Letter to Parents from Lowell regarding Open House and the Student Assistance Program

September, 2014

Dear Upper School Families,

On Wednesday, September 17, we get to show off the 2014 model of the Upper School academic program at Open House.  You will follow a modified version of your child’s schedule, which has been sent to you via email.  Please print out the schedule and bring it with you or plan to access it from your smart-phone.  If you forget the paper schedule at home, Holly Khiel, the US Assistant, will print one off for you.  She will be in the US Office near the cafe stairs.

The evening starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. in your child’s homeroom and will end around 9:00. In homeroom you will meet your child’s advisor and learn more about the advising program. After homeroom, you will follow your child’s class schedule and hear from each one of his or her teachers.

While this evening provides a wonderful opportunity for you to learn about our program, it is not the time to discuss individual students.  If you do have specific concerns, please contact your child’s advisor, Dean of Students Cathie Connors, or me.  Although you will spend the majority of Open House following your child’s schedule, please feel free to visit the Arts Center where light refreshments will be served or the library in the Emery building.

I would also like to focus your attention on the Student Assistance Program.  As the Upper School experience unfolds, we recognize that our students are juggling multiple priorities – from rigorous academics and demanding after school schedules to increasingly complex social lives.  The Student Assistance Program is designed to support students with personal, emotional, and/or health issues that can arise.  Any person who has a concern about a student (including the student) may obtain support by speaking with me, Dean of Students Cathie Connors, or any faculty or staff member.  Please review the more detailed description of the program in the School Handbook.

As part of our Student Assistance Program, the School has two consulting psychologists, Dr. Charlie Whitehead and Dr. Mary McCann. As consultants to faculty and staff, they are asked routinely to confer with administrators and faculty about students, to review student records, and to meet with students on a short-term basis. Parents may or may not be informed when the School employs Dr. Whitehead or Dr. McCann in these ways. Please contact me with questions or concerns.

Finally, as you know, Waynflete is part of a residential community so we strive to minimize our traffic and parking impact. In that spirit, we are working with the entire school community to reduce the number of cars that travel to and from school each day and to also restrict where people park. In addition to minimizing our impact onour neighborhood,these measures are intended to reduce our carbon footprint.

For the Open House, we ask that you consider the following transportation and parking options.

• If you live within walking distance, take advantage of the fine autumn weather!
• Peruse the directory or think of friends who live along your driving route and consider a carpool.
• Look on campus first for parking, which includes the parking areas behind Thomas House and outside of the library.  If those spaces are filled, please park on Spring Street, the school side of Danforth Street, Emery Street, or Vaughan Street.

We really look forward to seeing you at the 6-12 Open House on Wednesday, September 17.

Warm regards,

Lowell W. Libby

Upper School Director