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Dear Lower School families,
Welcome to the 2024–25 school year! I am excited to join The Haverford School community. I hope your summer has been filled with rest and connection with your family and friends. My family moved to Haverford in July from the Triangle area in North Carolina. My family’s summer has been focused around fully living into the adventures of moving, along with learning and preparing for the arrival of Haverford’s boys, families, and faculty.
Let Me Introduce Myself…
As we begin a new school year together, I’m reminded of how each of us is woven together by our unique stories. I eagerly anticipate getting to know more about your family’s journey and the stories that have shaped your son.
Here is a little piece of my story. I spent my childhood in southwest Missouri, surrounded by 28 acres of woods next to the Mark Twain National Forest. I grew up with cows, horses, mules, rabbits, chickens, and bees. I lived in what we called “the sticks” and when it was time for me to choose where to go to college, I sought somewhere more urban. My mother was a trained concert pianist and my grandfather played the mandolin, so there was always music in the house. This family influence rooted in me a deep passion for music, so after high school, I followed that passion to Music City—Nashville, Tennessee. There, I pursued a degree in business administration with a focus on the music industry and spent five years immersed in that exciting world. Eventually, a new calling emerged, leading me to teaching. After earning my master’s degree in education, my husband’s career brought us to the Triangle area in North Carolina. For the past twenty years, I have had the joy of working as a teacher and leader in both public and private schools.
Another part of my story is my personal journey to parenthood. It took a lot of twists and turns. For about five years, we fostered children, hoping to provide a forever home if needed. While those children were able to reunite with their birth families, we were later blessed with our own son, who is now twelve years old.
I share these stories with you to jump in and connect on a deeper level. Like you, I am a parent who cherishes the hope and dreams we hold for our children. We all want the very best for our kids, especially in their education, which lays the foundation for their future success and happiness.
The mission of The Haverford School, with its dedication to nurturing each boy’s full intellectual, artistic, athletic, and moral potential, truly resonates with me. The commitment to excellence and the caliber of our teachers at Haverford are one of the things that drew me to this community. I am excited to work alongside the teachers and you in supporting and guiding our boys throughout this year.
To begin our partnership, I invite you to share your hopes and aspirations for your son this year by responding to a few questions here. I understand there are many forms and tasks involved in starting the new school year, and I truly appreciate your time and effort to send in a response. Your responses will be read by me and shared with your son’s homeroom teacher.
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| Welcome to the 2024–25 School Year
As I embark on the first year as Head of Lower School, I’m looking forward to the possibilities that the 2024–25 school year holds for the boys and the entire Haverford community. There is a wealth of information in this email, so grab a cup of tea or coffee to take all of this in. This email has two sections of information:
- Home to School Partnership
- Things to note as we begin the school year
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| Home to School Partnership
Just like our students, the faculty and staff engage in summer reading to continue to learn and reflect. This summer, we read The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley. The book explores the factors influencing academic success across various countries, following the experiences of three American teenagers who spend a year as exchange students in Finland, South Korea, and Poland. It offers insight and optimism about how leading educational systems have evolved, it highlights the impact of highly qualified and skillful teachers, and underscores the critical role of parents in the educational process.
The School's partnership with families is a powerful and important support system for every child. Each party plays an important role. Effective communication and collaboration between teachers and parents can lead to better outcomes for students.
As we begin this year, I invite you into partnership with your child’s teacher. You are the expert on your child, and the information you share with your son’s teacher is irreplaceable and of utmost importance. Your son’s teacher is an expert on child development and exemplary teaching practices and methods, and their perspective and insight into your child is a unique opportunity for you to learn more about your child and how to best support him on his educational journey.
In order to foster a strong home-school partnership for the good work ahead of us this year, I invite you to consider your role in building relationships and creating a strong partnership. One of those ways is engaging in the various community events and gatherings that will occur throughout the year. My hope and intention is that your family will find connection, belonging, and joy in the Lower School.
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Lower School Welcome Back Event, Tuesday, Sept. 3
We are excited to welcome all of our students, new and returning, back to campus on Tuesday, Sept. 3 for the Lower School Welcome Back Event.
- Pre-kindergarten–Second Grade: 12:30–2:00 p.m.
- Third grade–Fifth Grade: 1:30–3:00 p.m.
Families should plan to meet their sons’ teacher in front of Centennial Hall at the start time indicated above. While the boys spend some time meeting with their homeroom/advisory teacher and getting to know their classmates, parents/guardians will be invited to attend a brief overview/reintroduction to the general operation of the Lower School in Centennial Hall.
Once the boys have completed their classroom meet and greet, parents/guardians will reunite with their son(s) in the Dining Hall where we will host an ice cream social (non-dairy options will be available).
If you have sons in different grade levels that span the time blocks listed above, please feel free to attend either of the parent overview sessions. If you are unable to attend a parent overview session on the day of the Welcome Back Event, we will share the information in an upcoming communication. Please look for additional information from your sons’ homeroom/advisory teacher in advance of the event.
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Opening Day, Wednesday, Sept. 4
The school year begins on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 8:20 a.m for all Lower School students. If you are driving your son to school, please pull through the Lower School car line in front of the Lower School building prior to 8:20 a.m. Lower School boys can be dropped off beginning at 7:30 a.m. All students must enter the Lower School through the front entrance. As in previous years, parents should remain in their car during car line. It is preferred that your son is seated on the passenger side of the car for his safety and that of School personnel. If your son must exit the car from the driver's side, please allow one of the School members greeting students to escort your son around the car.
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Lower School Back to School Night, Wednesday, Sept. 18
Lower School Back to School Night is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7–9:00 p.m. in Centennial Hall. Additional details related to the format and schedule for the evening will be sent to families closer to the event.
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Lower School Parent Coffees & Virtual Gatherings
Throughout the year there will be opportunities to gather in person and over Google Meet to connect with me and fellow parents. The following are the dates for the first half of the year.
Thursday, Oct. 10, 9:00 a.m., Pre-K through 2nd, Palmer House, Nostrant Pavilion
Thursday, Oct. 17, 9:00 a.m., 3rd through 5th, Palmer House, Nostrant Pavilion
Thursday, Dec. 5, 7:00 p.m., Pre-K through 5th, Google Meet*
*Jenni will send the Google Meet link closer to the meeting.
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| Things to note as we begin the school year
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| As we begin the year together, I want to draw your attention to the Lower School Student and Family Handbook, which has been updated for the 2024–25 school year. The handbook is designed to provide families with information about the Lower School operations, answer many of the common questions from parents, and outline Lower School policies. It is expected that families review the handbook with their son(s) prior to the start of the school year.
I would like to call your attention to two significant policy changes that have to do with presence and engagement for our boys. Please take a moment to read through and familiarize yourself with these revisions, as well as the entirety of the handbook.
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Attendance and Promptness Matter!
The Haverford School is committed to developing the full intellectual, artistic, athletic, and moral potential in each boy. Accomplishing these goals is highly relational, therefore consistent attendance at school is crucial for academic excellence and social-emotional development. Regular attendance at school is the responsibility of parents/guardians and older students as well, when appropriate.
It is incumbent upon families to make every effort to have their children attend every day that school is in session. In light of student safety and well-being, it is the parents’ responsibility to communicate with the school regarding the attendance of their child(ren). Parents also need to ensure that students arrive at school on time, for tardiness can also have a detrimental effect on student learning, achievement, and community building.
The Lower School’s policy allows for 10 missed days during the school year before academic placement may be impacted, and 15 missed days during the school year before re-enrollment the following year may be impacted.
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School Hours
Students may enter the classrooms at 7:30 a.m., and are required to be in class by 8:20 a.m. Daily attendance will be taken at the beginning of the school day in each classroom at 8:25 a.m. Dismissal times are staggered and are as follows:
- Pre-K and K: 8:20 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
- Grades 1 & 2: 8:20 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
- Grades 3, 4, & 5: 8:20 a.m.–3:15 p.m.
Boys may be dropped off at school as early as 7:30 a.m and report to their grade level pod. We strongly recommend that boys arrive by 8:00 a.m. To be on time, Lower School students need to be in their homerooms no later than 8:20 a.m. Any boy arriving at their homeroom after 8:20 a.m. will sign in at Mrs. Touey’s desk, located in the Lower School main office and will be marked late.
If your son will be significantly late, absent, or leaving early from school, we ask that you contact the School as soon as possible. The Lower School attendance number is 610-642-3020 x 1957. You may also email your son’s teacher and lsattendance@haverford.org. The lsattendance@haverford.org email address will send a message to both the Health Office and Teresa Touey in the Lower School office.
Please review the complete Lower School Attendance Policy and Expectations on page 7 of the Lower School Handbook.
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Staying Present At School—Electronic Device Policy Update
When the boys are at school, we want them to be present and engaged with their peers and teachers. Smartphones and other electronic communication devices pull our boys' attention away from the important things happening during the school day.
In a School-wide effort to minimize the use of cell phones and smart watches, no cell phones or smart watches will be permitted during the school day.
We recognize that some students may need a cell phone or smart watch to communicate outside of school hours. If your child falls into this category, please fill out this storage request form and return it to the Lower School office.
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Lower School Schedule
Lower School boys will have a 7-day class cycle, optimizing academic and specials time. This schedule, which was in use prior to the pandemic, minimizes the impact of school holidays and long weekends. A calendar with the 7-day cycle by day of the week is attached to this letter.
Your son will receive his class schedules from his homeroom teacher, which will indicate which day specials are held for your son. Similar to last year, students in kindergarten through fifth grade should wear their PE shirts and their uniform pants/shorts to school on days when they will have PE (no athletic shorts or pants per the Dress Code Policy in the Lower School Student and Family Handbook).
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Class Lists
You will receive a separate email from Teresa Touey with your son’s homeroom class placement, including a list of boys in your son’s homeroom. Your son's homeroom placement will also be available through the Veracross Parent Portal. Please note that while we are transitioning all information to Veracross, the directories features are temporarily turned off and should be available around the start of school.
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How does class placement work?
The faculty and administration worked diligently to build classrooms that foster the boys’ academic and social-emotional growth. Our goal each year is to group the boys so that they will have the opportunity to connect with boys in their entire grade level at some point before they leave the Lower School. Each boy is different, and having the opportunity for them to build new relationships and learn from each other enriches their Lower School experience. We understand that the excitement of seeing who is in your son’s class can also be accompanied by disappointment when they are separated from other friends. While we do our best to be mindful of friendships and peer conflicts, it is not possible for every request to be satisfied. As we head into the 2024–2025 school year, we anticipate that students will have the opportunity to play and learn with classmates outside of their homeroom/travel group during the week. Requests for changes to class placement will not be granted.
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5th Grade Advisory Group and Travel Group Information
It is important to note that our fifth grade students have both an Advisory Group and Travel Group. To alleviate confusion on the first day of school, fifth grade boys will receive their Travel Group assignment during Advisory on their first day of school. Each morning, the fifth grade boys should report to their Advisory Group for homeroom. Boys assigned to Dr. Luongo’s Advisory will report to Room 321 for Advisory/Homeroom. All other students will report directly to their homeroom/advisory teachers’ classroom. Outside of homeroom and advisory periods, the boys will remain in their assigned Travel Groups for all academic and specialist classes. The boys will be given their Travel Group assignment during homeroom on the first day of school.
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Final Thoughts
You’ve made it to the end of this welcome letter. I thank you for reading it! Below you will find information to prepare for the first day of school.
The Lower School faculty and I look forward to sharing an exciting year with your son(s) and you. I hope that you are able to enjoy the remaining time with your family before Labor Day!
Looking forward to a wonderful year together,
With care,
Mrs. Jenni Scoggin
Head of Lower School
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Upcoming Dates At-A-Glance
- Tuesday, Sept. 3: Welcome Back Event
- Pre-kindergarten–Second Grade: 12:30–2:00 p.m.
- Third–Fifth Grade: 1:30–3:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 4: Opening Day – First Day of School
- Tuesday, Sept. 10: Individual Pictures from Active Image Active Image Parent Form
- Wednesday, Sept. 18: Lower School Back to School Night, 7-9 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 3: Rosh Hashanah - School Closed
- Monday, Oct. 14: Fall Weekend
- Friday, Oct. 25: Parent/Teacher Conferences
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