Lotspeich Blast Jan 26, 2024
Dear Parents,
We began our week with our traditional Monday Morning Assembly featuring eight fifth grade musicians who demonstrated courage and passion as each shared with the student body a piece of music that was important to them. We enjoyed several pieces on the piano, a song on an acoustic guitar, and one performance on the bass guitar. Each student displayed impressive confidence (whether or not that was how they felt) and musical abilities. It was evident that each had practiced and perfected their craft! Bravo to all who participated!
There are several upcoming events; please mark your calendars:
- Sunday, Jan. 28, the Doherty/Lotspeich STEAM Fair is from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Middle School. Please see more information below.
- During the week of Jan. 29, fifth graders will participate in Freedom from Chemical Dependency week. Specialists from Prevention Solutions, part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, provide alcohol, nicotine, and drug education to schools and communities around the world. They will be working with our students to empower them to make healthy and responsible choices while navigating peer pressure.
- Thursday, Feb. 8, parents of fourth and fifth grade students are invited to the Delay the Phone! parent meeting. The specifics can be found in the announcement section below.
- Parent Conferences will be on Thursday, Feb. 22, and Friday, Feb. 23. See more details below.
And join me in congratulating our Lego Robotics Team, the “Brick Wolfz,” who competed last weekend in the First Lego Robotics district competition. While their run ended on Saturday, they were awarded the Breakthrough Award. This award “celebrates a team that made significant progress in their confidence and capability in both the Robot Game and Innovation Project and are a shining example of excellent Core Values.” Well done!!
Enjoy your weekend!
Susan
Key Dates & Events
Sunday, Jan. 28 — STEAM Fair at the Middle School
Week of Jan. 29 — Prevention Solutions Week
February — Black History Month
Thursday, Feb. 1 — Grade 5 Ski Club
Friday, Feb. 16 — Faculty Professional Development Day. No Classes.
Monday, Feb. 19 — Presidents Day. No School. All buildings and offices are closed.
Announcements
Lower School STEAM Fair — This Sunday, Jan. 28 at the Middle School, RSVP No Longer Required.
Kindergarten through fifth grade families are invited to an exciting morning of STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math! This annual Seven Hills Lower School STEAM event will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the new Middle School on the Hillsdale Campus, and you are invited to this free event! Your child will walk through the Middle School visiting 18, hands-on STEAM stations covering topics such as elasticity, electroscopes, drone racing, circuits, pulled string art, and more. All stations will be led by eighth grade students under the direction of their science teacher, Mr. Ken Revell. As your child completes each station, they will receive a stamp on their STEAM passport. As you leave, they’ll turn in their completed passports to be eligible to win a STEAM raffle prize! You really don’t want to miss this fun and educational event. If you already RSVP’d — thank you. If you have not, don’t worry about it. Just show up on Jan. 28! A few parent volunteers are needed to help with registration and direct participants. Please fill out the volunteer form. For any volunteer questions, please contact Trent Emeneker.
Girls on the Run
We are pleased to be able to offer Girls on the Run to our third through fifth graders again this year! This is a self-esteem building program that culminates in a 5K in May with other GOTR teams across the city. Practices this year will be 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please view the Girls on the Run flyer to learn about the lottery which takes place Jan. 29-Feb. 7.
Save the Date — Books for Lunch 2024!
The 2024 Books for Lunch committee, chaired by Seven Hills parents Lisa Briquet and Lalitha Chunduri, is honored to present this year’s guest author, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Andrew Sean Greer! Please join us in the Madisonville Ballroom at The Summit Hotel on Feb. 2 for lunch, community, and an engaging address from Greer. Please visit 7hills.org/BFL to purchase tickets and learn more about the event, Greer, and his work.
Delay The Phone! Parent Meeting — Feb. 8, 2024
All fourth and fifth grade parents are invited to a community meeting, along with Middle School parents, on Feb. 8, starting at 7 p.m. in The Schiff Center on the Hillsdale Campus, to understand the serious and detrimental effects that smartphones and social media have on our children’s social and emotional development. As a part of understanding this important issue, Head of Middle School Bill Waskowitz will also be introducing the Wait Until 8th parent program to help reduce the pressure felt by both students and parents over kids having smartphones. No need to RSVP; just show up for this important meeting that is focused on what is best for our children.
Parent Conferences
Our winter parent conferences will be on Thursday, Feb. 22, and Friday, Feb. 23. On Thursday, first through fifth graders will have an early dismissal at 11:30 a.m., and conferences will be held from 12:30-8 p.m. Our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will have a full day of school with conferences from 4-8 p.m. On Friday, Feb. 23, all students have a day off of school, and conferences will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Holiday Care
We are now on a waitlist for all February Holiday Care dates. Please email Jill Romerill and Christina O’Donnell to be added.
Summer Program 2024 — Mark Your Calendars
Make 2024 the best summer ever! Make friends, discover new passions, and create memories that last a lifetime! With eight weeks of action packed camps, running June 17 through Aug. 9, there are all kinds of adventures and opportunities for your child to explore to make this the best summer ever. Priority registration for Seven Hills families opens at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Parent Community
Thanks to all who attended our quarterly Parent Community meeting this morning. If you weren’t able to make it, but are interested in learning more about the winter/spring activities planned so far or lending a hand, please let us know!
Save the Date — More details below!
- Lower School STEAM Fair — Sunday, Jan. 28
- Stock the (Teacher’s) Lounge — Monday, Jan. 29
- Teacher Appreciation Week – Valentine’s Day Week Feb. 12-15
- Winter Conference Dinner – Thursday, Feb. 22
Stock the (Teacher’s Lounge) — Monday, Jan. 29
Please help us restock our teachers’ lounges by ordering from this Amazon Wishlist and include a gift note. We’ll hang them around the lounges to brighten their days. All items will be delivered to a central location (Kelly Carrier’s house) and volunteers will assist in transporting them to the lounges in the ECC and Lotspeich buildings. If you’d like to volunteer to set up the items in the Teachers’ Lounges, please let us know. Thank you in advance for your support!
Teacher Appreciation Week — Valentine’s Day Week Feb. 12-15
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming the week of Feb. 12-15. The theme for Teacher Appreciation Week will be showering our teachers/staff with love. Note that students are off on Friday, Feb. 16. Last year, we added recess and lunch duty, which both teachers and parents loved. This year, we’ve tweaked it a little bit and are offering teachers two 30-minute slots where they can sign up for parents to read to their class, help with clerical duties (copying, etc), and also offer recess/lunch duty. Teachers will select timeslots over the two-week period of Teacher Appreciation Week and the following week leading up to Spring conferences (February 12-22). Please sign up here to secure a slot. It’s a big week. If you’re interested in helping to coordinate Teacher Appreciation Week activities, please reach out to Emily Emeneker.
Winter Conference Dinner — Thursday, Feb. 22
In appreciation for all of the hard work and long days leading up to parent teacher conferences, the Parent Community is providing a catered dinner to teachers on the first evening of conferences. If you’re interested in assisting with set up or clean up, please reach out to our chairperson, Cynthia Fischer.