Fresh from the ‘gram
Week of January 30, 2023
Welcome to Episcopal Day School’s weekly Panther Post, where you will find campus updates and announcements. Please select and expand the appropriate section below for the latest news.
It’s Winter Spirit Week!
January 30 – February 3
Show your Panther Pride by dressing for the following themed days!
Monday – Neon Day
Tuesday – Blue Out
Wednesday – PJ Day
Thursday – Marvel vs DC / Star Wars vs Star Trek (Lower School)
Thursday – Color Wars (Middle School) 8th black; 7th blue; 6th red; 5th purple
Friday – Country Day
EDS vs. St. Mary’s Basketball Games TONIGHT!
Let Your Spirit GLOW!
Come cheer on the Panther basketball teams as they take on the St. Mary’s Saints TONIGHT in the EDS gym. Bring your glow sticks to show your Panther Pride! The Booster Club will have Chick-Fil-A and pizza so bring the family for dinner.
4:00 P.M. – Girls JV Basketball
5:00 P.M. – Boys JV Basketball
6:00 P.M. – Girls Varsity Basketball + 8th Grade Winter Athletic Recognition Ceremony
7:00 P.M. – Boys Varsity Basketball
GO PANTHERS!
Summer @ EDS 2023 Camps Announced!
Registration Opens This Week
Click here for Summer @ EDS flyer.
Dates, weekly themes, updated pricing, and speciality camps have been posted for Summer @ EDS on www.EDSAugusta.com/Summer! Keep an eye out for an email to current parents and past campers with a registration link later this week. For questions, please contact Amy Kendrick.
Spotlight on The Social Institute and #WinAtSocial
Please join us and parents from Augusta Prep on Zoom this Wednesday, February 1, at 7:00 P.M. for a presentation by The Social Institute designed for families of all school-aged children.
At EDS, we use the #WinAt Social curriculum as part of the 5th/6th GenCyber Success class and periodically in 7th/8th advisories. Click here for a family letter about accessing The Social Institute’s Parent Toolkit.
#WinAtSocial Virtual Family Presentation
February 1, 2023 7:00 P.M.
Title: Empowering Your Child to Navigate Well-Being, Social Media, and Technology in Positive, High-Character Ways
Presenter: Andrea Jenkins, Account Executive at The Social Institute
Format: Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81653315725
Audience: This 60-minute webinar is open to all parents in our school community and will have tips tailored for students in elementary, middle school, and/or high school.
Presentation Description:
Now, more than ever, students’ well-being is deeply shaped by their social world, including social media and technology, whether or not they own a device. In this presentation, The Social Institute will share actionable tips and best practices to help your child(ren) make healthy, high-character choices, online and off.
In this interactive workshop, you will learn:
- Strategies to build trust with your child(ren) through regular, open conversations
- How to develop family standards for balancing technology in healthy ways
- Pro tips for easing your child(ren) into technology and social media
- The most popular apps and devices among students
- And more!
Sign Up for Walton Way Bird Walks • This Saturday, 2.4.23
Great Backyard Bird Count
Episcopal Day School is taking part in the 26th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count!
We invite you to join EDS Nature School Director, David Gardner, on one of three bird walks at our Walton Way Campus on Saturday, February 4 (see below for times and sign up link). During these walks, Mr. Gardner will introduce the basics of birding to equip you to have a fun time in your backyard, park, or in the wilderness, while learning more about our feathered friends and taking part in one of the largest citizen science projects in the world!
For more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count visit https://www.birdcount.org/about/
February 4 Bird Walks
Bird Walk #1: 7:30am-9:00am
Bird Walk #2: 9:00am-10:30am
Bird Walk #3: 10:30am-12:00pm
Space is limited! Click here to reserve your spot.
It’s time for the EDS Parent Association’s
2023 Penny (and Dollar!) Drive
Reading Makes Cents
Monday, February 6 – Thursday, February 16
Check your pockets! Look under the cushions! Clean out that change drawer! Each classroom and advisory will have a container to collect coins and bills. Proceeds are earmarked for the EDS Library Fund, used to purchase new books and resource materials for the library.
Prizes for the class/advisory that collects the most:
Preschool – Ice Cream Party
Lower School – Dress Down Day & Pizza Party
Middle School – Dress Down Day & Pizza Party
In addition to the prizes above, each lower school and middle school class/advisory that collects at least $100 will win an additional dress down day!
2023 Spring Athletics Information
Click here for a letter from EDS Athletic Director, Jaye Cohen, regarding upcoming middle school athletic offerings in baseball, soccer, and track & field.
Note: Calendar Change for February 21
The Cyber Learning Day that was previously planned for students on February 21 has been changed to a regular, in-person school day.
Future Leaders Scholarship Program for Rising 6th Graders
Application Deadline Extended to March 15!
In November, we announced the renewal and expansion of the Future Leaders Scholarship Program to our EDS community. We are now accepting applications and nominations for rising 6th grade students who you think could excel in and benefit from this exciting opportunity. For more information on the timeline and application process, please visit our Future Leaders webpage. Our application deadline has been extended to March 15 and our competition day will now be on April 15.
Please contact Karen Lilly with any questions or nominations.
Missing Something? Check out the Lost & Found!
Our Lost & Found is full again! Please remember to put your child’s name on personal items, especially jackets and water bottles.
Click here to see current photos from the Lost & Found.
Lost & Found items that are not claimed by February 3 will be donated to a local charity.
Order EDS Apparel and Swag
Click this link for our current offerings and continue to check as we add new items in the future. Deliveries are made to the front office every other Wednesday. Parents will be notified of their delivery date via email.
Reid on the Run 5K
Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church invites the EDS community to participate in the 11th Annual Reid on the Run on Saturday, February 4, 2023, which includes a 1 mile Fun Run and a 5K Walk/Run. This year, the event is in honor of Shannon Fritche, a church member who is battling colon cancer. The proceeds will benefit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and a small percentage helps to support the Reid Children’s Ministry.
EDS Alumni Helping Hope House Families
As part of their IB Programme project at Academy of Richmond County, EDS alumni Spencer Weston ‘22 and Bennett Rahimi ‘22 are collecting diapers, pull-ups, and wipes to benefit Hope House, a local non-profit organization that takes in struggling mothers, aids in their recovery, and provides childcare. If you would like to contribute, please do so in the Front Office by February 6.
Mother Goose Visits the Threes Classes
Mother Goose flew in last week to sing nursery rhymes and tell stories to our precious Threes classes! Her visits are always such a treat!
Training for Classroom Volunteers
If you are interested in volunteering but have not had a chance to complete the background check and the online training (Safe Church, Safe Communities) please plan to do so prior to January 30. Once you have completed these two steps, you will be invited to the next scheduled training in February.
If you are unable to complete the first two parts of the training, never fear! There will be additional training sessions scheduled throughout the remainder of the school year.
Thank you for your interest in supporting our faculty and staff as they carry out the mission of our EDS community!
Spotlight on ChapGPT (AI Chatbot): Good, Bad, and Unknown
By Ian Chambers
Last week, students in grades five through eight explored the good and bad possibilities that come with using ChapGPT, the new text-based artificial intelligence tool in the news these days. We imagined how various businesses and the world of education would use AI in the next five to ten years. Our continued efforts to understand this new resource will help us use it in helpful and creative ways so that we are original thinkers who balance tech responsibly.
The students also learned that ChatGPT text can be identified using a free app “GPTZero,” which should discourage students from using ChatGPT to generate essays.
The Social Institute’s December 15, 2022 blog post, “The Future of AI: What ChatGTP Means for Students,” has helpful reminders for us: (https://thesocialinstitute.com/blog/the-future-of-ai-what-chatgpt-means-for-students/)
Technology is constantly evolving, and ChatGPT is just the latest example of this. It’s up to us as educators to support students and prepare them for the ever-changing landscape of their social world. How can we teach students to navigate new technology of any kind so that they are truly prepared?
You can equip students today by coaching them to do the following when they find information online:
- Check the facts by finding the same information from another credible source
- Assess media bias with a tool like the Media Bias Chart
- Recognize sponsored content by looking for the #ad hashtag on sponsored social media posts
- Avoid emotionally charged and divisive headlines
#WinAtSocial Virtual Family Presentation
February 1, 2023 7:00 p.m.
Title: Empowering Your Child to Navigate Well-Being, Social Media, and Technology in Positive, High-Character Ways
Presenter: Andrea Jenkins, Account Executive at The Social Institute
Format: Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81653315725
Audience: This 60-minute webinar is open to all parents in our school community and will have tips tailored for students in elementary, middle school, and/or high school.
Presentation Description:
Now, more than ever, students’ well-being is deeply shaped by their social world, including social media and technology, whether or not they own a device. In this presentation, The Social Institute will share actionable tips and best practices to help your child(ren) make healthy, high-character choices, online and off.
In this interactive workshop, you will learn:
- Strategies to build trust with your child(ren) through regular, open conversations
- How to develop family standards for balancing technology in healthy ways
- Pro tips for easing your child(ren) into technology and social media
- The most popular apps and devices among students
- And more!
Join Zoom Meeting: #WinAtSocial Virtual Family Presentation
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81653315725
Meeting ID: 816 5331 5725
Middle School Minders
This Week 1/30
Winter Spirit Week: 1/30–2/3
M–F: (Mon) Neon, (Tues) Blue-out, (Weds) P.J.s, (Thur) Color war: 5-purple, 6-red,7-green, 8-black; (Fri) “Country”
Tuesday Parade of Athletes – 9:00 A.M.
Morning Carpool Duty: Garrett Wilson Advisory
Playground/Field Clean-up duty: Chambers Advisory
Morning Prayers and Chapel: McGill Advisory
Chapel Acolytes: May, Cameron, David, Tellis, Hollin, Parker
Readers: Wyatt
2/1 – #WinAtSocial Virtual Family Presentation with Augusta Prep, 7:00 P.M.:
Join Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81653315725 Meeting ID: 816 5331 5725
Mid-Quarter: 2/3
FWC: 7th 2/1
Athletic Events:
1/30 – 2/3 – Winter Championship Week for all teams
1/30 – 8th Grade Winter Athlete Recognition
Next Week 2/6
Penny Drive: 2/6–2/16
Morning Carpool Duty: Schmelzer Advisory
Playground/Field Clean-up duty: Summers Advisory
Morning Prayers and Chapel: Garrett Wilson Advisory
Chapel Acolytes: Spencer, McKnight, Grayson, Teren, London, Eliza
FWC: 8th 2/6; 6th 2/7; 5th 2/8
Athletic Events:
2/6 – Spring Athletic Sports Zoom Meetings 6–8 P.M.
On the Horizon
Penny Drive: 2/6–2/16
6th Grade Trip: 2/13–2/15
Winter Break 2/17–2/20
2/21–In-person school day (rather than the cyber day originally on the calendar)
Tuesday, 1.31.23 • 8:30 A.M.
Acolytes: Charles Thomas W., Forrest A., Cricket B., Coen C., Maddox C.
Singers: 1A: Jake, Titus, 1B: Alivia, Dawson
Chapel Birthdays: Mondo S.
Wednesday, 2.1.23 • 8:30 A.M.
Acolytes: Christian H., Alice R., Nolan B., South B., Mason M., Owen M., Crawford G.
Scripture: Eadie M.
Prayers: Gentry H.,
Chapel Choir: Kenava, Hardy, Emerson Rae, Christopher, Sophia, William, Bates, Nash
Chapel Birthdays: Bobby B.
Thursday, 2.2.23 • 8:20 A.M.
Acolytes: May R., Cameron P., David O., Tellis M., Hollin M., Parker H.
Reader: Wyatt
Chapel Birthdays: Lily Grace Y.
Parents and special guests are always invited to attend chapel.
If attending, please sit in the reserved pews to the right of the altar.
Please go to edspanthers.com for this week’s athletic schedule.
Spring Athletics Information Meetings • 2.6.23
Mark your calendars to attend our spring athletics information Zoom meetings on Monday, February 6, 2023. Spring athletics include Baseball, Boys and Girls Soccer, and Track and Field.
Click here for important information about spring athletics.
Go Panthers!
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