I have been getting questions about Homecoming (so with some help from Audrey) here’s some Homecoming Info. I’m also adding a bit of housekeeping to this message.
If you are hearing from me for the first time, I’m your Class Liaison from Newport’s PTSA. I provide occasional timely messages with late-breaking news or information specific to our Freshman. To see past messages, visit http://newport-ptsa-2011.blogspot.com/. Requests for removal are cheerfully honored.
I discovered that I have many email addresses for parents whose children don’t appear in the Newport Student Directory. This could be because you have asked not to appear in the directory, or because your student is not enrolled at Newport. If your student has moved to another school, don’t hesitate to let me know & I’ll remove you from the list.
I have email addresses for 330 families out of 400+ total in our class. If you know of anyone that should be receiving these emails, please forward them on and have them contact me. Thanks very much for your support!!
Julie Rooney
PTSA Liaison Class of 2011
This is pretty long, but covers everything regarding Homecoming Week. If you have a daughter, you've probably heard lots of talk. If you have a son, well, just make sure he knows that the girls *really* want to be asked.
Homecoming is the week of October 1 – 5th.
During the Week:
Each day, students & staff will dress to a particular theme. These are usually very silly, fun themes announced to the student body well in advance via announcements & posters in the hallway. It's not necessary to dress up, but most students (and many teachers!) do get into the act. The normal dress code does still apply. Competitions and activities occur at lunchtime in the cafeteria. Freshman Sweats will be distributed this week.
Hall Decorations:
On Thursday night, students decorate four areas in the school - one for each grade - using the themes assigned to their class. Your student may ask you to "lend" items for "hall decs" which may or may not survive the day. (I generally go in Friday afternoon to retrieve anything I've lent them.) On Thursday night, the students get quite warm, so one way to see what's going on is to stop by with a case of water or some snacks. The Freshman area is even more chaotic than the others as this is their first time "managing" a project of this magnitude. Resist the urge to manage it for them!!
On Friday morning, the halls are "judged" by a team of teachers, and the winners announced at the Homecoming Assembly Friday afternoon.
The Homecoming Assembly is the most spirited, goofy, fun assembly of the year. Please do not be alarmed when your student reports that many Senior boys showed up in Cheer or Drill uniforms for this assembly.
Friday night - October 5th - is of course the Homecoming Football game at 7:30 p.m. on the football field. A surprising number of recent grads do attend.
Homecoming Dance
Oh, and there's a dance on Saturday, October 6th - Freshman Theme – Aliens & Creatures
The facts:
This is a school sponsored activity that takes place from 9 p.m. to midnight at Newport. Studio pictures are taken beginning earlier in the day (to avoid having kids spend the whole dance standing in line).
Chaperones: If you would like to Chaperone, please contact JamesG@bsd405.org. Chaperones are given an overview of their duties before the dance.
The Ask: This is a "date" dance, though it's OK to attend alone. The vast majority of kids attend in a group. These kids don't simply pick up the phone to ask for a date......nooooo....first, there is extensive back-room planning (mostly on the part of the girls) to help everyone understand who is willing to go with whom. Then they perform elaborate rituals in both asking & answering. Scavenger hunts. Anonymous gifts left on the doorstep. Words on the Factoria Cinema sign. This is a boy-ask-girl dance.
Yes - a student can invite a high-school age student from another school. The student would need to fill out a form available in the office so that the staff knows who is here.
But EVERYONE goes! The Administration estimates that only 1/3 of students attend Homecoming. There are many, many parents at Newport who don't allow kids under 16 to date, so if that's your rule, too, you are not alone.
Activities: Many groups plan optional activities on Friday night or Saturday during the day. They carve pumpkins, go bowling, take a hike, bake a dessert for after the dance.
Pictures: After the kids are decked out in accordance with the theme, but before they go to Newport for the posed pictures, they often gather at one home with all their associated parents for pictures & a little parent socializing. All the parents will be there. It is perfectly OK for you to be there. If your child says otherwise, he's wrong.
Transportation: It's great when they form groups of SIX so that the group can fit neatly into a mini-van or SUV. Parent drivers are very common among freshmen & even sophomores.
Attire: Newport's Homecoming is meant to be for everyone, so it is not formal or semi-formal. It's more of a costume ball. The themes for each class, which dictate their hall decorations & dance clothing, are usually announced at the Fall Sports assembly in a video. The seniors get a cool, trendy theme and the Freshmen get a goofy, slightly embarrassing theme. And yes, students really do dress for the theme. Mixed-grade couples usually dress in the theme of the older student's class. The usual dress code still applies.
Dinner: Dinner-before-a-dance can be at the home of a friend whose mom is a wonderful cook. It is relaxing & fun & cheap! Their choice of restaurant is somewhat limited by the goofy clothes they'll be wearing, so it's unlikely they'll want to go to Canlis – more like Cucina! Cucina!
Dessert: This optional tradition has evolved over the years. The kids usually gather at one person's home after the dance (yes, it's after midnight now) to eat dessert & visit. So parents, plan on staying up late…
Finances: While your student & his/her date can work out any arrangement they like, there are some conventions about who buys what. The boys buy/arrange dinner & the dance tickets. The girls pay for pictures & dessert. No corsages/boutonnières for Homecoming.
After Dessert: Why, they go home, of course!
PS - By all means, call/email the parent of your child's date during the planning stages to share info. "Here's what I think is happening. What do you think is happening?"
