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Reflection and Response
A special All-School Meeting gave students the opportunity to engage as a community in the wake of last week’s tragic events on Capitol Hill. U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton ’97, representing the sixth district of Massachusetts, joined a panel of speakers that also included Head of School Raynard Kington and faculty members Kate McQuade (Department of English) and Christopher Jones (Department of History and Social Science). The program concluded with a Q&A. As a reminder, All-School Meeting videos are available on The Hive.
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MLK Day Special Programming
Monday, January 18, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Although there are no scheduled classes or homework due, in the Andover tradition of “taking the day on” students will participate in required special programming built around this year’s themes of Community, Justice, and Joy.
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Winter Check-In
On Sunday, January 10, class deans sent each student a series of questions about their growth, challenges, needs, and connections. Students were asked to spend 30–45 minutes writing thoughtful, substantive responses. Next week, each student’s advisor point person will meet with them to discuss those responses.
During the week of January 25, the advisor point person will share the student’s reflections with their parents or guardians and the student’s team of adults on campus. We hope that these required mid-year reflections will strengthen relationships among students and the key adults in their lives—and offer some clarity for the months ahead.
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Ten Percent Happier for Free
Want to help your student lower stress and improve focus? Encourage them to download their free one-year subscription to the Ten Percent Happier app! This app is perfect for those who may be new to meditation. It offers a wide range of content, including coronavirus sanity, meditation for skeptics, healthy habits, and so much more!
Students were already informed of this free one-year subscription, offered through the generosity of Ten Percent Happier, and should follow these instructions:
- Download the Ten Percent Happier meditation app on your Apple or android device.
- Go to this Ten Percent Happier website, enter code PHILLIPSACADEMY12HXR, and create or login to your account. (Your one year begins when this code is redeemed.)
- Go back to the app on your mobile device and login to the same account; everything will be unlocked.
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February on Campus
On February 1 and 2, we will welcome many seniors back to campus; these students will reside on campus for the remainder of winter term. Detailed information regarding registration, health and wellness, housing, athletics, and dining will be sent to these seniors and their parents/guardians in the next few days.
Please note: A housing survey was emailed to seniors earlier this week; the survey should be completed by 3 p.m. EST today. Questions can be emailed to Kara Heintz.
All parents are requested to check their student’s health record in the Medicat portal to ensure compliance with important health updates and information. Caring for your Andover student is our privilege. Your collaboration, however, is needed and appreciated for your child’s health and the health of the Andover community. We hope you understand that incomplete, outdated, or missing information will prevent physical access to campus.
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Important Pot Pourri Request
The 2021 Pot Pourri yearbook staff is hard at work documenting the lives of PA students, and we need help from you—their parents and guardians. Please take a few clear photos of your PA student and share them with us as soon as possible. We’d love to see anything that represents life right now: your student engaged in any sort of extracurricular, your student rocking their mask, your student talking in their online classes—all photos are welcome and appreciated!
Photos can be submitted through this Google form. We’ve given specific categories/questions within the form, but we are open to any photos that represent your child’s life during the 2020–2021 school year. Please follow the form’s instructions to submit photos. Photos can also be emailed. Students love to see themselves in the Pot Pourri. Thank you so much! For updates, follow @papotpourri. —The Pot Pourri staff.
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Brace Student Fellow Presentation
The Brace Center for Gender Studies invites families to a presentation by Karsten Rynearson ’22 titled “No Fats, No Femmes, No Asians: The Impacts of Hegemonic Masculinity on Body Image, Gender Presentation, and Gendered Racism in Gay Male Communities” on Friday, January 15, at 7 p.m. EST. Lou Bernieri, instructor in English, is the faculty advisor. Zoom link. Passcode: Karsten
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CAMD Scholar Presentation
Families are invited to an MLK Day presentation by this year’s Barbara Landis Chase CAMD Scholar, Mary Muromcew ’22, who will discuss her research paper, “Sticky Belonging: Hegemonic Gazes and the Taming of Queer Asian American Identities,” on Monday, January 18, at 8 p.m. EST. MJ Wong Engel, teaching fellow in English, is the faculty advisor. Zoom link. Passcode: Mary21
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Updates from Parent Development
Happy 2021! Thank you to the many parents and guardians who supported Andover with a gift to the Parent Fund last month. We are delighted to report that parent and grandparent donor participation in December increased by 27 percent when compared with 2019. Later this month, you will receive our progress update—with more details on Parent Fund stats—from Rebecca Brewster, director of Parent Development.
To learn how you can help grow the Parent Fund for Andover, please contact Shannan Clarke, associate director of Parent Development.
Parent Donor Spotlight: What inspired you to give to Andover this school year?
“We are grateful for all of the work the school is doing to provide a life-changing educational experience during these challenging times. We appreciate the commitment you all have toward the students and the community. Thank you.” —Bill & Frances Hall P’21, Englewood, CO
If you would like to share why you donated to the Academy, we’d love to hear from you!
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Weekly Religious Services & Events
Jewish Shabbat Service and Jewish Student Union (JSU) Meeting—Fridays 5:30–6:30 p.m. EST: Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz. All are welcome! Zoom link.
Muslim Student Association (MSA) Dinner—Fridays at 6 p.m. EST: In the absence of in-person prayers, the MSA still offers a virtual “club dinner” every Friday evening. All are welcome! Advisor: Mr. Noureddine El Alam. Student board co-presidents: Leen Alnsour ’21 and Ablah Siddiq ’22. Zoom link.
Ecumenical Protestant Worship—Sundays at 6 p.m. EST: Join Rev. Gina Finocchiaro for a time of scripture, prayer, and spoken reflection and music with Michael Belcher. All are welcome! Zoom link. Passcode: 2021
Roman Catholic Worship—Sundays, 6:45–7:30 p.m. EST: Worship with the Catholic community at Andover, followed by fellowship and discussion led by Dr. Mary Kantor and Catholic Student Fellowship (CSF) leaders. All are welcome! Zoom link.
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News from the PSPA
Parent Focus Groups: Thank you to those who volunteered for focus groups. We are working with the school on next steps and will share more information with you as soon as it is available.
Family Trivia Night—Friday, January 15, at 7:30 p.m. EST: Join us tomorrow for a fun evening and meet some friendly Andover families. Parents and students welcome! Our event will start with a casual trivia game. If parents would like to stay, we will facilitate breakout rooms so you can meet or re-meet fellow parents. You can play the trivia game using your Internet browser or the Kahoot app, which is free and downloadable onto your smartphone. Zoom link. Passcode: 81SHkN
Campus Closet—Volunteers Needed: If you are interested in any of these areas—merchandise planning and buying, working with vendors to design merchandise, inventory management, or online shipping or marketing—please send us an email. We would love to have you join our team!
PSPA Book Club: It was good to see you at the book club meeting, and thank you to those who expressed an interest in future involvement. The next meeting will be in spring term. In the meantime, please take our short Book Interest Survey to help us select a book. Please email us to learn more or to get on our mailing list.
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You Are Invited!- January 15: “No Fats, No Femmes, No Asians: The Impacts of Hegemonic Masculinity on Body Image, Gender Presentation, and Gendered Racism in Gay Male Communities,” Brace Center Student Fellow Presentation with Karsten Rynearson ’22
- January 18: “Sticky Belonging: Hegemonic Gazes and the Taming of Queer Asian American Identities,” CAMD Scholar Presentation with Mary Muromcew ’22
- January 19: A Conversation with Dr. Ryan Wheeler, Director of the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology
- January 27: Diggin’ In Peabody Series—“Privy to the Past,” with Joseph Bagley
- January 29 & 30: The Tang Institute Mindfulness Speaker Series—A Weekend with Matthew Hepburn
- February—All Month: Note Writing Non Sibi Project for Women’s Lunch Place, with Christine Cloonan ’98
- February 4: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Denver, Portland, and Seattle Regional Leadership Teams
- February 5: “Mind the Gap: Traversing the Imagination Gap, Emancipating Children’s Literature,” CAMD Scholar Presentation with Nana Afia Boadi-Acheampong ’21
- March 4: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Chicago, Atlanta, and Texas Regional Leadership Teams
- March 15–20: Non Sibi Project for NYC Community Fridges, with Candace Douglas ’00
All events are virtual unless otherwise noted. Please join us!
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© 2021
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