October 2019 Newsletter

Dear Bancroft Friends,

 

As we turn the corner into fall, I can feel the campus moving into the rhythm of the school year. For all our students, the rhythm of a Bancroft school year means getting to know teachers through engaging classes, empowering each other as they embark on the first projects of the year, and enjoying all of our campus -- both indoors and outdoors -- while the mild weather lasts. 

 

The rhythm of our school is vibrant and full of movement. I have seen this energy throughout the halls of the McDonough building as fifth graders begin their year-long leadership training program. In the Middle School, I saw the excitement of seventh graders during the STEM Experience program at WPI, the launching pad for their projects on air and climate. In the Upper School, I saw this spirit as students broke out of their usual schedules to spend the day at Wachusett Mountain for the annual Mountain Day adventure. For Bancroft, this movement is our rhythm. 

 

Our community has much to look forward to in the coming weeks. Members of our fall athletic teams are gearing up for their annual Play4theCure games and fundraiser as a part of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. We hope you can come support our teams and this worthy cause. We also invite you to join us for our famous Halloween Assembly on October 31st at 8:15am, a highlight for the students and the faculty. 

 

Also quickly approaching is the weekend of November 23-24, when we will be hosting the Young Writers Conference, a weekend for students from Bancroft and many local schools to write, learn, and engage with experts in fiction, journalism, poetry, and playwriting. This event is a powerful experience and you can register a young, aspiring writer here.

 

Our Fall Open House takes place this Sunday, October 20th. I hope you will be ambassadors of Bancroft's mission and culture. I ask that each of you help us spread the word and invite a family that would fit well into our community. 

 

Thank you for a great start to our school year and I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Trey Cassidy
Head of School

HOMECOMING 2019

On September 21st, Bancroft celebrated an amazing Homecoming, full of fans, food, fun and gorgeous weather. An all-school pep rally kicked off the weekend, as students from all divisions cheered and got the teams pumped up for their games, matches, and races. Six different teams across the Middle and Upper School took home victories for Bancroft, and the support and energy for each and every team was palpable from the soccer fields to the volleyball courts. Click on the bulldog icon to WATCH VIDEO! 

WHY FIFTH GRADE?

Rachel Wagner (Lower and Middle School drama teacher) and Mason Hendershott (Lower School science teacher) are frequently asked this question when they talk about the year-long leadership program for the fifth grade -- a year that typically doesn't make room for leadership training. But at Bancroft, the fifth grade launched their school year by participating in rotational leadership classes, and just last week, they experienced the annual immersive Leadership Week. This week included small and large group leadership training, a community betterment project, and a lot of self and group reflection. 

 

Leadership Week was only the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the year, the fifth graders will participate in weekly Leadership Lunches, create and execute their own projects for the community, visit Camp Kieve for a week-long leadership training experience, and put on a fifth grade play. Every inch of the program is built to empower students to realize their own potential and build their own voice -- and help others build theirs along the way.

 

So, when asked, "why fifth grade?", the answer is clear to Rachel and Mason. As Rachel succinctly states, "by fifth grade, our students are old enough and mature enough to care about their relationships, the world and have a desire to make them better." So, really, why not fifth grade? 

SEVENTH GRADERS GO TO COLLEGE

About a month into the school year, the seventh graders decided to go to college.

 

More specifically, the seventh grade (accompanied by the 7th grade faculty team) traveled to WPI to participate in a Middle School STEM Experience program. College engineers helped the middle schoolers construct wind turbines during their experience learning, building, sharing ideas, and asking lots of questions. As Michael Urban, 7th grade Middle School history teacher, attests, "Being on the WPI campus, watching all the university students exploring and engaging in their own STEM based projects was awesome. It was a great model for our kids as they engage in their own projects." 

 

This STEM Experience program launched the students' own projects on Air and Climate as part of their "Project Period." This unique block of time during the seventh grade's rotation is devoted solely to student projects. Over the past month, these middle schoolers have been learning about and working on project execution and different learning styles—all culminating in their visit to WPI.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

If you have plans for the weekend of November 23rd—cancel them! Why, you ask? Because the Young Writers Conference is coming to town.

 

More specifically, the Young Writers Conference run by Martha Fortier, Chair of the English Department, and her 15 student volunteers (coveted positions)—will take place right here at Bancroft. Over the course of the weekend, young writers from a variety of local schools will gather in our halls to practice, learn, and celebrate various forms of writing. Not to mention, seven professional, published writers will also be coming to Bancroft to mentor these students and pull from their own expertise in poetry, journalism, fiction and playwriting. 

 

So, if you know an impassioned young writer, invite them to the Young Writers Conference! As a previous participant attests, "I found that I was surrounded by passionate, engaged writers and thinkers who challenged my writing and thought process." On the other hand, if you know a student who isn't quite as excited about writing...invite them to the Young Writers Conference, too! In all likelihood, they have mostly been exposed to academic writing—a completely different kind of writing than the fun, creative activities they will experience at the Young Writers Conference. 

 

Besides, who would want to miss the opportunity to see Regie Gibson: a slam poet, a longstanding, popular mentor, and possibly the coolest person you will ever meet.

Shop With Scrip!

 

Buy Gift Cards and Bancroft PFA Programs Benefit! Purchase full value gift cards and a percentage (2-20%) of your purchase goes to the Bancroft PFA. The money raised is crucial to help fund the Family Events and the Humanities Series that the PFA sponsors. There are over 750 participating vendors, including groceries, gas and your favorite retailers! Use the cards yourself or give as gifts!
 
To get started, go to the ShopWithScrip website and create an account.
Our enrollment code is 17C1BFL737853. You can place orders for eCards anytime, but if you want physical cards, the PFA places orders throughout the year. The first deadline to return order forms and payment is Wednesday, November 13, 2019. You can pick up order forms from Rhonda in the Main
Office.

Questions? Check out the Scrip FAQ page or send an email to pfapres@bancroftschool.org.

NOT TO BE MISSED!

FALL OPEN HOUSE IS THIS SUNDAY! SPREAD THE WORD!

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