Dear Parents,

We would like to explain some end-of-the year events and web postings that will make for a smooth transition into next year.

Calendar for 2010-2011: For your planning purposes, the SDJA calendar for 2010-2011 may be found at the link at the end of this letter. Please note that the first day of school is Monday, August 23, 2010. Please schedule vacations and college trips to avoid missing instructional time.

Student Schedule for 2010-2011: Your child’s schedule has been emailed to you under a separate cover. If you have questions regarding the schedule, please contact our registrar, Annie Watt, at awatt@sdja.com or Dean of Academic Affairs, Steve Kahn, at skahn@sdja.com .

Student Textbooks for 2010-2011: Students should have all textbooks in hand prior to school beginning, on August 23, and be ready for the first week of school. Please note that Hebrew books for all levels, as well as E2K science class textbooks, are provided by the school and will not need to be purchased.

If you have any questions regarding book orders, please contact Brian Kissell at bkissell@sdja.com.

There are two ways to acquire the books:

MBS Virtual Bookstore: You will be able to purchase your child’s textbooks from SDJA’s virtual bookstore using the link at the end of this letter. On this website you will be able to click on the courses your child is enrolled in and purchase the required textbooks to be sent to your home. The virtual bookstore will be open July 1, 2010.

Shop on your own: If you choose not to order your books through our online bookstore, you can find the list of required textbooks for the 2010-11 school year and their ISBN's at the link at the end of this letter. Please order or swap according to the ISBN's so you acquire the editions that will be used in each class.

Reselling Textbooks: If you would like to sell your textbooks at the end of the school year, you may do so by going to the MBS Bookstore link at the end of this letter, then click on Sell My Books, login with your e-mail address and password and then click continue. Choose which books you want to sell and MBS will mail you a return label so you can send the books for free. Within a couple of weeks MBS will mail you a check. The deadline for reselling books through MBS is June 25.

Summer Reading: All students, grades 6-12, must complete required summer reading prior to August 23. SDJA students received this information from their fifth  through eleventh grade English and/or AP teachers last week in the form of a hard copy requirements. If you are new to SDJA, or need to review the assignments, please reference the summer reading information appropriate for your child at: www.sdja.com/upper_school_resources.php and scroll down to Summer Reading and Assignments. Please copy and paste this link into your web browser.

Fall MUS Athletics, Grades 7-12: All sport registrations for 2010-11 are now online. Please use the following link to register your student athlete and complete the necessary paperwork for medical clearance by visiting: www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1868836. The registration link is also available at www.sdja.com/upper_school_athletics.php . Please contact the athletic department with any questions during the summer months. Please copy and paste these links into your web browser.

Faculty and Staff Summer Availability: The office staff is available through June and again on August 2, but the office will be closed for the month of July. Faculty members will post grades on Edline the week of June 14 and return to campus August 16. Transcripts of all grades earned to date will be emailed home before the end of June.

New Student Information:

Orientation: We have created a welcoming and informational experience for parents and students new to the Upper School. All new families are encouraged and invited to attend the New-to-School Family BBQ at 5:30 to 7 pm on August 18 in the Lower School eating area behind the A building.

New Parent Orientation: A new parent orientation for grades 6-12 is scheduled for 7:00 to 8:30pm on August 18, following the BBQ. Middle school parents should meet in the Ulam. High school parents meet in the Moadon.

New Student Orientation: All new students, grades 6-12, should attend the new student orientation from 10:30 am to 12 pm on Friday, August 20. Middle school students meet in the Ulam. High school students meet in the Moadon.

Edline: We use a web-based program called Edline to communicate news, homework, course descriptions, and progress reports. Each teacher maintains a page. All students and parents have an access code in order to view their classes. Please contact Monica Aroeste at maroeste@sdja.com starting August 16 to receive your log in information.

Lockers: Please contact Monica Aroeste at maroeste@sdja.com starting August 16 to receive your locker. You will need to make a $10 deposit for the lock. All new students will receive their locker during their New Student Orientation on August 20.

Have a great summer!

Jeffrey Davis
Principal, Maimonides Upper School 

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