Episcopal Upper School Newsletters

Dear Upper School Families,

December can feel like a whirlwind in schools like ours. We return from a full week off for Thanksgiving and almost immediately turn our eyes towards semester exams and culminating projects, with another lengthy break just around the bend. These two weeks can feel like a liminal space, a betwixt-and-between time that often evokes unease, ambiguity, and even distress. A professor of mine used to call this sort of thing 'the intersection of the already and the not-yet' and that phrase has stuck with me ever since. We have already worked hard for months, we have already learned and practiced and studied, we have already completed so much – but we're not yet ready, not yet done, not yet off duty. One of the quirks of our calendar is that the end of the fall semester overlaps with the season of Advent, the weeks of anticipation and preparation that precede Christmas; in both cases, it can be tempting to rush through the days in an effort to get to the end, whether that end is a semester exam or Christmas morning. But I invite you and your family to live fully in this in-between moment, as uncomfortable as it may sometimes be. We are getting closer and closer to the end of the semester, but we have important work to do before we get there.

Please note that our last day of teaching new material this semester will be Wednesday, December 10th. Thursday 12/11 and Friday 12/12 are designated as review days, and Monday 12/15 will be a non-cycle day in which all classes will meet for the final time this semester. Exams will begin on Tuesday 12/16. For planning purposes, you can find the full exam schedule here. 

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