CALENDAR OF EVENTS     

2010-2011 Annual Fund Update
With the start of the school year we have much to celebrate, including 100 percent participation from faculty/staff and trustees in gifts and pledges to this year’s Annual Fund. This was accomplished in less than two weeks. Parents and other school community members will receive information about the fund later this month. “The excellence of Davidson Day School owes much to the ongoing commitment of our community,” said Dr. Judy Reese, Director of Development. “DDS is off to a wonderful start this year.”

Family Spotlight: The Wolters
Davidson Day would not be where it is today without the support of many of its families.
Some such as the Wolters have guided the school since its early days. The family joined DDS 11 years ago when oldest son Zach ’14 was in preschool and the school building was in an old factory. The whole family— board Chairman Karen, Chuck, Hannah ’16 and Jack ’19—are all Patriots. Last week, Davidson Day honored the Wolters for their long-time leadership by naming our football, soccer and lacrosse field in their honor. Click here to learn more about the Wolters and their impact on Davidson Day.

TK & K Students: Bring a Friend to School
TK and Kindergarten students can invite a friend to school for a special morning of fun using invitations that will be sent home today in their backpacks. Invited friends should be the same age as their DDS buddy. TK friends are welcome 8:30-11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15; Kindergarten friends 8:15-11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 17. The parents of your child’s guest(s) are welcome to stay at school for an informal coffee hour or return at pick-up time. Please send RSVPs by Sept. 9 to Kate Smith at ksmith@davidsonday.org.

Don’t Forget to Activate Edline
Edline activation codes were handed out last week at MS and US Curriculum Nights. If you did not receive your activation code, please email Vanessa Noe at vnoe@davdisonday.org. When you activate your code, please make sure that you enter your email address. Edline will send you a verification email that you must respond to in order to receive emails from Edline. Grades will be uploaded to your child's Edline account on the 1st and the 15th of each month. You will receive email notification when your child's teacher uploads a new grade report. Assignments and announcements will also be posted daily to Edline. For more details on how to add your email address to Edline, click here.  

P.E. Updates
Thank you all for your patience these first weeks of school as we have refined schedules and teaching assignments for physical education. Going forward, Jessica Mitchell will teach most LS classes, Catherine Fulton mostly MS classes and Josh Wagner mostly US classes. We think you will be pleased with these changes.

The new P.E. uniforms already ordered by families are expected to arrive at school next week and will be distributed during P.E. class. For those of you who have not already ordered uniforms or would like to order additional uniforms, please note the ordering code has changed. Click here for a PDF file with ordering information. Please remember that all students in grades 4-8 must wear a P.E. uniform to P.E. class.

Changes to Facilities & Operations
We have centralized our operations departments under the leadership of Ben Putnam. In addition to remaining as the Director of The Davidson Day Institute, Ben is now Director of Operations for DDS. Ben will oversee our Facilities, Maintenance/Custodial, Lunch, Transportation, Emergency Preparedness and Technology (IT) programs.

For suggestions, questions or concerns, please contact:  Chris Graham (Facilities) at cgraham@davidsonday.org; Dr. Michael Seward Jr. (Maintenance/Custodial, Lunch, Transportation and Emergency Preparedness) at mseward@davidsonday.org; Allan Reed (IT) at areed@davidsonday.org or Ben Putnam at bputnam@davidsonday.org or 704-237-5281. 

Hail to the Chiefs
In this week's Student Government elections, Adam Cosgrove ‘15 was elected Middle School president. In the Upper School, Gabriel Mercer ’11 was elected Student Body president. Congratulations to all of the candidates for running a spirited race.

College Visits Next Week
All US students are welcome when the following colleges send representatives to our campus next week. To attend, students must sign up with College Counselor Stacy Allen two days prior to each visit.

• Thursday, Sept. 9 at 12:58 p.m. (F block): Meredith College, a women-only liberal arts institution with 2,000 students in Raleigh, NC.
• Friday, Sept. 10 at 11:53 a.m. (Activity period): Lynn University, a co-ed institution with 2,000 students in Boca Raton, Fla. Offers 3-year Bachelor’s degrees.
• Friday, Sept. 10 at 12:58 p.m. (F block): Berry College, a co-ed campus with 1,700 students and a Division I sports program in Mount Berry, GA.

Town-School Park Plans
The school hosted a workshop last Tuesday to help plan a new nature preserve behind campus on land owned by DDS. Under an agreement reached between the school and Davidson, the town will manage the eight-acre park, which is slated to include a kayak/canoe launch and walking trails. The school will keep one acre for a school playground. To learn more about plans for the park, click here.

Student Clubs Starting
MS and US faculty presented the options for this year’s clubs this past week. Students then began the selection process and will receive their club assignments next week. Clubs will meet during the Activity Period each Wednesday and will provide an array of enriching activities for students. The following lists include some of the options and faculty sponsors:

MS (grades 5-8): Arts Club (Tiffani Thomas), Battle of the Books ....Grades 3-5 (Margaret Fischer/Kelly Grothe), Battle of the Books.....Grades 6-8 (Audrey Pomeroy), Future City Competition (Henry Neale), Environmental Club (Kristin Metzler), Outdoor Adventure Club (Jolie Fabrizio/Vicki Carbone), Sports Club (Kristy Merical) and Yo-Yo Club (Ed Haponik).

US (9-12): A capella Club (Stacy Allen), Arts Club (Mike Thomas), Games Club (Julie Brown/Vanessa Noe), Guitar Club (Jessica Mitchell), Hip Hop/Freestyle Club (Meaghan Rigler/Jen Shiley), International Club (Amanda Priewe), Outdoors Club (Brad Laatsch), Social/Spirit Club  (Catherine Fulton) and Spanish Club (Devin Gracely).

Parking After School
Please park in our school lot or on Jetton Street when attending after-school events, including sports practices and games. DDS no longer has access to the nearby Childress-Klein (Sabi) or Harris Teeter lots, except on special occasions that will be communicated in advance.

Reminder: Outstanding Forms Still Needed
Please send in any outstanding school forms, such as the “blue” request for updated contact information sent this summer in the back-to-school mailing and your signed copy of the Family Handbook acknowledgement. Thanks for your help.

Send Summer Photos in for Yearbook
The Yearbook staff is looking for pictures of your summer fun. Please send your photos to Amanda Priewe at apriewe@davidsonday.org.

Declutter—Bring Your Old Magazines to School
MS art classes need old magazines, especially sports magazines, for a sports-related art project beginning soon. Please send any magazines you no longer need with your child to the MS Art room by Friday, Sept. 10.

Student Spotlight
Elizabeth Earp ‘20 is off to compete in The Cities of America National Pageant in Orlando, Fla. next year after placing in the Top 10 in her age group in the Miss Charlotte last weekend. We’ll keep you posted.

Reminder: Get Certified in First Aid and CPR/AED at DDS
Dr. Judy Reese and Charles Coddington are offering a Red Cross Standard First Aid with Adult and Child CPR/AED and Infant CPR course 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 at school for interested parents and students (grades 5-12). The CPR/AED certification you will earn is valid for one year and the First Aid certification is valid for three years. Cost: $65, the same amount charged by the Red Cross to take the class at their facilities. Space is limited and registration and payment must be received by Dr. Reese (704.237.5228 or jreese@davidsonday.org) by Sept. 10. Payments may be made in cash or checks payable to SFR). Click here for more details.

Davidson Day Institute for Educational Excellence

After-school Fall Enrichment Sign-ups
Flyers and registration forms for our fall after-school enrichment programs were sent home with your child this week. If you didn’t receive your forms, please let your child’s teacher know. The schedule is:

• Karate/Taekwondo, Mondays starting Sept. 13, ages 4 and up
• Soccer, Wednesdays, starting Sept. 15, teams for ages 4-5 and 6-7. There will be one additional practice Monday, Sept. 13.
• Mad Science, Tuesdays starting Sept. 7, TK-K and grades 1-4
• The Fashion Experience: Tuesdays starting Sept. 28, grades 5-8 (girls); Wednesdays starting Sept. 29, grades 9-12 (girls)
• Famous Artists, Wednesdays starting Sept. 8, grades 5-8
• Lights Camera Action: Wednesdays starting Sept. 8, grades 3-6; Thursdays starting Sept. 9, grades 7-12
• Golf-TGA, Thursdays starting Sept. 9, grades TK-5
• White Lightning Gym Bus, Fridays starting Sept. 10, TT-K.

All registration forms (except for the White Lightning Gym Bus) must be returned to school by Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. The gym bus registration may be turned in until Thursday, Sept. 9. Please make all checks payable to DDS. Questions? Contact Alyse Savoca, extended care coordinator, 704-237-5289 or asavoca@davidsonday.org.

Reminder: Before- and After School Care
Please register your child(ren) as soon as possible if you need Before and After School Care. Before School Care is from 7:15-7:40 a.m. and cost $5 per day. After School Care is available from 2:30-6 p.m. and has several payment options. Questions? Contact Alyse Savoca, extended care coordinator, 704-237-5289 or asavoca@davidsonday.org.

Parent Council

Get Involved in the Parent Council
The Parent Council met this Wednesday and is off to a great start with many wonderful activities planned for this year. To find out more about the Parent Council—their mission, their officers, contact information, events and committees—and how you can get involved, please click here. The full Parent Council meets again Oct. 6 with sessions at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Athletics

After-school Concession Stand Now Open
Get a snack and support the Patriots. The after-school concession stand run by the Patriots Athletic Club is now open 3-4:15 p.m. Monday-Friday. Please bring cash; credit accounts are not available this year.

Fall Sports Update
Our Cross Country, Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis and Football teams are off and running and continue to perform well. MS Soccer (grades 5-6 co-ed) opens their season today at Statesville Montessori School. To keep up with Patriots’ sports results, check out the school’s fan page on Facebook or Twitter account @davidsonday.