US Update 08.03.22

Upper School

Hello, Upper School Students and Families!

Happy August! I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far and continue to take a much needed break until we kick off all the exciting back to school events and activities.

This communication is just a brief interruption to your summer to share a few updates, reminders, and important dates to mark on your calendars for August and September. (It may seem far away but it’s right around the corner.)

Updates + reminders

First, let’s talk about the back to school page. Here you will find everything you need to know to get you ready for your first day including t-pass ordering, information on transportation, 22-23 major dates calendar, PowerSchool and Canvas information, and so much more.

I’m sure you are all wondering about your schedules for next year. Don’t worry! You will see an email from the Registrar’s Office this week.

Next up, Athletics. I’d like to welcome Alex Gould as the Interim Director and the rest of the BVR Athletics team, Alyssa Hart and Abby Hewett. I look forward to a great fall season and I hope to see you cheering on our teams. As mentioned in the Summer Athletics Update, there are a few important dates to mark down. Optional summer conditioning and training begin on August 22, preseason tryouts on August 29, and an athletics meeting for families on August 29. Please see more details in the update and sign up for the optional conditioning and training here.

In case you missed it, please take a look at the on-campus parking message.

Looking for some books to read but don't know what to select? A Dam Good Read has some great options. Students can opt-in to this summer community reading program, and in the fall, there will be student-led discussions about the books they read or podcasts they listened to.

Now it’s time to mark your calendar for back to school events!

Wednesday, August 31

Upper School Welcome

12 to 1 p.m. OR 4 to 5 p.m.

Join us for this "who’s who" in the Upper School. More details to follow in an email invite in mid-August.

*We are offering two times for this event, please attend whichever Welcome event works best with your scheduled advisory meeting.

Opening Advisory Meetings

12 to 5 p.m.

Meetings between you, your child, and their advisor. Look out for an email in a few weeks from the Registrar's Office to sign up for a meeting time.

Friday, September 9

US Student Orientation

9 to 3 p.m.

A day for students to build connections and relationships within the Upper School community.

➡️ We want to hear from you! (Students)

We are looking for returning students to provide feedback and ideas to plan this year’s orientation day. Interested? Great! Send me an email at creddy@bcdschool.org.

Thinking about year one, as I prepare for year two

Throughout last year, I was able to listen and learn from many people in the Beaver community and hear about their impressive accomplishments and experiences they’ve had as members of our community, and as members of many other communities they represent. There were also challenging moments in the world we were all navigating that were (and will continue to be) important for growth and improvement. While instinct may drive us to avoid those moments, they are important instances of learning for all of us.

As an educator, I want/hope students to become informed and engaged people who will play meaningful roles in their communities. Our stories connect us, so I welcome opportunities to listen, ask questions, share empathy, and affirm our community's uniqueness, helping me grow as the Director of Upper School.

You may be wondering what I’ve been up to over the summer to prepare for starting the upcoming school year. Just to name a few things, I am looking forward to welcoming our new faculty to campus on August 23 for their orientation the week before all faculty return to campus; I’ve been working with BVR Connects, a program comprised of current Beaver Upper School students who will mentor and play important roles of partnering with students new to the Upper School; building new student programming with our Deans; and collaborating with our Strategic Support team (Academic Programming, Student Life, College Counseling, Academic Support, and Wellness) to plan for a great year ahead.

I’ve also had the chance to spend some time exploring my newish surroundings in the Boston area, there’s still a lot more to see! I’m excited for the upcoming year to see you all back on campus! And new students: I can’t wait to meet you and your families at our upcoming events!

Now let’s get back to summer. Stay cool and enjoy.

Chai Reddy

Director of Upper School