Letter from Mr. Schneider

Dear Upper School Families,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! For our new families, I would like to point out that this is the first of what will be my weekly letters to Upper School families. You will receive these letters every Monday that school is in session. I will be using this correspondence to provide you with updates from Upper School as well as a list of upcoming events. Each week a section of my letter will be called “College Compass” (below.) This provides news and updates from our College Counseling Office about upcoming college representative visits and College Counseling Events.

We will start with reminders for our first week of school that begins this Wednesday, August 20. 

• Before arriving at school, all students should download or screenshot their updated academic schedule. Since releasing the schedules in July, there may have been changes in the sectioning of classes to help balance the numbers to ensure the smallest class sizes possible. 

• We will start the day on Wednesday with our Convocation ceremony. The word convocation comes from Latin meaning to call or come together. It is our tradition to start the school year with our Convocation ceremony and we require that our students be in formal dress for the occasion. You can read more about our formal dress policy in our Upper School Family Handbook (page 62)  

• Students in grades 9-11 should arrive at school by 8:30am and report to their Advisor’s classrooms for attendance. Students will be escorted by their Advisors to the Janet Root Theatre for our Convocation ceremony. Seniors must report to the Raymund Center at 8:15am. They will be lined up and will lead the Convocation procession. 

• We will be following a “Day 0” schedule on Wednesday (see below). Students will have the opportunity to meet all of their teachers. This would be a good opportunity for your student to ask questions they may have about their courses and any supplies they might need.

8:30-8:50am Advisory

9-10:15am         Convocation 

10:25-10:50am A Block

11-11:25am      B Block

11:35am-1pm C Block

12:10-12:35pm D Block    

12:40-1:35pm Lunch 

1:45-2:10pm E Block

2:20-2:55pm F Block

3:05-3:30pm G Block

• Thursday of this week will be a normal Day 1 schedule. School will begin at 8:30am. We will not begin the “Late Start Thursday” schedule until next week. Friday will be a Day 2 schedule.

Arrival and Dismissal

Please review carline procedures with anyone dropping off or picking up your student: 

Ninth Grade Families

Thank you for attending our 9th Grade Orientation. Here is a link to our slide presentation.

Please be on the lookout for a communication from me inviting you, as parents/guardians, to meet with me for 20-30 minutes. This meeting will give us an opportunity for you to tell me a bit about your child, to discuss their experience up to this point, and for me to answer any questions you might have on your mind. 

I am also excited to tell you about changes to our health curriculum. Re-branded as Health and Well-Being, this required course not only fulfills a Shorecrest graduation requirement, but it also satisfies the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship requirement. Led by our new faculty member, Jonathan Tallon, this course is framed around our Core Values of Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Knowledge and Compassion. The Health and Well-Being curriculum covers a broad range of topics including fitness, as well as mental, physical, and social health. 

Over the summer we embarked on a mission to redesign the curriculum to include units to be taught by resident experts and facilitators that will provide 9th graders with additional life skills and information. These additional units include: 

Topic: Guest Facilitator:

Executive Functioning Skills Jennifer Hart, US Academic Specialist 

Emotional Health Brian Wiley, US School Counselor

Healthy Relationships Stacy Alexander, Head Dean

Digital Ethics Casey Giroud, Media & Information Technology Specialist and
Christine Scoby, Education Technology Support Specialist

Financial Literacy Anne Michelle Frey, Asst. Head of Upper School/ Academic Dean

Environmental Health Erich Schneider, Head of Upper School

Mr. Tallon will work with our guest facilitators to provide lessons, projects and assessments that will serve our youngest students well as they navigate towards adulthood.

We are truly excited to get this school year underway! Have a wonderful start to the school year!

Erich Schneider
Head of Upper School
eschneider@shorecrest.org
727-456-7529

Mark Your Calendars - 

Wednesday, August 20
First Day of School 2025-2026! Convocation for Upper School, formal dress.

Thursday, August 21
Not a late start Thursday

Wednesday, August 27
Upper School new families coffee

Monday, September 1
Labor Day - SCHOOL CLOSED 

Wednesday, September 3
College Counseling Meet & Greet

Thursday, September 4
Picture Day: Grades 5-11
College Counseling Senior Launch
Upper School Back to School Night

Medical Papers and Online Forms

Online forms and your child’s medical papers need to be completed. Medical forms can be turned into the Middle School office or to the school nurse, Donna Conroy, in the Clinic. 

Carline Safety and Reminders

Officers from the St. Pete Police Department are on 1st Street every day that school is in session to help facilitate traffic turning into / out of campus and to keep our walkers and bikers safe. 

Please be sure to review arrival and dismissal instructions and video. 

We ask for your patience and understanding, particularly during the first weeks of school, as we welcome more than 1,000 students to campus each morning in under an hour.

Student Announcements

Student-specific announcements are shared by Student Council every Sunday in an email called "TWIUS" (This Week In The Upper School). This page is regularly updated by our Administrative Assistant, Fatima Morlando. 

New Faces in the College Counseling Office!

Over the summer we welcomed two new additions to the CCO Team! Mr. Richard Aufderheide and Mr. Aidan Steinly are both excited to have your students back on campus and to have the opportunity to get to know your families. Please stop by and welcome them to Shorecrest! 

[Meet all new Faculty and Staff]

College Reps Visiting Shorecrest

In order to attend visits with college representatives, your student must sign-up in Cialfo at least 24 hours in advance. Simply log-in and look for the list of colleges that will be joining us this fall. Visits will begin the week of August 25. Check out the list of amazing schools who have already booked visits with us. Check back often as the list continues to grow each day! 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. 

College Visits:

Upcoming College Counseling Events

Meet & Greet - Wednesday, September 3, 9:15–10:15am in the Ohana Community Room on the 2nd floor of Charger Commons.

Senior Launch - Thursday, September 4, 6-7pm, Janet Root Theatre. For parents/guardians of the Class of 2026 only.

First Year Foundation - Tuesday, September 9, 6-7:30pm, Janet Root Theatre. For students and families of the Class of 2029.

Sophomore Strategies - Tuesday, September 30,  6-7:30pm, Janet Root Theatre. For students and families of the Class of 2028.

Revolution Prep Resources

Free online practice exam schedule:

Dads Night Out, August 27

Shorecrest Dads are invited to a casual meetup on Wednesday, August 27, 7:30–9:30pm at Three Birds Tavern, 1492 4th St N, St. Pete.

Dads Night Out holds informal get togethers most months, usually at the end of the month at 7:30pm at a local bar. Nothing fancy, these are not school-sponsored events. The intent is to provide an opportunity for dads to get to know each other in a casual and social setting. 

The first gathering of this year will be at Three Birds Tavern in the lower outdoor patio area.

Contact Frank to join the email reminder list: frank.casano@gmail.com 

All-School Calendar

Upper School Contacts