Grade 8 Important Dates
Mark Your Calendars!
Grade 8 is a year marked by significant growth, expanded leadership opportunities, and the transition to the Upper School.
Please put these dates on your family’s calendar in preparation for this important year. Additional information will be shared in advance of each event.
Introduction to the Upper School + Grade 8 Attends Upper School Chapel
Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, 8:15 – 9:30 a.m.
Current Grade 8 parents/guardians are invited to join Head of Upper School Beth Miller on the Greenway Rise Campus to learn more about high school life from the students and adults who know it best. Following a brief presentation, parents/guardians will be invited to tour the campus with the Gold Keys, our Upper School student ambassadors. This same afternoon, Grade 8 students will join Upper School students and faculty for the annual fall outdoor Chapel followed by a barbecue lunch on the soccer field. Students will be transported on buses to and from the Upper School, and dismissal will occur at its normal time and place on the Belfield Campus.
Upper School Visits for Grade 8 Students
Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, 2024
Grade 8 students will visit the Upper School in their advisory groups on either Oct. 29 or Oct. 30 from 2:45 – 4 p.m. Their visit will include time with Upper School leadership as well as tours of the campus with the Gold Keys, the Upper School student ambassadors. Students will be transported on buses to and from the Upper School, and parents/guardians should pick up their children at 4 p.m. in the Conway Convocation Center (CCC) Circle on their designated visit day. Visit day assignments will be shared with Grade 8 parents/guardians as the event approaches.
Getting to Know the Academic Program
Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2024, 8:30 a.m.
Grade 8 parents/guardians are invited to join Head of the Upper School Beth Miller for a preview of the Upper School academic program. Gold Key student ambassador tours will be offered to interested parents/guardians following the program.
Rising Grade 9 Visit Day
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, 8:30 a.m.
In early December, Grade 8 students return to the Greenway Rise Campus for an introduction to student life programming beyond academic courses. They’ll hear from a student panel and meet student life leaders. Students will be bused to and from the Upper School.
Rising Grade 9 Transition Conferences
Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, 2025
Designed to be a highly personalized and information-rich experience for both students and parents/guardians, transition conferences are required, 45-minute meetings between an Upper School faculty member or administrator, the parent(s)/guardian(s), and the Grade 8 child. This meeting lays the groundwork for a student’s academic coursework, athletic participation, and advisory placement for the 2025-26 school year. The student and at least one parent/guardian are required to attend and should expect the meeting to take one hour. Sign-up details will be provided in the winter.
Substance Abuse Prevention: Grade 8 Student and Parent/Guardian Roundtable
Thursday, March 27, 2025, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Brenda Conlan, substance abuse prevention specialist, will lead a series of workshops with Grade 8 students throughout the week of March 24 – 28, 2025. On the evening of March 27, she will facilitate a roundtable discussion between grade-level parents/guardians and students in support of open communication about this important topic. Please note that the success of this program is dependent upon full engagement by Grade 8 students and parents/guardians, so we ask that each Grade 8 student and at least one parent/guardian from the household plan to attend.
Rising Grade 9 Transition Chat
Thursday, April 8, 2025, 8 a.m.
Parents and guardians of Grade 8 students are invited to the Lourie Learning Center to learn more about the transition to Grade 9 and life in the Upper School. Head of Upper School Beth Miller, US Dean of Students Jeremy Hart, and Grade 9 Dean Matthew Groves will share information about finalizing course registration, the August student and parent/guardian orientations, and what families can expect at the start of the ninth grade year. Coffee will be available from 8 – 8:15 a.m. and the program will begin at 8:15 a.m.
Grades 8 – 12 Attends Chapel at the Upper School
Friday, April 11, 2025
Eighth graders will join Upper School students and faculty for Chapel. Students will be transported on buses to and from the Upper School, and dismissal will occur at its normal time and place on the Belfield Campus.
Middle and Upper School Moving Up Chapels
Friday, May 30, 2025
Grade 8 students will participate in both the Middle School and Upper School Moving Up Chapels on this day. An important St. Anne’s-Belfield tradition, the Moving Up Chapels mark a child’s transition from one grade to the next, and in this case, from one campus to another. Please note that the exact times of these chapels will be announced closer to the date. Students will be transported on buses to and from the Upper School, and dismissal will occur at it’s normal time and place on the Belfield Campus.
Grade 8 Class Day Rehearsal
Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 10 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
The final day of school for Grades K – 8 is Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Grade 8 students return to campus on June 4 to prepare for Grade 8 Class Day. Among their final preparations will be rehearsing Exhibitions and the Class Day Ceremony as a full grade. Please make every effort to ensure that your child is present on this day.
Grade 8 Dance
Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 7 – 9 p.m.
The Grade 8 dance is a grade-wide social event planned by the Grade 8 parents/guardians and hosted on campus. Please hold the date and time on your family’s calendar and look for more information from the Grade Level Representatives in the spring.
Grade 8 Exhibitions and Class Day
Thursday, June 5, 2025, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Class Day marks the conclusion of a student’s time on the Belfield Campus. Each eighth grade student prepares and presents an Exhibition, an original composition in which students reflect on their growth and accomplishments during the middle school years. Exhibition presentations are followed by the Class Day Ceremony in which the accomplishments of the class are recognized and celebrated. Family, including siblings, loved ones, and special friends, are encouraged to attend both the Exhibition presentations and the Class Day Ceremony.
Important Resources and To Do Items
