Lower School Newsletter - May 4, 2022
Message From Division Director
The social-emotional learning in the Lower School is one of the most important ways we identify how to best support our Huskies. Our goal is to provide a healthy balance between academics and play. However, during this time of unpredictability when students are at home due to illness, we shift our focus to them resting and getting well. The teachers and I have noticed that when students are learning remotely when sick, it subconsciously sends a message to them to push through. Our research-based Wellness program encourages students to take the time needed to recuperate and not focus on completing classroom assignments or activities. If your child is not able to give their personal best while learning remotely, we ask that you encourage them to rest, sleep, and stay hydrated. Our amazing homeroom teachers/advisors will provide additional time when your child returns to school to make up missing work.
Lastly, starting on May 2, the Lower School Remote Learning Plan will focus on the core subjects of math, reading, science and social studies. Specialist classes will no longer have asynchronous assignments posted in Seesaw (JK-4)/Google Classroom (5/6) for remote learners to complete. The decision was based on what is developmentally appropriate for our students when they are unable to produce their personal best while recuperating at home. Again, our specialist teachers will provide additional time to make up missing work.
Articles:
Calming End-of-the-Year Stress
How to Raise a Good Problem-Solver
How to Talk to Kids About Honesty
Videos:
Video: What Is Compassion?
Story Time: Respect and Responsibility
"What if I do this, what could happen?" — Thinking ahead can help kids avoid all sorts of trouble. This friendly Mulberry tree offers kids a helpful technique to remember to think BEFORE they act in a way that could hurt themselves or someone else.
Robyn M. Nichols
Interim Director of the Lower School
The Latest
Upcoming Local Field Trips
Tuesday, May 10: Difficult Run Stream Field Trip, 9 a.m. - noon (Grade 4)
Lower School Closing Ceremony/Sixth Grade Promotion
It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of the school year. Despite many emotions that an end can bring, we are excited about the year’s culminating events — with elements of traditional programming reimagined for our divisional alignment.
Please see below for general information about the Lower School Closing Ceremony and Grade 6 Promotion, both of which take place on Friday, June 3. We will provide final details about logistics (parking, arrival time, refreshments, etc.) closer to the event.
- Our closing program will showcase reflections on the year and musical performances before turning our focus to the sixth graders to be promoted to the Middle School.
Parents and relatives are invited to attend.
Dress for JK-5 Huskies:
- School uniform
Dress Options for Grade 6 Huskies:
- School uniform.
- Collared shirt or blouse with khaki-style dress pants; skirt with a blouse; or sundress with a cardigan (no spaghetti straps please).
- Appropriate footwear for the occasion is required. We recommend black or brown shoes with dark socks, tennis shoes, low-heeled shoes, or flats. (Please be mindful that each student will need to walk across the stage to receive their certificate and shake Mr. Thomas' hand).
After the Ceremony/Promotion:
- Grade 6 Huskies will be escorted out of the Activities Building by John Magner, assistant director of counseling and Middle School counselor, to the Miller House lawn for pictures. Director of the Middle School Brian Lamont has a family engagement and will not be able to attend.
- JK-5 Huskies will be escorted back to their classrooms by their teachers to gather items and go home with parents immediately following the ceremony.
We are looking forward to celebrating the Lower School Huskies, promoting the Sixth Grade, and recognizing you for all of our support. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out anytime.
Fifth and Sixth Grade Play Practice
The fifth and sixth graders are rehearsing for the Fifth and Sixth Grade Play. Also, note that some students will rehearse on Mondays and Wednesdays only, and others rehearse on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. These rehearsals will continue until the performance on May 19. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Director of Fine Arts James Venhaus.
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
May 6, 2022
We are looking forward to welcoming Grandparents and Special Friends to campus this Friday. All registrants have received an email with their Husky’s homeroom classroom number(s) and helpful information about the event. Parents can help us prepare for the event by sharing the reminders below. If have any questions, please contact Olivia Landrum.
Event Schedule:
7:45-8:10 a.m. — Arrival and classroom check-in. Guests will begin in their Husky’s homeroom.
8:10 a.m. — Classroom visits begin.
10-10:15 a.m.* — Event concludes.
*Please note the new end time.
Students are welcome to leave school early with parent approval. Parents must notify the school in advance through the SchoolPass system.
Traveling to Campus:
- We encourage grandparents and special friends to ride with their student(s) to campus and be dropped off in morning carpool. If they are driving separately, staff will be there to assist with parking and will help guide them to the entrance near the Activity Center.
Departing from Campus:
- Parents who are picking up a grandparent or special friend should arrive at 10:25 a.m. and join the carpool line in front of the Activity Center. Guests will wait for their ride in the Activity Center hallway.
- Guests who drove separately and parked can depart when the event concludes.
Helpful Reminders:
- If guests have multiple Huskies to visit, they will be able to change classrooms and decide how to split their time. They will stay in their student’s homeroom classroom, so we encourage guests with multiple students to discuss their schedule with them to help decide where they'd like to begin and end the morning.
- Staff will be available to look up the students’ homeroom classes and direct guests to the right classroom, should they need help finding them.
- There will be light refreshments and coffee, but the morning will end before lunch.
Kaleidoscope Parent Book Club
The next meeting of the Kaleidoscope Parent Book Club is scheduled for Monday, May 9, 8:30-9:30 a.m., in the Peterson Middle School. We will meet to discuss the book "Beyond Diversity: 12 Non-Obvious Ways to Build a More Inclusive World" by Rohit Bhargava and Jennifer Brown. We look forward to building and deepening relationships through this shared learning opportunity. All parents are welcome to attend regardless of your familiarity with the book selection. Please use this form to RSVP. Contact All-School Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Miles Henderson if you have any questions
Preparing for the 2022-2023 School Year
Preparing for the 2022-2023 School Year is a tile on the Husky Hub Resource Board with checklists for each division containing important information for parents and students. This tile will remain active through the start of the school year, with a limited number of items to be updated over the summer.
Coming Soon: The Community of Care
The Community of Care is an event designed for our community to engage in dialogue, create connections and build community. This year’s community conversation will focus on the Flint Hill Core Values. We invite you to join us as we connect across constituencies and build a more inclusive community, one conversation at a time. Our discussion will also inform our upcoming Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming.
This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 9 a.m.-noon in the Peterson Middle School. We invite students in Grades 7-12, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and leadership to join us for this important community event. Please save the date. Registration details will be provided in the upcoming weeks.
MAKING THE LEARNING VISIBLE
Third Graders have begun their study of economics and entrepreneurship. After empathizing to contemplate a new and exciting product they could create to meet a specific need of their peers, students brainstormed an “elevator pitch.” They learned about how inventors put together a pitch to market a prototype of their idea to potential investors. From crumb catchers to eyeglass holders to stress relievers, the inventions had to have a clear purpose and intention, which also was showcased in the elevator pitch. Third graders thought it would be fun to literally record their pitches from the school elevator. Determining cost per unit was another important aspect students learned about and presented in their pitch to be able to express to their audience what their anticipated costs v. profit would yield as far as a return on investment. Lots of learning by doing will continue to be at the forefront of this unit as students will use the student investor audience test market to reflect and make adjustments to these initial ideas before mass production and sales at a third-grade market.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
- Use this form to request additional RFID tags for carpool.
- Refer a Husky and the Admission team will reach out to them.
Upcoming Events
To help protect the integrity and privacy of virtual events, we have placed all the links to Google Meet virtual events in Husky Hub via the All-School Calendar.
Grades 5 and 6 Play Practice
Mondays/Tuesdays (Group 1) and Wednesdays/Thursdays (Group 2)
Grades 5-8 Spring Band Concert
Thursday, May 5, 7-8:30 p.m.
Olson Theater — Lower School Campus
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Friday, May 6
Grades JK-12 Parent Education Series: Kaleidoscope Book Club
Monday, May 9, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Author Claire Legrand Grade 6 Virtual Presentation
Monday, May 9, 10-11 a.m.
Grade 4 Difficult Run Stream Field Trip
Tuesday, May 10, 9 a.m.-noon
Grades 5-8 Spring Percussion Concert
Tuesday, May 10, 7-8:30 p.m.
Olson Theater — Lower School Campus
Grades 5-8 Spring Choral Concert
Thursday, May 12, 7-8:30 p.m.
Olson Theater — Lower School Campus
Classroom Visits 2.0
Friday, May 13 (Grades JK-3), 8:15-8:45 a.m. (new date)
JK Family Picnic Sponsored by the Parents’ Association
Saturday, May 14, 5-7 p.m.
Grade 3 Parent Dinner sponsored by Parents’ Association
Sunday, May 15, 4-6 p.m.
Rising Grades K-3 Transition Coffee
Monday, May 16, 9-10 a.m. (new date)
Two-Hour Delayed Opening, Faculty/Staff In-Service
Tuesday, May 17
Grades 5-6 Play
Thursday, May 19, 4:30 p.m.
Olson Theater — Lower School Campus
Grade K Parent Dinner sponsored by Parents’ Association
Friday, May 20, 5-7 p.m.
Grade 4 Parent Dinner sponsored by Parents’ Association
Saturday, May 21, 6-8 p.m.
Grade 2 Parent Dinner sponsored by Parents’ Association
Saturday, May 21, 4-6 p.m.
Community Care
Saturday, May 21, 9:00 a.m.-noon
Grade 6 Parent Dinner sponsored by Parents’ Association
Sunday, May 22 4-6 p.m.
Grades 5-8 Spring Orchestra Concert — rescheduled from May 3
Tuesday, May 24, 4:30 p.m.
Olson Theater — Lower School Campus
Health Services
Helpful Links
Flint Hill Positive Case and Close Contact Exposure Protocols
COVID-19 Vaccination Status Dashboard
All of these links can be found on the COVID-19 Health Information tile on the Resource Board.
Reminder: Keep Everyone Healthy by Staying Home if Sick
If your student has fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea you should keep them home to recover. They must be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
Parents' Association
Volunteer at the Igloo Snack Bar!
In order to keep the Igloo open, parent volunteers are critical. Sign up for a morning or afternoon shift here.
Don’t Miss Your Chance To Join Us on the Links!
The Golf Invitational and Skills Clinic is right around the corner. Registration is filling up with very limited spots available for the tournament. Contact Tiffany Parry to sign up as an individual or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities.
There’s still space available in the Skills Clinic sponsored by AutoScandia, so grab a friend and sign up together to learn from the pros. All abilities are welcome, so grab your spot here!
Interested in volunteering? Sign up here.
An 8-Year Overdue Library Book and All the Emotions This Week!
There are very few things that make me as emotional as Flint Hill. These last few days weren’t any different. On Friday, the Lower School welcomed fourth and sixth grade parents to Open Classroom. These visits give a first-hand glimpse into the adventures of learning. I heard from parents that got to tour a student-created animal museum, attend art class, and listen to their child’s personal narrative in language arts. Read more.
School Store
New Youth Husky Logo Tee
Get ready for summer in this new dry-fit tee, designed just for our youngest huskies! Available in three bright summer shades, these t-shirts are lightweight, roomy, highly breathable and moisture-wicking.
How Do I Make an Exchange or Return?
Please email schoolstore@flinthill.org within 30 days of your original purchase. Include your order number, the item(s) that didn’t work, and if you would like to return your items or exchange them. Exchanges may be made for the same item in a different size or for an item of equal value. We are happy to issue a refund for items that did not work for you.
NEWS ON THE HILL
