SSFS Upper School Summer & Back To School

US Summer & Back to School Info

We look forward to having your child join us! Below please find some general information about health forms, academic resources, upcoming dates, technology information, and more as you prepare for the upcoming school year. Please bookmark this page, as posted information will be updated throughout the spring and into the summer.

Additional all-school information about how SSFS is preparing for the upcoming Fall 2020 school year in light of social distancing and health best practices and recommendations can be found here.

Bus Registration

Information about bus routes can be found online here (or see PDF of 2020-2021 Bus Routes here ). Families can enroll in Bus Transportation via MyBackPack > Program Registration. SSFS continues to accept bus registrations until August 1, or until routes are at capacity. Please note that some routes will fill to capacity before August 1, so be sure to register to ride the bus as soon as possible. Directions for bus registration may be found online here. For bus/transportation questions, please contact Cathryn Carnevale at cathryn.carnevale@ssfs.org or 301-774-7455 x177.

SSFS Bus Route Information

Bus Registration At SSFS

Required Health and Permission Forms

Class Placements & Course Scheduling

Placement testing is needed for any student entering SSFS from another school. We conduct placement tests in math and foreign language to ensure students are placed in the current courses based on their skill level. For questions and placement scheduling information, please contact Meredith Shankle, Upper School Program Coordinator and Registrar. See the 2020-2021 Upper School Curriculum Guide.

Technology and Website Information

Our Upper School has a Bring Your Own Device ("BYOD") program. All students in the Upper School must have a device available on a daily basis for schoolwork. This device can be a Mac laptop, Windows laptop, Chromebook, iPad, or other similar device. Because of its keyboard and screen size, a mobile phone is not considered an adequate device for school.

See minimum requirements for student devices

Website login information for new families will be emailed approximately two weeks after you sign your enrollment contract. The website login gives families single-sign-on access to our student information system, billing, and online classrooms from the website. Please see the Tech Accounts Overview for a description of the various accounts and systems:

TECHNOLOGY ACCOUNTS OVERVIEW

New Family Technology
Setup ChecklisT

You can find more information on the Technology website. Technology questions may be directed to the Technology Office at tech@ssfs.org.

My BackPack

After enrolling, each family gets a dedicated MyBackPack account with a unique username and password. If you have submitted your enrollment contract and not yet received login information for (or need assistance accessing) your MyBackPack account, please contact the Technology department at tech@ssfs.org or 301-774-7455 x111. Your MyBackPack account will give you access to a number of services including:

Billing and student accounts
Student class schedules and grades/comments
School directory
Family contact information
Enrollment contracts

Please ensure that your contact information in your MyBackPack account is accurate. See instructions for how to update your contact info here. As a part of our continuing efforts to act in environmentally sustainable ways, SSFS rarely sends information by paper mail. All communications about events, grades, billing account status, re-enrollment, and other information are sent electronically through My BackPack using the email addresses you have provided. An emergency notification service is also available via text message, so please also provide a cell phone number where you may reached.

Book Ordering Information

The online bookstore via Follett opens in mid-July. Logging in to Follett after this date allows you to view the book list and access the online bookstore for your student via your My BackPack account. Click here to view an instruction page that will walk you through the process of viewing and ordering your child’s books. Please pay attention to the “Section Note” section of each course page, as there may be important details regarding a particular course’s books.

Book Ordering Instructions

Athletics

Photo Forms

9th Grade Trip

To help build community, and prepare students for the school year, our ninth graders participate in a camping trip. This required four-day trip occurs in late August and includes hiking, canoeing, and whole group activities at Catoctin Quaker Camp. There is no additional fee for this trip. Information about the 2020 9th Grade Trip will be posted this spring; 2019 info is posted below for reference.

2019 9th Grade Trip Info

Questions?
Contact Us:

Meredith Shankle
US Program Coordinator and Registrar
send email
301-774-7455 ext. 109

Ben McClellan
Dean of Upper School
send email
301-774-7455 ext. 121

Chris Miller
Director of College Counseling
send email
301-774-7455 ext. 178

Summer Reading and Resources

Please click the header for each department's summer reading and resource information.

2020 Summer Reading and Course Work

English

Summer Work Suggestions for Upper School English students

Dear students and families,

We hope you have a restful and rejuvenating summer break! Because student class assignments for the fall will not be available until scheduling information can be determined, the English department is not requiring summer work this year. That said, however, we all know that it is important for students to continue to read and remain intellectually engaged during the summer months. Below, you will find a list of resources to help you do that.

We will expect all students to come to whatever English class they are enrolled in ready to discuss what they read over the summer!

Here are some suggestions. Links below do not constitute endorsement of all content; students and parents should use their judgment in selecting appropriate reading materials for individual students.

Choose any novel on a topic that interests you. Graphic novels and young adult novels are absolutely valid choices. If you are interested in pursuing more challenging reading material, you might find something interesting on this list of frequently cited titles on the AP English Literature exam.
Short stories! Sources for recent high-quality short stories (and poetry) include magazines like The New Yorker, Granta, and Tor. AmericanLiterature.com offers a large collection of older open-access stories geared specifically toward high school students.

Writing resources: This summer is a great time to practice your writing skills! Some suggestions:

Always wanted to stretch your creative writing abilities? Many organizations have contests for high school students writing both short fiction and poetry. Or, if you’ve been thinking about trying to get a novel on to paper, this could be a great time to make use of a support system like the Young Writers’ Program at NaNoWriMo.
If you care deeply about an issue, consider writing a letter to one of your government officials or to a media organization. (A Sandy Spring student was published in the New York Times letters to the editor last year!) Use your writing to make a difference.
Try journaling. Writing about events going on in your life and around the world can be a great way to process information while also building writing skills and creating a record you’ll be able to look back on in years to come. Write for yourself or write for others -- it’s up to you!
Rising seniors: We highly recommend that you continue working on your college application essays during the summer. This Slideshow offers basic information and advice. You may wish to reach out to returning SSFS English teachers Scott, Anne, and Nina or to your college counselor.

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