Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year at SBMS! We are excited to have 23 wonderful new students joining nine wonderful returning students, bringing our total to 32 (16 in each grade). 15 are day students and 17 are boarding students. About 25% are international students.

Throughout the year, I will be writing in my blog about what is happening here and what is happening in the larger middle school world. These articles will always be linked from the middle school newsletter;  you are also welcome to subscribe if you would like. Comments are always welcome! Here are the articles which are new since school ended last spring.

Nexus about transitioning from one school year to the next.

Now It's a School Again about the day the first students returned to campus.

Reaching Out, Reaching Within about Orientation and the Middle School Overnight.

Shooting Stars about extrinsic and instrinsic motivation, Mozart and B.o.B.

Since we will have had only 20 minutes with each group of students on the due date for newsletter articles, this first issue will serve primarily to introduce us. Beginning two weeks from now, middle school newsletters will include updates from different classes as well as announcements.

We look forward to a good year together. Thanks for being part of our school community!

I am very excited to begin my sixth year teaching at Stoneleigh-Burnham in the Middle School. I teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Life Science and Physical Science. Growing up (and still) in school, I always loved math games and puzzles. When I was in middle school, I would ask my dad to create math problems for me to solve whenever we were driving together. I have been passionate about science as long as I can remember. I love exploring, observing, dissecting and questioning. These traits which nurture my love of science also complement my interest as a teacher in the middle school. I love the energy and questions that the students bring to class each day. Additionally, I love having the opportunity to work with the girls in advisory, in athletics and in the dorm.

My first performance memory is playing the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland (no doubt I was cast for my hopping skills) and I still remember the tap steps to a dance created to the song "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," performed when I was 8. I played the violin all through high school but started dancing seriously when I was 12. I went to a performing arts college (The Juilliard School) and danced in NYC professionally for 4 to 5 years, performing in the works of Merce Cunningham, Jose Limon, Mark Morris, Paul Taylor and Anna Sokolow. I started my own dance group, Sorvino Dance Project in 1993 and recently we have performed at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC, The Boston Ballet and at the UMASS Fine Arts Center. I have been teaching dance at Stoneleigh-Burnham for 27 years now, and love the excitement of every new school year. This fall, with the Middle School Dance Group, we will be focusing on dance forms from West Africa. I am thrilled to be working with the girls two days a week and the Dance 7 class will culminate with a performance during the Winter Concert in December. [The Dance 8 class begins in January and will perform in June.]

I'm Bill Ivey, and I teach Humanities 7, Foundations of Language and Culture, ESL Reading/Writing Workshop, and Rock Band. I also help out with the instrumental music program. Some of my earliest and favorite memories are of my parents reading to me at bedtime, and they tell me when I first learned to read on my own, I tried to hide it from them so we could keep reading together. Even before my love of reading, though, my love of music was evident from my first steps as (family legend has it) I frequently toddled over to the record player and asked for the music to play. My love of foreign languages and cultures grew during junior high, and a homestay in France during my junior year of high school set another direction for my life: I would go on to major and earn an M.A.T. in French (my minor was a concentration in music). My wife and I lived in France for a year right after our wedding, and I taught English at the Université de Bordeaux - III. I have always worked to be genuinely student-centered in the classroom, and first learned about democratic teaching techniques when I first became involved in the middle school world 10 years ago. I love the middle school world, and am a Cooperating Teacher in the MiddleTalk listserve of the National Middle School Association, the moderator of the Literacy Workshop listserve, and a  member of Teacher Leaders Network. My wife and I have a 16-year-old son (who is away at boarding school) and two cats (who aren't). I am excited to have the chance to work with this amazing group of students.

I was always very shy. I danced and played the piano when I was 5. (It was terrifying!) I performed at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, where all the Broadway shows tried out before heading to New York. I was the Green Bird in the "Nutcracker Suite" and performed an acrobatic dance with my teacher to "Me and My Shadow." She seemed 6 feet tall. I was 6. As a sophomore in high school, I stumbled into directing a play because my teacher became ill. It was Shaw’s "Pygmalion" (on which "My Fair Lady" was based). I learned how to design space and music, and how to work with actors. I fell in love with theatre. Since then, I have travelled a great deal, studied with master teachers, earned a degree at Yale, and performed in New York and Boston, South America, and eastern and western Europe. Last year, I performed in Serbia! I continue to explore new ways of theatrical expression with my company, Pilgrim Theatre. I love to share the discoveries I make with my students at Stoneleigh-Burnham and at MIT. [Note: Theatre 7 will meet and perform in the Spring Term]

I am a 2004 graduate of Stoneleigh-Burnham School. After attending SBS I went on to attend Quinnipiac University where I majored in Public Relations and minored in Psychology. I have been working as the Associate Director of Admissions and as a houseparent at SBS for several years. I am excited to begin teaching in the middle school this year. I live on campus with my dog, Tucker and I am looking forward to teaching the girls this year.

I'm Minhee Kang, and I teach several Upper School ESL courses and ESL Humanities for middle school students. In my capacity as ESL teacher and Department Chair, I help ESL students make a smooth transition to the SBS community, academically and culturally. I was born and grew up on an island (called "Jeju") off the Korean peninsula. Besides being the must-visit location of Korea, Jeju is historically famous for three abundant things - wind, rocks, and women. Particularly, Jeju women are known to be strong, active, resourceful, and independent - the same qualities that SBS girls have. I'm proud to be a Jeju woman and honored to work with SBS girls. I came to the U.S. 12 years ago to attend a graduate program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and ended up staying in this country ever since. I'm married with a three year old boy who switches between English and Korean (sometimes mixing the two as he pleases). Being bilingual and bicultural myself, I am always interested in helping students successfully cross the borders of languages and cultures while deepening their sense of self-identity and cultural heritage. When I’m not teaching, I like to travel, cook and bake. I enjoy experimenting with new recipes regardless of the outcomes. In the summer, I go back to Jeju with my family where we reconnect with our Korean culture and language, and more importantly - food!

My name is Cyndee Meese and I teach middle school vocal music and the middle school select vocal ensemble. At age five, I drove my family crazy. I would lock myself in my Grandma's house with her record player and her piano and play the same records over and over until I could play the songs on the piano. I played the piano, the clarinet, the bass clarinet, and the tenor sax and drums in the marching band from middle school until my sophomore year in college. I started to sing my senior year high school. I toured and sang professionally for the next ten years. I returned to college to finish my degree in vocal performance and music education. For the past thirty years, I have participated in Community Theater, sung with a big band, and done two "reunited" shows with the groups I toured with.

I am Greg Snedeker, and I teach instrumental music. Music is my passion and my career; how lucky! When I was in 5th grade, I knew I wanted to be a musician, and began composing my first pieces of music. I started piano when I was 5 years old, and then the cello when I was 9. I played in the orchestra and jazz ensemble in middle school and high school. I had a rock band in high school that was very successful in my home town of Grand Rapids, MI. We played at most of the high school dances around the city. In addition to music, I love to participate in various sports (water skiing, golf, tennis, running, mountain biking, basketball, etc.). I live in Gill, MA with my wife Kathy, daughter Mia, and cat Fred. I look forward to meeting you all and working with the students to make beautiful music.

Hi, I am Peter Gaynor, and I teach Humanities 8 and Learning Lab. I am entering my fifth year and am very excited to do so. Having worked in both the Upper and Middle Schools and taught a variety of subjects including History, English, and Math, the Humanities curriculum is one of my favorites, if not "the." It allows us flexibility to explore the interests of the class in addition to building some of the more traditional skills taught in Humanities. The curriculum forces the students to think contextually and critically. Learning Lab is a terrific opportunity to work with students on a more individual basis in which I can offer academic support to students. The kids and I often have a very good time while doing work, which contradicts conventional wisdom that school should not equal fun. I also coach soccer and basketball and am very passionate about sports.

I'm Jeremy Deason, and although my main role at SBS is the Director of Athletics, one of my true loves here at school is being an advisor to middle school students. I have taught or advised middle schoolers for 12 years, and I can not get enough of their energy and ambition for learning. I run into people all the time who say, "You work with middle schoolers? I could never do that." or "How do you have the energy?". I have the energy because I feed off of theirs. Every time I walk in a room with our students, they bring a smile to my face. They can make you feel happy when you are down; they can challenge you with tough questions, and amaze you with insightful answers. In short, they are the best. Outside of working with the middle school, I coach soccer and basketball and live on campus as an Administrator on Duty.

I'm so excited to be teaching Spanish here at Stoneleigh Burnham again! It is such a passion for me. To be able to share it and help others learn to love the language is deeply rewarding. Spanish was introduced to me in 5th grade as an afterschool activity. I enjoyed learning colors and singing about the days of the week. Middle school and high school allowed me to learn more about the language. The first several years really got me hooked. Not only did I love the beautiful rhythm of the language, but also I loved the culture and lifestyles that were so different from my own. I decided to major in Spanish. It was then that I traveled to Spain and Costa Rica to study. When I was in my senior year of college, I couldn't bear the thought of ending my education of the language. So I decided to continue and get my Masters degree. I was able to learn much more and focus on literature. Now I take every opportunity to teach my students, friends, and family about the language and culture. Spanish is a huge part of my life and I hope that I am able to pass this along to others and inspire them.

This is my 11th year at Stoneleigh-Burnham where I live on campus and teach my passion: French. I never knew that I wanted to become a teacher, but certainly did play "school" and "Café Henri" as a child. From my earliest days, I loved hearing my French-Canadian uncle speak French; I also learned Polish as a child, as I grew up in an ethnic neighborhood in Buffalo (NY). My love for French began in middle school when I began formal classes and grew during high school. I celebrated my sweet sixteen in France with a host family who hosted me years later during my year at the Université de Poitiers. After high school, I lived in Rennes (Bretagne) for six months and provided child care for 19 children from nine families. I completed my degree in French Literature (minor in Translation) at McGill University in Montreal. I spend summers with my family in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region (Quebec). No matter the country or the day of the year, I speak French with my three daughters, ages 4, 6, and 8. (I use English with my husband and dog...) At SBS, I love speaking French with my students outside of the classroom at French Night, during dinner in the dining hall, in the dorms, and on trips to France and Quebec. My dream? To inspire all students to discover the joy of speaking another language and learning about other cultures.

When I was growing up, I always wanted to be an artist. I spent many hours learning how to draw animals by studying "how to" books from the library. I was always drawing and painting. I continued this through high school and college. Now I have my own studio where I work when not at SBS. The art work I do now is paintings and color woodblock prints. I love teaching art to the middle school students because they are always so excited and interested in everything.

The School maintains an online calendar of events for use by parents, students, and other members of our community. You may access this calendar at

http://www.sbschool.org/home/calendar.asp

You may also access a copy of the academic calendar through the parent portal, signing in at:

http://www.sbschool.org/home/content.asp?section=parents

If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you!