December 1, 2023

Senior Drama Performances

MacLaren seniors bring Shakespeare to the stage! All performances will be held 6:30 p.m., in the Auditorium. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Come support the seniors and enjoy a bit of theater!

December 4 and 5 – Much Ado About Nothing

December 7 and 8 – Comedy of Errors

Parent-Hosted Cookie Extravaganza for Faculty and Staff – December 11

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. Please sign up here. Cookie donations may be dropped off at the Main Entrance any time before 2:15 p.m., on Monday, December 11. Thank you!

New School Calendars with Minor Adjustments

Updated 2023-2024 school year calendars are posted on the website with minor second semester adjustments related to testing week in April. Please find the links below and update your family calendar accordingly. Thank you!

2023-2024 Lower School Calendar

2023-2024 Upper School Calendar

2023-2024 K-12 Calendar

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.

Practicing Goodness in the Neighborhood

Thank you for helping us with the new parking lot procedures. Traffic is moving smoothly, and the parking lot is much safer.

Please continue to extend courtesy to your fellow parents as well as to the homeowners in the neighborhood. Our neighbors endure quite an impact through our traffic pattern, and we want to be considerate of allowing them access into and out of their driveways. Thank you for helping us be good neighbors!

Head of Lower School Office Hours

Do you have ideas, questions, or anything you'd like to discuss with MacLaren's Head of Lower School? Mr. Alvarado will host weekly office hours, Fridays, 9:00-10:00 a.m. Sign up here.

Winter Fine Arts Night

Winter Fine Arts Night concerts are December 11 and 12, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at Wasson Academic Campus. Please feel free to invite extended family and guests to attend. Please find additional information on the performance schedule, concert dress, parking, and student drop-off instructions here.

Upper School Evaluation Conferences Coming Soon!

Upper School Evaluation Conferences will take place January 2 - 8. Upper School teachers look forward to meeting with parents to discuss student evaluations. Sign-up links for individual Evaluation Conferences will be sent to parents by email soon.

New this semester: 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, however, at the end of spring semester.

After School Study Hall Adjustments

As the semester winds down and concludes with special events, After School Study Hall (ASSH) will not be available Monday, December 11, or Tuesday, December 12, as staff and students prepare for Winter Fine Arts Night. There is similarly no ASSH Wednesday, December 13, 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 those dates.

Friday, December 1:

*All games at James Irwin High School

HS Girls Basketball - JV vs. Fountain Valley, 3:30 p.m.

HS Boys' Basketball - JV vs. Fountain Valley, 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 2:

Pre-Season Athletic Conditioning, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., waiver required through MySchoolBucks, *HS Students and MacLaren Staff only*

MS Girls' Basketball, Open Gym, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

*All games at James Irwin High School

HS Girls' Basketball - Varsity vs. Fountain Valley, 10:00 a.m.

HS Boys' Basketball - Varsity vs. Fountain Valley, 11:30 a.m.

HS Girls' Basketball - vs. James Irwin, JV 1:00 p.m., Varsity 4:00 p.m.

HS Boys' Basketball - vs. James Irwin, JV 2:30 p.m., Varsity 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, December 5:

HS Girls' Basketball @ Cripple Creek, JV 4:15 p.m., Varsity 5:00 p.m.

HS Boys' Basketball @ Vanguard, JV 5:30 p.m., Varsity 7:00 p.m.

Registration Deadline Soon for Middle School Girls' Basketball

Registration for MS Girls' Basketball closes December 4, at 12:00 p.m.

• Register through MySchoolBucks.
• Basketball season schedules can be found here.
• Athletes must have an updated sports physical on file to participate. Click here for a physical form.

Contact Mrs. Steigerwald with any questions.

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.

Thank You – Food Drive Results

Thank you for giving so generously to the all-school food drive benefiting local families through Care and Share. We are pleased to report that MacLaren families donated a combined 3,059 pounds of non-perishable food!

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 12 to the Masters Fund go toward a semester-end bonus for MacLaren faculty and staff. Thank you for making their holiday season brighter!