We’re Excited to Spring Forward!

Preparations for spring term are well underway. From retrofitted classrooms to the coordination of housing, testing, and registration processes, each day brings us closer to our ultimate goal of welcoming students back to campus safely. Please take a moment to watch the important video message below from Head of School Raynard Kington, deans Jenny Elliott and Raj Mundra, and Dr. Amy Patel. They cover a number of spring term topics, including academic and residential environments, health and wellness, day students, athletics, social life, and fresh air fun!

We continue to update the Spring Term 2021 Facts/Q&A and welcome your questions sent to us at the special Q&A email address.

Spring Term—What You Need to Know

An email to students and families last week included detailed information about spring term’s revised weekly schedule and student life on campus. Please reference that email for answers to many of your questions. Several parents have asked about textbooks, which will be placed in all classrooms for the start of in-person teaching on Monday, April 5. Remote students will receive their textbooks by mail as soon as possible.

Some Key Dates

Saturday, March 6—Spring break begins (dorms close at noon)
Monday, March 22—Spring break ends
Tuesday, March 23—Boarding students arrive and register
Wednesday, March 24—First day of remote classes/quarantine (all students will learn remotely during quarantine)
Friday, April 2—Day student registration
Monday, April 5—First day of in-person teaching

Campus Neighborhoods and Housing

Last week we shared information about housing and community neighborhoods; this week we are sharing a diagram (at the end of this section) to give you a visual of neighborhoods by grade and day student locker areas.
Important note about dormitories: Dormitories will, no matter the total size, operate as one pod once we get through arrival quarantine; our experience and the feedback we have collected suggest that students and house counseling teams value the upside of this arrangement—living as one dorm community—which gives students freedom to move about and visit one another without masks and distancing constraints. The downside of this approach is that if there is a positive case of Covid-19 in the dorm, there will be a full dorm quarantine. Thus, students and adults need to—and are motivated to—hold one another accountable and carefully follow the requirements and instructions that have been established to keep everyone safe.
The Dean of Students team is working feverishly on housing placements for boarders and locker assignments for day students. The thoughtful, timely responses received from students (through separate surveys) will assist us with this process. We will be sending out housing and locker assignments over spring break.

Student Life

We are creating multiple study spaces across campus: the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL), George Washington Hall, Snyder Center, Harrison Ice Rink (which will be offline this spring and will have tables and chairs), and tents when the weather warms up. There is a seat reservation system that allows students to reserve a seat and location in the OWHL. Sign-up information will be emailed to students.
We are planning for a number of social activities this spring. Many of these events—such as Casino Night, Friday night dodgeball, dancing, skating, crafts, stand-up comedy, and karaoke—will be held by class to make the size of the gathering safer and more manageable.
Passover and Easter: Please see the section below regarding virtual Seder gatherings and Passover meals. For the Christian community, Holy Week events will be virtual. Details will be included in The Weekender prior to Holy Week.
Athletics: Varsity tryouts for all spring sports will begin on Monday, April 5, and varsity game/scrimmage schedules will likely be posted by the beginning of spring term. Live-streaming of varsity home contests hosted at Phelps Stadium, Phelps Park, Peter Drench Park, and Memorial Gym will be available. All non-interscholastic sport and fitness options will begin on Tuesday, April 6. The spring athletic program will run through Saturday, May 22.
We will continue to provide laundry and linen service for boarding students through E&R laundry. A laundry bag with sheets, towels, and a pillow will be placed in each student’s dorm room prior to their arrival.
Meals will be delivered to dorms during quarantine. A dining survey requesting meal preferences, dietary restrictions, and allergies for meals delivered during quarantine was sent to all boarding students earlier this week. After quarantine, students will go to Paresky Commons for their meals. More information about Paresky access, dining hours, and seating locations will be provided soon.

Registration

From the Sykes Wellness Center: Please check The Hive today to ensure all of your student’s required health information is completed to enable a smooth spring term registration process. You may also log directly into the Medicat Health Portal here. Note that students are required to have their own portal account. Especially when on campus, the portal will be where students self-schedule appointments, complete the Symptom Tracker daily, and receive communications regarding important health-related information. Parents will be copied on a forthcoming email to their students that will include instructions on how to register for the portal and expectations once on campus.
Boarding student registration is Tuesday, March 23, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Every student MUST schedule a registration time through the Medicat Health Portal. If your student cannot arrive on campus within the designated 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. time period, please email the Sykes Wellness Center.
Some of our international families have contacted the Academy to indicate their student cannot arrive during the above registration hours and we have noted the student’s actual arrival time. For registration purposes, these families must ALSO email the Sykes Wellness Center to share their student’s arrival time.
Day student registration is Friday, April 2, from 3 to 6 p.m.: Using the Medicat Health Portal, students need to schedule an appointment during this time period to take their Covid-19 test, finish registering, and receive their BlueCard. Students must then immediately leave campus. Test results will be received by Saturday afternoon and students will be notified. Cleared students can return to campus after 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 3. (We are planning some programming for the nights of April 3 and 4 for all students.)
As boarding students prepare to pack for spring term, please be sure they bring only the essentials. Students should be prepared to pack and take with them all of their belongings if the school needs to unexpectedly close for health and safety reasons. Students are not permitted to bring larger items, such as furniture. If these items arrive on campus, the student is required to send them home. A list of what students should bring and what the school will provide can be accessed here.

Observance of Passover

This year, Passover starts on the evening of Saturday, March 27, and ends on the evening of Monday, April 5, if the holiday is observed for eight days. It ends on Sunday, April 4, if observed for seven days. If your student is returning to campus, they will be quarantining in their dorm for the nights of the Seders, March 27 and 28. To receive an invitation to a virtual Seder on either of those nights, your student should email Rabbi Swarttz.

Paresky Commons offers Passover-friendly meals throughout the holiday. This means no hametz (leaven or food mixed with leaven). During the first half of the holiday these meals will be delivered to students in their dorm and a matzah box will be provided for their dorm room. When students return to and dine at Paresky, the meals will be available there.

Earlier this week, boarding students were sent a survey and asked to sign up if they would like a Passover-friendly meal and a matzah box while in quarantine. The deadline to complete the survey is today, Friday, March 5, at 5 p.m. Please ensure your student completes the survey.

Winter Term Student Reports

Winter end-of-term reports will be available on Thursday, March 11, on The Hive. If you have questions about how to access The Hive or need assistance, please email the Technology Help Desk or call 978-749-4357. Weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

Peabody “Diggin’ In” Series Continues

Wednesday, March 10, at 1:30 p.m. EST: Join us for Season 2, Episode 4 of the Peabody Diggin’ In series, “Comanche Imperialism and the Mythology of Western Conquest,” with Dr. Lindsay Montgomery, assistant professor at the University of Arizona. One of the foundational narratives of American nationhood asserts the inevitable and tragic disappearance of Indigenous people. This is a story that has been taken up in many popular scholarly works, in what one might call “big picture history.” Many of these big picture histories seek to explain how exactly it came to be that the West won, and the rest apparently lost. This talk will offer a critique of such binary understandings of the past, using the Comanche as a case study. Please sign up using this email to get your name on the Zoom invitation list.

Parent Workshop Next Week

The Tang Institute invites parents to attend a workshop hosted by Challenge Success on Thursday, March 11. Many of you will recall that Dr. Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success, spoke with Andover parents in January. We hope this workshop, which focuses on the college admissions process, will offer additional insight into ways to continue to support your child’s overall well-being and readiness for life in college and beyond.

Workshop details are available here. The Tang Institute is happy to cover workshop registration fees for Andover families; if you are interested in participating, please send us an email.

Andover Summer Is Filling Quickly

Spaces are filling quickly for Andover Summer’s Upper School (grades 9–12) boarding program. Any student interested in applying to our Upper School program should do so soon. We are still accepting applications for our Lower School (grades 7 & 8) and our eSummer online option. All of our programs offer students access to our outstanding summer faculty and the opportunity to make deep and lasting connections with their peers. If there is someone in your life who might be looking for a summer opportunity, now is the time to explore what each program has to offer. Students can apply now for either our residential or online program. They can also learn more about the program on our website—or by signing up for our Andover Summer admissions webinar on Thursday, March 11. Please help us spread the word!

News from the PSPA

Creative fundraising ideas needed: Have you seen any interesting fundraising ideas implemented during the pandemic? The PSPA has had to cancel some key fundraising efforts, which has made for a challenging year. Any and all ideas are welcome! Please email your suggestions or sent us a note to learn more about how you can get involved.

Next Book Club meeting—Sunday, March 28, 8–9 p.m. EST: We will discuss Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Please email to learn more or to get on our mailing list—or let us know if you would prefer a different time. International parents: if you would like to lead/host a separate book club, let us know and we can help you coordinate it.

You Are Invited!

March 10: Diggin’ In Peabody Series, Episode 4, “Comanche Imperialism and the Mythology of Western Conquest,” with Dr. Lindsay Montgomery, University of Arizona Assistant Professor
March 15–20: Non Sibi Project for NYC Community Fridges, with Candace Douglas ’00
March 22: “Health Disparities in Underrepresented Communities and COVID-19 Vaccine Development,” with Dr. Vanessa Kerry ’95, Dr. Zeke McKinney ’99, Dr. Sachiko Ozawa ’99, and Dr. Amy Patel, PA Medical Director
March 24: “Advancing Andover: How It All Works,” with Thom Lockerby, Secretary of the Academy
April 9: “Magic Kingdom? Deconstructing the Politics of Citizenship and Memory in Disney’s America,” CAMD Scholar Presentation by Sophia Hlavaty ’21
April 14: A Conversation with Julia Alvarez ’67 and English Instructor Jineyda Tapia
April 27: Yoga with Tobi Gold ’70

All events are virtual unless otherwise noted. Please join us!

This is not an exhaustive list of events open to parents. Events are continually being added to our calendar—and some events may be highlighted separately.

Parent Bulletin Archive »

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