A Note from Mrs. Schuhmacher

What a great week in the Lower School! Between the Book Fair and Capstone at the E, it was an exciting time for our students! Thank you to Mrs. Linder and our Book Fair committee for creating an incredible experience for all students! The committee and Mrs. Linder are also responsible for organizing the food trucks at Capstone, so an extra special thank you to them for helping many of us with our dinner plans that night! 

Capstone was a huge success! Students did a magnificent job guiding their families through the Lower School to experience all the learning that has taken place, not only in homeroom classes, but in each co-curricular class as well. Students were beaming with pride as they showed their families all their learning from the past year. It was also fun to see parents attempting to “cross the river” in PE, create music using boomwhackers in music, fold origami paper cranes and collaborate on art projects, practice their Spanish skills, and explore the design lab. I can’t thank our teachers enough for creating these opportunities for parents. 

I hope to see many of you at the 25th Silver Celebration on Saturday evening. It’s an exciting time to be a Wildcat, and Saturday will be a wonderful night celebrating our school community. For more information about the event, click here. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Catherine Schuhmacher
Head of Lower School

 

Book Fair Success!

Thank you to everyone for a successful Gear Up for Reading Book Fair! We had a great time partnering with WordsWorth Books and are already looking forward to next year!  

It’s not too late to get your summer reading books for rising PK3-rising 6th graders and to or grab a book from your teacher wish lists online through WordsWorth Books website. Every purchase benefits the library programs and author visits!

  Or shop the Book Fair online at the link below. All books purchased will be delivered to the Lower School Library and Mrs. Linder will distribute them. Please put your child's name and teacher in the COMPANY box before completing your order.

https://www.wordsworthbookstore.com/episcopal-book-fair

The online fair will be live until April 21, 2024 and books will be delivered to the school the following week. This is a great way for last minute purchases, or out of town grandparents and friends to purchase books for our students and support our school!

A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped out this week during the book fair, but especially to book fair chairs: Michelle Moore, Kori Gordon, and Amy Meaux!  A special thank you to Mrs. Brooks Mathews for her amazing balloons, LePops Popsicles, Hart-Felt Kitchen and Catering, and Phillips Lips and Tips for providing delicious food.

 

PSL Cheer Sign Up | Rising 4th-6th Grade Students

It's time to sign up for PSL Cheerleading for next school year! PSL Cheerleading is an exciting opportunity for students rising 4th through rising 6th grade to explore athletics at Episcopal including cheering at Saturday morning football games at various private schools in Little Rock, learning dances, cheers and stunts, performing at pep rallies and more! The season runs from the beginning of August to the middle/end of October. If you are interested in participating next year, please click the link below to sign up by Monday, April 29th! https://forms.gle/5fgJDn5JoFxeiFhF6

 

Wildcat Chorale Date Change

Wildcat Chorale will sing in Lower School chapel on Wednesday, May 8, rather than April 24. Please note this date change in your calendar and join us to enjoy these beautiful vocalists perform in chapel!

 

Chapel News

In Godly Play, we will continue to explore stories of Jesus’s resurrection as he visits with his disciples. This week the students will hear the story of the disciple known as doubting Thomas. Jesus reassures his friends that he brings peace and they do not need to be afraid. God’s love is stronger even than death or their fears. This is a continuation of last week because of our work on the Prayer Labyrinth.

In our community Chapel, the Upper and Middle School students will present a preview of the Spring Play, Charlotte's Web. Charlotte's Web will be April 25, 26, & 27 at 7pm in the Middle and Upper School Chapel and Cafeteria.

Blessings in Easter & Happy Passover,

Mother Curtis

 

Used Book Drive | Now - May 3rd

The Lower School is collecting donations of new and gently used children's books. These books will benefit elementary students in tutoring programs throughout the LRSD in collaboration with the Junior League of Little Rock. Donations of books will be accepted until Friday, May 3rd in designated boxes in the school entrances and the commons. Thank you for your generosity and support of the Lower School Book Drive. 

 

Classroom Highlights with Dr. House

Students at Episcopal have Spanish class every week starting in PreK 3.  It’s often asked, “If my student joins Episcopal at a higher grade, how will they keep up with kids who have had years of Spanish already?”  That’s a valid question!  Ms. Saoud & Sra. Indy use very specific teaching strategies that allow students with vastly different levels of proficiency to engage in the same activities.  In the teaching world, we call these types of activities “open-middle”.  This means they have a “low floor” and a “high ceiling” so that students can participate at a very basic “low floor” level if they have minimal prior knowledge, or at a more advanced “high ceiling” level if they come in with a higher level of understanding.  One way they do this is through multi-sensory and full-body teaching.  When speaking Spanish, our teachers use their whole bodies and other visual cues around them to demonstrate the meaning of their words.  This helps the students hear, see, and feel the Spanish language in context and gather clues to build meaning.  You might spot some basic vocabulary lessons like the dinosaur flashcard shown here.  Students do learn basic nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives this way throughout their Lower School years.  But what provides that “open-middle” is the experiential learning like the puppet show you see below.  Not only do the teachers use multi-sensory context to show meaning, but the students do too.  In this 2nd grade class, Sra. Indy selects familiar stories like The Little Red Hen and provides students with scripts to read.  She works with each group carefully to help them rehearse and perform the story as their classmates read along.  Through experiences like this, one student might simply learn that “gato” refers to the cat puppet.  Another student might begin to pick up on the way the same verb changes slightly as they are spoken/read in different contexts throughout the play.  In that instance, what looked like a simple puppet show turned out to be verb conjugation!

 

Pride Patrol | April 22-26

Pride Patrol is a leadership opportunity for our 4th and 5th grade students. These students should arrive by 7:30 am, help open car doors, welcome students, and walk our youngest Wildcats to their classrooms.

Pride Patrol student leaders next week include:

• Payton Robinson
• Elliott Smith
• Vivian Smith
• Leoni Snowden
• Vivian Stiles
• Gray Taylor

 

Parent Session on Summer Learning | Wednesday, May 8 & Thursday, May 9

 

Summer at the E Registration Now Open!

Get ready for an unforgettable summer at Episcopal Collegiate! Registration is open for our exciting Summer at the E program! Dive into the adventure with our Discovery Day Camps, and elevate your skills with our Athletic and Enrichment Super Sessions. Don't miss out – invite your friends and neighbors to join in the fun. We're eagerly looking forward to spending an amazing summer with you! Click here to register. 

REGISTER FOR SUMMER AT THE E

 

Super Session Highlights

Pinch Pot Zoo
Are you ready for a wild afternoon with Ms. McSpadden at your very own zoo? On April 22, Kindergarten through 5th graders can join Ms. McSpadden in creating their own zoo full of animals. A great way to end this wild year of fun!

Going Out with a Bang! 
Summer is coming, but before school is out, join Mrs. Keck to get messy with some chemical reactions that crackle, fizzle, and pop! And these are experiments you can do again and again at home. Who is ready to go out with a BANG?!

Click here to register for Super Sessions. Questions? Please contact Libby Conder.  

 

Mark Your Calendars

April 20 | 25th Anniversary Silver Celebration 

May 21 | 5th Grade Recognition, 1:30pm

May 22 | Field Day, 12pm dismissal

 

Quick Links

Lower School Absence Reporting Form

Lower School Live News

Wildcat Community Page 

 

Find the LS Calendar here.

A Note from Dr. McCormick

Hello, Middle School Families,

I am writing to remind you to check in with/support your student in getting their five hours of community service done and to share the documentation with Mrs. Britt in the middle school office.  They also need to make their advisor aware of this.  Your child’s advisor needs to sign off on their ability to come to the MS Madness event that our Parents’ Auxiliary has organized for us and that is to take place on April 30 after school in the quad.  Students who have not completed their service hours and/or have not made a formal plan to do so and informed their advisor of this, will not be able to attend.

Below are some options for completing these hours from our Upper School Director of Student Life, Mr. Dan Binder:

This is your periodic reminder about upcoming service opportunities and long-term options to consider.  You can find them all at this link.

A word on visitors and visiting at lunch.  Parents, we love having you join your child for lunch in the dining hall, but we ask that all parents check in at the middle school office rather than coming in the doors by the wildcat.  In the event of an emergency, we need to know who is in the building.  Additionally, and for the same reasons, please do not enter the school building and pass by the middle school office without checking in. Thank you! 

Stay well, and enjoy!

Chuck McCormick
Head of Middle School 

 

7th Grade Parent Social | Sunday, April 28

7th Grade Parents-- you should have all received an email reminder this morning about the upcoming 7th-grade parent social to learn more about the Upper School experience and the opportunity to connect with other parents in the Episcopal community.

Please RSVP here.

 

Summer at the E

Get ready for an unforgettable summer at Episcopal Collegiate! Registration is open for our exciting Summer at the E program! Explore all of our Athletic and Enrichment offerings for Middle Schoolers, by clicking the button below. Invite your friends and neighbors to join in the fun--we're eagerly looking forward to spending an amazing summer with you!

REGISTER FOR SUMMER AT THE E

Summer For-Credit Registration

Episcopal Collegiate is excited to offer two for-credit courses this summer.  These courses may be used to meet graduation requirements for Health and Oral Communications.  Each course is designed to provide the same level of instruction that students would receive during the school year.

Students who are planning to take one of the For-Credit Summer Courses (Online Summer Health or Online Summer Oral Communications) need to register and pay for those courses through the Summer at the E! Registration site.  Registration for these courses will close on Friday, May 17th. 

A Note from Dr. Graham

Dear Upper School Families–

Here are some highlights from this week in Upper School:

Our girls lacrosse team walloped Pulaski Academy 18-2 on Wildcat Field on Wednesday Night.

Our Choir, Orchestra, and Percussion groups closed out their concert season with Wednesday’s “POP” show, which featured our Middle and Upper School musicians and singers performing hits by Billy Joel, Queen, Hall & Oates, and more.

Our Latin Club orchestrated another successful and super fun Latin Olympics, which included a week of Latin/Greek-themed friendly competitions, pitting students and advisory groups against each other for small prizes and huge amounts of pride (!!).

Father Rob delivered his beloved, inspirational chapel talk about Billy Mills, an unheralded American runner who won the Olympic gold medal in the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo. Father Rob’s message was simple: a person who puts in the work and believes in themselves can accomplish extraordinary things. 

Our Student Diversity Council hosted guest speaker, Dr. Ali Khan, from the Madina Institute on Thursday during FLEX. Joining Dr. Khan was The Reverend Patricia Lewis Matthews, Executive Director of The Interfaith Center of Arkansas. Dr. Khan spoke to those students in attendance about the various products, practices and perspectives of Ramadan.

Our 9th and 10th graders took the PSAT on Tuesday, a useful practice run for the real PSAT.

There is about a month left in this school year, and our team takes no days for granted. Teaching and coaching and mentoring your children is our privilege and our passion.

Please keep reading to learn more about what’s happening in Upper School.

See you soon,

Kellen Graham
Head of Upper School

 

Summer For-Credit Course Registration

Episcopal Collegiate is excited to offer two for-credit courses this summer.  These courses may be used to meet graduation requirements for Health and Oral Communications.  Each course is designed to provide the same level of instruction that students would receive during the school year.

Students who are planning to take one of the For-Credit Summer Courses (Online Summer Health or Online Summer Oral Communications) need to register and pay for those courses through the Summer at the E! Registration site.  Registration for these courses will close on Friday, May 17th. 

 

Service Opportunities

Service Opportunities

Director of Student Life Mr. Binder regularly updates this list of service opportunities for our students. Please take a look & talk to your child about which kinds of service work might be right for them. 

 

Senior College T-Shirt Photos

We are looking forward to celebrating all of our seniors! Please submit your college t-shirt photos to Ms. Anna Snow at asnow1@episcopalcollegiate.org.

 

End-of-Semester Exam Schedule

Here is our Spring exam schedule:

Thursday, May 16 
History & Social Sciences - 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Conflict Exams - Time TBD

Monday, May 20
Math - 8:00-10:00 a.m.
World Languages - Time TBD

Tuesday, May 21
English - 8:00-10:00 a.m. 
Conflict Exams - Time TBD

Wednesday, May 22
Science - 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Conflicts - Time TBD

 

AP Exam Schedule

Monday, May 6
US Gov (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
Chemistry (12:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, May 7
Seminar (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)
Stats (12:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 8
English Lit (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
Comparative Gov (12:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

Thursday, May 9
Psych (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

Friday, May 10
Euro History (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
APUSH (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

Monday, May 13
Calc AB/BC (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 15
AP World History (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
French (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
Music Theory (12:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

Thursday, May 16
Spanish (8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
Biology (12:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

 

Coming Up Next Week...

Cum Laude Induction Ceremony | Monday, April 22 (Chapel)
Our newest student members of our school’s cum laude chapter will be inducted during a ceremony that will take place on Monday, April 22 in chapel.

Phone-Free Day | Wednesday, April 24 
Wednesday is our next phone-free day in Upper School.

Spring Musical (Charlotte’s Web) | Thursday, April 25 - Saturday, April 27
The cast and crew of Charlotte’s Web–this year’s spring musical–kick off a three-night run of shows, starting on Thursday, April 25th. Each performance starts at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the US/MS Dining Hall. Our students have worked hard for weeks to put on a good show, so let’s give them a huge audience. 

Chapel Speaker Schedule
Monday, April 22 - Cum Laude Induction Ceremony
Tuesday, April 23 - Lower School Wildcat Chorale
Wednesday, April 24 - Charlotte’s Web Preview
Thursday, April 25 - Honoring Earth Day 
Friday, April 26 - Mother Sandra Curtis

Athletics Schedule
Go, Wildcats!

 

Mark Your Calendar

World Language Honor Societies Induction Ceremony - Monday, April 29:
Our newest student members of our World Language Honor Society will be inducted during a ceremony that will take place on Monday, April 29 in chapel.

Service Hours Deadline - Wednesday, May 1:
All Upper School students should complete their minimum requirement for service hours by Wednesday, May 1.

College T-Shirt Day & Family Picnic - Wednesday, May 1:
This event is intended for seniors and senior parents/guardians/families. On Wednesday, May 1, we will celebrate our annual College T-Shirt Day and Family Picnic, at which seniors will wear a t-shirt or sweatshirt from the college they plan to attend. Senior Parents/Guardians, we encourage you to bring your senior’s favorite lunch and to join him or her in the quad from 12:15 p.m. until 1:25 p.m.

Spring Sports Banquet - Wednesday, May 1:
This is the evening program (6pm start), where we will recognize all middle and upper school spring sports teams and athletes.

National Forensic League Induction Ceremony - Thursday, May 2:
Our newest student members of our Speech & Debate team who have earned induction into the National Forensics League will be recognized during a ceremony that will take place on Thursday, May 2 in chapel.

Senior Yearbook Signing Party - Friday, May 3:
Our seniors will celebrate the release of this year’s Yearbook with a class party, held on the Quad during FLEX on Friday, May 3.

9th-11th Grade Yearbook Signing Party - Monday, May 6:
Our 9th, 10th, & 11th graders will celebrate the release of this year’s Yearbook with a Yearbook signing party, held on the Quad during FLEX on Monday, May 6.

Last Day of Classes for Seniors - Wednesday, May 8:
Our seniors' last day of school will be Wednesday, May 8.

Senior Exams - Thursday, May 9 - Friday, May 10:
Senior exams will be scheduled on Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10. Senior teachers will communicate directly with those seniors who must take exams.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams - Monday, May 6 - Thursday, May 16:
This year’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams begin on Monday, May 6, and conclude on Thursday, May 16. For students who cannot take an AP exam on the regularly scheduled date because of illness, the makeup dates are Wednesday, May 22 through Friday, May 24.

Exam Schedule

Rising Senior Blazer Ceremony (Class of ‘25) - Tuesday, May 14:
Members of the Class of 2025 (current 11th graders) will formally receive their senior blazers and be recognized as our rising senior class in an afternoon ceremony.

Reading Day - Wednesday, May 15:
Reading Day is designed to give students the opportunity to study for their end-of-semester exams. Classes do not meet on this day, and school attendance is optional for students. Students may come to school to study and/or meet with teachers.

Semester Exams begin - Thursday, May 16:
Exams will begin at 8:00 a.m.

Exam schedule

Graduation Rehearsal - Thursday, May 16:
This event is intended for seniors. Graduation Rehearsal will be held on Thursday, May 16 at 10:00 a.m. in Championship Gym.

Baccalaureate - Thursday, May 16:
This event is intended for seniors and senior parents/guardians/families. On the evening of Thursday, May 16, we will hold our annual Baccalaureate service at Trinity Cathedral. The ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m., but all seniors must arrive no later than 4:10 p.m., wearing their dress uniforms with blazers.

Class Day- Friday, May 17:
This year’s Class Day will take place on Friday, May 17 at 10:30 a.m. in Championship Gym.

Commencement - Saturday, May 18:
Our Commencement ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. Please join us for a reception in the MS/US Dining Hall following the ceremony.

Last Day for 9th-11th Graders - Wednesday, May 22:|
Students will be dismissed for Summer Break after their last exam. 

 

Find the US Calendar here.

Upcoming Games

Friday, April 19

• Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Lake Village, AWAY @5:00 pm
• Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Lake Village, AWAY @6:00 pm

Saturday, April 20

• Girls Lacrosse vs. Fayetteville, HOME @12:00 pm
• Girls Lacrosse vs. Bentonville, HOME @3:00 pm

Monday, April 22

• Girls Varsity Soccer vs. CAC, AWAY @5:00 pm
• Boys Varsity Soccer vs. CAC, AWAY @7:00 pm

Tuesday, April 23

• Varsity Track Episcopal Collegiate Relays, HOME

Wednesday, April 24

• Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Lake Village, HOME @5:00 pm
• Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Lake Village, HOME @7:00 pm

Thursday, April 25

• Girls Lacrosse vs. MSM, HOME @5:30 pm
• Boys Lacrosse vs. MSM, HOME @7:00 pm 

2023-2024 Sports Passes

Sports passes for the 2023-34 year will now be digital. Please click on the link below to purchase this year's pass. This all access pass entitles the holder to claim 1 ticket for each regular season home sporting event. This pass is not eligible for post-season events. 

PURCHASE PASSES HERE

Athletics Online Ticketing

 7th-12th grade athletic events can be bought at the link below, or at the event using your smartphone or smart device via QR code scanning.

PURCHASE ATHLETIC TICKETS HERE

Please note that if you have already purchased an athletic pass, you will be allowed to use that for entry into the event.

 

March 28, 2024

March 15, 2024

March 8, 2024

March 1, 2024

February 15, 2024

February 5, 2024

January 26, 2024

January 19, 2024

January 12, 2024

January 5, 2024

December 15, 2023

December 8, 2023

December 1, 2023

November 10, 2023

November 3, 2023

October 27, 2023

October 6, 2023

September 22, 2023

September 15, 2023

September 8, 2023

September 1, 2023

August 25, 2023

August 18, 2023