Upper School Newsletter - October 27, 2021
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Tomorrow, Thursday, October 28, is a two-hour delay. Upper School drop-off begins at 9:25 a.m.
Message From Division Director
The Flint Hill Upper School had an amazing collection of Homecoming festivities last week. I am sure that many of you did your own part to help your student prepare for the week, particularly the dress-up days. I know that I ended up at Party City and Spirit Halloween looking for various accessories for my outfits for the week. I am not sure how many other professions in this country would require me to shop for a sheriff’s badge, a bolo tie and a safari hat.
With those wonderful dress-up days behind us, it is time to talk about how the students dress for school on a daily basis. As many of our long-term families know, Flint Hill has had an evolving set of dress guidelines that it has used since the school’s inception. Prior to the pandemic, the Student Council Association (SCA) was working with the faculty and administration to revisit those guidelines. Their goal was to remove some of the more restrictive components of the guidelines that might seem antiquated, coupled with the objective of creating a set of rules that are gender neutral. In the midst of some of these conversations, we entered the pandemic. Like many schools in the country, we deeply relaxed our dress guidelines during the hybrid-learning environment that had students simultaneously at home and on campus.
As the school approached this new year, we decided to write some guidelines that were still rather relaxed in comparison to previous dress codes. We knew that there was a great deal of trepidation for students to return to a full campus experience, and we wanted to make it as simple as possible. The guidelines essentially asked students not to wear clothes that were too revealing or contained inappropriate messages, coupled with a prohibition of wearing shorts.
Our great record with student health this year has allowed us to bring back many small perks to Upper School life. The students are playing basketball in the gym during free periods again, the students have an open lunch day on Tuesdays where they can sit wherever they choose, and we held our first large student forum in almost two years today. It only makes sense to couple these perks with a return to some of our other expectations, such as the dress guidelines.
For those of you who have attended my recent parent coffees, you know that I have been mentioning this change for a few weeks. Over that time, I have heard from many of you that you support a return to a more traditional set of dress guidelines but have asked that we make that change with the start of the next school year if it requires purchasing new clothes. After hearing so many similar comments, I agree that it is unfair to ask parents to go purchase new clothing (particularly when some of you were actually calling the school while in the store purchasing clothes just to double-check that they were permissible!) That being said, I do feel that there are some simple changes that can be made this year to clarify the expectations moving forward. In that vein, I would like to get feedback from parents, using this parent survey, to help us both with the immediate questions of this year (What does revealing mean? Should a student wear pajama pants?) as well as the long-term question about the Flint Hill Dress Guidelines for 2022-2023 and beyond.
Please take a moment to give your input on this very short questionnaire regarding the dress guidelines. As always, I appreciate the conversation within the community. Having been a part of creating dress guidelines at multiple schools, I know that the final product never fully matches everyone’s expectations because the resulting guidelines always represent a set of compromises between varying viewpoints. But on the other hand, the fact that we have so many viewpoints, beliefs and expectations within our community is a part of what makes Flint Hill so special!
Don Paige
Director of the Upper School
THE LATEST
Don’t Forget! Tomorrow Is a 2-hour delay!
Thursday, October 28, is a late-start delay. School begins at 10:10 a.m. for students. Hope the students enjoy a wonderful day sleeping in!
Reserve Your Seats! ‘Radium Girls’ Opens on Friday, October 29
The Upper School fall play, “Radium Girls,” opens on October 29. “Radium Girls,” by D.W. Gregory, is set in New Jersey in the 1920s and is based on the true story of young factory workers who begin a campaign for justice after being sickened by radium-laced paint on the job. It is a fast-moving theatrical ensemble piece about greed, wealth, the environment, science and courage. “Radium Girls” will be performed on October 29 at 7 p.m. and October 30 at 2 p.m. at Olson Theater in the Hazel Lower School. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Reserve your tickets here.
Early Admission Process for Siblings — Application Due November 1
As a reminder, we are offering members of our Husky family an early start to the admission process for siblings who do not currently attend Flint Hill and are interested in applying for the 2022-23 school year.
If you have a child who is not currently enrolled at Flint Hill and you are interested in the application process for the 2022-23 school year, please complete the admission process by the November 1 deadline. Applications completed by November 1 will receive an admission notification at the end of January. For more information, please schedule a 15-minute admission consultation with Jennifer Webb, director of enrollment management and financial aid or Dawn Hopke, associate director of admission.
Refer-a-Husky Today
Nearly every family who enrolls at Flint Hill was either referred by or talked with a current family during the admission process. Your perspective is critically important. You are in the best position to identify potential Huskies who are a great fit for our school.
Refer a Husky and the Admission team will reach out to invite them to learn more about Flint Hill.
Parent Resources
Parents Council of Washington Event: Speaker Series — Connectedness, A Discussion with Rosetta Lee
The Parents Council of Washington (PCW) invites you to attend its upcoming virtual event on Tuesday, November 9, at 7 p.m. Rosetta Lee is the outreach specialist at Seattle Girls' School and a highly regarded expert on diversity, equity and inclusion issues. She will provide insight into developing connections to self and with others and creating inclusive communities for the benefit of all.
The discussion will be followed by a Q&A period. Please submit in advance any questions you may have to administration@parentscouncil.org by Friday, October 29. All 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.
Grades JK-12 Two-Hour Delayed Opening
Thursday, October 28
Upper School drop-off begins at 9:25 a.m. School starts at 10:10 a.m.
Quarter 1 Grades Published
Wednesday, November 3, 4 p.m.
Upper School Conference Days (Virtual Only)
Thursday and Friday, November 4-5
Winter Athletics Begins
Wednesday, November 10
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 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
Thank You, Volunteers! You Brought FUN Home!
Between the recent senior breakfast that parents hosted in the deCamp Garden for the class of 2022 to the incredible Homecoming weekend, there has been much excitement around campus! Read more and see photos in Parent Tracks.
The Igloo Snack Bar Is Now Open!
The hours are Monday-Friday, 2:45–3:45 p.m., and Tuesday-Friday, 10:30–10:55 a.m. In order to keep the Igloo open, parent volunteers are critical. Please sign up here.
School Store
Homecoming Pop-up Shop Items Available
Shop items from last weekend’s Pop-up Shop. We have some great hoodies, outerwear, long-sleeve shirts and more!!
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.
