CALENDAR OF EVENTS     

Important Information for January Parent Council Meeting

CANCELLED: MORNING MEETING
Due to the all-day administrative retreat that day, we have cancelled our January 6th Parent Council Morning Meeting only. We invite all of you to attend our evening meeting that same day. Our Parent Council Evening Meeting will begin at 5:30pm and will be held in the Commons. Headmaster Bonnie Cotter will be sharing some valuable and timely information from the retreat so please plan to attend. To accommodate our working families and everyone’s busy schedules, we will be providing childcare and a light dinner. We hope to see everyone there! If you are planning to attend, please RSVP Kelly Spiggle at kspiggle@yahoo.com.

Davidson Day Featured in Three Major News Articles
Over the past few weeks, our school and key members of our faculty and students have been featured in a number of articles in the local media. Be sure to check out our latest highlights throughout this edition of The Roundabout.

Mark Your Calendars for Homecoming
On Saturday, January 9th, our school is celebrating its first ever Homecoming!  All families are invited to join our alumni, student body and faculty for tailgating and festivities leading up to the Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball games.  Special recognition of our alumni will be featured during the games.  The fun starts at 3 p.m. and continues through the final buzzer of the Boys game. Please contact Anne Buechler at abuechler@davidsonday.org for more details! 

Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Ron Johnson Featured
in the Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer selected Ron Johnson to highlight in a feature story on the tremendous work he has done with the Boys Varsity Basketball team. With just eight games into the season, the team has already eclipsed the number of wins (7 wins, 1 loss) that they had all of last season (5 wins, 17 losses)! Click here to view this great piece.

Annual Fund
Board of Trustees - 100%. Faculty/Staff - 100%. DDS Families - 40%.

In the spirit of giving, we hope that you will remember Davidson Day this holiday season.  Your gift to the Annual Fund will ensure that the educational programs your child is experiencing each day are sustained.  Plus, it is not too late to reap the benefit of a tax deduction this year, if you donate before December 31, 2009.

Our most sincere thanks to the following who have already given:

Holiday Break Information
The front office will be open on Monday, Dec. 21st though Wednesday, Dec. 23rd from 9am-2pm, and Monday, Dec. 28th through Wednesday, Dec. 30th from 9am-2pm. The School is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. We wish everyone a safe and wonderful holiday!

Re-Enrollment Dates are Coming Up
In early February, we will be sending out re-enrollment contracts for the 2010-2011 academic year.  These contracts are due by February 15th, 2010.  Financial aid applications are due by February 23rd.  We are anticipating another significant increase in enrollment this year as we already have a record number of inquiries and applications. Many grades are already full or near capacity so please get your re-enrollment agreements in by the deadline to ensure your child’s spot for next year. You can access the Financial Aid application and information at http://davidsonday.org/application-process-checklist.html and clicking on the financial aid application link.  Please contact Anne Buechler at abuechler@davidsonday.org with any questions. 

Bottle Cap Collection Concludes
The Bottle Caps have been tallied and boxed. As a school, we collected 61,128 caps! The top three collectors of caps have earned a pizza party in January. And the winners are...

Mrs. Fuller's 2nd grade with 16,486
Mrs. Fischer's 5th grade with 11,227
Mrs. Raybourn/Mrs. Richardson's 3rd grade with 7,408

Special recognition goes to Christian Yellow Robe Yates (2nd grade) and Mia Caldwell (5th grade) for their individual efforts in their classes.

The Recycle Caps with Aveda program collects caps from thousands of schools across the country. Bottle caps are dangerous pollutants, littering beaches and oceans. See www.aveda.com for more information.

H1N1 Vaccinations Available During Winter Break
The Mecklenburg County Health Dept. will offer time slots for DDS students, staff and others who have not yet been immunized against H1N1 to do so during the winter break.  Appointments will be available and easily accessible. Please click here for more information.

2nd Annual Schoolwide Cookie Decorating
For the second year in a row, our students took part in a schoolwide bonding experience.  Our US student advisory groups went down to the Lower School to decorate cookies and talk with the younger students.  Our Middle School also decorated cookies with our Early Childhood students, and had the opportunity to read books and sing carols with the kids.  It’s always a special time. We want to thank Harris Teeter for donating the cookies again this year and Food Lion for donating the three colors of sprinkles.

Academic Enrichment Center

AEC Welcomes Diane Plyler
The Academic & Enrichment Center (AEC) is pleased to announce the addition of Diane Plyler to our staff.  She will be providing instruction to students and communicating with teachers and parents regarding the best teaching strategies to support student's academic needs.

AEC Seeking Part-Time Tutors
The AEC is also actively hiring part-time tutors for all levels of math and is looking for a part-time reading specialist to work with students in one-to-one and small group settings; both during the day and after school.  Please contact Dawne Kakitsis at dkakitsis@davidsonday.org for more details or to recommend someone you know.

Enrollment for Headsprout
The AEC is now enrolling students TK-1st grade for an after school Headsprout group on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30-4:30pm.  The Headsprout Reading Program is a computer based reading program that will support and supplement your child's reading skills.  Please contact Dawne Kakitsis at dkakitsis@davidsonday.org for more details.

Upper School News

Alesia Griesmyer’s Photo Featured in the Charlotte Observer
Senior Alesia Griesmyer was recognized by the Charlotte Observer for her photo that was selected for National Geographic's Daily Dozen. Of the 500 submissions per day from around the world, only 12 are selected each day.  Congratulations, Alesia, on being honored by two prominent publications for your outstanding work. Please click here to view story and picture.

Juniors Ring Ceremony
In November, Juniors Tyler Parrott, Katy Leonard, and Chris McKay received their class rings in a ring ceremony performed at Sabi's this year.  Traditionally, Herff-Jones representative Keith Guercio, Head of Upper School Brad Laatsch, and Senior Class Advisor Amy Hallman present the Junior class their rings with lunch.  There have been three ceremonies so far.

Any Junior or Senior who would still like to order a class ring, contact Amy Hallman at ahallman@davidsonday.org for more information.  Sophomores will have the opportunity to order class rings in the spring.

 
Angel Tree Program: A Huge Success
Thank you to all of the families that participated in the Angel Tree this year.  The response was absolutely amazing.  Because of your overwhelming generosity, we were able to make the holidays a little brighter for many Davidson area families. 

To show how much of an impact we made, see below an email that one of the project coordinators from Ada Jenkins sent to Vanessa Noe expressing her sincere gratitude.
From Janice Whitcomb:

I have to tell you that I had a hard time not crying when you and the rest of the
Davidson Day staff all left. I am just so amazed with the all the kindness and
wiliness to help our families. Due to the economy, a lot of the families have
never had to ask for help and for them, this is such a blessing. It helps minimize
the amount of change the children have to see and feel, and that helps the
parents emotionally. Again, thank you and please tell your group at Davidson
Day that they are much appreciated.

May you have a safe and wonderful holiday.

 

College Counseling News

College Planning Events in January
There will be two events in January for college planning.  On Wednesday, January 6th, the College Planning for Juniors program will take place in the Commons from 6:30-8:00pm.  On Thursday, January 7th, the Financial Aid Planning for Seniors program will take place from 6:30-8:00pm.  Both students and parents are encouraged to attend. 

The February 6th ACT registration deadline is Tuesday, January 5th.  Registration is available at www.actstudent.org.

College Admission 101 Program
Local college admissions professionals will be conducting a seminar in Charlotte on Sunday, January 10th regarding all aspects of the admissions process.  This will be a great opportunity to learn about standardized testing, financial aid, and college planning.  The fee for this program is $120, and the program is designed for 9th-11th graders.  If you are interested in learning more about this program, please contact Meaghan Rand for more details at (704) 237-5222 or mrand@davidsonday.org.

Middle School News

NASCAR Team Building
On Wednesday of this week, the DDS parking lot was turned into pit row to give our MS students a special treat during their advisory session.  The Middle School has been working on team building during the past month for advisory and they got to see it in full display.  Joe Nemechek and the Red Bull Pit Crew team came out to put on a demonstration of how teamwork looks in NASCAR.  They talked about each of their roles in completing a pit stop and then demonstrated on the Red Bull #83 car. The students had a fantastic time seeing how effective team building can be in all walks of life.

Thank you to Mr. Nemechek and Mr. Frye for setting up this unique and wonderful opportunity for our students.

The Stars were Aligned for 6th Graders Last Friday
The 6th grade held their annual Astronomy Overnight last week.  The evening included a scavenger hunt through the school doing various puzzles pertaining to astronomy. The scavenger hunt was won by Ty Dunham and Tori Whaley.  Although it was quite chilly, the sky was clear and the kids were able to spot several constellations easily; in particular, Orion.   They especially enjoyed seeing the red supergiant star, Betelgeuse; which is a part of the Orion constellation.  The evening continued with a spirited game of dodgeball and a midnight movie, October Sky.  To cap off the night, they even got some sleep! 

Sports News

Sophomore Dorian Albritton Featured in the Lake Norman Herald Weekly
Sophomore Forward Dorian Albritton is featured in this week’s edition of the Lake Norman Herald Weekly. Dorian has played a vital part in the success this year of the Boys Varsity Basketball team. Dorian leads the team in points and rebounds. Congratulations to Dorian on this great accomplishment. Click here to view the article.

Big Games for Boys Varsity Basketball During the Break
During the holiday break, the Boys Varsity Basketball team will be putting their 7-1 record on the line against some formidable competition. The action begins tonight as they travel on the road to take on Providence Day. Tip-off begins at 6:00 pm. Their journey on the road continues next week as they participate in the annual Holiday Tournament in Wilson, NC from December 21-23.  Please continue to support all of our athletic teams as they embark on the new year.

Ring in the New Year with Some Great Home Games
JV Boys, Varsity Girls, and Varsity Boys Basketball will kick off their home league season on Tuesday, January 5th against Gaston Day School.  JV game is at 4:30 pm, Girls Varsity at 6:00 pm, Boys Varsity at 7:30 pm.  Show our SPAA colleagues that there is no better environment for basketball than the Home of the Patriots!

We will also have our first Homecoming Games on Saturday, January 9th against Covenant Classical School.  The Girls Varsity game will begin at 5:00 pm and the Boys Varsity Game at 6:30 pm.

Davidson Day Swim Team Dives into Action
DDS swim team practice is underway.  At this point, the team has had four practices; all at the Lake Norman YMCA.  In January, practices will be in full swing with several meets on tap. If anyone is still interested in swimming, please contact Jennifer Yarbrough at jyarbrough@davidsonday.org.

Reminder of Code of Citizenship at Home Events
As we begin our home league schedule, we would like to remind paretns and students about our focus on positive citizenship at Davidson Day athletics events.  We believe that the athletic arena is an extension of our overall community. The high standards we set for ourselves in the classroom and in the community should extend to the gym, fields, and courts.  We want you to be loud, proud and energetic while having a great time at all of our athletic events.  We just ask that the enthusiasm remains appropriate.  With that in mind, a few guidelines/requests:

• All referees, opposing players, coaches, and fans are to be treated as guests of Davidson Day School.
• At all times, the highest level of respect will be paid to those who visit our facilities.
  We see ourselves as internal and external role models of correct behavior at athletic events.
• No opposing player, coach, or referee shall be verbally abused or focused upon in a negative way.  Treat them the way you would want your son, daughter or friend treated.

For NCISAA Guidelines please visit the following link: http://www.ncisaa.org/history.htm

Parent Council Corner

Walking Wednesday Report
We all enjoyed our fourth Walking Wednesday, huddled together around Santa Claus to keep warm on a brisk and joyful walk. Our holiday spirit theme came to life with lots of cheerful shirts, scarves, and Santa hats. Santa Claus was greeted with great enthusiasm as he arrived to walk, handing out sleigh bells and candy canes to all the walkers. Great job to all our 33 walkers!

Best theme attire; Justin Dennis. Walkers; Olivia Oosterhouse, Claire Oosterhouse, Aysia Johnson, Ronni Johnson, Laura Philips, Nasera Kaouss, Aicha Kaouss, Nell Buechler, Jake Buechler, Worth Honeycutt, Clay Honeycutt, Logan Brady, Austin Noe, Katie Noe, Ty Dunham, Carter Dunham, Brennan Bull, Justin Dennis, Evan Dennis, David Dennis III, Lauren Orfinik, Katie Cusick. Rollers; Trevor Dennis. Faculty; Danielle Cusick, Mike Cerkovnik, Vicki Carbone(special thanks for her support). Parents; Sheila Brady, Sherri Oosterhouse, Lisa Kaouss, Lori Orfinik, Laurie Dennis. A very special thanks to Santa Claus for taking time out of his busy schedule to walk with us to school.

Please join us next month on January 20th at 7:45AM at the Sadler Square Shopping center. We hope to see you there! Any questions please contact Laurie Dennis at davidlauriedennis@gmail.com