Welcome Parents

Welcome prospective and current Hopkins parents!

Hopkins parents play a crucial role in the educational lives of their children and in the success of the School. We hope that this website will be a valuable tool for the Hopkins parent community, a vehicle of frequent communication and collaboration between home and school. On this page, you will find highlights of the many resources and activities available to parents.

We encourage all current parents to LOGIN to the website for up-to-date calendar and school information. If you need help setting up your account please email support@hopkins.edu

The Parent Association supports the full range of the school's objectives by:
  • Encouraging & promoting volunteerism in all appropriate aspects of school life
  • Providing information and guidance to parents on issues related to school, adolescence, and parenting; support for students, faculty, and parents; and outreach to prospective students and parents
  • Promoting communication among and between parents, students, and the School, and providing input to the School on issues of concern to parents
  • Raising and allocating funds to help meet the needs of the School
Click here for more information

FAQ for Hopkins Families

List of 7 frequently asked questions.

  • May I continue to take individual music, dance, or art lessons and continue to practice an individual sport while I attend Hopkins?

    Yes, many of our students maintain their private instructional relationships with teachers or coaches in the arts or athletics. Many students continue athletic endeavors such as equestrian training or dance by taking advantage of Hopkins' liberal Independent Athletic Program.
  • What extra-curricular activities exist at Hopkins?

    A Hopkins education encourages students to pursue serious academic study in the framework of a comprehensive curriculum. Students are expected to participate in a vibrant athletic program to build healthy bodies and develop life skills. Students are also encouraged to participate fully in the arts: art, drama and music, student government, the newspaper and the yearbook, clubs and social activities, and the many off-campus community service opportunities such as tutoring, serving in a soup kitchen, volunteering in hospitals, etc.
  • How can parents become more involved in the life of the Hopkins community?

    Hopkins has an extremely active Parent Council organization to which all parents may belong. The Parent Council works to raise additional funds for the Annual Giving Campaign each year and to sponsor various programs for students and parents related to adolescent development, drug and alcohol awareness, and adolescent social needs. Each year, the Parent Council sponsors an after prom party after the spring prom.
  • What support services does Hopkins offer its students?

    One of the strengths of Hopkins is its ability to know students as individuals with particular academic and social needs. In general, the Hopkins student is an intelligent, hard-working student who is able to meet the various academic, social, and athletic demands of a day school. For students who would benefit from more personalized emotional or academic support services, Hopkins offers a school psychologist, peer tutoring, and an academic support program staffed with teachers from all academic disciplines.
  • What is the Adam Kreiger Adventure Program?

    Offering an outdoor facility that includes over 30 high and low elements on our state-of-the-art ropes course, the Adam Kreiger Adventure Program offers an adventure curriculum that promotes group solidarity and recognition of individual potential. Named after a profound student who graduated in 1991, the program is located on the Hopkins campus and is offered to the student body through academics, athletic practices, and adviser groups, as well as to the greater New Haven community. Click here for more information about AKAP.
  • What off-campus study programs are open to Hopkins students?

    Some students wish to study at another institution during their Hopkins years. In recent years, Hopkins students have participated in term or yearlong courses of study through programs such as The Mountain School, Rocky Mountain Academy, City Term, Chewonki Foundation, and School Year Abroad in China, France, Italy, and Spain during the junior year.
  • What is Hopkins Summer School?

    Since 1901, Hopkins School has offered a summer program of small classes that offer advancement and remediation in almost every academic discipline for secondary school and elementary students. In recent years, the Summer School has also offered a variety of athletic activities in its sports camp.

Hopkins Vocabulary

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.

Current Parents should LOGIN to the website above for secure information, including: School Calendars, an Online Directory, Forms and Documents, News, Photo and Video Archive, and more.
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.