October 26, 2023

Thank you to those who were able to join us on campus this past weekend—more than 1,500 family members registered! We hope you enjoyed our beautiful campus, spending quality time with your student, and learning more about Andover’s program.

Your survey feedback is important: Please take a few minutes to complete this confidential survey to help strengthen future Family Weekend programming. It only needs to be completed once. The survey will close Friday, November 3. If you were unable to attend Family Weekend, please take a minute to complete this condensed survey. Thank you!

Event videos from Family Weekend: If you were unable to join us on campus or were here but missed some programs, check out these videos on the Family Weekend website.  

Grasshopper Night, the much-anticipated Family Weekend variety show produced and performed by students, filled Tang Theatre for each of its four performances. Visit PA’s Smugmug site for a full array of photos. Photo by Gil Talbot

Everybody, by Obie-winning contemporary Black playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, is a modern riff on the 15th-century morality play Everyman—one of the first recorded plays in the English language. This production is a theatrical meditation on what is essential to live life to the fullest. 

Showtimes in Steinbach Theatre:

This event is first-come-first-serve seating. We recommend arriving 30 minutes prior to showtime to secure your seat. All persons in your party must be present; there is no saving seats and no late seating. Families of students involved in the production can check in with the House Manager 30 minutes prior to showtime to receive priority seating. 

The Department of Music faculty and staff thank all families who attended our various Family Weekend concerts. We hope many of you can join us for the following concerts/events, which are free and open to the public. 

For more information, email Jessica McCormack in the music department.

Advanced Placement (AP) exam registration will take place over two time periods:

Students will be sent an email from the Phillips Academy Standardized Testing Office with registration instructions. Exam fees will be paid through the Course Material Account and are processed later in the spring. Funds do not need to be added your student’s BlueCard.   

Please note that AP exams are optional and not required for college applications. Student grades and classwork are more important than AP exam scores. 

Click here for specific information on registration and exam dates and fees.

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.

If you would like your student to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, they will need a Covid Consent form on file at the wellness center. Please visit the Sykes Wellness Center Health Portal, log in, and click the Forms tab. You can download the blank consent form and email the completed form to sykeswellness@andover.edu.

In the final weeks of the term, students often feel more stress and make compromises in their sleep and other healthy habits. Please encourage your student to make a good night’s sleep a priority. So much depends on consistent, sufficient sleep—the ability to stay focused and fully engaged in classes, to prepare well outside of class, to remember new learning over time, and to fight off colds and sickness. Good sleep habits also help ensure emotional stability, positivity, resilience, and the predilection to have fun even while working hard.

Please note that students must attend all class meetings* during the final week of fall term—regardless of how instructors plan to use those meetings.

*Only in extraordinary circumstances will permission be granted for a student to miss class meetings during the final week of the term. Purchase of nonrefundable tickets for an early departure is not considered such a circumstance. (Permission to miss such class meetings may be granted only by David Fox, director of studies).

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.

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, which are full color and typically about 300 pages, will be delivered to students in mid-May. 

Parents of seniors: It’s time to create your “family message”: 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 Yearbook Order Center to create your ad and submit payment. Family message submission deadline is Wednesday, November 15.

Senior portraits: A photographer will visit campus in the fall for any students who wish to have a senior portrait photo taken (more information will be sent to students shorlty). You are also welcome to submit a portrait for your senior via email. Senior portrait submission deadline is January 15.

Class Rings: Class rings are a wonderful keepsake of your child’s time at Phillips Academy. Class rings ordered before January 1 will be delivered to your senior before graduation. Our class ring vendor visits campus several times during the school year and can help students with ring sizes, designs, and samples. Find more information on class rings here! Or you can email Mike McCann at Herff Jones, our ring vendor.

All information on yearbook orders, family messages, senior portraits, and class rings can be found on The Hive. 

A big thank you to our dedicated Parents of Students of Phillips Academy (PSPA) volunteers. The success of our Family Weekend events and activities was made possible by your involvement! 

We had an incredible turnout at the PSPA Coffee and Connect, a jamming All-Parents Reception in partnership with Parent Giving, and a full auditorium at the “Thriving at Andover” panel discussion. 

Campus Closet achieved fantastic sales, thanks in part to dozens of volunteers, including parents of alumni. We encourage you to share your new PA merchandise on social media, as Campus Closet is the only place to buy Andover gear where proceeds support PA student and parent programs.

Campus Closet will be closed tomorrow, Friday, October 27, to give our volunteers a break, but you can always shop online. 

PSPA General Meeting—Tuesday, November 14: Join us for an early light dinner, which will be served at 5:30 p.m. ET. The general meeting will start at 7 p.m. ET. Underwood Room. A Zoom link will be provided in next week’s Family Bulletin for those who cannot join us in person.

Friday, October 27

Sunday, October 29

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.

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.

Be sure to visit the new Abbot & Andover at 50 website and read “Then, Now, Next”—the Andover magazine cover story that kicks off this celebratory year, providing a tagline and framework for understanding and recognizing the legacy of Abbot Academy. 

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.