Updated January 17, 2019

Notes from Notestine

Celebrating Academic Success

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement and success have no meaning.” -- Ben Franklin

I am happy to report that our Middle School kids are working hard, growing, improving, and finding success.  The work has at times been difficult, but the kids feel a true sense of satisfaction because we have demanded much and required nothing besides their best efforts.  High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.  Most have given persistent effort to do the best possible under all circumstances.  There is no question that great teachers can make a huge difference in student achievement.  I am so thankful for all of you who also make a huge difference in your child’s success in the way you support your children and all that we do at the Academy.

In Middle School, Academic Eagle Awards are presented to students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 for gold or 3.2 for silver on a 4.0 scale.  Eagle awards are given after averaging the final semester GPA’s.  We are halfway there!  I wanted to share that in the 7th grade, 68% of our students made the Eagle roll, of which 26% made gold and 42% made silver.   We are also proud to point out that almost 80% of our students had a GPA of 3.0 or above! Our 8th graders also did well, with 64% making the Eagle roll, of which 20% made gold and 44% percent made silver.  Also, 80% of our 8th graders had a GPA of 3.0 or above!

Listed below are the semester one Gold and Silver Eagle students.  Remember, the actual certificate is given at the end of the school year so we need everyone to keep up the great effort!

8th Grade Gold
8th Grade Silver
7th Grade Gold
7th Grade Silver

Please encourage your Middle School kids to keep up the good work.  Some are so close to making the Eagle Roll and with a little extra effort, the goal can be achieved.

Riflery Team 

Middle School Riflery Training dates will be on April 30, May 1, and May 2 from 4:00-5:45 p.m. If you have any questions, please email or see Ms. Jefferson in room 315.

Host Families Needed!

We are excited to let you know Woodward Academy will be hosting visitors from our partner school in Shenzhen, China. From January 22 to January 25, we will have 39 7th and 8th grade students in the Middle School who will attend class with your children. We have hosted students for many years with much success! It always amazes me how powerful this experience is for all involved.

We are still looking for eight host families. If you are interested or have any questions, please email Stéphane Allagnon: stephane.allagnon@woodward.edu
Director of International and Global Connections

Counselor Corner

Welcome back for the spring semester!  We hope that your winter break was full of fun, family, and friends.  Our students have come back refreshed and recharged and have hit the ground running as we dive into a new term.  This week, our students have received their exam and semester grades from the first half of the year.  Students will be reviewing their exams in great depth in each class this week so that they can learn what preparation strategies were effective and what adjustments they can consider making for the spring exams.  We want to emphasize that our focus during Middle School exams is on the process and not the product.  While we certainly want to see all of our students perform well and to the best of their abilities, we also want them to learn from their exam experiences and use some trial and error to establish productive and effective study habits and routines before they begin in the Upper School.  If your child did not do as well on an exam as expected, help them to use this as a learning opportunity and see what improvements can be made in their study methods at the end of this semester.

Please mark your calendars!  Our next Middle School Parent Town hall will be on Thursday, February 14 in the Middle School Cafeteria at 8:30 a.m.

Meredith Draper, 8^th Grade Counselor
404-765-4436  
Meredith.draper@woodward.edu

Naima Williams, 7^th Grade Counselor
404-765-4437  
Naima.williams@woodward.edu

What’s the WAM?

We’ve moved our Weekly Advisory Meetings to Monday so that we can set the tone for the week and get our weeks started with a WAM!  Next Monday our groups will meet to talk about resolutions and goals for the New Year and the new semester.  We encourage our families to talk about this together and see how you can help our students set SMART goals and maintain their resolutions throughout the rest of the semester.  Check out our discussion topics here: Resolutions and Goal Setting: Parent WAM Information

Jock Journal

The MS wrestlers continued their winning ways, going 23-11 on the night against Westminster, Holy Innocents, and Pace. Hayden Fritts went 4-0 on the night while Aaron Richardson, Morgan Terry, and Damien White all won two matches. Congratulations to all the MS wrestlers and good luck at Landmark on Thursday.

Congrats to the MS Boys Basketball teams, who defeated St. Pius on Tuesday, January 16.  For the first time in many years, both of our boys basketball teams remain undefeated.

Warm Up for Spring Sports

Many of our spring sports will begin in early February.  Here is a list of our Middle School sports and their coaches:

Baseball Black Team: John Hunt
Baseball Red Team: Ryan Heming
Boys Lacrosse: Bo Bobinski
Girls Lacrosse: Lindsay Beard
Boys Soccer: Rob Moran
Girls Soccer: Don Shamp
Boys Tennis: Cindy Silvert
Girls Tennis: Ann Marmo
Track: Chad Ross

Big Chill Tickets Available For Woodward Parents

A limited number of tickets are now available for Woodward parents to attend the annual Big Chill event on Friday, February 22, at 8 p.m. at SunTrust Park!

Join the Woodward Alumni Association for an evening of food, fun, cocktails, and a chance to bid in our silent auction--all in support of need-based financial aid.

Purchase tickets or an event sponsorship today by visiting woodward.edu/bigchill.

Purchase Yearbook 

2019 Phoenix yearbooks are now on sale for $80 until December 7. After that date the price will increase. Purchase by clicking here.

Now Accepting Sibling Applications

We are now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 school year! Visit the Admissions Getting Started page to apply today. If you have family, friends, or neighbors interested in applying their children, you can send a letter of recommendation to admissions@woodward.edu to improve their chances for acceptance. Also, please encourage them not to wait for 9th grade to apply as our Upper School is at capacity and will have limited openings. Thank you for entrusting Woodward with the education of your child, and we look forward to helping your family and friends share the Woodward experience! 

Middle School Clubs

MS clubs began meeting in early September. Download the full list of our many clubs and their descriptions HERE.

Eagle Club: Thank you to the many homerooms who turned in PIG money to support our sister school in Terranova.  The Eagle Club appreciates your contributions to this worthy cause!!     
Bandrowski: $45
Crawford: $5.00
Goodman: $41.00
Hildebrand:  $10.00
Hill: $17.69
Listenbee: $10.00
Makkers: $16.72
Marshall: $65.35
McNeill: $45.00
M. Mousadis: $15.00
Owens: $10.17
Parker: $10.00
Parsons: $20
Tatum: $75.00
Trotter: $15.00
Wade: $10.00
Stratton: $15.00

Chaplain's Corner

Greetings Woodward Academy Community,

It is fantastic to be back on campus with our students for another great semester! I look forward to the many ways students will share special holidays and traditions with one another throughout the year at assemblies, panels, and immersion trips. As many of our religions encourage gratitude and presence, I pray that this year you enjoy each of the little moments life has to offer. In 2019, may each of us dwell in the present, with hearts of gratitude for the present, as if this is the only moment.

Throughout the month of January, students in our community will observe the following:

• January 13 (Sikhism) - Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1708) celebrates the birth of the tenth Sikh Guru, who created the Khalsa and the Fellowship of the Pure.
• January 6 (Christianity)  - Epiphany is the second festival celebrating Jesus as Christ, the first being the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas). The Western Churches associate Epiphany with the journey of the Magi to the infant Jesus, while the Orthodox Churches look to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.
• January 20 (Baha’i) - World Religion Day is the annual celebration of the teachings of unity found in all religions.
• January 21 - Tu B’Shevat begins at sundown on January 20. It is the New Year’s Day for Trees, and traditionally the first of the year for tithing fruit of trees. It is a day for environmental awareness and is marked by special meals that include the seven fruits of the land.
• January 27 - Holocaust Memorial Day is an international memorial day commemorating the tragedy of the Holocaust and the lives tragically taken.

Please feel free to visit our Interfaith Initiatives page to see the times of all interfaith prayer opportunities or to share a prayer request.

Blessings,

Chaplain K
Rev. Katie O. Kilpatrick, Academy Chaplain
404-391-7589, chaplain@woodward.edu

Check out the Parent Community Website!

Whether you’re looking to volunteer or wondering when the next Parent Community event is, you can now find it all on the Parent Community website: www.woodward.edu/parentcommunity. Please be sure to check it regularly for details as we plan to update it weekly. You can also follow us on Facebook @WAParentCommunity. 

WALive

Use voucher code "WAlive1819" here to activate your account so you can watch live Woodward sporting events, performances, and more throughout the school year.

Transportation Services Info

As a growing number of our students use services such as Uber, Lyft, taxis, private car services, and other similar means of transportation, please note that these forms of transportation are not sanctioned by Woodward Academy, and as such, patronage is at parental discretion.

Share Your Child's Achievements

Woodward's Marketing & Communications office is looking for news and stories from around the Academy! If your child has received a special honor, award, or has recently achieved something noteworthy, please email the team at marcom@woodward.edu. You are encouraged to send photos to accompany your stories as well.

Stories are used to update Our Latest News, content for the Academy's blog Beyond the Gate, press releases for the media, and posts on Woodward's social media pages. And be sure to follow @WoodwardAcademy on Twitter and Instagram, too!

I Wonder...

Have you ever wondered about any of your child's Woodward Academy experiences? Have you had any ideas or comments you wanted to share but no idea where to send them? We've created an “I Wonder” form in the Parent Portal to provide you with an opportunity to stay engaged throughout the year, rather than just at parent meetings. We invite you to share thoughts, reflections, and questions. Input can be anonymous, or you can include your email address if you would like a reply.

This “I Wonder” form is intended for questions/comments about the Academy as a whole. Please continue to consult your child’s teacher if you have a question or comment about your child’s specific class.

Woodward Middle School Attendance Policy

Parents, please note: If your child is sick or is going to miss school, we request that you email the school at absms@woodward.edu or call the Middle School office at 404.765.4430 between 7:15 and 8:15 a.m. to inform us.