July 13, 2020

Welcome Highlanders!

We are excited to welcome you to campus this fall! I am writing today to introduce myself and the Dean of Students Office and to share details with you about some important work that we will be doing over the summer to help you transition to The Gunnery.

My name is Ashley LeBlanc, and I am the Dean of Students. I also teach, coach, and advise a group of students. I live in Teddy House, with my husband, James, our sons, Douglas and Gordon, and our black lab, Tuuk. We have lived and worked in boarding schools for the last 13 years and have enjoyed raising our family in these communities. It is my pleasure to welcome you to The Gunnery and I can’t wait to meet you all.

In the Dean of Students Office, I work with Jim Balben, Director of Residential Life, and Lauren Lord, Assistant Dean of Students. We collaborate often with Brian Konik, Ph.D., Director of Counseling, and Mary Ewing, Director of Nursing, as well as many other members of our community. It is our goal to ensure that you are supported in all areas of your time at The Gunnery.

In preparation for the start of the school year, we’d ask that you communicate with your parents or guardian to complete the following forms, all of which can be found in the Back-to-School Guide on our website.

Summer DOS Forms

Please take a moment to complete the required summer DOS forms. These forms (profile updates, media permission, debit account information, etc.) are required to be completed prior to August 21. Your parents or guardians can find these forms by logging into HighlanderNation and clicking on the yellow toolbar near the top of the page. If you have questions about these specific forms, please reach out to Mrs. Lord. Also remember to complete your MagnusHealth forms for the Health Center and academic forms and placement tests for the Academic Office. All forms are available in HighlanderNation.

Advising

Over the summer, we will be working with the Admissions Office to assign an academic advisor for every Gunnery student. To help aid in your placement, please complete the advisor-specific questions in our Student Life survey (see link below). Advisors at The Gunnery are considered the “point person” for their advisees. Specifically, your advisor will be the primary person of contact regarding your progress, both academically and socially, while you are here. Your advisor will strive to know what’s happening in your life as a student, including making sure that you are settling in here at school during the first few days and beyond. Each advisor has at least one other advisee, and you will gather as a group multiple times a week.

You will first hear from your advisor in early August and will be invited to connect over Zoom. Throughout the school year, your parents or guardian will formally hear from your advisors in writing four times a year, and informally on a more frequent basis, depending on the communication preferences and needs of your family.

We welcome your input in qualities that you or your parents would like in your advisor. Please feel free to reach out to us at dos@gunnery.org if you would like to further discuss advisor placement.

Residential Life

All students will receive their rooming assignments on the day they register in September. Please make sure you complete the Student Life Survey to note important information we should take into consideration. We cannot guarantee that specific requests will be met (roommate preferences, single/double requests) but noting this type of information in the survey will help us when making rooming assignments. Day students should also complete this survey, as they will continue to have dedicated space on campus for storing their belongings, changing before co-curriculars, and studying between classes.

Our philosophy is that all students, boarding and day, international and domestic, should feel at home at The Gunnery. We strive to build connected communities where faculty, families, and students live together in supportive environments. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns or would like us to have additional information about your housing assignment.

School Store Debit Account

Every student at The Gunnery has a debit account in the School Store, including day students. Students can access the funds in their accounts to purchase school supplies, Gunnery gear and other necessities from the School Store. It is also their on-campus bank account, and they can withdraw funds for lunch at the PO, off-campus meals or excursions, or whatever they might need during the school year. Parents are asked to deposit funds into the account at the start of each school year by sending a check payable to:

The Gunnery

99 Green Hill Rd.

Washington, CT, 06793

Attention: School Store

As another option, you may choose to send a wire transfer from your bank to fund your student’s account. Instructions for wire transfers can be found on the first page of your contract, which is accessible on Highlander Nation. Please note that School Store Debit Accounts cannot be funded with a credit card. The School Store will allow students to withdraw up to $50 per week in cash from their account. You have the option of setting a higher limit on weekly cash withdrawals for your student, and this amount can be adjusted during the school year as needed. If you would like to stop cash withdrawals, please email doodyd@gunnery.org.

Online Bookstore

The Gunnery has partnered with an online bookstore this year to streamline the purchase of all textbooks and required reading. The bookstore will be accessible to students and families beginning August 1. Be sure to check the Back-to-School Guide on our website to order books for your student’s classes for the 2020-21 school year.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of our students is our top priority. Please continue to check your email for communications from Peter Becker, Head of School, who will be sharing additional details with you and your parents about our plans for the fall term as we continue to adapt in response to COVID-19.

We recognize that you and your family may have many questions regarding the new school year. We are here to help, so please reach out to us via email at dos@gunnery.org. We encourage you to access the Back-to-School Guide on our website. Over the course of the summer, you will hear from our office regarding Registration and Move-In Days, Orientation, and other logistical matters. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you have questions or want to connect, please let us know. Our office can be reached via email at dos@gunnery.org and I can be reached via email at leblanca@gunnery.org

Best,

Ms. LeBlanc