May 17, 2023
Dear Upper School (US) Families,
One of my favorite books to read to my little ones is a story called And Then It’s Spring written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. It’s about a little boy patiently waiting for spring to arrive and his journey is told as much in words as it is in pictures. The images move from the grays and browns of winter to the pale yellows and pinks of early spring and then quite suddenly, the rich greens and azure blues of this particularly fleeting season burst through… and then it’s spring! I have been reminded frequently of this little story as I’ve walked around campus this past week. There is a joyfulness and lightness around here that only mid-May can usher in. With that said, please review the following information carefully as it pertains to the final weeks of classes, June exams, and the end of the academic year.
Final Weeks of Classes
This Thursday (May 18) will be our seniors’ final day of academic classes! They are excused from classes on Friday in honor of the Junior-Senior Prom being held that evening. Please note that 11th graders are required to be in school on Friday until 12:30 but may depart campus after that. All 9th and 10th graders are expected to be on campus for the full school day on Friday.
While next week will mark the start of Senior Selectives, regular classes will be ongoing for our 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. There is a good chance that if you are the parent or caretaker of an 11th grader that you’ll learn that a class or two of theirs will cease formal class meetings after this week. This only happens when a vast majority of the students in the class are seniors and their release from those classes will make them difficult to run effectively. That said, all 11th graders that find themselves with a course release will have a final project or paper to complete asynchronously during the final weeks of school. As an example, my English elective will drop down to just 3 juniors once the seniors leave so they will be working on a book of short stories and doing some writing on their own over the next few weeks in lieu of formal class meetings.
Exam Days
The days of Wednesday, June 7 – Friday, June 9 have been designated as exam days for our 9th & 10th graders (and a small handful of 11th graders). Please follow this link to read the document that I sent to the students earlier this week. You’ll notice that we’ve done some scaffolding around other assessments due in the week prior to and of exams. The goal is to spread out students’ responsibilities so that they can properly attend to each of their final obligations.
The US Exam schedule is posted to the Parent Resource Board (click here). Note that LogIn to MyD-E is required to view; for MyD-E LogIn help, contact D-E Technology Department at 201.227-3177 or email help@d-e.org.
While the 9s and 10s are taking a few exams, the 11th grade will be participating in our annual College Conference program. Information about this very useful program was shared earlier this month by Email Pushpage from Eileen Cunningham Feikens, our Dean of College Counseling (click here for details and to register for the Case Studies evening event on June 7, for both juniors and their parents/guardians).
End-of-Year Celebration
Finally, on Monday, June 12 all three grades in the Upper School will be participating in an end-of-year celebration of some kind. This day does not include any academic classes but is an important moment for the community; they have worked hard and deserve to celebrate that work with their classmates! And then, just like that, the final day of the academic year will be upon us (Tuesday, June 13). Students will briefly attend all of their classes, meet in advisory groups and as a division, collect their yearbooks and then head off into what ought to be a relaxing and restorative summer break. Please note that dismissal is at 1:30 on June 13 for the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools.
Best,
Kim Lalli
US Principal
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