Welcome Parents

List of 4 items.

• Locations on Campus

  The Cage: athletic equipment/uniform room, lower level of Athletic Center

  
  Baldwin Conference Room: a large meeting room, in Baldwin across from Head of School's office

  
  Gallery: room at the end of Baldwin Hall and immediately adjacent to the Library; displays student artwork

  
  The Glade: grassy area between Alumni House and Malone

  
  The Big "H": the patio in front of the Walter Camp Athletic Center where various gatherings take place, including the Back to School Bash

   

  The Quad: the grassy area on top of the Hill between Thompson Hall, Malone Science Center, and Heath Commons

  
  Old Gym: curved-roof building between DPH and Heath Commons and now the home to the Hopkins Squash Program

  
  The Pit: the football field

  
  Bouchet Seminar Room: large meeting room on lower level of Malone Science Center

  
  Siberia: The extension of the Forest Road parking lot where students park, below field hockey field

  
  Weissman Room: in Heath Commons, serves as meeting/gathering room for special events and is home to the Steinway grand piano.

  
  WCAC: Walter Camp Athletic Center. The flags in the upper hall of the WCAC represent the various countries where current Hopkins students and faculty, or their parents, were born; they are a symbol of the diversity within the Hopkins community. The building is named for Walter Camp, the Father of Modern Football, and Hopkins Grammar School Class of 1875.

• Academic Terms

  Academic honesty: Hopkins follows the philosophy that honesty promotes learning, while dishonesty interferes with it. At the beginning of each school year, each student reads and signs the school's Statement of Academic Honesty in a special adviser meeting. Academic honesty is further outlined in the Hopkins Handbook.

  
  Academic warning: On occasion, a student's academic performance causes special concern; in such a case, the appropriate head adviser will write a letter of academic warning to the student's parents, and the student's work will be closely monitored.

  
  Advisers: Advisers are faculty members who act as advocates, friends and mentors to their student advisees; please see more about advisers in the "School Life" section of the site.

  
  Free Fridays: Ninth-graders only have to attend one study hall on Fridays; the others become free periods that they can use as they choose.

  
  Grades & comments: Grades (A+ through F) are accompanied by teacher-written comments, more detailed assessments of a student's academic performance and attitude.

  Head Adviser: A member of the administration who is responsible for an entire grade, both students and the teachers who advise in that grade. Head advisers are also responsible for discipline for minor infractions.

  
  L.O.P. / L.O.P. Sheet: Loss of privileges; a student loses privileges because of a minor disciplinary matter and must attend a certain number of study halls.

  No Homework Weekend: select fall and spring weekends, holiday breaks when no homework is assigned

  Parents Course Choice Meeting: meetings to familiarize parents with the course selection process

  
  Promotion: In order to be promoted to the next grade, a student must pass all courses and earn an overall average of D+ or higher. A grade of C- or higher is required for promotion to the next level in foreign language and mathematics courses.

  
  Quiet room: (Junior School) Students go to an assigned place to do work during their only recess; teachers will assign a quiet room when a student forgets his/her homework or book, or when a student misbehaves.

  
  Saturday Hours: for those students who have been tardy too many times during the school week or have run afoul of other rules; they must come to Hopkins on Saturday morning to do course work in a supervised study hall.

  
  HDA: Hopkins Drama Association

• Athletics/Activities

  Informal Athletics (a.k.a. Informals): co-ed sports that meet for two periods Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the school day; offerings include tennis, instructional fencing, fitness/aerobics, and intramural programs.

  
  Adam Kreiger: refers to the Adam Kreiger Adventure Program (AKAP), a ropes/ challenge course and educational program of related activities.

  
  Independent Athletics: an individualized athletic program for which a student must submit an application to the Athletic Policy Committee before each season; independent athletics must meet the goals of the Hopkins Athletic Department, demand comparable commitment to the standard program and be closely supervised.

  
  Harmonaires, Spirens, & Triple Trio: the student a cappella singing groups on campus.

• School Events

  All School Assembly: 8:00-8:15 a.m. on Mondays and 8:00 – 8:35 am Fridays. Our “community building” time; dedicated to special speakers and presentations, announcements, performances, frivolity and togetherness.

  
  Battle of the Bands: the first big all-school event of the school year. Begins with a Student Council cook out on the Big H at 5 pm and followed by a rock and roll extravaganza of student and teacher bands – an event the entire neighborhood hears and enjoys!

  
  Spirit Week: celebration of Hopkins School spirit with various themed days and special events that culminates with Homecoming on Saturday.

  
  Maroon & Grey Day: held on the Friday of Spirit Week, when everyone wears school colors, maroon and gray, with special performances and skits designed produced by the fall sports teams performed in assembly.

  
  Homecoming: annual fall gathering of alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends for athletic competitions, followed by the big Homecoming Dance in Heath Commons.

  
  Pumpkin Bowl: the name given to special full school assembly on Halloween, allowing a bit of organized madness and fun with treats, costumes, games, and quite a mess!

  
  Canned Food Drive: Hopkins is the single largest dollar contributor to the Connecticut Food Bank and the annual holiday fund raising drive is a hallmark of our School’s commitment to Community Service

  
  Five Golden Rings: the culmination of our Winter Holiday Assembly where the seniors celebrate the people and personalities that make them unique and special during a “performance art” rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

  
  SnoBall: semi-formal dance held in January

  
  SURE Dance: scheduled for early spring, often themed to the 80’s with some of the most hilarious costumes you can imagine

  
  Battle of the Bands: evening spring concert when multiple independent school bands play and compete; any student or group can participate.

  
  JSchool Drama Production and Ice Cream Social: our JSchool gathers in the Dining Room to eat ice cream
  and celebrate t themselves and their year on the second night of the big JSchool drama production

  
  Senior Project Day: the culmination of the Senior Project season where the seniors present to the community the fruits of their labors.

  
  Athletic Awards Banquet: a gathering of all the varsity teams – fall, winter and spring – to reminisce and honor those teams that experienced memorable seasons and the players whose accomplishments as student-athletes were truly extraordinary.