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Advisory Groups
An advisory system is employed in the Middle School. This allows each student to have one teacher with whom he or she can discuss personal or academic concerns and progress. The advisor will also serve as an advocate for the student. Parents can help establish a strong advisor/advisee relationship by encouraging their son or daughter to seek out their advisor when the need arises and by regarding the advisor as the family’s primary contact at school.
The role of the advisor can be defined in terms of four functions, as follows:
Town Meetings
Every Tuesday morning, the Middle School comes together to share their trials and successes. Announcements concerning Student Council activities, after school sporting events, spirit information, committee and club work, community service opportunities, Random Acts of Kindness, Certificates of Appreciation, and other news of classmates and faculty are shared.
Community Service
The Middle School desires to promote a value of service to the community, which will last throughout the lives of our students. We nurture the idea that “community” includes any and all things we have in common as people; that strong community benefits everyone and helping to create it offers great individual reward and satisfaction. Seven Hills embraces the concept of service learning through volunteerism. Students may choose from numerous options, both on and off campus. Each student must complete 10 hours of community service per academic year as a part of their graduation requirement. Each year the middle school provides 3000-4500 hours of service to 50-100 organizations.
Backpacks, Lockers, and Locks
Middle School backpacks are a test of any student or parent’s strength. To alleviate this problem, some parents purchase an extra set of textbooks for home or purchase a backpack that can be worn on the back or wheeled to the locker area. Both will help your child. Each student is assigned a large locker for books, binders, lunches, athletic gear, etc. We ask each student to lock up his locker at the end of the day as the school rents out its facility in the evenings.
Special Grade Level Activities
Each of the sixth, seventh, and eight graders have a special week of activities organized around a single theme. The sixth graders participate in an Astrogation Week involving astronomy and astronaut training, as well as an extensive unit on the Middle Ages. The seventh graders create a Civil War Week and battle. The eighth grade has the Renaissance Faire designed to integrate the History and English curriculum.
Additional activities are planned throughout the year, and these integrated weeklong activities are not to be missed. Please check the master calendar for exact dates of the events.
Secondary School Applications
The Seven Hills School faculty and administrators work together to counsel each eighth grader and his family in the choice and acceptance to his high school. Each fall a “High School Orientation Night” is held to provide eighth graders and their parents with the following: deadlines for test and admission dates to Bay Area high schools; a list of Bay Area high schools, their enrollment, tuition, admission requirements; a questionnaire concerning each student’s high school preferences; and a resume form to guide faculty in the writing of recommendation letters. In addition to the high school preferences and resume forms, eighth graders are requested to notify the Seven Hills faculty as early as possible to allow teachers to complete the letters of recommendation in a timely fashion.
In order to give students and their parents an opportunity to preview both Bay Area and several boarding high schools, Seven Hills hosts a “High School Fair” every October. Admissions Directors from the various high schools set up information tables and meet and answer questions for parents and students from the community at large. We strongly suggest that families contact the high schools in the fall regarding Open Houses.
Student Council
The Student Council is a group of elected officers, committee members, and homeroom representatives, who meet once a week to discuss issues of concern to the students. It serves as a sounding board and a problem-solving group for the school. It also plans, organizes, and executes special events during the school year. These vary from year to year, but they include Spirit Week, Green and White Day, the Talent Show, and dances. Student Council funds events with the money raised from their fundraisers.
Middle School Socials
Middle School socials are official school functions chaperoned by the Middle School staff. All school rules are in effect, as are the current consequences for rule infractions. Socials, in the gym, begin at 7:00 p.m. and always end at 10:00 p.m. Please do not drop off your child before 7:00p.m., nor arrive later than 10:00p.m. to pick up your child. Parents arriving after 10:00 will be assessed extended day care charges for the additional supervision. Students are not allowed to leave the gym area, walk home from the dance, or bring guests without permission. Students who have been suspended or are out sick on that day may not attend dances or related school activities.
Recognition of Good Behavior and Celebrations of Success
At the end of every quarter, homerooms hold class parties to celebrate their achievements of the last quarter. The Alumni Council holds a special luncheon in the spring for the eighth graders. This welcomes them into the Alumni Council and celebrates their years at Seven Hills.
