Upper School Blast Sep 15, 2023
Dear Families,
This week the Upper School welcomed to campus 29 exchange students from Bilbao, Spain. Seven Hills’ cultural and language exchanges are a great experience not only for the exchange partners themselves, but for everyone in the Upper School to connect with and befriend visitors from another country and culture. Thank you to our host families and bienvenidos, estudiantes de españa!
Next week features one of the most exciting events of the year: Homecoming! Homecoming Week is a chance to celebrate community, athletics, and school spirit. For the Upper Schoolers, this means dressing up for fun theme days (see below), competing on or cheering for a Seven Hills team, and getting together for events like the family picnic and the Homecoming Dance. Below you’ll find more details about the weekend, but let me add just a few words about the dance. One of the great things about the dances, from the Homecoming Dance to the Prom, is that they are open to all Upper Schoolers. Most students don’t bring dates, but instead come on their own or with groups of friends, and there are lots of activities available besides dancing. If your child is considering coming to the dance, I would encourage them to do so.
I hope to see you at Homecoming!
Best,
Matt
Key Dates & Events
Saturday – Sunday, Sept. 16-17 — Rosh Hashana
Monday-Friday, Sept. 18-22 — Spirit Week
Friday-Saturday, Sept. 22-23 — Homecoming. Homecoming Dance
Friday, Sept. 22 — Family Picnic, 5-7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 24 — Yom Kippur Begins at Sundown
Monday, Sept. 25 — Yom Kippur
Announcements
Spirit Week — Sept. 18-22
The week of Sept. 18-22 will be a Spirit Week in celebration of Homecoming. Check out the flyer for each day’s theme and prepare to show your Stinger pride!
Homecoming Schedule
Please see the flyer for the detailed schedule of the Homecoming events on Friday, Sept. 22, and Saturday, Sept. 23. We hope to see you all there!
Homecoming Dance! — Sept. 23, 8-11 p.m.
We look forward to seeing all of our students at the Homecoming Dance. The dance is a great opportunity to hang out with your friends. Students typically attend in groups, although going with a date is welcomed too. The dance will be on Saturday, Sept. 23, 8-11 p.m. in Founders Hall. The doors will close at 8:30 p.m. and students will not be able to leave again until 10:30 p.m. Students may bring a guest. Please turn in guest forms to Mrs. Leonard by 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22. The dress code is semi-formal attire. For example, students may wear a dress or dress pants and a tie. Breathalyzer tests will be randomly assigned to both Seven Hills students and guests.
Upper Chorus Concert — Tuesday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Students should be seated in the chorus room by 6:30 p.m., wearing their chorus attire. For this concert, we are also featuring our Middle School choruses, and we’re looking forward to a great night of singing!
Alternate Routes during Dismissal
During dismissal from the Hillsdale Campus, Red Bank Road can become quite backed up as cars head toward Red Bank Expressway. Did you know there are alternate routes to reach main roads like I-71 and Montgomery Road? This map highlights these alternate routes to ease your commute and cut down on traffic congestion as you leave campus.
Veracross Tips and Training
There have been many changes this year with the transition to Veracross. Below are some valuable resources to assist you with becoming proficient in our new system:
- For a quick introduction to some of the basic features (My Children, My Calendar, Directories, and Updating Family Profile), watch this short video. Here are the slides seen in the video.
- To efficiently access student schedules, watch this short video. Here are the slides seen in the video.
- If you have any questions or concerns, please contact techsupport@7hills.org.
- These resources will also be posted in the Parent Portal.
Experiential Learning Updates
Information for parents related to the Personal Challenge Project, Community Service, Concentrations, the Job Networking and Career Mentoring Program, and May Terms can be found in this Google Drive folder. Information will be updated throughout the year as needed.
Parents (as well as alums and friends of parents) are invited to support our Job Networking and Career Mentoring program. To participate, please complete the Job Networking and Career Mentoring sign up form. It can also be used to make changes to any information entered last year.
Parents of Freshmen
On Thursday, Sept. 21, freshmen will meet with Mrs. Glum about Community Service requirements and the MobileServe app used to track hours. Students who are absent on Thursday should make an appointment with Mrs. Glum when they return.
Coffee with Dr. Bolton — Tuesday, Sept. 19, 7:40-8:30 a.m.
All Upper School parents are invited to a meet and greet with Dr. Bolton in the Hillsdale Commons. Hosted by the Upper School Entrepreneurship Class, the Seven Hills Community Cafe is a venture at bringing Seven Hills together. Please come and enjoy coffee, tea, and pastries while meeting and talking with other parents and Dr. Bolton.
Message from Athletic Director Scott Willard
I wanted to provide some helpful information and resources as it relates to following our Stinger Athletic Program.
Athletics Website
To access The Seven Hills School’s athletic website, go to Gostingers.org. From the athletic website you can find athletic announcements, athletic news, current season schedules with the most up-to-date information, team web pages, and directions to all athletic events. You will also be able to download athlete forms that include the current athletic handbook, campus maps, Lower and Middle School registration information and OHSAA physical forms.
Athletics Gostingers App
Download our Gostingers App to receive personalized notifications, watch live streamed events, view team schedules and rosters, and read articles featuring our amazing student athletes and coaches. Click the following links to get rolling:
Social Media
Please visit and follow our Instagram social media accounts using the tag @7hillsStingers. Our Facebook page is Seven Hills Athletics.
If you have any questions about the aforementioned information, please do not hesitate to reach out. Go Stingers!
Upper Chorus Concert — Tuesday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Students should be seated in the chorus room by 6:30 p.m., wearing their chorus attire. For this concert, we are also featuring our Middle School choruses, and we’re looking forward to a great night of singing!
Walking Club — New meet up location
We are a group of parents that get together bi-weekly on Wednesdays after morning drop off to talk and walk the lower soccer field. All divisions are welcome and no RSVP required. This group provides you a great opportunity to connect with other community members all while getting your steps in! Please park in the lower field parking area. Campus guest passes will be passed out to ensure visibility, for security purposes. When inclement weather occurs, we gather at Element Eatery to chat.
Our next meet up is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept 27, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Subsequent dates are Oct. 11 and 25, Nov. 8 and 29, Dec. 13, and Jan. 10, 2024. I look forward to chatting with you soon. Carolyn Klein (Mom of Spencer, 11th grade, and Courtney, seventh grade)
Fall Parent Socials – RSVP today!
Join us for a long-standing tradition among the Seven Hills parent community. Fall parent socials are the perfect opportunity to connect, relax, and socialize with other parents from your student’s grade. We look forward to kicking off the 2023-24 School Year with you all!
- Ninth Grade Parent Social – Saturday, Sept. 30, at Fulton Yards Coffeehouse and Spirits, 3-5 p.m. RSVP here!
- 10th Grade Parent Social – Friday, Sept. 29, at the Kennedy Residence, 6:30 p.m. RSVP here!
Volunteering
If you are interested in being part of the volunteer team, please reach out to Regina or Marnie or you may sign up with the SignUpGenius.