November 30, 2020

Dear Upper School Families,

Hopefully last week gave you and your children time to relax before heading into December and the stretch leading into midterm exams and projects.

Our schedule for the next three weeks is below, including a detailed upper school exam schedule for the week of December 14th. Note: MS and US exam schedules operate independently, and US exams were shortened to one and a half hours instead of two hours. For students who take the bus or carpool with siblings who have different schedules, we will have designated rooms in which to study or wait. Lunch will be provided for those who wish to get a boxed lunch from our dining hall.

The midterm exam schedule was designed specifically to accommodate a smaller population of students on campus for each time slot. This allows us to maintain social distancing while still affording students a focused testing environment with more direct access to their instructors. Students essentially arrive for their exams, report directly to their testing rooms and may depart when they are finished. This mitigates the transition periods we experience during a normal class day while still offering an appropriate academic setting for testing.

All students are expected to take their exams at the scheduled times, whether on campus or via Zoom, unless make-ups are required under extenuating circumstances (make-up times are included in the schedule below). We encourage students to take their assessments in person at school, but it is not required, as we understand that some families have made personal decisions regarding in-person learning. Exams can be administered electronically through Google Classroom.

Regardless of the setting, we expect students to maintain the utmost integrity while taking the exams, and this includes using only the resources determined acceptable by their instructors.

English classes will be foregoing exams to continue working with students on their writing. Instead, students will submit an essay for their class by Friday, December 11th.

US Midterm Exam Schedule (50% model)

Generally, students in Grades 9-10 arrive on campus first (earlier exam session), leave campus by 10:30 a.m., and then students in Grades 11-12 arrive at 10:45 a.m. for their 11:00 a.m. exam. Students using extended time will receive appropriate accommodations.

Monday, December 14th
  • 8:00 a.m. – World Language (Levels 1-2)
  • 11:00 a.m. – World Language (Levels 3-5)
  • 1:30 p.m. – Make-up Exams

Tuesday, December 15th
  • 8:00 a.m. – Science (BIO/ABIO/CHEM/ACHEM)
  • 11:00 a.m. – Science (PHYS/APHYS/HPHYS/HCHEM/HBIO/BIO2/EVBIO)
  • 1:30 p.m. – EnvSci/Phys2/Music Theory/Double-Conflicts/Make-up Exams

Wednesday, December 16th
  • 8:00 a.m. – History (World1/World 2/HWorld2)
  • 11:00 a.m. – History (US/HUS/ECON/HECON/senior classes)
  • 1:30 p.m. – Make-up Exams & Double-Conflicts

Thursday, December 17th
  • 8:00 a.m. – Math (ALG1/GEOM/AGEOM/ALG2/AALG2/HPC/ASTATS/HSTATS) 
  • 11:00 a.m. – Math (PC/CALC//HCALC1/HCALC1&2/HCALC2/MVC)
  • 1:30 p.m. – Make-up Exams

Friday, December 18th – No School (Winter Break Begins)
US Schedule Nov30-Dec18
Grades for Semester 2 will be available for viewing via MySchoolApp on Wednesday, January 6th, at 4:00 p.m.

Lunches will continue to be offered by SAGE in December. We will send a survey along with a menu to all US students later this week for them to decide if they want a boxed lunch for the week of December 7-11. Students may continue to pack their own lunches, and seniors may still get lunch via take-out or drive-thru.

Given the nature of the pandemic and our need to be flexible, we’ll continue to be in touch should any changes need to be made to the existing plan. If you have any questions about midterms or attendance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. As always, thank you for your partnership.

Warmly,

Head of Upper School