Upper School Blast Jan 12, 2024
Dear Families,
Welcome back to school and to a new year! The month of January is named for Janus, the Roman god of doorways and transitions. Janus was depicted as having two heads that look in opposite directions, and I think it’s an apt image for life in the Upper School at this midpoint of the academic year. In January, we look back at the first half of the year and forward to a new semester and to school year 2024-25.
In these next few weeks, we’ll reflect on the work of the first semester (which ends today) by reviewing semester exams, sharing first semester report cards, and asking students to fill out course evaluations for each of their classes. In advisory, classes, and other settings, teachers will guide students to learn from both the successes and challenges of the first part of the year and to identify ways that they can thrive in the new semester. And of course, we are also beginning to think about the 2024-25 school year. We’ll share with you next week more information about the course request process. Toward the end of January, we’ll begin our course registration process, as teachers, advisers, college counselors, and parents work with students to help them choose a challenging but manageable set of courses for the 2024-25 school year.
In the meantime, have a great Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
Best,
Matt
Key Dates & Events
Monday, Jan. 15 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day. No School.
Tuesday, Jan. 16 — A1. Advisory. Second Semester Begins.
Wednesday, Jan. 17 — B1. Extra Help
Thursday, Jan. 18 — A2. All School
Friday, Jan. 19 — B2. Extra Help. Lifers Lunch at 11:10 a.m.
Announcements
Wings of Hope Trivia Event
The Wings of Hope Club is hosting a trivia fundraiser in the Upper School Commons on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. in the Hillsdale Commons before the girls basketball game. All proceeds will go to the Dragonfly Foundation, which is the nonprofit that the Wings of Hope Club supports. The Dragonfly Foundation is an organization based in Cincinnati that supports families with children diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Dragonfly seeks to help families find strength, courage, and joy during trying times. One-hundred percent of proceeds from our fundraiser will go directly towards giving gifts to hospital patients, funding social events for the families, and fueling emotional health support programs. The event will include fun trivia, prizes, snacks, and more. Any donations are greatly appreciated! The cost to participate is $5 per person at the door. To attend this event, please register.
Spring Upper School Parent Community Meeting
Join us for coffee and muffins Thursday, Feb. 1, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the Heffner Conference Room. Dr. Matt Bolton will share an overview of upcoming key milestones and events Upper School parents need to know for the spring semester, in depth coverage for 2024-25 class registration, key events, Arts Alive, exam weeks, spring trips, civic engagement, etc. We will share the spring calendar of all Parent Community planned events and volunteer opportunities.
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 events, Greer, and his work.
Summer Program
Summer PE will be offered from June 10-21, with no programs on June 19. Please be on the lookout for more info in the Summer Program offerings, which will be available on Feb. 13. This program is for rising sophomores only and students must be present for the whole course to receive credit.
FC Cincinnati Soccer Camp — Register Now!
Seven Hills has partnered with FC Cincinnati for the summer of 2024 to offer a half-day summer camp option for Cincinnati kids ages seven to 14. The camp runs June 17-21, and families can register now. There will be other concurrent Summer Program options for June 17-21. Registration for the following camps opens in February.
Grades 2-6 Options
Morning: Ninja Warrior Training, Rockstar Rock Climbers 1, Singing and Dancing Around Town, and Wilderness Warriors.
Grades 9-11 Full Day Option
Community Service Sample
Save the dates for TechOlympics!
Tech Olympics is a student run, in person technology conference just for high school students, held since 2008 right here in Cincinnati. Students will participate in coding competitions, robotics and cyber security breakouts, and more. Held at P&G headquarters, Tech Olympics 2024, “Empower” runs Feb. 17-18 and invites all interested high school students to attend, no experience or prior tech knowledge needed. Register at TechOlympics.org and email Mr. Twyford with questions!
2024 Graduation Update
Parents of graduating seniors, graduation is quickly approaching and we have several matters of business to take care of before your student walks the stage in June! Over the next few months, you will continue to receive bits of information both in your weekly Blast, as well as through email. Please keep an eye out for these instances, as several things will need further action from you and your student. As we get started in this semester, I wanted to relay a few upcoming things:
Cap and Gown: Your seniors have already received a Google form for the cap and gown measurements. We are still missing a few entries so please check with your students to ensure this has been completed.
Diploma: An email will be sent to both you and your senior regarding their diploma. This document will request them to enter the full name they would like displayed on their diploma.
Graduation Announcements: In previous years, we have provided a set of graduation announcements and envelopes to each senior (five each). Each year, we seem to have less and less interest in receiving these. Shortly you may receive a poll to vote on if you would like us to continue this tradition or if you plan to go another route.
Senior Showcase Wall: We love showcasing your seniors and all of their achievements! We would love to do so by placing a 4×6 senior photo in our showcase wall located outside the Upper Office. The criteria for these photos is as follows:
- Photo MUST be 4×6. If the photo is larger it will be trimmed down.
- Photos MUST be printed before turning in. We do not have the capacity to print in house.
- Photo can either be in color or black and white
- Photo MUST be vertical
- The deadline for this photo will be April 30. This will allow me enough time to switch over the showcase wall to our 2024 Seniors before graduation.
If you have any questions about the above information or graduation in general, please feel free to reach out to Hannah Maggard.
LGBTQIA+ Parent Community Group
Last year, we launched a new space for LGBTQIA+ families, which is being offered as a continued push toward our goal of an inclusive school. It is a new year, and we want to bring the families back together and invite any new families into our community. If you are interested in being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, please fill out this interest form.
Best Point Education and Behavioral Health is happy to partner with Seven Hills to offer school-based mental health counseling services. School-based services are beneficial because providers are placed directly within schools, which prevents students from missing important class time due to travel.Haley Muth is a licensed professional counselor and the Best Point provider at Seven Hills. She has experience working with children, adolescents, and families in the mental health field. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Xavier University and her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Haley is currently working towards being a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC). Haley’s office is currently located in the eighth grade wing of the Middle School, however she is capable of working with students in third through 12th grade.Haley offers services related to the following: depression/anxiety/ADHD, parenting strategies, learning strategies/classroom support, sleep problems, trauma, loss/grief, crisis intervention and response, family support/parenting support, impulsivity/aggression, relaxation techniques, practicing and applying new skills at home and at school.
Parents can access these services for their students contacting the school counselors or by submitting a referral on Best Point’s website. Submitting a referral takes about five to 10 minutes and will ask questions related to demographics, concerns, and insurance information. Once a referral is submitted, Haley will be in contact with a parent to discuss next steps for therapy. Call Best Point at 513.272.2800 if you need further assistance! Haley can be reached at muthh@bestpoint.org or 513.822.8512.