Official Newsletter of Fisher Island Day School November 7, 2019 Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, & Staff, Following are this week’s FIDS updates. Friday, November 8, 2019 PA Meeting (Suzy Buckley’s home) Nov. 10 – 12, 2019 FIDS Re-Accreditation Evaluation Saturday, November 16, 2019 FIDS Soccer Tournament (See article below.) Nov. 18 – 20, 2019 FIDS KIDS Care Food Drive (See article below.) Nov. 27-Dec. 1, 2019 Thanksgiving Recess/No School Fisher Island Day School Re-Accreditation. FIDS, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, is fully accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS). On November 10-12, 2019, FIDS will undergo its five-year re- accreditation evaluation visit by representatives from FCIS. The seven-member accreditation team will be comprised of the following independent school leaders: 1. Amie Pitts*, Head of School, Glades Day School 2. Louis St-Laurent*, Head of School, Unity School 3. Leslie Downs, CFO, COO, The Benjamin School 4. Jenni Hager, Lower Division Head, Cornerstone School 5. Alison Murphy, Associate Director of Middle School, Lake Highland Prep School 6. Theresa Nabavi, Associate Director of Lower School, Windermere Prep School 7. Stormi Stein, Upper School Assistant Principal, Glades Day School * denotes team co-chair Other than the presence of visitors, it will be “business as usual” at FIDS throughout the accreditation team’s visit. Thank you for your adherence to all school policies and procedures, especially those pertaining to punctuality and morning drop- off/arrival. Our entire school community is looking forward to showcasing FIDS’s many wonderful attributes to the accreditation team. Scholastic Book Fair. Thanks go to the entire FIDS community for their support of the Scholastic Book Fair earlier this week. There are too many in number to name individually, but we greatly appreciate our many parent volunteers who helped make our autumn book fair a huge success. Page 1 of 5 Parent Association Meeting. FIDS’s November Parent Association (PA) Meeting will be held as follows: Date: TOMORROW, Friday, November 8, 2019 Time: 8:45 a.m. – PA Meeting 9:30 a.m. – Guest Speaker, Dr. Yoav Suprun, DPT, OCS, DIP.MDT, CSCS Place: Suzy Buckley’s (Alaska) Home 300 South Pointe Drive, Tower II, PH 4004 Miami Beach, FL 33139 Parking: Valet and metered parking is available. Transit: FIDS will offer roundtrip transportation on one of school buses on the day of the PA meeting. If you are interested, the bus will depart FIDS at 8:30 a.m. Please plan on attending to support the valuable efforts of our PA, led by Co-Chairs, Ms. Anna Mehrabi (Arianna, Mason, Max, and Mitra) and Ms. Katie Volé (Isabella, Liam, Max, and Robert). Please be reminded that membership in our PA is a benefit you receive by virtue of having your child enrolled at FIDS. Moms and dads are invited to attend! Guest Speaker: Our PA is pleased to present Dr. Yoav Suprun as a guest speaker at the November meeting. Dr. Suprun will provide a presentation on how we can often self-treat and prevent common orthopedic problems without surgery, medications, injections, or invasive procedures. Last Day of Operation Gratitude—Tomorrow, Friday, November 8, 2019. FIDS is supporting Operation Gratitude through the collection of Halloween candy, which will be sent to U.S. military troops. In addition to supporting those who sacrifice their lives for us, participation in Operation Gratitude helps instill in children a sense of give-back and charity. Tomorrow, Friday, November 8, 2019, will be the final day of collections in the school’s foyer. Only donations of non-perishable, wrapped candy will be accepted. FIDS Soccer Sharks v. Brickell Key Academy & Miami Beach South Pointe Elementary. On Saturday, November 16, 2019, the FIDS Sharks will play a series of games against students from Brickell Key Academy (BK) and Miami Beach South Pointe Elementary (SPE). All games will be played at Flamingo Park, 1200 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. FIDS Cheerleading Squad will be in attendance to encourage our teams to victory. Following are the preliminary details: 1:00 p.m. Little Sharks (K-2) v. South Pointe Elementary (SPE) 2:00 p.m. Little Sharks (K-2) v. Brickell Key Academy (BK) 2:30 p.m. Big Sharks (3-5) v. South Pointe Elementary (SPE) 2:30 p.m. Big Sharks (3-5) v. Brickell Key Academy (BK) Please have your child/children arrive 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Page 2 of 5 STEM Update. Much is happening at FIDS in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math), thanks to our STEM coordinator, Ms. Samantha Rosa; art teacher, Ms. Jacqueline Roch; and the entirety of our esteemed faculty: Selected grade levels celebrated National Earth Science Week. Students learned the process of fossilization, fashioned fossils, explored oceanography, and collectively created a coral-reef mural. Students also visited a Pop- Up Natural History Museum hosted by the FIU Geology Club. As a part of the Fairchild Challenge, Middle School Botany students became Space Farmers when they began the Growing Beyond Earth project! Students are actively testing edible plant cultivars to assist scientists at NASA determine which plants will be considered for growth in future space missions. Middle School Botany Students attended a Fairchild student workshop. Students went on a rare-plants tour and participated in a Q&A with an expert horticulturist. Students were also able to interact with plants that are extinct in nature! Fisher Island Day School was awarded a 2019-2020 Fairchild School Garden Grant. The grant will be used to purchase garden tools to begin our native and butterfly gardens. Grades 4 through 8 students began the Pinecrest Gardens 6th Annual Environmental Contest "Wings of the Tropics." Students will be conducting scientific research to describe and illustrate winged organisms living in the tropics. Grade 5 will be the first FIDS class to participate in the National Geographic Geo Challenge. This project-based, multi-level environmental competition challenges students to investigate and solve the urgent issue of plastic pollution in our waterways. FIDS students are not the only STEM students! During the month of October, Mrs. Rosa & Mrs. Roch received direct training from NASA Plant Scientists, Everglades National Park Rangers, and University of Miami PhD Botanists. Page 3 of 5 FIDS Kids Care Food Drive. Feel the joy of giving with your family this holiday season! The annual FIDS Kids Care Food Drive will take place for only three days: Monday, November, 18th through Wednesday, November 20th. Donated items will be delivered on Thursday, November 21st, 2019, and the donated items will then be distributed to those in need on Friday, November 22nd, 2019. The Food Drive will help support the charitable work of Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach. We will have two collection locations: FIDS (on-island); and Lauren Coleman’s residence, 45 Star Island Drive (off-island). We are unable to accept perishable foodstuffs or donations of money as part of the food drive. To ensure we have an equal number of requested items, please pay attention to what is being asked, which is based on the first letter of your child’s LAST NAME. The suggested donation is one filled tote bag per child. If the first initial of your child’s last name is between A-L: If the first initial of your child’s last name is between M-Z: Please stock a canvas tote bag with handles (reusable bag) Please stock a canvas bag with handles (reusable bag) containing the following specific food items for the containing the following specific food items for low-income homeless. These items do not require appliances to households. These items may require appliances to consume. consume. NO GLASS JARS, PLEASE!!! NO GLASS JARS, PLEASE!!! Applesauce (with peel-off lids) Canned soup Canned fruit (with peel-off lids) Cereal Canned meats (with peel-off lids): e.g., sausages, Coffee tuna, sardines, etc. Dried beans (1-lb. bag) Canned soup (with peel-off lids) Pasta Crackers Rice Granola Bars Sugar Potato chips (individual snack bags) In addition, we have asked all families to include the following hygiene supplies in their canvas tote bags: Combs Deodorant Shampoo Soap bars Socks Toothbrushes Toothpaste Although this act of giving is geared to be a whole family project, it is important for the children to be as involved—if not leading this project—at home. It is a valuable moment to understand the value of giving and having an attitude of gratitude. Should you have any additional questions, please see our PA Co-Chairs Mrs. Anna Mehrabi, Mrs. Katie Vole, or Ms. Sierra Goggins, School Counselor. Page 4 of 5 Athletics, Active Hours, & Extracurricular Programs. FIDS’s Athletics, Active Hours, & Extracurricular Programs (after- school offerings) for the second trimester commence on Monday, December 2, 2019. Tried-and-true favorites are offered this trimester, as well as new classes—such as Calligraphy, Dance, Drama, Focused Movement Academy, and Sewing. We have partnered with various community-based organizations to offer FIDS students a wide array of extracurricular activities. Course information and a schedule are available by clicking here or as appended to this newsletter. Those parents interested in JCC Sports may complete the registration process directly with the JCC at this time. If you need assistance, please contact Ms. Burke, [email protected]. Thank you for your support in making every week at FIDS a wonderful learning experience for