Dear Upper School Families

I want to begin by extending my appreciation to all of our families for their high level of engagement during these first few weeks of school. We know how busy this time of year is for everyone, yet despite that, our community continues to show up in wonderful ways for one another. It has been fun to connect with so many of you on the sidelines of soccer games, in the stands at volleyball matches, and at the receptions before or after events on campus. Your presence and partnership make such a difference, and it has been a joy to kick off this school year together. 

Starting with orientation and the Senior Parent Social, to a hugely successful Back-to-School Night, the enthusiastic turnout has been fantastic and speaks volumes about our shared commitment to fostering community. Just this week, we held our first Parent Partnership meeting of the year, where 24 parents joined us to learn about our current approaches to artificial intelligence and its role in our educational landscape. I was so impressed by the thoughtful questions and the level of engagement as we navigate these new and emerging topics together.

Tonight, we look forward to continuing this sense of connection and community as we gather for Homecoming. We’ll be welcoming our friends from Catlin Gabel and Banks High School for soccer and volleyball matches respectively. It promises to be a night filled with great competition, delicious food, and, most importantly, being together.

On another note, our recent surveys to gather feedback about our cell phone policies had a record number of responses from students and families. The survey will remain open through the end of next week, and I encourage you to share your thoughts if you haven’t already. Early data from both surveys suggests that during our one-week experiment, students and families noticed an increase in interpersonal engagement and connection, which is exactly the kind of impact we were hoping for. We’ll be sharing the full results soon with our committee, as well as the community, to determine the next steps.

In addition to future Parent Partnership meetings and all the upcoming events on the horizon, I want to take a moment to extend a personal invitation to all families. My door is always open, and I would love to connect with you directly. Many parents preface their emails to me with, “I know you’re so busy” or “I don’t want to bother you,” but I want to assure you that engaging with parents, listening to your stories, and hearing your ideas is a vital part of my role—one that I genuinely enjoy. So, if you ever have questions, thoughts, or just want to chat about you or your child’s experience at OES, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I welcome the chance to connect.

Looking forward to seeing you tonight at Homecoming and in the weeks ahead!

Sarah