Upper School Newsletter - May 31, 2023

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Message From Division Director

Congratulations to all of our Huskies for being one day away from finishing their final exams. This has certainly been a year of successes for our community, from the youngest grades to the oldest grades as well as from the classroom to the playing fields. We have seen award winning musicals, innovative aerial drone designs, prestigious college acceptances and state championships. To list all of the accomplishments would take a newsletter that might stretch in length to all of the other newsletters from the year combined. With all that said, I do want to return to a statement that I shared with the students at the beginning of the year. In the long run, success can only be found by continually trying to be one percent better than you were on the previous day. As I greet students walking through the front door in the morning, I often ask them, “How you gonna be one percent better than you were yesterday?” When I have afternoon car duty, I often will bookend that statement with, “Now that you are a little better, go make the world one percent better.”

As we enter the summer months, it might be a good time for you to take stock with your student. Ask them how they have improved this year; more precisely, how has the May version of themselves improved over the August version. Though the end of the year often sees highlights mentioned and touted, it is the compounding interest of slow, gradual improvement that leads to lasting success when you are playing for the long game.

Don Paige
Director of the Upper School

Announcements

Enrollment Contract Binding Date — Thursday, June 1

Tomorrow, June 1, is the date on which your 2023-24 Flint Hill Enrollment Contract becomes legally binding. As stipulated in the contract, if a student is withdrawn for the 2023-24 school year after Thursday, June 1, those who are financially responsible for that student are liable for payment of the full tuition. If your child(ren) will not be attending Flint Hill School next year, please contact Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations Anne Peterson prior to Thursday, June 1. If you have specific billing questions, please contact Student Billing Specialist Sammy Nelson.

Upper School Awards Ceremony — Friday, June 2

We will hold the Upper School Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 2, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Because the Grade 6 and Grade 8 Promotion Ceremonies are also taking place that day in the Upper School, we are asking students to wait until 12:00 p.m. before arriving on campus, so we have ample parking and space on campus. Here are some other key pieces of information about the ceremony.

If a student is winning an award that day, we will contact their family in advance so they can attend. Attendance for Upper School students is encouraged but not required.
Parents attending the event should park in the Upper School visitor parking or faculty parking areas and walk over to the Upper School Gym.
The Awards Ceremony program includes the presentation of a variety of Flint Hill endowed awards, community awards, and the announcement of cum laude.
Recommended dress for students — a collared shirt or blouse with khaki-style or dress pants; skirt with a blouse, or sundress.
Students will be dismissed from school immediately after the ceremony.
Please note that there will be no bus service on this day.

Medication Pickup — By Monday, June 5

Any medication sent to the School Clinic this year (including emergency medication like eEpiPens, inhalers and diabetic supplies) must be picked up on or before Monday, June 5, at 2:30 p.m. Medications are not stored at the School over the summer. All medication not picked up by that date will be discarded.

Please call the division clinic to schedule a time for you to pick up your child’s medication.

Lower School Clinic: 703.584.2399
Middle School Clinic: 703.584.2397
Upper School Clinic: 703.584.2396

Final Grade Reports — Opens Wednesday, June 14

Your child’s Upper School Quarter 4 Report will be available on Husky Hub at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14. We will provide a complete set of quarter and semester grades for each subject.

Preparing for the 2023-2024 School Year — Parent Action Items and Resources

Several resources are now available to help families prepare for the 2023-24 school year. To access the Resource Board, visit www.flinthill.org/app, then enter your username and password. After you log in, click on the Preparing for the 2023-2024 School Year tile.

Back-to-School Forms — Online back-to-school forms are now available on Husky Hub and are required for students to attend school and any school activity prior to the start of school. The deadline for submission is Saturday, June 17.
Health Forms — Starting Friday, June 9, parents are asked to log into the Health Portal to submit required health forms, which are due Tuesday, August 1.
Calendar — Access the 2023-2024 Calendar Highlights for your convenience in planning for the next year.

Gifts for Your Graduate at the School Store

Flint Hill’s Commencement is around the corner! If you’re looking to purchase a gift for a soon-to-be FH graduate, alumni merchandise is now available at the School Store.

Upper School Summer Required and Recommended Work

This required and recommended work document includes resources students can utilize over the summer for enrichment and skill maintenance across all disciplines.

Summer Tutors — Available Wednesday, June 14 - Friday, August 18

A few Flint Hill faculty and staff will be available for tutoring this summer. Please note that FH employees may only tutor FH students between June 14 and August 18. All arrangements for times, rates and payments are solely between the faculty member and the family, and tutoring sessions may not take place on campus. This information is also available on the Preparing for the 2023-24 School Year tile on the Resource Board.

Fall Athletics Preseason Resources

All Upper School Fall Preseason information can be found on the Athletics tile of the Resource Board in Husky Hub. Tryout dates and times are all posted for the fall. Summer workout information will be emailed to all roster members by the coach directly. If you have any questions regarding a particular sport, please contact the head coach and Director of Athletics Dewayne Robinson.

Listen to the Major Minors’ New EP, "Like A River"

Flint Hill's award-winning a capella group, Major Minors, celebrates the release of their new EP, "Like A River," including three new songs that were recorded this spring: "River," "Runaway Baby" and "The Parting Glass." Using these links, you can listen to the songs on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and Amazon Music. Congratulations to the group and their teacher, Sarah Pramstaller, on their return to the recording studio and on all of their accomplishments for the year.

Gratitude for Our Departing Upper School Faculty and Staff

As we do each year, we have faculty and staff who are departing due to retirement, relocation or new career/educational opportunities. We are grateful for their service to Flint Hill and wish them well in their future endeavors. We also look forward to announcing and welcoming the new faculty and staff who will join us for the upcoming school year in August.

Patrice Arrington — Sports Information Director and Head Varsity Girls' Volleyball Coach
Javanese Hailey — Middle and Upper School Math Teacher
Paul Harmon — Upper School Math Teacher
Ben Harper — Director of the Learning Center
Joyce Hong — Middle and Upper School Technology and Instruction Specialist
Leslie Hutchens — Director of Development
Shon Garzan — Director of Information Technology
Chris Lomax — Assistant Director of College Counseling
Valerie Morehouse — Upper School English Teacher
Dustin Pierce — Upper School Math Teacher
James Venhaus — Director of Fine Arts
Dave Walsh — Upper School Math Teacher

Thank You for Your Partnership

We’d like to thank all of you for your ambassadorship of Flint Hill. Clearly, you’ve been spreading the word about Flint Hill as an educational partner. Most of our new families name at least one current family who shared their Flint Hill experience and inspired them to imagine what’s possible for themselves.

Your efforts have contributed to very healthy enrollment with wait pools for most grades in March this year! Applications to Flint Hill have risen an astonishing 60% over the last four years. At the same time, the acceptance rate is down and attrition continues to be well below the national average.

As we have less and less space to enroll new students, selecting best-fit families is as crucial as ever. Families referred by current Flint Hill families are among the most mission-aligned and strongest partners. As you continue telling your colleagues, neighbors and friends about Flint Hill, please encourage them to contact us as soon as possible, even if they are considering a future enrollment year. Enrollment is most possible at our entry grades: Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 5th, 7th and 9th. Sometimes, a space or two might be open in other grades, and connecting with us early allows us to best plan with them.

Thank you for making Flint Hill the place so many DMV families want to be. We’ll be in touch early next school year with opportunities for you to share with your colleagues, neighbors and friends. Until then, have a great summer and thank you for your ambassadorship and partnership in enrolling mission-aligned families.

Upcoming Events

Upper School End-of-Year Exams
Thursday, June 1 – History
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Grades JK-12 Last Day of School
Thursday, June 1

Enrollment Contract Binding Date
Thursday, June 1

Upper School Awards Ceremony
Friday, June 2
Upper School Gym, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Medication Pickup
On or before Monday, June 5, at 2:30 p.m.
School Clinic — Please call the division clinic to schedule a pick up time.

Senior Alumni Move-Up Day
Monday, June 5
Upper School Campus, 2:30-5:45 p.m.

Head of School Senior Dinner
Monday, June 5
Upper School Commons, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Junior Senior Prom
Tuesday, June 6
Sweeney Barn, Manassas, VA, 8:30-11:00 p.m.

Grade 12 Commencement Rehearsal and Lunch
Thursday, June 8
Upper School Campus, 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Commencement
Friday, June 9
Upper School Gym, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Watch the livestream beginning at 9:45 a.m.

Summer Programs Begin
Monday, June 12

Final Grade Reports Available Online
Wednesday, June 14, 4:00 p.m.

2023 Summer Tutors Available
Wednesday, June 14 - Friday, August 18

Required Online Back-to-School Forms Deadline
Saturday, June 17

Required Health Forms Due
Tuesday, August 1

Parents’ Association

Pulling the Sled Together and Encouraging Others to Join Us

Dear Flint Hill Families,

As I approach the end of my term as president of Flint Hill School’s Parents’ Association, I am grateful for the experiences this service opportunity has provided me and am reflecting on our shared accomplishments from the 2022-2023 school year. What follows are some highlights of what is on my mind as I close out my service as PA President.

To the incoming Parents’ Association President: I am especially thankful to our incoming PA president, Scott McCandless P’27, ’30, ’30, for agreeing to take on this leadership position for the next school year. He served as a Middle School Divisional Ambassador and Annual Fund volunteer this year and is hosting the 8th grade parent dinner tomorrow. These are just a few examples of how he has stepped up to support our community. I know his positive spirit and enthusiasm for supporting Flint Hill will serve him well in this new role and wish him all the best for a successful year.
To the Divisional Ambassadors: The sled gets pulled further and faster with more huskies working together. When I took on the PA president role, I knew I didn’t want to pull that sled alone, and with that, the strategic creation of our Divisional Ambassadors pilot program was launched. This diverse group of volunteers — across divisions, geographies, demographics and beyond — has since evolved into nearly 80 ambassadors for the 2023-2024 school year. Though my time as Parents’ Association president is coming to an end, I’m excited to continue to serve as a divisional ambassador next year, and my husband, Brian, has even joined the group too.
To each of you: I am grateful to all the volunteers who gave their time, talent and treasure in support of strengthening our Flint Hill community. This includes parents, faculty, staff, “friends” of Flint Hill and others — I am grateful for all you do.

Thank YOU for strengthening our community! I am proud of what we’ve accomplished this year — the meaningful risks we took and the difference we made. I know the best is yet to come, so long as we continue to pull the sled together; we will have fun along the way and cross the finish line together.

Have a wonderful and safe summer!

Warmly,

KayAnn Schoeneman P’28

Uniform Donation Drop-Off: May 30 - June 9

Parents can drop off gently-used uniform and spirit wear items on the Miller House front porch from Tuesday, May 30, to Friday, June 2, and Monday, June 5, to Friday, June 9. Middle and Upper School parents are welcome to donate too! Please be sure items have been laundered. Reach out to Melissa Riley with any questions.