Need to Know for Friday, December 7, 2018

• Happy Hanukkah, which celebrates the season of light in the Jewish tradition. As part of the OES Season of Light, the Service Learning Action Committee (SLAC) has partnered with the AASK tutoring program to host a holiday fair for Whitman Middle School students to create gifts for their families. If you would like to lead a craft workshop, please contact 11th and 12th grade Service Learning Coordinator, Katie Seltzer. You can also donate directly to the fundraising effort that goes to empower families to make choices around their gift buying. Checks made out to OES can be dropped off in The Deanery. SLAC invites you to spend time at home discussing how to bring light to others; perhaps a student could allocate part of an allowance, put aside money spent on coffee before school one day a week—to double the impact, your family might consider matching what your student can contribute. 
• Both the girls and boys basketball teams are off to strong starts, with significant wins at last weekend's tournaments. Come check out the scrappy play at an upcoming home game—click here for the full athletic calendar. 
• And speaking of tournaments, two of our amazing varsity debaters have qualified for the very, very elite Tournament of Champions. This is the most prestigious national championship in high school debate—the requirements are so rigorous that only one team from the entire state of Oregon has qualified in the last ten years. Until now. 
• Thanks to the student initiative and your donations during Conference week, the Period Project collected enough supplies and funds to pack almost 100 packages of menstrual products for those in need. 
• Cereal Thursday, which supplies breakfast to children at the Community Transitional School, is looking to collect as much as possible before break, so send in healthy-choice boxes!
• The annual Holiday Art Sale will be next Thursday and Friday, December 13 and 14, with 20% of the proceeds going to help those impacted by the devastating Camp Fire. 
• Thanks to US Counselor Erin Romano and Learning Resource Coordinator Meghan Powers, next week marks the launch of Wellness Wednesdays at Gathering. Each week, they'll explore strategies kids can use to manage stress and learn about issues around mental health; each week, they'll also offer a follow-up deep dive discussion at lunch on Thursday. 
• Looking for an unusual way to spend Saturday afternoon? Check out the annual Tuba Christmas concert in Pioneer Square. Featuring our own Rob Orr amongst the 250 musicians, this event is the largest Tuba Festival west of the Mississippi. 
• Tonight, the Library Advisory Council is sponsoring a book-to-movie screening of The Princess Bride in EC3 from 7-9. 
• Thanks to the initiative of some intrepid students, the OES US community hand knit 33 red scarves for foster youth around the country. 

We're in This Together: Resources for Parenting Teens

• Our Brains Need Plenty of Sleep. Here's Why and How Parents Can Help Teens Get It via The Washington Post
• Why Teenagers Mix Drinking and Sex via The New York Times
• 5 Little Ways To Show Your Kids The Importance of Mental Health via The Huffington Post