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A Note from Mr. Ryan
A Note from Mr. Ryan
Dear Upper School Families,
Change is in the air as we make our way fully into the fall season. As the leaves change color and the temperature begins to drop, we are reminded that change is a constant, and that having a flexible, growth mindset can help all of us navigate life more effectively. This is especially true of our students who continue to engage in all areas of school life. During this season, we ask our students to lean into our value of growth, understanding their academic progress as being part of a larger journey.
In the coming weeks, you will have the ability to review your child’s progress through Comments and Parent Teacher Conferences. We encourage you to view these opportunities as key elements of our partnership in your child’s growth as a student, and as a person. Helping your child understand these snapshots as part of a larger academic story can help them develop perspective and resilience. If you have any questions regarding either Comments or Conferences, please see the announcements below.
Our Upper School value of growth - along with all of our values - needs to be continually grounded in an environment, and in relationships that are safe. This week we continued implementing and practicing our safety protocols through a Lockdown Drill. Additionally, and as another aspect of safety, our Director of Technology, Bipin Prakash, shared resources related to network filtering in his note last Friday (10/17). These resources can be helpful for when your child’s laptop is not at school, on our network. If you have any questions regarding our Responsible Use Policy, please feel free to reach out to me or to Mr. Prakash.
Thank you again for trusting us with your children. I am grateful to work together with you towards their achievement and well-being. Finally, to all who celebrated this week, we wish you a happy Diwali!
Yours in partnership,
Kris
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
US FALL COMMENTS
Today, Thursday, October 23
Fall Comments will be available today at 4:00 pm for families to view in ShipleyNet. To access these:
Log into ShipleyNet and select your student’s portal
Click on the Progress tab
Navigate to the Performance field, where the report can be accessed and viewed.
These comments will give an overview of the work covered to date in each course, as well as goals for your child to focus on at this time in the progression of the course. You can use this information to help guide your conference sign-up plan.
UPPER SCHOOL PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Friday, November 7: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm - US Only (no classes)
Thursday, November 13: 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Friday, November 14: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm (no classes)
Upper School November Conferences are for the teachers and parents only, students do not attend these. These optional conferences provide parents with a chance to check in individually with teachers of major subjects. Conferences are ten minutes each and are not required; you should schedule a conference if you have questions or wish to check in with the teacher. You will be able to schedule conferences beginning on Tuesday, October 21. More information on conferences is linked here. Families will receive Fall comments in advance of conferences, via ShipleyNet on Thursday, October 23.
HALLOWEEN ACORNS TO OAKS SPECIAL MOMENT
Friday, October 31
8:30-9:00 am
Lower School
We are thrilled to have another Acorns to Oaks special moment on Halloween. Seniors will be gathering at the Upper School at 8:05 am to arrive at the Lower School at 8:25 am on Friday. They will meet with their little acorns and take a couple of laps around the field in the Lower School Halloween parade. The seniors will be finished by 8:55 am so that they can return to Upper Campus, though they will miss the first period. All parents are welcome to attend the event to enjoy the moment. We are reminding students of the guidelines for appropriate costumes listed below and also sharing the importance of costumes appropriate for their little acorns. Seniors may certainly coordinate with their little acorns around costumes, if they wish, but they do not need to wear a costume at all. Costumes are optional. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to TJ Ferrick, the 12th Grade Dean.
HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTESTS
Friday, October 31
We will have our annual costume contest this year during our Upper School Assembly time on Friday, October 31. We are excited to see the creative costumes that will be presented! We have been reminding students about our guidelines for appropriate and fun costumes in our student announcements. Here are the guidelines that our student leaders created, a few of which we will highlight here:
Don't choose a costume that will inconvenience your learning and participation (you need to be able to learn, engage in a learning community, and move around the campus with ease). This also means that all costumes must have the student’s face fully visible. Costume masks or accessories that cover the face will not be allowed.
Culture is not a costume. Cultural appropriation is adopting or mocking a culture you do not identify with. This includes a person’s features, like hair texture or skin color, cultural customs, culturally significant clothing, or way of speaking or acting.
Changing skin color is not okay unless it is a color that is not a human skin color (like an Oompa Loompa or Sponge Bob).
No weapons or anything that looks like a weapon.
Follow the Shipley dress code at school, and remember that we are role modeling for younger students.
YEARBOOK AD FOR SENIOR FAMILIES (COMING SOON)
November 1
The website for creating a yearbook ad for your senior will open on November 1. On that day, we will send a dedicated email with the link to the yearbook website. The option to buy ads will close on December 7, 2025
UPPER SCHOOL HOMECOMING
Saturday, November 22
6:30 pm - Check-in
7:00 - 9:00 pm - Dance
Save the date for Homecoming—our formal fall dance, right here in Yarnall Gymnasium! Upper School students and guests will receive more information about details, tickets, and expectations via email and ShipleyNet form in late October. See future event dates on our school calendar!
JUNIOR/SENIOR FOOTBALL SHIRT ORDER + HOMECOMING TICKETS
We are looking forward to our traditional Junior vs. Senior Flag Football games, which will be on Tuesday, November 18 at 2:30 pm. One important aspect of the game is the football shirt, which is designed by a student!
Information about how to order a Junior/Senior Football t-shirt and/or purchase Homecoming tickets will be shared with students at our next assembly on Friday, 10/31 and, soon, with you via ShipleyNet form. Students will be charged for the shirt through their Shipley account once they select their payment option on the Homecoming ShipleyNet form that will go live next week.
The payment options will be:
A shirt ONLY for $15
A Homecoming ticket ONLY for $30
A shirt and Homecoming ticket bundle for $40
If you would prefer to pay in cash or by check for the shirt, please bring that form of payment to Rachael Jennings’ office (US 110).
COLLEGE COUNSELING EVENTS
The College Counseling Office has created a College Counseling Events document to compile all events, on campus, off campus, and virtual, in one place. Please note the location and audience of each event. If an event requires a registration, the link is included in the description of the event. Please contact the college counseling office (collegecounseling@shipleyschool.org) if you have any questions.
TWO WEEKS AT-A-GLANCE
Recent Instagram Posts - Follow Along to See What's Happening at Shipley!
Recent Instagram Posts - Follow Along to See What's Happening at Shipley!
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