Happy Friday the 13th! Halloween decorations are popping up around Presnell. To the delight of our younger Griffins, the seniors have begun the yearly tradition of decorating their balcony. Each year, we look forward to wide-eyed 2s, 3s, and 4s who visit the courtyard to check out the festive scene and be spooked (just a little) by the creepy crawly spiders climbing the columns and giant web. The candy chute is in place and ready to spread sugar-laden excitement in the coming days. The SDS Halloween tradition is another example of the uniqueness of our community. Having the chance for Upper Schoolers to interact with younger students makes everyone happy and speaks to the value of cross-divisional experiences. It takes teamwork, planning, creativity, and problem-solving to create these joyful experiences, and our students dive wholeheartedly into their efforts. We have fun Upper School activities planned this month, too. To offset costs, we have asked those who can to donate one medium or large-sized pumpkin. Students or parents can drop them off at the back porch of Presnell. We appreciate any help you can provide.

This week, students took the PSAT on Wednesday. Region and state-level competitions and senior nights were scattered throughout. We tossed a few classes in for good measure, too! 

Today marks the end of Q1. Report cards will be viewable in FACTS/Renweb late Friday (10/20) afternoon. We will share a "how-to view grades" set of directions closer to that date. 

As I type this message, Varsity Girls' Tennis has advanced to the State Finals. They face Hilton Head Prep in the early afternoon. Swimming also departed for State Meet. The team is traveling today and will be in the pool tomorrow morning at the North Charleston Aquatic Center. Cross Country also competes Saturday in the Bob Jenkins Coaches Classic at Newberry College. Best of luck, Griffins!

We are looking forward to the Halloween Band Concert on Tuesday, October 17 from 6:30 - 8:00 with a short reception to follow. This is always a fun event! Join us if you can.

Next week, Dr. Fisher and I will begin Freshmen lunch chats. We will have lunch with each 9th-grade advisory group to hear feedback on their first nine weeks in Upper School. The schedule is as follows:

Monday - Shepard Advisory

Tuesday - Sullivan Advisory

Wednesday - Rhinehart Advisory

Thursday - Harvey Advisory 

We will meet in the Cannon Conference room at the front of the Dining Commons.

Below, I've included an invitation to the upcoming Hispanic Heritage Celebration that Raíces plans for October 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. here on our campus in the Dining Commons. 

Best wishes to you for an enjoyable weekend.

Paige