Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It's 2 pm and all through BBC,
every creature was stirring including Ava and me!

There is so much going on with only 2 hours left till the official start of Granite's Christmas break.  Everyone can feel the excitement, and most of us are crashing from the sugar high brought on by an inordinate amount of candy consumed before 11 am this morning.  =)
But that hasn't stopped the fun, as every class has had a party of some sort today, complete with carols at memory time, candy canes, and buffalo chicken hot-wing dip.  Topping it all off were the 'decorate your own elf hats', cow eye dissections, and drama auditions.
All the craziness aside, on behalf of the Granite administration, staff, and tutors, have a blessed Christmas break, and safe and joyous New Year.
See you all on the 3rd!

Christmas Party Photos

Granite Christmas Party '10

Toby Mac/Leigh Nash Christmas song - free download

I love a good free download. Here's a link to TobyMac and Leigh Nash's (from Sixpence None the Richer) Christmas song: Christmas this Year.

DRESS DOWN DAY!!!!!!!

In a very 'seasonal' effort to get into the holiday spirit, our last day, Wednesday, will be a dress down day.  So come dressed in festive colors, remember the guidelines for all dress down days, and be prepared for lots of holiday cheer!

Candy-Grams!

The 10th grade is offering a fun gift giving idea.  Below is their order form with all the details.

Granite Christmas Dinner...December 14th

Granite's first annual Christmas dinner is being planned and everyone is encouraged to get your RSVP in quickly.  Cheryl Brooking is coordinating this event and she wants to see as many people from our Granite family there as possible.  Please send in your reservation and payment to the Granite office ASAP so we know how many to expect.   Merry Christmas!

Also, don't forget.....

There are a number of other fundraising events going on right now. The Juniors have a bake sale, the 10th grade is selling 'Candy-grams', and of course the Winter Dance hosted by the Seniors.  Please see a member of one of these classes for details.

Granite Winter Dance

Our Seniors are coordinating this years Winter Dance.  Please see the flyer below for details and ticket information.

Junior Bake Sale! Taking Orders Now.

Use this form to get all the pertinent information about this upcoming sale including due dates for orders and costs.

Thanksgiving Break

The administration, staff, and tutors would like to wish all the families and friends of Granite a blessed and refreshing Thanksgiving Holiday.
May your plates be overflowing with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy!
But most importantly, may all our hearts be filled with the knowledge that we serve a God who is abundant with His blessings, gracious with His mercy, and overflowing with His love.
God bless you all and we'll see you on the 29th!





Classes will resume Monday, November 29th.

DRESS DOWN DAY!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 17th, is a dress down day.
Remember modest and appropriate attire.

Granite Art & Science Fair

Below is a link to photos from the November 13th, 2010 event.

Granite Science & Art Fair '10

Cookie Dough, Pretzels, Popcorn, and Recycled Bags!

What do all these things have in common?
They are fundraisers that are being offered by our students and staff.  With the holiday season fast approaching, these items all make great gifts and time savers!  The Junior and Senior Classes are offering cookie dough, Janice Hidey has a Young Life fundraiser with recycled bags that are wonderful (I have one and they make great gifts!), there is a Boy Scout popcorn/pretzel fundraiser from one of our students, and don't forget the Granite Wear.  All of these fundraisers have time constraints, so if your interested in any of them, the quicker you act the better.  The Granite office is not handling any of the paperwork for these fundraisers, so if you have any questions, you will need to contact the sellers directly.
Happy Shopping!

It's a Wonderful Life - Vivian Davis, Producer!

You're formally invited to my show... It's a Wonderful Life. Directed by Andrew Porter & Produced by Vivian Davis. Net proceeds benefit the Freedom Area Recreation Council. It will be fun for the whole family. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount. Please come. The Press Release and details are below.

Vivian Davis
Artistic Director
Young at Art/ Dramatic Arts Program
tutoringart@gmail.com
Freedom Area Recreation Council
Eldersburg, MD

Press Release: November 1, 2010 Press Contact: tutoringart@gmail.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Freedom Area Rec’s Dramatic Arts Program announces its very 1st theatrical production!

It’s a Wonderful Life

A LIVE RADIO PLAY

Based on the Christmas Classic

Adapted from Frank Capra’s 1946 motion picture, It’s a Wonderful Life is written by Tony Palermo, an Audi Award-winning radio performer and dramatist. Andrew Porter directs this classic story revolving around George Bailey, the unsung, beloved hero of Bedford Falls, and an angel who helps this compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he never existed. The story is unveiled as a 1940’s style radio show.

With two Dinner Theater performances that include live music 1940’s style, and a Matinee performance, the Freedom Area Recreation Council is tackling an ambitious undertaking with its first theatrical production. Why? For the sole purpose of bringing a community of all ages together through family entertainment, at the brand new community facility: the South Carroll Senior & Community Center located at 5928 Mineral Hill Rd in Sykesville, Maryland.



DINNER THEATER

Fri, December 3 and Sat, December 4

6:00pm dinner, 7:00pm show

$30 General Admission, $28 Seniors, $25 Children 10 & under, Group Discount (10+)

Dinner provided by Kevin’s Katering on Main Street Sykesville.


MATINEE

Sun, December 5

2:00pm show

$15 General Admission

Concessions for the matinee are provided by and benefit the Get Connected Family Resource Center, a free service for Carroll County families who are concerned that their child (ages 0-25) may have Mental Health Issues, Behavioral Problems, Substance Abuse History, Developmental Disabilities, Interpersonal Violence Issues or other concerns. The Get Connected Family Resource Center and their Family Navigators help find the resources they need.



Purchase Tickets by calling 410-549-6296

or online via www.mycommunitytickets.com




The cast of It’s A Wonderful Life includes Chrystopher Robinson as George Bailey, Dillon Kalmbach as Clarence Oddbody, Sarah Spargo as Mary Hatch and Jed Davis as Uncle Billy. Directed by Andrew Porter and Produced by Vivian Davis.



A must see this holiday season!



DINNER SHOW TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE.

First come, first serve seating. No admittance without a ticket. Theater is wheelchair accessible and handicap seating is available upon request. Not recommended for children under age 3 due to the shows’ inclusion of live sound effects in action and noise.

Junior Class Pizza Lunch

The Junior Class will be having it's first pizza lunch on November 17th.  Please support them by ordering lots of yummy pizza!  The order form can be found on Edline, and orders are due by November 10th.

Peace Poster Contest Winners!

An email from our Art Tutor, Vivian Davis, came in last night shortly after the winners were announced.  Here it is in it's entirety.  Congratulations to everyone!

I met with the Columbia Lions Club officers tonight at Bertucci's and the 8 of them, along with 3 employees of Bertucci's, judged the posters for the local/school competition.  I was not a judge and no information was given about the students prior to judging.  We had 8 entries; judged for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mention.  All 4 along with their parents will be invited to a dinner in January to receive their awards.   

All of the students did a wonderful job at representing the theme, "Vision of Peace".  The officer/judges were all impressed again this year on how creative the designs were.  In the end, the ones that were chosen as the winners 1. Best represented the theme (most important!) & 2. Were nicely illustrated.   And the winners are:

1st Place (moving on to the District Level competition)
Lydia Vitek

2nd Place
Abby Parke

3rd Place
London Davis

Honorable Mention
Polly Matthews

Congratulations all on a wonderful showing!!!!!!!!!!  I'm very proud of you ALL.

Granite Wear Is Now Available For Order!

The Senior class is now taking orders for Granite Wear from now till November 17th.  If you would like to order, please use this form.

Upcoming Open House

Our next 'class day' Open House is scheduled for November 15th.
Make sure to tell all your interested family and friends.

Is a Liberal Arts Education Compatible with a Science or Math Career?

Gutenberg College in Eugene, Oregon puts out a newsletter about ten times each year. The current issue addresses a question with which many of Granite's students and parents have wrestled: is a classical education really advisable, advantageous, or even appropriate to students pursuing a field that is mathematical or science related? To read the article, go to this link and download the current issue: Gutenberg Newsletter or download the .pdf off of Edline's News section.

Welcome to the Granite Wall!

We have put this blog together in order to provide a forum where families can post 'for sale' items, informational items, find carpools, find uniforms and books, and everything in between.  Spiritual encouragement, pastor quotes, inspirational articles, and things that are pertinent to the Granite community will all likely be seen here as well.  You will need to have a Gmail account in order to be added to the 'member list' that allows you to post directly.  Posts will be subject to moderation before final upload and all comments are moderated before posting.
So, add us to your bookmarks or your RSS feed for updates and you won't miss a thing!