Dr. Amy Alsip, Head of Upper School

August 29, 2025

Dear US Families,

It has been a magical start to the year in the Upper School! I hope your children have been sharing with you all the exciting things that have taken place this week. Our theme in the US this year is “Where Dreams Begin,” and I am ready to see all the dreams that come true this year in the classroom, on the stage, on the athletic field, and with college acceptances.

One culture building activity we engaged in this week was the sorting of advisories into “houses” (Honor, Trust, Respect, and Wisdom).  We will be electing advisory representatives next week based on character nominations that were submitted today. Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to earn (or lose) points for their houses by attending school events, receiving Atta Owls, community service, grades, conduct, and lack of tardies. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will have an off-campus event with me and some other faculty members to celebrate winning the House Cup!

Thank you to those of you who attended US Back to School Night last night. We had a great turnout, and I was excited to see all the interactions between parents and faculty. If you were not able to attend you can access the slide show here and also watch the US info video (linked in the slideshow) from Mrs. Lane and myself if you did not get an opportunity to do that a few weeks ago.

Please note that the updated 2025-2026 Family Handbook is now available. The handbook provides information about topics such as dress code, code of conduct, our school's guidelines for responsible use of technology, as well as division-specific content. There are several changes to the US Handbook so please be sure to give it a read. 

We hope to see everyone at the Varsity Football home opener tonight! As a reminder school will be closed Monday, September 1st for Labor Day. Classes will resume on Tuesday, September 2nd.

All my best,

Dr. Amy Alsip
Head of Upper School