AIS Middle School Informational Coffee

September 12, 2019

Attendees: 72

AGENDA

I. Welcome, Our Core Values, 150 Years

Dr. Wendy Hill, Head of School

• Welcome
• Thank you to Parents’ Council, and parent community, for all of the wonderful new equipment and instrumentation installed over the summer.
• 150^th Anniversary
  • Next weekend (9/20-9/22) is Founder’s Day weekend, and the launch of the year long anniversary celebrations.
    • Friday, 9/20 – all school BBQ and AIS Musical
    • Saturday, 9/21 – Ready, Set, Go! Family fun day
      • Yoga
      • Highschool tennis and soccer teams playing
    • Sunday, 9/22 – Convocation
      • Student attendance in uniform is mandatory.Detailed information coming in an email.Any questions or problems, please reach out to Cintra Horn.
• Discovering Your Purpose conference is coming up in October, and run by Center for Advancement of Girls (CAG)
  • For 7-12^th grades
  • Learning how to think about your purpose in life
• This school year we are recommitting to the school’s Core Values: Excellence, Character, Community, and Respect
  • These were created after several focus groups met all last year.The groups consisted of parents, students, faculty, staff, and alumnae.
  • There are posters highlighting these core values in every classroom.
  • Parliament will cover each of these core values with your daughter
  • Please help us, and discuss these values with your daughter at home, too.

Camille Seals, Assistant Head of School

• Came to us from Hathaway Brown School, a Pre-K to 12^th grade school, all girls.Familiar with the all-girls education.
• Mom of a 2^nd grader.

• Looking forward to being a member of both our parent community and faculty & staff, in this exciting anniversary year.
• Her role is to support:
  • Academic programming, what are we doing well, and where can we grow
  • CAG
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team
  • Innovation team
• Looking forward to growing a partnership with the parents

II. Middle School Overview, Advancements, Schedule, and What You Can Expect

Cintra Horn, Director of Middle School

• We, in the middle school, will be focused on the four core values that were reinstated this year.
  • The Mission Statement verbiage was changed slightly to include these new four core values
• Middle school is 171 Girls, 30 of which are new (welcome them!)
  • 5^th has 38
  • 6^th has 41
  • 7^th has 43
  • 8^th has 49
• New students have been placed in a Parliament with their buddy
• Goal for the Middle School Experience is to dispel the myth of middle school
  • The girls will be trying new things, some good choices will be good, some not so great, but we embrace it all and learn from it
• Key retirements: Dawn Anthony and Cathy Lynch, who had 73 years of teaching combined
  • Ann Ramsey has taken on 6^th grade medieval history, and Medieval Night tradition for 6^th graders
  • Joy Connelly has taken on the position of Middle School Math Chair
• New Schedule
  • No longer a 7-day letter rotation, we are on a Monday through Friday schedule
    • 7 rotating blocks still, each block drops one time during the week
  • Wednesday afternoon has Discovery Time, allowing greater flexibility for teachers to delve into lengthier projects, and highlight important themes with special time to focus on them.For example yesterday, 9/11 looked like this:
    • 5^th practiced The Agnes Irwin Musical for Founder’s weekend
    • 6^th had a mix of activities
      • A historical tour of the campus
      • Study skills
      • Engineering activity with Mrs. White
      • Team Building
    • 7^th and 8^th came together to start discussions and journaling about Purpose in Life.
  • Each block will have a Discovery Time block each trimester.
  • Friday block labeled as Break and Assembly/Plmt will either feature an assembly, or a return to Parliament to discuss digital citizenship
    • For example – next week’s assembly during this block will feather Heather Hanson, the author of Elegant Warrior.She is a trial lawyer, and wrote this book about her experiences working in such a male dominant field, and what she’s learned about navigating this challenge.

Jennifer White, 5^th and 6^th grade Dean

• New this year to 5^th and 6^th grade Dean position
• Please become familiar with the Middle School handbook, we try to live by this closely
• Next week Ups (Unprepared marks) and DMs (Disciplinary marks) will begin for grades 6-8.September 23^rd, the following week, is when it begins for 5^th grade
• Carline
  • M, W, F, are the days Mrs. White will be out helping to facilitate carline
  • Please note that 6^th and 7^th graders participating in sports are not allowed to linger back in the middle school.They need to finish their sport, grab their things, and hop in the car to keep a flow moving.8^th graders do have permission to lounge and hang out in the middle schools after school hours/sports.If your 6^th or 7^th grader lingers, and you are not there to pick them up at the Dorrance Entrance, they will be sent to 4:00 study.
  • 4:00 Study – if your child is not picked up by 4:00 they are sent to 4:00 study.To pickup your child, you must call the main number, and meet them at the Lenox Lobby.
  • Please consider 4:00 Study as a helpful tool for your daughter if she is having trouble with homework at home.Such as taking too long, or staying organized about their work.This time is structured to help them.

**PARENTS POSED QUESTION/ISSUE ABOUT SPORTS PICKUP**

• Sports let out at 4:00 pm, and parents are having trouble picking their girls up, on time, at the Lenox Lobby due to bus congestion and traffic backup.Daughter then gets sent to 4:00 study.

  **RESPONSE FROM CINTRA HORN AND JENNFIER WHITE**

• If your daughter is ready to go, please try Dorrance entrance pickup for ease
• Mrs. Horn will look into this problem with the busing, and entrance being shut off for bus pickups, and it all running too late.She will get back to us with a better solution, but for now, please try the Dorrance entrance to collect your daughter from 4:00 sports.

Anne Ramsey, 7^th and 8^th grade Dean

• Unable to be present due to teaching schedule
• Please feel free to reach out to her with any questions pertaining to 7^th and 8^th grade

Cindy Bell, Assistant Athletic Director

• The goal for the overall experience for the girls in Middle School and sports is to have a positive and fun experience, and to try to learn a new sport
• AIS MS sports teams have a Varsity, and a Junior Varsity (JV) team.Some sports will have a 3^rd team as well
  • Varsity sports aims to ready the girls for competitive highschool play
  • JV sports aim to teach the girls how to play competitively
  • 3^rd teams are more instructional teams
• Try not to have cuts, but sometimes for space and safety they have to.
  • Squash only has 4 courts, Tennis only has 5 courts, so space is limited for the girls to be able to have play, and be safe
  • Teams like Cross County do not have cuts because of the nature of the sport, there is not a limited space for them to participate in.
• P/E
  • 6^th grade still has PE and can opt to play in a sport.If a 6^th grader does not have a sport to report to at the last block of the day then they report to study hall
  • 7^th and 8^th – if they do not choose a sports team, they can opt out of that end of day study hall and attend fitness or dance
• Sports timing
  • Most sports run from 3-4:00.
    • If your child is depending on bus transportation home, they should choose a non-competitive sport, like fitness or dance, in order to be able to make their bus home.
    • Some sports operate off campus, thus pushing their end time to past 4:00, because of the time to travel back to campus
      • Swim runs the latest, ending at 5:15, 3x a week.Students are bused to and from Suburban Swim Club
      • If a sport needs to take place on an auxiliary field, this will make pickup time later
• Choosing a Middle School Sports team
  • First full week is a “shopping” period.The girls have 1 week to try different sports.
    • All sports equipment for “shopping” period is provided, since your child may not choose that sport in the end.Please do not feel the need to purchase equipment for this specific week
    • Wherever the girls go on Friday of “shopping” week designates the sport that they wish to participate in for the fall.
  • Once they decide on a sport, a completed physical form must be on file in order to play.
  • Equipment may be purchased for the sport after your daughter decides, and any cuts have been made.
    • Coaches can advise on equipment if you have any questions
  • PE uniform must be worn to practice.Or an old AIS/EA day shirt in lieu of the PE uniform shirt.
• AIS-On has a lot of information that you may need regarding sports
  • Parent handbook
  • Equipment list for each sport
• Regular AIS website has a very important feature for all parents to know about.
  • Website lists entire practice and game schedules
  • The website is the first place any information is funneled to regarding changes in location, changes in times, or rain delays/cancellations.
    • An easy way to get notifications for your daughter’s sport is to click on the white bell in the upper corner when you are on the schedule page for their sport.This will prompt you through the steps in order to receive real-time notifications on your phone or email for any changes in the schedule, time, or location of practices or games.
      • This must be done from a desktop or laptop computer, your mobile phone won’t be able to set this feature up initially
    • Baseline schedules are up now

Courtney Lubbe, Athletic Director

• Our sports program is very unique, the number of AIS girls participating in sports exceeds the national average.
• We aim to keep a lot of joy in the sport in Middle School, this is the time to try new sports, have fun, and enjoy the game.Upper School is when it is to become competitive.
• We try to push the girls to grow and get better at sports
  • Please work with us, talk to you girls about advocating for themselves to the coaches and adults involved with the sport.We want them to grow comfortable with speaking to adults on their own behalf.

Susan Maroto, School Counselor

• Works with the 5^th grade with a block called Courage To Be Me.This takes place every other week in the study hall block
• Works with the 6^th grade as a Parliamentor
• 7^th and 8^th graders, works with them on an as needed basis.Usually it is to cover friendship issues, navigating and troubleshooting social situations, and anxiety
• Please feel free to call anytime

Ali Monzo, Center for the Advancement of Girls (CAG)

• The CAG works to infuse relevant girl-centered research into the Agnes Irwin educational experience, and to empower girls and young women in our community and beyond
• 2 Leadership Curriculums
  • 5^th and 6^th – teaching the softer side of leadership.Learning values, empathy, and how to empower your voice
  • 7^th and 8^th – works to develop practical leadership skills.
    • How to call and organize a meeting
    • How to set an agenda
    • Various other real-life skills
• Discovering Your Purpose conference coming up on 10/12.
  • Will be held at AIS
  • Free
  • Will be open to public, after AIS has first chance to register.

Tom Weissert, Director of Technology

• Available for tech help with AIS-On

   

  III. Supporting Agnes Irwin

   

  Kristen Paulson, Associate Director of Development

• Welcome
• 150 Years of AIS, Giving has always been a benchmark of the school.
• Agnes Irwin Fund supports life and learning at AIS

Joanna Stott, Assistant Director of Annual Giving

• Mom, and Cross Country Coach.Happy to be a part of all aspects of AIS life, as a parent, coach, and faculty & staff
• Introduction to the Class Captain program that is new this year.
  • Class Captains are the grade specific liaisons for the annual fund
  • 5^th and 7^th grades still need a class captain, please reach out if you’re interested.
• Annual Fund is different than Parents’ Council, they support different aspects of the school.Please support both!
• Giving to the Annual Fund is a part of the AIS tradition
• Once you give, all the phone calls, emails, and letters to you stop.😊

**PARENT QUESTIONS FOR CINTRA**

Some confusion on Parent/Teacher Conferences, and days off.

                10/17 & 18 Parent/Teacher Conferences are both full days off?  YES

                1/30 & 31 Parent/Teacher Conferences, is the 30^th a full day of school, and the 31^st off?  YES

***10/17 & 18 P/T Conferences are BOTH FULL DAYS OFF, 1/30 & 31^st – ONLY THE 31^ST IS A DAY OFF.

IV. A Closer Look at the AIS Parents’ Council and Events

Sara Glaser, Parents’ Council President – Council Overview

• Welcome to Parents’ Council.Every parent in our community is automatically a member of Parents’ Council
• Thank you to all the parents.Everyone’s participation in last year’s Parents’ Council events made it possible to purchase $184,800 in items and technology across all three divisions.These items are not able to be covered under regular budget, so this is a fulfillment of teacher and staff wish lists and helps to enhance our school as a whole.
• Introduction of Cathy Ferguson, the school’s resource for all Parents’ Council events, information, and questions that you may have.
  • cfergusion@agnesirwin.org
• Parents Council consists of:
  • Executive Committee: Division Coordinators, New Parent Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Treasurer
  • Class Parents
  • Event Chairs
  • Volunteers
• Please take the time to introduce yourself to someone new!

Erin Hinckle, Events Coordinator – News, Events, and Volunteering

• Her main responsibility is to help all of the Event Chairs with their events.
• Golf, 10/2
  • 1:00 shotgun at Sunnybrook Golf Club
  • Lunch
  • Cocktails and dinner
  • Prizes
  • Golfing open to everyone, AIS community and beyond
  • Non-golfers are welcome to cocktails and dinner
• Hayfair, 11/1
  • Takes place in the MS/US Gym
  • Free
  • Primarily targeted at younger kids, middle school girls still love to come and participate in games, activities, food, and silent auction
  • Games, Fun inflatable games such as the velcro wall, Bake Sale, Silent Auction
  • Runs from 3-6pm
  • Middle Schoolers will have a permission slip that needs to be filled out to be able to be dismissed to the fair.
  • Need volunteers!Signup genius coming soon
• Owlidays, 11/13
  • Takes place at Eagle Village
  • Buying a ticket gives you 20% participating stores all day and evening
  • Cocktail party in the evening at Valley Forge Florist
  • Focused for adults only
  • Great chance to jumpstart your holiday shopping
  • Volunteers needed as well, sign up genius coming soon
• You can sign up to volunteer at any time, or get event information, on the Parents’ Council tab on AIS-On

Sara Glaser – Last minute housekeeping

• Vineyard Vines in King of Prussia Mall will be holding a special shopping event for Agnes Irwin on 9/24, from 12-2.Mention Agnes Irwin at checkout for 10% off your purchase, and 10% of proceeds to go Agnes Irwin.
• Founders Day Volunteers needed!

V. Class Breakouts – Facilitated by the Class Parents

• Sharon Mankovich, Parents’ Council Middle School Coordinator – Class Parent Introductions/Role
  • 5^th Grade – Maggie Kain, Rachel Skyman
  • 6^th Grade – Kara Chisholm, Lindsay Marshall-Pierce
  • 7^th Grade – Bindi Shah, Kim Wolitarsky
  • 8^th Grade – Meredith Antik, Nora Brady