CALENDAR OF EVENTS     

2009-2010 Annual Fund
Thanks to the support we have already received, the 2009-2010 Annual Fund is off to a good start. Davidson Day’s Board of Trustees led the way early, achieving 100% participation prior to the official launch of the Annual Fund.

We have extraordinary plans to realize growth and innovation in all areas of the school, from academics to athletics, from arts to community service, and from technology to trips abroad.

Your support of the 2009-2010 Annual Fund enables us to see these plans come to fruition, and to deliver educational excellence to your children. Your Annual Fund donation enables your tuition dollars to work harder by funding a level of program advancements and opportunities that lie beyond the reach of tuition.

Thank you to the trustees, staff, faculty, and families who have already stepped forward to give to the Annual Fund and by doing so, have already had a hand in enriching the lives of our children. Click here for the Annual Fund Giving List as of Oct. 2nd, 2009.

Please help us achieve our goal of 100% staff, faculty and family participation by giving to the Annual Fund by Friday, October 9th.

Monday Starts Spirit Week at Davidson Day
Students and teachers are encouraged to participate in a week of fun and spirited dress down days.  The cost to participate is $5.00 for the week.  All collected money will go to Student Council for their hosted events throughout the school year. Students and teachers must continue to follow appropriate dress code expectations with length of skirts, no shorts, no tank tops, etc.  If a student decides not to participate, they must be in dress code/uniform. Each division will have a daily winner for their best costume. Winners will be awarded gift cards from the concession stand.

 
Monday-College or Team Day: Students and teachers may wear jerseys of their favorite college or professional sports team!
 
Tuesday-PJ day: Everyone gets a day in slippers and jammies!  Appropriate and safe dress code needs to be adhered to.
 
Wednesday-Wacky Tacky: 'Nuff said here. 
 
Thursday-Twin Day: Students and teachers dress identically to another student or teacher that day!
 
Friday-School Spirit Day: Patriot and DDS wear. Show your school spirit!

Please contact Kim Garrett at kimgarrett4@gmail.com to purchase your Spirit gear to participate in Spirit Week any day next week. You are welcome to pay with your Patriot account, and forms can be found on the DDS website along with a full catalog of items and prices.

Make-Up Photos
Friday, October 9th, the photographer will be returning for make-up photos. Any students that are planning to take make up photos, please contact Amy Hallman at ahallman@davidsonday.org to be scheduled.

If your child does not attend school on Fridays and you need make up pictures, you will need to come Friday morning between 9:00-10:00 AM. This is the only make-up day to be scheduled.

November 21st is Casino Night 2009 -- Save the Date!
In just a little over a month, Davidson Day will be presenting Casino Night 2009! This exciting event will be on Saturday, November 21st at Race World USA. The action begins at 7:00 p.m.

The Casino Night 2009 Committee would like to thank the following new sponsors: StrataForce (Greene family), Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Bernie Sandler), Cunningham Wholesale and Davidson Chocolate Factory. We are honored to have your valuable participation in this grand event.

If you or a family that you know or a business you admire are interested in donating to this year’s event, please contact Susan Sandler (Casino Night 2009-Chairperson) at sandler411@mi-connection.com.

Recruit New Patriots
Davidson Day School's Admissions team is holding two Open Houses this fall: one next week on Tuesday, Oct. 6th at 6:30 pm and another on Saturday, Nov. 21st at 10:00 am.  These Open Houses welcome anyone interested in learning more about Davidson Day School and the educational programs we offer.  We are seeking your help as DDS parents in two ways:

• The best prospects for our school are your friends and their children!  If you know any families that you'd like to encourage to consider DDS, the Open House is the best avenue for them to hear our Admissions presentation, have a tour of the school, and pose questions to our administrators, faculty and current families.  Please spread the word about the Open House dates/times.
  
  
• We'd love your help to serve as an Open House volunteer as well!  If you are willing to mingle with prospective parents who attend the event -- to represent DDS and answer questions -- please contact Carrie Lott at clott@davidsonday.org.  (Thank you to those parents who have already offered to help for either/both dates; Carrie has your names and will send you instructions shortly.) 

Academic and Enrichment Center Update

Michael Clark’s Creativity Equates to Excellence
The Academic and Enrichment Center would like to recognize Michael Clark for his creativity and storytelling skills both in the AEC and in Dana Gillis' Creative Writing class.  Through storytelling on an impromptu subject "what you see through an open window," Michael created a vivid picture of what he "saw" including in-depth details about Bejing China, the CIA, and a chemical company. Congratulations, Michael, for your creative and focused efforts.

The AEC would like to announce that after school tutoring is in full swing and we invite all students from Davidson Day School and out in the community to take advantage of our one-on-one tutoring from 3:30-7:30 pm Monday-Thursday in the AEC.

Upper School News

Clay McLean Featured in University City Weekly
In their current issue, University City Weekly did a feature story on one of our fine students, Clay McLean (click here for the article). Clay took part in a six-week college prep program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. The six-week college prep program focused on Engineering, Science and Math. Only 70 high school students in the country were selected out of 1000 applicants. Needless to say, it is an extraordinary achievement.

Clay plans to apply to MIT, Princeton, Harvard and Brown universities to study chemical engineering.

College Counseling News

Charlotte Independent Schools Fair This Weekend!
Sunday, October 4th from 2:00-5:00 pm: Charlotte Independent School College Fair at the Ballantyne Hotel (10000 Commons Parkway, Charlotte).  This fair is available to all 10th-12th graders, and over 150 colleges were in attendance last year.  If you would like to attend this college fair, please contact Meaghan Rand at mrand@davidsonday.org or (704) 237-5222, since you need to register to attend. 

PSAT is Just Around the Corner
The PSAT will be administered here at Davidson Day School on Wednesday, October 14th in the morning to all 9th-11th graders.  The charge for the exam is $13 payable by check or using the Patriot Account.  If you are paying by check, please submit your payment to Ms. Rand as soon as possible.  Please feel free to contact Ms. Rand by email or phone if you have any questions. 

College Representative Visit Schedule:

Monday 10/5, 9:45 am—University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Monday 10/5, 2:30 pm—Washington University of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Tuesday, 10/6, 10:30 am—University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Friday, 10/9, 9:45 am—Johnson and Wales University, Charlotte, NC

Friday, 10/9, 10:30 am—UNC-Asheville, Asheville, NC

If a student would like to attend one of these college counseling sessions, please contact Ms. Rand by email or phone as soon as possible.

Middle School News

DDS Students Selected to Duke University’s 7th Grade Talent Search
Six of our Davidson Day Middle School students have gained the distinction of being invited to participate in the 30th anniversary year of the Duke University Talent Identification Program’s (TIP) 7th Grade Talent Search.  These students were selected to participate because they achieved a qualifying score in the 95th percentile or higher on a recent grade-level test.

The six students that have been selected are Emma Brennan, Duncan Hammond, James Morris, Dillon Nels, James Rees and Jessica Riou.

“We are overjoyed to have six of our fine students to be selected for this prestigious program,” Davidson Day Middle School Division Head Mike Cerkovnik said. “Duke is well known to be one of the best universities in the country, and having our students associated with one of their great programs is truly a wonderful achievement.”

The six students selected are also very excited about this opportunity and are well aware what type of honor this is. “I feel honored to have been invited to participate in the Duke TIP’s 7th Grade Talent Search,” Davidson Day 7th Grader James Morris said. “Each day in school I try to work as hard as I can, and this honor lets me know that my hard work is paying off.”

Lower School News

4th Grade Travels to Sound to Sea
The 4th Grade classes went on an overnight excursion to the Outer Banks of North Carolina as part of our Science and Social Studies Curriculum topics of habitats/ecosystems and regions of North Carolina. They spent three days exploring Bogue Banks Island and the Bogue Sound. The students discovered the variety of habitats that encompass the island including beach, salt marsh, sound, pond, and maritime forest. They caught quahog clams, stone crabs, moon snails and saw and touched many other sound/marsh animals. They also dissected a squid, learned about the squid defense mechanisms, and got to write their initials with the ink of the squid after finding and breaking open the ink sac. The students had a wonderful experience learning about the Atlantic Coastal region of North Carolina and how to independently take care of themselves away from home for three days!

Early Childhood News

Johnny Appleseed Moves from Montessori to TK
In TK, the children spent a full week learning about apples and Johnny Appleseed. They learned about the phases an apple tree goes through to produce fruit and the importance of the bees in this process. The students learned about several varieties of apples and tasted many of them too! They also enjoyed the process of 'reading a recipe' to make their very own applesauce. Can you say…YUM!


My Family and I Am Special!
The Eaglet Class had a take home project that consisted of making a booklet that included pictures of their family, home, favorite vacation spot, food, and movie.  They really enjoyed sharing their "My Family" projects with their friends.   The children also made a graph to show how many family members they have and made body tracings for their theme: "I Am Special!" 

See the Photo Gallery for some pictures of our projects.

Sports News

Athletic Calendar
Please visit Davidsonday.org/sports for next week’s schedules.

Mission Possible: George Barder Does the Impossible
Both the Boys and Girls Middle School Cross Country teams were victorious last Tuesday as they defeated Christian Family Academy, Covenant Classical and Clearview Christian. Melissa Zammitti continued her unbeaten streak with a time of 15:04. But the story of this event belonged to (7th grader) George Barder. In just his very first cross country meet with Davidson Day, George won the entire race with a blistering time 13:55. It was one of the most impressive feats in DDS athletic history. Congratulations George on achieving what many people thought was impossible!

On The Mark: Varsity Soccer Team On a Tremendous Roll
Talking about peaking at the right time, the Patriot Boys Soccer team has now become a force to be reckoned with. The team has not lost a game since September 10th as they head into the stretch run of the regular season. Led by the excellent striking of Brian McGrath and Demond Gates, coupled with the excellent goalie play of Omar Caldwell, this team is determined to finish the season on top. 

Three of a Kind: Middle School Soccer Making Hat Tricks Look Easy
The DDS Middle School soccer team has had an exciting two weeks of soccer! Our Middle School team has won two of their last three games by defeating Clearview Christian School 5-2 and Christian Family Academy 7-0. To add to this excitement, two players have been able to achieve one of the hardest feats in a soccer game: scoring three goals-also known as a hat trick. Those two players have been the Wolter kids, the brother/sister tandem of Zach and Hannah Wolter.

As the season has progressed, the team has pulled together to create a solid force emphasizing great passing skills, team effort and good sportsmanship. Coach Katie Gordon thanks everyone for supporting the team and helping make this season a successful one.

MS Students Team Up with Davidson College Football and United Family Services
The Middle School Student Council is showing their leadership early as they are partnering with United Family Services and Davidson College football during the October 10th game at Richardson Stadium. Davidson Day students will assist in a halftime competition on the field to support UFS. For more details or to purchase tickets, please click here.

Parent Council Corner

Walking Wednesday
Our first Walking Wednesday of the school year was a huge success. Thanks to all of you who walked and rolled with us last month. For those of you who couldn’t join us, plan to walk with us on October 21st. You don’t want to miss it.

Parent Council Meeting
Mark your calendars for our first evening Parent Council Meeting! It will be held on Wednesday, October 7th beginning at 5:30 pm in the Commons. To accommodate our working families and everyone’s busy schedules, we will be providing childcare and a light dinner. This meeting will be in addition to our regular morning meeting at 8:30 a.m. that same day. We hope to see everyone there!

Note: If you are planning to attend our evening Parent Council Meeting, please RSVP Kelly Spiggle at kspiggle@yahoo.com.

Patriots Athletic Club News

PAC Needs YOU
The DDS Fall Sports season has been outstanding so far, and the school and the student athletes are very excited about the entire sports year. We encourage you to become a member of the Patriots Athletic Club and join our efforts to make DDS students’ athletic experience the best it can be! 

For annual membership information, contact Megan Lynch at MeganML65@aol.com or 704-231-9797 or download the membership form by clicking here. GO PATRIOTS!