Know Truth, Create Beauty, Practice Goodness | |
Junior Drama Performances – December 16 and 17
MacLaren juniors perform Shakespeare's As You Like It on December 16 and 17! Performances will be held 6:30 p.m., in the Auditorium. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Come support the juniors and enjoy a bit of theater. Admission is free and all are welcome!
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Parent-Hosted Cookie Extravaganza for Faculty and Staff – December 19
Please consider contributing a dozen (or more) cookies for MacLaren's annual family-hosted cookie extravaganza for the faculty and staff. Staff will be able to make their own plates of cookies to celebrate the upcoming winter break. Cookie donations may be dropped off at the Main Entrance any time before 2:15 p.m., on Thursday, December 19. Thank you!
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Order Makeup and Lower School Class Photos
Don't miss out—the prepay pricing for school pictures has expired, but you may still contact Studio5Portraits to order pictures.
Call 970-674-0520 or email support@studio5co.pro.
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Order Yearbooks
Both Upper School and Lower School yearbooks are available for advance purchase through MySchoolBucks. Yearbooks will be delivered to students in May. Lower School yearbooks cost $40; Upper School yearbooks $55. Email the Business Office with any questions.
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Welcome to the new Parent-to-Parent Corner, where members of the School Accountability Committee (SAC) will be sharing resources for fellow parents. This year, they will be focusing on the topic of kids and screens, following the recent Screenagers viewings. | |
Kids and Screens
According to the CDC, children ages 11–14 have the highest average daily screen time of American children, at nine hours. Children ages eight through ten average six hours per day, and children ages 15–18 average seven and a half hours.
MacLaren ninth graders read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and in this 1854 reflection on living, Thoreau wrote, “The cost of a thing is the amount of...life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.”
Kids who use smartphones excessively are giving up time to play, create, and be face-to-face with people—all critical elements in childhood development.
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Lower School Announcements | |
Lower School Parent Seminars
The Lower School leadership team will be hosting monthly parent seminars after Morning Assembly from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Lower School parents are invited to experience this foundational part of a MacLaren education. The seats are capped at 15 participants per seminar. Please see the email from November 14 for more details.
Upcoming seminar:
December 13: Mother Goose, led by Mr. Alvarado, Head of Lower School
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Upper School Announcements | |
Winter Fine Arts Night – Tonight
Congratulations on a beautiful performance last night! The second Winter Fine Arts Night will be held at Wasson Academic Campus from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Below is a list of the groups performing tonight.
Friday, December 6:
- Orchestra I-III betas
- Orchestra V (all)
- Orchestra VII (all)
- 6th grade public performance students
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After School Study Hall Adjustments
After School Study Hall (ASSH) will not be available Wednesday, December 18, which is the last day of school for Upper School students. Please make other arrangements for your children if they were planning to attend ASSH that day.
December 18 is also an early release day.
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New Parent Orientation II – December 10
The second part of our Upper School New Parent Orientation will be held online Tuesday, December 10, 6:30-8:00 p.m., via Zoom.
If this is your first year with a child in the Upper School, we ask that you make every effort to attend. Parents and guardians with previous Upper School experience are welcome to attend, but not required.
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Upper School Evaluation Conferences Coming Soon!
Upper School Evaluation Conferences will take place January 6 - 10. Upper School teachers look forward to meeting with parents to discuss student evaluations. Sign-up links for individual Evaluation Conferences are included in an email sent this morning.
Faculty will not be writing semester evaluations, but will share information in the conference. Parents are encouraged to take notes, and we hope that this will allow for a more engaging conversation about your child’s performance. There will be written semester evaluations at the end of spring semester.
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Donate to the MacLaren Food Drive!
The Upper School Service Club is collecting canned food and pasta for the Care and Share Food Bank. Donations will be accepted through next Friday, December 13. Each donation will not only feed those in need in our community, but also will earn clan points for your child. Please consider participating! Please email Mr. Pingel with any questions.
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Saturday, December 7
- HS Boys' Basketball @ Kiowa, JV 2:00 p.m., Varsity 4:30 p.m.
- HS Girls' Basketball @ Kiowa, Varsity 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 11
- HS Girls' Basketball @ HOME vs. Harrison, JV 4:00 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m.
- HS Boys' Basketball @ HOME vs. Vanguard, JV 5:30 p.m., Varsity 8:30 p.m.
Friday, December 13
- HS Boys' Basketball @ St. Mary's, JV 5:30 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m.
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Tryouts for MS Girls' Basketball Starting December 9
Tryouts for MS Girls' Basketball begin Monday, December 9. Athletes must have already submitted a registration form to tryout.
A draft version of the schedule can be found on the Athletics Schedules page of the website.
Contact Mrs. Steigerwald with any questions.
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Pre-season Conditioning for HS Athletes Starts Tomorrow!
Coach McClung is offering pre-season conditioning on Saturdays starting December 7 through January 25, 2025. There will not be a session on December 21. Conditioning sessions will be from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. in the small gym. Athletic workout clothes and footwear are required.
There is no cost to attend but a waiver must be completed in MySchoolBucks.
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Come support our Highlanders at our HOME events! HS event admission is $6 for K-12 and senior citizens, $7 for adults. MS event admission is $2 for K-12, senior citizens are free, $3 for adults.
Click for the Athletics calendar or Athletic schedules. Add the Athletics calendar to your personal calendar through Apple iCal.
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Volunteer and Fundraising Opportunities | |
Teacher Appreciation
In lieu of personal gifts for faculty and staff, would you instead consider a year-end gift to the Masters Fund? Donations made by December 11 to the Masters Fund go toward a semester-end bonus for MacLaren faculty and staff.
Thank you cards are available at the Main Entrance for you to express appreciation to your child's teachers and to let them know you gave to the Masters Fund in their honor.
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New PSA Teacher Appreciation Committee
Are you interested in efforts to encourage and support MacLaren faculty and staff? For more information about this newly formed Parent Service Association committee, please email Mrs. Petersen-Seal, committee lead.
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12/6 - Winter Fine Arts Nights
12/10 - Upper School New Parent Orientation II via Zoom
12/11 - Board of Directors Meeting
12/12 - Kin-nections
12/16 & 12/17 - Junior Drama Performances
12/18 - Upper School Last Day of Classes, Early Release
12/19 - Lower School Last Day of Classes, Early Release
12/23–1/3 - Winter Break
1/6–1/10 - Upper School Project Week (At home)
1/6 - In-service day. No classes for Lower School.
1/7–1/8 - Lower School Project Days (At school)
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