Lower School Newsletter - November 18, 2020

NEW AND UPDATED INFORMATION

WEEK OF THANKFUL GIVING UPDATE

Due to Flint Hill’s safety protocols at this time, it is not possible to have a goods collection in the Lower School as part of The Week of Thankful Giving. We are asking interested families to independently support our School’s community partners to please donate goods to these organizations: Fairfax County Animal Shelter, Food for Others, and/or Northern Virginia Family Services. Lists of needed items are provided in the links.

The connection made to an organization today could become an ongoing avenue of support and advocacy for those members of our community who need it most. Please follow all CDC guidelines for safety when donating. If you have questions, please contact All-School Community Service Coordinator Linda Okoth.

 

Coding Ideas for Thanksgiving Break

We are on a one week break from school, but that doesn’t mean our students have to take a break from creating and exploring! Encourage your child to make good choices during this week when using their screens. If questions arise about using a school-issued iPad at home, check out the iPad Essential Agreements for Flint Hill Families as a reference.

Parents, instead of having your children consuming content which others have made, remind them to try creating or exploring something of their own! Below are some suggestions for your child. The goal of these activities is to enrich our students with thoughtful and meaningful work.

• Create a story in the Book Creator app about what your family did over the holiday.
• Grades JK-1 students can explore coding in Tynker Jr in the following categories: Ocean Odyssey, Robots, Wild Rumble, Puffball Panic, and Super Squad.
• Grade 2 students can explore coding in Tynker in the following categories: Tynker Jr: Ocean Odyssey, Robots, Wild Rumble, Puffball Panic, and Super Squad. Tynker: Space Cadet, Dragon Spells Levels 1-4.
• Grades 3-4 students can explore coding in Tynker in the following categories: Space Cadet and Dragon Spells, NEW Programming 101.
• Read books in Epic and post a book review in Seesaw.
• Use Magnabet to create a list of fall words.
• Explore the app DK findout! Research your interest.
• Use the Drawing Pad app and draw pictures of things seen in nature.
• Create a scavenger hunt of items seen in nature; then see how many items you can find on a walk with family members.
• Create your own play book using the field and court templates in the Whiteboard app.

 

Articles

Marble runs and building bridges: five creative, educational play ideas for kids

5 Engaging Questions to Discover Your Child’s Thinking

 

 

UPDATES AND REMINDERS FROM THE LAST NEWSLETTER

 

Save the Dates: Virtual Headmaster’s Parent Discussion Series

Each year, Headmaster John Thomas offers sessions for parents in each division, sharing his insights as a parent, veteran educator, and former school counselor. These sessions will allow us to discuss how to raise children in today’s world. The early years in a school like ours are exciting, eventful, transformative and scary, and challenging at times. And add to that mix the COVID experience of having to wear masks and staying physically distant. At Flint Hill, we are fortunate to have faculty and staff who take their role as educators very seriously. I look forward to talking with you and engaging in healthy and positive conversations. Lower School parents can join John at the following times:

Grades JK-K — Monday, November 30, 1:30 p.m. Here is the link to the meet.

Grades 1-2 — Thursday, December 3, 8:30 a.m. Here is the link to the meet.

Grades 3-4 — Tuesday, December 8, 11 a.m. Here is the link to the meet.

Grades 5-6 — Wednesday, December 16, 10:30 a.m. Here is the link to the meet.

 

Playground Use During and After Carpool

To mitigate risk, the School playgrounds are closed at the end of the school day, at 3 p.m., and may not be used by families.

Online Ordering for Virtual Learner Student Portraits Now Available

Portraits for virtual learners photographed on October 28 are now available online for ordering. If you did not receive an email from Freed Photography with your student's private gallery information, please contact them at support@freedphoto.com or call 301.652.5452.

 

School Store Updates

A Virtual Pop-Up is coming soon! We also have some great new items on the way and need to make room in our inventory. Check out our sale items and browse new items in the “Featured Products” section. Returns and exchanges are quick and easy, but items that are returned must sit in quarantine before they go back into inventory. Please order only the size you think you need, so we can keep as much inventory in stock as possible. We are happy to change out the size quickly if it doesn’t fit.

Miller House front porch pick-up is still available any time after morning carpool and before afternoon carpool. Questions? Contact Adrienne Robinson at arobinson@flinthill.org.

 

The second meeting of the virtual Kaleidoscope Book Club is scheduled for Monday, December 7, 9-9:45 a.m. We will discuss “All We Ever Wanted” by Emily Giffin. 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 submit your name and email address, in this form, to RSVP for the first meeting and/or be added to our email list. Please contact All-School Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Miles Henderson if you have any questions.

 

Reminder: Masks for Parents and Guardians During Morning and Afternoon Carpool

As a reminder, to mitigate risk and potential exposure for the Lower School faculty and staff who open car doors during carpool, parents/guardians are required to wear masks during morning and afternoon carpool.

 

Driving Spirit Award Nominations Due December 11

Send your nominations to Ana Yarbrough.

The Driving Spirit Award recognizes current Flint Hill teachers and staff who have demonstrated ethical leadership, diligent intellectual scholarship and a commitment to teaching, coaching and mentoring students. Recipients are recognized for their contributions to the “Driving Spirit,” which makes our School the special and unique place we all value — a place that honors excellence while emphasizing the importance of our core values: respect and value all equally, lead and support with compassion, act with integrity, imagine what’s possible and blaze the trail. These teachers and staff members lead by example through their dedication and ability to energize and inspire Flint Hill’s community to new heights of learning and leadership, both inside and outside the classroom.

Please think about the great current teachers and staff members in the Flint Hill community whom you believe fit this description. Emails and letters should be sent to Ana Yarbrough by Friday, December 11.