Upper School Blast Apr 19, 2024
Dear Families,
The next two weeks feature a series of showcases, gatherings, and celebrations. I’d like to highlight a few of these events.
First, two Experiential Learning events that are attended by the Upper Schoolers, but that I wanted to mention:
- Challenge Sharing Day — Juniors and seniors who have finished their Personal Challenge Experiences will present or display them for the rest of the Upper Schoolers. This is a great opportunity for younger students to be inspired and to start thinking about ways that they might approach their own Challenge Experience.
- May Term Organizational Meetings — We end each year with the May Terms, a week-long deep dive into a compelling topic. Next week, students and teachers will gather in their May Term groups to look ahead to the experiences that they are going to have together in the program.
And here are two that we’d like to invite parents and friends to attend:
- “Mamma Mia!” — Our spring musical opens tonight and will be a big hit. See below for ticket information. We’d love to see you there.
- Arts Alive — Our third annual celebration of the arts will take place next Friday, April 26, afternoon and evening. The Arts Alive schedule features art, performances, food, and more!
Best,
Matt
Key Dates & Events
Monday, April 22 — A4. Advisory
Tuesday, April 23 —B4. Challenge Experience Sharing
Wednesday, April 24 —A5. May Term Meetings
Thursday, April 25 — B5. Stinger Day. Class Meetings
Friday, April 26 — A1. Extra Help. Arts Alive
Announcements
Final Course Requests to Be Signed, Dated, and Returned to Upper Office
The final course requests for next year are due by the end of the school day today, Friday, April 19. On Monday in advisory, students will receive printouts of their final course requests with lines for parents to sign and date (you can also view these same course requests on your Veracross Parent Portal). If your student is absent from advisory on Monday, please have them pick up the form from Ms. Maggard at the Upper Office front desk.
Please sign, date, and have your student return the form to the Upper Office front desk by Friday, April 26. If you have any questions about the courses on the form, please contact your student’s college counselor.
After April 26, course requests will be considered closed whether or not the forms have been received. Please remember that students will have until the end of the second week of classes next year to add and drop classes that fit and are approved.
“Mamma Mia!” is here! — April 19 and 20
Tickets for the Upper School spring musical “Mamma Mia!” are going fast! Get your advance reserved tickets now through Ticketleap. Once on Ticketleap, choose the date of the show, then select choose your own seats. Performances are Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. All tickets are $10. Come join the Seven Hills Upper theater department for one of the most popular high school musicals of 2024 — “Mamma Mia!”
Chinese Honor Society Inductions
Next Thursday, April 25, the Chinese Honor Society will induct the following students during the school lunch hour in the library: Vikasni Bandinani, Daniel Choi, Anna Kunkel, AJ Lee, and Nicholas Roblyer.
Arts Alive is Next Friday!
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, desserts, and spirit wear will be available from 3:30-8 p.m. Stay tuned for more details. View the schedule and map.
Call for Volunteers for Arts Alive
We would love your help making Arts Alive a fantastic day! Several volunteer shifts and activities are available from set-up on Thursday afternoon to tear-down on Friday evening and so much in between. Check the sign-ups available on SignUpGenuis for ways you can help, or feel free to reach out to Anne Luecke if you have any questions. Thank you.
May Term Dates — Friday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 28-Friday, May 31
May Term is quickly approaching and we’re excited to have our students enrolled in an impressive array of deeply immersive courses. A reminder that students are expected to attend and fully participate in all five days of May Term and that passing three May Term experiences is a graduation requirement. Contact Karen Glum with questions.
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 normally will receive your cap and gown during May Term week. We will keep you posted.
- If you would like to receive a video of graduation, please use the 2024 Graduation Order Form.
- 2024 Senior Key Dates and Events
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, as we do not have the capacity to print these in the office.
Family Food Truck and Youth Spirit Night has moved to Thursday, May 2
All Seven Hills families are welcome to come celebrate our spring athletes and have some fun! Cheer on the boys tennis, boys Middle School lacrosse, and girls JV and varsity lacrosse teams. Youth spring athletes in kindergarten through sixth grade will be recognized after the girls JV lacrosse game. Food will be available for purchase from four delicious food trucks: Big Dogs Pizza and Kona Ice (at the Pavilion). During the varsity baseball game at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, Quite Frankly will be available for purchase at the baseball field. Check out the Family Food Truck and Youth Spirit Night flyer for more details.
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.
Exciting Opportunity to Host Visiting Danish Students Next November
Next November, The Seven Hills Upper School will be welcoming a small group of students (17 to 19 years old) and teachers from Høje-Taastrup Gymnasium, just outside of Copenhagen. Dr. Caleb Paull will be coordinating and overseeing the visit along with faculty from Denmark. He will be in regular contact with host families and students prior to and during the stay. There will be virtual events in the time leading up to the visit and in-person events during the Danes’ time here.
This is the second time we are hosting students from this school, and the feedback from all involved was extremely positive the last time. We hope you will consider being a host family. Please see the letter for Dr. Paull for more information on the visit and on being a host family.
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 Thursday, April 25, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Subsequent dates are Wednesday, May 8 and Wednesday, May 22. I look forward to chatting with you soon. Carolyn Klein (mom of Spencer, 11th grade, and Courtney seventh grade).
Volunteer Sign Up — 2024-25 School Year
Are you interested in volunteering for the Upper School Parent Community for the 2024-25 school year? Please sign up via SignUpGenuis for the role or committee that interests you.