Middle School Newsletter - June 17, 2020

Things to Know This Week in the Middle School

Second Semester Progress Reports — Available Online

Grade 5: this includes a narrative comment from the homeroom teacher indicating academic, social, and personal growth. There will not be skills checklists due to the difficulty with the assessment of distance learning. To access the report, log into Husky Hub, click on your name at the top, right-hand side of the page, and click on “Files & Forms.” Under your child’s name, locate the “Middle School Reports” section and click on “5th Semester 2 Narrative Comment.”

Grades 6-8: this includes a letter grade and a narrative comment from the advisor indicating academic, social, and personal growth. To access the report, log into Husky Hub, hover over “Children at the top, left-hand side of the page and click on your child’s name. Under “Performance,” on the left-hand side of the page, click on “Report Cards” and “MS Quarter 4 Report.”

 

Independent Community Service Project — Rising Eighth Grade

The Middle School Community Service button on our Resource Board includes information about the Independent Community Service Project, which involves at least 10 hours of service and a presentation during our Service Share in the spring. Please follow the link for complete details, suggested service sites, and a “Frequently Asked Questions” page. Please contact our Middle School Community Service Coordinator DeShauna Curry with any questions.

 

Summer Learning and Summer Reading

Summer Learning and Summer Reading information are now available on the Preparing for the 2020-2021 School Year tile in Husky Hub. These are important resources for enrichment and skill maintenance and include links to virtual camps/classes in the area.

 

Middle School Closing Ceremony and Grade 8 Promotion

In case you missed it (or want to watch it again!), the program is available here.

 

Student Projects

Here are a few of the many examples of student engagement during distance learning.

• Themes in U.S. History (seventh grade) — as part of their Civil Rights unit this spring, students created videos representing their dream for their part of the world. Here is a compilation of student submissions.
• Physical Science (sixth grade) — as a culmination of their study of Newton’s laws of motion, students built and launched their own plastic bottle rockets. Here is a sampling of their efforts.
• English 8 Honors (eighth grade) — as part of their final book project, students created visual representations of the themes and symbolism of the novel.  Here is a link to samples of student work.

 

Summer on the Hill Camp Update

As the school year closes and you plan your children’s activities for this summer, we want to provide you with an update regarding our camp schedule in the current environment.

The School has made the decision not to hold July Summer on the Hill programs on campus. Instead, we have moved many of our enrichment offerings online and developed several new ones. Basketball and flag football camps have been canceled. You can view our updated camp schedule here.

Flint Hill also partners with Headfirst Summer Camps, which offers camps for children ages 3-12. Flint Hill and Headfirst have decided together that Headfirst will offer modified versions of some camps at Flint Hill beginning July 6. You can read more about Headfirst’s safety and compliance guidelines here.

Thank you for your flexibility during this time.

 

Welcoming New Faculty and Staff for 2020-21

Please join us in welcoming the following new Middle School faculty for the 2020-21 school year. We also want to congratulate current faculty who will be moving into new roles for the next school year.

Elizabeth Croad is the long-term maternity sub for Erin Mahony. Lizzie was raised for most of her childhood in the U.K. and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from The University of Nottingham, in the summer of 2015. She stayed at The University of Nottingham for an additional year to complete her Post Graduate Certificate in Education, specializing in secondary mathematics, whilst completing her teacher training. She then taught at The West Bridgford School, a public state school in suburban Nottingham, for three years before emigrating to the U.S., in the summer of 2019, with her husband. Lizzie is qualified in teaching math both at the middle and high school level and has taught in four different continents with her previous employment and volunteer experiences during summer vacations. She tutored middle and high school students in central D.C., before joining the huskies at Flint Hill as a long-term maternity cover substitute teacher. In her spare time, she loves to travel, explore cities, go jogging and volunteer with animals.

Miles Henderson – All School Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator – was born and raised here in Northern Virginia. At George Mason University, he studied foreign languages and education. He has previously worked as a substitute teacher and a tutor, as well as a volunteer for The Trevor Project’s advocacy team. Working with the Trevor Project encouraged him to find work related to equity and inclusion in education. He is very excited and eager to join the Flint Hill Community, and he hopes to see everybody in person this fall.

Brittany Johnston is the long-term sub for Christen Newson. Brittany Johnston is thrilled to join the fifth grade team at Flint Hill. “I am originally from Northern Virginia but have moved around as a student and teacher for the last decade – all with my cat in tow!” She studied elementary education at the University of Alabama and earned her M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University, focusing on culturally responsive pedagogy and teacher leadership. She has taught in schools in the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, China and, most recently, Colombia. “As an educator I strive to nurture students to be creative, curious and caring individuals. In and out of school, I enjoy connecting with and learning from people of all ages. I find peace in art, baking, yoga, reading and practicing mindfulness. My newest passion is brewing kombucha! I look forward to becoming part of the Flint Hill community and being back in my hometown.”

Vicki Knickerbocker – Grades 7-12 Innovation Department Chair and Middle/Upper School Computer Science/Robotics Teacher – is a D.C. area native. After graduating from the University of Maryland, she began a career in video production, working at a local PBS station and production houses in the metro area. From there, an opportunity at a local school system gave rise to a new adventure as a communications lead and an opportunity to teach adults and children. Teaching was Vicki’s “Ah-ha!” moment. She moved to a position at a local independent school and spent the next 15 years building a flagship STEM program, serving as the technology lead, supporting the marketing team, providing training and support to faculty and, most importantly, sharing her love of learning and all things STEM with her students. A tinkerer by nature and academic explorer, Vicki is excited to join Flint Hill’s family.

Riki Weeks – Grades 7-12 Math Department Chair and Upper School Math Teacher – graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics, from Salisbury University, in 2003. Although a pure mathematician at heart, Riki worked within the tutoring lab at Salisbury and eventually began private tutoring, which helped steer him toward the teaching profession. After taking on a position as a long-term maternity sub, he started his full-time teaching career as a middle school mathematics teacher, in 2004, at the Barrie School in Silver Spring, Maryland. In a few years, he moved into advising and teaching mathematics in both the Middle and the Upper School (grades 6-12) and took on various coaching and administrative roles within the school, including service coordinator, grade dean, and Upper School dean of students. Following his time at Barrie, he joined Flint Hill in 2016. Since becoming a Husky, Riki has taught all levels of mathematics within the high school and maintained the role of junior class dean since 2017. In addition to this role, he has also served as Upper School service coordinator since 2019. Although he will be leaving the role of dean and his 14 years of work with student-life programming, he is excited to lend his strengths, expertise, and experience to the curricular side of the school. Riki enjoys creating music, writing poetry, fishing, and spending time with his family and his three children, all of whom attend Flint Hill and one who is a Flint Hill Class of 2020 graduate.

 

Resources for Family Conversations About Racism and Protests

As a follow up to John Thomas’ important message regarding the impact of national events, the following is a sample of the resources available to support your conversations with children of all ages.

 

Articles

How to talk to your children about protests and racism, CNN Health
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children?, USA Today
The Very Best Code Switch Episodes For Kids, NPR
Five Ways to Reduce Racial Bias in Your Children, The Greater Good Science Center

Videos

How to talk to kids about race, privilege amid George Floyd protests, Good Morning America
How to Talk to Your Kids About Race, The Atlantic
Talking Race With Young Children, NPR

Websites

The Child Development Institute
Teaching Tolerance
The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley

 

Textbook Buyback May 15-June 30

Families can re-sell textbooks through our e-campus portal, May 15-June 30. You can sell your textbooks by visiting https://flinthill.ecampus.com/ and clicking the “Sell Textbooks” link.