Upper School Division News: Oct. 17, 2024

By Mr. Chris Ames, Upper School Division Head

Dear Parents and Families, 

Once again, please take time to read Dr. Sass’s Personal Note on Dyslexia Awareness Month (I learn something new every time I see her column!).  The Winston School will be well represented next week at the International Dyslexia Association conference, held this year in Dallas.  Dr. Sass, Chelsea Adams, and Lindsay Bock will all be in attendance.  

Meanwhile, we are finally in autumn mode - as I write this, the temps outside are topping out at 67 today :)  Fall typically brings to mind all of the tasks we need to do to close out a season - putting things away, closing up, changing over, etc.  At The Winston School, Fall brings just the opposite - we are gearing up for Winter Sports, Homecoming, Halloween, Grandparents and Special Friends Day, Admissions Tours,, our Thanksgiving Food Drive, Fall Concerts and Drama productions and the return of the Senior Trip (to Boston in December!).  

On Wednesday, October 30, all of our Upper School students will use the flex time block in the afternoon to prepare Halloween treat bags for local elementary schools.  This is part of our Community Outreach Program that we hope to extend well into the Holidays.  Ms. LaVecchia continues to organize our efforts in connection with the North Texas Food Bank and we hope to provide them with a substantial donation by Thanksgiving break.  

The PSAT is just wrapping up today and while college-bound items are on Juniors and Seniors minds quite a lot these days, please plan to connect with Mr. Jennings, College Counselor ([email protected]), if you are the parent of a Freshman or Sophomore as he would love to give you some tips on the long (and often confusing) path to the college application process.  Mr. Jennings will also be reaching out to families this Fall with more information.  

Finally, I want to offer a note of thanks to an Upper School Faculty member that many of you may not be familiar with outside of her role as instructor.  In addition to her work as teaching faculty in the English Department, Lindsay Bock (M.Ed., LDT, CALT, C-SLDS) was appointed as a Learning Specialist this summer.  Lindsay has been instrumental in working with our student schedules, investigating community service options, helping manage the switch to the Veracross platform for parents and students and a long list of logistics as the year goes on.  If you see her on campus during conferences or an event, please say hello and pass along your thanks as well!

From the Upstairs,

Chris Ames

A LOOK AHEAD 

Friday, October 18 - Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences

We look forward to welcoming you to campus to share with you insight into your student’s journey this year at Winston. These conferences are for parents and teachers only. 

Tuesday, October 22 - Yearbook Picture Retakes and Senior Portraits

Seniors will take their Cap & Gown photo and a formal photo (either in a tux or a drape). Legacy Studios will take the portraits first thing in the morning once school starts, so make sure you arrive to school on time with your hair and makeup ready for your pictures.

Legacy Studios will also take portraits of students absent on the first picture day and those who have been approved for a retake. Ms. Giovas will call the involved students grades K-11 from their class when it's time for their photo, which should only take a few minutes. Students will be sent home with a QR code that grants access to the portrait purchase site. If the QR Code is misplaced, you can find your student's code here. 

Tuesday, October 22 - Donation Day with Shake Shack on Preston/Royal, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Support the Winston Athletics program while enjoying delicious burgers, fries, and shakes next week! Shake Shack will donate 25% of all sales made on Tuesday, October 22 between 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. to the Winston Athletics program. Follow the below instructions for in-store and in-app purchases to make sure your meal benefits The Winston School. Email [email protected] with any questions!

IN-STORE
Dine-in at the Shack- just show your flyer at the register or input code DONATECHICKEN in kiosk at checkout!

IN-APP
Order ahead for pick-up or delivery through our mobile Shack App- simply enter DONATECHICKEN in the promo code section before submitting your order!

Tuesday, October 22 - Fall Sports Senior Recognition Night

During this game, Seniors will be selling baked goods to help fundraise for their Senior Trip in the spring! Families are invited to donate baked goods for them to sell. 

Friday, October 25: Senior Lunch + Event

Thursday, October 31: Halloween at Winston

As we look forward to celebrating Halloween at Winston together, we must adhere to our Winston community expectations and guidelines regarding costumes, discourse, and representation. Halloween can be a magical time for imagination, playfulness, and connection. All students are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to school on Thursday, October 31. 

The following are guidelines for Halloween costumes at TWS: 

Weapons or items that are made in the likeness to represent weapons are not allowed. These can include, but are not limited to: guns, swords, pitchforks, knives, pocket knives, and/or spears. 

Masks that completely cover a student’s face and head are not allowed. A student needs to be able to be recognized at school, participate in classes throughout the day, and not have their identity obscured by their costume. 

Symbols, words, or other representations that are currently, or have been historically used to trigger and/or discount others’ identities are not allowed. These can include, but are not limited to symbols of white supremacy, gang affiliation, racial or ethnic tokenism, homophobia or transphobia, and ableism. 

All costumes must also adhere to the dress code expectations that all “personal body parts” are covered, regardless of a student’s gender identity or gender presentation. 

If your student does not wish to wear a costume, they may have a “dress down” day and be out of uniform. 

Friday, November 1: EARLY DISMISSAL - Teacher Professional Development

GENERAL UPDATES

On Thursday, October 31, Winston will celebrate Halloween!

We welcome to wear their costumes to school (see note above about costume etiquette) and share in the fun!

The Upper School will once again host the LS Halloween Parade on Thursday, 10/31. We are asking all Upper School students to donate a bag of candy to be used during the parade. Middle School students will also be upstairs on Halloween for the Haunted Classroom managed by the Student Government.  

#IAmNotACostume: A Note about Cultural Appropriation
As our young people begin selecting costumes, it is important that we are sensitive to issues of cultural appropriation. “Cultural Appropriation is the act of taking significant elements (symbols, dress, words, practices, etc.) from a culture that is not your own and removing all original context or meaning, usually with the goal of using these elements for entertainment, marketing, or exploitation.” (http://www.lspirg.org/costumes) When selecting a costume for Halloween, I would ask that you engage your student in a conversation about the purpose of their costume (Is it just for fun? Or is there an underlying message behind it?), ask them to consider if anyone may take offense to their costume and the representation it suggests (Is it possible that others may view the costume as a mockery of a particular culture? Does the costume seek to make a token of traditional cultural symbols not held by your family culture?) and encourage them to reflect upon the way that their costume may be experienced by those around them, thus seeking to build empathy and critical thinking – two values we hold dear here at Winston.

We want Halloween to be a fun, imaginative, and magical celebration of the fall season in a way that not only values the childhood experience but, so too, those cultures, (re)presentations, symbols, and traditions deeply held and honored by each of us in our unique lived experiences. 

For more information on cultural appropriation and Halloween costumes, you might find some of these links helpful:

Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group: http://www.lspirg.org/costumes

NPR/MPR News: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/773615928/cultural-appropriation-a-perennial-issue-on-halloween

National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/article/can-kids-wear-that-what-to-know-about-culturally-insensitive-costumes

NOTE: TWS faculty, staff, and administration reserve the right to ask a student to remove items/costumes if it is disruptive to the learning environment.