Headmaster's Newsletter

November Newsletter and Events

Dear Parents,

Friday, November 4, marks the end of the first academic quarter, and we still have so much still to come!

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As part of our Interfaith Initiative, Prep hosted 3 renowned religious leaders last week for a two day Interfaith Symposium where dialogue and discussion, prompted by questions from the students, took place in both large and small formats on campus. We are very grateful to the Rev. Dr. George Regas, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, and Dr. Maher Hathout for sharing their invaluable time and treasured wisdom with us all. The school community was enriched by thoughtful dialogue and challenged by profound questions. Students and faculty alike have mentioned the rich impact of this event on their lives.

Special thanks to all the parents who helped with Back-to-School Night, to Kate Jacobs and Casey Lau for coordinating the faculty dinner, and to the volunteers for their donations of desserts and salads. We are also grateful to the student guides and cheerleaders for directing parents around campus and serving refreshments.

We congratulate Kimberly Ostiller for her selection as a Tournament of Roses Rose Court Princess!

Homecoming Court, Breakfast, and Dance

Please congratulate our Homecoming Court! 7th Grade: Haley Harris, Ellie Morrissey, Brian Pipes, Ivan Verbinski; 8th Grade: Nanita Balagopal, Sharon Chow, Scott Johnson, Lawrence Kim; 9th Grade: Ronni Cuccia, Daniela Motte, Benja-min Aledort, Julian Yamamoto; 10th Grade: Kaitlin Liston, Michaela Wiebe, Bryce Delgado, Dante Tobar; 11th Grade: Lucy Wagner, Gabby Zen, Chad Cosse, Isaac Yamamoto; 12th Grade King & Queen Candidates: Katrina Boyd, Caribay Franke, Valerie Lam, James Bradley, Zach Myers, Tomás Diaz. Court members and candidates will be celebrated at our Homecoming Court Breakfast on Friday, October 21, at 7:15 am in the Alumni House Living Room. We are grateful to Lisa Van Scoter and Janie Herzog for organizing this breakfast. The senior King and Queen will be announced at the High School Homecoming Dance, which will take place this Friday from 8-11 pm in the Crawford Family Gym.

Our Homecoming Games against Viewpoint are this weekend, October 21-22! Our Junior Varsity football team plays on Friday at 3:15 pm on Prep’s field. On Saturday, at La Canada High School, the Powder Puff football game will begin at 5:00 pm, and the Varsity football team will take the field at 7:00 pm. The Homecoming Court will be presented during the varsity game at halftime. In-N-Out Burgers will be available from 5:00-8:30 pm, and the Football Club will have the snack bar open. Many thanks to Janet Lazier, Jane Nowotny, Lynda Bassa-Smith, Allison Witter and all the parent volun-teers who have worked hard to make this year’s Homecoming a wonderful event for us all.

“DUI: A Powerful Lesson” Mark Sterner will present a companion parent program to an assembly for our 9th–12th grade students that will take place earlier in the day on Thursday evening, October 27 at 7:30 pm in Norris Auditorium. Mark helps students and their parents realize that simple choices made by young adults under the influence, like drinking and driving, can impact themselves, friends, and family members for life. This is a great opportunity to talk to your students about drinking and substance usage.

The Ninth Grade Trip departs for Catalina Island on Monday, October 31. Please have your child at school by 6:30 am on Monday morning upstairs on Crown Avenue. Questions should be directed to Michael Roffina at (818) 949-5544.

Athletics

Girls and Boys Cross Country, Boys Water Polo, and Girls Tennis are competing for top spots in League play and CIF-SS play-offs. Both Cross Country teams are ranked in the top ten in Southern California in Division V. The Girls Tennis team is fighting for a Prep League title and looking for a high seed in a very tough CIF-SS Division 2 play-off. Our Boys Water Polo team has surpassed expectations in the CIF-SS with their outstanding play during pre-season and League openers. They have many outstanding players, but the biggest leader on the squad is their coach, Dan Hare, who, in less than two years, has turned the program around, creating a tough, competitive team that has gained the respect of all competitors. CONGRATULATIONS to Maia Cohen (7th) and Jack Van Scoter (8th), on receiving medals in the Mt. SAC Invitational, one of the hardest Cross Country courses in California. Maia placed 7th and Jack finished 14th out of 100 runners in their respective races. The coaching staff and athletes look forward to your continued help, support, and sportsmanship at all games. Athletic schedules can be found on the school’s website, www.flintridgeprep.org, or on www.highschoolsports.net. For questions, please contact Alex Rivera, Director of Athletics, at (818) 790-0334 or arivera@flintridgeprep.org.

College Counseling

SAT and SAT Subject Tests are scheduled for November 5 and December 3. UC and CSU applications should be sent electronically no later than Friday, November 25; seniors are reminded to print a copy of their application before sending it. Seniors are also encouraged to be aware of all College Counseling deadlines for essay review (these are posted on Naviance and were given out in class), and all seniors are asked not to submit their Common or UC/Cal State applications without having them reviewed by their counselor prior to submission. The second College Financial Aid Seminar for interested parents and students will be held November 17 at 7:00 pm at Prep in Norris Auditorium. A reminder to senior parents: the Parent Dedication Pages for the Yearbook are due December 2. A discount will be given to those who submit orders by October 31. For more information, contact Celeste McMillin at cmcmillin@flintridgeprep.org or (818) 949-7764.

Community Service

Community service forms for all high school students have been distributed. Minimum service requirements are 7 hours for ninth graders and 10 hours for sophomores and juniors. Senior community service will be done at the end of the school year. If you have any questions, please contact Michael Roffina at (818) 949-5544.

Please join members of the Athletic Council on Leadership for a fun morning at the Heroes of Hope Race on Sunday, No-vember 6 at Dockweiler Beach in Playa Del Rey at 8 am. We will participate in memory of Coach Tom Fry to raise funds for brain tumor research. Go online at heroesofhoperace.org to register and/or sponsor walkers with contributions under the team "Flintridge Prep." Please contact Alex Rivera at arivera@flintridgeprep.org with questions.

Development

Under the direction of Annual Fund Co-Chairs, Reid Leslie and Mark Lieberman, the traditional phonathons will be held on October 24 and 25 at Dilbeck Realtors in La Canada. Many thanks to the volunteers and our grade level chairs: Mary Caverly and Rob Levy (7th), Vahe Badalian and Reid Leslie (8th), Pamela Dreyfuss and David Zaro (9th), Renato Halili and Charlie Weinstein (10th), Mark Gerard and Mark Harris (11th), and Stephen Lo and Dale Okuno (12th). We hope to surpass the 97% parent participation of last year!

Junior Parent Dinner

The members of the Class of 2013 invite their parents to the annual Junior Parent Dinner, hosted by the Junior Class for their parents on November 19 on Prep’s campus, beginning at 5:00 pm for cocktails, followed by dinner and a show. If any Junior Class parents have items they would like to donate to the Silent Auction, please contact Reggie Ursettie (818) 949-5571 or Betty Urban (818) 949-5577. Proceeds will help underwrite the cost of Prom 2012, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a local charity. Questions? Please email jpd@prepstudents.org.

Parents Association

Please join us for our only evening Parents Association meeting of the school year on Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00 pm in Prep’s Conference Room. Peter Bachmann will begin the meeting with a Headmaster’s Report, and our guest speaker will be Art Stetson, Director of Admissions. Thank you to all the Prep families who have paid their membership dues this year; we have 62% overall participation. Our goal this year of 95% participation is ambitious, so we have some more work to do. All activities and events sponsored by the Parents Association and Fathers Club are funded through your dues, and we appreciate your participation. For additional information, or to confirm your payment, please contact this year’s Membership Chairs, Rose Wen or Yvonne Zaro.

Performing Arts

This November, the Performing Arts opens its first play of the season! Students take the stage in "Romeo & Juliet," the love story of the centuries now revisited by Ms. Bierman and her cast. Performance dates are November 10−12 at 7:30 pm in the Norris Auditorium. Admission is free to see a special performance that people will be talking about. Also, audition sign-ups for this year's winter dance concert are now available. Drop by the Dance Room to put your name down, or find out more details from Mrs. Mattei or Ms. Thomas. Congratulations to Prep's Got Talent participants! It was a fantastic performance spearheaded by Mr. Hill and the student production team. Thanks for a great show!

Please join us at our Homecoming Games this weekend.


Sincerely,



Peter Bachmann
Headmaster