Wildcat Weekly

A Note from Mrs. Schuhmacher

Way to go, Wildcats! We surpassed our goal of 2024 food items for our annual food drive. Your contributions will help so many in the greater Little Rock community. We will celebrate this accomplishment when we return from Thanksgiving break with an extra spirit day on Wednesday, December 4. 

As Thanksgiving break approaches, I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to our parent community. Thank you for trusting us with the care, growth, and education of your children. Your support and partnership play a pivotal role in creating a nurturing and joyful learning environment. Best wishes for a restful and memorable Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Catherine Schuhmacher
Head of Lower School

 

December Spirit Days in the Lower School

All students are invited to wear either holiday-themed clothing or spirit wear as we normally do on each Friday in December. No pajamas, please. Students can also wear holiday-themed clothing on Thursday, December 19 for our annual Sing Along and classroom parties. 

 

Girls on the Run 5k

The Episcopal Girls on the Run team will run their celebratory 5k this Sunday at 3pm at Murray Park. The 5k is the culmination of a 10-week running program where, in addition to running, the girls also learned many life skills and completed a community impact project. Friends and family are welcome to join in the festivities by cheering the girls and their running partners across the finish line. Congrats to these young ladies on an incredible job!

 

Christmas Program Concert Etiquette

We are teaching our young Wildcats about performance etiquette and concert manners. Please help us set the example by staying for the whole performance, and waiting until the entire show is done to congratulate your student on their performance. Only leave your seat or enter during applause. It shows respect for all the students who have worked hard to make a wonderful show. Thank you and enjoy!

 

Episcopal Basketball has Begun!

Our Upper School EpiscoPEP group has assigned themes for each of the varsity basketball games. Students are encouraged to come and support our varsity boys’ and girls’ teams and show their spirit! The most spirited student at each night’s game will win a Sonic drink!

 

Classroom Highlights from Dr. House

Our fifth graders are currently reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. In our novel study, we weave together all Language Arts skills to help students make meaningful connections — vocabulary comes from the book, morphology examples are pulled from the text, and writing assignments center around its themes and events. To kick off each class, students do a three-minute “free write” where they record everything they remember from the previous lesson’s reading. The goal is to keep writing for the full three minutes without stopping, revising, or worrying about perfection. This quick exercise builds writing stamina, training students to write for sustained periods and focus on content over mechanics. This exercise also promotes differentiated recall. Each student pulls from their own comprehension level, making it a flexible and personalized review. And beyond reading comprehension, this activity builds a great study habit — writing down what they remember helps build long-term memory of the content without the pressure of editing. Our fifth graders are building writing endurance, comprehension skills, and strong study habits, one free write at a time.

 

Chapel News

In our PreK and Kindergarten chapels we listened to a video story about the Last Supper and learned about Holy Eucharist. In Community Chapel we celebrated the Holy Eucharist with Father Rob Leacock.

When we return from Thanksgiving break our PreK and Kindergarten chapels will learn about Advent and why we light the first two purple candles. In Community Chapel we’ll celebrate entering the season of Advent with a service of Lessons and Carols. We’d love to have you join us in chapel any time!

PreK 4: 8:20-8:40 am, Braunfisch-Stella Boyle Smith Library 
PreK 3: 8:50-9:10 am, Braunfisch-Stella Boyle Smith Library 
Kindergarten: 9:20-9:50 am, Braunfisch-Stella Boyle Smith Library 
1st-5th: 2:30-3:00 pm, Erwin Performance Hall & Gymnasium* 
*November 20 will begin at 2:00 pm.

In Godly Play this week we read the book Gathered at the Table: Celebrating Communion by Glenys Nellist and discussed why we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. When we return from the Thanksgiving break, we will be making and hanging Jesse Tree ornaments during our Godly Play time.

Michelle Moore 
Interim Lower School Chaplain   

 

Pride Patrol | December 2-6

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:

• Theo Howell
• James Kemp
• Mykenna Kloske
• Clayton Lee
• Jett Ludwig
• Stella Mangum
• Will Marshall

 

Fall Super Sessions

Join us for all sorts of fun this fall! There is something for everyone! You can register now for Fall 2024 Super Sessions.

 

Mark Your Calendars

November 25-29 | Thanksgiving Break - No School

December 18 | Christmas Programs: PreK-1, 9:00 am; Grades 2-5, 1:30 pm and 6:00 pm

December 19 | Christmas Sing-Along at 10:00 am, Classroom parties to follow, 12:00 pm dismissal, No Wildcat Club offered that day, Students can wear holiday-themed clothing

December 20-January 6 | Christmas Break - No School

 

Quick Links

Lower School Live News

Wildcat Community Page 

 

Find the LS Calendar here.

A Note from Dr. McCormick

Dear MS Families,

On behalf of the middle school faculty, I would like to wish each of you and your families a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving break!  Once we return, we will be starting preparations for semester exams, and Mrs. Radtke has included some helpful early information and study tips for those in this same missive. 

During Monday’s Morning Meeting, we reflected back on last week’s “Kindness week,” that our friends in the Upper School Kindness Club spearheaded, and we recognized the following students for earning the Heart of the Wildcat distinction.  Remember that in middle school, students and faculty can nominate other students and faculty for the Heart of the Wildcat award for doing a random act of kindness.  Below please find the award recipients and their good deeds:

Anderson King - retrieved a student’s pen that was stuck in a difficult place
Leighton Campbell - threw away trash and separated the trash from recycling!
Delaney Weirich - picked up the dining hall after others left a mess
Ava Madison Rodgers - picked up the dining hall after others left a mess
Connor Lemoir - helped out peers in earth science class
Delaney Weirich - helped a student who was on crutches use the elevator

Have a good weekend!

Chuck McCormick
Head of Middle School

 

Middle School Exam Prep Timeline

Now is the time to grab an accordion folder and start to sort through unit assessments, past study guides, and handouts. Students should group these together by units and put them in an accordion folder by subject. When exam study guides come out on Dec. 6th they will have all of their materials in order to complete them. Happy Studying!

Week of Dec. 2nd-8th: GET ORGANIZED AND GET FAMILIAR WITH THE MATERIAL AGAIN

• Clean out all of your notebooks and folders
• Put notes, quizzes, tests, etc. together by chapters or units and label them
• Print off Google Slide to review
• Look over quizzes, reading questions, and past study guides. Prime your brain for what you will need to review.
• Exam Study Guides will be available Friday Dec. 6th. Knock out easy sections of study guides that you can answer quickly from the information you can easily recall.

Week of Dec. 9-13th: STUDY IN SECTIONS

• Look at how many units you have for each subject to decide how to chunk your studying. Plan to cover a unit of material for a couple of subjects each night. 
• Look over old study guides, quizzes, and homework
• Review videos posted on Canvas, review slides, review notes

• Complete any study guides provided to you. Have your teacher check your study guide to make sure you are studying the correct material. Attend extra help sessions.
• Follow your study schedule each night.
• Distributed practice is more effective than cramming!

Weekend of Dec. 14-15: TEST YOURSELF

• This is the perfect time to take quizlets, make a practice test out of the study guide, etc. Now that you know what you don’t know, you know where to focus your remaining study time during exam week. Make sure you have highlighted and labeled your notes so you can find the material you need. 
• Recall is different than recognition. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you know something because it looks familiar. Test yourself to check for your ability to retrieve the information.
• We remember things most effectively when we attach meaning to them and make connections. Don’t just memorize facts- understand the connections between the facts! This is how information gets stored in long-term memory more effectively. 

Exams (Dec. 16th-19th):

Exam week! Review in the afternoon, take a nice break to relax and recharge, and get to bed early so you are well-rested! Eat a healthy breakfast and consider a mindfulness practice!

 

Middle School Book Fair

MS Book Fair

We are excited to announce our first Middle School Book Fair from December 11th to 13th! The theme for this year is Jólabókaflóð (pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot), an Icelandic tradition that translates to "Yule Book Flood."

Jólabókaflóð celebrates the giving and receiving of books during the Christmas season. It originated during World War II, when paper was one of Iceland's few resources, and has since become a beloved holiday tradition. We are thrilled to bring the spirit of Jólabókaflóð to our students, encouraging a love for reading and the joy of sharing books!

We are proud to partner with Sammy's Bookshelf, a new local independent bookstore, to bring an excellent selection of books to our school. We encourage everyone to join the holiday spirit by finding the perfect book to give or enjoy yourself. The book fair will be open daily to students and parents from 7:45 am to 4:00 pm.

 

Virtual Parent Meeting: How to Support Your Middle Schooler in Preparing for Semester Exams | Tuesday, December 3

Please join to hear Catherine Radtke and Chuck McCormick provide strategies that they will share with our middle schoolers, including a study calendar and helpful timeline, to help them prepare for this initial round of semester exams. This meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 3 from 8:30-9:15 am.

To join the video meeting, click the link below:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vdb-dpru-bhi
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 254-863-1448 PIN: ‪388 653 633#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/vdb-dpru-bhi?pin=7716682108063

 

Semester Exam Schedule

Parents, please find our semester exam schedule here.  For families/students new to the middle school, during exam week, December 16-19, students should be dropped off for their morning exam and picked up immediately after the exam, unless they have a meeting with a teacher or are attending an extra help session. We neither serve lunch nor provide after care during exam week. The only exception to this is on Monday,12/16, seventh and eighth grade students taking a world language class that is giving a semester exam (not all world language classes will be giving an exam) will remain on campus between the two exams and be served lunch. Students playing a sport should be notified by their coaches as to when practices will occur. 

A Note from Dr. Graham

It’s true every year that the days leading up to a major holiday are busy in Upper School. This week featured a lot of tests and quizzes and projects and various assessments, and our students have been hard at work in these last six since Fall Break (really, since Opening Day). Now is the time for our kids to rest and recharge with family, food, and friends–and with a deep appreciation for our many blessings as members of this awesome Episcopal School community. My teammates and I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we look forward to seeing you in December.

Thank you for the privilege of working with your children.

Kellen Graham
Head of Upper School

 

Exam Prep

This week Ms. Paige London kicked off exam prep by meeting with 9th grade students. Any Upper School student wanting some additional help with prepping for exams is encouraged to make an appointment in the AAC. Here is a calendar for how to spend the coming weeks preparing for exams and this document is what all students will receive in advisory in order to plan their exam study time. In addition, now is the time to grab an accordion folder and start to sort through unit assessments, past study guides, and handouts. Students should group these together by units and put them in an accordion folder by subject. When exam study guides come out on Dec. 6th they will have all of their materials in order to complete them. Happy Studying!

 

Fall Semester Exam Schedule

Fall Semester Exam Schedule
Click the link above to see our Fall exam schedule. Please reach out to your child’s Advisor or to me with questions or concerns. 

 

College Counseling

All juniors and seniors are invited to attend the college meetings on our campus.  Sign up for these meetings in SCOIR under “Visits & Deadlines” & bring your Green College Visit Permission Slip to the College Counseling Office!

December 6 - 8:15 AM | Savannah College of Art & Design
Savannah College of Art and Design is a private university with 15,000 undergraduate students that offers degrees in both Arts and Fine Arts- including Animation, Digital Communications, Fashion Design, Painting, Photography, and more. SCAD has campus locations in both Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia - and they have their own study abroad program located in Lacoste, France. SCAD has a strong mission in serving others, SCAD SERVE brings together SCAD students, alumni, faculty, and staff to develop sophisticated design solutions and services that improve quality of life.  SCAD Bees compete in NAIA!

U.S. Naval Academy Admissions Information Session
Students and parents are invited to attend the Naval Academy Info Session on Sunday, December 1 from 2:00-3:30 PM at Catholic High School for Boys. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the Naval Academy, student experience, and the admissions process. You’ll also be able to meet the Regional Director of Admissions, ROTC Recruitment Coordinator, and Congressional Staff members. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/Cn6pW77m4St3iTL19

 

Updates, Reminders, & Action Items

Contact Us if Your Child is Absent, Late, or Checking Out
Parents, if your child is absent from or will arrive late to school for any reason, or if they need to check out during the school day, it is imperative that you contact the School and let us know. If your child is absent, please either call us in the Main Office at 501-372-1194 ext. 3 and leave us a detailed message or email Selby Boyd at sboyd@episcopalcollegiate.org. Upper School students are expected to communicate any known absences with their teachers, coaches, and advisor in advance. Parents, we also expect to hear directly from you any time your child is absent.

Athletics Schedule
Let’s go, Wildcats!

Service Opportunities
We will share new service opportunities for our students as they come to us.

Chapel Schedule
Monday, December 2- Orchestra Performance
Tuesday, December 2- Father Rob
Wednesday, December 2- Father Rob
Thursday, December 2- Father Rob
Friday, December 2- Erik Joyner ‘25

 

Beyond Next Week...

Choir/Orchestra Christmas Concert - Monday, December 9

End of 2nd Quarter - Thursday, December 12

Reading Day (School attendance is optional for students) - Friday, December 13

Fall Semester Exams - Monday, December 16 - Thursday, December 19

Christmas Break - Friday, December 20 - Monday, January 6

Second Semester Begins - Tuesday, January 7

 

 

Find the US Calendar here.

Episcopal Wildcats Hudl Page

Wildcat Athletics has moved live streaming to the Episcopal Collegiate Hudl Fan Page. This page includes a live stream of events as well as highlights, team schedules, and rosters.

Episcopal Wildcats Hudl Page

Please note, we will no longer be using the Episcopal Athletics Youtube Page.

The Hudl Fan App is supported by Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV.

Go, Wildcats!

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