Lotspeich Blast Oct 17, 2025
Key Dates
Friday, Oct. 17 — Day 4
Monday, Oct. 20 — Day 5
Tuesday, Oct. 21 — Day 1. Picture Retake Day
Wednesday, Oct. 22 — Day 2
Thursday, Oct. 23 — Day 3
Friday, Oct. 24 — Day 4. Grades 4 and 5 walk to Middle School for the Middle School play
Saturday, Oct. 25 — Combined Trunk or Treat event for Doherty and Lotspeich Families, 3-5 p.m., Doherty Campus
Monday, Oct. 27 — Day 5
Tuesday, Oct. 28 — Day 1
Wednesday, Oct. 29 — Day 2
Thursday, Oct. 30 — Day 3. Kindergarten Field Trip to Benton Family Farm
Friday, Oct. 31 — Day 4. Parent Coffee, 8:30 a.m. Lotspeich Halloween Parade, 9:15 a.m., Upper Track or Kalnow Gym if raining
Saturday, Nov. 1 — Growing Together Event, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. S.H.A.R.E. Pumpkins and Popsicles, 2-4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 2 — Daylight Saving Time Ends
Monday, Nov. 3 — Day 5. School House Symphony visits Grades Kindergarten, 1, and 2. Lower School Food Drive Begins
Tuesday, Nov. 4 — Day 1
Wednesday, Nov. 5 — Day 2 Field Trip: Grades 1 and 5 to the Cincinnati Zoo. School House Symphony visits Grades 3 and Pre-kindergarten. Book Fair Begins
Thursday, Nov. 6 — Day 3. School House Symphony visits Grades 4 and 5
Friday, Nov. 7 — Day 4. Cincinnati Museum Center visits Mrs. Del Vecchio and Mrs. Cappannelli’s Classes. Lotspeich Parent Community Meeting, 8:30 a.m., After the Bell Room
Wednesday, Nov. 12 — No School. Parent-Teacher Conferences
Thursday, Nov. 13 — No School. Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday, Nov. 14 — No School. Teacher Professional Development Day
Photos of the Week
Fifth graders Gabrielle Carlock and Izzy Arquilla read to pre-kindergarten for 2-year-old students before their naptime. The fifth graders are part of the Good Apples leadership program and volunteer to be teacher helpers once a week.
What to Know Now
Halloween at Lotspeich — Friday, Oct. 31
On Friday, Oct. 31, we will hold our annual Halloween Parade beginning at 9:15 a.m. Students will parade around the upper track by grade levels, beginning with our pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds students. All parents are invited to attend, watching the parade from the field in the center of the track, where there is plenty of space to spread out to see all of the children. Parking is available at the Field House and along Ellmarie Drive. Students can wear their costumes to school in the morning. They will have recess and PE later in the day and are, therefore, able to change after the parade if necessary. If the weather should not cooperate, we will hold this event in Kalnow Gym.
Costuming Requests for Halloween
We would appreciate your help in not providing props or costume pieces that we would not permit as play equipment in school (guns, swords, arrows, etc.). Similarly, we need your help in being sensitive to the children’s need to maintain a parade route. We have found that large box costumes or very bulky outfits can be particularly problematic for the children. Makeup is difficult for the children to apply, so please do not send any to school. Of course, we ask that no child come to school in make-up as well.
There are lots of costumes to wear that celebrate Halloween. Please help us ensure that our children’s costumes do not stereotype, mock, or poke fun at another person/group or human condition.
Changes in Dismissal Plans?
As the fall sports season is finishing up, please email Anna Karol if you need to make any changes to your child’s set, routine dismissal schedule and we can get that changed in Veracross. Also, please remember to do the same thing once winter sport practices begin. Thank you.
Seven Hills Unplugged — Every Tuesday
Back by popular demand, Seven Hills Unplugged returns to the Hillsdale Campus this fall every Tuesday! Families from pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds through eighth grade are welcome to enjoy some after-school open play and screen-free fun! The ECC playground space is available for ECC families to connect! See the flyer for details. Rain-out locations will be shared each week, as needed.
Parent Community News
The SHS Teacher AND Staff Diwali Potluck Lunch is Back!
A group of families who celebrate Diwali are once again organizing a teacher and staff Diwali lunch on Tuesday, Oct. 21. If you and your family celebrate and are interested in supporting, you can sign up via SignUpGenius.
For questions, contact Neeta Upadhyay
Stock the Lounge (Teachers’ Lounge)
The Parent Community was able to start the year by stocking the teachers’ lounges in August with snacks and treats at the start of the school year. If you’d still like to contribute to stocking the teachers’ lounge, please order from the Amazon Wishlist. FYI, all items will be delivered to a central location (Laura Hardy’s house), and volunteers will assist in transporting them to the lounges in the ECC and Lotspeich buildings. These items will be delivered in October!
Trunk or Treat — Saturday, Oct. 25
Trunk or Treat will take place on the Doherty Campus on Saturday, Oct. 25, 3-5 p.m. Families have the option to pass out candy from their car/trunk or simply attend with their trick or treaters. Sign up here to reserve a spot for your trunk at the event!
Upcoming Events
- Halloween Parade & Parent Coffee — Lotspeich, Oct. 31
- Walking Group — Join this WhatsApp group for dates and information! This is an ongoing, casual walking group that meets (weather permitting) on certain days after dropoff.
Quarterly Meetings
- Nov. 7
- Jan. 23
- April 10
Parent Community Leadership – Please reach out to us with any questions 🙂
Mona Desai, co-chair
Lindsey O’Connell, co-chair
Lauren Bonaminio, communications chair
Nancy Kingkeo, treasurer
Announcements
Enrichment — Fall 2 Session
After the Bell had an exciting line up of Enrichment classes at both campuses beginning the week of Nov. 3 and running through Winter Break! Don’t miss out on classes like:
- Typing and Research Skills at Doherty!
- Let it Grow: Fall Plants and More!
- Sportsmanship and Soccer Skills
- Chess
- Totally 90s Club with Mrs. PG
Register and learn more about our offerings. Spots will fill quickly!
The Honeycomb! A Community Service Opportunity for all Lower School Students
The Honeycomb is a Lower School community service initiative where students come together to spread kindness, responsibility, and community — our Hive values — in action. Meeting twice a month after school, we learn how even the smallest acts can make the biggest ripples. Our third session is on Thursday, Oct. 30, at Doherty.
Each opportunity has a small fee to cover the cost of supplies for our projects! Register for ONE or ALL of our sessions!
ATB Closing Early on Halloween
Please pick by up 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. We appreciate your flexibility so everyone can get home safely for Trick or Treat!
Growing Together: Doherty Oak Tree Planting Event
Pumpkins and Popsicles with S.H.A.R.E. — Saturday, Nov. 1, 2-4 p.m.
All are welcome to S.H.A.R.E.’s fun family event on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2-4 p.m. at the Pavilion on the Hillsdale Campus. Enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with family activities, including decorating pumpkins with words of kindness in honor of World Kindness Day. S.H.A.R.E. stands for Seven Hills Association of Rainbow Events. We are an affinity group for anyone with a family member or who is an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. Let us know you are coming by emailing SHARE@7hills.org.
Holiday Care
When school is out … Holiday Care is in! For our next set of “no school days” on Nov. 12, 13, and 14, we will offer Holiday Care at the Hillsdale Campus for pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds through fifth grade! We will be open from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Remember, there must be at least 20 students registered two weeks prior to program start for the programs to run! Register now!
LEAD Together — “Setting Kids up for Success” Webinar
Thank you to all the parents, faculty and administrators who came to learn from Psychologist Lisa Damour about “Setting Kids up for Success.”
A parent said “It was wonderful to learn about the value of stress and to notice how it strengthens both skills and our kid’s resilience. On the flipside, it was helpful to hear her focus on the importance of rest and recovery as we search for that balance.”
An Upper faculty member said, “The idea of adaptability as one of the key attributes or long term transferable skills that we’re hoping to develop in our students was a powerful focus for me.”
If you weren’t able to make it, we highly encourage you to listen to the webinar (about 55 minutes). Please access the webinar. It will be available until Jan. 31.
Join us for Books for Lunch!
Purchase your tickets for the Seven Hills 39th Annual Books for Lunch on Feb. 6 at The Lightwell in Covington! Join us for an engaging afternoon featuring New York Times bestselling author Ariel Lawhon as our keynote speaker. The cash bar opens at 11 a.m., followed by a delightful luncheon and Lawhon’s talk at 12 p.m. Don’t forget to snag your copy of “The Frozen River,” a Good Morning America book club pick, for a special signing after the event. Hurry, tickets are selling fast. Secure your ticket and book now. Sponsorship opportunities are available, please consider supporting this important event. Questions? Email us at booksforlunch@7hills.org.
ParentSquare — New Communication App for Seven Hills Parents
We’re excited to introduce ParentSquare, a two-way communication platform that will allow Lower, Middle, and Upper School athletics coaches, as well as Parent Community board members, to connect with you directly. Last Wednesday, all parents received an email invitation to activate their ParentSquare account. For more info, including FAQs and community guidelines, please visit 7hills.org/parentsquare.
Note: You must set up an account to change your notification preferences. If you do not set up an account, you will automatically receive the daily digest from ParentSquare via email.