Back to School - Upper School

Here’s what you need to know and do.

Important Dates

Date	Event
Various dates	Fall sports:  view the complete list of all fall testing and practice dates.
First Week of August	Upper School Schedules are sent via email with online change request instructions.
Monday, Aug. 20	Parking permits are distributed by the security office. Lockers for students in grades 10-12 are distributed by Student Life.
Tuesday, Aug. 21	Parking permits are distributed by the security office. Lockers for students in grades 10-12 are distributed by Student Life (in person, on campus). Freshman Pre-Orientation Event. 4:00-5:30 pm, US Quad. An informal fun get-together for students.
Wednesday, Aug. 22	Freshman Orientation. 8:30 am-2:00 pm, Martin Family Hall/Athletic Center. (Students should arrive at Martin Hall by 8:30 am and can be picked up on campus at 2:00 pm.) Read more details from the Freshman Dean. Bring your laptop! Freshman Parents’ Coffee. 8:30 am, Stent Hall Terrace. Senior Class BBQ. 6:00-8:00 pm, US Quad.
Thursday, Aug. 23	First Day of Classes. School begins at 8:30 am with an assembly in the Athletic Center. Schedule Change Requests, if not done electronically before the first day of school, can be done in-person by meeting with Registrar Julie Hammock (sophomores and freshmen) or your college counselor (juniors and seniors)
Wednesday,  Aug. 29	First MSPA meeting. 8:45 am (hospitality at 8:15 am), Martin Family Hall.
Thursday, Aug. 30	Ninth Grade Parent Education Night. 6:00-7:30 pm, Martin Family Hall.
Thursday, Sept. 13	US Back-to-School Night. 6:00-8:00 pm, US Quad.
Various	Parent Evenings and Parent Socials. Check your Grade Level News pages for details.

You can also view the full school calendar. 

Before School Starts, Do This:

1. Turn in your Health and Athletic Forms

• If you haven’t already, please submit your forms through Magnus Health Student Medical Record (SMR). Athletic forms and all health forms were due Aug. 1. Questions? Contact Joan Barada, RN, at 650.330.2001 ext. 2530 or joan.barada@menloschool.org.

2. Sign the Student and Parent Handbook

• Menlo’s 2018-2019 Student and Parent Handbook conveys important information about a wide variety of school policies, including academic requirements and expectations for student behavior. All families must review the Handbook and acknowledge agreement with Handbook policies by entering an electronic signature here.

3. Course Schedules and Course Changes

• Course schedules will be sent electronically the first week in August, and the email will include instructions for requesting changes electronically prior to the start of school.
• If you need to make a request on the first day of the school (Aug. 23), the College Counselors and Registrar Julie Hammack will be available for course change requests. On that day, juniors and seniors can meet with a college counselor to request changes or be added to a waitlist, and sophomores should see Dr. Hammack. While we highly encourage freshmen to speak directly with Dr. Hammack, freshmen parents who wish to talk about their schedules may email or come in to see her. 

4. Finish Your Summer Assignments

• Review and complete your summer reading and assignments.

5. Get Your Books and Laptop

• Be sure to get the books you’ll need for your classes—the book list (with ISBN number) for each class can be found on the MBS Direct website for Menlo School. (Free shipping on orders of $99+ ends August 13, 2018.) Additionally, several classes use e-books. Use your class schedule to determine which books you’ll need.  (Note: you are not required to purchase from MBS Direct; you can order them from any vendor you prefer.) 
• You’ll also need to ensure you have a laptop for the start of school.
• And, in case you’re wondering what Upper School students will need for the first day, in addition to their fully-charged laptop, students should bring a binder or notebook, assigned summer work, and a pencil or pen. There isn’t a master list of required supplies for Upper School students as each student’s needs will depend on their courses. Teachers will let students know the what supplies will be needed for each class. 

6. Find an Alternative Way to Get to School

• Help reduce traffic! GO MENLO is THE way the Menlo community gets to and from school. Make a commitment to walk, bike, carpool, or ride the train or bus. You can also take one of the four Menlo buses, from San Mateo/San Carlos/Redwood City, Woodside/Portola Valley, East Palo Alto/Palo Alto/Menlo Park, and Cupertino/Los Alto. You can also use the Carpool Map to find other Menlo families for a carpool.

7. Fill Out Important Forms

• Order student photo packages from those taken for our School Directory (known as the Menlo Knightbook).
• Fill out the Authorization to Drive Students if you plan to drive students to field trips, sporting events, etc.
• Juniors and Seniors: complete the Parking Registration Form and return it to the Student Life Office on Aug. 22 and before the first day of classes. You can register for a carpool parking space with this form at the same time.
• Grades 10-12: Sign up for Quad-area lockers in person in the Student Life Office (Aug. 21-22). First come, first served! (Freshmen—no need to do this; you’ll sign up at orientation.)

8. We’ll see you on the first day!

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New families: A temporary website login was included in a recent email. Your permanent login information will be sent to you soon. After that, if you have trouble logging in, please contact techticket@menloschool.org with your child’s full name and grade level. We will respond to you in a timely manner.

You may also want to check out the Menlo Dictionary to help understand the programs and terminology at Menlo.