January 6, 2006

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E-Bytes Contents

Artrageous - The Big Event

Athletic News

Booster Club

Car Pool Dilemma

E-Bytes Reminders

Early Childhood

Lower Division

Middle Division

Poll: World Peace

Poll Results: Winter Break

School Survey Update

Shorecrest Business Partners

SPA Meeting

Strategic Plan: Listening Sessions

Technology Fair

Three Cheers for...

Upcoming Events

Updating E-mail Addresses

Upper Division

Wanted: Digital Cameras

School Survey Update

The school survey was sent via-e-mail to all parents and students on Thursday. Your efforts to provide us with your opinion about our school programs will be appreciated. The survey runs until January 16. If you did not receive the survey, please contact Karen Bruggeman at 522-2111 ext.111.

Upcoming Events

Jan. 6 Friday

• Middle Division Science Fair
  Student Activity Center
• Seniors return from Retreat

Jan. 8 Sunday

• Open House
  1:00 p.m.

Tell a friend!

If you know any prospective families, invite them to see what makes Shorecrest special.

Jan. 9 Monday

• Softball Starts
• Alumni Association Meeting
  Admin. Conf. Rm. 5:30 p.m.
• Booster Club Meeting
  Student Activity Center 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 10 Tuesday

• Trustee Day
• Tennis Starts
• Picture Lady and Gentleman Day
  Classrooms 2:00 p.m.
• Booster Club Meeting
  Student Activity Center 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 11 Wednesday

• Athletic Awards - Golf
  Janet Root Theatre 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 16-20 Mon-Fri

• Girls Soccer Districts

Jan. 16 Monday

• School Closed
  Martin Luther King Day
• Baseball starts

Jan. 18 Wednesday

• Athletic Awards - Swim and Dive
  Janet Root Theatre 7:00 p.m.
• Athletic Awards - Volleyball
  Janet Root Theatre 8:00 p.m.

Jan. 19 Thursday

• Shorecrest Parent Association Meeting
  Student Activity Center 8:15 a.m.

Jan. 20 Friday

• "Aesop's Fables" for EC - Grade 2
  Crisp Gym

Jan. 23-27 Mon-Fri

• Boys Soccer Districts

Jan. 23 Monday

• Track Starts

Jan. 24 Tuesday

• Athletic Awards - Cross Country
  Janet Root Theatre 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 25 Wednesday

• Athletic Awards - Cheerleading and Football
  Janet Root Theatre 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 26 Thursday

• Early Childhood Parent Chat
  Student Activity Center 8:30 a.m.

Jan. 27 Friday

• Tennis Meeting for parents and students
  Student Activity Center 6:00 p.m.

Jan. 28 Saturday

• SAT

Jan. 30 - Feb. 3 Mon-Fri

• Girls Basketball Districts

Booster Club Meeting

Since school was in recess on the first Monday in January, the meeting will be on Monday, January 9 in the Student Activity Center at 7:00 p.m.

Shorecrest Parent Association Meeting

Please join us for this month's Shorecrest Parent Association meeting, where Mrs. Jean Carnes and Mr. Richard Beaton will be discussing Shorecrest's Honors and AP courses.

Minutes of the previous SPA meeting.

Wanted - Digital Cameras

Are you planning to upgrade your digital camera? Do you have an old digital camera collecting dust? If so, we can certainly use it in the classroom. Visual literacy is defined as the "ability to construct meaning from visual images." In this highly visual information age, visual literacy is becoming an important aspect of the curriculum.

There are many instructionally valuable lessons that teachers can enhance with the use of digital cameras. However, none are as powerful as those that put the camera in the students' hands. We would like to create a class set of cameras for the students to use. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

Please send your camera along with any peripherals and/or cables (if available) to your child's teacher or Mrs. Baralt in the Lower Division Computer Lab. Thank you so much for your support.

Updating E-mail

If you need to change your e-mail address or would like to add additional e-mail addresses, please send your e-mail addresses to the registrar at jroberge@shorecrest.org. Thanks!

Results of last week's poll:

Travel? Out-of-town guests? Tell us about your Winter Break.

27 people in my house -- I have to sleep on the floor in my parents' room.
- Family lover

New Mexico.
- Eighth grader

Alaska! The last frontier. Beautiful mountains, snow, moose, and 21 hour darkness.
- Teacher

My winter break we are going to Africa then Antarctica! I am like so exited!
- Traveler

I went to Antarctica.
- Seventh grader

Just like any other -
- Student

We're going for our third trip to Belize!
- K mom

This year I am going up to Trukee CA (that is near Tahoe, Nevada). My family and I are going to go skiing, downhill and X-country. I can hardly wait!
- Skigirl

Off to Colombia as a family for clean air, lush mountains, and great food.
- Parent

I go to Colorado every year -- yeaaaa! I always celebrate holidays there!
- Sixth grade girl

Cruise.
- Pirate

Disney World - Almost every Christmas our family takes a 5 day vacation to Disney! We go to every park and see everything there is to see. We stay at the wonderful hotel, called Celebration! Every night, they close down one street and "snow" comes down! It's great for kids of all ages. There are cute little coffee shops and a movie theater. My favorite part is the huge lake in the middle of the whole city where you can fish or look at all the turtles lying on the lilly pads!
- Student

Going to England to watch the greatest futbol club in the world... Arsenal!
- Junior

Stayin' home and chillin so sweet - the presents will come to me ha ha ha.
- 2cool2say

Staying home and drinking hot chocolate. Yummy!
- Chocohalic

On my winter break I got to see my cousin from Italy. At a hotel resort we stayed there for 2 nights. We went on paddle boats and did mini golf all that stuff.
- Fifth grade

I went to Jarvis land.
- Tinker Bell

To the Keys!
- Excited kid

This holiday was very different because my eldest son got married Sept. 2 and I spent it with him and his new wife who calls me mom.
- Parent for 32 years

I'm going to Massachusetts where I plan to freeze.
- J-dawg

We're staying here, and relatives are coming. We will shoot fireworks and go camping. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Quanzaa, or whatever you celebrate!
- Not telling

I'm going to my house!
- Seventh grader

No school! WOOT!
- The Dean

I am going on a nice trip to New York with all my best friends. We are going to many cool places. Maybe even TRL (Total Request Live) on MTV.
- Seventh grade girl

Partying - this is weird!
- D. Duck

I'm going to my house then I'm going to sleep and when Christmas comes I'm going to wake up and gather all my presents! Then I'm going back to sleep. Then I'm going to sleep more and more....
- Lazy boy

Staying home and sleeping!
- Someone who is alive

I'm going on a cruise to South America for 7 days. We're going to visit Belize and other Central and South America countries, while we're there we are going to go kayaking in clear kayaks.
- Sixth grader

Every year we drive to St. Louis through the mountains of Tennessee. The highlight is the overnight stay halfway through at the Chattanooga ChooChoo and their indoor pool with waterfall. We hope this is not the year we get stuck in snow!
- Mom

I'm going to Lake Tahoe and go skiing.
- Girl

Skiing in Utah with 15 of us sharing a house....chocolate, smores, festivities galore. Then home to rest and wait for Santa
- Second grade mom

I went skiing in Utah with my dad's side of the family. There were 15 of us and we stayed in one house! We skied 4 of the 6 days, and the other days we had snowball fights, built a snowman, went in the hot tub, etc.
- Sixth grader

I went to Las Vegas - it was sooo cool.
- Seventh grade girl

I am going to Virginia.
- Florida-girl

Sign Up for E-Bytes Reminders

If you do not currently receive a weekly e-mail on Fridays notifying you that E-Bytes is updated, please send a request with your name and e-mail address to ebytes@shorecrest.org and we will be happy to add you to the list.

E-Bytes is a collaborative effort of dozens of members of the Shorecrest community.

To submit material to E-Bytes, please send it to Diana Whittle at dwhittle@shorecrest.org and remember to write "For E-Bytes" in the subject line of your message.

• Diana Whittle, Director of Marketing and Communications
• Bob Clingman, Editor

Upper Division

Junior Exchange Raises $10,334

Last month the Junior Exchange Club had a visit from Hardy Bryant, our sponsor at the Northeast Exchange Club. Mr. Bryant presented Club Officers Chloe M., Kelly M., Sandy L., David H. and Mindy S. with a check that was earned by the club's hard work at Ribfest.

The members ran a corn booth for the entire 3-day weekend and raised $10,334 for All Children's Hospital. The Club received 10% of the profits to donate to charities of their choice.

Senior Retreat

Members of the Class of 2006 departed Wednesday after school for the traditional Senior Retreat at Cedarkirk.

Good Citizen Award

This year's recipient of the Good Citizen Award given annually by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is Shorecrest senior Katie S. Katie was chosen based on a 500 word hand-written essay and on her character, leadership, service, and scholarship.

Katie will be honored at the spring DAR luncheon at which she will receive a $100 scholarship and a plaque. She will be entered into the state competition for additional awards and scholarship money.

Congratulations!

Lower Division

Coffee House

On the morning of December 15, the scent of hot cocoa and the sound of "snaps" filled the Morean-Manning hallway. This unusual sensory input could be traced down to Mrs. Burton's class while students were sharing pieces of their writing coffee house style. Each student chose a piece of writing that he or she wanted to share, and then everyone went to work perfecting the piece so that it was ready for performance and publication.

On the morning of the Coffee House, each author shared his or her selection as the class sipped on "coffee" (hot cocoa) and nibbled on biscotti. The readings were lauded with "snaps" rather than rounds of applause, and the pieces were gathered into a beautiful anthology that now resides in the classroom library. Each author also received a photocopied anthology to enjoy his or her own writings and, also, those of "contemporaries."

Mrs. O'Grady and Mrs. Counts have earned their masters degrees. Congratulations!

Happy New Year!

Mrs. Densa's first graders are ringing in 2006 by making their very own resolutions! Some resolutions outside of school include making their beds, helping set the table, taking out the trash, and even being nice to siblings!

Classroom resolutions range from using their neatest handwriting to pushing in their chairs. It is going to be a great 2006! What are your resolutions?

The Lower Division extends a warm welcome to Tyler P. as he joins Mr Shelton's kindergarten class and the Shorecrest family.

Self Portrait Chairs

In Mrs. Rowe's art class, fourth graders studied the art of Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) and Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890). Van Gogh and Gauguin were friends and at one time shared a home in Arles, France. The students concentrated on Van Gogh's paintings of two chairs, one his and the other Gauguin's. Each chair reflects the personality of the person who used the chair.

Our fourth graders have taken a cue from Van Gogh and have created "self portrait chairs." The completed pieces from Mrs. Burton's class and Ms. Tucker's class are on display in the Lower Division office. Pay attention to the color selection, chair style, and any additional details in order to learn about each of our own artists.

Geography Bee

The Lower Division's love of geography was clearly evident this week as the fourth grade students participated in the preliminary rounds of the 2006 National Geography Bee. More excitement was generated when seven students out of the entire fourth grade were able to correctly answer five out of the seven required questions. On Thursday the entire fourth grade assembled at the picnic tables in the quad for the tiebreaker. The winners are Skyler E. in Ms. Tucker's class and Nick B. in Mrs. Burton's class. Congratulations to these two geographers as they advance to the finals on Monday, where they will compete against the fifth through eighth graders.

Third Graders Eat the Moon

Third graders have been studying the moon, its phases, and relationship with the earth. The children spent the month of December observing the phases of the moon. A Moon Pie Party was held to celebrate the completion of this activity. Each child was given a delicious moon pie. Mrs. Ford read the story, Jimmy Zangwow's Out of this World Moon Pie Adventure by Tony DiTerlizzi.

The teachers called out the moon phases (full, gibbous, quarter, crescent), and the students ate the moon pies to represent each phase. They enjoyed every bite all the way to the new moon (no more moon pie).

First grade students and teachers enjoyed a genuine pajama party the last day of school before winter break.

Early Childhood

A Great Way to End the Year

The last day of school in 2005 was a special one for the Early Childhood students! They performed in the Janet Root Theatre for the first time and did an admirable job. The parents seemed even more excited to see their children on stage than the children were to be there! The selection of songs included some of our old favorites about love and caring as well as songs of the season. At the end of the program, Mrs. McIvor received a bouquet as a token of appreciation for her amazing ability to put together such a wonderful and developmentally appropriate program with these young students.

Following the concert, the children enjoyed winter-themed parties with lots of crafts, games, and delicious snacks. Many thanks to the room parents who helped the teachers by getting the supplies and volunteers needed to have such a successful morning.

Happy New Year

Best wishes for a happy healthy new year from the Early Childhood faculty! The children returned from vacation excited to see their friends and teachers and seem happy to be back in their regular routine. Though they were only gone for two weeks, it seems as if they all grew in the interim! This is the time of year that the children's development seems to accelerate rapidly. We are looking forward to facilitating this growth during the second semester and continuing to work in partnership with parents to ensure the best for each child.

Upcoming Events - Mark Your Calendars

January 20 - Aesop's Fables in the Janet Root Theatre at 1:00 p.m. (No Nap) - Please notify the teacher if your child usually leaves before nap but you wish him/her to stay for the performance.

February 3 - Grandparents/Special Friends Day - If you have not already done so, please contact the Advancement Office with the names and addresses of the guests your child would like to invite.

February 24 - Junior Kindergarten Pet Show at 8:20 a.m. on the Reilly Family Softball Field - All JK students will participate with their pets, live or stuffed! Parents are invited to watch the fun. Live pets require an adult "chaperone."

Sunflower House

Since the beginning of the year, we have been watching the progress of the sunflower seeds planted by the students.

When you drive by the Early Childhood playground, glance over at the garden and enjoy the beauty of these mammoth flowers.

February Field Trips

For the upcoming trips to the Clearwater Aquarium (Junior Kindergarten) and the fire station (Alpha), the boys should wear their green polo shirts with the Shorecrest logo or their dress shirts, and the girls should wear their jumpers.

Artrageous - The Big Event

Attention Parents… Important information regarding this years Big Event!

• Deadline to RSVP to the Acquisitions Party at the Murphys' is January 16, 2006…you don't won't to miss the party!
• Deadline for Corporate Sponsorships has come and gone; however, we are offering one last chance to get your company name on an Artrageous Affair T-Shirt for the Big Event. Please let us know by January 9, 2006.
• First time ever, we will be offering an Online Auction for select acquisition items with live bidding from January 11 - January 30.
• Details on these acquisition items available exclusively through the Online Auction will be included on a flyer in the next parent mailing.
• Back by popular demand…$10,000 Tuition Raffle or $5,000 in cash…stay tuned for information on how to buy your raffle tickets for the Big Event.
• How you can help…acquisitions needed, please drop off any items at the Office of Advancement on or before February 15, 2006.

Click here to go directly to the auction site.

Our Shorecrest Students benefit from the most important fundraising event of the year, join us in making this the best year ever!

For further information please contact Special Events Manager Lisa Wikholm at 522-2111 ext. 114 or Lwikholm@shorecrest.org.

From the Headmaster

Car Pool Dilemma

Due to popular request, I am inspired to comment on carpool traffic since our return to school. Could it be that the Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl kept us up later than usual and therefore we got late starts to school this week? Could it be that we have more individual drivers and fewer carpools than before winter break? Could it be that carpool lines will improve as they did in the fall? Regardless of the reason, drivers who arrived after 7:45 on Wednesday and Thursday spent some extra time in lines and people who arrived after 7:50 were delayed even longer. We do not want you to be frustrated while driving on campus.

Shorecrest assigns four maintenance staff, a dozen faculty and administrators and a wonderful team of parent volunteers to assist children and their drivers. During the first semester we had one reported "fender bender" and one serious accident when a moving vehicle struck a member of the faculty. Our goals must remain safety first and efficiency second.

Drivers and staff members observe that delays are caused when:

1. Cars arrive at the same time. Over 500 cars come through the driveway. If they all arrive after 7:45, there will be bottlenecks.
2. A driver decides to park on the side of the road, or in the basketball courts.
3. Children are not prepared to get out of the car.

For the common good, I encourage all drivers to:

1. Drive safely.
2. Come a few minutes early to avoid a last minute rush and unnecessary anxiety.
3. Avoid parking on campus between 7:30 and 8:00.
4. Encourage your children to be organized and ready to unload.
5. Be courteous of each other.

Finally, I encourage all drivers to remember that we are modeling behavior for our children. Let's be sure to demonstrate kind, courteous and responsible behavior that we hope our children will copy today and in the future.

Three Cheers for:

Julia (fourth grade) and Marc (sixth) B. who spent part of their Christmas Eve serving needy families at the Metropolitan Ministries holiday tent in Tampa.

Athletic News

Athletic Schedules

Date Change In Tennis Meeting

Any students interested in playing JV or Varsity Tennis should attend an informational meeting on Friday, January 27 at 6:30 in the Student Center. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please contact the Athletic office to sign up.

Boys Varsity Basketball Holiday Tournament Results

Coach Maynor was pleased with the effort of the Varsity Basketball team at the Keswick Holiday Tournament. Coach Maynor commented, "We had seven players for the tourney that played their hearts out, and it was one of our best experiences in that tourney ever!" The Chargers had an exciting two point win against a team from Canada.

All County Swim Team Announced

Congratulations to Kelly M., Rachel S., Jackie S., and Sandy L. for being named Honorable Mention on the St. Pete Times All County Swim Team.

Team Picture Dates Coming Up

Girls Varsity Basketball

• Monday, January 9 at 4:30

Girls JV Basketball

• Tuesday, January 10 at 2:50

Girls Middle Division Basketball

• Tuesday, January 10 at 2:50

Boys Varsity Soccer

• Wednesday, January 11 at 3:30

Boys Middle Division Basketball

• Thursday, January 12 at 2:50

Boys JV Basketball

• Thursday, January 12 at 3:30

Boys Varsity Basketball

• Thursday, January 12 at 3:45

Fall Sports Award Nights Coming Up

Wednesday, January 11

• Golf Awards at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, January 18

• Swimming & Diving Awards at 7 p.m.
• Volleyball Awards at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, January 24

• Cross Country Awards at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, January 25

• Cheerleading & Football Awards at 7 p.m.

Middle Division

Published Student

Mrs. Meyer's sixth grade student Marc B. answered the following question from the language arts newspaper The Write Stuff: "Besides giving you a present, what's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you." The newspaper had more responses to this question than to any other, but only two were selected for publication. Marc wrote an impressive tribute to a coach who took a struggling baseball team and turned them into the fifth ranked team in the state. The coach was Marc's dad.

Geography Bee

The National Geographic Geography Bee will be held Monday, January 9 at 1:00 p.m. in the Janet Root Theatre. The following Middle Division students will be competing: fifth graders Felipe C. and Kyle C., sixth graders Joey S. and Hannah W., seventh graders Hobie L. and Mary R., eighth graders Nick V. and Dane S. These students were selected in classroom competitions, and we wish them well in the next round.

Fifth Grade International Friday

The last Friday of first semester, the fifth graders were treated to an international experience. In the morning, students played international games and created their own version of international art, including some great looking Faberge eggs. Best of all was the fantastic Thai lunch provide by the Thambundit family. It was a full-course delicious Thai meal that was appreciated by everyone. Thanks to all of the parent volunteers for their time.

Science Fair

Middle Division science students from grades five through eight participated in the annual Shorecrest Science Fair this week.

The Student Activity Center was filled with a wide variety of projects from many branches of science. Each science teacher took students to the Fair to examine and evaluate the projects. A group of adult judges weighed in on Wednesday night. Winners will be announced at the Geography Bee on Monday.

Quad-a-Palooza a Pre-Holiday Hit

Over 100 seventh and eighth grade students poured into the Quad to celebrate the end of the semester. Although it was a mildly chilly December night, students kept warm with dancing, throwing the football, or DDR (ask a student if you don't know what that is). It was a different kind of dance and turned out to be a hit with the students. A special thanks goes out to the eighth grade Lifeskills class for planning, setting up, and cleaning up the event. Also, thanks to our great chaperones!

A New Look for Our Tables

The seventh grade Lifeskills class brought some new color to the Razook Center Quad. With Leah A. and Mary R. providing a bright color palate, the seventh graders repainted seven tables in a variety of designs. The quad never looked so good!

Study & Learning Center News Update

Our after-school study hall will be meeting in two of the sixth grade classrooms this quarter. We will be using room 6-1 and room 6-2, which belong to Mrs. Meyer and Mrs. Wells. Our fifth and sixth graders use room 6-2, and room 6-1 will be used by the seventh and eighth graders. When you come to the Sher Center to pick your child up, please walk to the back of the building and you will find us on the left hand side in the last two classrooms.

TIP Information Update

If you are a seventh grader who has registered to take the SAT in January for the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP), you will want to save two afternoons to attend two separate help sessions for this test. The sessions will focus on test taking skills and strategies that will familiarize students with the directions and format of the test.

The MATH session will be first and given by Mrs. Beth Wall, the Head of the Math Department in the Upper Division on Wed., January 11, 2006 from 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The VERBAL and WRITING parts will be the following week on Wed., January 18, 2006 and will be taught by Dr. Emerson Littlefield, the Head of the English Department in the Upper Division, also from 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Rooms will be announced later.

Students attending should bring materials with them: paper, pencils, a calculator and the SAT Practice Book that has been sent to them in the mail. They may also want to bring a snack.

Please make every effort to attend both of these sessions before taking the actual test at the end of this month! Please call Sue Dattilo, TIP Coordinator, with any questions/concerns at ext. 157.

Shorecrest Business Partners