Upper School Newsletter - December 9, 2020

NEW/UPDATED INFORMATION

 

Interesting Article (from the archives)

3 Skills You Need to Succeed in 2020 and Beyond

 

Quote of the Week

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

The Giving Tree

During the past few weeks, students have been checking in during advisory time to make sure they are familiar with our amended community service requirement and the many ways it might be achieved. Students, faculty, and staff in grade-level advisories, as well as in subject matter, are actively looking for how they can serve our community service partners.

In addition, we hope our Flint Hill families can help at this time. Please consider independently donating goods to these community partners (lists of needed items are provided in the links): Women Giving Back, Cornerstones Winter Coat Drive, and/or Friends of Homeless Animals Donation Wishlist. Please note that these organizations have multiple locations for drop off, as well as specific times for donation, due to pandemic limitations. These organizations need our support now more than ever! Please follow all CDC guidelines for safety when donating. Questions? Please contact All-School Community Service Coordinator Linda Okoth, lokoth@flinthill.org.

 

Financial Aid Deadline Approaching

The financial aid application deadline is Monday, January 11, for families planning to apply for financial aid for the 2021-22 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 11 will receive a notification of their financial aid award on Thursday, January 28, when re-enrollment contracts are issued to current families.

 

Discussion Sponsored by The Parents Council of Washington

The Parents Council of Washington (PCW) invites you to attend Talking to Kids About Racism on Thursday, January 14, at 7 p.m. Panelists from three PCW member schools will discuss productive ways to talk about racism, with kids of all ages, addressing both conversations between parents and their kids and conversations between schools and their students. The panelist presentations will be followed by a question and answer period with the audience.

All PCW member school parents, administrators, faculty, and staff are invited. Please use this link to register.

 

 

Annual Fund — December Giving Days

Thank you to the many parents, alumni, faculty, staff, grandparents, parents of alumni and friends of our School who supported this year’s Annual Fund during our December Giving Days, which kicked off on #GivingTuesday! Your gifts support what matters most here at our School — our students and teachers — and give us the ability to be flexible and adapt in our ever-changing world.

You’ve still got time to go all in for Flint Hill. You can 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 third meeting of the virtual Kaleidoscope Book Club is scheduled for Monday, February 1, 9-9:45 a.m. We will discuss “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. We look forward to building and deepening relationships through this shared learning opportunity. All parents are welcome to attend regardless of your familiarity with the book selection. Please submit your name and email address, in this form, to RSVP for the meeting and/or be added to our email list. Please contact All-School Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Miles Henderson if you have any questions.

 

UPDATES AND REMINDERS FROM LAST WEEK

 

Gifts to Faculty and Staff

As we approach the Winter Break, I wanted to remind you of the School’s recommendations concerning gifts to faculty and staff. Flint Hill encourages simplicity in the giving of gifts. Please note that holiday gift giving is not an expectation, and individual families should decide what is best for them, keeping in mind that a sincere, heartfelt “thank you” often carries the greatest meaning. The School discourages the collection of money from parents to provide teachers or coaches with gifts, and for safety reasons, students may not bring gifts from home to distribute at school.

Flint Hill Inclement Weather Policy

As temperatures begin to cool, please review Flint Hill’s Inclement Weather Policy for details on how we make decisions and notify the community about delays and school closures.

 

Driving Spirit Award Nominations Due December 11

Send your nominations to Ana Yarbrough.

The Driving Spirit Award recognizes current Flint Hill teachers and staff who have demonstrated ethical leadership, diligent intellectual scholarship and a commitment to teaching, coaching and mentoring students. Recipients are recognized for their contributions to the “Driving Spirit,” which makes our School the special and unique place we all value — a place that honors excellence while emphasizing the importance of our core values: respect and value all equally, lead and support with compassion, act with integrity, imagine what’s possible and blaze the trail. These teachers and staff members lead by example through their dedication and ability to energize and inspire Flint Hill’s community to new heights of learning and leadership, both inside and outside the classroom.

Please think about the great current teachers and staff members in the Flint Hill community whom you believe fit this description. Emails and letters should be sent to Ana Yarbrough by Friday, December 11.