Upper School Newsletter - September 8, 2021
Message From Division Director
I am so ecstatic after such an amazing first week of school. Beyond the obstacles of returning to a full Upper School, Mother Nature decided to throw us a curveball and send a tropical storm our way. Yet, the students and teachers reacted quickly, flexibly and calmly. The deans quickly reshuffled the orientation activities to make sure that students were prepared for the year. As teachers have learned to do during the pandemic, we all quickly altered our lesson plans to make up for the lost Wednesday. Lastly, the students didn’t skip a beat, by adjusting to the new orientation schedule and conscientiously completing their tasks for the week.
This week brings another unique moment for the Upper School. On Friday, we will hold a special commemoration of 9/11 that matches the Flint Hill ceremonies held during the tenth and fifteenth anniversaries of the event. After a small piece of advisory curriculum, focused on educating our students about the impact of the events today, we will place a number of flags on the Upper School lawn that matches the number of lives lost on that day. That powerful visual will be up for a week on campus, and we hope everyone gets to see it at some point.
Have a wonderful week, and Go Huskies!
Don Paige
Director of the Upper School
THE LATEST
Upper School Coffee — Don Paige and Andrew Doll
We have added an Upper School Coffee on Friday, September 10, for parents that would like to meet Don Paige, the new director of the Upper School, or Upper School Counselor Andrew Doll. The coffee will be both in-person, at the Upper School Multipurpose Room, and virtual. The Coffee will begin at 8:45 a.m. The calendar on Husky Hub will have the Google meet code for that event.
Senior Families — Check out the Senior Tile
The Senior tile is now live on the Resource Board. Review it for yearbook ad information, senior privileges and important dates.
Middle and Upper School Picture Day
Thursday, September 9
Students may wear regular school dress, and we will schedule time for each student to get their picture taken during the day. One image will be used for the yearbook and Husky Hub. As noted in this flyer, families will receive an email from Freed Photography when pictures are available for viewing/purchase.
Making Our Attendance More Efficient and Safer with SchoolPass
We have invested in an innovative, user-friendly system, called SchoolPass, to help manage school attendance in real-time and make carpool and dismissal more efficient. If you did not receive a welcome email from SchoolPass, please email helpdesk@flinthill.org. It’s important for parents to download the SchoolPass app.
Parents should become familiar with how to use SchoolPass to notify the School about absences, late arrivals and early dismissals. Click on the Attendance Policy and Procedure tile on the Resource tab in Husky Hub for directions.
Two-Hour Delayed Openings
As part of our commitment to professional development for our faculty and staff, we open school two hours late, six times during the year, to run in-service training. On these days, morning buses run two hours late, and we run a modified class schedule from 9:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please note that students may not come to school before 9:20 a.m. due to supervision. For your planning purposes, below are the dates of our two-hour delayed openings. They are also posted on the electronic All-School Calendar.
- October 28, 2021
- December 8, 2021
- January 11, 2022
- February 10, 2022
- April 20, 2022
- May 17, 2022
Flint Hill’s A Cappella Group, “Major Minors”
Flint Hill's a cappella group is looking for new members and will be holding auditions this fall! Auditions will take place on Tuesday, September 14, and Thursday, September 16, 3:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m., in the Choir room. Please email Sarah Pramstaller for more details.
Dance Academy Registration Is Now Open
Flint Hill’s popular after-school dance program is back! Registration is now open for classes for children in K-12. Classes begin on September 15 and fill up fast. This document includes more information, including registration, prices, class schedules, and more.
Stay in the Know! All School Calendar Is Available
Did you know that you can have the electronic All-School Calendar feed directly into your iCal or Google calendars? The electronic All-School Calendar is where you can find when and where upcoming school events will be held — and starting this year, it’s where you’ll find all the Google Meet codes for virtual events. No more having to pull up the Weekly Newsletter to search for Meet links.
To get to the All-School Calendar, log in to Husky Hub and click on the Calendar icon in the top menu bar. Scroll down and, on the bottom left, you can toggle on and off to select which calendars you’d like to display. We strongly recommend displaying the All-School Calendar.
In less than one minute, you can watch this video on how to feed the All-School Calendar into your personal calendar. Fast forward to the 3:49 mark for the calendar tip. Watch the full video if you’d like a general refresher about navigating Husky Hub.
And remember, the School’s IT department isn’t just for students; it’s a parent resource too! Just email helpdesk@flinthill.org to ask a question or set up a time for a private tutorial.
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.
Middle and Upper School Picture Day
Thursday, September 9
Senior Portrait Makeup Day
Friday, September 10
Upper School Coffee with Don Paige and Andrew Doll (Virtual and In-Person)
Friday, September 10, 8:45-9:45 a.m.
Please see the All-School Calendar for the Google Meet link.
Upper School Virtual Back to School Night
Thursday, September 23, 7-8:30 p.m.
Health Services
Stay Up To Date: Review This Year’s COVID-19 Protocols and Procedures
The COVID-19 Health Information tile on the Resource Board has been updated to include information on remote learning. Please review it closely to ensure you are familiar with this year’s protocols and procedures.
Flint Hill strongly encourages everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated. In the event of a positive case on campus, vaccinated individuals who do not have symptoms are able to continue to come to school.
The COVID-19 Case Dashboard has been updated.
Parents' Association
Join Us on Friday, September 17, for the Parents’ Association Tennis Social
The Parents’ Association is excited to welcome families back on campus for a Tennis Social! Whether you are advanced or new to the game, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet other families and enjoy a day of tennis on the beautiful Upper School Tennis Courts. You can find more information here.
Reunited and It Feels So Good!
It is absolutely wonderful seeing Flint Hill come completely alive with all three divisions in session! I took a trip down memory lane last week. Read more.
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.
Middle and Upper School Picture Day
Thursday, September 9
Students may wear regular school dress, and we will schedule time for each student to get their picture taken during the day. One image will be used for the yearbook and Husky Hub. As noted in this flyer, families will receive an email from Freed Photography when pictures are available for viewing/purchase.
Senior Portrait Makeup Day
Friday, September 10
Upper School Coffee with Don Paige and Andrew Doll
Friday, September 10, 8:45-9:45 a.m.
Upper School Virtual Back to School Night
Thursday, September 23, 7-8:30 p.m.