Upper School Blast Apr 5, 2024
Dear Families,
Welcome back from what I hope was a great Spring Break. Academically, the fourth quarter is already in full swing, and we also have some exciting social events coming up. Tomorrow is the Upper School Prom at Music Hall. As I mentioned last week, all Upper Schoolers are welcome to attend. On Monday, of course, we’ll experience a solar eclipse. We have eclipse glasses on hand for all of the Upper Schoolers, and the division will be gathering on the deck and courtyard Monday afternoon to experience this rare phenomenon together.
Below you’ll find information about other exciting events, including Family Food Truck Night and the rapidly-approaching Arts Alive. I hope to see you on campus for one or more of these great events.
Best,
Matt
Key Dates & Events
Monday, April 8 — A4. All School (Alumni Speaker) and Eclipse Viewing
Tuesday, April 9 — B4. Advisory
Wednesday, April 10 — A5. Extra Help
Thursday, April 11 — B5. Class Meeting
Friday, April 12 — A1. Extra Help
Announcements
Seven Hills Prom 2024 “Masquerade Ball”
Prom is on Saturday, April 6, from 8-11 p.m. at the Music Hall Ballroom, 1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. We strongly encourage students to be dropped off and picked up from Prom. Due to the FC Cincinnati game at 7:30 p.m., non-reserved parking will be extremely limited. Since Prom begins after the FCC game, traffic in front of Music Hall will be light. Parking spaces can be reserved through SpotHero and similar sites (currently $10-20) near East Central Parkway. Passes for the Mercer Commons Garage are available through FCC’s ticketing partner, SeatGeek (currently $15), and access is allowed after 4:30 p.m. See below for more information about Prom.
- Who goes to Prom? What should I wear?
Seven Hills believes Prom should be an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students. Prom has no formal dress code, and all ninth to 12th grade students are invited and encouraged to attend. In 2023, over 350 students from all grade levels attended Prom. - Registration
Prom tickets will be sold at the door for $55. Cash, credit cards, and checks (made out to The Seven Hills School) will be accepted. Financial aid is available to defray the cost of Prom tickets for qualifying students. Please get in touch with Dr. Bolton for more information. - Entertainment and Food/Drink
While many students go out to eat before Prom, we will have a selection of appetizers and desserts. Entertainment includes music from DJ Etrayn, four interactive photo and caricature experiences, games, and more! - Guests
Students can bring one guest and must submit the required Guest Agreement Form. Completed forms can be emailed to Ms. DiRoma, dropped off in the Upper School Office, or turned in at Prom. Guests must enter Prom with their host. - Security
Prom is staffed by a large group of faculty, Music Hall staff, and Cincinnati Police, who will assist with arrival and pickup. To ensure students have not been drinking alcohol, we use a breathalyzer machine at check-in. A school administrator will ask randomly selected students to blow into the breathalyzer machine, which measures their blood alcohol level. Students and their guests must cooperate if asked to use the breathalyzer. If a student has been drinking, we will notify parents/guardians and require them to pick the student up from the event, and serious disciplinary consequences will follow. The school likewise takes very seriously the possession of drugs or alcohol, whether in a student’s car or on their person. - Dismissal
Prom ends at 11 p.m. (and students can leave starting at 10:30 p.m.). Students will be dismissed directly from Music Hall, and parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that the rest of their night goes well and that they get home safely. Please coordinate with your student about how they are getting home after Prom. - Lost? Running Late? Not coming? Emergency? Additional Questions?
If you need to reach one of the faculty about Prom, students or parents can call or text 773.818.5039 or email Alex Catalan.
Parent Survey About Academic Communication
Parents should have received, via email, a survey from the office soliciting your thoughts on the effectiveness of communication about your child’s academic progress at Seven Hills. If you have not yet filled out this brief survey, please take a moment to do so. Your efforts will help us make appropriate improvements in the future. Thanks!
Family Food Truck and Youth Spirit Night — Friday, April 12
All Seven Hills families are welcome to come celebrate our spring athletes and have some fun! Cheer on the Upper School baseball, girls lacrosse, softball, and tennis teams. Youth spring athletes in kindergarten through sixth grade will be recognized at 6:30 p.m. on the lower field. Food will be available for purchase from four delicious food trucks: Big Dogs Pizza, Maya Indian Food, Kona Ice (at the Pavilion) and Quite Frankly (at the baseball field). Check out the Family Food Truck and Youth Spirit Night flyer for more details. See you there!
Senior Baby Photos
As graduation approaches and we prepare to send off our beloved Class of 2024, we would like to salute these seniors on Seven Hills’ social media with a game of “Guess That Senior.” We hope you will please take a few moments to email one photo of your senior as a baby or toddler. The communications department will post the student photos on Seven Hills’ social media in May and will invite followers to play “Guess That Senior.” This is voluntary, but we hope you and your student will participate and plan to play along with us via Seven Hills’ Instagram and Facebook!
Guide to submitting your senior’s baby photo:
- Email one photo before the end of the business day on Friday, April 12.
- Prior to emailing the photo, save the image with your student’s last name and first name (ex. Maggard, Hannah).
- Photos should be submitted as a .jpeg or .png file.
- Submit your senior’s photo by emailing seniorbabyphotos@7hills.org.
- After submitting your photo, plan to play along and try to guess your student’s classmates from the baby photos on Seven Hills’ social media!
- Note: This request for baby photos is separate and not connected to any prior requests you or your student may have received for the yearbook.
Parent Volunteers Needed for Culture Week
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council is excited to announce our upcoming Culture Week April 15-19! This week-long event will celebrate cultures from around the world, with each day focusing on one or two continents. We’ll have distinct booths representing various aspects of culture, including countries, regions, religions, races, and ethnicities. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the rich diversity of our student body here at Seven Hills.
We’re looking for volunteers to host booths! These booths can feature culturally significant foods, traditional clothing, and anything else that represents your identity. If you’re interested or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Aleesha Adhami or Nathan Walker. If you are ready to sign up to host a booth, please fill out the Culture Week Registration Form. Thank you for your support in making Culture Week a success!
Arts Alive Coming Soon!
Mark your calendars for the third annual Arts Alive celebration. On Friday, April 26, from 3:30-8:40 p.m., first through 12th grade students will showcase their artistic talents throughout the Hillsdale Campus. There will be games, arts and crafts, live performances, food trucks, and much more! Join us for an evening of festivities for the entire family. Food trucks and desserts will be available from 3:30-8 p.m. Stay tuned for more details. View the schedule.
Instrumental Spring Concert
The Upper School Instrumental Ensembles will be performing on Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m. This is going to be a BIG show! Performers should plan to arrive no later than 3:30 p.m.! If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Rising.
Seeking Host Families for International Students
The Seven Hills Upper School is pleased to be welcoming new students from China for the 2024-25 school year. We are seeking families within the Seven Hills community to host these students. If you would like to learn more about the responsibilities and rewards of welcoming an international student into your home, please contact Nancy Clark. Interested families will be connected with an approved agency that will share program details and monthly stipend information.
Be Great With Us! (Bedding Drive)
As part of the Upper School’s “Give, Grow, and Be Great” service-learning May Term, Upper students will work with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build beds for children without one. The need for beds in the Greater Cincinnati area is startlingly high, and while building the beds is an enormous help, beds without pillows, mattress pads, sheets, and blankets don’t solve the problem. Please consider donating new bedding to help our efforts make a difference. You can purchase items directly from this Amazon wishlist or send donations to the Upper Office. Please make checks payable to The Seven Hills School with “bedding drive” in the memo line. Donations will be accepted from now until the end of May, but why wait? Be great today! Questions? Contact Karen Glum.
April Parent Connext: Getting Kids Outdoors — From the Counseling Department
Seven Hills values partnering with parents to address the development of the whole child. Parent Connext allows us to explore some of today’s most relevant topics in your child’s social-emotional development, while offering practical tools for parenting. Please feel free to connect with your student’s building counselor if you would like more conversation or support around this month’s topic, Getting Kids Outdoors.
Senior Graduation Reminders
- Diploma name preference entries have now been closed, as the deadline was April 1. If your senior did NOT enter in their preferred name, we have used their legal first and last name that we have in our system.
- The graduation announcement poll has also closed. As previously mentioned we will be going with the majority vote, which was to NOT receive announcements.
- Cap and Gown: Reminder, your caps and tassels are yours to keep. The gown is rented and will need to be returned the night of graduation. You should receive your cap and gown during May Term week. We will keep you posted.
Senior Photos for the showcase are due the last week of April. The criteria for these are as follows:
- 4×6
- Black & White or Color
- Vertical
- Printed, since we do not have the capacity to print these in the office.
Reminder: Walking Club
We are a group of parents that get together bi-weekly 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. When inclement weather occurs we get together at The Madison Place, 4200 Plainville Road, to chat. Our next meet up is scheduled for Wednesday April 10, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Subsequent dates are: Thursday, April 25 and Wednesday, May 8. I look forward to chatting with you soon. Carolyn Klein (mom of Spencer, 11th grade, and Courtney seventh grade)
Introduction to the ACT
Thirty-Six Education is offering an Introduction to the ACT prep course from July 29 to Aug. 2, 9:30-12:30 p.m. The class costs $699 and financial assistance is available to students who qualify. This 15-hour, in-person course will introduce students to the format and content of the English, math, reading, and science sections of the ACT. Students will learn key test-taking strategies, review high-impact content areas, and complete nightly homework assignments. Students will be given access to Thirty-Six Education’s extensive library of proprietary lessons, practice questions, and answer explanations, and they will receive personalized recommendations for areas of further study based on nightly homework assignments during the course. At the conclusion of the week, students will take a full, proctored practice ACT and receive a score report with detailed feedback to help guide further study. This course is perfect for rising juniors getting started with their test preparation. Class size will be limited to 12 students. Register for Introduction to the ACT.
Introduction to the dPSAT
Thirty-Six Education is offering an Introduction to the dPSAT prep course from Aug. 5-9, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The class costs $699 and financial assistance is available to students who qualify. This 15-hour, in-person course will introduce students to the format and content of the digital SAT (dSAT) and PSAT (dPSAT) Reading and Writing and Math sections. Through proprietary Thirty-Six Education instructional materials and official College Board SAT/PSAT practice questions, students will learn the tests’ most commonly tested question types and key strategies for navigating the dSAT/dPSAT. Students will complete nightly homework assignments. This course is perfect for rising sophomores and juniors looking to familiarize themselves with the structure of and strategies for tackling the dPSAT in advance of its administration in October 2024. Class size will be limited to 12 students. Register for Introduction to the dPSAT.