Upper School Newsletter - February 3, 2021

NEW/UPDATED INFORMATION

 

Quotes of the Week

"If you can control a man's thinking, you do not have to worry about his actions."
— Carter G. Woodson

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
“It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
— George Washington

Interesting Article

Raising Confident, Independent Children

 

Celebrating Black History Month

Carter G. Woodson is credited with establishing Negro History Week in February 1926. The program was later expanded and ultimately declared Black History Month.

 

Course Selection Process

The course selection process is scheduled to begin very soon. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a survey and consult with their advisory group leader, as we begin the process. A pair of Parent Coffees to discuss the process will take place on Wednesday, March 10. More details will be shared in future newsletters.

 

Counseling Update

Our Counseling Team will host a Virtual Parent Coffee on Wednesday, February 10, at 12:00 p.m. The focus will be on introducing our Counseling Team while discussing mental health and the management of stress and anxiety. There will be opportunities for questions and conversation. You can access the event here.

 

Athletics and College Admissions Workshop

Flint Hill families are invited to join Associate Director of College Counseling Andrew Kane and Director of Athletics Diana Parente on Monday, February 8, at 7 p.m., to learn about athletic recruitment and the NCAA initial eligibility process. The program will feature an overview of the NCAA eligibility process, the different NCAA divisions and recommendations regarding the college admission process for student-athletes. There will be a panel of current Flint Hill student-athletes, who have experienced the recruitment process, to answer questions and share their insights. If you are interested in learning more about the collegiate athletic recruitment process, please join us here at 7 p.m. on February 8. The program is for students and/or parents. There is no need to register in advance.

 

UPDATES AND REMINDERS FROM LAST WEEK

 

Update from John Thomas: Planning for 2021-22

Dear Flint Hill Families,

While we are focused on having a strong second semester, we are also turning our attention to planning for the 2021-22 school year. I want to share some of our thinking with you while our plans continue to take shape.

First, I want to thank the many parent volunteers who have referred prospective Huskies to us for next year and have connected virtually with these families in the admission process. We have experienced consistent year-over-year growth in inquiries and applications during the past three years and are again seeing record interest for next year. Still, as we have in 2020-21, for the upcoming school year, we are planning to operate at a “COVID capacity” until the Virginia Department of Health permits otherwise. This means that our planning will continue to be informed by the need to maintain a distance of six feet between students in classroom spaces. 

Our Lower and Middle School facilities and the sizes of those divisions continue to provide the greatest flexibility with capacity restrictions. To support the best learning environment for those young learners, we are currently planning to offer only on-campus learning for students in grades JK-8 in 2021-22. We understand that our Upper School students are eager to be on campus together five days a week and are continuing to monitor guidance from the Virginia Department of Health to make that possible, with our students’ health being the highest priority.

In the meantime, we are still planning to schedule fine arts and athletics activities according to a normal schedule for next year. Expanding the range of opportunities for our student artists and athletes to do what they love is one of our highest priorities for next year, and leadership in both of those departments is working hard to make that possible.

While the timing for a full return to pre-pandemic normalcy is uncertain, we continue to be hopeful and optimistic.

Best wishes to you!

John Thomas
Headmaster

 

Virtual Fine Arts Coffee

Tuesday, February 9, 9-10 a.m.

Parents are invited to join us for an informative session about our fine arts program. James Venhaus, our new director of fine arts,, will share news about our fine arts classes in all three divisions and our spring performances, including Arts Jam. We will demonstrate how the fine arts faculty and students are providing creative solutions to the challenges that we face due to the pandemic, and we will share some exciting plans for the future. Parents and guardians can access the coffee here.

 

Athletics Corner

Welcome to the Athletics Corner, where we’ll be sharing weekly updates about all things athletics!

Congratulations to our Swim team which competed in their first virtual meet of the season against St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School this past week

Virtual Activity Credit

Dates: February 1-April 10

To register for the Virtual Activity Credit Program, please click here.

Social Media

Please follow our social media accounts @flinthillathletics (Instagram) and @Athletics_FHS (Twitter) for fun challenges between our athletes, Husky highlights, and photos from our athletic events!

Senior Nights

Be on the lookout for our future senior night winter sport celebration dates!

 

Community Service Reminder

I wanted to remind everyone that there is a service hour requirement of four hours this year for all Upper School students.