Dear Parents,
It’s February 1. We have completed six months of the 2020-21 school year and have four months to go. I am full of gratitude for what the Lord has allowed us to accomplish this year. I spent the month of January meeting with each Upper School faculty and staff member for our mid-year meetings. I asked each member of the team to identify one source of joy and one source of challenge in their work last semester. Almost every single person identified that their joy was being present with your students.
Research shows that February is a particularly stressful month in the lifecycle of a school year. We’re in the doldrums of winter; seasonal affective disorder is definitely real. There is much to accomplish before spring break. Senioritis begins setting in for seniors if it hasn’t done so already. Typically, there aren’t as many “rallying points” for the community (though this week is Winter Week). Stress and absences go hand-in-hand, and both are higher in February.
Last Friday, the leadership team and other managers across campus began engaging in Relational Wisdom training. Each person completes the training modules individually, and then we come together once a month to process as a small group. Each lesson ends with the opportunity to dig deeper where you can choose a couple of articles to read and reflection questions to answer. I chose to work through this article. As believers, we know one way to protect against the devil’s schemes is to cultivate a heart of gratitude. As we begin what can be a challenging month, I pray we ward against stress, grumbling, complaint, weariness, etc. by reflecting on all the ways the Lord has blessed us. I encourage your family to take time to read this article, meditate on the scriptures provided, and answer the questions. May our gratitude give us gladness of heart and our gladness bring us joy and our joy sustain us and allow us to persevere.
In partnership,
Jen Woods
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Resources through Axis
If you would like additional insight about how to talk to your child about his or her social media engagement, please reach out to School Counselor Mr. Jeff Peeples who can connect you with resources from Axis.
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Looking Ahead: Middle School and Upper School Schedule
On Monday, February 8, and Monday, March 29, the Middle School and Upper School will follow an in-person, late-start Friday schedule. Those weeks are four-day weeks due to President’s Day and Easter breaks, and this shift allows classes to meet an equal amount of times even when there is no school on Friday.
Choosing Virtual Learning
As we came out of hybrid learning, we noticed an uptick in students attempting to join virtual classes though they did not have approval from Upper School Principal Mrs. Jennifer Woods. We are working to build a consistent learning environment for both students and teachers. To develop this consistency, it is very important for teachers to know which students to expect as virtual learners.
Remember, families who have concerns about COVID may opt-in to virtual learning for two-week increments. If you need to opt your student in to virtual learning due to COVID-related concerns, you should communicate directly with Mrs. Woods with as much advance notice as possible. Students who do not have approval to learn virtually will not be admitted to virtual classrooms and will be counted as absent. Please take time to review the complete remote learning protocols. We appreciate your partnership in this area!
PSAT 10 for Sophomores on February 22
10th grade students will be taking the PSAT on Monday, February 22. Please remember it is important that students get a good night’s sleep before test day and eat a nutritious breakfast that morning. Be sure that students arrive on time and are in their testing classrooms no later than 7:45 a.m. with several sharpened number 2 pencils. Students will need to bring their own calculators for the math portion of the test. A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended. Students may not share calculators, use pocket organizers, or use cellphone/smart watch calculators. Testing will finish before lunch, and students will attend their regularly scheduled afternoon classes. If your child receives extended time, Mrs. Eden Gulledge will communicate the testing schedule for that day.
We believe this will be a valuable experience for our sophomores as they will have their results from both the PreACT and PSAT 10 to make an informed decision about which standardized tests (ACT or SAT) to take for college admissions purposes. We appreciate your support. If you would like more information, visit collegeboard.org and click on the PSAT section. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Jeff Horner.
Community Service Requirement Reminder
The purpose of our community service requirement is to build within our students an awareness of the needs of the communities in which God has placed them and to gain an understanding of how their gifts can be used by God to meet those needs. The requirement is 15 hours per school year, 10 of which must be performed as a service to those outside the Whitefield community.
All Upper School service hours must be logged into our computer program www.x2Vol.com. Seniors must have their 15 hours completed, submitted, and verified before March 31. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors must complete, submit, and verify their 15 hours by April 30. Page 17 of the Student Handbook (located within the Parent Portal) provides detailed information regarding the goals and policies for community service. Please contact Mr. Mike Shaheen, Mr. Jesse Holthus, or Ms. Caroline Kraehe if you have any questions.
Fine Arts Honor Society Induction
Eligible students will be inducted to the Fine Arts Honor Societies on Wednesday, February 17, at 8:00 a.m. Due to distancing requirements, students will attend the event in-person, and their parents and other family members will attend virtually (link to come in future communication). The ceremony for visual arts inductees will be in the Louise Owens Theater, and the ceremony for music inductees will be in the Barnett Gathering Room. Please contact Mrs. Rebecca Brown and Mrs. Stacy Quiros for more information.
National Honor Society Induction
Students selected for National Honor Society will be inducted on Wednesday, February 24, at 8:00 a.m. Due to distancing requirements, students will attend the event in-person, and their parents and other family members will attend virtually (link to come in future communication). Please contact Mrs. Kelly Jones for more information.
Masks and Water Bottles
As we all seek to partner together and build a healthy and safe school environment, we encourage parents to please ensure that their children come to school with multiple masks and a refillable water bottle. The Upper School is equipped with a touchless water dispenser. Currently, we are handing out dozens of masks per day, as well as dozens of small, plastic water bottles per day. This pace is not sustainable. We appreciate your partnership in helping your child form these healthy and environmentally-friendly habits.
Common Ground
Upper School students are invited to join us for Common Ground in the Upper School Library at 8:30 a.m. on the following dates:
- February 10
- February 24
- March 10
- March 24
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- 2-8-21 Late-start Friday schedule
- 2-12-21 No School, Teacher In-Service
- 2-15-21 No School, President’s Day
- 2-17-21 Fine Arts Honor Society Induction, 8:00 a.m., LOT and BGR
- 2-22-21 PSAT 10 for Sophomores
- 2-24-21 NHS Induction, 8:00 a.m., LOT
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