September is certainly a busy and exciting month as the school year begins. It is also a time for significant religious traditions and cultural observances for many members in our community.

On September 4-6, Jewish community members honored the days of Rosh Hashanah. Today also marks the start of Yom Kippur observances. Together, these are considered to be the Jewish High Holy Days, or the Days of Awe. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, which falls in the month of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. Tishrei is believed to be the month in which God created the world, and Jewish people observe this time in self-examination, reflection, and repentance, or teshuvah. It is also a time of great hope and spiritual renewal, and making peace in the community.

Yom Kippur falls 10 days after Rosh Hashanah, and is known as the Day of Atonement. It is believed that Yom Kippur is the day when God decides the fate of each human being. The day is marked with services, prayers, fasting, forgiveness and reconciliation, and teshuvah, or repentance, in order to draw closer to one another and to God. These observances of these High Holy Days begin at sundown on September 4 and September 13.

September 22 marks the day known as the Autumnal Equinox (northern hemisphere), when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal, about 12 hours. In Wiccan/Pagan traditions, this day is also known as Mabon, and is celebrated as a festival of the mid-harvest. Time is taken to honor the changing of the seasons, and giving thanks for the abundance of the harvest. To celebrate, observers of Mabon gather together to prepare foods that honor the hearth and the gifts of the earth. Celebrations and rituals include the telling of stories, saying prayers, giving thanks, meditations, singing songs, and honoring the blessings of the earth, while staying mindful of the significance of the balance of light and dark in our lives.

Academic Dean Greg Tuleja and the faculty understand that the fall religious holidays will mean that some students will miss classes and may be unable to do academic work for several days. Faculty will be flexible in giving deadline extensions and rescheduling tests when reasonable accommodations would benefit students. Families should contact the Dean of Student’s Office with any questions about religious holidays and observances during the school year.

Greetings from the Writing Center!  Every Sunday or Monday, you will get an email from me with the Writing Center hours for the week.  You can feel free to tuck this email away in your deleted items, ready for the moment you need it, you can print it out and hang it on your door, or you can just remember these three things:

1.      The Writing Center is great!
2.      The Writing Center has candy! (Unless someone has gotten there before you.)
3.      The Writing Center tutors are nice and want to help you!

This week, we will be open for evening study hall every night (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday) from 7:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.  If you want to visit during the day, stop by and visit or send me an email and I will be sure to be there.  No need to make an appointment, though; just drop by and we will be happy to help you create polished masterpieces (well, maybe!) for your teachers.  We are located in a spacious, candy-filled room on the second floor of the library.

Stay tuned for increased hours after tutor training on Wednesday!

Sarah Sawyer
Writing Center Director, English Teacher

Academic Dean Greg Tuleja and the faculty understand that the fall Jewish holidays will mean that some students will miss classes and may be unable to do academic work for several days. Faculty will be flexible in giving deadline extensions and rescheduling tests when reasonable accommodations would benefit students.

Convocation is Monday, September 16, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Students will sit by class in formal dress (coat and tie for boys, no tennis shoes; girls should be in skirts, dresses, or dress pants) for the event. If you have a question about dress code, please see page 15 in the Student Handbook. Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan P’08, ’10 will be this year’s speaker.

Following Convocation, the Upper School will hold class dinners. The Class of 2014 will attend Senior Dinner, with speaker Sara Delano Collins ’98. Juniors will have dinner in the lower level of the Reed Campus Center. Sophomores should meet in the lobby of the Athletic Center, and freshmen will have their dinner in the Dodge Room in the Reed Campus Center. Pick up for day students will be following class dinners at 6:45 p.m.

Class orientations are this Sunday, September 8. Day students need to be on campus from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Students should be dressed in their class t-shirts (received at Registration) and sneakers appropriate for outdoor activities. Sophomores and juniors should meet at the Athletic Center in the morning; seniors should meet in the Birch Dining Commons. Day students will finish the day at 5:30 p.m., following a meeting with the Dean of Students in the Chapel and may stay for dinner or be picked up from campus at that time.

Fall Dance Ensemble auditions will be held next week in the Dance Studio in the Reed Campus Center. Dance Ensemble is open to all Middle and Upper School students. The audition is held in the form of a technique class, so students won’t need to have anything prepared but they must attend each day to be considered. The schedule is as follows: Monday, September 9, 3:45-5:30 p.m.: Information Session; Tuesday, September 10, 3:45-5:00 p.m.: Hip Hop with guest artist, Mat Elder (bring clean sneakers); Wednesday, September 11, 1:15-2:45 p.m.: Ballet Barre and Contemporary Combination (ballet shoes preferred); Thursday, September 12, 3:45-5:15 p.m.: Jazz Warm-Up and Re-visit the Contemporary Combination (jazz shoes preferred); Friday, September 13, 3:45-5:00 p.m.: Student Choreographer Auditions.

Auditions for the fall play, A Servant to Two Masters, by Carlo Goldoni and adapted by Lee Hall, are Tuesday, September 10 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Williston Theatre. Students do not need to prepare anything in advance but should come ready to do some improvisation and read from the play. For more information, including a summary of the play, rehearsal schedules, and performance dates, please contact Emily Ditkovski, director of the Williston Theatre.