Upper School Newsletter - August 24, 2022

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Message From Division Director

As I have mentioned in my last two newsletters, I am using each week’s newsletter to highlight a policy change at the Upper School for 2022-2023. As I explain the “why” behind each change, I hope the community will understand why the change improves the Upper School experience.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we required students to spend free periods or lunches in either the upstairs commons, downstairs commons, learning commons or the cafeteria. We also required all ninth grade students to eat in the cafeteria. We moved away from those requirements during the last two years with the hopes of spreading students out more effectively across the campus to minimize any possible transmissions. However, we feel that we are ready to return to the old system of requiring students to sit in special designated spaces during those certain times of the day. Having students sit on the floor outside classrooms and in the stairwells creates distractions for the classes that are in session during those free periods. Also, it becomes much harder to supervise and ensure the safety of the students when they are in so many different parts of the campus.

When school starts next week, we will have two days of student orientation on Monday and Tuesday. We will go over all of the rule changes mentioned in this and the previous two newsletters, as well as complete all of the other activities that begin the process of building a safe, academic and inclusive environment for the 2022-2023 school year. I eagerly await catching up with all of our returning Huskies and seeing all of the amazing qualities that our new Huskies will bring to the community. As I often say, the building has been too quiet the last two months, and it craves the energy that only comes from having 550 adolescents roaming the halls.

Don Paige
Director of the Upper School

Back to School

Preparing for the 2022-2023 School Year

How often is Lower School Husky Pride Day? What’s the traffic pattern for dropping off Middle School students? What’s the earliest I can drive onto campus to pick up an Upper School student? The answers to these questions and many more can be found in the content on the Preparing for the 2022-2023 School Year tile on the Resource Board of Husky Hub.

To access the Resource Board, visit www.flinthill.org/app, and log in with your username and password. Once logged in, click Resources on the top navigation bar, and then click on the Preparing for the 2022-2023 School Year tile. The tile will remain accessible through the start of the new school year. We recommend bookmarking it!

Dress Guidelines

Please review the dress guidelines with your student prior to the school year. This is available under the heading “Dress Guidelines” on the Preparing for the 2022-2023 School Year page on Husky Hub. Please reach out to Upper School Dean of Students Howard Chang with any questions.

Fall Athletics

If you signed up to participate in a fall sport, please visit Husky Hub to gather the latest information on tryouts, preseason practices, and seasonal logistics. You can find all Upper School and Middle School fall game schedules by visiting the athletics page of our website.

Read more details about our falls sports from Director of Athletics Dewayne Robinson.

SchoolPass Steps To Complete Before School Starts

Flint Hill School uses SchoolPass, a user-friendly and real-time system that allows parents to easily notify the school of student absences, late arrivals or appointments, and helps students and teachers with daily attendance.

Returning Families

New Families

Makeup Day for Senior Portraits — September 9

If you were not able to schedule your senior portrait session this week, please use this link to sign up for makeup day on Friday, September 9. Please contact Freed at support@freedphoto.com or 301.652.5452 with any questions.

Textbooks and Supplies

Please refer to the Preparing for the School Year tile to purchase textbooks and resources through our Virtual Book Store. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Young.

Health Information

Updated Health Information Tile

Please review the new Health Information tile on the Resource Board. This is where you’ll find information about protocols for general illness, flu, seasonal allergies and COVID, as well as contact information for all three health clinics.

Medication Drop-Off

For students who will need to keep medication on campus during the school year, we will have a medication drop-off day on Thursday, August 25, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at the Upper School circle.

Families will pull into the circle, and a nurse will come to your car to collect the medication and the appropriate forms. As a reminder, all prescription medication must be accompanied by the physician's order on the Medication Authorization Form, which must be completed and signed by the prescribing physician.

All medication must have the pharmacy label on it. You can access the forms from your Magnus account /Husky Hub resource board under the Preparing for the School Year tile. All over-the-counter medication must be accompanied by the Medication Authorization Form and must be completed and signed by a parent or guardian. The medication must be in the original packaging and must be administered according to the package instructions, including the time and route to be administered.

If you are unable to come to the School on the medication drop-off day, please call to schedule an appointment with your division’s nurse prior to the start of school.

Upper School 703.584.2396
Middle School 703.584.2397
Lower School 703.584.2399

To drop off medication refills throughout the school year, please call and schedule an appointment with your division’s nurse.

Health Forms — New and Returning Students

Completed health forms must be uploaded to the Magnus Health system and approved by the first day of classes, or your child may not attend school. If you have any questions regarding the health forms, please contact Director of Health Services Mary Hart at 571.926.2818.

Announcements

All-School Calendar Now 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.

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 1:20 mark for the calendar tip. Watch the full video if you’d like a general refresher on 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.

Senior/Parent College Night — August 31

Senior/Parent College Night is Wednesday, August 31, at 7:00 p.m. on the Lower School Campus. Senior parents/guardians will meet in Olson Theater, while the seniors will gather in the gym. The college counselors will review the application process and provide additional guidance and advice to senior families; the Senior Planner will be distributed. Each senior and at least one parent/guardian is expected to attend due to the importance of the topics covered. The program will last no more than one hour. August 31 is a "No Homework Night" for seniors.

Save the Date: Auditions for the Upper School Fall Play, “Clue”

Auditions for the fall play, “Clue,” will be held on Tuesday, September 6, and Wednesday, September 7, 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. in Room A136. Auditions will be cold readings from the script. A cast breakdown and script samples are coming soon. The play will hit the stage on October 28 and 29. Questions? Ask Ms. McLoughlin.

School Store — New Items and Shop by Appointment

The School Store is now open at the Hazel Lower School in Room 112 for in-person shopping by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Take a look at the new items that have recently been stocked! More will be added through the fall. To contact School Store Manager Kaleena Buckwalter, please call 703.584.2413 or email schoolstore@flinthill.org.

Upcoming Events

Medication Drop-Off
Thursday, August 25
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Upper School circle

Upper School First Day of School
Monday, August 29

Upper School Picture Day (9th-11th grade)
Tuesday, August 30

Labor Day — Grades JK-12, No Classes
Monday, September 5

Upper School Play Auditions
Tuesday, September 6 & Wednesday, September 7
3:15 - 5:45 p.m., Room A136

Upper School Back-to-School Night
Thursday, September 8
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Senior Portrait Makeup Day
Friday, September 9
Schedule an appointment.

Parents’ Association

Calling All Concessions Volunteers!

The Igloo, a concessions stand located in the Upper School building, will open for the new school year on Monday, August 29. Parent volunteers are needed to help sell concessions to hungry students during the day and after school. Details are on the Igloo Sign Up Form. Please sign up for as many shifts as you'd like, and feel free to invite a friend to sign up with you too.