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Winter Term Welcome
Andover families—I hope that your Thanksgiving break was restful and spent surrounded by loved ones. Whether you found peace in the outdoors, happiness in the kitchen, or quiet moments reconnecting with family and friends, I hope that your days were filled with joy.
As we begin winter term, I want to thank you for your continued partnership and support, and for entrusting us with your students.
Our return to residential life and in-person learning this fall also allowed me to engage with students in small groups. I look forward to continuing these conversations to hear what’s on their minds. While all were excited to be with their peers, back in classrooms, and sharing meals, some also said that they struggled with “re-entry” issues, including time management and inadequate sleep. Faculty and staff will remain attuned to these issues and will work together to ensure that no student faces any challenge alone.
Reopening campus this week, we returned to the “Orange Zone” and have begun our COVID-19 testing of students, as planned. Testing will take place today and again on December 6. Students, faculty, and staff have done an excellent job upholding our highest standards of health and wellness. With continued vigilance, I am confident that we will navigate the latest disruptive challenges of the pandemic while also renewing our community.
I remain grateful for your partnership and commitment to Andover’s mission of excellence in teaching and learning.
Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, P’24
Head of School
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Important Information & Key Dates- Classes began today for all students.
- Quarantine: We are in the Orange Zone (modified campus arrival quarantine) through Wednesday, December 8 (details of the modified campus quarantine were communicated to students). Masks are required in all indoor spaces. We will reassess the campus community’s risk zone on December 8.
- COVID-19 testing: All students will be tested twice for COVID-19 by the Sykes Wellness Center team—today, December 2, and on Monday, December 6.
- Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes through December 15. No students are permitted to be excused from class prior to December 15. Any possible exception to these policies—if a student falls ill or has a family emergency—must be approved by the cluster dean (for family emergencies) or Sykes Wellness Center staff (for illness or medical emergencies).
- Dining: We plan to keep dining open in Paresky Commons through all zones unless data suggests a campus outbreak.
- Off-campus permissions: We do not expect to offer routine off-campus permissions (outside of school-sponsored programming) for the weekends of December 4 & 5 and December 11 & 12. Students should plan to remain on campus both weekends.
- Last day of classes/beginning of Winter Break: Wednesday, December 15, is the last day of classes. Students may leave for Winter Break after their final class; all students must be off campus by 12 noon on Thursday, December 16. (See “Travel Over Winter Break” below.)
- Looking ahead to students’ return on January 3: We expect a similar approach to testing, risk zone determination, and limited off-campus permissions for the first two weeks when students return to campus after Winter Break on Monday, January 3.
- Martin Luther King Day: School is in session on Monday, January 17; there will be special programming in lieu of classes.
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Health & Wellness
Please visit our COVID-19 Testing Dashboard for the latest information from Dr. Amy Patel, Sykes Wellness Center medical director. As stated above, the campus is in the Orange Zone (modified campus arrival quarantine) through Wednesday, December 8.
Encourage your student to get their flu shot! Students can still make an appointment for a flu shot by calling the Sykes Wellness Center at 978-749-4455. If your child received the flu vaccine elsewhere, please email documentation to the wellness center.
Physical examination due? If your child’s physical exam has expired or is about to expire, please schedule an appointment with their primary care doctor during Winter Break. Remember, your student must have a current physical on file at the Sykes Wellness Center. (“Current” means the exam must have taken place within the past 13 months.)
COVID-19 testing for travel: If your child needs a COVID-19 test just prior to Winter Break to be able to travel, please have them schedule an appointment at the Sykes Wellness Center through their health portal account. Here is additional COVID-19 Travel Testing Information.
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BlueLink Now on The Hive
BlueLink has launched! Available on The Hive directly under your student’s photo, BlueLink will provide you with access to all your student’s personalized information; it replaces the individual links to Team, Schedule, and Grades/Comments.
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Vacation Host Families Needed
Our international student coordinator is working especially hard this year to recruit local Andover families to be “vacation host families.” A vacation host family hosts students who cannot travel home over vacations or do not have friends or relatives in the area with whom they can spend Thanksgiving, winter, or spring breaks. For some of our international students, traveling home over Winter Break will not be possible due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
If you are willing and able to host an international student during Winter Break (December 16–January 2), please fill out this brief interest form at your earliest convenience. Be sure to email José Peralta, international student coordinator, if you have any questions.
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Travel Over Winter Break
Just a reminder that Phillips Academy will offer Winter Break transportation to and from New York City, with a stop in Darien, Connecticut. Students can sign up for one-way travel ($90) or roundtrip ($150). Buses depart at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15, and return to campus Monday, January 3. Drop-off and pick-up occur at the service plazas in Darien and at Dock 2 at the Port Authority Bus South Terminal in New York City. Information and form access has been shared with all boarding students. Parents can get answers to travel questions and access to the online forms on The Hive.
Please sign up your student as soon as possible. We anticipate the buses will be full.
For transportation to Logan (Boston) and Manchester (N.H.) airports or to South Station, arrangements can be made with private taxi and limousine service providers. A list of service providers regularly used by members of the PA community is available on The Hive.
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Learning in the World: Applications Due Today!
Applications for Learning in the World (LITW) faculty-led and affiliate programs are now “live.” Please visit the LITW webpage to learn more about our current offerings; your student should apply via our online portal.
- Applications for March break 2022 programs are due TODAY, December 2; applications for summer 2022 programs are due Tuesday, January 4. Students planning to apply to summer programs should connect as soon as possible with PA adults who know them well and can write recommendations.
- If your child wants to apply to an affiliate program, they should visit the LITW online portal, navigate to 2022 LITW: Affiliate Program, and follow the instructions.
- Need-based financial assistance is available for PA-sponsored and affiliate programs. Please email Andréa Gerakaris in the Office of Admission with specific inquiries.
Due to the ongoing uncertainty of global travel, the Academy will review the viability of travel on a program-by-program basis and make decisions in a timely manner. Any expenses incurred will be refunded in full. We also offer several local, domestic, and virtual LITW options so students can have a global experience closer to home. See our LITW webpage for more information. Questions? Email Mark Cutler, LITW director.
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Yearbook Photos—All Grades
Mark Lawrence Photographers will be back on campus next week to take student photos for the Pot Pourri yearbook. We offer this service as a convenience.
RETAKES or Missed Photos for SENIORS: Tuesday, December 7, and Wednesday, December 8, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Paresky Commons, lower left
- Students in the Class of 2022 ONLY are invited to have their senior portrait photos taken. Multiple poses and backgrounds will be offered during a 10-15 minute photo shoot. A form will be emailed to all students on December 1 asking to them to sign up for a time slot. The sitting fee for photos is $30, payable by BlueCard only. If you need assistance adding funds to your child’s BlueCard, please email or call 978-749-4124.
- Seniors are welcome to get senior portraits taken by any photographer they choose. We simply ask that all portraits taken through other companies be emailed to Chris Capano by January 3, 2022.
RETAKES or Missed Photos for 9th-, 10th-, and 11th-graders: Thursday, December 9, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Paresky Commons, lower left
- Juniors, lowers, and uppers are encouraged to have a photo taken for the yearbook. No purchase is required, and it takes only about 30 seconds. If you would like to order a photo package, you can do so here. Order forms will also be available in Paresky.
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Order a Pot Pourri Yearbook
Families are encouraged to order the 2022 Pot Pourri online (enter school code 3591). Order forms are also available on The Hive. Yearbooks, full color and typically about 300 pages, will be delivered to students in mid-May.
Don’t delay—create a “family message” for your senior: Express pride and love and congratulate your soon-to-be-graduate with a fun and heartfelt ad in the yearbook. Choose from several sizes and full color or black and white, and include your own special message and photo(s). Please download the order form, which includes instructions for submitting ad materials and payment. Deadline for submission is January 15.
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News from the PSPA
Welcome to winter term! Please plan to join us in person or via Zoom for next week’s General PSPA Meeting on Tuesday, December 7, at 6 p.m. EST in the Underwood Room. You’ll meet other parents and guardians and hear the latest on our PSPA happenings. Come at 5:30 p.m. and enjoy a light dinner! Those who cannot attend in person are invited to use this Zoom link. Meeting ID: 846 4078 7047 Passcode: 8gFKK
Campus Closet makes holiday shopping easy: New and restocked items include flannel pants, Nike long-sleeve shirts, Champion sweatshirts, joggers, ornaments, and more! Check out fun Andover merchandise 24/7 on the Campus Closet website.
Shop in person at Campus Closet (lower level of George Washington Hall):
- Friday, December 3 (Noon–3:30 p.m.)
- Friday, December 10 (Noon–4 p.m.)
- Wednesday, December 15 (10 a.m.–3 p.m.)—for our local PA community and those picking up students for Winter Break. Please come early on Wednesday to shop for gift items and enjoy refreshments provided by the PSPA.
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Updates from Parent Development
We hope that you and your family enjoyed a healthy and safe Thanksgiving break.
Thank you to the many parents who have contributed to the Parent Fund throughout the fall term! If you have not yet contributed, please watch for an email from us early next week that will outline the various ways to make a gift—as well as when we will be in the office and available to assist you through the end of 2021.
Parents who have not yet participated this fiscal year will receive email reminders later this month. Remember, your Parent Fund gift helps increase participation, benefits all students this year, and represents an especially meaningful expression of support and partnership with the Academy.
New and returning colleagues: We are delighted to introduce Mary Raymond, the new administrative assistant for the Parent Development and Annual Giving teams, and to welcome back Elisabeth Munro, our assistant director, who returns on December 13.
Our team is grateful to work with PA families and looks forward to a strong finish to the calendar year. Questions? Please call (978-749-4583) or email Katherine Solimini, associate director of Parent Development.
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This Week’s Religious Services
Friday, December 3
- 1 p.m.—Muslim Student Association (MSA) Jummah Prayers: Led by Noureddine El Alam. Meditation Room, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).
- 5:30–6:30 p.m.—Jewish Shabbat Service and JSU Meeting: Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz. Paul’s Room, upper level of Paresky Commons. All are welcome!
Sunday, December 5
- 6 p.m.—Ecumenical Protestant Worship, Second Sunday of Advent: Led by Rev. Gina M. Finocchiaro, interim Protestant chaplain. All are welcome for this time of scripture, prayer, and spoken reflection. Cochran Chapel.
- 6:45–7:30 p.m.—Roman Catholic Mass: Overseen by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic chaplain, with priests of the Archdiocese of Boston presiding. Kemper Chapel, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance). Reception will follow.
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You Are Invited!
Whether in person or online, we hope you can join us!
Please check the Events Calendar on Andover’s website regularly for additional in-person and online events that may be open to families. The Weekender, the Academy’s one-stop guide to weekend student activities, opportunities, club-organized events, guest speakers, performances, and athletic contests, is posted on The Hive.
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Phillips Academy
180 Main St.
Andover, MA 01810
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