Upper School Newsletter - April 13, 2022
Message From Division Director
Today’s message is a short reminder and explanation about our end-of-year exams. There have been different variations of exams during the COVID years, but this year will be a return to many of our traditional exam practices. Since many of our students have never been here during a traditional end-of-year exam, I thought it might be helpful to give a basic outline of that time period. A much more detailed schedule will be released in May.
Our exam period runs from Wednesday, May 25, through Thursday, June 2. The first day, May 25, is known as our “reading day.” Ninth graders are required to be on campus that day for exam preparation, but the day is optional for students of the other grades. Starting on Thursday, May 26, students will have exams for one subject per day, with the last exam being held on Thursday, June 2. The last day of school, June 3, is reserved for a final advisory breakfast together as well as our Upper School Closing Ceremony.
Please be mindful about not scheduling vacation plans before the end of exam week. Also, students will receive study guides two weeks in advance of the exams so they have time to prepare. That being said, I always tell students that “success on semester exams is achieved by what you do in the middle of the semester, not at the end of the semester.” If a student, particularly our younger students, want more help regarding great exam preparation strategies, please nudge them to speak with their academic advisor.
Don Paige
Director of the Upper School
THE LATEST
Arts Jam Is Tonight — Wednesday, April 13!
Join us for the most exciting performing arts event of the year — the annual Arts Jam concert, featuring Upper School band, choir, orchestra, percussion, dance, and musical theater! The concert will be held on April 13 at 7 p.m. at the Center for the Arts on the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University. Details are on the Arts Jam webpage.
George Mason University Center for the Arts COVID policy: All attendees regardless of age who attend an indoor event or performance at the Center for the Arts must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of their visit and present proof of vaccination or show a negative COVID-19 test result upon entry. More information about GMU’s policy can be found here.
Join Us for Springfest!
Springfest is just around the corner. Our annual Springfest celebration is a weekend featuring spring season athletic contests and alumni reunion. Everyone is invited to come together to cheer our Huskies on to victory! Some games will feature recognition of alumni athletes who have returned to celebrate milestone reunions.
Home Game and Activity Schedule:
Friday, April 22
4:15 p.m. — Varsity Softball vs. Georgetown Visitation, Lower School Softball Field
Saturday, April 23
Noon — Boys Tennis vs. Seton School, Upper School Tennis Courts
Noon — Girls Lacrosse vs. Wilson High School, Peterson Family Turf Field
2 p.m. — Boys Varsity Lacrosse vs.Wilson High School, Peterson Family Turf Field
Dress Guidelines for 2022-2023 School Year
The Upper School has completed its Dress Guidelines revision process. This process included input from student advisories, the Student Council Association and parent surveys. Though the guidelines are not a full return to the Dress Guidelines of 2019, the community has chosen to restrict more items for next year. Also, both parents and students were enthusiastic about bringing back business dress. To achieve this goal, but also have a more casual regular code, the Student Council Association decided to create “business dress days” throughout the year which will match important school events. We have attached the dress guidelines for all three divisions below.
Lower School Dress Guidelines
Middle School Dress Guidelines
Upper School Dress Guidelines
Update on Next Year’s School Health Forms
Some parents may have received an email message from Flint Hill School on April 12 with the subject line “[Magnus Health] Alerts - Action is required.” If you received this message, it was an error and please take no action at this time.
The 2022-23 Preparing Tile with information about next year will be available on the Resource Board on May 2. Health forms for next year will be available in early June and will be due August 1.
Friendly Reminders
- Refer a Husky and the Admission team will reach out to them.
PARENT TO-DO'S
Please Complete the Annual Parent Survey
On April 5 every Flint Hill parent should have received an email from Measuring Success, the company that administers our annual parent survey, with a personalized link to this year’s survey. Please take a moment now to open that email and take the survey. Your feedback is very important to the school. If you did not receive an email from Measuring Success, please reach out to them at schools@measuring-success.com for help or to have the link resent.
PARENT RESOURCES
Parents Council of Washington Virtual Event April 28
The Parents Council of Washington is pleased to host a virtual event on Thursday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, national bestselling authors of “The Self-Driven Child,” to discuss their new book, “What Do You Say?: Talking with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home.”
William R. Stixrud, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of The Stixrud Group, as well as a faculty member at Children's National Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine.
Ned Johnson is an author, speaker, and founder of PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning, and standardized test preparation. He hosts the PrepTalks podcast and is a sought-after speaker and teen coach on study skills, sleep deprivation, parent-teen dynamics, and test anxiety.
In this PCW Speaker Series event, Stixrud and Johnson will focus on how to communicate with kids in a way that supports the autonomy and self-drive that are important for healthy development. They will emphasize practical communication strategies for building a strong emotional connection with our kids, communicating healthy (versus toxic) expectations, fostering intrinsic motivation, and helping kids find their own reasons to change when they are struggling. Because communication is hardest when things are not going well, the presentation will emphasize how to get "buy in" before we share our experience and advice, how to change the energy when it feels like we are trying to force our kids, and how to manage conversations when emotions run high.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A period. Please submit in advance any questions you may have to administration@parentscouncil.org.
All PCW member school parents, administrators, faculty, and staff are invited. Register Here
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.
Arts Jam
Wednesday, April 13, 7 p.m., Center for the Arts on the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University
Upper School Coffee: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Virtual)
Friday, April 15, 8:45 a.m.
Upper School Visual Arts Show Opening Reception
Wednesday, April 20, 6 p.m.
Grades JK-12 Two-Hour Delayed Opening
Wednesday, April 20
A Toast to John (Thomas)
Friday, April 22, 8 p.m., Peterson Middle School
Springfest
Saturday, April 23
Senior Picnic
Tuesday, April 26, 12:05 p.m. (Students only), Upper School DeCamp Garden
Grade 9 Parent Dinner sponsored by Parents’ Association
Thursday, April 28, 6 p.m.
Health Services
Helpful Links
Flint Hill Positive Case and Close Contact Exposure Protocols
COVID-19 Vaccination Status Dashboard
All of these links can be found on the COVID-19 Health Information tile on the Resource Board.
Reminder: Keep Everyone Healthy by Staying Home if Sick
If your student has fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea you should keep them home to recover. They must be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
Parents' Association
Don’t Forget to Register! Golf Invitational and Skills Clinic
Very few foursomes remain for the tournament, but there are still some individual spaces open and plenty of spots available for the clinic on Thursday, May 26. Join Clinic Co-Chairs Mica Howard P’19 and Sibel Unsal P’22 for an hour-and-a-half of casual conversation and skills taught by pros. Then enjoy lunch together and a chance to win some great raffle prizes in the Clubhouse.
All abilities are welcome, so grab your spot here!
Every Friend Was Once a Stranger
I think about that when I reflect on all the parents I have met while being a parent at Flint Hill. Now I can’t imagine my life without you all. Read more.
NEWS ON THE HILL
