Upper School Division News: August 23, 2024

By Mr. Chris Ames, Upper School Division Head

It was great to see our returning students, new students, and families on campus yesterday!  We’re looking forward to a great year and will continue to keep you updated with pertinent calendar updates, events, and important deadlines via the newsletter. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions regarding student schedules, the daily rotation of Upper School, or any other topic.  

Best,
Christopher Ames
Upper School Division Head

A LOOK AHEAD:

• Week of August 26, 2024 - First full week of classes.

The US will follow the new block rotation schedule.  This schedule may be found in the Student Orientation presentation (linked here) along with other valuable student handbook information, including attendance guidelines, eligibility requirements, dress code updates, etc.

• Wednesday, August 28 - Structured Flex Time

All US classes will utilize the Community Flex time that Wednesday afternoon to learn about the Academy Program at Winston and attend a College Counseling seminar.  

• Friday, August 30 - Upper School Class Drop-Add period closes

Students wishing to make schedule changes must contact Mr. Jennings or Mr. Ames by 8/30/24.  

• Monday, September 2 - Labor Day Holiday NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, September 4 @ 8:15 a.m. - PTO Meeting
• Thursday, September 5 @ 8 a.m. - Winston Senior Breakfast at the Pancake House
• Tuesday, September 10 @ 5 p.m. - Winston Parent Open House
• Thursday, September 19 - North Texas Giving Day

GENERAL UPDATES:

VARSITY PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Our Athletic Director, Coach Saunders, has asked all student athletes and their parents to register with the TAPPS student management system. The registration process may be found here.

ADJUSTED SCHEDULE DURING LABOR DAY WEEK
The week of September 2, 2024 will be a 4-day week at Winston. There will be no classes on Labor Day (Monday, September 2). US students will follow the 4-day week schedule (students have a copy in their Advisory folders). Please see the link here for both the 4-day and 3-day week schedules. 

SENIOR OFF CAMPUS LUNCHES
Friday, September 6 will be the first day Seniors may go off-campus for lunch. Any Senior leaving campus for lunch must have a permission form on file with the Upper School. Please see the link here to access the permission form. Forms, license and insurance information should be submitted to Mr. Ames (Upper School Division Head).  

STOMPING GROUND IMPROV CLUB IS BACK
This is an after-school program open to 7th-12th graders on Mondays from 3:30 - 4:40 p.m. The club will meet Monday, September 9 - Monday, November 18. This class is for anyone interested in finding fun in a judgment-free zone. No theater experience is necessary! The therapeutic benefits that are naturally embedded in the learning and performing process of improvisational comedy parallel the needs of a person with autism and other neurodivergent students. Students will  be introduced to the world of improv comedy and will learn basic agreement, guidelines, and scene work. Learn more from the flyer below and register your student here. 

A NOTE FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE:

This year, we've added a new photo sharing tool called Flickr. This page and full albums are only accessible via this link and others shared in THE NEST each week!