Middle School Newsletter - January 6, 2021

NEW/UPDATED INFORMATION

 

Articles for Middle School Parents

In the interest of sharing issues and perspectives relevant to the challenges of parenting young adolescents, here are a few articles that you might find helpful.
Listen and Connect: How Parents Can Support Teens' Mental Health Right Now - MindShift
Moody quaranteen? What parents should watch for and do - Harvard Health Blog

 

Shopping made easy with the online School Store!

• Check out the new Last Chance Spirit Wear section of the School Store website. With extremely limited quantities left, these sale items won’t last long. Shop now before they are gone!
• Wondering what’s new? Click here for the Winter Preview.

School Store FAQs

• How long will it take to receive my order?

• • • Processing time is 3-5 business days.

• I’m not sure what size to purchase.

• • • We recommend ordering the size that you or your child currently wear. If the item you purchased does not fit, we are happy to exchange the item, when stock is available, or issue a refund.

• I ordered a youth item and would like to exchange it for an adult size. 

• • • If you need to exchange between youth and adult sizes, we can issue a refund and find an item to best suit your needs.

• How do I make an exchange or return?

• • Please contact Adrienne Robinson within 30 days of your original purchase.
  • 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 do not work for you.

 

UPDATES AND REMINDERS FROM BEFORE WINTER BREAK

 

Middle School Athletics

I know that there continue to be questions about if/when/how we will resume Middle School athletics. We recognize how important our athletics program is for students at this level — in terms of physical activity, sport-specific training, being part of a team, and social connections. Our Upper School teams have started offering conditioning workouts but have not been running practices; we also just learned that the leagues in which our varsity teams compete (the MAC and the ISL) have officially canceled the winter athletic season.

In the Middle School, we will continue to try to get students outside multiple times per day for physical activity — weather permitting — and we will consider ways to incorporate more structured physical activity using our turf field and track. However, we do not anticipate offering anything resembling sport-specific athletic practices at this time or in the near future. Our priority is, and has been, the academic program and mitigating risks to ensure that we can remain open for on-campus learning — which, as we have all experienced over the past six weeks, is very complicated. Trying to run athletic practices, particularly in indoor spaces shared with other divisions, adds a level of risk that we are choosing not to take on at this time.

 

Financial Aid Deadline Approaching

The financial aid application deadline is Monday, January 11, for families planning to apply for financial aid for the 2021-22 school year. Flint Hill’s financial aid application is available on the Financial Aid for Student Tuition (FAST) website. Families who complete the application process by January 11 will receive a notification of their financial aid award on Thursday, January 28, when re-enrollment contracts are issued to current families.

 

Discussion Sponsored by The Parents Council of Washington

The Parents Council of Washington (PCW) invites you to attend Talking to Kids About Racism on Thursday, January 14, at 7 p.m. Panelists from three PCW member schools will discuss productive ways to talk about racism, with kids of all ages, addressing both conversations between parents and their kids and conversations between schools and their students. The panelist presentations will be followed by a question and answer period with the audience.

All PCW member school parents, administrators, faculty, and staff are invited. Please use this link to register.

 

 

The third meeting of the virtual Kaleidoscope Book Club is scheduled for Monday, February 1, 9-9:45 a.m. We will discuss “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. 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 meeting and/or be added to our email list. Please contact All-School Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Miles Henderson if you have any questions.