Upper School - The Episcopal School of Dallas | Best Private Schools in Dallas

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Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

March 2022
- 2022-23 School Year information will be available on this page. Please check back soon.

2021-22 Calendar

Summer Resources

Summer Reading Lists

Summer Training and Conditioning for Fall Sports

Below you will find details regarding summer training, camps, and tryout information (if available) for fall sports. If you have any questions, please contact the Program Director of the sport you are interested in.

July 13 Update: Overnight Travel and Protocols for the Fall Season

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

This summer we will be offering Strength & Conditioning workouts for all high school athletes. Each session will be two hours, with the first hour consisting of outdoor speed, agility, and quickness work, followed by an hour of strength training in the weight room. The boys group sessions will take place from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m., the girls group sessions will take place from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and the make-up lift sessions will take place from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Sessions will begin and end promptly, so athletes are advised to arrive 15 minutes prior to their session’s start time.

Each athlete will need to bring athletic sneakers, a mask for indoor lifts, a reusable water bottle, and cleats if preferred for outdoor work. All athletes interested in Varsity-level sports next year are encouraged to attend morning sessions this summer if possible.

Summer Training will begin Tuesday, June 1 and follow the schedule below:

June 1-4
June 7-10
June 14-17
June 21-24
June 28-Jul 1
July 5-8: OFF
July 12-15
July 19-22
July 26-29

CHEERLEADING

Upper School Cheer Tryouts: May 10-14.

Contact Program Director and Head Coach Megan Schroeder '09 prior to tryouts if your Eagle is interested in trying out for the 2021-22 season.

CREW

Click here for Coach Adam Jones's one-stop information sheet for the 2021-22 crew season. Please note, there are also links at the bottom of the document for new families.

FOOTBALL

For the spring/summer football training schedule, please click here.

For the August football training schedule, please click here.

VOLLEYBALL

There will be a volleyball camp July 26-28 from 9:00-11:30 a.m. Tryouts are August 2-3. More details to come.

Textbook Ordering Now Available

Community Service Opportunities

The summer is the perfect time to complete as many service hours as possible before the school year begins and ESD has a variety of partners that are eager to work with students. You can find a list of some of our partners and service opportunities here. For a reminder of our service guidelines, please review our Upper School Community Service Guidelines and Requirements.

NEW STUDENTS: ESD uses the platform MobileServe to log hours. To ensure that all students are registered properly, new students will receive a MobileServe training at the beginning of the school year. In the meantime, you may use this template as a guide to keeping track of your hours. Please reach out to Courtney Phelps, Director of Community Service Learning, at phelpsc@esdallas.org.

Click Here to View Our 2021 Virtual Service Fair

Day-to-Day Information

Orientation August 16 and 17

August 16, 2021 at 9:30 a.m.:

All ninth graders and all new students in grades 9-11 and their parents.

Where:

ESD Campus. Park in the main lot on Merrell Road or on the street. Meet at 9:30 a.m. in All Saints Chapel.
Campus Map

What to Bring:

All students must bring their laptop and the top half of their formal uniform for their yearbook photo.

Dress:

Casual and comfortable.

Action Required:

Make sure you have activated your digital student account prior to orientation. Reference the April 30, 2021 email sent from parentsupport@esdallas.org with the sender name ESD Middle and Upper School Office. The subject line was Action Required: Activate Digital Student Accounts.

Schedule:

View the first tab on the linked spreadsheet below.
View Orientation Schedule

August 17, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.

All students, new and returning, in grades 10 and 11.

Where:

ESD Campus. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Dining Commons.

What to Bring:

Students must bring the top half of their formal uniform for their yearbook photo.

Dress:

Casual and comfortable.

Schedule:

View the 10th and 11th tab on the linked spreadsheet below.
View Orientation Schedule

All Students and Families: Please reference the Uniforms and Spirit Wear dropdown below to ensure your uniform pieces meet ESD guidelines.

Uniforms and Spirit Wear

UNIFORMS

Mills Uniform Company is the official uniform supplier for ESD. Uniforms can be purchased directly from Mills or through the ESD Uniform Resale Shop.

You may also purchase uniform pieces, excluding plaid or logo items, at other retailers or resale stores as long as they match the stated guidelines.

P.E. Uniforms can be purchased from the Eagles Nest Campus Store. (Link below.)

Uniform Guidelines

Printable Uniform Guidelines

Uniform Resale Shop

Examples of approved vs. unapproved shoes:

Click to expand

P.E. UNIFORMS AND SPIRIT WEAR

The Eagles Nest campus store has gone virtual! Get your spirit wear essentials like P.E. uniforms, shirts, outerwear, embroidered bows, hats, and a little bit of everything else. A limited selection of spirit wear items can also be found in the Resale Shop. Check us out on Instagram @eaglesnestesd for information regarding sales, curbside hour updates and new items!

Eagles Nest Campus Store

Medical / Nurse's Station

NEW FAMILIES

Lifetime immunization records are due May 21, 2021 and should be submitted using our electronic medical record system, Magnus, which can be accessed via the Veracross Parent Portal. Please note, your Magnus Health Portal login will use the same credentials as your Parent Portal login. You received an email on April 12, 2021 with your login credentials. Please contact parentsupport@esdallas.org.

View the Nurse's Letter for New Families for next school year by clicking here.

RETURNING FAMILIES

By August 1, 2021, please have your physician complete the 2021-22 Physical Form and upload it to your student's Magnus account. Forms should NOT be returned to the school. All students must have a new physical every year. Please note, your Magnus Health Portal login uses the same credentials as your Veracross Parent Portal.

Click Here to Access the
Magnus Health Portal

Magnus Health is the provider of our secure web-based electronic medical record system and your child’s health records will be initiated online. This information is HIPAA and FERPA protected and is unique to each student.

School Day Hours

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program

Upper School Handbook

Frequently Used Contacts

Head of Upper School - Henry Heil
heilh@esdallas.org

Assistant Head of Upper School - Jeff Laba
labaj@esdallas.org

Attendance Notifications - usattendance@esdallas.org

Nurse - Marcia Biggs, RN
biggsm@esdallas.org

Counseling and Emotional Wellness - Merredith Stuelpe, LCSW
stuelpem@esdallas.org

Learning Support Counselor - Hilary Hodgson, Ph.D.
hodgsonh@esdallas.org

College Guidance - Chris Gonzales
gonzalesc@esdallas.org

Freshman Class Dean - Dawn Eatherly
eatherlyd@esdallas.org

Sophomore Class Dean - Phil Bryan
bryanp@esdallas.org

Junior Class Dean - Claire Mrozek
mrozekc@esdallas.org

Senior Class Dean - Marcela Garcini
garcinim@esdallas.org

Meet the Coaches

Meet the Arts Teachers

How will ESD communicate with me?

PARENT NEWSLETTERS EVERY MONTH:

On the first, second, and fifth Monday of the month you will receive an email with the subject line "ESD News You Can Use." It will be sent from Julie Clardy, Director of Communications.
On the third Monday of the month you will receive an email with the subject line "ESD Dates You Can Use." It will be sent from Julie Clardy, Director of Communications.
On the fourth Monday of the month, you will receive an email from your child's home room teacher (lower school) or Grade Level Dean (middle and upper school).
Grade Rep emails are sent mid-month.

If you are not receiving these emails and have checked your spam filter, please contact Katie Voss, Communications Associate, at vossk@esdallas.org.

Health and Safety Information

June 1: On Campus Protocol Updates

June 1, 2021

Dear ESD Community,

As health conditions in Dallas continue to improve, ESD’s Health and Safety Committee has decided to ease our COVID-related protocols further. Beginning today, Tuesday, June 1, the following guidelines will be in place:

Campus is open to visitors.
As was the case before the pandemic, all visitors (during the summer, this includes students not enrolled in summer session, parents, and alumni) must check in with the security guard at Gate 3 or the front reception desk on Merrell Road.
All individuals, regardless of their vaccination status, should have a mask with them while on campus.
Masks are not required while using outdoor spaces.
Anyone who is fully vaccinated will not be required to wear a mask in most indoor locations.
Masks will still be required indoors for all fully vaccinated people if they are participating in an activity or meeting in an enclosed space (office, conference room, or classroom) with six or more people.
All non-vaccinated people should wear masks when indoors except when they are alone in an office or classroom.
Protocols specific to summer camps and classes will be shared directly with participants and their parents.

Thank you in advance to all community members for your continued respect and care for each other as we adjust our protocols. Collectively we must do what we can to protect the variety of health concerns and risks among our community members. If someone you are interacting with asks you to wear a mask, please abide by their request.

The Health and Safety Committee will continue to meet this summer, and I will issue and share new guidelines if conditions change.

Have a great summer, Eagles!

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad
Hobson Family Head of School

July 13: Upper School Sports Protocol Updates

July 13, 2021

Dear Upper School Families,

The Health and Safety Committee is happy to report that they anticipate no restrictions on athletic activities as we start the fall sports season. However, some sports will be holding overnight camps in the coming weeks and since these include residential settings, extra protocols have been put in place specifically for overnight travel.

For the time being, the Health and Safety Committee will be requiring each person (player or coach/support personnel) involved in overnight travel to provide the trainers and head coach one of the following in advance:

Proof of full vaccination
A positive anti-body test taken within ten days of the start of camp
A negative PCR test taken within three days of the start of camp

Until stated otherwise, these protocols will also apply to overnight trips throughout the season. Be on the lookout for a comprehensive email regarding summer updates and additional fall sports information later this month. We thank you for your cooperation and look forward to a great year.

Go Eagles!

Dan Gill

Director of Athletics

August 12: Health and Safety Protocols Update

August 12, 2021

Dear ESD Community,

I hope this letter finds you having enjoyed a refreshing summer. We are excited to welcome back students, teachers, and families to campus soon. Below are the recommendations and requirements we will have in place to address the ongoing threat of COVID-19 in our community.

The headline is that we are returning to mostly normal day-to-day operations. We will continue to monitor the caseload in North Texas and in our more immediate community. We reserve the right to adjust our procedures if needed, as this remains a fluid situation. Our number one goal is to fully deliver on ESD’s mission while, where possible, mitigating risks to our community’s health and well-being.

The guidance below is based on the following:

Any protocols we implement:
- are developed in consultation with local health professionals, including over two dozen doctors with a variety of appropriate specialties
- are based on local health data from all the major hospitals in Dallas
- take into consideration the infection rates within ESD
Our health measures balance the physical and emotional health of our students and employees and the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
ESD had good success last year implementing protocols that were specific to the health conditions in our school community.

VACCINES

Vaccines are the best defense we have in ensuring that our students and teachers have a completely uninterrupted school year. ESD encourages in the strongest possible terms that all eligible community members receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.

If your child is fully vaccinated, please send their vaccine information to Director of Health Services Amy Forrester or your division’s nurse, Lower School Nurse Carla Thomas and Middle and Upper School Nurse Marcia Biggs, so that we can keep track of community vaccination rates. This data will help inform our decision process moving forward. A more fully vaccinated school population may allow us to lift restrictions sooner.

MASKING

Just in the last ten days, Dallas County has seen a significant increase in the number of pediatric COVID cases and a growing shortage of available pediatric ICU beds. Because of this change, beginning today, ESD will enact an indoor mask mandate for all students and employees. We will reevaluate this policy weekly and hope to loosen restrictions soon. Until very recently, we had planned and hoped to be in a different health circumstance as we opened the school year, allowing us to implement different masking protocols. However, it is important that we do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19, both at ESD and in the greater community, particularly among children.

Universal indoor masking also reduces the chances that children will be quarantined. New CDC guidelines state that in the case of close contact between students in the classroom, if both students are masked, the close contact no longer needs to be quarantined.

All students and employees should wear the school-issued blue Jaanuu mask required last year or a personal N-95 mask. Two masks will be issued to each new student and employee. For those who no longer have the blue Jannuu masks, a limited number of Jaanuu masks are available in the Eagles Nest. Should the Eagles Nest be out of stock, surgical masks may be worn until the supply of Jaanuu masks in the Eagles Nest has been replenished. Masks do not need to be worn outdoors.

HEALTH SCREENING

We will suspend the use of the daily Ascend health screening application until further notice. Please keep the link; depending on how conditions develop, we may reinstate it later in the year.

It is still imperative for all students and employees to do a health check each morning before coming to school. Those experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home, inform the appropriate school nurse, and contact their physician.

POSITIVE CASES AND QUARANTINING

Any community member who tests positive for COVID-19 must report their positive result to the appropriate school nurse, quarantine for at least ten days, and be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. The school will conduct a contact-tracing interview with the person to determine who has been in close social contact with the individual.

Quarantine exemptions will be granted to fully vaccinated individuals. To be exempt from quarantine, an individual must have a vaccination card on file with the appropriate school nurse prior to being asked to quarantine.

At this time, we are not planning to quarantine entire classrooms, teams, or ensembles. The year will begin with traditional class sections in each grade - no cohorts. Should local conditions change, these protocols will be reconsidered. However, the school will inform all people who share an activity (class, practice, rehearsal) with the positive case that someone they share an activity with has tested positive for COVID-19. Those who share the activity will be asked to monitor their symptoms closely and be extra cautious about staying home if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. We will also continue to update the community on cases through the COVID dashboard on our website once school begins.

REMOTE LEARNING

A remote learning option will be offered to any student who will miss school because they are COVID-positive or are quarantined because of close contact with a COVID-positive individual. Remote learning platforms will vary by division. Division Heads will be in touch with more detail. Otherwise, all students will be expected to participate in person.

PARENTS ON CAMPUS

We are excited to welcome parents back to campus. Like students and employees, all parents must wear a mask while indoors at ESD, regardless of vaccination status.

For the time being, parents should limit their campus visits to:
1) back-to-school events and activities
2) scheduled group performances and games
3) meetings with school employees
4) limited volunteer duties

Other than in the Eagles Nest and during the Lower School’s Eagle Camps and new student orientations, which we feel are limited and controlled environments, we ask that parents not interact with students indoors - in the classrooms, dining commons, or study commons - while on campus. For now, we are requesting that parents who come to campus for a meeting or other approved activity depart campus as soon as their appointment or business has concluded.

Like many of you, I was eagerly awaiting the new school year completely unfettered by COVID restrictions. Unfortunately, the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases and increasing cases among children has caused us to reinstate a few key protocols. We remain cognizant of the social-emotional strain this pandemic presents all of us, especially our students. Thank you for your continued support and care for one another. By all of us doing what we can, we are hopeful that we will be able to relax these restrictions soon.

You may find all current protocols on our Health and Safety Protocols page of the website, also linked in the portals.

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad
Hobson Family Head of School

Virtual Events

Moving Up Meetings Overview

Moving Up To Ninth Grade

Moving Up to Tenth Grade

Moving Up to Eleventh Grade

Moving Up to Twelfth Grade

Ways to Get Involved

VIDEO: Welcome Incoming Freshmen!

Enrollment Information

How to Enroll

Tuition

New Student Account Setup

Welcome new students! An email was sent to your parents/guardians on April 29 with your new student account setup details including your username and password. Please reference that email for step-by-step account setup instructions. The final step in account setup is accessing Schoology. The video below, also included in the account setup email, will walk you through the process.

If your family did not receive the email with your credentials, please contact parentsupport@esdallas.org for assistance.

Don't forget to check back as we continue to update this page throughout the spring semester and summer.

Go to the Lower School Getting Ready Page

Go to the Middle School Getting Ready Page

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

March 2022

*Don't forget to check back as we continue to update this page throughout the spring semester and summer.*

Don't forget to check back as we continue to update this page throughout the spring semester and summer.