CALENDAR OF EVENTS     

Third Annual Harrison Nichols Day was A Day to Remember
The school was decorated in green and with sunflowers as students, faculty, and parents honored the memory of Harrison Nichols on Monday.  Students from Early Childhood to Upper School wore green (his favorite color) and decorated the school with handmade sunflowers (his favorite flower) as a tribute to Harrison.  

The highlight of the day was a special assembly that Harrison's parents attended. The 4th grade class donated over $300 they raised for the Harrison Nichols Foundation through their EXL project, "Moonlight Valley." 8th grade student Sebastian Soria was awarded the prestigious Harrison Nichols Award for being a leader and the type of student whom Davidson Day School holds up as a model citizen. 

Thank you to the Nichols family for their continued support and involvement in the Davidson Day family.

Welcome, Judy Reese, Our New Director of Development
With the growth of our school, we have added a new member to our administrative team. Dr. Judy Reese joins us as our new Director of Development, and she brings with her a wealth of experience and talent to help us continue our growth. Click here to read more about her background and experience as both a Development Officer and as a parent of independent school students in her letter to our school community.

Get Your Kids Ready for Summer at Camp DDS
Summer is just around the corner, and we are excited to offer several options for traditional summer theme camps and academic camps. Soccer, Lego Robotics, Show Choir, Cooking, Drawing and Painting are just some of the great programs available. Theme camps are offered on a weekly basis running from June 7th – July 30th.  Full-day camp hours are 9:00am – 3:00pm. Half-day camps are from 9:00 am-12:00pm for athletics and 12:30 - 3:30pm for arts camps. Check the camp website to find the camps that are the best fit for your family.  Contact Emily Griswold at (704) 237-5255 with any questions or visit www.davidsonday.org/summercamp

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 takling 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, Piedmont Bank and Galway Hooker Pub and Café
Eagle Sponsors:	Embroid Me and L. Gordon Iron and Metal Company.

 

SMARTBoards Make a Digital Splash
Exciting News! SMARTBoards have now been deployed in our Lower and Middle Schools. Teachers and students are excited to use new interactive technology. To learn more about the link below to learn more about SMARTBoard technology. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FJFGGgcyzM

Middle School Gets a Mobile Upgrade
Over spring break, the MS Mobile Computer Lab received a major upgrade with new, lighter, faster Dell notebooks. These new laptops sport cool new technical innovations such as solid state disks for improved speed and reliability, high capacity batteries for hours of use, webcams for interacting with their "pen-pals" from around the world, and touchscreens to make their experience even more interactive. We even dressed them in the school colors - red and blue - and the students have already picked their favorites.

Important Information When Your Child is Out
As a friendly reminder, if you know that your child will be out ill, out of town, on a college visit, etc., please contact the front desk to report that information.  Following this process will save several steps for both the teachers and front desk staff. Your cooperation is essential.

Enjoy a Family Event with the Charlotte Checkers
We hope you can attend this year's school afternoon outing to the Charlotte Checkers hockey game this Sunday, March 28th. It is a fun-filled time for families and friends to chat, watch hockey, and skate with the hockey players and cheerleaders after the game. Tickets will be sold at the DDS front office as well as online (see below). Tickets cost $15 and include a free gift for students, free skating after the game, as well as other discounts at the game. If you do not have your own skates, they will be available to rent for a small fee.

To purchase tickets online go to: www.gocheckers.com/fundraisers. The login and password are Davidson and Davidson, respectively. Please note: in order to purchase tickets you will need to register as a user in the check out section.

Last year our families had an outstanding time and were personally introduced to the hockey players and cheerleaders by our very own Madame Geiger.

St. John Photography to Visit Davidson Day
St. John Photography will be visiting DDS next week to take black and white candid photographs of your child on the playground. With the onset of beautiful spring weather, it is a perfect time to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Please click here for more information as well as the photo schedule for each class.  

Sign up now to join the Lego/USFirst Robotics Teams
We are excited to launch our 2010-2011 Lego/USFirst Robotics program for grades K-12.    This is going to be a tremendous opportunity for our students, with tournaments where advancement goes international at most levels.  Additionally, there is $12 million in scholarship opportunities for Upper School students. 

We are seeking students with various skills:  project development (art, writing), science, engineering, technology, math, and computer programming.  Registration forms are due by Friday, April 16th and only a limited number of spots are available, so complete and submit your student’s registration form promptly to Denise Koeth.

You can check out the brochure online at usfirst.org, and click here for the registration form.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dana Monticello at Dmonticello@cbunited.com

Last Chance to Register for CLICK Photo Class for Adults
Tuesday, March 30th is the final day to register for Paul Cotter’s CLICK Photography Class for Adults, which will be held next Thursday, April 1st at 4 p.m.  Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about your digital camera and how you can use it to take better photos. Click here for details and registration form.

AEC

Get the Summer AEC Experience
The AEC is excited to announce new academic programs over the summer for students Pre-K through 12th grade. The services will be offered in small groups and one-to-one for DDS students and students in the surrounding community. Click here to view the academic programs available.

Additionaly, we invite you to take a brief survey on our offering for this upcomming summer camp. Click here to download the Academic Camp Survey.

Upper School News

National Honor Society Inducts its New Class
On Wednesday, five new members were inducted into the Davidson Day chapter of the National Honor Society.  Students were chosen based on excellence in the following areas: scholarship, leadership, character and service.  New members are Alesia Griesmyer, Clay McLean, Jenny Falcone, Katy Leonard, and Tyler Parrott; and they join seniors Drue Allen, Krysta Chirino, Evan Cross, Wesley King, and Jimmy Kittridge in NHS.  Congratulations on this great honor.

College Counseling News

The May 1st SAT registration deadline is Wednesday, March 31st.  Registration is available at www.collegeboard.com.  

On Tuesday, April 6th at 11:15 a.m., a representative from High Point University will be visiting with our students.  Any Upper School student can sign up with Meaghan Rand to attend. 

There are several upcoming events in the local Charlotte area to help students with college exam preparation: 

• Princeton Review is offering a Free SAT practice test on Saturday, March 27th, and a review session on Thursday, April 1st
• They are also offering a Free ACT practice test on Saturday, April 10th, with a review session on Monday, April 19th 

Please visit www.princetonreview.com/events for more information and to register.  This company is also offering summer SAT courses at the Huntersville Aquatic Center. 

Southeast College Tours is offering a bus tour for current 9th-11th grade students to visit several NC area colleges at the end of June.  The cost is $215.  Please contact Ms. Rand at mrand@davidsonday.org if you are interested in more information.

On Sunday, April 18th, there is a program entitled “Demystifying the College Application Process,” which is designed to orient families to the college search and college planning.  This will be held at Lake Norman High School from 2:00-5:00 pm.  This program is available to current 9th-11th graders and their families at a cost of $120 per family.  Please contact Ms. Rand for more information. 

Middle School News

MS Math Olympiad
The MS Math Olympiad came to a close in March with our fifth and final competition.  The top scorer for grades 4-6 was Nell Buechler with a score of 4 out of 5.  In the grades 7-8 division, Jake Bringewatt scored a perfect 5 out of 5 for the fourth time this year.  Congratulations go out to all of the math competitors whose efforts have represented DDS well.  All Math Olympiad participants for the 2009-2010 school year will be recognized at an awards ceremony in May. 

Want a taste of the Math Olympiad yourself?  Try this problem below, which was on the last test for grades 4-6:

A toll bridge charges $4 for a car and $6 for a truck.  One day 200 of these vehicles crossed the bridge and paid a total of $860 in tolls.  How many of these vehicles were trucks?

Lower School News

Elementary Battle of the Books Team Advances to Regional Competition
Our E-BOB Team received second place at the District Competition at Cannon School on March 11, 2010. The team members will represent DDS at the Regional Competition in April. The avid readers prepared for the competition by reading twelve books, and during club period they practiced answering hundreds of questions relatd to those books. Mrs. Fischer and Mrs. Grothe, the team coaches, were impressed by the students' hard work and their passion for reading. Congratulations to the following 4th and 5th grade team members: Jake Buechler, Christina Catlett, Nicole Chinuntdet, Jordan Graham, Teagan James, Alexis Lynch, Peyton Mandel, Julia Morris, Graysen Pomykata, Maisie Rees, Abby Rosato, Sarah Slay, and Logan Ward.


Early Childhood News

ECH jumps for H.O.P.E.
The Early Childhood students held a Jump-A-Thon and joined together for a great cause. They took pledges and donations for the H.O.P.E. Foundation to help the families of Haiti. The students learned that even though they are little they can do big things to help others. Together the children jumped 100 times. They had a great time jumping on one foot, with their hands on their head, with their eyes closed, backwards and many other fun ways to get all the way to 100. To top it all off the ECH students raised $2,970.50. Way to go!


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

While encouraging a child to finish an assignment, his teacher was asked, "Do you want me to finish before it's dark out?" Josiah, 4 years old

While anticipating her Poppy's visit for Grandparents and Special Friend Day, her teacher asked her how long Poppy was staying for, she said, "Oh, about 9 seconds." Emma, 5 year old

Sports News

Soccer Stars Brianna Wills and Katy Leonard Featured in the Charlotte Observer
Soccer standouts Brianna Wills (junior) and Katy Leonard (junior) were featured in Wednesday’s edition of the Observer. Even though it is early in the season, both Brianna and Katy have had a fantastic season thus far, and are poised to help take the Girls Varsity Soccer team to a higher level. Click here to read the story.

Patriots Athletic News

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