Dear families,
Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! We are eager to see you and your students on campus in the coming days. I write today to emphasize our focus on building a caring and connected community in the year ahead.
As parents, guardians, and educators, we care deeply about our students’ health and well-being. We want them to develop habits that support their intellectual and personal growth, strengthen social connections, and help them manage the societal pressures facing teens today.
You will hear more about our efforts to foster a caring and connected community throughout the year. For now, I offer a few highlights:
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Protecting our students’ health and well-being remains our highest priority, and we will be sharing resources to help you stay connected to your child. Many of these resources will be featured in the weekly Family Bulletin. Our goal is to ensure that every student is seen and heard and knows what to do if they are facing challenges or simply want to talk.
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Our Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion program—required for all students—will be woven into advising groups, dorm and cluster meetings, and some class meetings. This change in our EBI curriculum will allow for better integration of social-emotional learning in students’ daily lives, helping them to build social connections, ask for help, and access resources they may need.
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Cluster Olympics is back! This schoolwide event debuted last year to rave reviews, reinforcing fun and connection. Each of the five clusters competed in events including lip-sync contests and hula-hooping. Will Flagstaff Cluster defend their title?
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I am excited to host Class Picnics at my home this fall. Every student will receive a special invitation to join me and my family at Phelps House for food, lawn games, and phone-free social time.
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Like many public and private schools, we are introducing a cell phone usage policy. In a world filled with distractions, we want students to be fully present, to form meaningful relationships, and to make the most of their Andover experience. You will hear more about this initiative, which also aims to strengthen campus culture, in a forthcoming email from Dean of Students Susan Esty.
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As always, thank you for entrusting us with the care and education of your students. It is a privilege to play a role in their personal growth and intellectual development during these most formative years. I look forward to seeing many of you on campus in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, ’27
Head of School
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