Newsletter: 05.22.08

A Big Thank You to our Parents Association on a Successful Year

The Portledge Parents Association started off the year with a fantastic Founders Day Celebration and thanks to Carol Hegarty and Dana Pagliara, chairs of the event, the standard for the year was set very high. Supporting them was the winning team of Founders Day Committee chairs including, Betsy Gahagan, Suzsanna Goodwin, Pat Lenti, Addie Mulry, Bharathi Nelanuthala, Jamie Pardo, and Marla Wolfson. We had beautiful weather, a memorable ceremony honoring those who have served Portledge for 25 years or more, and plenty of smiling faces. The day culminated with the alumni defeating the faculty in soccer.

Next up was Champions for Charity and what better way to launch this event then to have our Upper School Chorus perform at Tiffany & Co. Renee Ferrante, led Portledge as chair of this event that raised more than $11,000 for the Portledge School Financial Aid Fund.

New to the Parents Association was a committee led by Dr. Amorita Snow called the Parent Program Committee. Dr. Snow brought us two valuable programs, Parent Program on Nutrition and Parenting in the Internet Age.

The Inter School Exchange Committee, chaired by Randi Garibaldi, coordinated many exciting events with the neighboring independent schools, such as dances and chess matches that extended our sense of community.

Beth Tynes, Parent to Parent chair organized a "buddy system" for veteran parents to reach out to all of our new families at Portledge.

Still fresh in everyone's mind (a sure sign of a great success!) is the 35th Annual Auction Gala, a fun night of dancing, bidding and dining, 20's style. Auction chairs Kristin Bianco and Marianna Kirkian and their Committee chairs Michelle Dorsey, Ellen Hobbs, Therese Joslin, Carolyn Mott. Samara Meshel, Dana Pagliara, Marla Wolfson and Melissa Worth did an outstanding job, and the auction raised more than $340,000 is support of the operating budget!

Next up, Deborah Byrnes, Faculty & Staff Appreciation chair, is organizing a lunch to thank the faculty and staff for everything they do for the students of Portledge.

Throughout the year there are also many volunteers who were working almost daily to help support the school, including Varsha Chinchwadkar, Parent Fund chair, who has brought the parent participation to above 65% in the Annual Fund this year which is well on the way to raising more than $350,000 to support the operating budget. Our Class VPs, Augusta Donohue, Marianna Kirkian, Ellen Hobbs, Samara Meshel, Mimma Ruiz, Linda Miyagi, and Alyse Ticker, and their class parents deserve a standing ovation for all they do every day to connect the parent and school community.

Betty Ann Roel merits a heartfelt thanks for her five years of service as the PA President, for her support, organization, and dedication as she passes the torch to Dana Pagliara. Betty Ann will continue to serve the school as a member of the Board of Trustees.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the opening PA Meeting on September 8th at 7:00 pm in Bahnik Hall.

Kind regards,

Turk Lewis '87

Director of Advancement

Tara Askeland

Parent Liaison

Off-Campus Classrooms Bring Learning to Life
for Portledge Students

2nd Graders Extend Lessons in Russian History with a Visit
to a Local Russian Church

While studying Russia in preparation for World Day, 2nd graders visited Our Lady of Kazan (Russian Church) in Sea Cliff. Father Leonid Kishkovsky spoke with the children about Russian history, the history of this church, and his own personal experience visiting Russia. The children were intrigued by his stories, especially the one about how the church was originally a garage with a cross on the top. It was later converted into the church that it is today. As a follow up, History Department Chair and Athletic Director, Phil Hills, visited the class to read a Russian fairy tale that his aunt had illustrated.

7th Graders Spend Three Action-Packed
Days in Beantown

Did you know that the domes on several historic buildings in Boston used to be covered in copper, and that they are now gilded with gold? Have you ever been on a Duck Tour? Did you know that Paul Revere had a partner? 7th graders learned mountains of facts as they toured where the mountains used to be. Their trip to Boston both entertained and educated all who were on board. Dr. David Sarles, Susan Thurman, Patricia Hambrook and Skip Amadio spent three well-scheduled days with the 7th grade students touring the city known as Beantown. Yes, they went to Fenway Park, but they also visited Emerson's home, the House of Seven Gables, the Witch Museum, the Boston Aquarium, the Blue Man Group, Harvard, Lexington, Concord, Quincy Market, and much more. It was truly a revolutionary experience!

The International Center of Photography Honors Alumna Taryn Simon '93, Daughter of Susan Simon, Director of Admissions

taryn

The International Center of Photography (ICP) each year recognizes outstanding photographic achievements by honoring distinguished individuals and identifying future luminaries. On Monday, May 12, Taryn Simon '93 received an ICP Infinity Award for her publication An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar. For this project, Taryn assumed the dual roles of shrewd informant and collector of curiosities, compiling an inventory of what lies hidden and out-of-view within the borders of the United States. She examines a culture through careful documentation of diverse subjects from across the realms of science, government, medicine, entertainment, nature, security, and religion. Transforming the unknown into a seductive and intelligible form, Taryn confronts the divide between those with and without the privilege of access. Her sometimes ethereal, sometimes foreboding compositions, shot with a large-format view camera whenever conditions allowed, vary as much as her subject matter, which ranges from radioactive capsules at a nuclear waste storage facility to a black bear in hibernation.

5th Graders Create the Annual "Dinner Party Project" Art Installation Inspired by Original Artist, Judy Chicago

Mrs. Schlegel's and Ms. Garvey's 5th grade classes worked together to create annual "Dinner Party Project" art installation. This complex installation is based on the original art installation designed by artist, Judy Chicago, whose project is currently on display in the Brooklyn Museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center. Ms. Chicago's work is comprised of a table in the shape of an equilateral triangle, an emblem of equality. The table holds 39 individual place settings, including a plate, a goblet and a table runner for each guest all of which celebrate the individual accomplishments of an actual or mythical woman from history. The fifth graders were asked to select an individual who has made significant contributions to humankind. They then decorated a plate, a goblet and a table runner in a manner that celebrates the individual's achievements. The students also wrote a biography with the guidance of their homeroom teacher about the individual honored in their artwork. Parents joined their children at a special art reception in the Lower School library on May 6th.

Adventures Continue at Portledge in the Summer

From baseball to pottery and everything in between, Portledge Summer Adventures is gearing up to bring children a mixture of fun, new friends and new experiences. New this summer is a Multi-Sport program led by Coach O'Rourke for children ages 6 -10. They will learn the basics of all sports in addition to art and drama. Summer Adventures will again offer sports-specific programs for individual sports such as baseball, lacrosse, soccer, basketball and fencing for both beginners and advanced. Arts and science are also back and better than ever at Summer Adventures with lessons in pottery, painting, building computers and even a program all about rockets and helicopters. For further information call Melissa Worth at 750-3104 or visit www.portledge.org.

In This Issue

Thank You Parents Association

Off-Campus Classrooms Bring Learning to Life

The International Center of Photography Honors Taryn Simon '93

5th Graders Creat "Dinner Party" Art Installation

Adventures Continue at Portledge in the Summer

Photo Gallery

Don't Forget...

Mark Your Calendar

Grandparents Day Brings Sunshine into Lower School

Xanadu 2008 is Here!

PHOTO GALLERY

Blue - White Day 2008 once again brought the entire school community together for a day of friendly competition and enjoyment of our beautiful campus. Honors went to the Blue Team, and
the day concluded with the dedication of this year's yearbook to Mrs. Ashby and Mrs. Schniebolk

fashion show

Fashion and Fundraising Went Hand-in-Hand at the Fashion Show hosted by the AIDS Awareness Club. The event raised more than $1,000. Congratulations to Jazmyne Garvin Archer '09 and Zaidat Animashaun '09 for leading this effort and to Matt Schmidt '09, who designed several of the dresses.