Lower School Newsletter – August 23, 2023
August 23, 2023
Letter From the Division Director
Dear Lower School Families,
This new school year brings the promise of a renewed dedication, focus, and energy to the mission of teaching and learning. The dedicated staff at Flint Hill have been working tirelessly to fine-tune our instructional models; engage in professional learning opportunities; and update class routines and expectations, all with the goal of fostering academic success in a joyful environment. Our teachers are eager to meet their new students and begin this year’s journey with them!
As we continue to prepare for a wonderful school year ahead, your child’s Hopes and Dreams Conference is a great opportunity for you and your child’s homeroom teacher to establish a partnership between school and home. On Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29, the one-on-one time will ensure that we learn pertinent information to provide the best support for your child throughout the school year.
Megan Dhar, assistant director of the Lower School, and I look forward to spending time with you during the New Parent Orientation on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 30. Our time together will focus on the nuts and bolts of the division along with opportunities for us to answer questions you may have to support your parent transition. The Orientation is also for current parents, so please join us if you can!
If you have questions, please reach out anytime.
We look forward to welcoming the Lower School children and you next week!
Warmly,
Madeleine Lopez
Director of the Lower School
Back-to-School
Arrival & Dismissal Instructions
Safety is our primary concern. Please take a few moments to review the information below and always respect Flint Hill employees assisting with morning and afternoon carpool.
Please Review the 2023-24 Flint Hill Family Handbook
All families are encouraged to review the Flint Hill Family Handbook for the 2023-24 school year. The Family Handbook outlines community standards and policies for all Flint Hill students and family members and is organized in three sections: “Respect for Self,” “Respect for Others,” and “Respect for Shared Environment.” The Flint Hill Family Handbook will live on Husky Hub for ease of reference. No other action is required, as enrollment at Flint Hill expects awareness and respect of these policies throughout the school year.
SchoolPass Steps To Complete Before School Starts
Flint Hill School uses SchoolPass, a user-friendly and real-time system that allows parents to easily notify the school of student absences, late arrivals or appointments; helps students and teachers with daily attendance; and assists the school with efficient and secure dismissal to direct students to Lower School carpool, buses, and AfterCare.
Returning Families (please add the paragraph info as a dropdown)
The only step you need to complete at this time is to review your approved driver's list and update or delete it if needed. Instructions for “Adding, Updating, and Deleting Approved Driver and Car Procedures” for the SchoolPass app are on the Preparing for the 2023-24 School Year tile on the Resource Board in Husky Hub.
New Families (please add the paragraph info as a dropdown)
On July 18, you should have received an auto-generated “welcome” email from noreply-2300@schoolpass.com with instructions to download the application and create a profile. If you did not receive that email or need SchoolPass assistance in general, please email helpdesk@flinthill.org.
Lunch & Snack in the Lower School
Parents are kindly asked to provide a daily, healthy snack from the snack list. Lean protein snacks are beneficial to both body and mind and aid students with alertness, attention, and productivity. It would be best to avoid snacks with artificial flavors/colors and with high sugar content. Each child should bring their own snack, as students are not permitted to share food and the school does not provide snacks. Please also send in a reusable water bottle.
Parents are encouraged to provide students with a lunch with a minimum of packaging that requires no additional preparation. (Younger children have a hard time opening some packages.) Each student needs to have their own lunch, as sharing food is not permitted. No soda or sports drinks should be included in lunches. If a student forgets their lunch, parents may bring a lunch to the Lower School office. However, deliveries by delivery services to campus are not permitted.
Preparing for the 2023-24 School Year
More back-to-school info can be found on the Preparing for the 2023-24 School Year tile on the Resource Board of Husky Hub.
Subscribe to Flint Hill School Calendars
In an attempt to better serve parents, we have updated our school calendar display by splitting calendar events into divisions. There are now six different calendars parents can subscribe to. There is a description of each calendar below along with instructions for how to subscribe. We recommend that parents subscribe to your division's calendar as well as:
- Parent Highlights Calendar: includes major school dates like start and end dates, breaks, and school holidays.
- All-School Events: includes events designed for the entire community including some major athletic, fine arts events, Parents' Association, and (Institutional Equity & Inclusion) IEI events.
Middle School (MS) and Upper School (US) parents may also want to subscribe to the MS/US Letter Days calendar which helps your family keep track of which letter day it is.
Instructions on How to Subscribe
If you're a Google calendar user, you can subscribe to each calendar so that they populate on your personal Google calendar by clicking the links below.
- Parent Calendar Highlights
- All-School Events
- Lower School
- Middle School
- Upper School
- MS/US Letter Days
If you're NOT a Google calendar user, you can subscribe to each calendar so that they populate on your personal calendar. Events for the past 2 months and the upcoming 12 months will be included in the feed. It may take up to an hour for any setting changes to be reflected in your external calendars.
Announcements
Medication Drop-Off — Thursday, August 24
For students who will need to keep medication on campus during the school year, we will have a medication drop-off day on Thursday, August 24, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Upper School Circle.
Families will pull into the circle, and a nurse will come to your car to collect the medication and the appropriate forms. As a reminder, all prescription medication must be accompanied by the physician's order on the Medication Authorization Form, which must be completed and signed by the prescribing physician.
All medication must have the pharmacy label on it. All over-the-counter medication must be accompanied by the Medication Authorization Form and must be completed and signed by a parent or guardian. The medication must be in the original packaging and must be administered according to the package instructions, including the time and route to be administered.
If you are unable to come to the School on the medication drop-off day, please call to schedule an appointment with your division’s nurse prior to the start of school.
Upper School 703.584.2396
Middle School 703.584.2397
Lower School 703.584.2399
To drop off medication refills throughout the school year, please call and schedule an appointment with your division’s nurse.
Sign Up to Volunteer in the Igloo and Den! Optional Training — Friday, August 25
One of the most frequent and fun volunteer opportunities is selling concessions in the Igloo or Den. It’s a great way to meet other parents while getting a glimpse of life in the Upper School or the best view of a game on the Peterson Family Field.
The Igloo is located in the Upper School and is open for Upper School students during the day and after school. The Den is located on the John M. Thomas Terrace and is open during select athletic games. We are excited to open both concession stands for the school year and need many volunteers to operate. The parent volunteer concessions leads will be working together to manage concessions efforts, and they look forward to greeting volunteers during shifts.
Sign Up for Shifts:
Optional Training: There will be an optional training session in the Igloo on Friday, August 25, 12:00-12:30 p.m., to meet concessions leads, other parent volunteers, and to learn the ropes.
Thank you to our concessions leads: Stephanie Anderson P’28, Wanda Bergeron P’25, Regina Gramss P’24, Kesha Kingswell P’26, Tanya Loyd P’25, and Shamika Shahid P’25.
Parent-Teacher Hopes and Dreams Conferences — August 28-29
Using the Responsive Classroom approach, homeroom teachers and advisors build their classroom communities with intention and care so that each child feels safe, respected, and that they belong. To gain a better understanding of each child and facilitate a strong partnership with parents for the school year ahead, homeroom teachers and advisors will host a 20-minute in-person Hopes and Dreams Conference for parents on Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29. These conferences give parents the opportunity to share their hopes, dreams, and goals for their child for the new year. Parents are also encouraged to share any other information that would be helpful for the teacher to know about their child.
Parents were emailed instructions to sign up for the in-person conferences on Monday, August 14. If you did not receive that email, please email Donna Holaday or call her at 703.584.2360.
Lower School Parents’ Association Volunteer Fair — August 28-29
Looking for ways to get involved? Stop by the Parents’ Association table in the Lower School Commons during the Hopes and Dreams Conferences — Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. — to learn about the many volunteer opportunities available, or complete this form to share your general interest and we will reach out to you as each opportunity arises.
Lower School New Parent Orientation — Wednesday, August 30
To help new parents, as we prepare for the school year, Director of the Lower School Madeleine Lopez and Assistant Director of the Lower School Megan Dhar will host a meeting on Wednesday, August 30, at 8:15-9:15 a.m. in the Olson Theater. Returning parents are also welcome to attend.
Head of School Coffee for New Lower School Families — Wednesday, September 6
New Lower School parents are invited to this informal coffee hosted by Head of School Patrick McHonett on Wednesday, September 6, at 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the Olson Theater. He'll be joined by Lower School Director Madeleine Lopez and Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement Meredith VanDuyne. They'll share helpful information for new parents about ways to partner and get involved with Flint Hill.
Parent Morning Mixer — Friday, September 8, 8:15-9:15 a.m.
Parent Morning Mixers are informal socials for all JK-12 parents to get together on campus after morning carpool and are a great way to meet other parents across divisions. Throughout the year, the location will rotate between the Upper, Middle, and Lower Schools, and parents from all divisions are welcome to attend regardless of the location. The first Morning Mixer will take place at the Peterson Middle School on the John M. Thomas Terrace on Friday, September 8, 8:15-9:15 a.m.
Parents’ Association Tennis Social — Friday, September 15
Whether you are advanced or new to the game, we invite you to register to participate in the Parents’ Association Tennis Social on Friday, September 15, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m at the Middle and Upper School Campus Tennis Courts.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet other families and enjoy some friendly competition. Players of all levels are welcome. If you’re interested in learning the basics and sharpening your skills, sign up for a Skills and Drills Clinic; look for the registration button on the Tennis Social website. After a fun morning on the courts, plan to stay for a light lunch, raffles, and prizes. Contact Advancement Officer Olivia Landrum ’11 with questions about playing or volunteering.
School Store — New Items in Stock
New items are in stock at the School Store! New arrivals include Nike blue and white hats with the FH logo, Flint Hill green and white visors, new long- and short-sleeve youth shirts, and full-zip polar fleece jackets in green and gray. For adult apparel, we have new hoodies, long- and short-sleeve t-shirts as well as new 1/4 zip pullovers. Our new accessories include stadium seats and golf umbrellas. Check out the School Store’s webpage for details.
Save the Date for Husky Home Games!
We’ve added a convenient link to our athletics calendar in the right hand column of all of our newsletters. Click on the round calendar icon in the right column. Once viewing the calendar, you can check “Home” under locations to see all home games and make a plan to come to campus to cheer on our Huskies!
Upcoming Events
Medication Drop-Off
Thursday, August 24
Upper School Circle, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Optional Igloo and Den Training for Parent Volunteers
Friday, August 25
The Igloo at the Upper School, 12:00-12:30 p.m.
Parent-Teacher “Hopes and Dreams” Conferences
Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29
Lower School Parents’ Association Volunteer Fair
Monday, August 28, and Tuesday, August 29
Lower School Commons, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Lower and Middle School First Day of Classes
Wednesday, August 30, 8:10 a.m. (Lower School start time)
Lower School New Parent Orientation
Returning parents are also welcome to attend.
Wednesday, August 30
Olson Theater, 8:15-9:15 a.m.
Labor Day — Grades JK-12, No Classes
Monday, September 4
Head of School Coffee for New Lower School Families
Wednesday, September 6
Olson Theater, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Lower School Student and Class Picture Day
Friday, September 8
Parent Morning Mixer
Friday, September 8
John M. Thomas Terrace at the Peterson Middle School, 8:15-9:15 a.m.
All-School Gathering
Wednesday, September 13
Upper School Gym, 1:15-2:15 p.m.
All students will gather in the gym for this traditional program to celebrate the start of the school year and the journey ahead.
Grades JK-3 Back-to-School Night
Thursday, September 14
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Parents’ Association Tennis Social
Friday, September 15
Middle and Upper School Campus Tennis Courts, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Grades 4-6 Back-to-School Night
Thursday, September 21
7:00-9:00 p.m.
