FA Weekly e-Newsletter (11.28.21)

A Message from the Head of School

“I am still learning.” Michelangelo at 87

Dear FA Families,

Laura Nevins travelled north to Nashville a few days ago to receive her well-earned and highly coveted Doctorate of Education (Ed. D) from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College’s Leadership and Learning in Organizations program. Vanderbilt is one of the most rigorous and respected graduate schools of education in the country, and Dr. Nevins has spent the better part of any “free time” that she has eked out over these last three years working her way through that program. She is a wife and mother of a Pre-K son and both the Assistant Head of the Upper School and the Director of College Placement with a caseload of nearly fifty seniors.

Dr. Nevins is an exemplary adult example on campus of the full embodiment of the list of “Attributes of a Graduate” that I write about frequently. She is the kind of person who you would want your child/student to interact with and learn from during his/her travels through the Upper School.

This past Wednesday, in fact, Brad Hutcherson, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, hosted a Young Alumni Council meeting (see photo below) where graduates from the last five classes met with Dr. Nevins, Helen Rentz, John Pope, and me to share their ongoing experiences at college and discuss ways that FA could adjust the student experiences here on campus to better serve the end needs of our graduates. To fully appreciate the positive impact that Dr. Nevins has on the school in general and every FA Upper School student in particular one need only to witness the pride and joy that Dr. Nevins takes in each graduate’s successful placement in, and adjustment to, their college experience and reciprocally their delight in reuniting with Dr. Nevins at an event like this Young Alumni Council gathering.

But that is not why I am choosing to write about Dr. Nevins this Sunday.

I am writing this brief tribute to her this morning because she is the apex model of a genuinely curious lifelong learner who had the energy and commitment to follow through and complete her degree despite an incredibly busy life and a hundred good excuses to avoid her course work. She is truly an authentic learner… not performing for the grade or another’s approval but for the pursuit of knowledge and the application of that knowledge, which might make her life and/or the life of someone she is serving more fulfilling.

I am more convinced than ever as I age that losing interest in learning is the surest and fastest way to grow old and irrelevant; and in that spirit, regardless of her chronological age reluctantly inching up in the years to come, Laura Nevins will always remain youthful, vital, interesting and interested in the world around her because of her genuine love of learning.

This post-Thanksgiving Sunday morning, I am raising high my glass of orange juice and toasting Dr. Nevins and all FA students alike, large and small, who enthusiastically pursue the acquisition of knowledge, and in doing so, enlightenment. The reward for beginning that journey and staying the course will be considerable and completely inherent in that quest.

Respectfully,

Scott L. Hutchinson

Head of School

FA Young Alumni Council Meeting Attendees:

Front Row: Laura Nevins; Constance Sullivan '18, University of Georgia; Britton Sullivan '20, University of Georgia; Zach Anderson '18, Emory University; and Sarah Sarzier '21, University of Virginia.

Middle Row: James Cruikshank '21, Duke University; Connor Runyan '17, Southern Methodist University; Colton Myers '20, Stetson University; and Jake Myers '18, Davidson College.

Back Row: Denver Anthony '20, Louisburg College; Nick Noltes '17, University of Virginia; William Brock '20; University of Georgia; and Alastair Campbell '18, US Naval Academy.

Click here for a complete list of current Young Alumni Council members.

This Week at FA

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Poinsettia + Greenery Volunteers
Thursday Middle Soccer Games
Saturday Varsity Basketball Games

Monday @ 10:00 AM

US Virtual Assembly (Advisory)

Tuesday-Thursday

Poinsettia + Greenery Pick-Ups

Tuesday @ 7:15 AM

MS Faculty Meeting

Tuesday Evening

Varsity Basketball

@ Faith Baptist (Ludowici)

Girls @ 6:00 PM

Boys @ 7:30 PM

Wednesday @ 10:00 AM

US Advisory

Wednesday @ 3:30 PM

All-School Faculty Meeting

Gymnasium

Wednesday Afternoon

MS Soccer @ Jane Macon

Girls @ 3:30 PM

Boys @ 4:30 PM

Thursday Afternoon

MS Soccer @ Home

vs. Glynn Middle

Girls @ 3:30 PM

Boys @ 4:30 PM

Thursday Evening

Jingle Bell Celebration - CANCELLED

Cancellation details below.

Thursday Evening

Varsity Basketball

@ Brantley County (Nahunta)

Girls @ 6:00 PM

Boys @ 7:30 PM

Friday @ 8:00 AM

Fathers, Faith, and Frederica

Athletic Tent

Friday @ 8:10 AM

LS Morning Meeting

Saturday Morning

SAT Exam

Saturday Morning

Varsity Swimming

@ Camden High School Meet

Saturday Afternoon

Varsity Basketball @ Home

vs. Alleluia Community School

Girls @ 2:00 PM

Boys @ 3:30 PM

Important COVID Update

Dear FA Parents,

I wanted to share with you a COVID update in the Lower School. As of this weekend, all First Grade students, almost all Third Graders, and three Lower School employees have been quarantined. Their respective return dates vary from 11/29 to 12/6, depending on each specific circumstance. First Grade students only recently returned from a prior quarantine.

Given these events, we have cancelled the Jingle Bell Celebration and Christmas Tree Lighting event, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 2.

At the risk of repeating myself, it appears to me that this pattern of a few positive test cases in a grade or two or in a common activity and the resulting larger track of contact tracing schoolmates may be with us throughout the spring. I can certainly understand people’s frustration with a situation that seems to have no near end and myriad permutations of how it might continue. It is also exasperating because ascertaining the true genesis of each outbreak is extremely challenging.

For now, we continue to urge frequent testing, to keep sick children at home, to have quarantined students secured in a real quarantine environment, to report the results of any testing to Nurse Pope, and to consider whether either flu or COVID vaccines are right for you and your children. At school, we are eliminating all large indoor student gatherings until after the Christmas break, encouraging mask wearing when indoors, and maintaining social distancing and good hygiene whenever possible. Remember: those habits pay dividends for the seasonal flu as well as various strains of Covid. We will continue to offer voluntary extracurricular activities that take place after the school day ends for students to participate in or families to attend these events or competitions.

I am an optimist by nature, so here is hoping that everyone’s best effort and sacrifice for the common good is sufficient to allow your children to attend school uninterrupted this spring. The responsible answer, from FA’s point of view, is not to relax contact tracing during this pandemic in order to bolster short-term student enrollment. That may be a convenient and expedient response, but it is also the surest way to doom our operations over the full duration of the school year.

Let’s all just do our best to do our part and communicate with each other when it feels helpful.

Respectfully,

Scott L. Hutchinson

Head of School

Knights Table Menu

PK + K Order Form

THIS WEEK

Poinsettia + Greenery Arrivals

The FA Parent Association Greenery and Poinsettia items will be available for pick up this week.

We await final confirmation on delivery details, so please check your email for delivery updates on Monday afternoon. In the meantime, we need your help! Please sign up to help us receive and distribute orders and get everyone ready for the holidays!

Click to Volunteer

MONDAY

Cyber Monday Amazon Smile

As you start your online holiday shopping, please remember to take advantage of the school's participation in the Amazon Smile program. Amazon shoppers who sign up for the program will help raise money for Frederica Academy. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of all eligible purchases. Please remember to link your enrollment to Frederica Academy. Thank you!

Amazon Smile

FRIDAY @ 8:00 AM

Fathers, Faith, and Frederica

Fathers, Faith, and Frederica (FF&F) is back again this Friday morning. We will meet in the big tent next to the football field. A coffee hour starts at 8:00 a.m. and our meeting kicks off at 8:15 a.m. We will be wrapped up by 9:00 a.m.

So, what is FF&F? We are fathers. We are men of faith. And we are connected to Frederica in some way (kids, work, coach, grandkids). We are men who recognize that iron sharpens iron. By gathering, sharing our faith, our triumphs, and our struggles, we will all emerge from our meeting stronger than when we arrived. All FA men are welcome.

Email Greg Walbridge for more information.

DECEMBER 13-15

MS + US Exam Schedule

DECEMBER 13-15

Lower School Early Dismissal

All Lower School students will dismiss at 11:00 a.m. on December 13, 14, and 15.

As in previous years, we will have our annual Giving Tree program on Wednesday, December 15. More information is forthcoming about the Giving Tree program once plans are finalized in order to adhere to our updated COVID protocols.

Lower School teachers will participate in an intensive professional development program on the afternoons of December 13-16, which necessitates the early dismissal on December 13-14.

To help accommodate parents who need childcare after the early dismissal, we will offer KiX on Monday, December 13, Tuesday, December 14, and Wednesday, December 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Because these hours differ from our normal operating times of our KiX program, there are limited spots for each grade level. If you would like your child to attend KiX any of these dates, you need to sign them up using the button below.

Please note THERE WILL BE NO DROP INS permitted as space is limited on these three days. Should your grade level be full, please email Heather Day or text her at 423-782-7716 to be placed on a waiting list. She will notify you no later than Friday, December 10, to inform you if there is space available.

Email Heather Day

Chromebook Reminder

With the long holiday weekend coming to a close, please remember to reinforce that your child's Chromebook needs to be plugged in at least once or twice a week. A full charge literally takes less than an hour. Inevitably upon returning from a long weekend or holiday, we are inundated with dead Chromebooks in the classroom. Please remember we will now be assessing a fee of $2 when we loan a Chromebook while the student's device is being charged.

This is a disruption in the classroom, and it depletes our Chromebook loaner cart. The primary use of the loaners is to make Chromebooks available for students to use when their Chromebooks are being repaired. Thank you in advance for your helping to reinforce this at home. Please email Dan Redanz if you have any questions or need a replacement charger cord.

Christmas Donations Needed!

The FA Health and Wellness Club is adopting a family in need for Christmas.

This year has been especially difficult for families both financially and emotionally. The officers of the club decided to choose a family that has several children and reached out to a local elementary school counselor to help find a family.

The family that the club has adopted has six children ranging in age from one to ten. The club has been given a list of "needs" and "wishes." Anyone who would like to help with this project is encouraged to email Nurse Pope or Mr. Riggs!

Alastair Campbell '19 Visit

Alastair Campbell '19 visited campus last week to meet with Upper School students who are interested in learning more about the U.S. service academies. Alastair is a second class Midshipman (Class of 2023) at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and a member of the FA Young Alumni Council.

MS Student Council Service Project

Last week was one of great fun for our Middle School. In recognition of World Kindness Day, our Student Council instituted a World Kindness Week, where we wore purple, wrote nice things to advisors, gave Starbursts to all the stars of Middle School, and held a Canned Food Challenge for advisories. In this challenge, advisories competed to bring in the most canned or non-perishable food items. The challenge had a great turnout, with Mrs. Jill Smith’s advisory winning the contest. The Student Council happily delivered the food to Sparrow’s Nest at the end of the week. Thank you to all students who participated in the food drive!

Scout Brummett

MS Student Council Vice-President

7th + 8th Graders Perform "Shrek"

Seventh and Eighth Grade Middle School Theater students completed their study of character acting and character voices by presenting a reader's theater version of "Shrek." Throughout the semester, students learned voice techniques to present, project, and sing.

In this production, students were cast in William Stieg's lovable characters of Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Farquaad and all the fairytale creatures of Duloc. The full cast and the Duluc Dancers performed musical hits from the show as well.

Fifth Grade Okefenokee Trip

Fifth Grade students had an opportunity to extend their classroom study of Georgia by going on a field trip to the Okefenokee Swamp near Folkston on Monday, November 22.

Students experienced the swamp up close with a guided boat ride. During the excursion, the history of the swamp was discussed and important geological features / biotic organisms were identified. After a picnic lunch, the group toured the Chesser Island Homestead, which has been refurbished to its 1920’s appearance. The field trip was a dynamic way to tie Georgia’s history and environment sciences together for our students.