A Newsletter for the families and friends of Westchester Country Day School

From the Head of SchoolThis past fall the Board of Trustees convened a task force to research

the ways in which independent schools like ours work with students who have diagnosed learning differences. The group was charged with looking closely at our current program, at the other options available in our area, and at the needs that exist in our school family for these services.

The task force spent a great deal of time on campus in conversation with Lisa Meyer-Braun, Sara Britt Grein, and Claire Wilson learning the ins and outs of our current programs. They also met extensively with the division heads, the admissions team, the business office, select members of the faculty, and me to learn about both what we do now and what needs and opportunities might exist to expand these efforts in order to serve our students as well as we can. This team researched similar programs in our area, analyzed admissions and retention data, and called or visited other schools with programs such as this.

At the November Board Meeting, the trustees approved the task force’s proposal to expand the work that we do with our students with learning differences. Many of the suggested changes brought forth involve extensions or revisions of our existing efforts to support student learning. The heart of this recommendation, however, involves the creation of a Coordinate Instructional Program in grades three through eight that will allow students with diagnosed learning differences to receive language arts or mathematics instruction (or both) in discrete, small-group settings designed to meet their specific learning needs. These two subjects were chosen because they are typically where students with learning differences need the most help and because of the positive impact that success in these areas can have on performance in other subjects.

The goal of the expanded program is in keeping with the broader, ongoing goal of our overall learning support program--to equip students with the skills they need to move back into the classroom as soon as possible with an eye toward preparing them for the academic demands of the existing Upper School program. Students with diagnosed learning differences who move into the Upper School, while still eligible for certain accommodations (extended testing time, for example), will need to be prepared to learn and succeed in Upper School without this small-group option. Only students who need this type of setting to progress would utilize it; many of our students for whom our current support services are working well would not be affected.

The program outline and cost are now posted on our website; click here for more details. Our expanded Learning Support program will roll out officially at the beginning of the 2014-2015 academic year. The Wellness Committee, chaired by Pat Sams, will continue its work to oversee these important efforts. If you have questions about any of these new offerings, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or to Pat for further discussion.

Cobb

April 2014 Newsletter

In This Issue...

Headlines

Upcoming Events

Meet Your Wildcats

Arts Update

Athletics Update

For the College Bound

Counselor’s Corner

WAPA Notes and News

azzing up Wildcat Nation4 Saturday, May 3

5:30 p.m.Finch Center

Click here for tickets!

Thank you to our sponsors:

Allen and James InteriorsBank of North Carolina

Carolina AnesthesiologyIV and Leslie CulpDecorator’s Edge

Dixon HughesForeign Cars ItaliaMichael Goldman

High Point BankMolly Howard

Huntington HouseLorraine and Mike Ledford

Bill and Suzanne LoweThayer Coggin, Inc.

David ThompsonTrue Path Career Counseling

HeadlinesSenior Attends National Conference

Senior Lewis Miles was selected by the City of High Point to attend the national Human Relations conference in Madison, Wisconsin over spring break. Lewis was one of only five students from High Point who served as facilitators for discussion groups of students from across the nation at the Youth Action Project conference. This is the second year in a row Lewis has been selected to attend the national conference.

Two Seniors are Rotary Students of the MonthSenior Andrew Foreman (right) was selected as the High Point

Rotary Club Student of the Month.

Senior Hunter Heinbach (left) was selected as the Willow Creek Rotary Club Student of the Month and was recognized at the club’s breakfast meeting on March 20 at the High Point Country Club.

The Rotary Student of the Month program recognizes outstanding students who excel in both school performance and community volunteer activity.

Odyssey of the Mind Teams Place Westchester sent seven teams to the Odyssey of the

Mind Regional Competition in Greensboro on Saturday, March 15. We received two first places, one second place, one third, and one fifth. The other two teams were primary teams which present but do not compete. The teams that placed in first and second will go to the state competition on April 5 at Wingate University.

Odyssey of the Mind teaches students to learn creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. For more than 25 years, this unique program has helped teachers generate excitement in their students. By tapping into creativity and through encouraging imaginative paths to problem-solving, students learn skills that will provide them with the ability to solve problems -- great and small -- for a lifetime. The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students how to think divergently by providing open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve those problems. They are free to express their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. The creative problem-solving process rewards thinking “outside of the box.” While conventional thinking has an important place in a well-rounded education, students need to learn how to think creatively and productively.

Congratulations to all of our teams!

Three Westchester teams, including these two which placed first at the regional competition, will go on to compete at the state level.

Middle School Update from Mary KeeverMany may think of February as the month of love, but our Middle School is proving it is a month spent

loving learning! Some navigated this endeavor as an individual, as was the case for Kamran Chodri, while others chose a collaborative approach, as was the case for our mathematicians who travelled to a Math Day competition, and all Middle School Wildcats who learned to dance.

Kamran wrote and presented a beautiful essay for the annual Daughters of the American Revolution luncheon. He was poised and won the admiration of all. His essay focused on the hardships and challenges faced by soldiers, especially young soldiers, as well as their bravery and courage.

Challenges were also faced by our mathematicians at the annual Math Day competition at Jamestown Middle School. On February 1, 27 Middle School students gave up their Saturday to do math. Students took a 40-question multiple choice test with a time limit of ninety minutes. The scores from this test were used to determine the top ten individuals in each grade. The top four student scores of each school were used to decide the team scores for each school. After lunch there was a second competition called ciphering. Teams of four went one member at a time to answer four questions each as problems were projected on a screen. Students had one minute to submit an answer. Although our students did not bring home any trophies, it was apparent by their scores that out of fifteen schools competing, they were in the top third. The students who qualified, trained, and competed were: sixth graders Ellison Beaver, Carson Boyette, Alex Casas, Caleb Green, Zach Green, Deni Lewis, Nick Nottoli, Elizabeth Ragsdale, and Aditi Shah; seventh graders Zach Beale, Kamran Chodri, Susan Dhakal, Rayha Haque, Aidan Lim, Marcus Neacsu, Lilly Sheffield, Griffin Shigo, and Ava Tuggle; and eighth graders Victoria Atkinson, Matthew Boggis, Alex Evans, Luke Evans, Max Johns, Ambar Khawaja, Edward Lindner, Samantha Mickey, and Samuel Noyes. The highlight of the event was the prestige earned by Max Johns as he demonstrated the well-roundedness of our Wildcats in a free throw competition!

The two weeks between the winter and spring physical education seasons were spent dancing! Wildcat alumnae Cres Calabrese and her talented assistants, Gloria Wilson and Victoria Bailess, taught students and teachers alike how to dance! While some felt a bit of trepidation prior to the lessons, a great time was had by all! Ask a Middle School student to demonstrate the Bernie or the Shimmy for you; they will do so with enthusiasm and skill!

These are just three examples of the creative learning endeavors occurring in our Middle School. We have all been struck by the arrow of curiosity!

Summer Piano, Violin Lessons AvailableSummer piano lesson will be available on select days throughout the summer. Current piano students will

be contacted by Claire Clark. Anyone interested in beginning piano this summer should contact Claire at 336-706-2427 or 3clarkcentral@triad.rr.com. Students should be at least rising 2nd grade and should have a piano in the home for consistent practicing.

Summer violin lessons will also be available on select days throughout the summer. Current violin students will be contacted by Alison Lawson. Anyone interested in beginning violin this summer should contact Alison Lawson at 336-992-2882 or cordaentertainment@triad.rr.com Students can begin violin study at age 4 and up.

Spotlight on Student Writing

The following was written by fourth grader Meredith Harron for Mrs. Hawley’s unit on the Underground Railroad. Students were asked to pretend they were slaves and write an escape story. They incorporated facts they learned about the Underground Railroad within the story.

I was yelling, “Dad! Mom!” I could hear them saying back, “Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” Mom and I were crying. My family was getting sold! That was what happened to me six years ago. My name is Elizabeth Brown. I’m a slave on a plantation in South Carolina. Six years ago my family got sold to a plantation in Texas. I want to be free from the south and go to the north. It’s really hard to be a sixteen-year-old girl and escape, but I’m going to have help.

This is my plan: I heard Clara’s brother is coming back to help us on the Underground Railroad. (Clara’s my friend, and her brother already escaped a year ago.) It’s going to be very very dangerous though. There are several states to pass through, and Clara’s brother is worth lots of money now. We are going to have to be brave. Clara’s brother’s name is Henry. Henry is coming tomorrow.

“It’s time to go,” said Henry. Clara said, “At midnight?” “If we go any earlier we’ll get caught.” Henry is a kind of down-to-earth guy and strict. We gathered our things and started our journey. “We’re going to be free!” I excitedly whispered. “Last time I just followed this river upstream,” said Henry. “Then I stopped at an abolitionist’s house. We have to hide some places though.” My heart was pounding. Soon we came to a house. Clara asked, “Is this the abolitionist’s house?” Henry answered, “No. The house will have a candle in the window. We have to cross the river and hide here.”

We crossed the river and hid. I asked, “Why did we cross here?” Henry answered, “The dogs will follow our scent here and when we cross they will lose it. Then the slave hunters will think the person in the house helped.” We kept on going after that and finally we arrived at the abolitionist’s house. She knew Henry. She was a light skinned lady with a dog. Her name is Lucy Kabins. She said everyone calls her Kabi though. I got a little nervous around the dog even though it belonged to an abolitionist. Kabi gave us steak, broccoli, potatoes, and bread. It was delicious. I would say the best meal I have ever had. She also gave us clean new clothes. After the meal Henry asked, “Do you possibly have four train tickets?” Kabi answered back, “Yes, but why do you need four?” Henry said, “I was thinking you could probably pass as our master when we ride the train to Ohio.” We were in West Virginia now. It would be a very long trip to get to Ohio. Kabi said, “Yes, but it will still be very tricky. We will have to go on a ferry.”

She took us to the train station in a really nice carriage. We were all dressed in old rags for our plan. When we got there Kabi got on a different train car than us. At that point I was really really scared. One wrong move and we could go back to being slaves. It took two days to get there, but we finally did! We were fi-nally free! We said our thanks and goodbyes to Kabi and went to Henry’s house. Henry had a wife and two kids. Awhile after that Clara and I got our own house. We had such a great and free life.

The End!

Thank You! A special thank you to Craig Argo, Greg Huggins, Marianne Evans, Taylor Christiansen, Julian Flack,

Coach Thomas, Jack Argo, and the members of the Varsity Girls Soccer Team for helping clear the cross country trail and outdoor classroom after the ice storm. The GoFar Program and the athletic department thank you for volunteering your time to make sure all of our Wildcats can use these wonderful areas.

Thank you also to the Shigo boys (big and little) for clearing Wildcat Trail of trees and debris immediately following the ice storm so crews were able to get on campus and restore power.

Also during the ice storm, thank you to everyone who came out to help clean out “Luke Land.” Special thanks to the Play Production Class, the Atkinson family, the Hetley family, Admira Izic, and Susan Fagg.

Above, sixth grade students pose for a group photo outside of the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine where they recently spent a day touring college classrooms, anatomy labs, and clinical areas. Highlights included observing a canine MRI and the preparation of a horse for surgery.

Below, Salli Steward, D.V.M., mother of Emma and Alex and Lexington-based small animal veterinarian, visited the sixth grade science classes to provide an overview of veterinary medicine, prior the NC State Vet School visit (her alma mater). Dr. Steward’s visit and the field trip to NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine reinforced topics aligned with the sixth grade science curriculum on classification, taxonomy, life cycles, animal reproduction, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and animal science.

Students enjoyed tours of the Small Ruminant Unit and Equine Unit of NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The highlight of the tour was chasing, catching, and holding goat kids in the pasture! Above, Caroline Clodfelter shows off her “catch.”

Below are students at the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library on the main campus of N.C. State University where they received a tour of the library’s main attractions including the Bookbot- a 5 story automated robotic book retrieval system, a mobile device lab which included a 3-D printer, a 20-foot micro tile display immersion game lab, and an ice cream café which offered treats from the university’s own dairy - YUM!

Sixth Grade Travels to N.C. State

Upcoming EventsFoFA MeetingTuesday, April 1, 8:00 a.m., Library

WAPA Book ClubWednesday, April 2, 8:00 a.m., Library

Celebration of the Arts AuditionThursday, April 3, 3:15 p.m., Stage and MS/US Music Room Big Cat/Lil’ Cat Golf ExtravaganzaFriday, April 4, 1:30 p.m., Emerywood Golf CourseClick here for details and registration

Book FairMonday, April 7 - Friday, April 11, 7:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m., Library

Lower School ConferencesThursday, April 10, no school for Lower School students

Celebration of the ArtsSunday, March 13, 6:30 p.m., Rives Hall

Grades PK-2 Spring ConcertTuesday, April 15, 6:30 p.m., Rives Hall

Paws NightWednesday, April 16

Holiday BreakFriday, April 18 and Monday, April 21

Middle and Upper School Spring ConcertWednesday, April 23, 7:00 p.m., Rives Hall

Grades 3 - 5 Spring ConcertThursday, April 24, 6:30 p.m., Rives Hall

Meet Your Wildcats

Name: Wade Shigo

Title: Director of Finance, Ex Science Instructor, Middle School Golf coach

Family: Wife Michele, sons Daegan (15) and Griffin (13)

What was your favorite subject in school? Any math class

What book are you reading?Old Man and the Sea

Name of the last movie you watched: Talladega Nights

Favorite Restaurant: Blue Rock Pizza

Dream Vacation: Complete the Great Divide MTB Trail

Something most people don’t know about you: Have been training and competing in jiu-jitsu for over 10 years.

Favorite thing about Westchester: Being able to contribute in many areas such as summer programs, teaching, and coaching.

Summer camp registration is now open! This will be the best summer yet with lots of great new options including:

Click here for dates, descriptions, and

registration information!

• American Girl• Art Camp• Backpacking• Baseball Camp• Basketball Camp• Career Exploration• Cheer Camp• Cooking Camp• Drama Production• Mad Science• Mountain Biking• NC Adventure EXTREME

• Odyssey of the Mind• SAT Prep• Soccer• Summer Celebration• Wildcat 101• Yard Art• and many more!

Arts Update from Ann ParksDuring the month of April we welcome spring and celebrate the Arts with a series of concerts and events that will make you feel good! The Arts: To-gether finale will be Celebration of the Arts on Sun-day evening, April 13, from 6:30-7:30. Auditions for the performers in this event will be held after school on April 3. Desserts and beverages will be served; due to the wonderful support for the arts this year, the evening is totally free. We do need reserva-tions, though, so follow this link to save a seat.

The PreK-2 Spring Concert, to be performed Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m., is “E-I-E-I-Oops!” Enjoy the fun as the farm animals work together to get the cow to sing. Grades 3-5 will be performing “Rock and Roll Forever” Thursday, April 24 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The last semester has been a unit on decades in music, and our concert will feature hits from the 1950s-1990s. Footnotes will culminate their year with a music festival in Williamsburg, April 24-25.

What is spring without baseball? Chamber Singers will be performing the National Anthem at the Greens-boro Grasshoppers Game on Saturday, April 5. Later in the month, enjoy the Middle and Upper School Spring Concert April 23 at 7 p.m. This musical tribute will feature popular songs such as “Dream a Dream,” “Scarborough Fair,” and “Brown-eyed Girl.” These favorites will have you humming along!

Disney’s The Aristocats Kids is in production for an opening on Friday, May 16. Please be on the lookout for opportunities to help with the scenery and costumes later this month. We need your help and it’s fun!

Our Westchester young artists are hard at work on their Auction projects. Below is a sneak peek of the 5th grade auction project, a Kente cloth-inspired paper collage. Please support their efforts!

The Arts: Together

Together We Create Wildcat Nation

Congratulations to the following members of the Class of 2014 who have received college acceptances since our last newsletter:

Laieke Abebe – East Carolina University UNC CharlotteMikey Anderson - University of AlabamaJessica Barker – Hollins University Roanoke College Seton Hall UniversityChase Carroll - Virginia TechSarah Catto - UNC GreensboroDaniel Crooker – Millsaps College Wingate UniversityEmily Delmestri – UNC CharlotteMary Kate Farris – Clemson UniversityAndrew Foreman – Wake Forest UniversityDaphne Foster – Clemson UniversityGeorge Heath – New York University UNC CharlotteMessiah Henderson - High Point UniversityAnna Hood – Wofford CollegeAvery Keefe – Clemson UniversityPrajan Marhatta – UNC Asheville UNC Wilmington Western Carolina UniversityDylan Menchetti – NC State UniversityLewis Miles – Morehouse CollegeTracey Neza – NC State University Wake Forest UniversityDonnie Sellers – Wake Forest UniversityMyles Sowell – North Carolina A & T State University North Carolina Central UniversityCameron White – UNC Charlotte West Virginia University

Betty FlytheCollege Placement Advisor

For The College Bound Athletics Update from Coach Schwartz

The month of March was not very ideal for spring athletics, but April will certainly be when things start to heat up! All of our spring teams have an opportunity to win championships, and the next few months should be extremely exciting. Our Wildcat student-athletes are ready to have a memorable spring, and we hope everyone will come out to support all of our teams as they represent Wildcat Nation!

The TAC Conference Championships will be held at the following venues:

Varsity Girls Soccer – Salem College – 5/1, 5/2

Varsity Baseball – Caldwell Academy – 4/29, 5/1

Varsity Boys Tennis – Elon University– 5/1, 5/2

Varsity Golf – TBA – 5/5

Varsity Track – American Hebrew Academy – 5/8

MS Golf – Emerywood - 5/6

The State Championships will be held at the following venues:

Varsity Girls Soccer – Final Four – Forsyth Country Day School - 5/16, 5/17

Varsity Baseball – Championship – Fayetteville Academy– 5/16, 5/17

Varsity Golf – Talamore, Southern Pines – 5/12, 5/13

Varsity Track – American Hebrew Academy – 5/16, 5/17

Varsity Tennis – Barton College – 5/16, 5/17

The 2014 Athletic Recognition Ceremony will be held in Rives Auditorium on May 20 at 6:30 p.m., and our Spring Senior Night will be held on April 25 before the Varsity Baseball game at 7:00 p.m.

Spring Break FunMembers of the Varsity Baseball team (left) travelled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for spring break to participate in the Cal Ripken Baseball Experience.

Members of the Varsity Golf team (above) and their dads travelled to Bandon Dunes, Oregon, for spring break for lots of great golf!

Tenth Annual W-Day 5KSaturday, May 105K • 1-Mile Fun Run •

50-Yard Diaper Dash • Little Cat Lap

Click here

for more information and

registration!

Counselor’s CornerJust an update to parents of tenth graders – we have completed the Career Assessments. Please take a

moment, if you haven’t already, to discuss the results with your student. Many learned a great deal about how their personality plays a vital role in career choice, as well as their interests and abilities. It has been an exciting past few weeks! I have also emailed copies of both the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the I Start Strong Interest Inventory to each student for future reference. If you or your student has any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.

Now, on to the topic for this month… Failure – Is it Necessary? I have recently found a blogger who has intrigued me with a variety of topics and her even more so, with her writing, Her name is Kari Kampakis. I just wrote a blog on my WCDS Counselor Blog page about one of her articles concerning the 10 most common mistakes parents make, and I wanted to share this one with you. Has your child/teen ever asked to quit something? Have they ever given the reason that they “just are interested?” Are you unsure of how to handle your child’s failures? Maybe they were afraid of failing rather than just not interested… this was taken from Kari’s blog and I think it is certainly worth sharing. Enjoy!

“Life is hard. Disappointments happen. Sometimes we lose when we deserve to win. Sometimes we win when we deserve to lose.

As adults, we’ve had practice coping with letdowns. But for children, the pain is fresh and the wounds particularly deep. They’re not prepared for unexpected blows, nor do they understand how a loss might benefit them long-term. One rejection can feel like the new norm, and with every subsequent defeat they may fear they’ll never break the cycle. Once a loser, always a loser.

That isn’t true, of course – at least not for those who keep plugging away – but try explaining that to the boy cut from his baseball team or the girl who didn’t make cheerleader. Try convincing anyone who just failed miserably that there’s hope.

So what’s a parent to do? How can we pull our children from the pit when they fall in? I don’t have many answers, but I do know this: We don’t jump in the pit with them. We don’t act like it’s the end of the world or throw confetti on their pity party because that fuels their fears. Our attitude affects their attitude, and if we, in our infinite wisdom, send a message of doom and gloom, what does that say about their future?

Let me clarify that I believe parents should share in a child’s disappointment. We should cry with them if that’s where our heart is and allow a mourning period. Since many tryouts fall on Friday, we often have a weekend to work with. For two days we can grant our child permission to mope, scream, sob, and vent. We can let their ugliest emotions be acknowledged to get it out of their system.

But come Monday morning, the world starts spinning again. Come Monday morning, our child will have to rise back up and ask a crucial question: ‘What next?’ Will they try out again next year or branch into something new? Could now be the time for soul-searching?

People have different ways of moving on, and even if they’re spinning their wheels a while, going through the motions to get a game plan, it’s a step in the right direction.

As a parent, I worry about the heartache my kids will face. But my biggest fear is that they’ll quit trying. It happens all the time, and it happened to me in grade school when I stopped trying out for plays because I failed a few times.

For years my sister Krissie and I auditioned for productions, and together we made our first three. But then “The Wizard of Oz” came along, and Krissie made it without me. I was okay with one rejection, but when this same thing happened two more times I dropped out of acting. Having my little sister show me up was embarrassing, and by cutting my losses early I thought I could avoid future grief.

To this day I regret giving up something I loved. If only I’d admitted to my parents that my real reason for quitting was fear, not a loss of interest, they could have encouraged me to stick with it. They could have explained that failure is a part of life, and with every effort I made I increased the likelihood of the tide turning in my favor.

Babe Ruth once said, ‘Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.’ (For the record, he struck out 1,330 times.) In baseball a batting average of .300 is considered excellent. That’s basically hitting three balls out of ten – a statistic we’d balk at in real life. But could that be our problem? If we adopted baseball’s philosophy in all parts of life, would it take the pressure off us having a perfect record? Could it put our disappointments in perspective, reminding us that one home run – or better yet, a grand slam – can compensate for nine missed hits?

I think so.

If I have any advice for someone down on their luck, it’s this: Don’t give up. Hang in there. Work hard and believe in your ability to improve. If you really love something, stick with it because your passions help lead you to your calling. Giving up may seem safe now, but as you get older you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.

When an open door closes, another opens. Embrace new opportunities and be ready to act. As Confucius said, ‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ There’s no shame in trying, only the remorse of passively watching the world go by.

So jump back in the game by asking yourself, ‘What next?’ These two words may be the jump-start you need to a fabulous new chapter of life.”

- See more at: http://www.karikampakis.com/blog/#.Uysn4qhdXgc

Heather SingerMiddle and Upper School Counselor

Westchester Country Day is a college preparatory school that seeks to educate each child toward moral, academic, artistic, and athletic excellence in a nurturing, family environment where students, teachers, and parents support one another. By respecting the student and honoring learning, Westchester aims to cultivate informed citizens who are ready for a rapidly changing world and to graduate students who view the pursuit and wise use of knowledge as a lifelong joy.