Upper School Blast Aug 29, 2025

Parent Night Feedback

Thank you for joining us this week at Parent Night. We enjoyed meeting you and sharing about the upcoming school year. We are always looking for ways to improve these connection points; if you have feedback you’d like to share, please complete the Parent Night Feedback form.

Morning Drop Off

For parents dropping students off in the morning, please pull into the Senior lot/Lot C (across the street) for drop off.  There are two police officers helping with both the crosswalk and traffic, and they will assist you in getting back on the road efficiently. This minor change will improve safety and help relieve congestion in the main parking lot.

Reporting an Extended Absence

If you have a student that will be absent for longer than three consecutive school days, please contact your student’s guidance counselor with this information. They will be able to inform your student’s teachers of the absence and ensure your student is prepared and up to date on material when they return. If your student is absent due to illness for more than three consecutive days, the school requires a doctor’s note on their first day back.

Ninth-10th Grade — Counselor Vicky Hausberger

11th-12th Grade — Counselor Christine Stier

Grade Level Experience Guides

Please see the grade level experience guides for key dates for students and families for the 2025-26 school year each grade. The guides can also be found in the Veracross Parent Portal.

• Ninth Grade
• 10th Grade
• 11th Grade
• 12th Grade

College Counseling Senior Family Presentation — Tuesday, Sept. 2

Parents and guardians of seniors are invited to join the college counseling team Tuesday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m. via Zoom to discuss the fall application process, the latest news in the world of college admission, student and family expectations, financial aid, and more. A link to the meeting will be shared on the Class of 2026 Canvas course and emailed to families. A recording will be posted to Canvas by Sept. 4.

College Admission Representatives Visiting Seven Hills 

Over 100 college admission representatives will visit the Upper School this fall to meet with our students! Over the next two weeks, college counselors will visit the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade class meetings to discuss registration and advice for these visits. You can view the up-to-date list of visitors in your Veracross Parent Portal. Your student must register through their Scoir account to attend.

If your student is missing class, they must ask their teacher for permission at least one class period in advance of the meeting.

• Seniors: allowed to miss each class up to three times
• Juniors: allowed to miss up to a total of three class periods
• Sophomores: may attend only during free bells

Requests for Course Changes

Occasionally, a student may have to change a class to find a better fit or pursue a new interest. Students should email Dr. Paull with requested changes and/or to schedule a time to review options. Please note that in order to keep balanced classes, we can’t honor requests to simply change sections, teachers, or to be with friends.  All course change requests must be made and approved by a parent (via email to Dr. Paull) by 3:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5.

Parking for Students

Tenth to 12th graders are permitted to drive themselves to school and park, provided they have an active driver’s license. Mr. Polifka sent out an email to students with information, but they can fill out the parking form any time to secure a parking spot. Students should not complete the form until they have an active driver’s license. Students should not park at school until they have a confirmed parking permit from the school. Email Mr. Polifka with any questions. 

Attendance

Please report all attendance changes on your Parent Portal in Veracross. If you need assistance, please contact the Upper office at upper.office@7hills.org. Note you can also report changes through the Seven Hills app. Search for “Seven Hills School” in the App Store or Google Play store.

Canvas for Parents

Parents are invited to be “observers” for their children’s classes. An observer can see assignments, due dates, and if any assignments are missing. Upper School is a time for independence, so we ask you to coach your children on connecting with their teachers if they have questions, but as parents, we can act as an important safety net to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. See below for how to set up an account and gain observer status. Here is a PDF version of the instructions.

Parents are invited to attend either an in-person or Zoom meeting, giving a brief overview of the system and how to utilize its functionality. Location and more details to come.

• In-Person Options
  Monday, Sept. 8, 7-8 p.m.
  Tuesday, Sept. 9, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
  
• Zoom Option
  Wednesday, Sept. 10, 7-8 p.m

Parent Veracross Guides

If you are new to Seven Hills or just need a refresher about using Veracross, check out our parent guides: 

• Parent Platform Guide
• Parent Communications Guide

Get Your Homecoming Spirit Wear!

We’re excited to announce that Homecoming T-shirts and hoodies are now available for purchase through our Athletics Square store!

Order here: Seven Hills Athletics Store

When placing your order, please include the following information in the “Notes” section at checkout:

• Your child’s full name
• Grade (oldest child, if multiple)
• Homeroom teacher or adviser

This information will help us organize distribution. Orders will be delivered to students before Homecoming on Sept. 19.