Episcopal Upper School Newsletters

Dear Upper School Families,

It was a real pleasure seeing so many of you at Wednesday’s Parents’ Knight.  Our faculty always appreciate the opportunity to get to know you and to let you get to know them, and you are encouraged to reach out to any individual teachers with particular questions or concerns.  I am always available to help facilitate that communication as well.  

It may still feel like we just started the year, but we are almost halfway through the first quarter; by now, your students should be finding their footing, and may even be hitting their stride.  Your students have had their first tests, perhaps some major projects, and almost certainly some unexpected struggles and challenges.  This is the stuff that school life is made of, and even when it’s hard - and it will be hard – it’s a beautiful thing to see.  

We are continuing this year to participate in DEAR – Drop Everything and Read.  Some of you may already know about this program or remember it from last year.  The basic idea is that we Drop Everything And Read – every classroom, every teacher, and every student.  

This program starts today, Friday 8/28, at 1:55 p.m., and for fifteen minutes, we want your student to read.  This reading can be fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, or even a long-form magazine article.  The only real requirements are 
1) it has to be physical, paper-based material
2) it has to be for fun.  No textbooks, no assigned readings, just pleasure.  

Why?  The research shows that reading has real cognitive benefits.  It reinforces neural pathways and helps build connectivity.  Every time you read, it’s like another rep in a brain workout.  We also know that reading can reduce stress and increase empathy, expanding our mental horizons and helping us see beyond the day-to-day pressures and tensions of high school.

Finally, reading is great fun, and frankly that’s something that can easily be forgotten in the midst of our emphasis on hard work and academic rigor.  This school is and should be a place of real joy, and reading can help us recover and to hold onto that joy.

We encourage you to ask your students what they are reading for fun these days – and if you want to join us in DEAR, you are absolutely welcome to Drop Everything and Read, every Friday afternoon.

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