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November 5, 2010 Vol. VI, Issue 9   Home Letter from Anne ~ What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured. ~ Vonnegut   How fortunate we all are to be a part of the Agnes Irwin community, where there is always someone to reach out and support, whether it be to a student, a parent, a colleague, or the greater community – we all embrace the notion that community is building a safe zone for all. And, in the wake of the recent news of multiple suicides among teens, it is all the more important that we are present and available.   Dr. Michael Fowlin reinforced this concept for the Middle and Upper School students this week with his compelling performance of “You don’t know me -- Until you know me.” I watched a rapt audience of both students and adults as “Dr. Mykee” shared many different individuals with us through his performance art. Laughter, tears, fascination, and compassion were all generated as we were asked to reflect on our roles as individuals who support and embrace community.   It is with this foundation that we enter this next week with the opportunity to share as a community. We will celebrate National French Week with art, music, food, and special projects. Each upper school grade will engage in a special project, with the juniors and seniors engaging with Lower School students. Of course, there will be great food all week long!   will continue our bonding in spirit with the faculty/student volleyball game, pep rally, and bonfire, and of course, the whole school cheering on our teams on Friday. We have already begun making posters in advisory, and Spirit Week promises to be fun with theme days.   Though junior/senior prom is still months away, the pre-prom is a wonderful opportunity for students to gather by class to take photos and leave for the dance together. I will host a pre-prom gathering for juniors in the Moran Gallery, and Dr. Seppala, supported by Parents’ Council, will host the seniors in the Laura Thomas Buck ’49 Pavillion. Hosting these gatherings by class keeps us together as a community prior to this exciting event.   Earlier this week, I witnessed a physical metaphor for community in the State finals for cross country, held at Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park. The Junior Varsity runners placed in seven of the top ten spots, making them the dominating JV team, and demonstrating the great depth in our continually building program. Varsity came in second place, beating Varsity teams from much larger schools. Each girl ran for her own record, but each girl also ran for her team. In fact, the Varsity team won because of the number of placements in the top twenty rather than any one individual win. This is community in all senses of the word – individuals working together to reach not only their personal best but their group best – supporting each other towards a challenging goal and then reaching that goal.   As Dr. Fowlin said to all of us, we should make sure to smile at the people we pass each day. We should not wait for someone else to acknowledge us, but we should be recognizing each human we pass as part of our community, our world. By doing this, we send the message that no one should be lonely, and everyone has the opportunity to connect and to find that stability we all seek and thrive on. As the Agnes Irwin Code of Conduct states, “Respect Yourself. Respect Others” and maybe we will all be able to say, “thank you for knowing me.”   Have a great weekend and please welcome our newest member of our community, David Sango, who will be teaching Upper School math for the remainder of this year.   Anne   Coming Up at AIS... Sat., Nov. 6 8:00 a.m.  SAT's, off-site   10:00-11:00 a.m. Affordability Workshop, Assembly Room Sally Keidel, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, will be making a presentation about affordability and the process of applying for financial aid. Any interested families are encouraged to attend. If you are planning on attending, please RSVP directly to Sally Keidel(skeidel@agnesirwin.org).   Sun., Nov. 7 1:00 p.m.  Book Fair Kick-off, Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   Mon., Nov. 8-Wed., Nov. 10 National French Week   Mon., Nov. 8-Fri., Nov. 12 Spirit Week Monday - Pajama Day Tuesday - Holiday Day Wednesday - Inter-Ac Day Thursday - Disney Day Friday - Blue and Gold Day   Mon., Nov. 8 7:30 a.m-3:00 p.m.  Book Fair Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   Tues., Nov. 9 7:30 a.m-3:00 p.m.  Book Fair Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.  FluMist Vaccination Make-Up Day   Wed., Nov. 10 7:30 a.m-12:00 p.m.  Book Fair Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   Thurs., Nov. 11 6:00 p.m.  Hot Dog Dinner Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   6:30 p.m.  Faculty vs. Varsity Volleyball Game Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   7:30 p.m.  Bonfire & Pep Rally Lower School Field   Fri., Nov. 12 1/2 Day for Lower, Middle and Upper Schools   2010 Schedule 12:30 p.m.  Cross Country Race 1:15 p.m.  Introduction of Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees 2:00 p.m.  Soccer Game and Tennis Match 3:15 p.m.  Field Hockey Game *All competitions will be played at AIS.   Sat., Nov. 13 6:00 p.m.  Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony     Downloads 2010 Flyer Announcements Attendance:  The school day begins at 8:05 a.m. and ends at 3:35 p.m. on Wednesdays and at 2:50 p.m. on every other day. Attendance is taken in the morning at 8:05 a.m. in assembly, advising, or class meeting.  If for any reason, your daughter will not be in school by 8:05 a.m. you must communicate with Mrs. Page, US Administrative Assistant at 610.525.8400 x1610 or send an email directly to dpage@agnesirwin.org.  Thank you for your time and cooperation.   Dining 101 is fast approaching. Please buy your Dining Card now! Click here for a download form. Also, an invititation to our kick-off breakfast will be arriving in your inbox early next week.   This week is French Week. Click here to see the exciting things that will be happening during La Semaine du Francais!   Volunteers are needed during next weekend. Please email Athletics (tkepp@agnesirwin.org) if you are interested in volunteering.