Doherty Blast Aug 29, 2025
Key Dates
Monday, Sept. 1 — Labor Day. No School
Friday, Sept. 12 — Doherty PC Kickoff, 8:30 a.m., Bean & Barley (See Details under Parent Community News)
Wednesday, Sept. 17 — Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19 — Homecoming and All School Family Cookout, 5 p.m.
Photos of the Week
What to Know Now
Parent Night Survey
Car Signs
Thank you for your continued patience and support as we settle into our daily drop-off and dismissal routines. We’re happy to see things improving each day!
To help everything run even more smoothly, we’ve sent home two car signs per family with your last name and your child(ren)’s grade(s). Please ensure that anyone authorized to pick up your student — whether it’s a grandparent, nanny, family friend, or driver — has a sign clearly displayed in their vehicle. If you need additional copies, feel free to make extras at home.
These signs will also serve as your parking pass while on campus. For the safety of our students and staff, it’s important that we know who is on school grounds at all times. If you are dropping off in the morning or even if you’re picking up at 11:30 a.m. or not using the carline, please remember to display the sign on your dashboard at all times.
We truly appreciate your cooperation and attentiveness as we all get used to these procedures. Please continue to watch for staff directing traffic on Johnstone and follow their instructions — they’re there to help keep everyone safe and moving efficiently.
Thank you for being such wonderful partners in ensuring a smooth and safe start to the school.
Doherty Gives Back
This September, in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Doherty is putting on its Third Annual Crayola Drive for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. We are asking families to donate new Crayola products and coloring books for all ages. Each classroom will have a student-decorated donation box where items can be dropped off throughout September.
Parent Community News
PC Meeting (open to all!) — Friday, Sept. 12
Join the PC for a meeting on Friday, Sept. 12 after morning drop off at Bean and Barley coffee shop. Find out more about our programming for the year and meet Doherty’s Leadership and School Support teams.
Call for PC Volunteers!
What is volunteering with the PC like? Different roles have different time commitments and you can choose what you are most comfortable with. And don’t worry if you are a new parent! We have guides for each role. Here are some examples:
Carnival — This is a Doherty tradition that takes place in May. It’s a spring celebration with inflatables, games, and fun! We are looking for a co-chair for the event, who will use the plans, budget, and setup from prior years. Commitment spans the year and is perfect for someone who loves event planning. We are also looking for day of volunteers for setup (three to four hour commitment) or breakdown (two hour commitment).
Room Parents — Room parents communicate announcements to your class four to five times per year, collect optional donations for teacher gifts, and organize simple classroom parties (holiday party, Valentines, etc.)
Trunk or Treat — Volunteers will help the chairs on the day of the event, Oct. 25, with setup, a two to three hour commitment.
Winter Dance — This new event for all Doherty families and their kids in February needs volunteers. Help the chairs set up the day of the event, a three hour commitment.
Sign Up to volunteer. If you have any questions about volunteering don’t hesitate to ask our PC co-chairs.
Volunteer with the Seven Hills Spirit Shop
Help us spread school spirit! We need volunteers to help make Seven Hills gear available more often! We are looking for shop pop-up event volunteers and a couple more people to fill monthly in-store openings. If you’d like to be contacted, fill out the Spirit Shop Volunteer Inquiry Form.
We have been updating our Spirit Shop Online Store daily. See our new hats, kids tees, and sweatshirts! Questions? Send us an email at spirit.shop@7hills.org
Join SHARE, Our LGBTQIA+ Parent and Ally Events List!
Are you a parent who is LGBTQIA+, has an LGBTQIA+ child, or is an ally looking to support and connect with others in our Seven Hills community? We’re putting together and updating our contact list for families interested in LGBTQIA+ events, meetups, and resources throughout the year. If you’d like to stay in the loop, we’d love to include you! Fill out the contact form. Let’s build a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive community — together.
Parent Walking Group: Step into the Conversation
This group consists of Seven Hills parents from all divisions with the occasional faculty visitor. This is a casual and welcoming group. We get our steps in while meeting new people and learning more about what is happening at school. On the scheduled days, the group meets after drop-off in the morning, and people come and go as their schedule permits. Very casual. Very fun. Please use this link to join the WhatsApp Chat for the meeting schedule and details.
Announcements
After the Bell News
Sports Reminder
If your child is on a fall soccer team on either the Hillsdale Campus or the Doherty Campus, you do not have to pay for ATB if their practice begins at 3:45 p.m. A coach or a sports coordinator will pick them up from their classroom or the shuttle immediately after school. If your child needs to return to ATB after practice, or their practice begins after 3:45 p.m., you do need to select the daily drop-in. You may do so via Veracross.
Daily Drop-Ins and Annual ATB
You can register for daily drop-ins and Annual ATB below. As a reminder, daily registration ends each Monday at 9 a.m.
Enrichment
We are offering an exciting line-up of enrichment programs beginning Sept. 15 for our Fall 1 Session. Details will be emailed soon and registration opens on today, Friday, Aug. 29! We will have options for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten and first to fifth grade on both campuses. Students can take the shuttle between campuses for enrichment programs. You won’t want to miss our fun lineup! Register today via Veracross.
- Fall 1 Session Dates — Sept. 15-Oct. 24
- Fall 2 Session Dates — Nov. 3- Dec. 19
Changes in the Master Calendar
Changes to the Master Calendar:
- Grandpersons’ Day is on Nov. 25.
- On March 5, there will be an early dismissal for Grades 1-5 at 11:30 a.m.. Pre-kindergarten will dismiss at their regular time, so there will be classes on that day. More information on conference schedules will be coming at a later date.
- April 17 will be a full day of classes for students. There will be no professional development for Doherty teachers on this day.
Seven Hills String Ensemble
String Ensemble is open to third through fifth graders for violin, viola, or cello. No experience necessary! Instruments are not provided, but we highly recommend baroqueviolinshop.com (when ordering, ask for Strictly Strings, Book 1). String Ensemble is on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:45-8:15 a.m. The location and start date is to be determined but will be in mid-September. Contact Michaela Hibbard with questions or to sign up. When emailing please provide your child’s name, grade, and Lotspeich or Doherty Campus.
Faculty and Staff Location Changes at Doherty
Angie Bielecki, school counselor, has moved to room five across from Unit I. Emily Daugherty, Best Point counselor, has moved to Jones Hall into Angie Bielecki’s previous office, and Assistant Head of School Laura Leonard has moved into the administrative office in Haile Hall into Emily Daugherty’s previous office.
Birthday Book Program
Celebrate your child’s special day with a lasting gift to our library!
Our Birthday Book program allows families to donate a book to one of our Lower School libraries in honor of their child’s birthday. Your student will personally select the book they’d like to give, and we’ll add a commemorative bookplate with their name and birthday.
Students choose their birthday book during their birthday month (summer birthdays included!). These books often become the first ones students check out when returning to school! Donation is $20 per book. To participate, please complete the Square form and submit payment. Your generous support helps our libraries continue to grow with books chosen by our students, for our students, and also supports our author visit fund.
Questions? Contact Lori Suffield, Lotspeich librarian, or Jo Schnirring, Doherty librarian.
Parent Veracross Guides
If you are new to Seven Hills or just need a refresher about using Veracross, check out our parent guides:
Athletics
Get Your Homecoming Spirit Wear!
We’re excited to announce that Homecoming T-shirts and hoodies are now available for purchase through our Athletics Square store!
Order here: Seven Hills Athletics Store
When placing your order, please include the following information in the “Notes” section at checkout:
- Your child’s full name
- Grade (oldest child, if multiple)
- Homeroom teacher or adviser
This information will help us organize distribution. Orders will be delivered to students before Homecoming on Sept. 19.
Note Regarding After the Bell and After School Practices
If your child is on a fall soccer team on either the Hillsdale Campus or the Doherty Campus, you do not have to pay for ATB if their practice begins at 3:45 p.m. A coach or a sports coordinator will pick them up from their classroom or the shuttle immediately after school. If your child needs to return to ATB after practice, or their practice begins after 3:45 p.m., you do need to select the daily drop-in. You may do so via Veracross.