Letter from Mr. Hoyle

Dear Upper School Families,

My legs are still sore from Saturday's Shore to Shorecrest 5K! I had an amazing time enjoying the beautiful weather and being surrounded by so many members of our community coming together to support Shorecrest. I also had the pleasure of seeing the Middle School's fantastic production of “Frozen JR.” on Friday night, so between the show and the 5K the next morning, it was an awesome double dose of Chargers spirit!

The Middle School had its turn on stage this past weekend, and now it's the Upper School's turn! Our Fall Play, “Parody This!”, takes the stage in the Janet Root Theatre this Thursday and Friday at 7pm. Shorecrest has an incredible performing arts program, and I hope to see lots of our students and families at the performances! In fact, I'm adding a little extra incentive for our Upper School students: Any student who attends a performance and emails me a selfie at the show with their ticket or program will be entered into a drawing for a Visa gift card! Come enjoy some laughs, support your fellow Chargers, and maybe win a little something while you're at it! Tickets are available online or at the door. The box office opens 90 minutes before the show.

There's plenty more happening around campus this week! 

• Bags of Blessings Thanksgiving Food Drive: Upper School is partnering with Positive Impact Ministries to assemble Thanksgiving meal kits for families in need. Collection boxes will be in Landy Hall through Friday, November 13. We're collecting stuffing mix, canned yams, cranberry sauce, gravy mix, instant mashed potatoes, canned green beans and corn, macaroni and cheese, cornbread mix, pudding mix, and $20 Publix gift cards to help provide turkeys. Thank you for helping us share some Thanksgiving joy with our neighbors!

• Conference Day, Wednesday, November 11: A reminder that there are no classes on Wednesday due to Conference Day. This is a great opportunity to connect with teachers about your student's progress. Sign up for conferences here!

• SCA Electric Fall Festival, Saturday, November 14, 5-8pm: Get ready for an electrifying evening on campus! The Electric Fall Festival returns for its second year with games, activities, music, and plenty of family-friendly fun for all ages. Get your tickets here!

• The Midterm Exam Schedule and Guidelines are available HERE.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at bhoyle@shorecrest.org with questions, comments, concerns, or even if you just want to say "Hello." You can also follow along with some of the fun happening in the Upper School on Instagram at @hoylecrest!

Have a great week!

Brendan Hoyle
Head of Upper School
bhoyle@shorecrest.org
727-456-7529

Mark Your Calendars - 

Tuesday, November 10: Yearbook photo retake day (Grades A-11)

Wednesday, November 11: Conference Day, no classes

November 12-13: Shorecrest Performing Arts presents "Parody This!"

November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break, School Closed

November 19: Money Matters: Financial Aid & Affording College in the Ohana Community Room at 6pm

College Financial Aid Information Session

Thursday, November 19 at 6pm the CCO hosts Money Matters: Financial Aid & Affording College in the Ohana Community Room on the 2nd floor of Charger Commons. 

Seniors

• Pink sheets are now LATE for all schools with a November 15 deadline 

• Be sure to submit and link your STARS account to each college that requires it (many Florida publics including FSU, UF, USF, FAU).

• You should not be waiting until the application deadline date to finalize and submit your applications. Plan to submit applications early along with pink sheet deadlines. 

Juniors

• Apply for The Coolidge Scholarship: a highly selective, four-year, full-ride, merit scholarship for current high school seniors who plan on attending a four year college starting in fall 2028: Learn more and apply

• Girls State (American Legion Auxiliary Program) - A week-long summer leadership and citizenship program for rising seniors. More Info and registration: https://alafl.org/girls-state/. Email your college counselor for application documents.

SAT/ACT/Test Prep

• See upcoming practice tests and webinars: www.revolutionprep.com/partners/shorecrestprep 

• Revolution Prep is offering Shorecrest families up to $900 in tutoring savings to use towards programs of your choice. View more info here.

Colleges Visiting Shorecrest 

Juniors and seniors are welcome to attend in-person college visits during the school day. In order to attend college visits, you must sign-up in Cialfo (Visit tab) at least 24 hours in advance. Meeting with the visiting college reps is a great way to learn more about each institution and show your demonstrated interest. Many colleges track attendance at programs such as school visits. 

View College Visits List

Yearbook Photo Retakes

Tuesday, November 10

Families should have received a link to view photos directly from Mr. KamraMan, the yearbook photographer. Purchases may be made online. 

Every once in a while photographs from Picture Day do not come out well or students are absent on picture day. We will have picture retakes on Tuesday, November 10. A registration link for retakes was sent directly from Mr. KamraMan via email. You may also register for retakes here. 

• Don't worry about the time slot, teachers will know who to send and when, based on class schedules

• If your student was absent they will be registered to be photographed on retake day automatically

Chargers Post-Season Play

On Thursday, November 12, the Chargers Cross Country boys team will compete in the Regional meet starting at 8:35am. The team will meet at 2402 Holloway Park Drive, Lakeland, FL 33803. Spectators should drive to 3050 Lakeland Highlands Road. Meet Information

Admission is $12. Parking is included in the ticket fee. Tickets may be purchased here. There will not be live streaming.

On Friday, November 13, the Chargers Swim team will compete in the State Championships starting at 9am at FAST - Florida Aquatics Swimming & Diving - 4635 SW 67th Ave, Ocala, FL 34474. Meet Information.

Admission is $14 for advance purchase and $17 on the day of the event. Tickets may be purchased at GoFan. Parking is included in the ticket fee. Gates open 60 min prior to each event.

Live streaming on NFHS

Spring Sports Sign Ups

Spring Sports Sign Ups will take place in the Athletics Office Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20. Any US student wishing to participate in Baseball, Lacrosse, Softball, Tennis and Track & Field should stop by the Athletics Office during break, lunch or after school to sign up. MS students will sign up during their PE classes. 

These sign ups are important as they help coaches and the Athletics Office know how many students are interested in participating in a particular sport. The Athletics Office also double checks that the students who signed up have completed all their athletics paperwork before the first practice/tryout takes place. This helps to ensure that all students are eligible to participate from day one of the new season.

ALL STUDENTS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE IN A WINTER SPORT MUST SUBMIT THEIR REQUIRED ATHLETIC PAPERWORK INTO THE ATHLETIC CLEARANCE SYSTEM* BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11. Failure to do so may prevent a student from being eligible to participate in the first practice or tryout. Click here for the Athletic Clearance Guide to help you with this process. 

*The Athletic Clearance system is used for collecting athletic physicals and other important Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) information for student participation in sports.

Community Committee on Inclusion

Please join us for a Community Committee on Inclusion meeting (formerly Community Committee on Diversity) on Wednesday, November 18 from 3:30-4:30pm in the Ohana Community Room, on the 2nd floor of Charger Commons. This group is open to all community members who are interested in learning more about and being a part of the diversity efforts at Shorecrest. It is also a forum for complex and engaging conversations around timely topics related to diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Financial Aid for the 2027-2028 School Year

Applications open November 1, 2026 - January 31, 2027

The Financial Aid portal for the 2027-2028 school year opens November 1, 2026. Past recipients who wish to continue receiving financial aid must reapply annually. All families interested in receiving financial aid must submit an application through FACTS, the external tool used by Shorecrest and many independent schools to determine need. 

The application fee is $45 and supporting documentation is required including past year's W2s and tax returns. The application also includes a place to share your family's extenuating circumstances confidentially with the Financial Aid Committee. The deadline to apply for aid for the 2027-2028 school year is January 31, 2027. 

All-School Calendar

Upper School Contacts