September 14, 2023

Students will gather Friday morning for the All-School Meeting (ASM) opening ceremony, a time to honor students as the inspiration for our education mission. The flags of all nations represented by the student body will be carried into Cochran Chapel in celebration of youth from every quarter. This year Andover welcomes students from more than 40 U.S. states and nearly 50 countries. A video of this special ASM will be posted on The Hive next week.

The 2023–2024 Blue Book, your student’s go-to resource for our shared values, community standards, and behavioral expectations, is now available on The Hive. Click Resources, then Policies and Guidelines.

Please note that, as The Blue Book states, each student is the only person permitted to use their Phillips Academy credentials. No one else—including parents/guardians—may access a student’s Phillips Academy email, PAnet, or Canvas sites.

Parents have access to The Hive to see all things Andover! Students have access to the new PAnet, the school’s intranet. Having separate places for students and parents to access information builds student independence, self-advocacy, and strong partnerships both on and off campus. 

Rest, exercise, and downtime: As homework kicks in and students begin preparing for assessments in the coming weeks, they may experience a bit of unexpected anxiety. The return to school in September is always an adjustment! Please check in with your child to be sure they are getting enough rest, exercise, and downtime—and remind them to reach out to a trusted adult if they need help. We are so happy to have your child with us on campus—and we are always here for them! 

The Music Team is continuing to process private lesson enrollment, instrument rentals, and locker reservations in the order they are received. 

Private Lessons: Enrollment requests will continue to be accepted in the private lesson program as space permits. Please sign up here. Private lessons begin next week; the “drop” deadline is Friday, September 29. The term-based rates for 2023–2024 are as follows:

If have questions about financial assistance for private lessons, please email Heidi Jamieson, director of financial aid.

Instrument and locker rentals are available for students participating in our programs. 

The College Counseling Office (CCO) will host a college fair on Monday, September 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Snyder Center. The fair offers local high school students and their families an ideal opportunity to familiarize themselves with a wide range of colleges and universities. Representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities from around the world will be available to answer individual questions and to distribute informational literature about their schools.  

PA families can find the current list of registered schools on The Hive. Please note that students cannot miss any PA commitments to attend the fair. Admission is free and open to the public. Once on campus, please follow the signs to available parking. 

Click here, then click Student Life > 2023–2024 for photos and video of the colorful Blue Key welcome on September 5, the Class of 2024’s spirited Vista Walk on September 7, and damage caused by the historic storm that hit campus and the town of Andover this past Friday. 

This September, Phillips Academy welcomed 82 new international students to our community. Most of these students are non–U.S. citizens, some are Americans or joint U.S. citizens living outside the United States, and a few just recently moved to the United States. We are currently seeking host families in the Andover or Boston area. Host families (who will be matched as best we can with an international student) are asked to host their student for an occasional night, and/or over a school vacation or long weekend. This is a great opportunity for both our international students and their host families. Many families enjoy long-lasting friendships with their host student! 

Questions? Please email Gina Finocchiaro, international student coordinator. 

The Office of Family Engagement is here to support you throughout the school year. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Director Jennifer Vasquez by email or call 978-749-4068.

If you would like your student to receive the flu vaccine on campus on Thursday, October 12 (10 a.m.–3 p.m.), the Sykes Wellness Center will need a Flu Consent form on file. If you have not yet completed the form, please visit the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal, log in, and click the Forms tab. 

Your student can sign up for a time slot for their flu vaccine by logging into the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal. If your child receives/has received the flu vaccine elsewhere, please be sure to upload documentation to the portal.

In memory of Georgie Phinney, son of former faculty colleague Jamie Phinney, we invite you to sign up to run the 5K, walk one mile, or volunteer at the 31st annual Trot for Tots, which benefits Partners in Child Development, the school Georgie attended when the Phinney family lived on campus. “Team Georgie” welcomes everyone in the Andover community, including parents and families. The Office of Community Engagement will pay for your registration fee. 

The Trot for Tots event will take place on Sunday, October 1, from 9 a.m. to about noon at 32 Osgood Street in Andover. To participate in person or virtually or to volunteer for the event, please fill out this form by 9 a.m. on Monday, September 25. Questions? Email Monique Cueto-Potts, director, Office of Community Engagement. We hope you will join us!

The Parents of Students of Phillips Academy (PSPA)—of which you are automatically a member—hosts social gatherings, educational panels, and community engagement events throughout the year for students, parents/guardians, and staff. Please sign up here to be notified about opportunities to volunteer. Click here if you are interested in serving as a board member.

We hope you will join us in person or virtually for our first event of the year. 

PSPA General Meeting & Speaker Series—Tuesday, September 19

Shop Campus Closet! Thank you to the many parent volunteers and customers who contributed to the blockbuster opening week of Campus Closet. Our online shop is now open, offering official Phillips Academy clothing and merchandise for your whole family. 

Campus Closet offers free delivery on campus, so go ahead and kit out your student’s dorm room! All Campus Closet proceeds fund the work of the PSPA, a parent-run nonprofit organization that supports activities for students, families, and the broader PA community.

Family Weekend, October 20–22, provides a unique glimpse into your student’s daily life at Andover and includes activities such as classroom visits with your child’s instructors, student performances, and athletic events. Register here today!

Where to check in when you arrive on campus: We look forward to greeting families at the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL) during these Registration check-in hours:

The full schedule for Family Weekend can be found on the Andover Event Guides app, available through the Apple App Store or Google Play (for Android users).

Customize your visit on Saturday by using the My Schedule option within the guide. 

We hope you will attend as many events as possible! If you are unable to download the app, please refer to the schedule of events online—and check back often for updates.

Family Weekend Highlights:

Please note: Students do NOT have classes on Monday, October 23.

If you have additional Family Weekend questions, please send us an email. 

All families are encouraged to order a 2024 Pot Pourri, Phillips Academy’s yearbook, by clicking this link: PA Yearbook. If prompted, enter school code 3591. Yearbooks, full color and typically about 300 pages, will be delivered to students in mid-May. 

Create a “family message” for your senior: Express pride and love and congratulate your soon-to-be-graduate with a fun and heartfelt ad in the Pot Pourri yearbook. Choose from several sizes and full-color or black and  white, and include your own special message and photo(s). Simply click here—Yearbook Order Center—to create your ad and submit payment. Submission deadline is November 15, 2023.

Information on ordering yearbooks, family messages, senior portraits for the yearbook (due January 15), and ordering class rings can be found on The Hive.

Friday, September 15 

Sunday, September 17 

About our Catholic Confirmation program: The Catholic Chaplaincy provides a Confirmation program to all Catholic students who wish to be confirmed. This is a full academic year program that culminates in a Confirmation Mass on campus, presided over by our area bishop from the Archdiocese of Boston.  

Confirmation classes begin in early October and will meet each Sunday from 4:45 to 6 p.m., followed by the 6:15 p.m. Sunday Mass. (Arrangements are made for dinner.) All high school grade levels (including postgraduates) are welcome in this program. Students interested in the Confirmation program should email Dr. Mary Kantor for more information.  

Keep an eye on the Academy’s Events Calendar for additional gatherings in your area and an array of campus and other events that may be open to families (i.e., special student presentations; music, theatre, and dance performances; and athletic competitions). Please join us!

Campus and off-site health and safety guidelines, provided here, are also available when you register for a specific event.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy becoming a singular coeducational school. We are excited to spend 2023–2024 celebrating this milestone from many perspectives: recognizing the historic and current importance of Abbot Academy, understanding the process toward gender-inclusive education, and highlighting the campus experiences of all genders. This new website will act as a clearinghouse for all things Abbot & Andover with information about events and a space for community members to share memories and perspectives. 

To learn more about Abbot Academy and its impact on today’s Andover, read “Then, Now, Next”—the cover story of the summer Andover magazine—which kicks off this celebratory year, providing a tagline and framework for understanding and recognizing the legacy of Abbot Academy.

The next time you visit Andover, be sure to take a short stroll down School Street to see the Abbot campus.