Chairman's Gala Info

Chairman's Gala - An Evening in the South Pacific - May 1, 2010

Corinthian Yacht Club
43 Main St
Belvedere Tibrn, CA 94920-2507
(415) 435-4771

The attire is for the Chairman's Gala tomorrow night and it's all about the South Pacific theme! Aloha shirts and festive Polynesian attire or cocktail attire is fine.

Also, we have a fantastic RAFFLE ready for tomorrow night! It's a GREEN raffle and tickets are $20 each - the items are:

#1: T67S TRIKKE (http://www.goldengatetrikke.com/)

#2: THE DARBY GREEN BED & BREAKFAST IN DARBY, MONTANA - THREE NIGHT ‘LONG WEEKENDER’ STAY (http://thedarbybedandbreakfast.com/)

#3: 2010 TESLA ROADSTER SPORT (Electric) - 100 MILE/DAY RENTAL (http://www.teslamotors.com/)

The Gala is The Marin School’s spring fundraiser and major party! At this annual event, the TMS community comes together with friends and associates to celebrate our good fortune, to acknowledge our staff, parents and students, and to raise money for our school.

Director Debra Granik and actress Jennifer Lawrence visit The Marin School

Juniors and seniors at The Marin School watched the film Winter's Bone in the school theater this morning before the film was released to theaters nationwide. Students and teachers also participated in a Q&A with the film's director Debra Granik and leading actress Jennifer Lawrence. Winter's Bone won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Zoology Students at the San Francisco Zoo

The zoology classes spent the day (4/28/10) at the SF Zoo. While at the zoo, the students took plenty of still pictures for their next project. They also participated in a scavenger hunt. Some of the students had mixed feelings about the zoo - for their last project they made videos exploring different ethical issues surrounding animals - and some chose the ethics of having animals in zoos. They were quick to diagnose pacing disorders (and that was just with me before we left as I was the only chaperone with 30 students!) and depression in the animals. In the end, everything went well and we all enjoyed the day!

-Jeff

College Planning for the Week of 4/26

They may be smart but they forget to bathe - Evidently, the 24 hour reading room at MIT gets a bit, shall we say, fragrant, the week prior to final exams. This year, the student government has stepped in to help students who forget to take a shower break by providing hygiene products. Read more...

Landmark College Summer Programs - Landmark College has partnered with Southern Oregon University and the University of San Francisco to host West Coast versions of their famous summer programs for students with learning difficulties. Landmark has developed and hosted these programs on its Putney, Vermont, campus for a number of years. Due to increased demand, beginning summer 2010, students and their families will have the choice of attending a program on the Landmark College campus in Putney or a program on the West Coast. Landmark's Summer Programs build the skills of high school students and graduates with learning difficulties or AD/HD through coursework, experiential learning and the development of self-understanding and self-advocacy skills. Two of the programs that are available include:

• 3 Week Program for Rising High School Juniors and Seniors from June 27-July 17 in Putney, Vermont, and at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.
• 2 Week Program for Graduated Seniors who are Going to College in the Fall from July 18-July 31 in Putney, Vermont, or at the University of San Francisco.

Where were the seniors accepted? Check out the attached list to see where our seniors were accepted. Most have made their decisions about where to attend but a few are still making up their minds.

My Schedule this Week - I will be visiting Bard, Vassar, Colgate, Rensselaer, Skidmore, Syracuse, Hamilton, Union, University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology this week. I will check email while I am traveling. I will be back at school on Monday, May 3rd.

FOR JUNIORS

Marin County College Fair is May 5th from 6-8 at Dominican University in San Rafael Save yourself time and aggravation and register for the Marin County College fair online at http://wacaccollegefair.com. Registering before the fair will allow you to electronically exchange your contact information with colleges that you're interested in and that's a time saver and an excellent way to show you attended and were interested. Note that The Marin School is not listed on the drop down menu (no idea why) of high schools so you'll have to select "other" and add it.

Upcoming SAT and ACT Registration Dates - The registration deadline for the June 5th SAT is April 29th (the late registration deadline is May 13th). Register for the June 12th ACT before May 7th. I recommend students take the SAT in May or June, the ACT in April or June and, if the student has over a 3.0 GPA, 2 subject tests in May or June.

FOR SENIORS

Bring your computers on Monday if you can!

Susan

TMS Student Photography on Display

College Planning Information for the Week of 3/29/10

Did you know? Half of all college students attend a college that is less than 100 miles from their home. 88% are within 500 miles of home cooking.

College of the Week - If you are among the 22% that want to venture further from home, read on! Founded in 1888 in Boston MA, Wheelock College is a private, coeducational college with the public mission of improving the lives of children and families - and society, in general. Wheelock is known regionally as a premier institution for those seeking an undergraduate education in Education, Social Work, Juvenile Justice, Liberal Arts or Child Life/ At Wheelock, they value the importance of an intimate learning community where students are challenged and supported by faculty members who are practitioners in their fields and who are committed to teaching, learning, and mentoring.

My Schedule this Week - I will be on campus Monday 10-4, Tuesday 10-4 and Wednesday 10-5. I will not be on campus during Spring Break or Intersession but I check email regularly on days when I am not at school.

FOR JUNIORS

SAT/ACT Practice Test at TMS on Saturday 4/17 at 8:00 AM - Sign up on my door this week and indicate which test you'd like to take. If you are taking the Eureka SAT prep class here at school, you are expected to take this practice test.

Register for College Fairs - Save yourself time and agrivation and register for either the SF or Marin County College fair online. Registering before the fair will allow you to electronically exchange your contact information with colleges that you're interested in and that's a time saver and an excellent way to show you attended and were interested. Follow these links and note that The Marin School is not listed on the drop down menu (no idea why!) of high schools so you'll have to select "other" and add it.

• San Francisco Fair - Gotomyncf.com
  
• Marin County Fair - Wacaccollegefair.com
  

Upcoming SAT and ACT Registration Dates - The next SAT will be given on 5/1 (late registration deadline is 4/8) Register for the 6/12 ACT before 5/7. I recommend students take the SAT in May or June, the ACT in April or June and, if the student has over a 3.0 GPA, 2 subject tests in May or June.

FOR SENIORS

What do you have in common with titans, moguls and news makers? Well, some of them didn't get into their first choice colleges either. Here are a few things they had to say about the experience, with the benefit of hindsight, excerpted from a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.

Warren Buffet - “The truth is, everything that has happened in my life ... that I thought was a crushing event at the time, has turned out for the better,” Mr. Buffett says. With the exception of health problems, he says, setbacks teach “lessons that carry you along. You learn that a temporary defeat is not a permanent one. In the end, it can be an opportunity.”

Columbia University President Lee Bollinger wasn't accepted to his first choice college either. His advice: Don’t let rejections control your life. To “allow other people’s assessment of you to determine your own self-assessment is a very big mistake,” he says. “The question really is, who at the end of the day is going to make the determination about what your talents are, and what your interests are? That has to be you.”

Susan
--
Susan Gotshall-Maxon
College Counselor

School Send-Off for Rites of Passage Team

Early Saturday morning eight TMS seniors will be heading to Death Valley for a week-long introspective quest. These seniors have been engaged in a preparatory process for the last two months. The trip itself builds up through a variety of group activities to a culminating 48-hour, fasting solo in the desert for each student.

The program was created to fill a gap in our modern culture, in which most of us no longer have the opportunity to mark the passage from childhood into adulthood in any guided, formal way.

This morning juniors, seniors and faculty members gathered for a send-off ceremony. The "questers" stated some of their feelings about the trip, and members of the community offered warm words of support for their up-coming experience. We look forward to their return and hope to share in some of what they learned.