Upper School Newsletter - September 2, 2020

NEW/UPDATED INFORMATION

Quote of the Week

“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.”

— Bill Bradley

 

Article of the Week

Six Ways to Separate Your Kids from Their Phones

 

Guidelines for Face Masks

As noted in the Campus Reopening Plan, face masks are required to be worn on campus. In addition to the face masks provided by the School, Upper School students may wear their own personal face masks to school. No references to political affiliations, drugs, alcohol, weapons, sexually explicit or offensive content will be permitted on face masks. Please note that gaiters, bandanas and masks with vents or exhalation valves are also not permitted.

 

Email Communication Information for New Families

We’d like to share some information regarding school email communications with new families who may be accustomed to different processes from their previous schools.

• As a Flint Hill parent, you are automatically opted in to receive school emails; there is no specific action to take to receive emails from the School. However, unsubscribing from a single school email will unsubscribe you from all school communications, so please do not unsubscribe!
• Over time we’ve observed that some businesses have a higher tendency than others to mark bulk emails as spam and/or block access to Google documents. If you have a business email address on file with us, please also make sure we have a personal email address on file so there are no interruptions to your ability to receive communications from the School.
• If you received tonight's newsletter, great news! That means you are subscribed to receive communications from Flint Hill.

 

Updates on Learning Location Selection

We appreciate the quick turnaround on the learning location forms. Feedback from parents indicated the flexibility to select on a quarterly basis is much appreciated. Overall 18% of Upper School students will be learning virtually for the first quarter and 18% of students schoolwide.

 

New Faculty/Staff

We are continuing to welcome new faculty and staff as we prepare for the start of school next week. Please join us in welcoming our new Upper School English Teacher Michael Anderson. Michael has been teaching English since 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary, his master’s degree from the University of Rochester, and his Ph.D. in English from Southern Methodist University. He has taught at institutions as varied as SMU, Northern Virginia Community College, and the American Military University. A specialist in medieval literature and English composition, Dr. Anderson is excited to join the Flint Hill community and share his love for literature and writing with his students. He lives in Alexandria with his wife, two kids, and a small yappy dog.

 

College Counseling Update

Husky Head Starts —- We will offer four Husky Head Start sessions next week on Monday, August 31, at 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. and Thursday, September 3, at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Each session will be an hour via Google Meet and will start with a brief presentation, with instructions for completing several important sections of the Common App and the Coalition App and in SCOIR. The bulk of the hour, though, will be reserved for student questions about their applications. Seniors may attend as many Husky Head Start sessions as they would like, or none at all. If you are not able to participate in one of these events, you are always welcome to reach out to your college counselor with any questions or just to check-in. Seniors, please click here to sign-up for a Husky Head Start session.

Senior/Parent Virtual College Night —- On Thursday, September 10, we will host our annual information night for senior families. We are still finalizing the details of the event but hope you will plan to join us online, at 7:00 p.m., for important information about our application review process and for guidance and advice on applying to college, particularly with regard to today’s Covid-19-impacted admission process. During the Senior/Parent Virtual College Night, we will outline our application review process and how seniors will be able to interact with their college counselor throughout the year.

Senior Check-in Meetings —- On September 11, 16, 17 and 18, each senior will meet for a brief virtual check-in meeting with their college counselor. Scheduling information will be shared with seniors next week. These check-ins will allow seniors to ask questions and discuss their current college list. Counselors will provide feedback and advice, which will allow the student to position him/herself best to maximize the chances for admission.

Meetings with College Representatives —- We already have almost 70 virtual visits scheduled with admissions officers from a broad range of colleges, including 24 visits set for the week of September 7 alone! Seniors are allowed to miss class to attend a meeting with a college admission officer, as long as they have secured permission from their teacher. Regardless of whether a senior will miss a class or not to participate, however, participants must sign-up in SCOIR to attend. Registering in SCOIR will give access to the visit’s Google Meet. Because students will be learning at home when the visits take place, we do ask that parents/guardians allow their senior to participate in the visit on their own. College admission officers are happy to engage with parents in other forums but expect that these visits will include only students. Thank you for your understanding. These visits are not visible to parents on their SCOIR portal but can be viewed on the college counseling tile on the resource board and Flint Hill’s electronic calendar.

 

UPDATES AND REMINDERS FROM LAST WEEK

Preparing for the 2020-2021 School Year

Please be sure to take care of all necessary school work, textbook purchases and our Health Pledge this week. You may access this information by using the Resource Board on Husky Hub — be sure to bookmark the direct link! Please pay special attention to the Preparing for the 2020-2021 School Year tile.

 

Medication Drop-Off

Thursday, September 3

For students who will need to keep medication on campus, during the school year, we will have a medication drop-off day on Thursday, September 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Upper School Campus.

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.

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 one of the nurses, prior to the start of school.

 

First Week of School

Information regarding the first week of school is now available on the Resource Board under the Preparing for the 2020-21 School Year tile. Please remember to send a lunch with on-campus students, when full-day classes begin, during the week of September 14.

 

Morning and Afternoon Carpool

On-campus students should plan to arrive on campus between 7:30–7:50 a.m., to avoid late arrivals. Students will be released from their final class of the day (period 5) when their ride has arrived in the Upper School circle. Every family was mailed carpool signs last week. Families with multiple households were mailed signs to each address. Please display your carpool signs during both morning and afternoon carpool. You can see a demonstration of Upper School carpool here.

 

Dress Code

In response to feedback from families, we have made a few adjustments to the Upper School dress code for this unique school year. The Upper School dress code for the 2020-21 school year was created with comfort in mind. Our gender-neutral dress code permits casual pants, including jeans and comfortable tops, consisting of polo shirts, Oxford shirts, blouses, and sweaters as well as hooded sweatshirts. Students are also allowed to wear skirts and dresses.

The dress code must be respectful. No references to political affiliations, drugs, alcohol, weapons, sexually explicit or offensive content on clothing or school-related items will be permitted.

There are a few restrictions.

•   No shorts
•   No T-shirts
•   No torn or ripped clothing
•   Shoes must have backs (no slides, flip-flops, etc…)
•   College sweatshirts are reserved for SENIORS ONLY as a senior privilege.

If you have specific questions, please contact Upper School Dean of Students Howard Chang at 703-584-2300.

 

Health Form Reminder

Reminder — all health form requirements must be entered into the Magnus Health system and approved before your child can attend school — virtually or on campus. Requirements must be entered/completed by a parent/guardian directly into Magnus.

Paper copies or scanned copies to the School will not be accepted.

 

Q&A Sessions for New Parents

Prior to the week of student orientation, new parents are welcome to join me in a virtual meeting on Thursday, September 3, at 4 p.m., to discuss the start of the school year.

 

Q&A Sessions for Returning Parents

Prior to the week of student orientation, returning parents are welcome to join me in a virtual meeting on Friday, September 4, at 3 p.m., to discuss the start of the school year.