Need to Know for Friday, October 12, 2018

• Upper School started the week with a great duet of the White Stripes' "We Are Going to Be Friends" on Music Monday. 
• Thanks to a hard-fought Homecoming victory, boys' varsity soccer is now ranked first in the state. Click here to see John Holloran's photos of the entire afternoon and evening. 
• This Sunday, OES hosts the MS and US Open Houses from 1-4 p.m. Many students have been invited to participate on panels, as ambassadors, and as advocates for the amazing work they do in their classrooms. 
• Peter Langley is looking for volunteers who want to earn service hours planting bulbs. 
• Speaking of service hours, several 12th grade students have organized a knitting group to make scarves for foster youth. If you'd like to donate supplies (or even help teach kids how to knit), let me know.
• This past Wednesday was the first Parent U, which many parents from all three divisions were able to attend and learn together. Furthering the goal of helping our children develop a Healthy Mind Platter, the next one is set for January 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. and will focus on balanced technology use. 
• Thanks to all the hard work of Grade Deans Austin Pritchard and CT Henry and Director of Inquiry and Innovation Anna Rozzi, Octoberim for 9th and 10th graders concluded with students showing off their learning from their 24 hour inquiry design challenges. At the 9th grade Brain Power Showcase, I played a game in which I discovered the negative and positive life paths determined by alcohol use, competed in a trivia contest on the impact of exercise on the brain (I came in last), and heard student suggestions for how to decrease academic stress: plan ahead, set a timer when taking breaks from homework so as not to procrastinate, put phones away when doing homework, and be aware of the environment in which you study. At the screening of the 10th grade Public Service Announcements (at which the 9th graders served as both authentic audience and judges), we saw student-made video campaigns educating teenagers about issues like juuling, distracted driving, and cyberbullying. Powerful peer learning all around!
• On Saturday, October 27, thanks to a generous gift that funds an annual cultural event for sophomores, 10th grade will travel to The Armory to see The Color Purple, which the students selected as a group. 

We're in This Together: Resources for Parenting Teens

What Teens Really Think About Their Social Media Lives via Common Sense Media

How to Help Teens Embrace Stress via The NY Times

How Parents Unwittingly Fuel Technology Dependance in Their Kids via The Tech Advocate