October 18, 2023

This special edition of the Family Bulletin, which replaces our regular Thursday issue, is full of Family Weekend information and reminders, but also includes other important Academy news. 

We are very excited to welcome families back to campus this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The forecast suggests some inclement weather, so please be sure to plan/pack accordingly. Don’t forget comfortable shoes—Phillips Academy is a walking campus!  

On-Campus Registration/Check-In Hours (at the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library) 

Your boarding student may go off campus this weekend: Requests for overnight permission must be submitted by your student by TODAY, Wednesday, October 18, through REACH Boarding, a cloud-based student life management system. Please remind your student to submit their request TODAY!

Grasshopper Night is a popular variety show produced, directed, and performed by students. There are four performances. Each Andover family is eligible to pick up 3 tickets to ONE of the four shows. Tickets must be presented to enter Tang Theatre.

Tickets will be made available during Family Weekend’s On-Campus Registration/Check-In hours (see hours above) on the day of each performance: Friday show tickets are available on Friday ONLY and Saturday show tickets are available on Saturday ONLY. 

Tickets are first come, first served. Once theatre capacity has been reached, tickets will no longer be available. Tickets can only be obtained in-person at the On-Campus Registration/Check-In. We cannot accept advance requests for reserving tickets unless your student is a performer in the show. (If you are a performer’s parent, you should have received a separate communication about tickets. Please email if you did not receive this communication.) 

Note that there will be a section with limited seating for students who line up in Steinbach Lobby prior to each show.

Ticket Availability: Each Andover family is eligible for up to 3 tickets to ONE of the four Grasshopper Night shows noted below. We cannot guarantee that all families will be able to obtain tickets, as seating is limited.

Ticketing for Saturday’s 9 p.m. performance is different! To ensure that as many people as possible can attend this event, the Saturday 9 p.m. show will be open admission. Those hoping to attend can line up in Steinbach Lobby 20 minutes prior to the show. Tickets for all available seats will be first come, first served.

Grasshopper Night Ticket In-Person Pickup:

Good news! All Grasshopper Night performances will be simulcast in nearby Kemper Auditorium, where no tickets are needed.

Due to Tang Theatre’s limited capacity, we cannot guarantee that all families will be able to get tickets to any show. 

For your convenience while on campus, we encourage you to download The Andover Event Guides app from Google Play or the Apple App Store as soon as possible. You will be able to see the full weekend schedule, receive updates, and view your student’s schedule. 

Once you have opened the PA Families and Campus Community Guide, please select the three bars in the upper left of the screen to see the full schedule. We invite you to customize your weekend visit using the My Schedule option within the guide. If you are unable to download the app, please review the schedule of events online. A printed Family Weekend schedule will be available at registration.

Family Weekend questions? Please reference Frequently Asked Questions and Community Expectations and COVID Guidelines or send us an email. 

We hope you can join us for several of the following Family Weekend events.

PSPA “Coffee and Connect” Social Session—This Friday, 12:30–2:30 p.m.: Join us for a warm welcome! Meet fellow parents and enjoy hot coffee and donuts. If you can help out by volunteering for this event, please sign up here. Chandler-Wormley Vista lawn, located next to Foxcroft House.

Parent-to-Parent Forum: “Thriving at Andover”—This Friday, 2:30–3:30 p.m.: Join the conversation about parenting PA students! We’ll hear from a panel of experienced PA parents as well as Amy Patel, MD, P’26, dean of health and wellness and chief medical officer; Timothy Corbitt, director of psychological services; and Susan Tsao Esty, PhD, P’22, dean of students and residential life. Topics include adjusting to Andover life and challenges faced by adolescents. Not to be missed! Kemper Auditorium.

All-Parents Reception—This Saturday, 5–7 p.m.: The All-Parents Reception is co-hosted by Family Giving and the PSPA. Join other Andover parents/guardians at the Addison Gallery of American Art for fellowship and conversation. Alcohol will be served at this adults-only event.

Get the best authentic Andover gear—and support Parents of Students of Phillips Academy—at Campus Closet, located on the lower level of George Washington Hall. Campus Closet is the only place where proceeds from your purchases go back to the PSPA to support student programs, community engagement, and social events! 

Campus Closet hours this weekend:

Reminder from the Dean of Studies Office: Mid-point grades and progress reports were posted on The Hive today. Included for all students are brief progress reports from each instructor.

If you need assistance resetting your log-in information for The Hive, email the Technology Help Desk or call 978-749-4357. 

If you would like your student to receive the flu vaccine, they will need a Flu Consent form on file at the wellness center. Please visit the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal, log in, and click the Forms tab.

Please encourage your student to sign up for a time slot for their flu vaccine by logging into the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal. Appointments are available Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If your child receives/has received a flu vaccine elsewhere, please be sure to upload documentation to the portal. 

After a prolonged lack of access, the ability to add funds to BlueCards is fully functional. When making a deposit, please be sure to choose “Make Deposit” on the final screen. After entering the credit card and billing information and hitting “Submit,” a final screen appears that is asking you to confirm (it can be interpreted as a confirmation screen). Choosing “Make Deposit” finalizes the transaction and immediately adds the funds to your child’s BlueCard.

Help avoid lost letters and packages! Please address all mail and packages to: 

Your child’s full name 

Phillips Academy

180 Main Street

Andover, MA 01810

Do NOT address to 180 North Main Street, which is a private home.

Phillips Academy will offer transportation at Thanksgiving and Winter breaks to and from New York City, with a stop in Darien, Connecticut. Students can sign up for one-way travel ($100) or round-trip ($160). Buses will depart at 4 p.m. on Friday, November 17, and return Tuesday, November 28, departing NYC at 11 a.m. 

Drop-off and pick-up occur at the southbound (to NYC) and northbound (to Andover) service plazas in Darien and at Dock 2 at the Port Authority Bus South Terminal in New York City. Bus forms and answers to travel questions are located in 2023–2024 Information for Families under Transportation Information for Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. This information has also been posted on PAnet for student access. 

For transportation to Logan (Boston) and Manchester (N.H.) airports or Boston’s South Station, arrangements can be made with private taxi and limousine service providers. A list of service providers regularly used by members of the PA community is available in 2023–2024 Information for Families.

Questions? Email Claudia Scofield or call 978-749-4124.

Did you know that Andover Summer offers two distinct academic enrichment programs that bring together a community of global learners? During Summer Session, our 5-week residential program, students immerse themselves in exciting classes like Neuropsychology, Entrepreneurship, Robots: Engineering Design Lab, and Innovation and Society. Summer Session has day and boarding options and welcomes applications from students currently in grades 6–11. 

If you’re local and prefer a shorter commitment, check out Advantage, our 2-week, day-only academic refresher program offered in both July and August. Advantage, which is open enrollment, is designed for students currently in grades 5–8 and focuses on building confidence in the classroom. Courses include Math Acceleration, Academic Writing, and The Physics of Flight.  

Andover Summer Information Webinar—Thursday, November 16: Join us at either 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. EST to learn more. Click here to sign up for a webinar or get more information about dates and rates for either program.

Friday, October 20

Sunday, October 22

Tuesday, October 24

Keep an eye on the Academy’s Events Calendar for 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!

Health and safety guidelines, provided here, are also available when you register for an event.

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.