Letter from Mr. Schneider

Dear Upper School Families,

It’s hard to believe that we are entering into our fourth full week of school. It has been such a great start with a real positive vibe. By now students have begun to experience their first major assessments. It is a good time to encourage proper nutrition, rest and a consistent academic routine. 

With the outcomes of those assessments, whether positive or negative, it is important to reinforce the importance of learning from mistakes, not becoming complacent and reevaluating study strategies if needed. We hope our students understand that our teachers are there to support them and to foster academic growth and achievement. Being mindful that posted grades so early in the year can cause wild fluctuations in course averages, we intentionally mask Schoology overall averages for the first few weeks of school so as not to draw too much concern over what might be small, insignificant numbers by the end of the semester. We want you to be aware that we have reached that time where enough grade entries now warrant those averages from being available to students and their parents. 

Cell Phone Use
As you know we ask all students to place their phones in the designated classroom holder at the start of each class. This policy not only minimizes distractions but also serves an important developmental goal. We want to guide our high schoolers in building healthy digital habits—learning to balance their phone's power as a tool with the self-discipline to put it away when necessary. With that said, we ask a favor: Teachers have been reporting that students are requesting to use their phones during class time to communicate with parents, presumably after receiving texts through their laptops or other devices. While we know that parents are not intentionally trying to cause classroom distractions, we ask that you have a conversation with your child that it is OK in that situation to wait until the end of a class to respond. Of course if there is an emergency a parent can always call Fatima Morlando in the office at 727-456-7530, and we will not hesitate to pull a student from class.

Homecoming 2025
We're excited to announce the schedule for Homecoming 2025! Due to a shortened week and the PSAT, we've adjusted our usual timeline to ensure all students can participate in the festivities. Homecoming will officially kick off on Friday, October 17, with our Homecoming Court presentation at halftime of the highly anticipated football game. The following week, Monday, October 20-Saturday, October 25, will be packed with special events including dress-up days (October 21-23), a class competition day (October 24), and the culminating Homecoming Dance (October 25). We look forward to celebrating with our students and creating lasting memories.

Schedule Changes
The drop/add deadline for courses is September 17. Students who wish to add or drop a course must do so by this date by meeting with Dean Frey.

This year a new policy has been introduced to better support transitions from an honors course to a college prep course. The deadline for these changes has been extended to October 15, allowing students additional time to adjust to the honors curriculum and determine whether it is the right fit. No schedule changes of this type will be permitted after October 15.

Student Drivers
Students have been doing a great job with driving and parking on campus. While we will continue to remind students of the rules, please help us reinforce the following:

• Drive slowly (15MPH). 

• Follow the direction of our Facilities and Campus Safety staff that are assisting with traffic. They will report poor driving to us and there are many cameras available to help us identify drivers and their vehicles.

• Be very careful at the crosswalks on campus.

• Watch for pedestrians and bikers on the First Street sidewalks. Stop and look behind the stop sign.

• All student vehicles on campus are required to be registered and should have a small registration sticker inside the driver-side windshield. Students can come to the US office to register and receive their sticker.

Have a wonderful week!

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

Mark Your Calendars - 

Tuesday, September 16

• Summer 2026 trip info session 

• Alumni Fall Social

Saturday, September 27
SCA Soiree Beneath the Waves: A Florida Cocktail Odyssey presented by Mann Orthodontics

Tuesday, September 30
Sophomore Strategies - College Counseling Seminar

Thursday, October 2
Dads Night Out

Tuesday, October 7
Junior Journey

October 10-13
Fall Long Weekend, No School Friday & Monday

Wednesday, October 15
The Shorecrest Advantage - Exploring Upper School

Wednesday, October 29
Picture Retake Day

From Kristie Dowling, Advisor for The Chronicle

The Chronicle is a 100% student-produced publication that includes a newspaper, website, Instagram, and Tiktok - plus we partner with the school literary magazine, Riptides, to bring you original student creative writing on our website. Our first print issue will be out October 14! In the meantime please check out our weekly website articles uploaded every Monday at spschronicle.org. This week, we released junior Avery Lurie's article "Being Pale Won't Kill You, but Cancer Might." Check it out! Please follow us on Instagram @sps.chronicle for daily reporting on various events happening around campus. And you can sign up for our newsletter here. 

Have a question, concern, accolade, or gripe about something The Chronicle has written? Send us an email at spschronicle@shorecrest.org. 

Thanks for reading and supporting the award-winning Chronicle!

Seniors:

Seniors should schedule a meeting with their lead college counselor prior to September 30 to finalize college lists and plan for applications (review Common App, STARS, personal statements). 

College application season has started! Remember to turn in pink sheets and meet with your college counselor before submitting applications. October 1 is the deadline to submit pink sheets for EA at FSU, UCF, FAU, UT Austin, Clemson, UNC, UGA, U. South Carolina. 

September 19 is the deadline to register for the October 4 SAT.

First Year Students:

If you were unable to attend the First Year Foundation presentation, be sure to stop by the College Counseling Office to pick up an orange folder. The presentation is available on the Class of 2029 College Counseling Schoology page. 

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. 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

Spellman Preview Session - Tuesday, September 23, 7pm, Janet Root Theatre. Register for this event here.

Sophomore Strategies - Tuesday, September 30, 6pm, Janet Root Theatre. Dedicated programming for tenth grade students and their families

BAIS College Fair - Sunday, October 5, 12pm - 2pm, St. Pete Coliseum. For students and families in the Upper School. Be sure to register to receive a QR code for college reps to scan at the fair (see below graphic for registration information)

Junior Journey - Tuesday, October 7, 6pm, Janet Root Theatre. Dedicated programming for eleventh grade students and their families 

Revolution Prep Resources

Free online practice exam schedule:

Shorecrest Vaccine Policy 

Recently proposed changes to State of Florida vaccine mandates do not apply to private schools. Shorecrest has no intention of changing its vaccine policy for students. 

All-School Calendar

Upper School Contacts