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Four-Day Weekend Starts Saturday
This weekend is a four-day weekend at Andover. There are no classes on Monday, January 31 (PA’s mid-winter break), and Tuesday, February 1 (Head of School Day). Community engagement programs are also cancelled Monday and Tuesday. Although many boarding students will leave campus for part or all of the long weekend, numerous activities—including Jewish Cultural Weekend events, a marshmallow tower–building contest, a Dance x Drama Lab show, and Barn Babies—are planned for those staying on campus.
General
- Students who have medical appointments with specialists—either on or off campus—are expected to keep their appointments. (Please email or call the Sykes Wellness Center at 978-749-4455 if you need to reschedule.)
- Boarding students must return to campus by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
- Students are encouraged to take full advantage of Head of School Day to rest and catch up on their schoolwork.
Athletics
- Monday: Interscholastic team practices and lifetime sports are cancelled
- Tuesday: Interscholastic teams WILL hold normally scheduled practices.
- Snyder Center and Borden Gym will be open normal weekday hours.
Music
- Monday evening: Jazz Band and Fidelio will NOT rehearse.
- All Tuesday evening ensembles WILL rehearse at their normal times. Students who are off campus should plan on returning in time for these rehearsals.
- Students with regularly scheduled chamber music and private lessons on Monday and Tuesday will hear from their instructors regarding those rehearsals or lessons.
Three-Day Schedule Next Week
- Wednesday: Regular class schedule
- Thursday: Regular class schedule
- Friday: Monday class schedule with advising period/no major assignments due
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Support for Your Student
Should your child need academic or other forms of support as the term progresses, here are some of the campus resources available.
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Health & Wellness Update
As of today, more than 99% of PA students have received 1+ vaccination dose(s); more than 70% have received a booster. To see the latest information from Dr. Amy Patel, Sykes Wellness Center medical director, please visit our COVID-19 Testing Dashboard.
COVID-19 Booster Clinic for students—tomorrow, Friday, January 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Snyder Center. As stated in Dr. Kington’s email last week, 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 emailed students and families earlier this week with sign-up instructions and consent forms.
Off-Campus Permissions
Off-campus permissions are now available to any student who:
- Has received their COVID-19 booster
- Is vaccinated but is not yet eligible for the booster (received 2 doses of Moderna or Pfizer less than 5 months ago, or 1 dose of J&J/Jansen less than 2 months ago)
- Has asked for a temporary waiver to the COVID-19 booster dose due to a documented diagnosis of COVID-19 in the last 90 days (email sykeswellness@andover.edu if you would like to request the temporary waiver)
- Has asked for a temporary waiver due to living in a country with a different vaccination schedule that does not yet allow for a booster dose
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Fans Welcome at Athletic Contests
As of yesterday, we are pleased to welcome all spectators to join current PA students, faculty, and staff at our home athletic contests under the following guidelines:
- Proper masking is required at all times.
- Visitors must be fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, to attend events at Phillips Academy.
- If you or anybody in your household is displaying COVID-19 symptoms, you should not attend an event at Phillips Academy.
- Click here for facility-specific spectator seating guidelines.
Spectator regulations and protocols at “away” venues are different and are subject to change. Please consult those host institutions directly regarding their current policies.
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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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Updates from Parent Development
Parent Fund progress: Parents and guardians continue to rally to support the Academy’s Parent Fund. Thank you to those who have donated so far this school year! Director of Parent Development Rebecca Brewster recently shared this Parent Fund update, which includes highlights from fall term and progress to date.
Introducing our 2021–2022 Parent Fund class captains: These enthusiastic volunteers are charged with inspiring 100 percent donor participation among all families. Should you hear from one of these fellow parents in the weeks ahead about opportunities to support the Academy, we hope you will join the 456 families that have contributed already this year!
- Class of 2025 (juniors): Adrian Glace and Liesl Armour P’23, ’25, from Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Class of 2024 (lowers): Kelsey Yin and Yanbing Xu P’24 from Andover, Mass
- Class of 2023 (uppers): Laurence Cheng and Tina Cheng P’23 from San Francisco
- Class of 2022 (seniors): Andrew Bell and Jennifer Liao P’22 from Great Neck, N.Y.
If you have any questions about the Parent Fund and the ways you can get involved, please email Katherine Solimini, associate director of Parent Development, or call 978-749-4583.
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News from the PSPA
Thank you to all Andover parents who joined us on Tuesday—in person or virtually—for our general meeting and faculty panel talk. Please remember that masking is required for all guests on campus.
Casino Night, Saturday, February 5, Paresky Commons (second floor): Be part of the most anticipated event of the year! This year’s theme is 007. We welcome your help in making the evening a success and need many volunteers to assist with decorating/setup, serving refreshments, and of course, to be the dealers for the night! Please sign up here.
PSPA Book Club, Sunday, February 6, at 8 p.m. ET: Join us for a special PSPA Book Club 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. You can read about him and his incredible journey here. This event is open to all interested (you do not need to join the book club or read the book). A Zoom link will be provided in next week’s Family Bulletin.
Volunteers Needed!
Are you a social media enthusiast? The PSPA needs your help with social media content generation and management of our social platforms. Tasks are flexible and based on your available time. Please email us for more information.
Campus Closet needs local volunteers to help with store & inventory management, displays, and merchandising. Join a small team of two, three, or four volunteers to help manage our mom-and-pop organization. You’ll meet other parents, have some fun, and help us keep our doors open. Please email to learn more.
We will train all volunteers—no experience is necessary. Roles are scalable and flexible based on your availability and interest. Volunteers get discounts on clothing and gear! Thank you to those who have reached out to us thus far.
Campus Closet will be OPEN TOMORROW, Friday, January 28, from noon to 3 p.m. for in-person shopping in George Washington Hall. For your convenience, online shopping is available 24/7. Free delivery on campus!
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Order a Yearbook Soon
Families are encouraged to order the 2022 Pot Pourri online (enter school code 3591). Order forms are also available on The Hive. The deadline to order is March 1. Yearbooks—full color and typically about 300 pages—will be delivered to students in mid-May
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This Week’s Religious Gatherings
Jewish Cultural Weekend
Join Rabbi Michael Swarttz and the Jewish Student Union for their annual Jewish Cultural Weekend, which begins tomorrow. Masks are required when not eating. All are welcome!
- Shabbat and Dinner: Friday at 6 p.m., Mural Room, upper level of Paresky Commons
- Jewish Comedian Moshe Waldoks: Saturday at 6 p.m., Underwood Room
- Bagel Brunch: Sunday at 11 a.m., Mural Room, upper level of Paresky Commons
Friday, January 28
- 1 p.m.—Muslim Student Association (MSA) Prayers: Led by Noureddine El Alam. Masks required. Meditation Room, lower level of Cochran Chapel (side entrance).
Sunday, January 30
- 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.)
- The Protestant (Ecumenical) service, led by Rev. Gina M. Finocchiaro, interim Protestant chaplain, will not be held this week.
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Curriculum Corner
Highlights of the Academy’s extensive course offerings
The Division of World Languages uses language as a medium to grant students more authentic access to other cultures. Latin and Greek do not, of course, offer the means to communicate with peoples from the ancient Mediterranean world, but through guided study of the literature, art, and philosophy of that time and place, students in First -Level Latin gain informed insight into cultures that have profoundly influenced our own.
They also learn to recognize and deconstruct systems of power that have not, in fact, been “around forever” but originated with a distinct purpose: to preserve the status quo for the privileged few. Students analyze familiar myths not simply as entertainment, but as a kind of proto-philosophy, warning against the human suffering caused when we attempt to move out of the role "assigned" to us by the universe (also known as hubris), and they discover that the use of "othering" to provoke nationalism, create fear and division within a group, etc., is a very old strategy—and one that can be dismantled.
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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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