Thank you to our Middle School Orchestra Director Yung Fang Ludford and Orchestra Assistant Vilma Peguero for the nurturing and expertise they have shared with our orchestra members all year. In addition, the entire school will welcome our alumnae for Alumnae Day tomorrow. Middle School students are asked to wear their dress uniforms for the occasion. Also, seventh graders will enjoy meeting women in our community who will share information about their chosen careers and the paths they traveled to get where they are. The afternoon was planned by seventh graders, Cate Goglia and Juliana Lu, as they worked on their gold awards in the Girls Scouts. While Rachel Brandt and I have consulted with them throughout their planning, these two girls truly worked out all of the details and implementation plans.  Bravo and thank you, Cate and Juliana!

IMPACT TESTING FOR SIXTH GRADE: Sixth grade parents, IMPACT testing (baseline concussion measurement) will begin for your daughters during study hall periods on April 25, May 3, and May 11). All rising seventh graders go through this testing so that we have a baseline profile for our students, and you may view the School’s concussion protocol at this link. 

POETRY SOCIETY WINNERS: We’ve received the names of our Poetry Society Contests winners from Hockaday. Middle School students consistently win numerous awards in these contests thanks to hard work, talent, and the ongoing support of their English teachers. Poems are written by each child in Middle School and entered in various contests to compete with thousands of students throughout Texas. Congratulations to all who entered, all who placed, and to our English faculty!

EIGHTH GRADE GRADUATION DRESSES: While our eighth graders have another term to complete before the end of their journey through Middle School, it is not too soon to start thinking about Eighth Grade Graduation on Thursday, May 25. You’ll receive more details about the event later this spring, but I want to provide you with requirements for the girls’ dresses that day. It is traditional that eighth graders wear white dresses or white skirts and blouses and white shoes to Eighth Grade Graduation. The governing principle at this end-of-year celebration is to dress with modest taste, meaning skirt lengths should be no more than four inches above the knee -- no mini-skirts, please. If a dress is strapless or has spaghetti straps/halter top, a sweater or jacket must be worn also. The white is to be a true white, not ivory or off-white, and should not have colored trim. The required white shoes may be sandals but must have a strap around the back of the heel. The heels and soles may not be black or another color, but may be wooden, cork, or metallic. In addition, adornments on the shoes may not be colored but may be metallic. For comfort and safety reasons, girls must wear flats or heels no higher than two inches. Remember … the girls are walking up and down multiple steps at this graduation ceremony! 

STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS: Fifth through seventh graders filed for 2017-18 Student Council offices. The process continued on April 11 as the primaries were held in grades 5-7.  We try to provide a “real” election experience in that the girls file for office, engage in a primary process, obtain a nomination, and then run for office. Each candidate who is nominated is informed about guidelines and presents a campaign speech for peers in grades five through seven. Eighth graders do not vote as they will be in Upper School next year. The final slate of nominees has been announced this week. The process ends with our Student Council Installation on May 11. Current fifth graders may choose to run for Treasurer; current sixth graders may choose to seek out the offices of Speaker of the House or Secretary; current seventh graders run for the office of President with the runner up moving into the office of Vice President.

For more information, you can refer to a source we frequently use, Common Sense Media. You can find them online or follow this link directly.

LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL CALENDAR: It is time to send out notification regarding the last month of school as you begin to make plans for May and summer. I have included the times girls need to arrive at school for special events and rehearsals. Please make your late-May /early summer plans according to the dates and times in this link.