February 2019 Newsletter

Dear Bancroft Friends,

January was an exciting month for our community. Just a few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to travel to Washington D.C. to watch the Robodogs compete in the VEX 'Night at the Museum' signature event. They represented Bancroft well and advanced all the way to the quarterfinals! We are also tremendously proud of our speech team who competed at the recent Catholic Memorial NSDA event where Chloe Selavka qualified for Nationals which will be held later this year in Dallas!

 

Just like our students, our talented faculty and staff have been taking opportunities to hone their craft as well. Our recent Professional Development Day on February 4 allowed our community to have meaningful and important dialogue about best practices and share ideas that can translate across classrooms. It is important that we utilize the collective knowledge we have here at Bancroft and allow our teachers to continue to teach each other as well as our students.

 

As you will see in the videos and pictures below, our 'Learning Laboratory' concept is ever present in our classrooms. A recent 'Game Fair' showcased grades 5 and 6 video games created this semester in technology class. A lucky group of parents, faculty, and students got to sample these projects which included a virtual tennis game complete with racquets and the opportunity to drive your very own spaceship! By allowing students to share with a unique audience, they are able to reflect on their performance in a different way and take more ownership for their work.

 

I also wanted to thank the members of our community that were able to join me during the 'State of the School' event on January 23. I appreciated the opportunity to engage with you, reflect on the current state of affairs, and share some of the ways in which we are moving Bancroft forward. If you were unable to attend, a video recap is up on our Facebook page.  We also look forward to seeing a robust group at Community Design Day  tomorrow where we will engage in strategic planning about our future.

Trey Cassidy
Head of School

Celebrated children's entertainer, storyteller, and author Bill Harley dazzled the Lower Schoolers on January 24 with a performance and a writer's workshop at Bancroft. Hailed as "the Mark Twain of contemporary children's music" by Entertainment Weekly, Harley is a recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. He has published numerous children's books over the years and a good selection of them are housed in the Lower School's Prouty Library where librarian Lisa Leach enjoys reading them to students. Harley is a multi-faceted artist and uses a range of musical styles to tell his stories that enchant children worldwide.

 

Carrie Whitney, Auxiliary Program Manager, invited Harley to Bancroft. She recalls when she and her own children heard him perform at an event several years ago. "He brought joy to my children when they were in Lower School and I wanted Bancroft students to experience that joy," she said. Most people, young and old, will agree that joy is contagious when watching him perform.

 

At the writer's workshop for the 4th and 5th graders, he spoke about character development and answered questions from his young fans about the many colorful characters in his books. The day ended with a family concert in the Harrington Theatre for Bancroft families and the general public. Enjoy the video — we're pretty sure it will bring a smile to your face! Learn more about Bill Harley HERE.

PENNY WARS & PANCAKES – COMPETING FOR A CAUSE

A simple fundraising initiative in the Upper School quickly transformed into a friendly competition between faculty and students culminating in a pancake breakfast – and a lot of money raised for a great cause.

 

'Penny Wars' started as a simple challenge to upper school students to see if each grade could fill an entire water jug worth of coins to benefit Water Mission, a nonprofit engineering organization that designs, builds and implements safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. The fundraiser was started by the student organization EVOC (environmental outdoors club) which aims to educate and promote sustainability issues within the Bancroft community and beyond.

 

"For some reason, it got off to a bit of a slow start," said Lisa Baker, Head of the Upper School.

 

Baker continued, "I upped the ante and said that if the entire community could double the fundraising total from last year, we would have a pancake breakfast. Then the faculty got involved and tried to fill their own jug!"

 

Challenge accepted! Not only did the students and faculty both successfully fundraise, the combined effort doubled the initial goal.

 

"This mission was very important to the students. It is the second consecutive year the group has chosen this particular non-profit to fundraise for so I was happy to see the entire community come together to help support it." Baker added.

 

The faculty stayed true to their word, making and serving pancakes for upper school students on January 14.  

 

To learn more about Water Mission, visit: www.watermission.org.

4TH & 5TH GRADE GAME FAIR

What's better than building your very own video games? Having your schoolmates, teachers, and parents play them! 4th and 5th grade students in Mr. Briggs Technology class spent nearly two months learning to code their very own video games and got the chance to showcase their hard work to the rest of the Bancroft community on January 31 at the annual Game Fair! Everything from simulated tennis, to a real life space ship game was on display. "These students worked very hard on their respective projects and it is always great to see the reactions of other students, parents, and faculty when they see how creative the games end up being. It is a real highlight of the semester," said Mr. Briggs.

 

More exciting technology work from Bancroft students is on the way as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders will hold the annual Lower School film festival on March 1! Stay tuned to the Bancroft social media channels to learn more.

NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

February 6, 2019 marked the 33rd annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, a national observance celebrating the extraordinary achievements of women and girls in sports. The Bancroft Girls Varsity Team celebrated by sharing the court with the Middle School Team both at a clinic session at practice on Tuesday and at their home game against Lexington Christian Academy on Wednesday. The middle school students joined the varsity girls on the court for the National Anthem and sit with the team on the bench during the game!

 

"Bancroft has a long history of success in our girls programs and it is great to celebrate that by having our current high school athletes mentor our middle school girls." Said Jane Gerhardt, Physical Education Teacher and Head Coach of the Girls varsity team. "You can tell the positive impact it has on both sides. The teamwork and spirit and the camaraderie we share helps us celebrate our teams and our athletes."

Follow @SportsBancroft on Twitter for the latest news and updates on Bulldog Athletics.

COLD & FLU PRECAUTIONS

MARCH OF THE BULLDOGS – COMING SOON!

Spike is getting ready for something BIG! Mark your calendars for March 4 - 8. You won't want to miss it!  

 

Look for the March of the Bulldogs logo for more information on how you can be a part of building a better Bancroft. 

NOT TO BE MISSED!

IMPORTANT DATES - February through March

Shorelines is produced by the Marketing and Communications Office at Bancroft. If you have questions or story ideas please contact kcinquanta@bancroftschool.org.

Bancroft School

110 Shore Drive • Worcester, MA 01605 • (508) 853-2640