October 19, 2018
Welcome to this edition of The Westminster Weekly, where you will learn about what's been happening recently at Westminster School! We welcome story suggestions from parents, students, teachers, and alumni. Please email your news to Mrs. Nancy Schuler .
Mark Your Calendars
Upcoming Events

October 24
Bake Sale

October 25
5th Grade Play--"Frozen"

October 26
Halloween Parade
Fall Ball

October 29
SCHOOL CLOSED
(Prof. Dev. Day for Teachers)

November 1
One-Day Griffin University for
5th-8th Grade Parents

November 3
Certified 5K Race

One-Day Griffin University for K-4 Parents
On October 16, Westminster hosted a new event for parents called the One-Day Griffin University. Parents were invited to attend seminars, visit the classrooms, have lunch with their child and attend an assembly. Miss Sapper did a presentation for K-2 parents entitled "Empower, Enliven, Excel," which focused on ways to encourage independence and resilience and to make the most of "teachable moments" at home. Miss Foster spoke to 3rd and 4th grade parents on entitled "Engage, Embrace, Exhale," which provided parents with tips for forming a homework team, encouraging a reluctant reader, developing an effective writer and enjoying their student's amazing educational journey.

Mrs. Schuler provided helpful information on screen time, focusing on the appropriate amount and type of use. Ms. Glazier provided information about what a Classical Education looks like in grades K-4. Parent feedback on the presentations was very positive. Of course, parents thoroughly enjoyed visiting the classrooms and engaging with their children during class and lunch. We finished the day with a viewing of a nature documentary that gave us a close-up view of some small, but amazing creatures found as close by as our own backyards to as faraway as the Amazon Rain Forest.

The next One-Day Griffin University will be on November for parents of students in grades 5-8 on November 1. We hope that all parents will be able to join us for this special day! If you were unable to attend the lower school one this week, please visit your child's MyWestminsterSchool.com page to view the presentations.
8th Grade Explores Jamestown & Williamsburg
The highlight of the eighth graders’ first quarter history class was the traditional overnight trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg on October 12 and 13. At their first stop in Jamestown, they saw their September and early October studies come alive as they boarded replicas of the Virginia Company ships, visited a Powhatan village, spent some time amid the musket fire and wattle and daub houses of James Fort, and toured the Jamestown Festival Park museum. 

The Friday evening activities in Williamsburg were an enormous hit, including colonial ghost stories and an eerie lantern tour of the town. After a cozy night in the hotel, the students rose bright and early for a Saturday of guided tours of the key sites such as the awe-inspiring Governor’s Palace, beautiful Bruton Parish Church, and the imposing Capitol Building, among many others. This served as a perfect preview of their late fall/early winter coverage of the pre-Revolutionary years in the colonies. 

The trip was punctuated by many opportunities to breathe in the fresh autumn air, to eat and shop with classmates, and to bond as an eighth-grade class. It was a wonderful weekend for students and teachers alike, reinforcing historical knowledge and enhancing connections as a Westminster family.  Thank you to Mrs. Jacobson for arranging such a memorable experience for the children and to Mr. Miller and Mrs. Connell, who also served as chaperones.
Learning how to make leather in Jamestown
The students were fascinated by Jamestown.
Navigating like a colonist
Playing a colonial lawn game in front of the Governor's Palace
These pillories or stocks of corporal punishment are located just outside the courthouse in Colonial Williamsburg. According to the courthouse re-enactor, the Pillory was used to punish lessor felony-type crimes, with the sentence usually being just a few hours.
However, the criminal's earlobes were nailed to the pillory, and upon release, the torn earlobes would serve as a permanent record that the person had been convicted of a crime. 

The Stocks were not used so much as punishment, but rather to hold prisoners while awaiting their trials in the courthouse.
1st Grade Visits the Science Center Lab
The 1st Grade enjoyed a fun and educational field trip to the Science Center Lab in Fairfax, VA. In Miss Deddo's science class, the students are currently learning about matter. They are learning that everything is made up of matter, the states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas), how to sort matter, and how the state of matter can change. The children recently learned the word "property" which is something that describes an object.

At the Science Center, the children were able to explore and then create using solids and liquids. The instructors asked the children to describe the "properties" of each project. The guides were very impressed when our first-graders knew that vocabulary word! In the magnetic slime station, the children were thrilled to discover that when they mixed certain liquids together, they were able to create magnetic slime! In the engineering station, the students were asked to first describe the properties of the various blocks before using them to strategically create a sturdy building. When tasked with making a robot, the children chose to make an "art robot" that then created beautiful designs using colors chosen by the students. Thank you to Miss Deddo for scheduling such an exciting and relevant field trip for the first-graders!
100 Years of Service to Westminster School
There are very few schools that are fortunate to have the kind of dedicated and talented teachers that Westminster School has. Among the legends at Westminster are the three ladies pictured above: Mme Herchert, Mrs. Saldanha, and Mrs. O'Drudy. Mme Herchert taught French at Westminster from 1976-2012 (36 years); Mrs. Saldanha taught music from 1980-2007 and again from 2015-2017 (28 years), and Mrs. O'Drudy taught Latin from 1982-2018 (36 years). Mr. Glover realized recently that this meant that their combined years of service totaled an incredible 100 years! What's even more amazing is that ALL THREE still help out at Westminster on a regular basis. In fact, all three are here as substitute teachers. Their mentorship and dedication simply cannot be measured. Thank you to these amazing teachers for the influence they have had over countless Westminster students and colleagues. We love you!
Preschool Visits Green Meadows Farm
The Griffin Academy's first field trip is on the books. They could not have asked for a more perfect autumn day for a visit to the farm! Green Meadows Farm welcomed the students with open arms, beautiful views, and adorable and friendly animals. In the barn, the children were introduced to cows, newborn piglets, chickens, bunnies, goats, tortoises and lizards. 

Other activities included feeding the goats and llamas; milking a cow; rolling around in the corn silo; and cheering on the cute pigs during their pig race! The day would not be complete without visiting the tractor playground and picking our favorite pumpkin. This trip would not have been as successful as it was without the support of the parent chaperones who met us at the farm and other special guests who came along for a day of fall fun.
In Search of Babysitters/Mother's Helpers
We often get requests from parents for babysitter referrals. We would like to gather a list of Westminster Upper School students and graduates to provide to interested parents.

Please click on the button below to be added to the Westminster Babysitter Referral List!
Have You Signed Up Yet? Volunteers Needed!
Don't miss the chance to participate in this year's big 5K Race! Last year was a huge success and we expect an even bigger turnout this year. This event is open to the public, so bring your friends! All ages are welcome as there will be a 1K and fun run for the younger participants.

Own a business? Consider being a sponsor! This is great advertising for your company and can be written off as a business expense. Help Westminster! Help your business! It's a "Win Win!"

We also need volunteers to help make this day a success! Please sign up to man the registration table, water station, or first aid station.
Cash Prizes
1st Place--$250
2nd Place --$150
3rd Place--$100
Word of the Week
u·biq·ui·tous
/yo͞oˈbikwədəs/
adjective

-existing or being everywhere at the same time, constantly  encountered , w idespread

Synonyms :


Antonyms :


Origin

mid 19th century: from modern Latin  ubiquitas  (from Latin  ubique  ‘everywhere,’ from  ubi  ‘where’) + -ous.

"Hot dogs are the ideal road trip food—inexpensive, portable,  ubiquitous ."
— Paul Lucas, Saveur, June/July 2008
Food for Thought
At Westminster School, we recommend that all children spend some time outside every single day. All of our K-6th grade students have an outdoor recess each day in addition to their daily PE class. In fact, we recommend that the students take an outdoor break before beginning homework after school. Getting the blood pumping and breathing in some fresh air will wake up their brain, relax them and provide for a more productive homework session. This article from Care.com outlines some benefits of kids playing outside.
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