Preschool & Lower School Information
| All-School Handbook |
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| Every parent/guardian is required to sign the handbook, acknowledging they have read and support the policies and procedures outlined by Wednesday, August 21. Please refer to the email sent on August 6 for your link. |
| Complete the Dietary Consideration Form |
| All Preschool and Lower School families need to complete the Dietary Consideration form, even if your child does not have any food preferences. It is different from the allergy information entered in the SNAP portal and is very helpful for us to have. |
| Summer Work |
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Be sure to complete your summer reading requirements to stay sharp and begin the year off right: Prekindergarten and Kindergarten | Primer | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade | Fourth Grade |
| Important Dates |
*Preschool First Days Thursday, August 22, and Friday, August 23: The First Days of School Early Release for Preschool (Pre-K and Kindergarten) at 11:00 am (Extended Day will be available) A phase-in period of small-group activities and community building helps our youngest children develop greater familiarity with their new learning environment and stronger relationships with their teacher within a time that they can sustain and be successful. As time in the classroom gradually increases, children embrace the rhythms of life at school. We call our phase-in period First Steps. Our First Steps program begins with two early dismissal days on August 22 and 23. On Monday, August 26, we will start our full-day schedule. Our First Steps program in Preschool includes a two-week-long introduction to the teachers, students, and routines in the classroom. |
| Fine Art Events |
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Please mark your calendars for our student performances for the year. All are in Rose Hall with the exception of the Primer Play which is in the Studio Theater.
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| New Family Orientation: August 21 |
| We are excited to host our orientation session for new Preschool and Lower School families before Open House on Wednesday, August 21. It will be at 9:30 am in Rose Hall, and we will end at 10:00 am so you can go visit your child’s classroom during Open House. |
| Preschool and Lower School Open House: August 21 |
| We can't wait to see our families on Monday, August 21 at 10:00 am. Please drop by so your child can see their new classroom, check in with former classmates, and greet new ones. This is truly an open house. There is no presentation by the teacher, and it is not necessary to be there for the whole hour. |
| Carpool |
| View the campus map with carpool locations here. Morning Carpool (Begins at 7:15 am)
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| Morning Drop Off: Begins at 7:15 am |
| Please note that the earliest we can begin to receive students for free before-school care is 7:15 am. Please do not drop students off before 7:15 am because supervision will not be available then. Starting at 7:15 am, we will have teachers on duty on the playground (or in Extended Day when raining or too cold). At 7:45 am, we’ll let the students enter the building. Classes begin at 8:00 am. |
| Student Supplies |
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During the first week of classes, students will receive school supplies needed for their specific grade. You may be asked to replenish some consumable supplies throughout the year. In addition to the supplies provided, all students will need the following to be clearly labeled with their name:
For Physical Education class: Students are not required to bring shoes to store in the gym. However, we encourage students to wear shoes to school in which they can be active. |
| Extended Day: Registration Closes August 16 |
| Extended Day registration for the 2024-2025 school year is open! Extended Day provides a caring environment for all enrolled students from dismissal through 6:00 pm. Register here. Spaces are limited and fill fast! If you have any questions, please contact DeBorah Henry, Director of Extended Day. |
| Sage Dining |
| Sage Dining has an app on which you can look up menus, check allergens, and give feedback. Learn more here. (Greenhill’s zip code is 75001.) |
| Smartphones and Smartwatches |
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We are often asked by families when they should get their child a cell phone. While there are certainly positives in allowing elementary-aged children to occasionally use such devices, we believe children do not need to own their own smartphones. It is our recommendation that families wait at least until Middle School before providing their child with such a powerful device. Smartphones are not allowed at school, and this continues through Middle School. Smartwatches, powered by Android or Apple, function as extensions of cell phones and therefore are not allowed on campus. Permissible wearable technology (e.g., Fitbits or standard digital watches) must meet the following requirements:
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Middle School Information
| All-School Handbook |
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| Every parent/guardian is required to sign the handbook, acknowledging they have read and support the policies and procedures outlined by Wednesday, August 21. Please refer to the email sent on August 6 for your link. |
| Laptop Pick-Up: August 12-17 |
| Laptops will be distributed from Monday, August 12 through Friday, August 16 from 8:00 am – 7:00 pm, and Saturday, August 17, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, in the Technology Office. Students are only allowed to pick up their laptop if parents/guardians have signed the Greenhill Device Agreement. Click here for more information. |
| Summer Work |
| Don’t forget to stay sharp in the last few weeks of the summer! Complete required reading and math practice for a solid start to the year. |
| Important Dates |
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| New Family Orientation: August 21 |
| All Middle School families new to Greenhill should plan to attend the Middle School New Families Orientation from 9:30 – 10:00 am in the Middle School Rotunda. Students and parents together will meet key personnel, review divisional and individual schedules, and learn many of the nuts and bolts of Middle School life. New Families Orientation is for new-to-Greenhill students and parents in grades 5-8. At 10:00 am, our Open House will begin, and both students and families can informally meet teachers and advisors throughout the Levy Middle School and the Valdes STEM + Innovation Center. |
| Middle School Open House: August 21 |
| Join us at the Middle School Open House for grades 5-8 from 10:00 – 11:00 am. This is a come-and-go event with no set agenda, so come to see our beautiful new building, greet your teachers and advisor, and get set for a great year. Note that during Open House teachers will be available in the advising and teaching spaces throughout the Levy Middle School and the Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center. If you are also attending Preschool and Lower School Open House, just stop by whenever it is convenient up until 11:00 am. |
| Fifth Grade First Steps for Parents/Guardians: August 29 |
| For all fifth-grade parents/guardians: Please plan to join the fifth-grade team and Middle School leadership for an important informational meeting about the Middle School and fifth grade transition on August 29 at 6:30 pm in the Middle School Rotunda. Attendance at this meeting is highly encouraged! We will be sharing a wealth of information about fifth grade to build our initial partnership with you and to support your student. Because of the format, this meeting will not be recorded. |
| Daily Schedule |
| See the 2024-25 Middle School Daily Schedule here. We heard from both students and teachers about the need to marry an ABC rotation to the actual days of the week. You will notice that we have made significant changes to the schedule to build in more predictability and consistency, like: Our academic classes will meet in both 80- and 45-minute blocks, and C Day will drop when we have a four-day week. We will also continue to hold office hours each day so that our students can work with their teachers to develop executive functioning skills. The Student Life blocks on A Days will encompass advisory, grade level, divisional, and school-wide programming and events designed to meet our goals of character and community. The schedule is the foundation of a very full and rich program built on awareness of the developmental needs of our students. |
| Advisor and Schedule Release |
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Advisor assignments and student schedules will be posted in MyGreenhill on Tuesday, August 20, at 4:00 pm. Please check your student’s schedule before Open House so that you can meet each of your student’s teachers. |
| Carpool Drop-off and Pick-up |
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View the campus map with carpool locations here. Drop-off: In the morning, Middle School students may be dropped off before 8:00 am at the Three Chimneys Circle, the gym overhang, or the MPAC. Grade level teams will let them know where to wait for building entry and check in. Grades 5-6 Pick-up: Students will be dismissed at 3:45 pm, and carpool will begin at 3:50 pm. Fifth and sixth grade students will be picked up at the Three Chimneys Circle. Grades 7-8 Pick-up: Afternoon pick-up for grades 7 and 8 will be supervised by coaches and instructors and take place at various locations:
Lower School families who are waiting for a Middle School student to be dismissed may be asked to circle around until 5/6 carpool begins or until 7/8 athletic teams are dismissed. Only siblings of Upper School students are allowed to be picked up in the Upper School carpool line, and no students are to be picked up in the cafeteria loading zone. For 7/8 athletes with 5/6 siblings, please contact your coach directly for pick-up accommodations on the Three Chimneys Circle so that you do not need to travel to two different pick-up locations. After 4:15 pm, Middle School students who are not picked up will be escorted to Middle School Extended Day in the dining hall. The accompanying teacher will inform parents/guardians, and a $45.00 fee will be charged. In the event of an emergency, please call the Middle School office by 4:00 pm and Extended Day. Middle School students may not wait unsupervised in the gym, dining hall, library, or other campus locations. |
| Backpacks and Lockers |
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There are so many amazing features to the newly renovated Levy Middle School, and we know that the new lockers will get lots of attention. Each student will have a designated locker. The lockers are big enough to hold books, a water bottle, a sweatshirt, and several notebooks or binders. They can also accommodate, rather than loose items, a soft-sided carry backpack of the JanSport variety. Some students prefer a rolling backpack, and our recommendation is something soft-sided, not the Zuca-style because of weight and size. This style will not fit into our new lockers and will have to be stored separately. If you have not yet purchased a backpack, please avoid this style. Eighth grade lockers will be located in the new bag drop room, also the location for large sports bags, and all other grade levels will have assigned hallway lockers. Finally, locker decorations are not permitted in our new lockers. |
| Calculators and School Supplies |
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The Math Department requires that all Middle School students own a Texas Instruments calculator for use in their math courses. The TI-84 PLUS CE Color Graphing Calculator is required for all students in eighth grade and those seventh graders in the Honors Algebra class. Students in grades 5-7 are required to purchase the TI-30Xa Scientific Calculator. Other makes and models of calculators are not allowable substitutions. The TI-84 PLUS CE Color Graphing Calculator is available for purchase online at The Buzz here. Middle School provides students with specific organizational supplies for their academic classes. Other consumable supplies (pens, pencils, highlighters, colored pencils, glue sticks, pencil bag, and loose-leaf paper) should be purchased by the family. |
| Guidelines for The Buzz and Catalyst Coffee |
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Middle School students are not permitted to purchase items from The Buzz, Catalyst Coffee, or the vending machines during school hours. Students are limited to before or after school hours only if accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Buzz Hours: 7:30 am – 4:30 pm | Catalyst Coffee Hours: 7:00 am – 2:00 pm |
| Extended Day: Registration Closes August 16 |
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Extended Day registration for the 2024-2025 school year is open! Extended Day provides a caring environment for all enrolled students from dismissal through 6:00 pm. Register here. Spaces are limited and fill fast! If you have any questions, please contact DeBorah Henry, Director of Extended Day. |
Upper School Information
| All-School Handbook |
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| Every parent/guardian is required to sign the handbook, acknowledging they have read and support the policies and procedures outlined by Wednesday, August 21. Please refer to the email sent on August 6 for your link. |
| Laptop Pick-Up: August 12-17 |
| Laptops will be distributed from Monday, August 12 through Friday, August 16 from 8:00 am – 7:00 pm, and Saturday, August 17, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, in the Technology Office. Students are only allowed to pick up their laptop if parents/guardians have signed the Greenhill Device Agreement. Click here for more information. |
| Required Summer Work |
| If your child is enrolled in AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, AP European History, or BC Calculus, they have been assigned some form of summer work. Students should check their emails for more information from their course instructor. |
| Important Dates |
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| RESCHEDULED Water Tower Painting: September 15 |
| Due to the extreme heat in the forecast for Sunday, we are postponing the painting of the Water Tower to Sunday, September 15. Further details will be shared here and on the Class of 2025 tile on the Resource Board. |
| New Student Orientation: August 20 |
| If your child is a ninth grader (new or from our Middle School) or a new student to Greenhill in tenth or eleventh grade, please arrive in the MPAC lobby on August 20, at 8:30 am. The student orientation will begin promptly at 8:45 am. Lunch will be provided. Pick-up times differ based on returning and new students:
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| New Family Orientation: August 20 |
| If you are a parent or guardian of a new or returning ninth-grader, new tenth-grader, or new eleventh-grader, please plan to arrive in the MPAC lobby on Tuesday, August 20, at 8:30 am. The family orientation will begin promptly at 8:45 am in Rose Hall. The program will finish by 10:15 am. Click here for the program agenda. |
| 2024-2025 Course Schedules |
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Beginning Monday, August 12, your student’s full schedule for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed and viewed through MyGreenhill by logging in, selecting your student's name in the top left corner, and viewing their course list under the "Progress" section. Please note, the add/drop period is currently not open. For all ninth-grade students and families, please continue to use Mr. Jacobo Luna, the Ninth-Grade Dean, as the point of contact for all questions through Tuesday, August 20. At that time, advisors will formally introduce themselves to their advisees during the New Student Orientation. |
| Daily Schedule: Adjusted for Fall Athletics |
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Due to the extreme heat and humidity, fall athletic teams that typically practice outdoors in the afternoon (football, field hockey, and cross country) will continue to practice in the morning when our school year begins on August 22. While practices are scheduled to end no later than 8:00 am for field hockey and cross country, and 8:15 am for football, we want to provide those fall athletes with enough time to get ready for the school day, including getting breakfast. Thus, we are again adjusting our daily schedule to accommodate those athletes and starting our academic day at 9:00 am. You can find this adjusted daily schedule here. We are currently planning on running this schedule through Friday, September 20. Obviously, we will continue to monitor the weather forecast as we get closer to that date and adjust accordingly. The Upper School Daily Schedule in place after this weather-related adjustment is here. |
| First Days of School |
| For August 22 and 23, please note that we have a modified Green and Gold Day schedule to provide more grade-level programming for all students. You can find the August 22 modified schedule here, and the August 23 modified schedule here. These schedules will also be programmed into the MyGreenhill calendar for your student. They will be able to access this information when they log in to MyGreenhill. |