CALENDAR OF EVENTS     

Letter from the Head of School Regarding
Administrative Team Changes
By now, you should have received a letter from the Head of School, Bonnie Cotter, detailing some of the new and exciting changes taking place within the Administrative Team. Please click here to view a copy of the letter that went out to parents this morning.

Spring Break Office Hours
Please take note of our business hours during Spring Break. For the week of March 15th through the 19th, our hours of operations will be from 9:00am to 2:00pm.

Davidson Day Celebrates Harrison Nichols Day
On March 22nd, 2010, we will celebrate our 3rd Annual Harrison Nichols Day. Michael "Harrison" Nichols was a beloved student and friend at Davidson Day School who was diagnosed on May 15th, 2002, with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. In the six years following Harrison's diagnosis, he received over 35 cycles of chemotherapy, four surgeries, and radiation to his spine, brain and liver; participated in five clinical trials; and received a peripheral stem cell rescue.  Harrison bravely faced each day with courage and grace and live life fearlessly, never giving in to a bad day.  During all of this, Harrison was committed to being a part of Davidson Day School.  When he was too ill to come to school, Harrison would participate with his friends and teachers via a webcam in the classrooms.   Still, Harrison's disease would not relent and on February 17th, 2008, at eight years old, Harrison's battle with Neuroblastoma ended. 

Davidson Day School honors Harrison each year near his birthday.  Events for this special celebration include a dress down day for a $1.00, (students who dress down need to wear green, and the money collected from dress down will go to Harrison Nichols Foundation http://www.harrisonnicholsfoundation.org ), lunch time celebrations, and the presentation of the Harrison Nichols Award to a Middle School student who represents the courage, perseverance and grace that Harrison modeled for us all.  For more information on this event, please contact Anne Buechler at abuechler@davidsonday.org.

Know Your Camera:  Register for CLICK Photo Class
If you want to take better photos, you need a better understanding of your camera; how it thinks, how it sees, how it works.

On Thursday, April 1st, photography teacher Paul Cotter will host a special photography class for adults from 4:00-5:30 p.m. The cost is just $25 ($20 for DDS faculty and staff). Please register no later than Tuesday, March 30th.

For details and registration form, click here.

8th Annual Tee It Up for Davidson Day School Golf Tournament
Don't forget to register for the 8th Annual Tee It Up for Davidson Day School Golf Tournament taking place on Monday, April 19th, 2010 at River Run Country Club.  Please register online at http://www.davidsonday.org/golf-tournament.  We would like to thank the following sponsors:

Ace Sponsors  Alston and Bird, LLP and Galway Hooker Pub and Café;
Eagle Sponsor: L. Gordon Iron and Metal Company. 

Students Excel in World Math Day
For the second year, we participated in World Math Day on March 3rd.  In this international event our students competed against students from around the globe in mental arithmetic games.  Using the Internet, students competed in real-time against three other teams in 60-second rounds.  The game was open for a two day period and our students answered an impressive 36,711 questions correctly, besting our last year total by 15,075.  Here are the top performers:

Important Headmaster Scholarship Information
Families who are interested in applying for the Headmaster Scholarship will find the guidelines on our website at http://www.davidsonday.org/scholarship-aid.html. Please submit your application for the scholarship to Denise Koeth in the main office no later than April 20th, 2010.

International Host Families Wanted
We are currently looking for families to host International Students from ASSE for the next academic year.  We were quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to have Lisa Schernes and Siyi Yang as Upper School students.  To continue this program, we need families who can host an exchange student for the 2010-2011 year.  For information or if you have any questions, please contact Anne Buechler at abuechler@davidsonday.org.  

Important CPR Information
Last weekend, four teachers earned their certification in Community CPR (Adult, Child and Infant) and First Aid for the American Red Cross.  We will again be offering classes for teachers, students and parents; please keep an eye out for updates.  If you have any questions, please contact Charles Coddington (ccoddington@davidsonday.org).

Upper School News

Students Participate in NC Math and Science Competition
Last Monday, several of our students participated in the NC Math and Science competition held at UNCC.  They competed against students from 22 of the best schools in this area. The subject areas included:  Chemistry, Physics, Algebra II and a comprehensive math contest.  Thanks to Drue Allen, Rachel Bringewatt, Jake Bringewatt, Tommy Bruce, Travis McLain, Clay McLean and Siyi Yang, for all of your hard work.

If you think you are "smarter than an Upper Schooler," take a crack at some of these questions.

Upper School Students Showcase Their Poetic Skills
The AP Literature students wrote their own conceits, or poems that use a metaphor or simile to compare two very unlike things. Click here to read the outstanding poems of Omar Caldwell, Elizabeth Buehler, Krysta Chirino and Drue Allen.

US Students Compete for a Great Cause
Upper School students competed against each other this past week to demonstrate their creativity and innovation.  They were asked to define what it means to be an Upper School student at Davidson Day School.  They could use any means available; some made videos while others took pictures.  The 11th grade advisees won the competition with a photograph that was taken of their hands overlaid with the words that they felt best represented them. See photo gallery.

College Counseling News

Standardized Test Information
Thursday, March 25th is the registration deadline for the May 1st SAT exam.  If you are interested in registering for this exam, please visit www.collegeboard.com for more information.   

2010 Mini Camp College at UNC-Charlotte
On Saturday, March 20th, there will be a college planning program at UNC-Charlotte to help assist students and parents through the college application process.  For more information and to register, please follow this link: www.sacac.org and click on “Mini Camp Colleges.”

NACAC National College Fair
On Sunday, March 21st from 12:00-4:00 p.m., the NACAC College Fair will be held at The Park (located at 2500 E. Independence Blvd.).  There will be hundreds of colleges from all regions of the United States exhibiting.  For more information, please view the NACAC website at www.nacacnet.org.

Middle School News

MS Battle of Books Team Places 2nd at Regional Competition
The MS Battle of the Books team put up a hard fight to place 2nd at the regional competition Tuesday at Charlotte Country Day School. The students were responsible for reading 27 books and knowing them comprehensively. The team consisted of:

Hannah Wolter
Nell Buechler
Aaron Augustine
James Rees
Jessica Kingma
Rachel Bringewatt
Jake Bringewatt
Lucas Chirino

The team was (unofficially) voted by all of the judges to be the "most professional team" of the competition. When you see them, give them a pat on the back for the great work and being such great school representatives.

Patriots Storm Washington, D.C.
In a blaze of red and blue, our 7th and 8th graders stormed our nation’s capitol. The three-day field trip left Davidson at 6:00 am on Wednesday.  Upon arriving in DC, the students and chaperones toured the Holocaust Museum then took an evening tour of the city.  The following day, students visited various memorials -- including the Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam War and Korean War -- as the ever present Washington Memorial loomed in the background.  

At the Capitol Building  North Carolina Senator Richard Burr heard that DDS arrived in the Rotunda and personally escorted the students through the rest of their visit - it was such an unexpected surprise.  Afterward, students visited The Museum of American History, Natural Science Museum and the Air and Space Museum.  Friday’s tours included Arlington Cemetery, Luray Caverns and the All-American Cracker Barrel. See photo gallery.

Pictionary Perfect
To tie into our school's practice of creative learning, students from Mr. Davis’ 8th grade Geography class prepared for their upcoming tests by playing Pictionary. Working in groups of three, the students so enthusiastically competed against each other that when the bell rang, the clamored for a last sudden-death question. “I was very pleased to see that this form of learning can be captivating, beneficial and enjoyable,” said Mr. Davis.  

Lower School News

Important Flag Football Information
The second practice will be held on Friday, March 26th.  Practice will last from 3:30-4:30 pm.  Please email Chris McKay at chris.mckay@davidsonday.com if there are any questions or if you would like to serve as a parent volunteer.  Special thanks to Mr. Dennis and Mr. Rogers for their help during our first practice. 


Early Childhood News

Ms. Dana's Quote Corner
Kids say the darndest things. Check out this week's zingers:

When a teacher asked her to be careful with the paint "Don't worry, my mom is very talented at washing clothes."  Emma- Five years old

A sign of the times: As two children were playing with Legos, "Can you please download this?" Josiah- Four years old

Sports News

Girls Soccer Coach Chad Metzler Featured in the Observer
Chad Metzler has been a very successful soccer coach on the club level, and is poised to take our Girls Varsity Soccer team to the next level. Click here to read the story in Wednesday's edition of the Observer.

Patriot Athletes Honored with Awards
Congratulations to junior Jasmine Hamilton for being recognized with All Southern Piedmont League Honorable Mention for the 2009-2010 girls basketball season.  MS Basketball standouts Nolan Lynch (7th) and James McLean (8th) were chosen to compete in the PAC-8 post season All-Star game.

Capping off a Great Winter Sports Season
On March 9th, our student-athletes were honored for their success throughout the winter season. The following students received awards during the Varsity Awards Ceremony:

Varsity Boys Basketball: Most Outstanding Player: Rashun Davis; Most Improved Player: Omar Caldwell; Coaches Award: Richard Brown
Varsity Girls Basketball: Most Outstanding Player: Jasmine Hamilton; Most Improved Player: Ka'Ajah Funderburk; Coaches Award: Katie Burr
Junior Varsity Boys Basketball: Most Outstanding Player: Luke Morrison; Most Improved Player: Ryan Lynch; Coaches Award: Jonathon McLean

On March 10th, the following students received awards during the Middle School Awards Ceremony:

Middle School Boys Basketball: Most Valuable Player: James McLean (8th); Coaches Award: Nolan Lynch (7th)
Middle School Girls Basketball: Most Valuable Player: Maya Caldwell (5th); Coaches Award: Alexis Lynch (6th)
Middle School Swimming: Most Valuable Player: Micah Monticello (8th); Coaches Award: Sarah Echols (8th)

Patriots Athletic News

Spirit Wear Sale
Visit the PAC Concession stand to take advantage of the Spring Spirit Wear sale going on now.  Get that Davidson Day gear and show your Patriot Pride!

Parent Council Corner

Walking Wednesday for March Cancelled Due to Spring Break
Just as a reminder, there will not be a Walking Wednesday during March since our normal date to participate occurs during our spring break. Please join us on April 21st to walk and roll to school.

For more information, please contact Laurie Dennis at davidlauriedennis@gmail.com.

Scholastic Book Fair 2010
This year we raised an impressive $15,086.85 to mark another successful year for the Scholastic Book Fair. Half of these proceeds go to DDS to purchase books, listening stations and other learning tools for our classrooms.

We couldn't have done it without our wonderful volunteers. Thank you to the following who dedicated their valuable time and energy to this spectacular event: 

A special thanks to Michael Cerkovnik who sparked the interest and passion for reading throughout the entire school. He has been extremely proactive in ensuring our classrooms are updated with vital resources purchased through the Scholastic Book Fair's profit program.

We hope this was an enjoyable event for all of the DDS families. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day
We hope that everyone enjoyed Grandparents and Special Friends Day last week - it was certainly an exciting day for everyone. Thank you notes for their special guests will go home in the students’ backpacks. 

We would also like to thank all of the parents who donated their time, food and gift cards to help make the day so special.  We could not have done it without you and your support. Special thanks to the following parents:

Box Tops for Education
Mrs. Cusick's Kindergarten class won the second round collection with 354 coupons collected.  For their outstanding, they won a pizza party and a free dress down week.

A grand total of 2414 box tops were collected, which equates to $241.40. Thank you to our 6th grade for turning in box tops. Your participation is greatly appreciated. Also, a special thank you to all room volunteers for coordinating collection efforts with your classrooms, teachers and friends.  A special thank you to Shelly Clark and Melissa Mottola for helping collect, count and package all box tops for reporting purposes.