THE FLINT HILL NEWSLETTER WILL RETURN:
JANUARY 5, 2022
Upper School Newsletter - December 15, 2021
Message From Division Director
For my last message of the year to the community, I want to take a chance to express gratitude to this community. Rather than try to weave it all together seamlessly, I thought I would share it via stream of consciousness bullet points!
- Thank you to all of the families who have welcomed my whole family to this community and made them feel like they are at home. This particularly includes Sibel Unsal, who starts every meeting with me with the questions, “How are your kids? How’s Mandy? When do I get to see her next?”
- Thank you to the many members of our campus health team who have worked tirelessly to keep us all as healthy as possible. The task of testing so many different people each week is daunting, but you make it look easy.
- Thank you to the Student Council Association who has welcomed a new director with open arms and been such a great thought partner throughout the year.
- Thank you (again) to the patient families who have shown so much trust in our school. We started the year without some traditions (open lunch, town meeting) for the purpose of safety but have been able to slowly regain some of those traditions due to our great weekly testing.
- Thank you to the students who continue to work so hard to blaze their own trails, even when each week during the continued pandemic seems to throw another obstacle in their path. Your resilience is inspiring and your continued effusive joy around campus is uplifting.
- Thank you to the wonderful AAC that has taken on the task of bringing the spirit back to campus with gusto and glee.
- Thank you (and apologies) to anyone that I am forgetting. It has been such a team effort in this comeback year!
- And … thank you to the wonderful faculty and staff. Your flexibility within an ever-changing school landscape is beyond belief. Also, your care for the students is palpable in each class that I watch, in each advisory meeting that I attend, and in every message I receive. You walk these halls with an eye toward helping these students in so many different ways, and it is not hyperbolic to say that it makes all the difference.
Have a wonderful break everyone,
Don Paige
Director of the Upper School
THE LATEST
Back Up and Update Your Student’s School Device
Over Winter Break, please encourage your student to back up (using Google Drive) and update their school device. To update, please follow these directions: How To Update Your Macbook.
If your student is in 9th grade, a parent will need to provide the Padmin password to complete the updates. If you forgot your password, please reach out to helpdesk@flinthill.org before the break.
Here's how to turn on automatic updates device:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Tap Automatic Updates, then turn on Download iOS Updates.
- Turn on Install iOS Updates.
Your device will automatically update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. Some updates might need to be installed manually.
Financial Aid Deadline Approaching
The financial aid application deadline is Monday, January 10, for families planning to apply for financial aid for the 2022-23 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 10 will receive a notification of their financial aid award on Thursday, January 27, when re-enrollment contracts are issued to current families.
New Dress Guidelines Starting on January 3
As I mentioned previously, I have been working with the Student Council Association regarding changes to the dress guidelines for the remainder of the year. I have accepted their recommendations and revised the dress guidelines for the remainder of the year. Please review these new guidelines with your student.
In January or February, we are hoping to release the permanent dress guidelines that will come into effect in August of 2022. We have not finished that work with our student government yet, but we look forward to sending out that information as soon as it is completed.
Annual Fund — #GivingTuesday and December Giving Days
Thank you to the many parents, alumni, faculty, staff, grandparents, alumni parents and friends of our school who supported this year’s Flint Hill Annual Fund during our December Giving Days, which kicked off on #GivingTuesday! This year, 105 donors committed more than $75,000 to the Annual Fund through these efforts. Your gifts bring learning to life for our students every day.
You’ve still got time to be part of the journey of discovery for every student at Flint Hill this year. Make your gift online, learn more about the Annual Fund or call Director of the Annual Fund Christine Kitzmiller, at 703.584.2349, to make a pledge or ask questions about The Flint Hill Annual Fund.
Thank you for your support!
The Giving Tree
We will celebrate the Giving Tree event December 13-17. We will be collecting coats in each division for the Cornerstones Coat Drive, as part of their north county hypothermia prevention program and their maxim that “no one should go without a coat.”
As part of this season of giving, we encourage families to look for opportunities to serve those in particular need in our community. We are sharing some service opportunities and donation requests for Flint Hill families to consider over the break. These include:
- Women Giving Back (WGB)—clean out your closets and help our community by donating freshly laundered women’s and children’s clothing and accessories in excellent, used and ready-to-wear condition. This organization specifically helps women and children in crisis by distributing clothing at no cost. WGB also has a holiday toy drive; for details about this, volunteering and donating, visit their website.
- Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA)—collect much-needed supplies, volunteer, adopt, and/or attend an event to support this no-kill haven for homeless cats and dogs in Loudoun County. You can also shop or donate to the Treasure Hound Resale Shop located in Chantilly, VA, which supports FOHA.
- Bringing Resources and Aid to Women in Shelters (BRAWS)—purchase/donate in person or online women's sanitary supplies and undergarments to BRAWS, which provides menstrual supplies and undergarments to women and children in crisis who do not have access to these basic needs.
- The Lamb Center—sign up to prepare a meal for this religiously affiliated day shelter in Fairfax.
Please send photos to FHService@flinthill.org of your family adventure in community service!
Friendly Reminders
- The Giving Tree (coat drive) continues through this Friday, December 17.
- Nominations for the Driving Spirit Award are due by December 31
- Teacher Appreciation: share one word describing FH teachers
- Refer a Husky and the Admission team will reach out to them.
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.
Winter Break
December 18-January 2
Classes Resume
Monday, January 3
End of Second Quarter and First Semester
Friday, January 13
Health Services
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.
The COVID-19 Health Information tile on the Resource Board has this year’s protocols and procedures.
Flint Hill strongly encourages everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated.
The COVID-19 Case Dashboard has been updated.
Parents' Association
Opportunity: Host a Grade Level Parent Dinner!
The Parents’ Association is looking forward to hosting grade level parent dinners at people’s homes. Contact Sibel Unsal necatismom@gmail.com if you are interested in hosting!
My Favorite Holiday Tradition
For someone who does not “officially” celebrate Christmas, I’m its biggest fan! The lights, the presents, the cookies, midnight mass, matching pajamas — I am all in!
My most favorite tradition by far are all the holiday cards. Read more.
Parent Tracks
School Store
Holiday Shopping
The holiday season is upon us. To ensure that you or your loved ones receive Flint Hill spirit wear before winter break, please place your orders no later than noon on Thursday, December 16.
The School Store uses priority shipping, but please allow a week for local packages to be delivered and up to two weeks for packages mailed outside the DMV area.
Hoodies and Outerwear
We have a great selection of hoodies and outerwear for youth and adults. Click the links below to view our inventory.
How Do I Make an Exchange or Return?
Please email Adrienne Robinson within 30 days of your original purchase. Include your order number, the item(s) that didn’t work, and if you would like to return your items or exchange them. 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 did not work for you.
NEWS ON THE HILL
