November 2017 Newsletter
Dear Bancroft Friends,
There's always something special about events that bring our entire PreK–12 community together to share moments and make memories. This week's Halloween celebration was part of a Bancroft tradition that dates back some 50 years.
Charlie Aleksiewicz, who's in his 48th year as a faculty member, believes it was 1976 or '77 when he first served as the Halloween Master of Ceremonies. He was the Athletic Director at the time, with an office in the gym basement. As he recalls, the Halloween parade was about to start, but Headmaster Wye Garfield was held up in a meeting. Mr. Garfield asked Charlie A. to fill in as emcee. Forty years and a few generations later, Charlie's still delighting our community in his pointy orange hat.
Being a PreK-12 school gives us many ways to make multi-generational connections across campus. The Class of 2022 is hard at work preparing for the 8th Grade Play, Scared Silly. They'll perform the show for all three divisions plus family and friends on November 9 and 10 (showtimes are HERE.) The Latino History Project's artifacts exhibition, which actively engaged our US Spanish students at the Worcester Historical Museum last month, was brought to Bancroft this month for a moment in the sun with our LS language learners.
Every member of our community has an important impact on the whole, whether it's the Lower Schoolers planting bulbs that will beautify our campus next spring, our athletes (including the undefeated MS Boys Soccer Team) generating positive energy and spirit, or the Robodogs representing us at QCC last week, bringing home the Tournament Championship and Design Award.
Dressed as King Rex, I brought 80 sets of Mardi Gras beads to hand out to parents at the Halloween assembly. I'm humbled to say there were not enough beads for all the parents who were present. Like generations of children and adults before them, today's students will remember fondly our Halloween traditions, led by Charlie A., and the many times they came together with students, staff, families, and alumni to forge lifelong connections with each other, with our community, and with the greater world around them.
I hope to see you at many of our upcoming community events listed below.
Best,
Trey Cassidy
Head of School
2017 HALLOWEEN ASSEMBLY
From the PreK-12 parade to the themed faculty costumes to the teenagers teaching the little ones about trick-or-treating safety, Halloween is a cherished Bancroft tradition that brings an abundance of sparkle, creativity, and joy into our midst! Relive a bit of this magical event by clicking this link: WATCH HALLOWEEN VIDEO HERE!
A LOCAL GLOBAL EXPERIENCE FOR LS
In last month's Shorelines, we talked about our US Spanish students working on the Latino History Project of Worcester's annual exhibit. This month, with help and encouragement from a team of colleagues, LS Spanish teacher Marlon Perez brought the exhibit to Bancroft! Seeing an opportunity to give Grades 3, 4, and 5 a global cultural experience on a local level, Señor Perez pulled together a wonderfully immersive morning of Latino arts and history. Last Thursday, our young learners embarked on a Latino artifact scavenger hunt; learned local history from Bancroft parent and Holy Cross professor Rosa Carrasquillo; enjoyed a story from children's author Cesar Beras; and got a salsa-dancing lesson with a Bancroft senior. ¡Aprender es divertido! (Learning is fun!)
ACADEMIC ALL STARS
The messages Own Your Learning and Teamwork Starts Here turn up frequently at Bancroft. They are meant as reminders for students to use their unique talents, strengths, and interests to pursue their own brand of excellence, both individually and as part of a team. In recent weeks two multi-talented Bancroft seniors proved that doing so with commitment and dedication can reap significant rewards. Philip Onffroy was named to the USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll; and Chelsea Sheldon won the Academic All American Award from the National Speech & Debate Association. In each case, the awarding organizations based their decision on a combination of exemplary academics, personal character, and outstanding skills in their respective areas — rowing for Philip, and competitive speaking for Chelsea. These two tough competitors have proven that owning your learning with discipline and focus can place you among the best of the best. Read more about Philip and Chelsea in the News section on our website!
FALL SEASON BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS
During the course of our Fall Sports Season, the Bulldogs have developed and turned out some great performances! After many weeks of practices, drills, and hard work, both as teams and as individual players, our MS Athletes have finished their Fall Season. MS Girls Soccer, Cross Country, and Volleyball all finished with winning records, while our MS Boys 'A' Soccer team finished the season 11-0! Undefeated! Tremendous effort all around! In the Varsity ranks, the season concludes in the next couple weeks. The Varsity Cross Country team will be racing at the New England Championships at Berwick Academy, while our Varsity Field Hockey team strives to make a run in the EIL Tournament. Varsity Volleyball looks to secure a spot once again in the NEPSAC Class D Tournament, and in Golf, junior Jack Boyd finished 10-1-1 at the #1 spot for the Bulldogs — the best record out of all #1's in the EIL! Stay tuned to @SportsBancroft on Twitter for timely updates throughout the year!
DATES TO REMEMBER
Nov. 7 – GRADES 2, 3, 4 PARENT POTLUCK
Nov. 13 – GRADES 5, 6, 7 PARENT POTLUCK
Nov. 29 – GRADES 8, 9, 10 PARENT POTLUCK
Gather with fellow parents at 6:30 PM in the Field House
Nov. 8 – PREK–GRADE 1 OPEN HOUSE
Spread the word to friend and family! • Learn More Here
Nov. 9 & 10 – 8TH GRADE PLAY: Scared Silly – 7-8:30 PM • Learn More Here
Nov. 15 – BOSTON ALUMNI GATHERING
Join Trey Cassidy and Bancroft alumni and friends – 6-8 PM at the Union Club, 8 Park St., Boston
RSVP to alumni@bancroftschool.org
Nov. 17 – A CAPPELLA NIGHT! • Learn More Here
Nov. 18 & 19 – BANCROFT YOUNG WRITERS CONFERENCE • Learn More Here
Nov. 22 – NO SCHOOL – THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov. 21 Dismissal at 3:30 PM (After Care open until 6 PM)
Nov. 27 – Classes Resume
SAVE THE DATE – December 8, 2017
CHARLIE A. BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT • PASTA DINNER • US DRAMA
Make a night of it!
- Cheer on our Bulldogs at the Charlie A. Basketball Tournament!
- Stay for a complimentary Pasta Dinner sponsored by our Alumni Council!
- Enjoy the Upper School's performance of Greek Mythology Olympiaganza!
- Watch for details coming soon!
Shorelines is produced by Bancroft's Marketing and Communications team. If you have questions or story ideas please contact shorelines@bancroftschool.org.
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Bancroft School
110 Shore Drive • Worcester, MA 01605 • (508) 853-2640