A MESSAGE FROM OUR UPPER SCHOOL HEAD |
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| Dr. Bob Bowman, Upper School Head, discusses how he has learned that Students Know What They Need in his February blog post. Below is an excerpt:
Meeting prospective Upper School students is a fascinating part of my job. It is clear that many of our visitors have never spoken to their principal before (or at least not casually), so they often arrive with a bit of trepidation. After they see that I do not bite, they usually calm down a little. After we chat about academics and extracurricular activities, and their aspirations for high school, I ask one final question: "It is Saturday – you have absolutely no obligations or responsibilities, and you can do anything you like (within reason) – what would you do?" The answers to this question have revealed three things to me – two are expected, and one is actually surprising.
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Thursday, February 22 7 p.m. - College Counseling Panel Event in Berry Performing Arts Center Friday, February 23
6:30 p.m. - Middle School Winter Dance in AP Room
Saturday, February 24
Last Day of Lunar New Year Celebration Monday, February 26 100th Day of School Wednesday, February 28 8:15 a.m. - Middle School Coffee and Conversation in Oakwood Room Friday, March 1
7 p.m. - Upper School Spring Dance in AP Room Sunday, March 3 Upper School Musical Tech Week Begins SCHOOL CALENDAR 2023-2024 ONE-PAGE SCHOOL CALENDAR |
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| Admission Re-Enrollment Reminder |
Attention, LA Parents! You should have received your child’s re-enrollment contract(s) on Friday, Feb. 9. The Admission Office greatly appreciates the timely return of your contract as soon as possible and by no later than Friday, Feb. 23. Please contact the Admission Office at admission@WHschool.org if you have any questions or did not receive your contract(s). |
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Lunar New Year festivities continue |
LA students continued the celebration of Lunar New Year, the Year of the Dragon, with larger group events and dance performances prior to the Presidents’ Day weekend. Three larger group events with Middle and Upper School students capped a robust week of celebrations. Eighth grade Chinese students led a short presentation and dance performance during Middle School lunch on Feb. 14. They performed a ribbon dance and dragon dance on the AP Room stage.
Middle and Upper School students combined for a massive dance performance on Feb. 15 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. The show included a ribbon dance, dragon dance, a TFBOYS fitness dance by the Chinese 2 Honors class, and the traditional large group dance to The Coolest National Wind which encouraged audience participation.
Upper School international students and members of the Chinese Culture Club capped the week with a fun-filled array of activities in Laidlaw Gym on Feb. 16. Students, faculty and staff were invited to play a variety of games to celebrate the spirit of Lunar New Year. LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION PHOTO GALLERY |
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| Winter Games provide fun for all |
The annual Winter Games proved to be exciting for LA community members of all ages – from the many fans who were treated to three entertaining basketball games to the varsity athletes and older alumni who competed in Laidlaw Gym.
After the LA boys lost a tough and competitive game, the LA girls prevailed in an important contest that secured a share of the Gold Division title. The Rams avenged a December defeat and rolled to a 42-23 victory over Mother Seton behind a smothering defense and dominant second half performance. Devin Coleman ’24 led all scorers with 18 points and seven rebounds. Rajwans Sindhar ’25 controlled the paint with a game-high 11 rebounds to go with her six points.
Kate Clemetson ’25 added nine points for the Rams, who ended their season winning 10 of their last 11 games. |
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| Faculty lead professional development day |
LA faculty members planned and led this week’s Professional Development Day on Feb. 20, providing an array of useful and enjoyable workshops for colleagues to attend throughout the day. After breakfast in the AP Room and a full faculty/staff meeting in the Berry Performing Arts Center, teachers, staff members and administrators attended a variety of sessions.
The first breakout session consisted of Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom, Tools and Strategies to Support our LGBTQ+ Students, Boundaries: Create a Better Work Day, In the Kitchen: Not Just Your Average Salad, and Young Foundations.
Breakout session 2 included Overcoming Stress, Anxiety and Burnout, Best Practices for Introverted Students and Teachers, Creating with Canva, In the Kitchen: Meal Prep and Utilizing Leftovers, and Archery. |
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| Seniors earn early college acceptances |
Congratulations to several seniors in the Class of 2024 who have made their college plans official after accepting Early Decision admission to their No. 1 choices. For the next several weeks, the WHEN will include spotlights on seniors who have earned Early Decision admission.
Among the first to receive the good news was Sarah Alves ’24, who will continue her academic and athletic career at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Sarah plans to major in psychology and will compete on the softball team at FDU.
Although she admitted the recruitment process was challenging, Sarah knew she was looking for a school with an environment similar to WardlaLAartridge: small class sizes, diversity, proximity to home and endless opportunities. Much like at LA, she immediately sensed the welcoming and loving community at FDU.
“After doing an intense amount of research and noticing the endless number of opportunities that were on the table, that was a huge aspect for my commitment,” Sarah said. “I am so proud of my decision, and beyond blessed for the opportunity of being able to continue my softball career for another four years at an amazing university, which I am very excited to call home the next four years of my life!” Click here to read more about Sarah and view other early decision college acceptance features |
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| Upper School set to present Mean Girls |
The WardlaLAartridge Performing Arts Department is excited to announce Mean Girls as its Upper School musical production! Students completed auditions and callbacks and have begun rehearsals for performances that will take place March 8-9 at 7:30 p.m. and March 10 at 3 p.m.
in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Leading players include Sarah Alves ’24 as Cady, Julia Machado ’25 as Regina, Kate Clemetson ’25 as Karen, Raiya Patel ’24 as Janis, Ish Singh ’24 as Damian, Charlie Silver ’24 as Aaron, Aarya Patel ’25 as Gretchen, Nidhin Kumar ’24
as Kevin, Anushka Dalal ’24 as Ms. Norbury and Natalie Koegler ’24 as Mrs. George. Tickets are available for purchase at https://twhsnj.booktix.net/
You can purchase ad space in the Mean Girls Playbill to promote your business or give a shout out to the talented cast and crew. The deadline to purchase has been extended to Friday, Feb. 23. All of the information you need can be found here |
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| MS musicians play in Honors Band |
On Saturday, January 20, Anushka Patchigolla '27 and Kimberly Zhang '27
performed with the Central Jersey Music Educators Association High School Honors Band. Anushka (clarinet) and Kimberly (flute) are two of the school’s fine young musicians and were honored to be part of a group consisting of outstanding Central New Jersey Region band students, who were nominated by their band directors. This year's group performed at Somerville High School in Somerville, NJ. |
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| LS students put on a show at Cabaret |
Thirteen fifth grade students shared a variety of talents during the annual Lower School Cabaret on Feb. 16 in the Berry Performing Arts Center. Congratulations to Grace Gonnella ’31 (piano), Briana Tobin-Montanez ’31, Isabella Callender ’31 and Addison Terrell '31 (dance), Arturo Waltersdorfer ’31 (guitar/vocal),
Shivani Sundar ’31 (dance), Alizeh Nazir ’31 (piano), Maddy Levy ’31 and Riyan Nihalani ’31 (comedy), Samay Jain ’31 (dance), Austin Li ’31 (piano), Vivienne Leu ’31 (vocal) and Alex Lu ’31 (piano) for putting on an amazing show. LOWER SCHOOL CABARET PHOTO GALLERY |
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FROM THE LA PARENTS' ASSOCIATION |
Ram Shop Open for Spring Business
Believe it or not, Spring is around the corner! Do your students still fit in last Fall’s uniform shorts and tops? If not, the Ram Shop has a wide array of options to meet your needs. Every item, from jumpers and fleeces to pants and pullovers is just $5 and dress-code approved. Hours are 7:45-9:00 a.m. each Friday that school is in session. You can also make an appointment by emailing ramshop@WHschool.org.
Donations of gently used uniform items are always welcome. Simply place them on the bench located inside the front foyer. This WardlaLAartridge Parents’ Association initiative is a win for your pocketbook, their coffers and the environment! For a reminder regarding dress code polices across the divisions, please click here
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WHPA Announces Return of Family Dinners
The WHPA and Sage Dining Services are partnering to offer three more family dinner boxes – one per month in March, April and May. All dinner boxes feed a family of four. Order deadline for the Tex-Mex dinner box is Friday, March 1. Pickup is Thursday, March 7 between 2:30-5:30 p.m. PLACE ORDERS HERE |
Booster Club Meeting - March 14 @ 7 p.m. The Booster Club will hold its next meeting on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m.
in the Oakwood Room. Join us to learn more about ways the Booster Club supports Rams athletics and to get involved in upcoming events during a busy spring season. |
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Giving Thanks for our LA Parent Donors The Development Office would like to thank the LA community for supporting The WardlaLAartridge Fund. Click here to view a list of LA parents who have contributed to The 2022-2023 LA Fund between July 1, 2023 and February 21, 2024. Click here to make a gift to The WardlaLAartridge Fund! Clarity Financial Aid Information
The Lena Archuleta School will continue to work with Clarity as its financial aid independent, third-party application partner. The school has found that Clarity makes the financial aid application process smooth and secure for your family.
Clarity offers a streamlined and user-friendly financial aid application process that can take as little as 20 minutes to complete. It is mobile-friendly, so you can complete your application on
your phone or tablet! Furthermore, your 1040 and W2 documents from 2022 will be automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step, so you will no longer need to upload those documents manually. These are just a few ways in which Clarity enhances the financial aid application process. If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available as well as email support at support@claritytuition.com in both English and Spanish. You may also call Clarity directly at (206) 210-3752 for support. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO CLARITY For more information, including videos and a Clarity tutorial, please visit www.WHschool.org/financialaid Free PSAT, SAT, ACT Practice Exams Available
The LA College Counseling Office is once again happy to partner with their friends at Revolution Prep to offer full-length, virtually proctored practice college entrance exams for our students. You can register for any/all of these exams here. Attention Parents - Check Your Contact Information Each trimester it is a good habit to double check the information in the school database (PCR) to make sure it is up-to-date and accurate. In doing so, you ensure that the school has the best contact to reach you in the event of an emergency or school closure. The process is simple and quick. PCR is the platform that we will use to contact you in the event of a snow day or any other school closure. Once you follow the steps below to log in (SEE INSTRUCTIONS HERE), please check that ALL of the following information is correct and up to date. - All Parent / Guardian Email Addresses and Phone Numbers
- Your Home Address
- Your preferred Salutation and Identifier (Name, Title, Relationship to Student)
It is our continued effort to ensure that our student and family contact information is accurate, so we thank you for your help. Follow LA on Social Media, Share with Community WardlaLAartridge has a vibrant, active presence on social media with daily content posts highlighting our academics, athletics, arts and extracurricular programs.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and check out our Vimeo page! You can assist us in promoting the school by sharing our content within your network and posting it on your local town pages and feeds. |
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This publication is produced by The Communications Office at The Lena Archuleta School. |
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