Newsletter: October 30, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Dear Pilgrim School Families, First Church Members, and Friends Near and Far,
Some of our Class of 2010 seniors are applying early admission to universities such as Stanford, NYU, Brown and Northwestern, so I am a busy scribe this week. Please excuse me if this missive is a little shorter than usual!
Our Colonies got off to a roaring start yesterday, and I have never had so much fun decorating a pumpkin in my life! My Colony named itself the Pilgrimites; a few others are the Epik Freshness, the Storm Chasers, S.O.S. (not a call for help but shorthand for Success-Oriented Students!), Waffle and Tsunami. Colonies held a pumpkin-rolling contest today, and I’m rushing to get ready for the Elementary Parade and the Secondary costume contest.
First I want to give everyone an update on the Fine Arts Center. Today, the framing was completed. The plumbing, fireproofing and structural work are done, and the HVAC is installed. Our art teachers have picked out their cabinets and the cork for the walls. Next week the waterproofing will be finished; insulation materials for the roof 
will be delivered and installed; and the windows ordered. I was up there this morning (as I am most days!), and it is a beehive of activity. The space is even more magnificent that I imagined, spacious and airy with spectacular views. Stay tuned for more news!
Our Second Annual Read-a-Thon kick-off is Monday, November 2. Every student will come home on Monday with a “goodie” bag that will include a book, a pledge envelope, and materials explaining this fundraiser. A large sheet of paper is intended for your student to draw a “Book Buddy,” his or her favorite character from a book. They will be hung all over school!
Wednesday, November 4 is the Read-a-Thon 25c Book Sale ($1 for books for grown-ups) in the Amanda Scott Room. All students, from toddlers through seniors, will visit the sale with their class, so please send quarters to school with your student. And please feel free to join us in the sale! Books will be arranged by reading level, and there are many beautiful books from which to choose. (If you have not yet donated your books, please bring them in by Monday, as the Committee is organizing the sale on Tuesday. Thank you to all who have made donations!)
Secondary students will enjoy Career Day on the afternoon Thursday, November 5. There are three sessions, and students have chosen which of our speakers to hear. A full report will be in next week’s letter, but I want to thank the parents and volunteers who will speak to our students about their careers: Scott Cymbala; Maya Emsden; Lauri Johnson; Grayce Niggley; Matt Rauchberg; Laura Streimer; Angela Bromstad; Jesse Contreras; Valencia Gayles; Bassil Hamideh; Monte Lemann; Dean Marks; Anthony Sparks; Meredith Chinn; Amy Hayutin-Contreras; Allison Cohen Ferraro; Colette Foster Groves; Dr. Sunit D. Mistry (a Pilgrim alumnus), and Nancy Nigrosh.
Dads, did you get my invitation in the mail? Please meet me for a drink and appetizers downtown at the Jonathan Club on November 18 at 6 p.m. I have a BIG surprise in store for you – it’s top secret – and I can’t wait to share it with you! Please send a note to rsvp@pilgrim-school.org to let me know if you will be there. This is a great opportunity to network and do some business, by the way!
Get your golf clubs ready for another fabulous day at the links on Monday, November 9. Golf Goddess Coco Fausone Wilson has organized our Second Annual Tournament, to be held at the beautiful Braemar Country Club in Tarzana. Bring in a foursome for $750, or golf individually for $200. The entry fee includes a special gift, lunch and dinner, and more fun than you can possibly imagine. Please join us! For more information, contact the Development Office at tdevito@pilgrim-school.org. Fore!
Grandparents and Special Friends Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24. We are planning many of nice surprises and programs for our guests. We are still sending out invitations, so please hand in the names and addresses of your loved ones at the front office (or you may e-mail them to rsvp@pilgrim-school.org). If grandparents are too far away, please ask a family friend, aunt, uncle or even a colleague at work to step in. It is so meaningful for our children to share their school with others.
This is the final day of our Annual Fund October Challenge. I will let you know next week if we have any additional grade-level winners. I want to thank the Class Representatives who have been so helpful in talking to fellow parents about the importance of participating in the Annual Fund.
Sunday, November 1, Daylight Savings Time kicks in at 2 a.m. Please remember to set your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night. Dr. Colglazier looks forward to seeing you all at church on Sunday morning, and I look forward to seeing our students on Monday morning on time!
Have a safe and fun Halloween!
With best wishes,
Mark A. Brooks
Head of School
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, November 2
Read-a-Thon kick-off
Wednesday, November 4
Gently Used Book Sale – send quarters to school with your student!
Thursday, November 5
12:50: Career Day for Secondary Students begins
Friday, November 6
Parent-Teacher Conferences for Preschool and Elementary
Pupil-Free Day for Preschool and Elementary (Club Pilgrim available)
Normal Secondary school day
Monday, November 9
Second Annual Golf a Go Go Tournament!
Thursday, November 12
8 a.m.: Coffee and Conversation for Grades 6 and 7
Friday, November 13
8:15: 5th Grade Jump-Up Day to 6th Grade
8:15: 5th Grade Coffee and Conversation
Saturday, November 14
9 a.m.: Admissions Open House
Monday, November 16
All-School Chapel
Scholastic Book Fair opens!
Tuesday, November 17
6 p.m.: Admissions Open House
Wednesday, November 18
8 a.m.: TAPPS Meeting
5 p.m.: Preschool closes early for faculty meeting
Thursday, November 19
12:45: Early dismissal, Secondary (to study for finals)
Friday, November 20
Secondary Finals begin
Saturday, November 21
10 a.m.: Secondary Final (for some students)
Sunday, November 22
Noon: FCCLA Thanksgiving luncheon
ATHLETICS NEWS AND DATES
Monday, November 2
3:30: Girls Middle School Volleyball @ New Roads Middle School
4:30: Girls Varsity Volleyball @ San Fernando Valley Academy
Tuesday, November 3
3 pm: Girls Varsity volleyball @ First Lutheran
Friday, November 6
2 pm: Varsity Football @ Westmark School
Winter Varsity Athletic Information Packets are available in the Main Office and the Athletic Office for Boys Soccer, and Boys and Girls Basketball. Deadline to return is Friday, November 13.
THANKSGIVING DINNER UPDATE
Thanksgiving is Our Heritage
Sunday, November 22, 11:00 a.m.
Mark your calendar and join us for Thanksgiving Sunday, November 22. Our service will feature traditional Americana music, along with Dr. Colglazier‘s inspirational sermon, “Hard Days, Thankful Times.” Afterward, we will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. RSVP by November 17 with June at 213.355.5233. Suggested donation is $15, but all are welcome despite their giving level. Consider giving an angel donation so others can attend.
That day, we will also be kicking off our Holiday Outreach. There will be the opportunity to select a Commonwealth Elementary child in need of Christmas gifts.
In the same seasonal spirit of generosity, we will be collecting dry and canned goods for Hope-Net at worship services from November 1–22. Thanksgiving is always a wonderful time at First Church. Don’t miss it.
ELEMENTARY NEWS
Today in the Kindergarten classrooms, one of our eggs hatched. The chick hasn't been named yet and we are hoping to have the other eggs hatch soon. The children are very excited.
ELEMENTARY ART NEWS
While the construction workers up on the roof are toiling away with the new arts center, the kindergartners were working just as hard down in the art room designing their OWN buildings. They are learning about the art of architecture, and what better way to learn about buildings than by building one!
Students were given a box full of wooden blocks and asked to design their own building. It could be a school, hospital, house, tower, castle, anything!
Upon completion of their design and post construction, they were asked to draw what they had just built.
This requires a keen eye and concentration and the kinders came through!
Look for their "blue prints" in the hallway coming soon.
COLLEGE VISITS
Monday, November 2,12:50
Colby College
Wednesday November 4, 12:50
Whitman College
Both sessions in C404
LIBRARY CORNER
Our next book club book is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. The book fictionalizes the 1942 Paris round-ups and deportations of thousands of Jewish families who were held and then transported to Auschwitz. A writer learns that the apartment she is to move into in Paris was acquired as a result of the Jewish deportations and she goes about finding the history of that family. The next book group meeting is Wednesday, November 11.
KITCHEN CORNER
Our composting is off to a good start. We had over 50 pounds of green waste from our kitchen this week. Now we will wait for the green and brown to compost, which will then be added to the Urban Garden.
The students and faculty are enjoying fresh homemade soups daily included with their lunch.
We added cheese ravioli to our pasta selection this week and it was a sell-out!!
Ivan, our head Urban Gardener, has removed the tomato plants and planted cabbage in its place. He harvested chives for our fresh herb vinaigrette and will be planting more fall/winter hearty plants.
PRESCHOOL NEWS
The Readathon 25c Book Sale ($1 for books for grown ups) is on Wed. Nov. 4. Books will be organized by reading levels. Please send in book money (quarters & dollars) in a sealed envelope with your child to school on Wed.
