2024-2025 Upper School Back-to-School Information

Upper School Key Contacts
In order to foster positive and productive family communication and relationships, you can find a list of key faculty to contact if you have particular questions, concerns, or suggestions HERE.

Student Circle of Support
At Sacred Heart Greenwich, we support both the academic and social-emotional development of each student through individualized and programmatic resources.  You can find the Circle of Support document HERE.

Student and Parent Portals
As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, please take time to visit the Student and Parent Portals on the school website where you will find essential information for the beginning of school. Please read everything carefully, including the updated Family/Student Handbook, and make sure to update/sign all necessary forms, which were due by July 19, 2024 and August 1, 2024.

Family/Student Handbook
The Sacred Heart Greenwich Student Handbook provides detailed information about important school policies and procedures for the entire school, with a specific section covering all aspects of life in the Upper School. Please read the entire handbook closely and ensure that you sign off on the acknowledgment form in the Parent Portal.

Upper School Schedule & Attendance
Daily Schedule: The daily schedule for the 2024-2025 school year can be found HERE. 
Please note school hours in the Upper School:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday:  8:25 am - 3:25 pm
Wednesday:  8:25 am - 2:35 pm 

Individual Student Schedules
Individual student schedules will be available to students on the Student Portal mid-August. Look for an email from your Academic Dean with instructions when the schedules are posted. 

Student Attendance
In order for students to excel individually, and in order for us to cultivate a strong community, it is essential for students to be present in school.

Attendance is recorded at the beginning of every period, including Morning Meeting. Students are expected to be on time and attend every scheduled period in their program. Students are also required to attend events that are deemed mandatory and essential elements of the Sacred Heart Greenwich experience, such as all school assemblies, liturgies, retreats, Congé, Field Day and Prize Day. 

This year, families and students will have access to absence and tardy information on the progress page of the school portal, blackbaud. Please note that the absence information will be shown by class period, not by day.

Reporting Attendance
If a student is absent, tardy or has an early dismissal, a parent/guardian must report this information by 10:00 am using the Student Absent Tracker found in the Parent Portal. For all late arrivals and early departures, students must sign in/out of the Upper School office. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action. If the school has not received notice, the student will not be permitted to leave until we speak with a parent or guardian.

A doctor’s note should be presented to the Upper School office when a student misses any part of the day of school for medical reasons. If a student is diagnosed with a contagious illness (strep, covid, flu, etc.), the school nurse must be notified. You can contact the nurse via email (tiedemannk@cshct.org) or via phone at 203-532-3586.

Books & Supplies
Books
The book list is on the school website where books can be ordered for the first day of classes.  If you are a recipient of tuition assistance, please contact Katie Cullinane regarding financial support for textbooks.

Supplies
There is not a supply list for courses in the Upper School. Students can choose items that best support their learning style. Some teachers may share limited suggestions at the beginning of the year, but supplies are generally student preference.

Summer Assignments
Upper School students have summer work to complete per the “Upper School Summer Assignments” link in the Student Portal. 

Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, the Upper School will become a cellphone free zone during school hours (8:25 am - 3:25 pm). Students will turn in their cellphones and smartwatches upon arrival each day and they will be redistributed at the end of each school day. If a senior signs out to leave campus, according to the senior privilege policy, she will receive her phone from the Upper School main office and must turn it back in once she returns to campus and signs back in. If you need to contact your daughter during the school day, please email your daughter directly, email her Academic Dean or Advisor or call the Upper School Main Office at (203) 532-3544. Please see the Parent/Student Handbook for more information or click here to read the Cellphone Policy.

Uniforms
You can order Uniform items on the school website.
Please note that the Uniform Policy has been updated for the 2024-2025 school year. Please review closely and if you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Panarella, Assistant Head of Upper School for Student Life.

Upper School Advisory Program
Students will receive a message from their advisors prior to the first day of school. Every student in the Upper School has a faculty member who serves as her advisor for her four years in the Upper School. The Advisor monitors each student’s well-being and serves as the student’s advocate. Advisory meets twice per cycle and during these periods students explore their own growth and develop a respect for self and others while creating a community in which all feel welcomed and respected. 

In the 2024-2025 school year, we will continue our partnership with the Social Institute and utilize their resources in order to educate students on healthy and responsible use of technology and social media. This partnership also provides families with exclusive access to our Parent Toolkit. The directions for accessing the toolkit can be found here. Parent Toolkit signup Instructions. In the toolkit, you will find:

The Playbooks feature expert breakdowns of the most popular apps and platforms and offer tips on how students can use them positively. The Family Huddles reinforce important topics through casual conversation. Families can also build their own Family Social Standards Agreement around positive social media and tech use. 

Class Retreats
Retreats: A key element in a Sacred Heart Greenwich education is developing a personal and active faith in God.  For this reason, we are again aligning our retreat program with the beginning of the school year to enable our students to foster this vital relationship throughout the year.  

  • Our freshmen will engage in a retreat at school during the day on Wednesday, September 11. 

  • Our juniors will have an introduction to their later Kairos retreat during the school day on Wednesday, September 11. 

  • Our sophomores and seniors will participate in an overnight retreat Wednesday, September 11 - Thursday, September 12. Please read the letters below and complete the permissions slips by Wednesday, September 4.

As part of our commitment to Goal I and as a graduation requirement, all students are expected to attend their respective class retreats. Permission slips will be forthcoming in August.

Key Fall Dates Updates
Please make sure to mark these upcoming dates on your calendar as we launch the year together! I encourage you to review the 2024-2025 school calendar and visit the Parent Zone for key information. Please continue to check the calendar periodically as sometimes changes in dates and times become necessary.

9th Grade Overnight Bonding Trip: Wednesday, August 28, Thursday, August 29      
Upper School Orientation: Tuesday, September 3, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Note: this for 9th grade students and families AND new 10th and 11th grade students and families                                                        
Senior Bonding Trip: Tuesday, September 3, 5:00 - 10:30 pm 
First Day of School: Wednesday, September 4, 8:25 am - 2:35 pm                
Senior Portraits & Gate Picture: Wednesday, September 4, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm   
Upper School Sports Night: Wednesday, September 4, 6:00 - 7:00 pm                 
Parents’ Association Welcome Coffee: Friday, September 6, 8:30 - 10:00 am     
Upper School Photos (grades 9 - 11): Tuesday, September 10                         
Upper School Beginning of Year Retreats: Wednesday, September 11 - Thursday, September 12  
Senior College Night: Monday, September 16, 6:30 - 8:30 pm 
Mass of the Holy Spirit: Monday, September 20, 10:00 am
Practice ACT: Saturday, September 21, 7:30 am - 12:00 pm                                  
Upper School Back to School Night: Thursday, September 26, 6:00 - 8:00 pm  
Senior Lunch with Mr. Baber: Monday, September 30