May 18, 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

May 22
Dimes for Drama Assembly
May 24
WPC Meeting
May 25
Spring Music Program
May 30-June 1
7th/8th Grade Exams
May 31
Greek Day--4th Grade
June 1
Sock-Hop for 7th/8th Grades
Vote for Westminster School in "Best for Families"
Please help promote Westminster by clicking on the photo to the left to vote for Westminster School in any or all of the following categories where we've been nominated under "Education and Activities:

Best Private School Overall
Best Arts Program
Best Music Program
Best Day Camp
Best Foreign Language Instruction
Best Preschool Program
Best Children's Theater or Drama Program
Best Private Elementary School

VOTING CLOSES ON SUNDAY, MAY 20! Please vote today!
Kindergarten Presents Horton Hears a Who
On May 11, the kindergarten treated us to a feast for the eyes and ears when they presented Horton Hears a Who. These five- and six-year-olds sure did take their job seriously! They belted out their lines, smiled their biggest smiles, and sang their little hearts out.

They were so brave, every tiny griffin stepping on the stage for the very first time with confidence and poise. They are great little actors and they had lots of fun!

Their story reminded us that "a person's a person no matter how small." These small persons did a big job and we couldn't be more proud of them!

Kudos to their teacher/directors, Miss Dalby and Miss Deddo, with assistance from Miss Grant, who lovingly prepared them and guided them toward success. Also, a big thank-you to this class of very dedicated and involved parents who created an amazing set, coordinated the darling costumes and prepared an after-party fit for kings and queens!
Math Club Earns Gold Level Status
The Westminster Math Club has earned Gold Level Status for the 2017 - 2018 school year. This is the highest honor awarded by the National Math Club. In the math competition, the students were charged with creating a game that involved mathematical concepts and reasoning. Not only did the students have to create an idea and construct the board and pieces, but they had to explain the math strategy involved in playing the game.
Westminster's winning submission was created by 8th grader, Nora, and 7th graders, Kayla and Mealy. The game is called "Calculand."

Congratulations to these three students and all members of the Math Club, as well as to Miss Schmidt, the sponsor, who inspired them and guided them as they pursued this honor.
Kindergarten-4th Grade Dance Showcase
On Thursday, May 10, the lower school presented their Dance Showcase in the gymnasium. Every grade from Kindergarten-4th Grade performed a dance that they've been working on for weeks. Each one was charming and unique.

The best part of their performance were the huge smiles on their faces while they were dancing. The joy of dancing is a gift that they will have for a lifetime.

Thank you to Mrs. Connell for making dance such a fun and memorable part of the PE program. Great job, students! Please check out the video for a glimpse of the show.
6th and 7th Graders Participate in the Science Fair
All 6th and 7th grade students worked on a science fair project this year. The projects were on display at the science fair last week, which students from all of the grades attended. The children did an excellent job, producing a wide variety of experiments all incorporating the scientific method. Great job, 6th- and 7th-graders! A big thank-you to the science teachers, Mr. Miller and Mr. Cecil as well as to Mrs. Kagan, the science department chair for inspiring the students and helping them to produce such fine examples of scientific thought!
6th grade:

1st Place
Abbie--"Colors and Reaction Time"
2nd Place
Sophia--"Motion and Memory"
3rd Place
Hudson--"The Ghost vs. Mako Beast"
Honorable Mention
Ece--"Color Changing Flowers"
Jibril--"How Acceleration Affects Force"
7th grade

1st Place
Helena--"Memorization--Auditory vs. Visual"
2nd Place
Mealy--"Rate and Remeberance"
3rd Place
Ayman
Honorable Mention
Leyla-"Which Type of Chocolate Melts the Fastest"
Sam--Physical Activity and Blood Glucose Readings
Orchestra Wins Big at the Festival of Music
The Westminster orchestra traveled to Kings Dominion in Ashland, VA this past weekend to compete in the the Festival of Music . This competition is open to orchestras, bands, and choirs for elementary, middle, and high schools of the Northeastern region of the United States. Three adjudicators select winners by category.

Our very talented orchestra won first place in the Elementary School level, as well as being named the first place Overall Orchestra Champion! They earned a rank of "superior" from the judges. It was said that when they finished their performance, a gasp came from the audience because their performance was that excellent.

Following are some of the comments made by the judges in their assesment:

"I think that third-chair cellist may have memorized a lot of this. He's looking at the conductor, rather than the music. That's amazing!."
"Very, very nice! Solid! Wow"
"Really nice intonation, cello!"
"Nice intense tango style."
"Nice expression in the phrase."
"Nice separation."
"It's always very accurate."
"Nice little improv there by the first violinist."
"Beautiful cello solo. Great vibrato."
"Nice release together!"
"Nice energy in the bow."
"Nice work, guys! Well-prepared and well-performed!"
"You played two somewhat South-American type pieces and you played them stylistically accurately."
"I'm really impressed with so much of what you've done here today! Keep up the good work!"

HUGE congratulations to all members of the orchestra and to the orchestra director, Ms. Crespo!
Alumni News
The Westminster Class of 2014 is soon to graduate from high school. The news is starting to trickle in about their plans for the coming year. We are thrilled to share the college destinations for some of the ones we've heard from so far: Christopher Newport University, Emory University, George Mason University, Georgia Southern University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Hampden-Sydney College, High Point University, Texas Christian University, University of Georgia, University of Virginia--College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University--School of the Arts, and West Virginia University. We will share the full list once we have it. We wish all of our wonderful Class of 2014 students a very big congratulations on their high-school graduation and all the very best as they take the next step in their journey, whatever that might be!

Member of the Class of 2014, Charlie Breen, was recently featured in a blog post where he discusses the difference between being a "tourist" and a "traveler." " Charlie traveled on Putney’s  Community Service Fiji  program last summer. The experience of departing from one’s comfort zone leaves an amazing range of impressions on students—often students come away from Putney summer programs with a new realization of themselves or a new perspective on the world around them (or, just as often, both!). Charlie reflects in his college supplement..." read more.
Food for Thought
"Rain, Rain, Go Away!"
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