what I loved about our animal project was taking notes and making the dioramas! It was very fun when we showed our dioramas on Monday, because we had worked so hard on them. But the only thing I didn't like was that people didn't ask me that many questions, and I wanted to answer more questions because now I know so much about opossums. Well, now I guess that is it for our animal projects. I can't wait to see the dioramas next year!

8th Grader, Lars Gundersen Places 4th in Maine National Geographic

Geography Bee: On April 1st while we were all enjoying a snow day, 8th grader

Lars Gundersen, braved the snowy conditions to compete in the Maine National Geographic Geography Bee at the University of Maine in Farmington and earned

4th place. The 100 qualifying students were asked a wide range of questions about the world, ranging from capitals, borders, seas and oceans to national parks, historical sites and current and historical events.

Congratulations, Lars!

School Community Updates

Summer Camp Afternoon Program:
We have increased interest in an afternoon program for the two weeks of summer camp, July 18 through 29th. Most of the inquiries have come from families who currently have children in the 2nd and 3rd grade. We will be designing a relaxed afternoon with lunch, restful activities, art projects, and games. The cost for extending the program to 3:00 will be an additional $50. Campers will need to bring a bag lunch.
As we are shaping this afternoon program and the staffing around the age groups, we encourage interested families to contact Kathy Watko, bookkeeper@merriconeag.org, as soon as possible.

     To learn more about our six summer camps and to register, click here.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Good folk of Merry Conneague!

     The Faire doth fast approach and with it an eyeful of wonders from lands far and near. There will be food and drink of the sort only the cooks and brewers, huntsmen, and taverners of this fair kingdom do make. And when your hunger is satisfied and your thirst be slaked, there will be tables and booths with wares to tempt the jingle of coin in your purse. And many the wandering minstrel and jongleur to entertain you. Games there will be to test your skill and strength. And being the welcome of the May, there shall be dancing around the pole, as well as dancing with swords. It is sayed as well, that there may be a bit of the unforseen and unknown, so keep a sharp eye and ready ear throughout. 

     Should you be so inspired as to wish to offer something in the way of entertainment or wares, something that fits the time and the place, speak ye please to the Lady of the Manor. She resides at moment in the Sixth Grade Solar and she would be right glad to hear from ye.

     And last of course is that ye are aware that to truly be a Faire of medieval times, ye must also look the part. Search your closets, open your chests, borrow or beg, and if all else fails then the fine young folk of the higher institution of Merry Conneague will assist you from their wardrobes in the Great Hall.

     Think not of snow or sleet or rain, but let the sun shine down upon this land on the Saturday of Maye the seventh day of the month. Come one and all and be Merrye!

Support Japan with Notecards by Merriconeag Students:
      A reminder to all that Merriconeag Waldorf School is selling note cards featuring art work from 12 students and alumni as a benefit for the Japanese relief effort. The cards are on sale at Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport, at Island Treasure Toys in Yarmouth and at Merriconeag’s office. A $15 minimum donation is suggested.

     Merriconeag will direct the funds raised to the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund of the Japan Center for International Exchange which raises funds for leading Japanese organizations that are working on the ground to provide immediate disaster relief. JCIE is a registered 501 (c) (3) that comes highly recommended by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and trusted Japanese community groups.

     100% of the proceeds from the sale of these cards will be donated to JCIE. There were no production expenses since Dale Rand Printing and Meredith Ingram donated their printing and graphic design services. Merriconeag hopes to raise enough money through the sale of these cards and other donations to be able to take advantage of a proposal from an anonymous donor offering to match any contribution over $5,000.

     Please visit http://www.jcie.org/earthquakeupdate.html for more information on how the funds donated to the recovery fund are being used.

Read (Listen to or Watch) This

Just in case you missed this bit of news last week:

Auburn to give iPads to each kindergartner

The Associated Press, Portland Press Herald, April 7, 2011

The Maine city of Auburn is going to be giving iPad2 computers to each kindergartner this fall.

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