May 5, 2017 Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, & Staff, Happy Cinco de Mayo! Following are this week’s FIDS updates: Teacher Appreciation Week. On behalf of the faculty and staff of FIDS, please accept my gratitude for making Teacher Appreciation Week memorable for our esteemed staff. Kudos to all who coordinated this gratitude-filled week; special shout- outs to Mrs. Anna Mehrabi, Parent Assn Teacher Appreciation Week Chair, and to Ms. Mary Reiling, Director of Development. Class Group-Shot Photos. Class group-shot photos are now available for ordering. This week, information was sent home with students containing the Blue Mango Studios’ website (www.blumangostudios.com) and a login password to view your child’s class photo. Free delivery will be provided to all orders received/paid by today, May 5, 2017. Parent Association Meeting. The May Parent Association (PA) Meeting will be held on Friday, May 12, 2017, at 9:00 a.m.—immediately following morning meeting—at the Fisher Island Tennis Center Conference Room. Please note venue change, which is necessary due to ERB testing. Moms and dads are invited to attend! ERB (Educational Records Bureau) Testing Dates. The annual administration of the ERB Comprehensive Testing Program will occur: May 8 - 12 for Grades 3 and 4; and May 22 - 26 for Grades 1 and 2. To ensure a successful administration of the test, please adhere to the following: Unless your child is ill, please make sure he/she attends school each day during the testing window. Students who are absent will be required to make-up the subtests they miss, prolonging the standardized-testing process. Make sure your child has a good night’s sleep each night and a nutritious breakfast each morning preceding the test dates. Test taking is one of life’s realities. Please present the test as an important opportunity for your child to demonstrate his/her knowledge and talent. Encourage them to do their best, but not to the point of creating fear or anxiety. Following each day’s testing, we will provide time for students to engage in enjoyable learning activities. Page 1 of 4 Basketball Game: FIDS Sharks Red Team vs. FIDS Sharks White Team. Please join us to cheer-on the FIDS Sharks Basketball Teams at the following match: Basketball Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Time: 5:00 p.m. Place: The Fast Twitch Little River Basketball Gymnasium 7400 NW Miami Court Miami, FL 33150 FCIS’ Heads of School Luncheon. On Wednesday, May 3, 2017, I joined several South Florida independent school leaders for a Florida Council of Independent Schools’ (FCIS) luncheon at Palmer Trinity School. In addition to me, the following individuals were in attendance: Dr. Gregory Blackburn, Head of School, St. Philip’s Episcopal School; Ms. Angela Ciocca, Co-Founder, La Prima Casa Montessori; Ms. Rosa Coronado, Assistant Head of School, St. John’s Episcopal School Dr. Mary E. Conroy, Reverend, St. Philip’s Episcopal School; Dr. John Davies, Head of School, Miami Country Day School Dr. Barbara Hodges, Executive Director, FCIS Ms. Lillian Issa, Head of School, St. Thomas Episcopal School; Mr. Olen Kalkus, Head of School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart Ms. Silvia Larrauri, Head of School, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School; Mr. James McGhee, Co-Head of School, Alexander Montessori Dr. Joyce McGhee, Co-Head of School, Alexander Montessori Mr. David Medder, Acting Superintendent, Westminster Christian School Ms. Lakshmi Nair, Head of School, St. John’s Episcopal School Ms. Tiffany Pfeiffer, Head of School, The Mandelstam School Mr. Brette Rothfield, Business Manager, Alexander Montessori Ms. Christina Simonds, Head of School, The Academy at Ocean Reef; Ms. Deborah Starr, Head of School, Beth Am Day School Mr. Frank Steel, Head of Schools, Gulliver Schools; Ms. Lois Weber, Head of School, La Prima Casa Montessori; and Mr. Otis Wirth, Head of School, Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School. The meeting provided the opportunity for leaders from South Florida’s premier independent schools to network, share best practices, and learn of new resources. FIDS KIDS Gala. FIDS’s Parent Association is pleased to host the inaugural FIDS KIDS Gala (school dance). Enjoy DJ entertainment, chaperone coverage, refreshments, and lite bites. Following are the details: Date: Friday, May 12, 2017 Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Place: Café Tangier Ages: Grades 1-5 (younger siblings may attend with an accompanying adult) Attire: o Boys – Bermuda shorts/Khakis and collared shirt or school uniform o Girls – Sun dress/pants and blouse or school uniform Page 2 of 4 FIDS Summer Camps—Specialty and Traditional. FIDS is pleased to offer four Specialty Camp programs during the month of June 2017. FIDS has partnered with leading children’s organizations in our community to bring these intimate recreational/learning experiences to our campus. Specialty Camps are being offered in addition to our traditional (Full Circle) camp program. Each Specialty Camp will provide students with immersive experiences in particular areas of interest. Specialty Camp programs capitalize on the Maker Movement, where students are inspired to “create” in a collaborative setting with their peers, learn, and have fun. As a convenience to our families, all Specialty Camp programs will be held at Fisher Island Day School. The Full Circle Summer Camp will operate June 12 – July 28, 2017. Please access additional information—including registration forms—at the following links: Click here for Specialty Camps information Click her for Traditional Camp information Miami City Ballet. This week, I met with key staff from the Miami City Ballet (MCB) to discuss partnership opportunities between FIDS and MCB beginning in the 2017-2018 school year. Stay tuned! In the interim, appended to this newletter is information about MCB’s summer ballet classes. Mosquito-Borne Illness Prevention. Please click here for the latest updates on our efforts to keep FIDS kids safe from mosquito-borne illnesses. Summer Reading List. "So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away. And in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall." — Roald Dahl. Our faculty is pleased to provide you with their recommended summer reading lists for children entering Grades K - 6 in the fall. Entering Kindergarten Students (Children are not expected to read these on their own.) A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes such as: o Twinkle Twinkle Little Star o The Itsy Bitsy Spider o Jack Be Nimble o Mary Had a Little Lamb o Three Blind Mice Numbers/Counting Books such as: o Goodnight Moon 123 by Margaret Wise Brown o Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson o Eggs and Legs: Counting by Twos by Michael Dahl o Fish Eyes- A Book You Can Count On by Louis Elhert Letter Books such as: o Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. o What Pete Ate from A to Z by Marie Kalman o The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionelli Kindergarten Readiness Books such as: o Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come by Nancy Carlson o Countdown to Kindergarten by Allison McGhee o Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes o Kindergarten Rocks by Katie Davis Page 3 of 4 Other popular suggestions: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/kindergarten http://www.greatschools.org/gk/book-lists/favorite-books-for-kindergartners/ Entering 1st Grade Students Amelia Bedelia I Can Read Book Level 2 by Peggy Parish Frog and Toad I Can Read Book Level 2 by Arnold Lobel The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina Entering 2nd Grade Students You Can’t Eat your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech Dear Max by Sally Grindley Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume Entering 3rd Grade Students James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Frindle by Andrew Clements Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Entering 4th Grade Students Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Entering 5th Grade Students Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka The Giver by Lois Lowry The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau Entering 6th Grade Students Watership Down by Richard Adams Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams Twitter. Follow me on Twitter @FIDSHOS. Thank you for your support in making this, and every week at FIDS, a wonderful learning experience for our children. Your partnership is greatly appreciated. Best regards, Michael Bell Head of School Page 4 of 4 Directors Lourdes Lopez Darleen Callaghan Arantxa Ochoa JUNE 19 JULY 21 / 2017 SUMMER BALLET CLASSES FOR KIDS AGES 3-18* *Open enrollment for kids ages 3-8. miamicityballet.org/school Auditions required for ages 9-18. 305.929.7007 [email protected] PHOTO: MCB SCHOOL STUDENTS © ALEXANDER IZILIAEV. .