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A Note from Mr. Ryan
A Note from Mr. Ryan
Dear Upper School Families,
It was a pleasure to welcome back our students this week, and they have hit the ground running in all areas of our program. The winter athletic season has begun, students in the performing arts are busy preparing for concerts and upcoming performances, and many of our students are preparing for cumulative exams. It is a busy season for our learning community, but the next break is just around the corner. For this reason, faculty and staff are beginning to turn our eyes to the new year.
In that spirit, we are happy to share that the Upper School is prepared to go phone-free for the academic day starting this January. As has been previously shared, a working group of seven colleagues and five students, facilitated by our Dean of Students, Rachael Jennings, met to explore bell-to-bell cell-phone-free implementation methods. Through a review of research, discussions, optional surveys to all constituencies, a field trip to a peer school, and discussion of the students' concerns, they recommended an approach, which we’ve accepted.
Starting January 5, we will be using NuKase, individual locking phone cases that students carry with them, to operationalize our phone-free academic days.
How will the NuKase system work? We will not “take your phones.” Each student will receive a personal NuKase (personal locking case) labeled with their name. At the beginning of each school day, students will lock their powered-down phones in their case and keep it with them throughout the day. Cases will be unlocked at designated stations at the end of the school day. This ensures that students are free from distractions without surrendering or storing their phones in communal bins or classrooms. At the end of the year, we will collect cases and return them at the start of the following year.
Please see the announcement below for more information on the logistics of this policy change. We have also created a list of FAQs here for your review. As a reminder, we will be hosting an event for parents and guardians next Monday evening where we will discuss the why and what of these changes in more depth. Please see the event noted below to RSVP and to submit any questions you may have regarding Shipley’s implementation of phone-free academic days.
Yours in partnership,
Kris
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
US WINTER INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC CONCERT
Tonight, Thursday, December 4
6:15 pm - Parent/Guardian Social in Speer Gallery
7:00 pm - Concert
Riely Theater
Please join us for an evening of music performed by the Upper School Strings, Jazz Band, Honors Combo, Percussion Ensemble, and Symphonic Band. There will be a social for parents/guardians in the Speer Gallery starting at 6:15 pm followed by the concert starting at 7:00 pm in Riely Theatre. Call times for performers may vary.
The Upper School Glee Club and Shipley Singers will be performing separately, in conjunction with Middle School Choirs, on January 29 at Church of the Redeemer.
CELLPHONE POLICY LOGISTICS
Please note the following details regarding the logistics of the cell phone policy change— to take effect on January 5, 2026. We are excited to share in more depth at our upcoming US Cellphone Policy Event (see below):
Locking Phones: Starting in January, students will power down and lock phones in their school-provided NuKase cases during Homeroom each day. If a student arrives late, they power down and lock their phone while signing in—either with Mrs. Powell at the Main Entrance or with Ms. Dillard (next to Mr. Craig’s office).
When students leave campus at 3:15 pm, they will unlock their phones. Stations are located at: (1) the Main Entrance (near the kiosk), (2) Ms. Jennings’ Office (near the kiosk), (3) inside the gym near the exit, and (4) outside of the Commons.
Students should exit at the closest Kiosk to their last period class.
13 Mobile unlocking stations are carried by: Class Deans, the College Counseling Office, the Nurse, the Upper School Counselor, Mrs. Powell at the front desk, Ms. Noone in the Upper School Office, the Shipley Security Team, and the Athletics Department.
If a student has senior access privilege, they go to the Main Entrance (with Mrs. Powell or Ms. Dillard)—and, if needed, their Class Dean or Ms. Jennings’ Office to unlock their case and relock their powered-down phone when they return to campus.
US CELLPHONE POLICY EVENT
Monday, December 8
7:00 - 8:00 pm
Piltch Commons
This event will serve as an opportunity to learn more about the new policy. We also look forward to addressing questions around its implementation. For planning purposes, we ask that you RSVP here if you plan to attend. If you have any questions you would like to be addressed, please submit them here. We are excited to share our work with you and look forward to a positive partnership around our new cellphone policy.
STUDENT & FACULTY WINTER CANDY GRAMS
Monday, December 10
If you would like to send your student or a teacher a candy gram, Student Government is organizing winter candy cane grams ($2, charged to the student's account). Please complete the form by December 10 if you’d like to send some winter cheer!
WINTER BREAK
Monday, December 22 - Friday, January 2
As we approach our winter break, please be reminded that classes are in session through the end of the day on Friday, December 19, and resume again on Monday, January 5.
9TH GRADE NELSON DENNY READING TEST
We will be administering the Nelson-Denny reading test during a SEED class in the next few weeks before the winter break. The test is an online, standardized measure of Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Reading Rate. The test will be given under Standard Time conditions only. If you would like your child to take the test with Extended Time and they qualify for that accommodation, please contact Maria Carini. Students with ET will take the first part with the group and the second part by appointment.
If you have any questions or concerns, or to schedule an appointment for extended time testing, please contact Maria Carini, Director of Student Support and Well-Being at mcarini@shipleyschool.org. Results will be shared in January via ShipleyNet.
PSAT SCORE ACCESS
All students who took the PSAT at Shipley in October can access their scores through their College Board account. If students do not have a College Board account, they can create one using their Shipley email address at this link: https://account.collegeboard.org/login/signUp. They can skip all fields that are not required! If students are having trouble accessing their account, they can visit the College Counseling Office for assistance. When students use their account to view their scores, they can access the additional resources provided by the College Board now and in the future.
SUMMER ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES
All students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades received an email from College Counseling with information about Summer Enrichment Opportunities. There are many ways for students to spend summer break; a job, an internship, a volunteer position, or an academic enrichment program would all be nice additions to a college application. If your child is interested in a pre-college program, please see the link below for a list of programs arranged by subject. If students need transcripts or letters of recommendation, we ask that they request these documents at least two weeks before the deadline.
Summer Enrichment Program List
SAT & ACT PREP INFORMATION FOR JUNIORS
We have partnered with Compass Education Group, a nationally recognized tutoring and test prep company, to offer comprehensive online classes for SAT and ACT test prep classes throughout the year. Families may use the code GOGATORS to receive a 10% discount on test prep services and will be billed through their Shipley accounts for ease of payment. Shipley will continue to offer financial aid for test prep to students who receive tuition assistance. For more information, visit https://www.compassprep.com/schools/the-shipley-school/ and please reach out to the college counseling office if you have any questions about Compass, test prep, or testing in general.
TWO WEEKS AT-A-GLANCE
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Recent Instagram Posts - Follow Along to See What's Happening at Shipley!
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