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Testing Shift and Student Booster Deadline
In his email to families and students yesterday, Dr. Raynard Kington, head of school, announced that every employee and student must receive their COVID-19 booster shot by February 1, 2022—or five months after completing their primary vaccination series with Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after receiving the J&J/Janssen vaccination.
To help families meet this deadline, the Academy will hold another booster clinic for students on Friday, January 28 (please see next section for more information). Kington also announced a shift in student testing protocols that aligns with the latest guidance from the medical community. The full text of his January 19 email is available here.
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Health & Wellness Update
Based on data received Wednesday, January 19, the student COVID-19 testing positivity rate in the previous seven days was 1.50%. More than 99% of PA students have received 1+ vaccination dose(s); 56.7% have received a booster. To see the complete data from Dr. Amy Patel, Sykes Wellness Center medical director, please visit our COVID-19 Testing Dashboard.
COVID-19 booster clinic: Friday, January 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Snyder Center. As stated above, every student must receive their COVID-19 booster shot by February 1, 2022—or five months after completing their primary vaccination series with Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after receiving the J&J/Janssen vaccination. No further action is required for those who have already received a vaccination exemption. Your student can schedule their appointment via the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal. The Sykes Wellness Center will send further information, including sign-up instructions and consent forms, to students and families tomorrow.
Encourage your student to get a flu shot too! 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 to the wellness center.
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Midterm Reports
Term 2 midterm reports will be posted on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 25, in the Student Reports section of The Hive. If you have questions after discussing the midterm report with your child, please contact your child’s point person.
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Term 3 Course Requests
Spring is in the air! Between January 26 and February 9, students will be working with their advisor to discuss their Term 3 schedule and choose courses. Books will be delivered to all classrooms prior to the start of the term.
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Happy New Year from Parent Development
Thank you to the more than 250 PA families who supported Andover with a gift to the Parent Fund in December. Gifts to the Parent Fund help drive academic excellence, boost need-based financial aid, expand equity and inclusion initiatives, strengthen student programming, and so much more.
Keep an eye out! Next week, all parents will receive a midyear update on Parent Fund progress and highlights. As always, our team is grateful to partner with PA families and looks forward to continuing to work together for the Academy and the Parent Fund.
If you have any questions about the Parent Fund or the ways you can get involved, please email Katherine Solimini, associate director of Parent Development, or call 978-749-4583.
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An Evening with Andover Summer
Is there a child in your life who you think would benefit from a transformative summer at Andover? Find out more! Join instructor in mathematics Paul Murphy ’84, P’16, ’19, ’22, Beth Friedman, director of Summer Session and Outreach, and members of the Andover Summer team on Tuesday, February 1, at 7 p.m. ET for a virtual “Evening with Andover Summer.”
- Learn about what makes Andover Summer so unique and the impact our programming has had on generations of students.
- Hear the highlights of our flagship on-campus five-week Summer Session program as well as our newest programs, eSummer and Andover Advantage.
- Discover how middle- and high-school–age students in your life can use Summer Session to get a taste of the Andover experience.
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How to Raise an Adult
MOSAIC, PA’s mixed heritage affinity group, is excited to announce that New York Times best-selling author Julie Lythcott-Haims will be the 2022 keynote speaker for the Academy’s ninth annual Mixed Heritage Awareness Week, February 7–11.
Parents, please join us Thursday, February 10, at 7 p.m. in Kemper Auditorium: Lythcott-Haims will discuss How to Raise an Adult, her best-selling book that gave rise to a popular TED Talk. A book signing will follow, with books available for on-site purchase. This event, which is free and open to the public, is co-hosted by the PSPA.
That Thursday morning, Lythcott-Haims will deliver an address to the senior class for EBI Transitions based on her newest book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, which has been called a “groundbreakingly frank” guide to adulthood. On Friday, February 11, at All-School Meeting—the culminating event of Mixed Heritage Awareness Week—Lythcott-Haims will discuss with all students her critically acclaimed and award-winning memoir Real American, which illustrates her experiences as a Black and biracial person in white spaces.
All three events will be recorded and made available on The Hive for later viewing.
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Upcoming PSPA Events
Good news! Parents and guardians are invited to gather in person for the PSPA General Meeting and 9th/10th-grade Faculty Panel (described below) this coming Tuesday. Please note that strict masking is required for all guests.
Tuesday, January 25—PSPA General Meeting at 6 p.m. in the Underwood Room (light dinner served 6–6:15 p.m.). The meeting will be followed by an Academic Experience Faculty Panel (with Q&A) from 7 to 8 p.m. in Kemper Auditorium: Please join us in person or via Zoom for our general meeting, which will be followed by a collaborative program (in person or via livestream) brought to you by the PSPA and Dean of Studies Raj Mundra P’18, ’20. You will hear from a faculty panel focusing on the PA academic experience for juniors and lowers and have the opportunity to ask questions.
6:15 p.m. ET General Meeting Zoom link. Passcode: a2j8nE.
Sunday, February 6, at 8 p.m. ET—PSPA Book Club (virtual): Join us for a special PSPA Book Club meeting with Dr. John Francis P’25, author of Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence. He will share his story about his walking pilgrimage, advocating for the environment, and how to make a difference. Read about Francis and his incredible journey here. This event is open to all interested families (you do not need to join the book club or read the book). A Zoom link will be provided in the Family Bulletin.
Thursday, February 10, at 7 p.m.—PSPA Speaker Series with guest Julie Lythcott-Haims, Kemper Auditorium: Back by popular demand! Join us in person—with masks on—for Lythcott-Haims’ address to parents based on her New York Times best-selling book How to Raise an Adult. See story above for more information! Lythcott-Haims’ visit is made possible by the Donald Sutherland ’49 Fund for Curriculum, with additional funding from the PSPA.
Campus Closet Volunteers Urgently Needed!
Do you value the Campus Closet? We would love to keep our doors open. Campus Closet is in urgent need of local volunteers to help with store and inventory management, displays, and merchandising.
No experience necessary! Join a small team of two–four volunteers to help manage our mom-and-pop organization that is so crucial to the PA community. We will help to train all volunteers. Roles are scalable and flexible based on your availability and interest. Volunteers get discounts on clothing and gear! Please email us if interested in learning more. Thank you to those who have reached out to us already.
Campus Closet will NOT be open tomorrow, Friday, January 21. Stay tuned for the next date we will be open for in-person shopping. Until then, you can still shop Campus Closet online (our most popular Champion sweatshirts are back in stock). Free delivery on campus!
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This Week’s Religious Gatherings
Friday, January 21
- 1 p.m.—Muslim Student Association (MSA) Prayers: Led by Noureddine El Alam. Masks required. 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! Masks required when not eating.
Sunday, January 23
- 6–7 p.m.—Protestant (Ecumenical) Service: Led by Rev. Gina M. Finocchiaro, interim Protestant chaplain. Music by Michael Belcher. All are welcome for this time of scripture, prayer, spoken reflection, and music! Masks required. Ada’s Room, upper level of Paresky Commons.
- 6:45–7:30 p.m.—Catholic Mass: All are welcome to this prayer of the Catholic community. Overseen by Dr. Mary Kantor, Catholic chaplain, with priests of the Archdiocese of Boston presiding. Kemper Chapel, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance). Fellowship time will follow. This Mass may be open to (masked) campus community only; please email Dr. Kantor with inquiry. (Subject to change if need to return to virtual setting.)
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Curriculum Corner
Highlights of the Academy’s extensive course offerings
Connecting the past to the present helps us find solutions to our most pressing issues. PA’s Department of History and Social Science aims to equip students with the skills and perspectives that will help them face the challenges of living in the 21st century. This is accomplished in part by expanding electives offerings, which give students the opportunity to apply their growing knowledge as they explore areas of special interest.
Economics courses—with topics ranging from micro and macroeconomics to environmental economics and a research colloquium—have become popular electives. Others focus on schooling in America, North American borders, gender and sexuality, Critical Race Theory, the Middle East, Europe, Vikings, fashion, the history and literature of the Haitian Revolution, 1968, natural causes and climate change, urban studies, New England gravestones, and a 600-level seminar for students interested in developing their own history research projects. New this year: electives on African environmentalism, sports, and the Olympics.
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You Are Invited!
All events are virtual unless otherwise noted. Please 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 is the Academy’s one-stop guide to weekend student activities, opportunities, club-organized events, guest speakers, performances, and athletic contests.
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Phillips Academy
180 Main St.
Andover, MA 01810
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