• For families participating in the musical, review the information packet.

• If you’ll need childcare during one or both Back to School Nights, fill out this form.

  • Please note we are only able to offer childcare for current Shipley students.

• For families interested in affinity groups, review this document and register for a group.

• For 4th and 5th graders interested in Math Olympiad, check out the information letters linked in the Weekly Announcements section.

• Look out for an email from Mark Tassoni with your child/ren’s school photos.

Further information on all checklist items can be found below.

MUSICAL INFORMATION SESSION

Thursday, September 11

Online

6pm

Thanks to those who were able to come to this morning’s informational meeting! There will be another meeting tonight for parents of children interested in the musical who have further questions about the musical process, auditions, participation, and other details. Chelsea Clark, Theater Producer and Department Chair, and Tim Bickhart, Head of Lower School, will be presenting about the musical and available to answer questions.

To join the meeting, please use this link.

COORDINATORS AND HOMEROOM VOLUNTEERS

Wednesday, September 17

Beechwood House

8:30am

Our first meeting of the year for coordinators and homeroom volunteers will be on the 17th! This meeting is open to all parents and guardians who are interested in hearing more about what’s going on at the Lower School and further engagement opportunities. To join the meeting virtually, please use this link.

LOWER SCHOOL FIRE DRILL

Wednesday, September 17

Our first fire drill of the year will take place on Wednesday afternoon. Teachers have been notified ahead of time so that they can discuss the drill and its purpose with their students.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS

Thursday, September 18 - Grades 3-5

Tuesday, September 30 - Grades PK-2

7:00-8:30pm

Back to School Night is an opportunity for families to learn more about Shipley, grade-level curriculum, and our colleagues. Both evenings will begin with an informal social from 6:15-7pm where families will have the chance to meet others in the Shipley community and get to know Shipley administrators.

Childcare will be available for Shipley students; spots are limited and are first come, first serve. To register for childcare, please fill out this form.

ALL-SCHOOL ASSEMBLY: OAKS TO ACORNS

Friday, September 19

Yarnall Gymnasium

9:25am

This upcoming assembly will be centered around our Mighty Oaks and Little Acorns. Families of students in grades PK-1 are invited to join us to celebrate the start of the school year and the connection between our oldest and youngest learners with a pre-program coffee at 8:30 followed by the assembly! More information is included in the All School section of the Update.

ROSH HASHANAH - SCHOOL CLOSED

Tuesday, September 23

Shipley will be closed on the 23rd in observance of Rosh Hashanah. Shana Tova to all of our community members who celebrate!

LOWER SCHOOL PEP RALLY ASSEMBLY

Thursday, September 25

On the 25th, we will host some of our Upper School athletes for a fun, energetic assembly to get the Lower School excited about Super Saturday.

LOWER SCHOOL FUN RUNS AT SUPER SATURDAY

Saturday, September 27

The Lower School Fun Run Races will once again kick off Super Saturday! Every participant will receive a medal. Please arrive at 9:50am to gather on the upper school turf. The Pre-K & under race will start at 10:00am, and then move up by grade level, and conclude with the 5th grade race at approximately 10:15am. No need to sign up in advance; just show up and have fun!

For more information about the Super Saturday schedule, please refer to the All-School section of the Update.

LOWER SCHOOL AFFINITY GROUPS

This year, our Lower School affinity groups are the following:

• Black Student Heritage (BHA) 

• Students of Jewish Heritage (SOJH) 

• Middle Eastern North African Heritage (MENA) 

• Latinx & Hispanic Heritage 

• Asian Student Alliance (ASA)

For more information about these groups, please refer to this document. If you are interested in your child(ren) participating, please fill out the Google Form. Please fill out one form for each child if you have more than one child participating. The deadline to register is October 6th. Groups will begin meeting in early October.

If you have any questions or would like more information about a specific group, please feel free to reach out to your 2025-2026 Lower School Affinity Coordinators Campbell Kennedy and Debbie Marcee, or Deauntra Smith.

4TH AND 5TH GRADE MATH OLYMPIAD

4th and 5th grade students have the option to participate in the Math Olympiad, supervised by our Math Specialist Lucie McDermott. For more information, please refer to these documents:

• 4th Grade

• 5th Grade

The format of Math Olympiad is the same for both grades, but sets of practice problems differ based on grade level. If you have any questions, please contact Lucie.

SCHOOL PORTRAITS

Families will receive an email from portrait photographer Mark Tassoni with a secure link to view and purchase their child(ren)’s individual portraits and class photo. Retake Day is October 1. No pre-order is required.

Prints are color-corrected and lightly retouched before printing, and special touch-up requests are welcome. Orders can ship to your home (standard lab fee) or to Shipley at no charge. Please email schoolportraits@marktassoni.com with questions.

NOTES FROM THE NURSE’S OFFICE

For many children, the fall can bring a spike in asthma. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, asthma is the leading chronic disease in children and a significant cause of children missing school. If your child has asthma, be sure to update this information in Magnus; you can leave an inhaler in the nurse’s office and upload an action plan to their portal. Reach out to Megan Scheri if your child needs their inhaler mid-day. CHOP offers many asthma resources for parents navigating this illness.

ATTENDANCE AND DISMISSAL

We are asking families to communicate arrival and dismissal plans to LSAttendance@shipleyschool.org. This inbox is monitored by multiple colleagues to ensure efficient communication regarding the safety of our students.

For convenience, we have compiled timing and location information for arrival and dismissal onto this document, which can also be found on the Back to School page on the website.