Lower School Newsletter - October 14, 2020

NEW AND UPDATED INFORMATION

 

Save the Date — “Education Through a Different Lens: Opportunities vs. Obstacles” on Wednesday, October 28 at 7 p.m.

Nationally-known behavioral consultant and author Sharon Weiss will be doing a virtual presentation for Lower School parents on Wednesday, October 28, 7-8 p.m.

Parenting, while never easy, is incredibly stressful in the current climate. Stuck at home with  limitations on community activities, socializing with social distancing, missing activities that were taken for granted, staying on top of the household, your job and your emotions. That’s just a part of parenting during a pandemic.

Join this conversation on, believe it or not, potential opportunities and ways to reduce stress and the things you can do that don’t just ease the burden but capitalize on the hand you’ve been dealt. Lots of family time can mean new activities and experiences, an increased opportunity to teach independence and ways to support kids taking greater responsibility.

Sharon will do a short presentation followed by a Q&A for parents. Parents are asked to submit their questions here ahead of time.

 

Making the Learning Visible — Seesaw

There are a number of ways that we make the learning visible in the Lower School, and one of the resources we use is Seesaw. Teachers and students upload completed assignments to Seesaw, which gives families a window into the classroom and the learning. If families have not yet downloaded the app, below are the instructions to do so.

HERE is a link for getting started with Seesaw (created by Seesaw).

HERE are written directions and links for connecting to each classroom.

 

2020 Flint Hill Spirit T-shirts are here!

Show your school spirit and order your fall spirit shirt today! Remember we are stronger together!! The shirts come in adult and youth sizes.

Click here to place your order. The online store will close at midnight on Thursday, October 22. After this date, no late orders will be accepted to make sure that all orders are delivered on time. Due to COVID-19 and safety protocols, each individual order will be delivered directly to your home.

We have decided to designate November 10 as our Fall All-Husky School Spirit Day. All three divisions will participate by wearing their t-shirts on this day. Go Huskies!!

 

Movie Screenings from The Parents Council of Washington

The Parents Council of Washington is pleased to present a screening of the films “Miss Representation” and “The Mask You Live In.” These two documentaries by The Representation Project provide insight on how to value people as whole human beings, instead of gendered stereotypes. These documentaries will be available for in-home viewing through October 19. Please use this link to register and for more information about optional follow-up discussions.

 

The first meeting of the virtual Kaleidoscope Book Club is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 9-9:45 a.m. We will discuss “Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult. 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.

 

Articles

What is Race? Having the Conversation With Young Children

Below are some curated resources from Wide Open School (Common Sense Media).

Kids' COVID-19 questions answered (video): Give kids some fast facts about the coronavirus using this video, where Time for Kids kid reporters talk with Dr. Ingrid Katz of Harvard.

Practice social distancing (app): Families can use this augmented reality app to get a true sense of what it means to practice social distancing, making an abstract idea more concrete.

Soap and coronaviruses (video): Show kids how soap and alcohol inactivate coronaviruses by disrupting the membrane surrounding them.

You can find many more educational activities for kids, tweens, and teens on Wide Open School: Just type "coronavirus" in the search bar and use the grade band buttons to filter by grade.

 

A Few Reminders — Lower School Morning Arrival and Afternoon Dismissal

General Guidelines

Cell phone use is not permitted by drivers during morning or afternoon carpool. Parking in the neighborhood adjacent to the Lower School Campus and walking onto campus are not permitted during morning or afternoon carpools. If you drive through the Oak Marr neighborhood, please be respectful of the neighborhood speed limit.

If there is a change in your child’s afternoon pick-up routine, at any time during the school year, please coordinate with Assistant to the Director of the Lower School Donna Holaday and your child’s teacher.

Late Arrivals

Families must arrive on time in order to facilitate the temperature screening process and limit the disruption to the start of the school day. Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. will need to remain in their car with an adult. The adult should stop their car in front of the Activity Center. A sign will direct them to call the Lower School Health Clinic, and a member of the health staff will go directly to the car to take the student’s temperature. Adults should remain in their vehicles at all times. Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. will be marked late in the attendance system.

Afternoon Dismissal

The Lower School academic day will end at 3 p.m. Students will remain in their homerooms with their teachers until their name is called for pick up. As a reminder, there is no AfterCare for the 2020-21 school year. All Lower School students must be picked up by 3:15 p.m.

Afternoon Carpool

Afternoon carpool for Lower School students begins at 3 p.m. The Lower School Campus will open for afternoon carpool at 2:45 p.m. every day. Cars will be directed by our security and facilities staff onto Academic Drive, past the Miller House, and to the right onto Husky Drive. Cars will then be stacked around our upper parking lot and down Husky Drive to the stop sign. We anticipate being able to queue more than 70 cars on campus before the start of carpool at 3 p.m. Your cooperation, understanding and patience are essential, as we work together to make carpool both safe and efficient for our students and community.

Early Pick-Up from School

If students need to be picked up early from school, parents should notify Lower School Attendance or Assistant to the Director of the Lower School Donna Holaday. Children should be picked up by 2:30 p.m. to avoid disruption during the start of carpool. Parents should go to the front entrance of the Hazel Academic Building to pick up their student. Visitor parking is available adjacent to the Hazel Academic Building.

 

UPDATES AND REMINDERS FROM THE LAST NEWSLETTER

 

Contact Tracing App

Flint Hill is using a contact tracing app developed by Trace Innovations to help us to identify which students and employees need to quarantine if an employee or student tests positive for COVID-19. As noted in the FAQ, Lower School students will not download the app, as Lower School students who have cell phones are not allowed to carry them in school. The small class sizes and cohort model being used in the Lower School will allow us to easily identify groups of people who are exposed to an employee or student who tests positive for COVID-19 in this division.

 

Husky Spirit is STRONG!

The Upper School Athletic Advisory Council (AAC) is proud to support #huskystrong, an effort to spread the Husky spirit throughout the year! Spirit Week continues through October 16.

Here is the remaining schedule:

Thursday, October 15 — Crazy Mismatch Day 

Students may put together their wackiest combinations of colors and prints (pants, skirts, shorts, dresses, socks, and hats). Students must wear sneakers.

Friday, October 16 — Husky Pride Day 

Students may wear any Flint Hill t-shirt or any white, blue, or green t-shirt. Students should wear jeans or uniform bottoms and must wear sneakers.

 

Halloween Parade

As Halloween falls on a Saturday, this year, and to mitigate risk, we will not be hosting the annual Halloween Parade at school this year. Families might find the ideas in this article helpful: 7 Fun Halloween Activities to Do at Home.

 

 

School Store Updates … New Inventory and tips and tricks for online ordering

We are having a lot of fun stocking the store with NEW INVENTORY. Click here to shop now!

Returns and exchanges are quick and easy, but returned items must sit in quarantine before they are returned to inventory. So, 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 your item doesn’t fit.

Pro tip: Miller House front porch pick up is available now, instead of shipping, for your convenience! If you have questions about the School Store, contact Adrienne Robinson at arobinson@flinthill.org.

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.

 

Volunteer with the Parents’ Association!

We miss our volunteers! The PA has volunteer opportunities available to help with community-building activities, including teacher appreciation, the Annual Fund, Admission ambassadors, senior engagement and more!

Volunteering is safe and fun! The Parents’ Association is committed to the Flint Hill COVID-19 Health Pledge. If you are interested in volunteering or receiving more information from the Parents’ Association, please contact PA President-Elect Sibel Unsal at necatismom@gmail.com or Advancement Officer Alice Yates at ayates@flinthill.org.