Teacher Margaret's "View From My Window" - February 26th

Dear Friends,

These two months of cold and snow are almost over. Even this transplanted, snow and cold-loving Hoosier is ready for spring. 

Our Middle School students will soon embark on a new, extended project focused on being a change agent in our communities. They will learn about political activism and civic engagement. Then they will choose an area of focus, research that area, create a plan for change, and present it to us. As a part of this process, they will participate in the FCNL legislative priorities process for the 120th Congress. The 8th-grade students will remember choosing five priorities to share with FCNL when they were in 6th grade.

NJ Assemblyman Balvir Singh will visit us in March. If you have suggestions for changemakers or people engaged in activism to speak to our Middle School students, please let me know.

Fourth-grade students are putting the final touches on the famous New Jerseyans Symposium. They are creating a video about New Jersey and memorizing their speeches describing who they have studied.

In art, pre-kindergarten students created postcards in the style of Alma Thomas. They mailed the postcards yesterday. Some very lucky people will end up with treasures to keep and then share back with these young artists when they are young adults! In my family, my mother keeps everything. At weddings, birthdays, and random occasions, she will return some treasured artwork or postcard from when we were very young.

The all-school musical is coming together! Please plan on coming to this wonderful celebration of talent, dedication, joy, and love.

Holding you in the Light,

Margaret

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Meeting for Worship and our February Queries focus on the Quaker Testimony on Integrity with a special emphasis on courage.  

This week Rabbi Coleman Reaboi joined us to share the story of Queen Esther and Purim. We wondered about courage and wearing masks and standing up for what is right.

• Do we listen authentically to others’ stories and perspectives?
• How do we stay engaged even when we disagree?
• How do we share our own stories?

Announcements:

• February 27 - Admissions Open House 9am-11am 
• February 28 - Valentine's Dance 
• March 2nd - WFS March Madness for community favorite book begins - last year’s winner was Jumper: a day in the life of a backyard jumping spider by Jessica Lanan
• March 4th - Meeting for Worship at 8:30. Please join us.
• March 5th - Fourth Grade Symposium
• March 6th - End of Trimester
• March 13-14th - Little Mermaid Jr, the Musical