The President and First Lady have better things to do than brunch with the wealthy parents of their daughters' classmates. But it appears some families at Sidwell Friends, the private school attended by Malia and Sasha Obama, are disappointed that the first family donated autographed magazines, instead of hang-out time, for the Sidwell Friends School Dollars for Scholars benefit auction. “There were expectations that they might donate something more personal, like the Clintons did,” a source told MSNBC's Scoop blog, “Lots of people were disappointed.” Instead, the Obamas "only" submitted "a signed copy of the Rolling Stone issue featuring the president and a signed copy of the January Vogue that featured the first lady." more ›

Forty young men and women chosen as Intel Science Talent Search finalists gathered in the Great Hall of the National Academy of Sciences to compete for more than $500,000 in awards and scholarships to support careers in science -- including one top prize, a $100,000 scholarship. Two area budding young scientists, both hailing from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, are among the finalists. Each finalist picks up at least $5,000 in scholarship money and an Intel-powered laptop. more ›

The Obama Transition Office released a few photos of the Obama family getting ready for the girls' first day at school in D.C. this morning. You can see the photoset on Flickr. The images depict the Obamas in their suite at the Hay-Adams Hotel this morning before leaving to take Sasha and Malia to Sidwell Friends. The AP reported that Michelle Obama accompanied the girls to school this morning — Sasha is attending the Bethesda, Md., elementary-school campus, where she is in second grade. Malia is at the middle school campus in the District, where she's in fifth grade. more ›

If you were sure that the safe bet is that Sasha and Malia Obama will attend a private school when they move to Washington, it's looking more and more like you're right. The Reliable Source says that Michelle Obama took her girls on a tour yesterday of Georgetown Day School, and that they will visit the Sidwell Friends campus today. No word yet on whether they have scheduled visits for any other schools, including any DCPS or public charter schools. more ›