Upper School Newsletter – August 23, 2023
August 23, 2023
Letter From The Division Director
In my last letter, I highlighted the changes that occurred to the daily schedule and the creation of a new resource called “The Academic Handbook.” This week, I am going to focus my comments on the student advisory program.
Before we began altering the daily schedule to meet the needs of education during the pandemic, we utilized a system of short daily advisories with an occasional long advisory with a deeper curriculum. With the adoption of our new daily schedule we are now able to resume that advisory structure. To coincide with that resumption of the previous structure, the Upper School faculty and staff re-examined the goals of our advisory program. In one of my previous schools, I was tasked with starting an advisory program from scratch. At another school, I was part of a team that tore our advisory program down to its studs to give it a renovation. In both of these situations I was blessed to have a great deal of professional development and training from institutions that assist schools in these endeavors. In all of these trainings, a recurring theme kept emerging; advisory programs have limited time with the students so they must focus on a few key goals. If they try to do everything, they run the risk of not doing anything very well.
To that end, the faculty and staff brainstormed the most important needs of our students at this point to find themes or topics for our advisory program. Like most processes with that many voices, we started with over fifty great topics. All of those topics would be valuable and worth concepts to discuss in advisory, but we knew we had to refine those down to a more manageable list because there simply isn’t time to do them all. After a series of discussions, we landed on the following topics:
- Monitor and support general academic progress of the student.
- Teach and reinforce daily life skills.
- Encourage character building in line with our Core Values.
This year, our Grade Level Deans will focus the activities of advisory on these three topics. Because we know our students change each year, we might find that the Class of 2030 has different needs than our current seniors in the Class of 2024. With that in mind, we know that we will annually revisit these themes/topics to meet the needs of our students. Also, the curriculum for our seniors regarding daily life skills will obviously differ from the curriculum for our freshmen. One is getting close to living alone at college and the other is starting to navigate the myriad of challenges at high school.
More information regarding this program and its mission statement can be found in the Academic Handbook.
Don Paige
Director of the Upper 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.
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 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 with questions about playing or volunteering.
Get Involved and Share Your Volunteer Interest!
Looking for ways to get involved in our school community? Learn about some of the many volunteer opportunities and share your interest by completing this form. We will contact you as each opportunity arises, and volunteer sign-up forms will be shared in the newsletter.
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!
Upper School Athletics
Opening Week
As the school year approaches, excitement fills the air with the anticipation of the upcoming season openers! Get ready for an action-packed week starting on Tuesday, August 29, as teams gear up for a series of engaging scrimmages and thrilling official games. For a comprehensive view of the schedule, make sure to explore the Athletics page on the website. Simply click on the calendar icon located on the right-hand side to locate details of the upcoming games!
Fall Athletes
Warmest congratulations to all of our dedicated fall sports athletes who have demonstrated their commitment and resilience during tryouts and diligent training. Be sure to keep an eye on Husky Hub, your go-to resource for real-time updates on practice times, venues, game schedules, and pertinent information from coaches.
Important Events/Dates to Note
- Fall Meet the Coaches Night — Friday, August 25, 5:45-6:15 p.m., Upper School Gym
- Fall Conditioning Begins — Tuesday, September 5
- Upper School Athletics Picture Day — Wednesday, September 6, Upper School Commons
- Letterman Jacket Fitting — Tuesday, September 26, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Cafeteria Foyer
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.
Fall Meet the Coaches Night
Friday, August 25
Upper School Gym, 5:45-6:15 p.m.
Upper School First Day of School
Monday, August 28, 8:25 a.m. start time
Upper School Back-to-School Night
Thursday, August 31
6:45 - 9:00 p.m.
Labor Day — Grades JK-12, No Classes
Monday, September 4
Upper School Picture Day (9th-11th grade)
Tuesday, September 5
Athletics: Fall Conditioning Begins
Tuesday, September 5
Upper School Athletics Picture Day
Wednesday, September 6
Upper School Commons
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.
Parents’ Association Tennis Social
Friday, September 15
Middle and Upper School Campus Tennis Courts, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Drop/Add Deadline
Friday, September 15
3:30 p.m.
Letterman Jacket Fitting
Tuesday, September 26
Cafeteria Foyer, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
