<p>Headed down later today for Arts Weekend. Will not make it to Form picnic but planning to be there in time for concert.</p>
<p>âChapelâ at St. Andrewâs is liturgical on Sunday, and most often a speaker on Wednesday nights. This past week, the speaker was 2008 alumna Pemberton Heath, who has taught mathematics this past academic year and will now be moving on to her next job. Her talk has gotten rave reviews and is here:</p>
<p><a href=âhttp://www.standrews-de.org/podcast/detail.aspx?id=3271&ModuleID=68[/url]â>http://www.standrews-de.org/podcast/detail.aspx?id=3271&ModuleID=68</a></p>
<p>Arts Weekend produced a number of fine performances of the dance, choral, video and musical variety. These are available on the Livestream feed at:</p>
<p>[St</a>. Andrewâs School on Livestream.](<a href=âhttp://new.livestream.com/accounts/158104]Stâ>St. Andrew's School on Livestream)</p>
<p>These are great sources for those interested in figuring out if St. Andrewâs in Delaware is a good match as the admission cycle for entrance in 2014 begins this summer.</p>
<p>The Pemberton Heath chapel talk is great. Even if you are not interested in attending (or at least learning more about) the amazing little school on Noxontown Pond, you should listen to it.</p>
<p>Some other thoughts from my few hours at Arts Weekend:</p>
<ul>
<li>I truly value the scale of SAS. Iâve heard people on this forum write about how the last time they see their AO is revisit day. Nothing could be farther than truth in our experience with St. Andrewâs so far. We run into our AO as well as the Director of Admission pretty much every time we are on campus. And they both not only know what my wife and I look like â but also know our names.</li>
</ul>
<p>Another thing thatâs great about the relatively small size of SAS is that we have been able to form real connections with parents that weâve seen at various functions over the past two years. And not just the parents of my daughterâs roommates. Teachers, tooâŠespecially the ones sheâs had two years in a row.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Headmaster Tad Roach rocks. That is all.</p></li>
<li><p>Given the size of the school (about 300 students), the caliber of the performing and graphic arts is surprisingly strong. The orchestra has made great strides since the Fall and tackled, among other pieces, âRhapsody in Blueâ, which demands a great clarinetist and pianistâŠI was not disappointed. There were also two student pieces, conducted by the kids who wrote them. I thought the Noxontones a cappella group sounded particularly strong this time aroundâŠwith a few female soloists who would give someone like Ingrid Michaelson a serious run. The dance program, in just itâs second (I think?) full year, put on a great show, with a variety of group and solo numbers. And the student films, while fewer in number than last year, were all really well done.</p></li>
<li><p>The chicken salad croissants. Yum.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>A shout out to poster ops for turning me on to SAS three years agoâŠI will do my best to pay it forward.</p>
<p>Four years of St. Andrewâs are coming to a close. Iâm very happy for my guy and excited for him as he is about to enter the next phase in his life. I know he really appreciated and values his SAS journey and that it will remain a part of him for the rest of his life. He arrived in the Fall of 2009 a bit unsure of himself but confident he could face the challenges. Thereâs not a teacher he had that he doesnât consider having provided him with a inspiration to learn and then some. He started and ended his journey with enthusiasm and vigor, in fact initially bit off more than his schedule could handle. He persevered the bumps in the road academically and athletically all of which was to be expected. The untimely demise of his dog was a blow but classmates and faculty alike were always there for him at times when M&D could not. He has ended his final year stronger, wiser, maturer and ready to meet the challenges of a major University.</p>
<p>I for one could not be more grateful to St. Andrewâs, the Head Master Tad Roach, my sonâs Advisor (DâDS) for all four years, and all of his teachers and coaches. I could go right down the list commenting on each of their special triumphs and relationships with him but lets just state they are all incredible educators. I think the faculty and students know they have something special there and they want to keep it and expand on it. Iâve witnessed some very impressive actual situations when visiting during regular school weeks and weekends. Itâs real, not just an exceptional Parentâs or Artâs weekend full of electricity, itâs progressing all the time. I will forever be visiting my Alma Mater and occasionally other boarding schools and will always be looking for a glimpse of that SAS electrochemistry. So barring any unforeseen circumstances and weather permitting, the final chapter will conclude this weekend. </p>
<p>I wish the best of luck to the parents and graduates of 2013. For those attending boarding school next Fall, congratulations, go for it and soak it up for all itâs worth.</p>
<p>Ciao & have a great memorial weekend!
ops</p>
<p>Thanks for that very moving note OP. I hope us newbies will find ourselves writing that same note four years from now.</p>
<p>A wonderful âleave-takingâ, ops, and congrats to your DS and the family that has had his back all these years. Your son is, from our encounter in the school store, well spoken and thoughtful. Like all the other kids I observed this spring at the crew regattas, he just seemed so comfortable and energized being among friends, charged with the ambition of the moment and able to deal positively with any outcome. Proud parents indeed.</p>
<p>Itâs clear to me that St. Andrewâs gets a lot out of its communal âritualsâ, as Tad phrased them Arts Weekend. My DS and I enjoyed speaking with his son, Matthew Roach, at Peddie when we were deciding on that school or SAS in March, 2012. Iâve recommended Mattâs Chapel talk at Peddie to several interested parties as a good indicator of what is going on there (where Matt coaches and teaches English). Today, I listened to the podcast of Mattâs talk last Wednesday at SAS, his alma mater, and am so grateful for our kids being able to reflect on his ideas and stories. (In fact, just listened to it again with wife and daughter at home.) This is yet another huge link in the formative chain of good âelectrochemistryâ which you referred to, ops. A podcast of uneven quality is at:
<a href=âhttp://www.standrews-de.org/podcast/detail.aspx?id=3296&ModuleID=68[/url]â>http://www.standrews-de.org/podcast/detail.aspx?id=3296&ModuleID=68</a> </p>
<p>What a school . . . you know it best by its people. The rest is all beautiful glitz and glamour.</p>
<p>Do you pay for the books or are they included in the tuition bill? Where do we purchase the books or recieve them from?</p>
<p>Our son either went to the school store to pick up books, or had them handed out in class, last year as a III Former. They were charged to the Debit Account that is required when paying tuition. (Tuition does NOT cover the Debit Account, as youâll see in the papers from the Business Office.) I believe that there is a new e-book system being put into place this year; our renewal papers included a brochure where it is identified as MBS Direct. No further word on SAS specifics. </p>
<p>Congratulations, Fille Migonne, on your daughterâs matriculation. Our daughter will be in the class as well. She is enthusiastic, but living one day at a time, and obviously still focused on her eighth-grade friends. We did go down the other day to show the campus to her visiting grandmother, who is to far away to come when school is in session. Pell, Upper and Lower, is getting a facelift, as we saw for ourselves and also described to us by the business manager. No more cinder block walls after the sheet rock is installed, and the plumbing apparently will be all new. The intention is more of a âhome-styleâ look and feel. The laundry facilities in Pell are more accessible and ânumerousâ (per capita) than those in Founders for the boys. Campus looks great. Hope weâll connect with some of you new posters this fall!</p>
<p>Regarding booksâŠSAS factors in a fixed amount of debit (on top of tuition) into the overall cost â this should cover most if not all of first semester book/school supplies costs, and depending on debit usage, some of second semester book/supplies costs.</p>
<p>FWIW, we found that approximately $250 per semester in additional debit/cash on hand was sufficient to get her through the year. Sophomore year was more expensive than frosh year, mostly due to one particular textbook needed second semester.</p>
<p>Just looked at the SAS virtual bookstore, i.e., MBS Direct. Am astonished at the price for a Psychology textbook for IV Form Wellness class. Does this ring a bell with anybody who has recently taken/paid for this course?</p>
<p>How do we know what books to books to purchase and FYI MBS direct has free shipping until the 15 of August</p>
<p>@Charger: Check your inbox.</p>
<p>@FilleMigonne: When you go on to MBS, I think there is some way to pick the classes you are taking and it tells you what to buy. Mrs. Beblo sent out an email (today I think?) with directions.</p>
<p>A figure that really stood out to me in a recent SAS capital campaign mailer:</p>
<p>As part of the recent $55 million âCrossroadsâ fundraising effort, $7.9 million in gifts were earmarked toward Financial Aid, which equates to an additional $384,642 a year.</p>
<p>For a school as small as SAS (and as relatively âunder the radarâ as it is), that seems remarkable to me. Go Saints!</p>
<p>Bumping for new crop of prospects/applicantsâŠand also to do a âroll callâ of current/new SAS parents. Feel free to write PM if you prefer.</p>
<p>SevenDaughter headed back to Middletown tomorrow for pre-seasonâŠbut I think we will also drop in on the official move-in day as well.</p>
<p>Square Dance and Echo Hill coming up! The Mud Run for charity is another (optional) early fall event, 9/22, for which a ratty pair of sneakers will come in handy. Those forgetting a fan, pillows, etc., will find the Wal-Mart, Kohls and other useful places (like Waffle House) on the other side of Middletown, a short drive away. The quaint village of Odessa, a shorter drive on our side of town, has Cantwellâs Tavern, with one of the more interesting menus around. The bed and breakfast down the street, Cantwell House, was started by Carole Coleman when Tad first arrived and Middletown had no Hampton Inn. Her grandparents worked at SAS and are mentioned in Bill Amosâ history of the school. Carole is usually booked in advance for the big weekends and has rooms, or the cottage, at other times.</p>
<p>+1 on a trip to Odessa, lunch/dinner at Cantwellâs.</p>
<p>The local Hampton Inn also gets booked up quickly on school weekends and charges what you might expect âthe only game in townâ canâŠwe generally stay in one of the cheaper places in nearby Christiana. </p>
<p>FYI, we found that the local Wal-Mart and Lowes were out of those cheap box fans by the time we made it out a few move-in days agoâŠso Iâd advise buying locally and bringing it with you if you can.</p>
<p>Hereâs my inside tip for a nicer meal relatively close to schoolâŠthe restaurant in the Nordstrom at the Christiana Mall. Itâs called 6th and PineâŠ
[Nordstrom</a> - 6th & Pine - Newark, DE, Newark - Restaurant Reviews - TripAdvisor](<a href=âhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34043-d2137052-Reviews-Nordstrom_6th_Pine_Newark_DE-Newark_Delaware.html]Nordstromâ>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34043-d2137052-Reviews-Nordstrom_6th_Pine_Newark_DE-Newark_Delaware.html)</p>
<p>Cannot believe how quickly this weekend is comingâŠwe are nowhere near ready!</p>
<p>Also, thanks for the restaurant tips â we will be in town Sat-Tues, so we will make sure to hit both. </p>
<p>Best bet for a âlast supperâ with DD on Saturday?</p>
<p>@MomThree: I think if you want the âfull Middletown experienceâ and if you are staying nearby, I would do the Cantwell Tavern:
[Cantwellâs</a> Tavern - Home](<a href=âhttp://www.cantwells-tavern.com/ordereze/default.aspx]Cantwellâsâ>http://www.cantwells-tavern.com/ordereze/default.aspx)</p>
<p>You might want to get a reservation. They can get busy on school weekends like this one.</p>
<p>Just to play devilâs advocateâŠ6th & Pine in the Nordstrom at Christiana Mall allows you to pick up any odds and ends you forgot/want/need. Oddly (for a mall with a Nordstrom and an Apple Store) there is also a TargetâŠso you can get pretty much anything you need there.</p>
<p>Again, we were not going to stop in as 7Daughter is already on campus for pre-season, but plans changed and we will be there now. Be sure to go to the Tad Roach talkâŠitâs always a great way to feel like you made the right choice.</p>
<p>Best of luck with final packing. And donât forget that thereâs a square dance first night and the kids tend to dress accordingly.</p>
<p>-7D</p>
<p>Interesting hiccup in the MBS Direct department . . . the department of still perfectly overpriced textbooks at exorbitant shipping prices (post August 15, I know). More time-saving convenience from our friend the internet!!</p>
<p>Charger daughter texted (day two!) quite concerned that other III Formers were talking about Bio textbooks, of which we had ordered none on August 2, before departing for vacation. I didnât see anything listed for Bio â thatâs my story and Iâm sticking to it. Sure enough, when I log in again after the SOS, there are three books required for the course. Thatâs odd . . . so, just a word to the wise for those who may suspect a fishy catch in their pond. </p>
<p>Nothing yet in the way of photos on Flickr, but the hard-working Ms. Devine has a few shots on FB for Sunday and Monday. Textbooks were not the only bumps for us regarding move-in (do we really need a list for pillows and charging devices?), but we are thinking that the kids have had fun pre-classes. Hardly any rain on the parade, at least. </p>
<p>Am looking forward to meeting some teachers new to us on October 19, at Parents Weekend. How they get the play, concerts, etc., pulled together by that time is beyond me. Lots of meetings and rehearsals between dinner and study hall.</p>