Happy Holidays from Seven Hills!

Seven Hills sends best wishes to you and your family during this holiday season and in the coming year.

We are truly grateful for all you have done to sustain the school this past year and deeply blessed to have a caring, strong community here at Seven Hills.

We hope you all can enjoy some well-deserved rest over the break.

Warmly,

Christopher P. Garten

Head of School

Carolyn Fox

Head of Lotspeich Lower School

Tracy Murch

Head of Doherty Lower School

Bill Waskowitz

Head of Middle School

Matt Bolton

Head of Upper School

Lotspeich Holds Holiday Singalong

As a special surprise before the winter break, Lotspeich students in grades 1-5 enjoyed the Lower School’s traditional holiday singalong outdoors and socially distanced. Students and teachers socially distanced near the playground and sang a variety of festive songs, including “Esta Es La Navidad,” “Kwanzaa,” “Hanukkah is Here,” and “Jingle Bells.”

Second-graders Learn the Dreidel Game

As part of their study of Hanukkah, second-graders recently learned how to play the dreidel game. Third-grade teacher Yael Newman taught students how to play the traditional holiday game. She first taught students the song, “Sevivon,” which is the Hebrew word for dreidel,  and students learned the lyrics in both English and Hebrew. Then, students paired off to play the dreidel game.

Pre-kindergarteners Enjoy Presentation about Feast of the Seven Fishes

Pre-kindergarteners in Kiki Schneider’s class recently enjoyed a presentation about the Italian celebration, Feast of the Seven Fishes. Alisa Pitocco, mom of student Calo, spoke about her family traditions and how they celebrate the feast. Pitocco’s family is from Letino, Italy, a small village in southern Italy. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is celebrated by Italian-Americans on Christmas Eve. Families gather to enjoy a large meal of several seafood dishes. The tradition was introduced to the United States by immigrants from southern Italy.

Kindergarten Holds Celebrations of Lights

This holiday season, kindergarteners in the Early Childhood Center held Celebrations of Lights. “The children learned about many countries and holidays,” said kindergarten teacher Diane Schulteis. ECC students learned about holidays such as Kwanzaa, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Las Posadas. They also recorded a performance of songs, including “This Little Light of Mine,” for their families and friends.

Second-graders Study Bridges

Danielle Necessary and Cicely Knecht’s second-grade classes recently shared bridge presentations with their classmates. As part of a semester-long study of bridges, each student picked a bridge from anywhere in the world to research and share facts about with their classmates. Students built models of their chosen bridges and carefully researched their structure of choice. Earlier in the semester, students honed their geography and map skills by studying a bridge in their city, state, country, continent, and world. They examined other aspects as well, including the many types of bridges and their construction. Students also took a closer look at the Brent Spence Bridge after it was closed because of an accident. “We learned how the bridge was originally designed to carry about half of the traffic it currently carries,” Necessary said. “Students then went through the process of identifying the problems, proposing possible solutions, and designing a replacement bridge.”

Fourth- and Fifth-grade Hold Annual Spelling Bee

Lotspeich fourth- and fifth-graders recently competed in the annual spelling bee. Students went 28 rounds, with fifth-grader Zahabia Shahpurwala winning the bee with the word “euphoria.” Our other spelling bee participants were fifth-graders Clara Jackson-Peattie, Joey Khalil, and Sarah Schnadower; and fourth-graders Johnny Khalil, Adya Sohol, Henry Wenzel, and Sania Ansari. Zahabia will go on to take an online test to qualify for the Regional Spelling Bee this winter.

The Science of Sleep

Bedtime and sleep are recurring themes that have grabbed the attention of people of all ages, especially now. Seven Hills’ counseling department hosted a two part zoom Sleep Discussion in December and early January. Behavioral psychologist Dr. Sarah Skoch shared her experience that sleep is an important aspect of wellness not always discussed in educational environments, yet has a profound impact on the lives of children. Skoch provided a comprehensive look at the sleep needs and issues of children from age 2 to 17 over the course of her two Zoom presentations to the school community. She said many people, young and old, have had trouble getting to sleep because quarantine has placed them in a new, unknown routine. “COVID-somnia is a thing. Sleep schedules are off sometimes because people don’t have a work commute and they are home early. They may be staying up later with their kids,” said Skoch. “People are having more vivid dreams and more sleep issues” Skoch said those who are developing insomnia or having trouble waking up in the middle of the night should think about a more structured bedtime routine. “Go to bed earlier,” said Skoch. “Sometimes 30 minutes makes a difference. Over the course of weeks, that can add up to a significant sleep deficit, if you aren’t getting those extra minutes.” Register now for a discussion with Skoch, regarding the science of sleep for Middle and Upper School students. To register and for more information about Seven Hills’ speaker series, please contact Angie Bielecki, school counseling department chair, at 513.728.2326 or angie.bielecki@7hills.org.