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Dear Parents,

Many thanks to those of you who shared your thoughts about the timing of Spring Family Weekend; the majority of you expressed preference to keep the date intact. In an effort to do the best we can in an awkwardly timed year, we have decided to do just that, keep Family Weekend where it is (April 22-23), but to cancel the fundraiser on Friday night, which falls on Good Friday. This does allow all families who celebrate Easter - boarding and day - to have the holiday weekend together.

This has spurred a conversation about how we honor the major holidays of each religion represented in our community so that we clarify policy around the issue. Thank you all for your input and patience.

At this time, the Parents Association volunteers are working to reschedule the family dance to another time. Please stay tuned!

On behalf of the entire Stoneleigh-Burnham community, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season with your daughters. We’ve had a wonderful time with them this fall and look forward to what lies ahead in the new year.

Sincerely,

Sally Mixsell

The Fall term honor roll assembly was held on Tuesday, December 7 and the following students received honor roll certificates:

Thursday, December 16 at 7:00 p. m. in the school’s Emerson Hall, Performing Arts will present a Winter Solstice celebration. The concert is free and open to the public. Parents are encouraged to attend. The concert will showcase productions from vocal and instrumental groups, theater and dance. 

To set the tone of the season, an instrumental group conducted by Dr. Greg Snedeker will present “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and a classical piece from Vivaldi. The school’s Chorus and Octet will perform several seasonal songs, and Rock Band, led by Bill Ivey, will pick up the pace with "I Miss You" by Blink 182.

The entire Stoneleigh-Burnham Dance Department, children from the Community Dance Program and guest faculty artists will showcase their talents with an updated version of “Cinderella,” choreographed by Ann Sorvino. The musical score for the production will offer an eclectic and creative mix of Prokofiev, Rodgers and Hammerstein and hip-hop. Acting students will present work from their upcoming main stage production, "The Madwoman of Chaillot," directed by Kim Mancuso.

Accompanied by a song by KDZ, Middle School Dance will perform an energetic and artistic West African dance piece. The evening will conclude with selections from the Middle School Select Vocal Group and the Middle School Rock Band’s rendition of "White Horse" by Taylor Swift. Come celebrate the season with SBS!

Sam Mansfield joins our Foreign Language Department for the Winter and Spring trimesters to teach French I. Sam has studied the French language for nine years. He received his Bachelor's degree in English and a minor in French from the University of New Hampshire in May of 2010. During his years at UNH, Sam spent four and a half immersive months studying in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy. He has also travelled frequently to Francophone cities in Canada, namely, Quebec and Montreal. What drew Sam most to the Stoneleigh-Burnham School was the faculty members' demonstrated passion for teaching. He was also excited by the chance to teach under optimal conditions; the classes are small and the students work hard. When he’s not in the classroom, Sam enjoys choral singing, a cappella and unicycling.

Tony Lechner is an educator, composer, performer and producer of music. He is the creator of the internationally-acclaimed high school jazz acappella group 5-Alone. Tony has scored short films that have appeared in the Chicago Film Festival and his song "Partiste" can be heard in the 2010 Paramount film Dinner For Schmucks. His song "Midnight Stars" won the 2010 Billboard World Song Contest Grand Prize for Jazz. Tony also directs the Valley Jazz Choir & Valley Jazz Choir for Teens, two community-based ensembles open to anyone who loves singing jazz.

Tony is excited to be stepping in as interim choral director this year at SBS and is thoroughly enjoying getting to know all of the students and staff! For more information about Tony, visit: www.TonyLechner.com

From Regina Mooney:

You may recall that there is no December Parents' Association meeting. However our January meeting will be a very important one. On January 18, Mitch Anthony (parent of Mia '12), will meet with us to talk about strategic planning. Our Board of Trustees has charged Sally with a comprehensive planning process for this academic year. Mitch is facilitating the process with a committee that Sally has put together. They have been meeting since the fall and Mitch has interviewed teachers and administrators for their input in the process. 

As an inclusive process, it is of paramount importance to get input from parents as well. Thus our January meeting will be devoted to the questions Mitch will put before us. I can tell you, having been interviewed by Mitch already, that his questions are penetrating and frankly fun to discuss. So please come and know that we, as usual, will set up our conferencing speaker phone for those who live too far away to make it to campus. For this meeting we'll be in the meeting room and not in the Blue Room. Contact Regina Mooney by email or by calling 413-774-2711 x317

Fall term grades and progress reports were mailed to families on Tuesday, December 7th. Please notify Sharon Weyers  if you do not receive your daughter's report in a timely manner.

On Thursday, December 16, the Secret Snowflake reveal will be held from 11:40-11:55 a. m. in the Capen Room followed by a special Holiday Luncheon. In the evening, Performing Arts students will present a Winter Solstice Concert from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The concert is a required event for all SBS students, and families are cordially invited to attend. Students may depart following the concert for Winter Break. Please do not make travel arrangements which conflict with the concert. Friday, December 17 is the travel day for all students who do not leave on Thursday; dorms close at 4:00 p.m. The return date for boarding students is Monday, January 3, 2011; dorms open at noon and all students should be back by 7:00 p.m. Please make sure your daughter has turned in her travel plan form to Sharon Weyers.

December 11
SBS Hunter/Jumper Horse Show

December 16
Holiday Luncheon

December 16
Winter Solstice Presentation

December 17-18
Holiday Basketball Tournament

December 17-January 3
Winter Break

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