Dear Families,

On the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving, I added to my deep basket of blessings a visit that Laura Nevins, Brad Hutcherson, and I were privileged to have with several of our young alums who are still in college.

The reason for the visit was to hear about how Frederica Academy had or had not prepared them for college. The group of ten were at various stages of college competition and represented private/public and in-state/out-of-state universities. Not only was their intense loyalty to their college choice apparent, but each exhibited a deep appreciation for their Frederica Academy experience.

They agreed that they were definitely prepared for the work load and had developed the necessary management skills. Essay writing and research skills were comparatively excellent for all as was their use of the MLA Citation System. More experience with APA writing style and format for papers would be useful for some. It was also suggested that occasionally working backwards on math problems could be helpful. Taking more daily quizzes in certain classes would "keep them on their toes."

Group work seems to be fundamental to many classes and "the more projects the better."  Group presentations and the abilities to condense information and communicate well are assets.  Advanced Placement classes help establish what to expect and all should be working from a syllabus on a daily basis. Troublesome for all, and maybe disconcerting, was class registration. Some have discovered that helping each other learn helps them learn. This might suggest that maybe all older students might do well to work or take a class "teaching" in one of the Academic Centers.

All in all, I was thrilled with what they shared: their thoughtful remarks and suggestions, their superb manners and ability to speak well, but most of all the description of Frederica Academy as a "family" that taught them much more than facts. All ages mix, cheer for each other and share a bond with fellow students, teachers and building community. This special time certainly filled me with a very grateful heart for FA families here before, now and those to come.

I am pleased to share this experience with you.

Warmest regards,

Ellen E. Fleming

Interim Head of School

College Financial Aid Night will take place in Hamilton Hall on Tuesday, December 5, at 6:00 p.m.

A representative from the Georgia Student Finance Commission will share information on the HOPE Scholarship and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

All Upper School students and parents are invited and encouraged to attend. 

Dear Frederica Family,

 

We are excited about the upcoming Christmas Tree Lighting on Thursday, December 7th. The Middle School Band has been working hard over the last semester to learn new instruments and learn to read music. You are in for a real treat when they will begin their performance in the gym at 5:45 p.m. and will finish in time for the 6:00 p.m. program. I am so proud of each student. You are encouraged to cheer and clap after each piece. Your Middle School student can easily be a part of the Band next semester.

When the program has finished and you are making your way to the Christmas Tree outside Corn Hall, you will be greeted with the smooth jazz sounds of the Upper School Ensemble. Their music is all original arrangements with each student designing and working through each song. Jazz has been a strong influence with this year's arrangements. This next semester, we dive deeply into musical college prep, theory, and performance dynamics. We hope your Upper School student will bring their instrument and be a part of the Upper School Ensemble.

We are seeing the Music and Fine Arts Department grow in so many exciting ways with a three-year vision that will build one of the finest Music and Arts Programs in our area.

From all of the Fine Arts Department Staff to your family, we thank you for the honor to serve you and your family at Frederica Academy.

 

Merry Christmas,

 

Christopher Smith

Director of Fine Arts

The FA Book Fair will take place in the Media Center on December 4-8 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

In addition, the book fair will be open on December 7th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. during the Jingle Bell Celebration.

Students will visit the Book Fair with their class to shop and create a wish list that will go home with your child. Parents are welcome to shop any time that the book fair is open.

Approximately 20% of the gross proceeds from the book fair go to the library. Thank you for your support!

The Lower School is gearing up to participate in Frederica Academy's annual Giving Tree program! This is when Lower School families help local service organizations by providing a gift for a child in need. The Giving Tree program will be on December 20th, the morning of our last day of school before the Christmas break. The organizations we will be working with include:  Communities in Schools, Amity House, Coastal Coalition for Children, Safe Harbor, and Morningstar. We look forward to helping others have a Merry Christmas!

For more information, please click HERE to email Catherine Squire.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition for students of all ages. Students select a problem, create a solution, and then bring their solution to competition against other teams in their age category. Students work in teams of up to seven members under the guidance of a coach. Under the program, teams:

• Create solutions to long-term problems over a period of months;
• Come up with all the ideas and do all the work on their solutions themselves;
• Work within the cost limit stated in the problem;
• Have eight minutes to present their long-term problem solution in competition;
• Are scored for creativity in categories specific to each problem and for meeting the requirements of the problem; and
• Must also solve a spontaneous problem on the day of competition.

Middle School students in the community service course went to the Southeast Health Georgia System nursing home to help decorate the facility for the holidays and spend time with the residents. 

Mark Wentz is a renaissance man. He can do the following, in no particular order: b low glass, w eld, f orge, c arve, s culpt, b uild, p aint, b e a cool dad, and w restle (he went to Kent State University on a wrestling scholarship).

Last week, Mr. Wentz spoke to the Middle School students about his interests and why it is so important to explore your passions in life.

Click HERE to learn more about Mr. Wentz's background and HERE to learn more about his artwork.

In September, the 4th and 5th grade classes participated in the StringOn! Program sponsored by the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra. During this week-long class, students learned about the parts of the violin and began learning to play. It was a very exciting week and all of the students had a lot of fun.  Frederica Academy has again partnered with GIYO, and I am excited to add violin to our 4th grade music curriculum!

Students will learn about taking care of their own instrument, become fluent in reading music, understand and apply essential music vocabulary, and experience playing in an ensemble. We had our first lesson last Wednesday, and they showed me that they haven't forgotten what they learned in September! We had a lot of fun reviewing the parts of the instruments, the string names, and have begun learning our first song!

 

- Phoebe Shelton, Lower School Music Teacher