News Bytes

March 2012: SCDS Anti-Bullying Presentation at NAIS

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:36:00 GMT

NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) held their national conference for 4,200 attendees in Seattle recently. SCDS teacher Ellie Peterson, school counselor Amy Colfelt, K-3 Division Head Jackie Bradley, and 4/5 Division Head Dan Sweeney (pictured L to R) were chosen to present their work on our school's anti-bullying policy.

Click HERE to view their presentation slides as a PDF>>

February 2012: Congrats on a Great Season

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:33:00 GMT

The SCDS Middle School Boy's Teams finish up the season with winning records:

The 8th grade team (pictured above) went an impressive 8-2 in the Cascade Middle School League this year, and a tenacious 4-3 in the CYO League. The team proceeds to the CYO playoffs this weekend. Congratulations on your great effort, and good luck in the playoffs!

The 6/7 grade boys finished out the season with a spectacular 11-0 record in the Cascade Middle School League. High fives to everyone for a job well done!

February 2012: They're on Fire!

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:34:00 GMT

Middle school girls basketball teams are on fire! The 8th grade girls (pictured below) continue their incredible undefeated streak of 12 games spanning two seasons. The 6th graders are on a hot streak having won three games in a row, including a tough road game at Evergreen in early February.

January 2012: SCDS Takes 1st Place at All-City Chess Tournament

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:37:00 GMT

On Saturday, January 28th, eighteen members of the SCDS Chess Club traveled to Medina to compete in the All-City Chess Tournament. Over 200 area students from Kindergarten through 6th Grade participated in this tournament.

SCDS students won the First Place Team Trophy in the 1st-3rd Grade Division! Our team edged out Open Window, Medina, Evergreen, Bear Creek, Lowell, Bush, Lakeridge and West Mercer to win this prestigious Chess Cup.

December 2011: Middle School Day of Service

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:38:00 GMT

On Wednesday, December 14, Middle School students enjoyed a day of service. The 6th grade helped out feeding the homeless at the Compass Center with Operation Sack Lunch. The 7th grade sorted food for needy families at NW Harvest and the 8th grade helped Woodland Park with grounds keeping. SCDS families generously donated canned food and assorted clothing and toiletries items.

November 2011: "Queen Anne View" Article about the SCDS 2011 Engineering Event

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:40:00 GMT

The view outside Seattle Country Day School which overlooks the George Washington Memorial (Aurora) Bridge, the Cascades and on a good day Mount Baker, is something to behold. But the view on the inside, particularly in Ms. Peterson’s sixth-grade science class is something else.

It’s where a dozen students, some of the brightest Seattle has to offer, take inquiry-based learning to new heights. The classroom has rows of desks and lab stations behind them, but on the periphery are scrap PVC pipes, tape, plastic wheels, rubber bands, toilet paper tubes, wire, cardboard, plastic forks, tape-measures, spools of tubing and boxes of random junk. The scrap marks the starting point where students begin developing their experiential, spatial, problem-solving, creative and fine motor skills.

Continue reading at http://www.queenanneview.com/2011/11/09/engineering-a-scientific-historic-connetion/

November 2011: MS Boy's Basketball Teams Rack Up Wins

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:12:00 GMT

Our MS 6-7 boys had another strong performance Thursday, as they defeated Eastside Prep 43-13. We were led by the hot shooting of Walker Frankenberg and Matthew Zinn, and dominant interior play by Noah Etzioni and Ryan Ressmeyer. A strong team defensive effort and a controlled offensive approach set the tone for the game. Matthew and John Randolph also contributed impressive 3-point shots. After starting the season strong, we are now looking forward to a short break as we prepare to finish equally as strong in the second half of the season.

MS 8th Grade Boys had a resounding win over Eastside Prep 38-18 with superior defense and shooting. They showed that great hustle and teamwork pays off!

October 2011: Thanks for a Groovy Annual Giving Day!

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:41:00 GMT

FAR-OUT! Despite a damp and dark morning on October 21, our parent community still showed up in force for this year's Annual Giving Day. In just over an hour, we collected $81,723...and counting! We surpassed last year to break yet another record!

A huge thank you to everyone who got into the SCDS spirit and brought in their contributions or made pledges. We're well on our way to making our $375,000 goal, having raised a total of $212,000 thus far. Special thanks to our fabulous Chairs, Elle Lyons and Greg Jones, and to our swingin' Annual Fund Leadership Council volunteers for making this such a fun and fund-filled morning!

October 2011: Mix-it-Up Lunch Day a Hit

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:42:00 GMT

SCDS joined in the nation-wide celebration of "Mix-It-Up Lunch Day" on Tuesday, October 18th for the second year in a row. The Mix-It-Up Lunch Day goal is to break down boundaries between students, whether it be age, economic, race, religion, popularity or any other types of divisions that can keep peoples from understanding and respecting each other. Students and grade levels were "mixed and matched" and ate lunch at small tables in various classrooms. A few impressions:

Mix-it-Up Organizer, K-3 art teacher Winnie Young: "I heard from a quiet kindergartener that he is quite taken by Alice Baggett after having lunch with her and other students in her tech room. He worked on a beautiful portrait of her during art class."

Librarian Debbie Pearson: "We had a great time in the library. A first grader very apologetically interrupted someone to point out a beautiful raptor circling just outside the library window. We all gazed in awe until the bird flew off. It was a worthy interruption of our table conversation."

K-3 Division Head Jackie Bradley: "As one of the kindergarten students left from eating lunch in my office she turned and smiled and said, 'This is the best day ever!'"

August 2011: Michael Murphy Installs SCDS Paper Cranes at Japan Memorial

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:52:00 GMT

With the assistance of SCDS Emeritus faculty member JoAnn Sims, co-director of the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima, SCDS Head of School Michael Murphy brought nine paper cranes from SCDS (representing one for each grade level) that were formally installed at the Children's Memorial at Hiroshima Peace Park, August 4. A statue of Sadako ( from the book "Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes") whose death from leukemia or "A-bomb disease" at age 11 galvanized a peace movement in Japan, sits on top of the memorial. Each year, thousands of paper cranes are sent to the Peace Park from around the world, many from schoolchildren.

Last school year, SCDS students folded 3,500 origami paper cranes as a fundraiser bringing in $9,000 for Japanese relief from last spring's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

June 2011: 1,500 Books Collected for 1st Annual Book Swap

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:13:00 GMT

SCDS students, parents, and staff collected 1,500 books to make the 1st Annual SCDS Book Swap a huge success! Each K-3 student selected and brought home up to eight books and teachers brought books back to the classrooms to share with students. In addition to fostering sharing and a love of reading within our community, the school donated 155 books to the Seattle Seven, a writer’s group that creates pocket libraries for homeless women, men, and children.

June 2011: 2011 Annual Fund Reaches New Heights

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:26:00 GMT

Through dedicated parent volunteer leadership, the 2011 Annual Fund reached over $410,000 with 92% participation from our generous community.This is the most successful effort in the school's history. Donors' commitment to SCDS plays a big part in making our school a truly powerful place to learn. From teacher salaries and professional development, to classroom supplies and financial aid--community contribution truly made a difference.

Happy participants in 2011's Annual Giving Day.

May 2011: "Math is Cool" Masters: Every Team Member Places in Elite Division!

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:38:00 GMT

After their 1st place success at the 4th grade Math is Cool competition in April, the SCDS team comprised of 3rd and 4th graders was not only invited to participate in the Masters level completion, but also moved up to the Elite division.

The Masters competition was on May 21st. Once again our team made us proud. The boys placed 2nd in the team competition. In the individual competition David Sharkansky placed 8th, Grady Short placed 7th, JP Reddy placed 6th and Carl Schildkraut placed 1st. We were the only team in the competition where every member placed.

David, Grady, JP, and Carl made the decision on their own to compete. They self-organized with no coach or advisor. Way to go, team!

May 2011: SCDS Students Compete at National K-6 Chess Championships

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:25:00 GMT

Three SCDS students traveled to Dallas, Texas to compete in the National Elementary K-6 Chess Championships held May 5th through 8th. Sixth grader Noah Franklin and partner Cameron Cummings (former SCDS student) won second place in the National Bughouse event!

Noah Franklin also competed in the K-6 Championship section at Nationals, scoring 4.5 points overall and winning a first place award in the 1200-1299 ratings category. Third grader Joshua Lewis-Sandy competed in the K-3 U800 section, scoring 4 points overall . First grader Dylan Tessin competed in the K-1 Championship section, scoring 3 points overall. Congratulations, Wildcats!

Cameron Cummings & Noah Franklin

May 2011: 1st SCDS Middle School Media Festival a Hit

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:29:00 GMT

The first-ever Middle School Media Festival was hosted at SCDS on May 13, 2011. Festival organizer, SCDS Tech Specialist Ethan Delavan, reports that nine schools from Woodinville to Portland participated:

•    Eton School
•    Open Window/Vista Academy
•    Billings MS
•    Whitman MS
•    McClure MS
•    Seattle Academy
•    Woodinville Montessori
•    Catlin Gabel
•    SCDS

There were over 120 entries, 55 of which made it past a panel of 5 judges to be featured in the festival. These were mostly videos, shown in 3 screenings. But they also included websites, games, photos, posters, brochures and electronic music.

Some 50 students visited SCDS to join in the festivities. 14 of the entries, voted on by the attending audience, will go on to be shown in the lobby of the Cinerama during the Northwest High School Film Festival. One of these pieces, “Cyberbullying” from Whitman, won Vicki O’Keefe’s “Upstander Award,” which honors films that encourage respect for others.

There was a panel discussion with five young media makers. Two of them were high school filmmakers. One was a high-level game designer from Airtight Games. One was a film publicist from the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. And one was a photographer and teacher.