Lotspeich Blast Apr 17, 2026

Key Dates
What to Know Now
Parent Community News
Announcements
Athletics

Key Dates

Friday, April 17 — VIP Day, Early Dismissal at 11:30 a.m.
Monday, April 20 — Lower School Author Visit Kelly Starling Lyons for Grades K-5
Tuesday-Wednesday, April 21-22 — Grade 4 to Camp Kern
Wednesday, April 22 — LEAD Together: Happier Parenting with Cognitive Scientist Laurie Santos
Thursday-Friday, April 23-24 — Grade 5 to Dearborn, Michigan
Friday, May 1 — Senior Circle. All School Cookout for Students
Friday, May 1 — May Fete, 5-8 p.m.
Thursday, May 7 — LEAD Together: Screen Smart at Seven Hills
Saturday, May 9 — Early School Ribbon-cutting Ceremony, 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, May 9 — Science Spectacular, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13 — Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 16 — SNAAP Year-End Celebration, 3 p.m.

Rotational Day Calendar

Photos of the Week

The second grade book club came to the library for a book discussion based on their pick. Students who read “Kings of the Ice” by Miles Lewis played table hockey.
Pre-kindergartners went on a bird watcher nature walk with their binoculars and recorded what they saw.
Pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds measured themselves against an eagle as part of their study of birds.
Author and illustrator Amanda Driscoll spoke with the Early School students about her work and showed them how to draw her characters.
Students tested out the mini golf courses they built in Project Math.

What to Know Now

LEAD Together: Happier Parenting — Wednesday, April 22

Are you interested in learning evidence-based strategies for improving parent happiness? Dr. Laurie Santos, professor of psychology at Yale University, will share useful tips about parent well-being and children well-being. Catch a sneak peak with Dr. Santos. At 5:30 p.m., we’ll watch the Dr. Santos webinar together and then break into small groups (by school division) for discussion led by Seven Hills administration and faculty. Free childcare is offered by our Seven Hills ATB staff. And, pizza and salad will be provided, free of charge. RSVP so we can account for childcare and food.

Announcement for Lego Robotics Team 2026-27

We are excited to offer the opportunity for next year’s fourth and fifth graders to join Lotspeich’s FIRST® Lego League robotics teams. We are pleased to announce there will be two teams again next year. New league rules state there can be a maximum of eight students per team. Because of league and coaching changes, we are not able to automatically guarantee past Lego Team members a spot on one of our teams. Every student who would like to be considered for a team must fill out a handwritten application and turn it in to Ms. Berting by 3:15 p.m. on Friday, May 8. Applications will be distributed by May 1.

Additionally, both students and parents need to sign the Team Participation Pledge that is included with the application.

This year, our Robotics Team selection will be based on the quality of applications and coach evaluation. We encourage all applicants to complete the application thoughtfully and reflectively. Students who consistently demonstrate gracious professionalism and a collaborative team spirit will be given strong consideration. We are grateful for every student’s interest and enthusiasm for robotics!

Students not selected will automatically be offered a spot in our Robotics Enrichment program for the winter session!

Traffic Study on the Hillsdale Campus

Please note, a traffic study is being conducted on the Hillsdale Campus for the next month looking into calming features on our crosswalks. Counters will be in the street as part of the study. Please drive with caution.

Parent Community News

May Fete Volunteers

The games are ready, the booths are set,
May Fete is coming — it’s our best one yet!
But there’s one small thing we still need to say…
We’ve got 53 volunteer spots to fill for the day.

And here’s the secret that makes it all bright:
You don’t need hours — you don’t need all night.
Just 30 minutes is all it will take,
To help make the magic for our children’s sake.

A quick shift here, a small job there,
A smile at a booth, a bit of good care.
Hand out a prize, run a game, cheer along —
You’re part of the heartbeat that keeps it strong.

So sign up today — don’t wait, don’t delay,
Let’s fill those 53 spots for May Fete day!

It’s time to start manning booths for May Fete! These are 30 minute shifts that can be filled by adults or older kids (Middle or Upper School students)! A reminder that any time slots that are still open at the time of the event will cause that activity to be temporarily closed.

Stock the Lounge

Hi everyone! As we wrap up the school year, this is our final Stock the Lounge for our incredible teachers. Check out the Amazon Wishlist to see what we still need. All items will be shipped to Laura Hardy and distributed to the lounge by the PC Stock the Lounge committee. We’d love your support if you’re able to contribute. Thank you so much from Vidhya, Laura, and Shannon.

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.

Call for Yearbook Pictures

Yearbook pictures are collected all school year! If you are volunteering at an event, chaperoning a field trip or watching a sporting event, don’t forget to send your best photos to lotspeichyearbook@7hills.org.

Announcements

Join Us for May Fete!

Screen Smart at Seven Hills — May 7

Do you want to set up healthy technology boundaries at home before the summer starts? Do you want to learn recommended practices for technology-use at home?

Please join us on May 7 to:

meet our new Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Tony DePrato.
get the first look at our grade-level Screen Smart guides for School and Home technology use.
bring personal devices to learn how to set up parental controls and get tips about creating age-appropriate guardrails.
chat with Upper School students, counselors, and others to learn more about student technology-use.

We’ll offer this session at three different times: 8:30 a.m. in the Lotspeich Library, 5:30 p.m. in the Upper School Library, and 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. The Zoom session will not include the full workshop that the in-person sessions will have; videos and handouts will be sent out in the call. RSVP.

You’re invited! Early School Ribbon-cutting Ceremony

Join us on Saturday, May 9, at 9:30 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Taft Early School addition. There will be crafts, activities, refreshments, and tours of the new space! After the ceremony, join us at the first Science Spectacular, which starts at 10 a.m.

Science Spectacular — May 9

Please join us on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. to celebrate science at Seven Hills. Middle and Upper School students will be leading booths for our Early and Lower School students to take part in science-related activities. Please join us for an hour or the whole session!

Activities include hands-on stations across multiple science disciplines, interactive demonstrations, a nature walk, and a native species planting project in our creek bed. We’ll also have food to purchase with a variety of food trucks, including coffee, food, and Kona Ice.

Call for Gently Used Cozy Coupes

The Early School is looking to get a few donations of gently used Cozy Coupes for the pre-kindergarten for 2-year-old playground. If you have one that your children have outgrown and is taking up space in the garage or basement, please consider donating it. Our 2-year-olds will get some great use out of them for their new playground! Contact Nichole O’Rourke to donate.

Athletics

Fall Sports Registration is Open

Please register your student(s) through Veracross for the upcoming season. All K-6 registration will exclusively register through Veracross. Registration closes April 29. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact k6athletics@7hills.org. Note: Grade 7-12 registration is through FinalForms.