School Announcements - May 2008

Joan O'Brien Wins Excellence In Teaching Award
Dangling Dancers
MacDuffie Music
AP Exams in May
3rd Quarter Academic Achievers
Semester Exams
Commencement 2008
Dress Code Reminder
Summer Physical Exams
Lost and Found
Idle-free Circle
Upcoming Events
Calendar

Joan O'Brien Wins Teaching Award

We are extremely proud to announce that Joan O’Brien will receive the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award on May 8th, 2008 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. This award honors teachers throughout the area for their tremendous commitment and lasting impact on students.  

Ms. O’Brien has taught at MacDuffie for 13 years and has a total of 17 years’ teaching experience. She is the current Chair of the History Department and served as the Upper School Head for many years. With a B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College, an M.A. in Education from the University of Denver, and an M.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts, Ms. O’Brien has constantly continued her professional development, participating in three Hampshire Education Collaborative workshops at Smith College. She has received three Summer Study grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Ms. O’Brien is admired throughout the School for her dedication to her students and creativity in the classroom. As English Teacher Jan Hill noted when nominating her for the Excellence in Teaching Award: “She is creative in designing curricula that will engage her students and encourage independent thinking in each of them, whether she is teaching a unit on the Constitution or the Middle-Passage.”

Congratulations from the entire MacDuffie community for this outstanding and well-deserved recognition!

Dangling Dancers

As many of you know, the MacDuffie Dance Department has been very fortunate to have the talents of Senior MacKenzie Halpin for the last four years. MacKenzie has been responsible for bringing tap dance to MacDuffie. Three years ago, she approached me to begin a Tap Dance club which would meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:00. The students would be able to tap for one hour before classes began. Originally, many of the students who wanted to participate could not afford to purchase their own tap shoes, which can cost between $50 and $75. While we have found various ways to fund these shoes in years past, the Tap Club has been growing and the cost to fund these shoes has risen.

Inspired by MacKenzie’s love of tap dance, and her desire to bring tap to any student who may want to dance, I have created mobiles from which a portion of the proceeds will go towards The Tap Shoe Project. While the original goal will be to help our students here at MacDuffie fund tap shoes, my bigger goal is to provide funds to potential dance students throughout the city who may not be able to afford shoes. These “Dangling Dancers” will be on sale at the spring concert. Each mobile costs $25.  $5 from each sale will go towards The Tap Shoe Project. The mobiles come in a variety of colors and are approximately 21 to 24 inches high. They are created from canvas, wire, and acrylic paint. If you would like more information about the mobiles, please contact me at astone@macduffie.com

MacKenzie has single-handedly taught all of the tap dance students for the past three years. Starting with beginning students, she has now established a group of intermediate tappers who have a true love of this art form. I would like to congratulate her on her dedication and hard work and thank her for being such an inspiration to our community!

Ms. Aimee Stone

AP Exams in May

Our order for AP exams was placed in March. We are now collecting payments. If your child is taking one or more of the exams below, please send your check, $84.00 for each exam, payable to “The MacDuffie School” to Kristen Kozel in the Guidance Office. We will send a check for the total sum to the College Board. Payment MUST be made prior to taking the exam. 

Please note the AP exam schedule below:

Monday, May 5 – French Language
Tuesday, May 6 – Statistics
Wednesday, May 7 – Calculus
Thursday, May 8 – English Literature
Friday, May 9 – United States History
Monday, May 12 – Biology & Physics
Wednesday, May 14 – English Language
Friday, May 16 – Latin Literature

Payment MUST be made prior to taking the exam.

Please note the AP exam schedule below:

Monday, May 5 - French Language
Tuesday, May 6 - Spanish Language
Wednesday, May 7 - Calculus
Thursday, May 8 - English Literature
Friday, May 9 - United States History
Monday, May 12 - Biology
Wednesday, May 14 - English Language
Friday, May 16 - Latin Literature

Semester Exams - May 22, 23, & 27

Exams are rapidly approaching and I would like to share a few words about exams and how you can help your student to prepare. Upper School exams are cumulative and scheduled for two hours. AP exams are three hour exams. Eighth graders take three one-hour exams.

By preparing for and taking cumulative exams, your student learns to pull together the knowledge and skills covered during the course of the semester. We also hope that the experience will help students become accustomed to taking major exams. Prior to exam week, teachers will be distributing study guides and reviewing the material to be covered on the exams. Please encourage your student to begin studying early. This allows time for asking questions of the teacher on items with which he or she is not as confident. Starting early also prevents last-minute “cramming,” which is not as effective, creates stress and can even be counter-productive. The May calendar includes the exam dates, so you and your student can make a well-planned study schedule. 

In terms of study methods, the more active the better. Simply looking over notes, tests and quizzes and other exercises is not effective. Students should be writing as they review, quizzing themselves using questions from homework assignments, tests and quizzes to make sure they can answer them without looking. Students who have questions or need help in any subject should seek extra help from their teacher, during the normal extra sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school.

It is common to see a decline in some students’ performances on the later exams. This may be due to a combination of fatigue and poor planning, leaving insufficient preparation time. Again, I encourage you to help your child to plan early and make good decisions about the use of time before and during exam week. I personally wish each and every student the best of success on exams and other remaining projects. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns regarding exam week.
Mr. Addicks

Exam Week Information - May 22 – May 30
Middle School Schedule
Exam week is a special time for all Middle School students. Sixth and seventh grade students do not take exams (unless they are in Upper level courses). Eighth graders take exams in all five major subjects. 

All Middle School exams take place in South Hall. Middle School students in Upper School classes take exams in the Gym. The exam is scheduled to take one hour but students may stay for an extra half hour if they so choose. Lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Because teachers are busy with many things during exam week, it is important that students not arrive before they are scheduled and that they leave at the dismissal time, if possible. If students are here outside of these times, they must stay in the Library, as there is no coverage outside this area.

Further details of special events for each grade will be sent home by mid-May. Please see the block schedule for the days that the different grades are due at School.  

Upper School Exam Week Information
Students who take two courses in the same discipline, such as two math courses or both French and Spanish, require a Special Exam schedule for the lower course level. Students must take exams at the scheduled time unless they have the conflict listed above. All rescheduling of exams is done by the school through Mr. Addicks.

After school coverage will continue throughout the exam period; however, please pick up your student as soon as possible after the last exam of the day. Upper School exams are generally over by 3:00 p.m. Students are free to leave when they have taken their last exam. Upper School students are not required to be in school unless they have an exam.

The Library will be open throughout exam week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. 

Final grades will be mailed out the week of June 9th. Original medical forms will be returned with the final grades of all Seniors.

3rd Quarter Academic Achievers

Commencement 2008
Commencement is sooner than you think! One of our most revered traditions is our beautiful Commencement ceremony.  Required dress at Commencement is as follows:
Grades 6-11:
Girls must wear white dresses or white blouses and skirts.  White shoes are preferred.  Boys must wear dark slacks, white shirt and maroon tie, and dark socks and shoes.
Seniors:
Girls wear ankle-length white dresses and white shoes.  Boys wear navy blue blazers, white slacks, white shirts, maroon ties, and dark socks and shoes.

Commencement will be held at Trinity Methodist Church, 361 Sumner Avenue, Springfield, Massachusetts.

Directions from MacDuffie School:
From the MacDuffie entrance, turn left onto Maple Street. Go to the end of Maple Street. Turn left onto Mill Street, which becomes Dickinson Street as it curves to the right. Follow Dickinson Street up the hill to the first traffic light (Oakland Street). Turn right onto Oakland Street and go to the end (Sumner Avenue). Turn left onto Sumner Avenue and you are directly in front of Trinity Church.

Dress Code Reminder
As the warm weather approaches and shopping for spring and summer clothes commences, it is important to remember that some clothes are not appropriate to wear at school. For your convenience, the dress code was published again in last month’s ATC, but some highlights of special note are:

• Skirts and shorts may not be mini skirts or short shorts – i.e. must be four inches or less from the top of the knee.
• Blouses or shirts may not show cleavage and/or midriff or have straps of less than one inch. They may not be strapless or off the shoulder.

The dress code is also published in its entirety in the Student/Parent/Guardian Handbook for your reference. We appreciate your cooperation and your student’s cooperation in adhering to our dress code.

Summer Physical Exams

Please make your child’s appointment for an annual physical examination now. Look for the medical forms in early June.

Lost and Found

The last chance to claim lost and found items will follow Academic Awards Convocation in Rutenber Hall on Saturday, May 31, 2008. Small items such as rings, bracelets, watches, eyeglasses and calculators can be claimed from Mrs. Martin at the front desk. All unclaimed clothes and/or items with no name will be given to the needy. Unclaimed books will be returned to the Business Office.

Declaring MacDuffie Circle An Idle-Free Zone

One of the topics that came up in the Middle School this year during our discussions of the environment was, of course, climate change. Middle-schoolers learned that through the steps of extraction (processing, shipping, and use), one gallon of gasoline produces twenty pounds of carbon dioxide. As a result of that discussion, we decided that MacDuffie would be an Idle-free Zone. We are asking everyone to not sit in their cars with the motor running. We invite you to come inside if the weather is inclement. We thank you for your cooperation.

MacDuffie Music

On April 5th, MacDuffie Singers and friends traveled to New York City for a performance of Puccini’s La Bohéme at the Metropolitan Opera.

On April 4th in morning assembly, MacDuffie was treated to a student recital. The performance featured the following:

• Toccata by Aram Khatchaturian - Kayla Lusnia (’10), piano
• The Lover’s Waltz by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason - Eva (’13) and Gabby (’09) Snyder, violins
• Walkin’ After Midnight by Don Hecht and Alan Block - Kat Kennedy (’11), vocal with Meg Riley, piano
• Rondo by Ludwig van Beethoven - Min Wan (Alex) Cho (’13), piano
• The Water is Wide, arr. by Sarah MacLachlan - Renee Berard (’10) and Mallory Kakely (’10), vocals
• Concertino by C. Chaminade - Christen Sparago (’11), flute with Meg Riley, piano
• Toccata in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach -  Emma Murray (’13), piano
• The world premiere performance of Princess,
  written and performed by Emma Murray (’13)

Upcoming Events

Magnolia Day Event ~ Book Buyback

Book buyback will take place in the Guided Study Room in Rutenber Hall between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m on Magnolia Day. Everyone is encouraged to recycle their books for credit/cash. Book credits will be applied to returning students’ accounts. Checks will be mailed to all others after the close of school. MassMutual and Flores Scholarship students must return their books to the School. Only books in good, resalable condition will be accepted. Books that are no longer in the school curriculum, workbooks, small paperbacks, books with broken spines, missing pages, excessive highlighting or markups cannot be accepted. All writing must be erased prior to Buyback.

Calendar of Events and Exams

Saturday, May 31, 2008 – Academic Convocation at 4:00 p.m. in Downing Gymnasium – Mandatory for all students.

Sunday, June 1, 2008 – Commencement at 3:30 p.m. at Trinity Church – Mandatory for all students.

End of Year Events

Calendar

MAY - 08
Friday-Sunday, May 2-4 - Spring Musical 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 3:00 p.m. on Sunday
Friday, May 9 - Spring Dance Concert 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 16 - Spring Dance Concert 7:00 p.m.
May 26 - Memorial Day – holiday, no school
Tuesday, May 27 - Senior Tea – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 27 - Senior Banquet, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 28 - Senior Class Trip
Thursday, May 29 - Sports Awards, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 30 - Magnolia Day and Book Buyback Day
Saturday, May 31 - Convocation 4:00 p.m. in the Gym; Seniors' and Senior Parents' Reception in Wallace Hall immediately following

JUNE - 08
June 1 - Commencement 3:30 p.m. at Trinity Methodist Church