December 7, 2023

What’s good—and not so good—about how PA communicates with families and provides resources to connect you with the Academy and with one another?

The Office of Family Engagement invites you to participate in this Family Engagement Survey, designed to gather feedback on your experiences and suggestions about new ways the office can enhance resources to support you. The survey, which closes December 15, is completely anonymous and will take about 15 minutes to complete.

The Department of Theatre & Dance presented four joyous performances of The Nutcracker Reimagined this past weekend. The cast of 35 student dancers was joined by faculty and staff children and adults. See more beautiful photos on PA’s SmugMug site. Photo by Gil Talbot

On Monday, December 11, at 6 p.m., paralympic athlete Noelle Lambert will speak about her amazing athletics journey. 

A standout lacrosse player at UMass Lowell, Lambert suffered a life-changing injury the summer after her freshman year that resulted in the amputation of her left leg above the knee. Just 18 months later she returned to the lacrosse field—and founded The Born to Run Foundation that same year. After graduating in 2019, she switched to track and field and, among many other accomplishments, went on to set an American record in the 100-meter event at the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo. Read more here and join us in Kemper Auditorium for this inspiring event!

PreACT—Saturday, January 20: The PreACT is a preview to the ACT exam. It tests the same skills and knowledge and can be a predictor of how one would score if they took the ACT.  This test does not count in the admissions process and scores are only sent to students. Students have been emailed a registration link. Registration is open from now until noon on Wednesday, December 13.

Practice PSAT—Saturday, February 17: The practice PSAT is a preview of the official College Board PSAT that students will take in the 11th-grade. It is managed by Compass Educational Group and will simulate the digital PSAT. This test does not count in the admissions process and scores are only sent to students. Registration will open at the beginning of January.

The results of these two exams can be a guide toward the standardized testing a student pursues in the college admissions process. A presentation comparing the ACT and the SAT to help families and students create a college testing plan will be available in the spring. Look for details and registration information in a future Family Bulletin.

For more testing information, click here.

Learning in the World (LITW) applications and affiliate expressions of interest have been received and the review process is underway. Program leaders will be reading applications and many will be interviewing students over the next few days. Likewise, the LITW team will review expressions of interest for affiliate (external) programs and coordinate lists with our partners. 

Please remember that expressions of interest are not applications to the affiliate programs—students who receive approval from LITW must apply separately to the external programs according to their timelines and criteria. Many affiliates have rolling admissions and the sooner students apply, the better their chances are of being accepted. This also is true for financial aid from those organizations, which tends to be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Remember that affiliate financial aid can be combined with LITW financial aid!

We will aim to notify students of our decisions around the start of Winter Break. Students should be attentive to their @andover.edu email, and those invited should reply promptly to secure their spots by January 4, 2024. We will maintain a waitlist for PA faculty-led programs and offer spots as they open up. Questions? Please email Mark Cutler, director of LITW.

A reminder that Phillips Academy will offer transportation at Winter Break to and from New York City, with a stop in Darien, Connecticut. Students can sign up for one-way travel ($100) or roundtrip ($160). Buses will depart campus at 4 p.m. on Friday, December 15, and return Wednesday, January 3, departing NYC at 11 a.m. 

Bus 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 at 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 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 at 2023–2024 Information for Families under Transportation Information for Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks.

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

As Winter Break approaches, lost and found items from across campus are being collected, sorted, organized, and displayed. Students can stop by the Dean of Students Office on the lower level of George Washington Hall between Tuesday, December 12, and Friday, December 15 (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day) to look for lost items. 

We have a LOT of belongings and no space to store them. Items not claimed (except those labeled with a student’s name) will be donated over Winter Break. 

Click here for one-stop shopping for gifts to shower your family with PA pride! Be sure to check out the PA featured items. You can also shop in person at Campus Closet (lower level of George Washington Hall) during these holiday hours:

Order by Tuesday, December 12, for free on-campus delivery to students. We also offer free domestic shipping with $200 purchase. Happy holidays, everyone!

Campus Closet needs parent volunteers to help staff the store for a few days in December. Please click here to volunteer. 

Get a sneak peak of the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology’s newly renovated collection area, hear from a student volunteer, check out an interactive game—and more—in the November issue of the Peabody’s monthly newsletter. Interested in receiving future newsletters directly from the Peabody? Sign up today!

Friday, December 8

Sunday, December 10

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.

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: 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. The “Family message” submission deadline is January 15.

Senior portraits: A photographer will be on campus Tuesday, December 12, and Wednesday, December 13, to take portraits of seniors for the yearbook. Members of the Class of 2024 have already been emailed information and a sign-up link; participation is optional. Families are also welcome to submit their own portrait of their senior via email. The 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. 

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.