Upper school program guide
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Student Activities
Academic Organizations Broadcasting Club Students broadcast weekly sport events.
Students promote Classics in the modern world through service, social and scholastic opportunities.
Students create ceramic arts and sponsor the Empty Bowls service event.
Students explore creative writing opportunities.
Students gather to develop public speaking and oratory skills.
Students create and produce a magazine comprised of student literary work.
Students engage in research, public speaking and debate in preparation for Model UN Conferences.
Students provide peer tutoring for Physics classes.
Students coordinate monthly student performances during break.
This organization provides opportunity for students to engage in programming competitions such as CyberPatriot.
The student-run newspaper publishes six times per year, with a staff comprised of writers, editors, photographers and videographers.
Students provide peer tutoring for Math classes.
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Writing Center Students(provide(peer(review(editing.
Students(upport(the(yearbook(staff(and(provide(photographic(and(editorial(coverage(of( school(events.
All Cultures All People This inclusive student affinity group celebrates and promotes cultural diversity.
This student affinity group provides opportunity for Asian students and others to come together in the community and foster cultural awareness.
This student affinity group provides opportunities for students of color to come together in the community, discuss current events and educational opportunities, and foster cultural awareness.
This organization encourages athletes to participate in Christian fellowship and bond over food, games, and Bible studies.
Students work closely with local campaigns to elect Democratic candidates to public office, advocate for issues important to the party, and follow, live up to and model the principles of the party while remaining respectful of others’ views.
This organization engages young Republicans in political awareness and activism.
This organization provides opportunities for students of different faiths to come together in community.
Students provide a supportive environment for LGBT youth and allies in a community of inclusion.
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Service, Activism and Awareness Organizations Best Buddies Promoter Chapter Students coordinate with the National Best Buddies Organization to empower youth to become advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Students create ceramic arts and sponsor the Empty Bowls service event.
This advocacy group promotes active interest in environmental issues, influences school policy and organizes actions to support sustainability.
Students raise awareness of and support for families who suffer the effects of poverty in Fairfax County.
This organization provides volunteer opportunities to help dogs through the non-profit organization A Forever Home.
Students raise funds and gather gently-used technology devices to support Arya Anathalaya, an all-girls’ school in India.
Students raise awareness and support for this rare form of cancer.
Students raise awareness and support for communities in Haiti.
This organization provides volunteer opportunities to support the Katherine Hanley Homeless Shelter.
Students provide awareness of and support for Operation Smile.
Students coordinate all efforts related to the Flint Hill School Relay for Life Team in preparation for the annual event held at George Mason University.
This organization provides local affiliation with Students Against Destructive Decisions.
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SAGE (Students Advocating for Guatemalan Equality) Students spread awareness of and raise support for Guatemalan Equity.
Students raise funds and raise awareness to save a child in need.
Students raise funds for the Panthera Fund to benefit endangered tigers in the wild.
Students support Flint Hill all-school service events, including Husky Dress fundraisers, Week of Thankful Giving, Giving Tree, Coat Drive and Blood Drive.
This organization raises awareness of human trafficking.
Students research and support various philanthropic causes, raising funds via bake sales.
Students raise funds and awareness to support the Dhan Foundation and Charity-Water.
Students raise awareness and provide support.
Anime Club Students watch and enjoy various anime/publications.
Students interested in the game and strategy of chess gather.
Students with shared interests gather to watch and review popular films.
Students review popular films for The View.
Students gather to share filming, production and editing best practices.
This organization provides opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs and innovators to explore areas of finance, marketing and new business development.
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Games Club Students gather for video games and camaraderie.
Students with common interest in skiing and snowboarding gather.
This student affinity group is interested in advancing STEM.
Students hold table tennis tournaments in classrooms.
Students build bridges and structures out of a variety of materials following the Truss engineering design.
Athletic Advisory Council This(self:nominated(and(faculty:selected(student(leadership(group(prepares(and(plans(school( spirit(events(at(athletic(events,(Homecoming,(Winterfest(and(Springfest.
Honor Council This(self:nominated(and(peer/faculty:elected(representatives(is(dedicated(to(maintaining( and(upholding(the(standards(of(the(Honor(Code(within(the(student(body.
This(self:nominated(and(faculty:selected(student(leadership(group(welcomes(prospective( students(and(families(to(our(community(at(Open(House(Admission(events(and(visits.
Peer Counselors This(self:nominated(and(faculty:selected(student(leadership(group(provides(peer(feedback( and(counseling(to(Freshmen(and(Upper(Class(students(in(conjunction(with(the(Counseling( Department.( Student Council Association (SCA) In(this(elected(leadership(position,(students ((become(involved(in(the(administrative(and( operational(affairs(of(the(school.(The(SCA(is(responsible(for(coordinating(school(events( including(dances(and(upholding(school(traditions(in(partnership(with(administration.(
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Student Support
Personal Advisors
A student’s advisor is his/her primary advocate, monitoring all aspects of his/her experience and progress. The advisor is the primary liaison between students and teachers, and between parents and the school. Advisors work closely with teachers and the appropriate Class Dean if a student needs additional academic and/or other types of support.
Each student in the Upper School is assigned to an advisor for Grade 9 and selects an advisor for Grades 10-12 in May of each subsequent year. Advisory groups are typically no larger than 12 students and meet at the beginning of each day as well as once per cycle for a long advisory period. These longer meetings allow advisors to review the Morning Report, discuss upcoming events, or simply spend time learning more about the school experience of their advisees.
Class Deans are assigned to each of the four grade levels to provide an administrative presence devoted to the needs of those classes and individual students. Each Class Dean chairs bi-weekly grade level faculty meetings, working with the Upper School counselors and the individual faculty advisors of particular students to develop plans of assistance and support. Each Class Dean also works with the student leaders of his/her particular class to develop activities that build class community and encourage members of the class to exercise new forms of leadership.
The Upper School Counseling Department consists of two mental health professionals who provide confidential, thoughtful and continuing consultation and referral for families and students. Counseling services also include organizing psychoeducational programs for students and parent education forums throughout the year.
Counselors work with students, families and faculty and staff to address social, emotional and behavioral issues that arise within the community. Counselors provide short-term counseling, mental health assessments, ongoing support, coaching and referrals to community and mental health resources. Consultation and collaboration with teachers, administrators, school counseling staff, specialty school staff, families and outside mental health professionals provide seamless service and support to students. Counselors are also members of the Student Support Team (SST), a multi-disciplinary team whose efforts focus on assisting and supporting students with specific challenges.
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Parent Education The Counseling Department develops, organizes and facilitates psychoeducational programs for students, parents and faculty based on the social and emotional needs of the school community, as a whole.
In The Learning Center, Learning Specialists offer personalized attention and specialized academic help to students who learn differently. Learning support is available to students with documented learning differences that impede their academic progress.
Each student who receives direct support from the Learning Center is assigned to a Learning Specialist who serves as his/her academic coach. Students meet with their coaches on a regularly scheduled basis for one-to-one, 30-minute sessions, which take place during free periods. In their initial meetings, academic coaches help each student craft a personal coaching agreement to set goals, outline action steps and create a plan for accountability. Coaching sessions keep students on track and allow them to quickly address obstacles that interfere with progress. While the focus of coaching is primarily academic, it weaves in other commitments the student may have such as athletics, fine arts and service learning.
Study sessions are available to all students, whether or not they use the Learning Center. Held in classrooms and staffed by both a Learning Specialist and a classroom teacher, students receive structure and academic support to help them complete the action steps they have identified.
All students and teachers have a daily extra help period that occurs 2:30-3:30 p.m. – occurs after the official end of academic classes, but before athletic practices and other extracurricular activities begin. During this time, students may visit classroom teachers for additional content support.
College counseling is a comprehensive effort at Flint Hill. The College Counseling Office provides important support and guidance to families, while the academic and extracurricular programs of the school build the foundation students need to succeed and continue to grow and meet the demands of college life. Appropriately timed and developmentally designed, the college counseling program addresses student needs throughout the Upper School experience, most intensely during the junior and senior years.
Grade 9
Students should begin developing a strong academic foundation by developing effective study skills, good homework habits and initiating relationships with faculty. Students should choose courses that reflect their interests and strengths, while balancing their ability to achieve their best and be challenged. Any academic deficiencies should be addressed so that the student can
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continue to progress in each academic discipline.
Students should continue to develop existing extracurricular and personal interests and/or explore new opportunities – focusing on quality rather than quantity. While some believe there are “right” activities, what is most important to colleges is not what a student does; rather, it is whether a student invests him/herself in the community – school and beyond – and to what degree.
Families are introduced to Naviance – Family Connection, the school’s college counseling website, which includes components that help students identify potential areas of academic and career interest and ultimately provide insight into their prospective college choices.
Grade 10
Sophomores take the PSAT for practice in October and the ACT Aspire, a practice ACT, in the spring. The administration of the PSAT in tenth grade is purely for practice and exposure to the test. The scores earned on both the sophomore and junior year PSATs do not become part of the official testing record forwarded to colleges, and have no bearing whatsoever on the students’ application process. PSAT results from the sophomore year are not considered by the National Merit Scholarship Program. By exposing sophomores to the ACT via Aspire, Flint Hill increases student awareness of the standardized test that has become a very popular option for both our students and students nationally.
Sophomores are introduced to the college search process through The GPA Game. In small groups, students learn about the various components that comprise a college application and their relative importance in the application review process. Through an interactive and fun exchange, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of each component in the decision-making process employed by college admission officers when they determine whom to admit.
Junior year is important in a student’s Upper School experience. The developmental changes that often occur between Grades 10 and 11 are significant, and students are often more focused, mature and motivated. They can begin to see beyond Upper School and have more definite ideas about what they want for themselves. Everyone matures at a different rate, though, and, while some juniors are very focused at the outset of the school year, some are not so until the end of eleventh grade, or even the beginning of senior year. Despite these different rates of maturation, junior year is the correct time to introduce the specific aspects of the college search.
In October, juniors sit for the PSAT. This administration of the test is used as the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program; only results from a student’s third year of high school are considered. Students whose selection index (the sum of the three subscores) exceeds the cutoff for Virginia (as determined by the National Merit Program), are named National Merit Semi-Finalists. Students whose scores exceed a nationally-designated level are named Commended Students. Each year the cutoff for semifinalist status can vary; it has ranged 217- 220 for Virginia. Typically, the cutoff for commended status has been 200-203.
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Each year the College Counseling Office sponsors an evening program for juniors and their parents to initiate the college search process. This program, the Junior Family College Night, occurs in early November and features an overview of the College Counseling Program, as well as a panel discussion with Flint Hill parents who are veterans of the college search process. Families receive their copies of the Flint Hill College Planner, which provides advice and helpful perspective on how to approach the college search.
Throughout the spring, beginning in early February, junior families meet individually with their College Counselor for the Family Conference. The Family Conference provides the opportunity for students and parents to ask individual questions and for the College Counselors to provide tailored advice regarding standardized testing, senior year course selection and colleges of interest. Our discussion regarding course selection takes each student’s performance and areas of interest into account, in order to create a program of study that challenges the student, helps make him/her both competitive and prepared for admission consideration in a specific field of study (if appropriate), and allows him/her to achieve his/her best performance.
Each spring the College Counseling Office sponsors the annual College Conference for Juniors, which brings admission officers to school to meet in small groups with juniors to discuss various aspects of the college search and application process. Topics include making the most of campus visits, presenting oneself well in an interview, expert application tips and researching colleges.
During the late winter and spring, juniors participate in junior seminars, small group sessions about different aspects of the college search process. Topics include an introduction to researching colleges and making the most of campus visits.
While everyone is aware of the importance of junior year, many do not realize the role of the senior year in the college search and in a student’s preparation for college-level work. Students are encouraged to choose classes that both challenge them – indicating to colleges their desire to push themselves academically – and prepare them for college-level work.
Each summer the College Counseling Office publishes a series of deadlines designed to provide the framework for a successful college search. Our “summer mailing” provides students with a calendar of deadlines by which different components of the college application process should be completed to insure success. The College Counselors support students throughout the application process, providing feedback and advice.
During the first weeks of school, the College Counseling Office sponsors the Senior/Parent College Night when the College Counselors review the process for submitting applications and provide insight into the application process. Additionally, senior families also receive their senior guide to the application process, a comprehensive review of the necessary steps of a successful application process. Each of Flint Hill’s College Counselors has worked as a college admission officer prior to joining the Flint Hill community. This experience informs our College Counseling Program and the support and guidance we provide to families.
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Beginning in mid-September, college representatives from approximately 100 schools visit Flint Hill’s College Counseling Office. Seniors should watch the morning report and review the list of visitors online, and should plan to attend the sessions of the college in which they are interested. Seniors may miss class to attend these sessions, but must sign up by the end of the school day before the meeting and must obtain the permission of their teachers if missing class.
Throughout the course of the year, the College Counselors conduct senior seminars, small group, after-school sessions designed to help students manage the demands of the college application process and be well prepared to make the transition to college life. Topics may include:
• You Only Get One Chance to Make a First Impression – How to Best Present Yourself on Your College Application • It’s a Crazy Year – How to Manage Your Stress • So, Tell Me about Yourself – Be Prepared for Your Alumni Interview • College is Expensive – Find Money to Go • I’m Not Motivated – I Think It’s Senioritis • I Have $12 in My Bank Account and It’s Only March – Money Management for College • Nice to Meet You – Let’s Share a 12’x12’ Room for a Year – Roommates and Social
Adjustment in College • 973 Class and I Can Only Take 40 – Academic Planning for College
The goals of the College Counseling Program are to ensure that families feel confident in their approach to the college search and that students have good college choices. Flint Hill students have access to well-informed advice and support, creating confidence and inspiring a thoughtful approach to the next step in their educations.
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