Episcopal Upper School Newsletters

Dear Upper School Families,

The school year is in full swing here, and our students and faculty are hard at work, learning and teaching and growing together.  As a relative newcomer myself, I am happy to witness this opening week and echo the Psalmist:  "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when sisters and brothers dwell together in unity!"  I am honored to be a part of this school, and I am profoundly grateful to you, for sharing your students with us and for allowing us to continue to build community.

You likely read earlier this week about the results of our communications survey.  As part of the school's commitment to ongoing improvement, I will be sending out this Upper School Newsletter twice a month.  It will be similar in format to the newsletters that other divisions send, and my hope is that it serves as a sort of clearinghouse for the important information that Upper School parents need.  The newsletter will include a brief note from the Head of Upper School, policy updates, a list of upcoming events and occasions, and reminders about any necessary action items.  Please know that this is an ongoing project, and I welcome your feedback.

ATTENDANCE:

Please remember that all absences must be reported through PowerSchool (video tutorial here).  

Looking ahead into the semester, please also know that we will be emphasizing our attendance policy this year; students who miss more than four sessions of any one class will be required to make up the minutes.  This is to comply with Louisiana state law.  You may hear this policy referred to as “No More Than Four” and, while there are some exceptions for school-sanctioned absences and for unavoidable absences (hospitalizations, natural disasters, etc), both reported and unreported absences count towards this limit. For more information, please refer to the handbook.

MEDICATION & MAGNUS HEALTH INFORMATION:

 If you need to turn in medications, please drop them off with our MS/US Nurse Amy Johns in the infirmary.  As with any time you visit campus, we ask that you stop at the Alumni House first to check in.  This is one of our most important security protocols, and we appreciate your help.

Please also be sure that your student has up-to-date information in our Magnus Health system.  This needs to be completed for every student, every year. 

Please note that if these updates are not received by September 2, 2025 (Tuesday after Labor Day), your student will not be permitted to attend school until the forms are completed.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Nurse Amy at [email protected]. 

CONTACTS:

Feel free to reach out to any of us in the Upper School office — we are here to help and support you.  If we're not the right contact, we’ll connect you with someone who can assist you best.

Dan Binder
US Division Head
[email protected]
225-755-2708

Scott Engholm
US Dean of Student Life
[email protected]
225-963-9894

Kristen Wilcox
US Counselor
[email protected]
225-755-2709

Danna Sabolik
US Assistant 
[email protected]
225-755-2711