Middle School Blast Sep 12, 2025

Key Dates
What to Know Now
Parent Association News
Announcements

Key Dates

Monday, Sept. 15-Friday, Sept 19 — Homecoming Spirit Week
Monday, Sept. 15 — A4
Tuesday, Sept. 16 — B4
Wednesday, Sept. 17 — A5. Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 18 — B5
Friday, Sept. 19 — A1. Homecoming and All Family Cookout, 5-9 p.m. The Cookout ends at 7 p.m. Spirit Night Grades 1-6, 6:45 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 22 — Grades 1-8 Winters Sports Registration Begins
Friday, Sept. 26 — Between the Pages Author Visit
Friday, Oct. 31 — Sixth Grade Creepy Critters

Photos of the Week

Eighth graders hike to a waterfall during their camping trip at Adventure Treks in North Carolina.
Seventh grade Latin students play "alea iacta est" (the die has been cast), to get everyone excited to practice Chapter 1 grammar and vocabulary before their first Latin quiz of the year.
Students work on essential innovation skills during an introductory class exercise in the Innovation Lab.
The eighth grade gathers around a fire at Adventure Treks.
Sixth graders learn how to use microscopes in Jen Licata's science class.

What to Know Now

Homecoming Spirit Week

Show us your spirit the week of Sept. 15-19! Here are our themed days for Homecoming:

Homecoming — Sept. 19-20

Homecoming is Friday, Sept. 19, to Saturday, Sept. 20. Check out the full schedule of Homecoming events. We hope to see you to celebrate this joyous occasion! Go Stingers!

Canvas Training Recap

Visit 7hills.org/Canvas for FAQs, the Zoom training recording, and the Canvas log-in links. We thank the parents for learning this new learning management system along with us during our first year with Canvas. We are here to help any time through email, Zoom, or in person. For specific questions, please reach out to Head of Upper School Rick Tate, Head of Middle School James Jessup, or Director of Curriculum and Instruction Kristina O’Connor.

Parent Association News

Thanks to those who attended our first Parent Community meeting and the Middle School Parent Social. It was a pleasure to meet so many of you!

Middle School Parent Community Meeting

Subsequent Parent community meetings will be on the following dates at 8:15 a.m. in the Sixth Grade Commons:

Nov. 21
Feb. 19, evening meeting at 6 p.m.
April 24

Sixth Grade Sneaker Ball — Canceled

Due to some scheduling and venue constraints, we are re-evaluating some other potential (and fun!) options for the sixth grade event. Stay tuned!

Questions or interested in volunteering with the Middle School PC?

Contact Susan Schaefer (mom of sixth grader Drew)

Announcements

Reporting Transportation Changes

If you have a last-minute transportation change for your child, please email your student and email or call Melissa Morelli at melissa.morelli@7hills.org or 513.728.2450, and Melissa will put a note in their Advisory bin that is delivered at the end of every day. Advisers have students check their email at the start of Advisory, 2:45 p.m.

Between the Pages Author Visit: Jen Wang — Friday, Sept. 26

We are excited to have young adult author and artist Jen Wang visit on Friday, Sept. 26! Seven Hills Middle and Upper School students will have a chance to hear Ms. Wang speak and have books signed. Books are available for purchase on the day of the event from local bookstore Downbound Books. Students are welcome to charge book purchases to their school account or pay via cash or card. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child ahead of the visit about which books are best for them and whether or not they will be purchasing any.

“Stargazing” $11
“The Prince and the Dressmaker” $15
“In Real Life” $12
“Ash’s Cabin” $15
“Lumberjanes Bonus Tracks” $13

Save the Date — Sixth Grade Creepy Critters, Friday, Oct. 31

The sixth grade will be celebrating our annual Creepy Critters Day the morning of Friday, Oct. 31, and parents will be invited in to spend some time with their child(ren) that morning. We will be working to schedule the activities to accommodate those parents who will also be attending the Lower School Halloween parades. More details to come!

LEAD Together: Learning, Educating, and Discussing Together

Parents and caregivers, please join us for LEAD Together: Learning, Educating, And Discussing Together. Join us for one or all events to learn alongside other families and faculty members. These book talks, speaker series, and other sessions will be led by various faculty and staff groups and our Parent Community. The LEAD Together flyer includes all events for our first semester. Stay tuned for our second semester flyer.

Important Attendance Reminder

We would like to take a moment to remind you of the Middle School’s tardy policy. Classes begin promptly at 8:20 a.m. Arriving on time ensures that students are physically settled, mentally ready, and prepared to learn. Even a few minutes late can cause a rushed, distracted start for the student and disrupt the learning environment for others.

Tardy Policy and Consequences:

Fifth unexcused tardy: Lunchtime detention
Each additional unexcused tardy: Additional lunchtime detention
Eighth unexcused tardy and beyond: Before-school detentions

Our goal is to help students avoid detentions by encouraging consistent, on-time arrival. Families can support this by setting earlier alarms, adjusting transportation routines, or preparing school materials the night before.

Please note that traffic delays — except in extreme circumstances such as weather, major accidents, or closures — are not considered an excused reason for tardiness. We strongly encourage you to plan for extra time in the morning routine to account for unexpected delays.

If you have any questions about this policy or would like to discuss ways we can support your child’s success, please feel free to reach out to Dean of Students Victor Harris directly.

Thank you for your partnership in helping all students begin each day ready to learn.

Priority Admission Deadline for Seven Hills Siblings

Nov. 15 for Pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds-Grade 5
Dec. 1 for Grades 6-12

Because we have limited space in several grades and our applicant pool is competitive, we recommend completing the admission process as early as possible. Admission applications for Seven Hills siblings are given priority status within the applicant pool as long as we receive the admission application by the above deadlines. Use the code ABC to waive the $50 application fee.

To submit an admission application for another child, please login to your Veracross account. Using the column icon at the top of the page, select “Admission,” then “Manage Candidate Applications.” You will then be able select the box with a plus (+) sign, “Add a New Candidate/Applicant.”