Dear Upper School Parents & Students, 

We’ve wrapped up another memorable week in the Upper School. I particularly enjoyed my first Spirit of the Griffin assembly–what a treasured tradition! Congratulations to this year’s award recipients–you are an inspiration to us all and we are delighted to celebrate with you! And thank you to Mrs. Brewer, Officer Burgess, the presenters, and the Band for making such a wonderful program possible! 

The week also included a mini-college fair (thank you to Mrs. Spearman and Ms. Wesneski!) and the Spring Senior/Faculty luncheon (thank you to the generous parents for the delicious meal!). 

We have one more week of “regular” class before AP exams begin on Monday, May 4. Spring Semester Exams (for non-AP courses) will begin the following Monday, May 11 and run through Wednesday, May 13. If a student has an AP Exam that conflicts with a non-AP Semester Exam, then the non-AP Semester Exam will be rescheduled. Students will be contacted individually about any conflicts that they might have. The Spring Semester Exam schedule is:  

*Extended time ends at 12:00 PM for AM exams and 4:00 PM for PM exams. 
**Students should contact Ms. McGrath (amanda.mcgrath@sdsgriffin.org) 
to schedule make-up exams. 

As a reminder, semester exams are worth 20% of the overall semester grade. Students are encouraged to create a study plan that allows them to study over time. This example spaced study calendar will be distributed in Advisory on Tuesday, and students will be encouraged to complete this calendar template according to their individual scheduling needs. While teachers will be recommending study tactics for their individual courses, Learning Scientists provides excellent research based study strategies. These resources were shared with the Upper Schoolers in the fall (and will be reshared this week), and my hope is that they will help students make excellent use of study time. 

Looking forward, here is what’s on the horizon for the division:

• Tuesday, April 28
  • Parents’ Community All Parents Social @ Fr8 Yard from 5:30 - 7:30 PM 
• Wednesday, April 29
  • AP & Senior Art Show @ Blue Spirit Gallery from 5:00 - 6:30 PM
• Thursday, April 30
  • Junior/Senior Breakfast @ 7:30 AM
  • Senior Parade @ 9:00 AM
  • Senior Banner Signing @ 10:00 AM
• Friday, May 1
  • SDS Tent @ the Spartanburg Crit from 5:00 PM - End of Race
• Monday, May 4 - Friday, May 8 & Monday, May 11 - Friday, May 15
  • AP Exams (Ms. Wesneski will email the relevant details to students each night.)
• Monday, May 11 - Thursday, May 14
  • Semester Exams
• Friday, May 15
  • All School Field Day
  • Last Day of School
• Tuesday, May 19
  • Band Awards @ 5:00 PM
• Wednesday, May 20
  • Prom @ 7:00 PM
• Thursday, May 21
  • Graduation Rehearsal @ 1o:3o AM
  • Upper School Awards Night @ 5:30 PM
• Friday, May 22
  • Graduation @ 9:00 AM

Lastly, please remember to email attendance@sdsgriffin.org if your student needs to leave early, will be arriving late, or will not be at school. As always, please check the athletic team calendars for the most up-to-date information as we start to wrap up the spring season. Go Griffins!

Enjoy the beautiful weekend, 

Jenny Glenn
Head of Upper School