Girls Soccer, Fall Term Exams, Packets Coming Home, & 2012 Immersion Groups Posted

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Greetings Upper School Parents:

Following the thrilling 1-0 win (in over-time!) against Preble Shawnee on Monday, our girls varsity soccer team plays tonight at Springboro Stadium against Mariemont; game start is 7:00PM.  Stay hungry, Rams!  With the approach of fall exams and other autumnal activities in the Upper School, here are some reminders for the coming weeks.

Class Deans distributed school picture packages this morning; please ask your child to be sure your packet makes it home.  Picture re-take day, for those who want them, is Thursday, 10 November.  To ensure proper credit, the original photo package must be exchanged on re-take day.  2011 MVS Yearbooks, for students who ordered them, were distributed during Advisory.

Sally Foster Gift Wrap packages from the MVS Parents Association were also distributed.  This fundraiser supports numerous student and teacher programs, so your orders are appreciated.

Fall Trimester exams run Tuesday-Thursday, 1-3 November. The exam schedule is available on the documents section of the upper school homepage.  Although students are not required to be on campus until 30 minutes before a scheduled exam, most students arrange to study in groups here at MVS during the day.  Additionally, the Library will remain open until 6:PM through Thursday, 3 November.

Since Freshmen and Sophomores (as well as upper classmen without privileges) do not have open campus privileges, if they wish to depart from campus between exams (to go out to lunch or study at a friend’s house), written parent permission must be submitted to the upper school office the day of such a request.  Due to obvious safety concerns, permission cannot be phoned in.

Friday, 4 November is designated as College Visitation Weekend, providing an excellent opportunity for students to visit, tour, and perhaps interview at a college or university as part of their college selection process.  Friday is also a faculty professional development and assessment day.  Teachers will attend a 2-hour morning professional development meeting, followed by grading exams, composing end-of-term comments, and planning for the start of Winter Trimester.

Next Wednesday through Friday, I will be away from MVS presenting at the Annual Conference of Independent School Association of the Central States, better known as ISACS.  ISACS, the largest regional organization within the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), is also the accrediting body for MVS.  The annual conference, this year held in Detroit, always provides excellent opportunities for professional growth, collegial networking, and discussing topical school matters.

We are fortunate to welcome Jeff Wolfsberg back to MVS in starting the Winter Trimester.  Jeff Wolfsberg, drug education and wellness specialist, will return during the week of 15-18 November, including a special evening parent meeting on Thursday, 17 November in the Alumni Theatre.  The event will begin at 7:00PM with a brief Parents’ Association Meeting.

Student groups for 2012 Immersion Programs will be posted this Friday, with some preliminary organizational meetings between students and facilitators beginning in November.  Official group meetings, including parent information sessions, will likely follow in December.  Great appreciation goes to the Immersion Committee, led by Rachel Moulton, which facilitated the timeliness, processes, and over-all attentiveness to this capstone of MVS experiential learning.

Thank you for your support in what has been a great Fall Term in the Upper School.  I look forward to seeing you at an up-coming MVS event.

With sincere regards,

Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School