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Winter term highlights include a variety of speakers and presentations to fuel classroom discussion and enrich all members of our diverse community. Students will hear powerful All-School Meeting (ASM) presentations and have the opportunity to attend several evening programs.
- Monday, January 20: The Academy’s 30th MLK Day celebration will include student workshops and feature ASM speaker Nikki Giovanni, a world-renowned poet, activist, and educator. Students only.
- Friday, January 31: Dr. Albert Silverstein, a Holocaust survivor, will share his story of survival and discuss the importance of fighting hate and bigotry at ASM. Students only.
- Friday, February 14: Activist and educator Angela Davis will address the importance of building communities of struggle for economic, racial, and gender justice. 7 p.m. in Kemper Auditorium. Parents are invited to this free public event.
- Friday, February 28: Award-winning scholar of racism and antiracism Ibram X. Kendi will discuss his latest book, How to Be an Antiracist. A book signing will follow. 7 p.m. in Kemper Auditorium. Parents are invited to this free public event.
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Midterm ReportsTerm 2 midterm reports will be posted by the Dean of Studies Office on Tuesday, January 28, in the Student Reports section of The Hive. If you have questions after discussing the midterm report with your child, contact your child’s point person (primary house counselor or day student advisor). A schedule of all reports that will be posted this year by your child’s instructors and house counselor (or day student advisor) is available on The Hive. In winter term, some instructors choose to have individual feedback conferences with students instead of writing reports. Please note: If any significant concerns—academic or otherwise—arise regarding your child, their point person or another member of your child’s team will contact you. Similarly, we encourage you to be in touch with your student’s point person should you have concerns you’d like to discuss.
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Tips for 2020 from the ExpertsResidential life faculty members were recently asked what advice they have for parents who want to help their child make the most of their time at Andover. Here’s what we heard from the experts, whose teaching, coaching, advising, and house counseling experience at Andover totals 60-plus years.
- Help your child see the value in building relationships with adults from the beginning. These will be people your child can turn to, both in times of difficulty and in those many moments of celebration. —David Gardner, Pine Knoll cluster dean
- Don’t make excuses for your child, however tempting that may be. Help them own their mistakes. That is how they will truly learn and grow. —Martha Fenton ’83, P’17, ’23, West Quad North cluster dean
- Let your child reach out to their teacher or dean to ask a question before you do. We want them to self-advocate and learn to become independent. —Sheena Hilton ’05, Flagstaff cluster dean
- Love them, all the time, unconditionally. They will make mistakes. Don’t wonder out loud what this means for their college chances. —Kate Dolan P’11 ’15, house counselor and assistant dean of students and residential life
- Take the long view. We hope to lay a foundation for students to become healthy, joyful 20- and 30-year-olds. —Jenny Elliott ’94, P’22, assistant head of school for residential life and dean of students
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January Self-Reflection
This month, students will write and then discuss a self-reflection with their house counselor or day student advisor. This process encourages students to take some ownership of the direction of their growth and their impact on the community. A version of the reflection will be shared with parents later in winter term. We hope all parents will talk with their children about the ways they have grown and the arc of their Andover journey throughout the rest of this year.
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BlueCard Parent Portal ChangesStarting today, January 17, you will notice changes on the BlueCard Parent Portal. While the URL and login process remain the same, the deposit screen and messaging are different. We have switched to Windcave, a new payment processor.
The changeover removes all saved payment methods and scheduled deposits. If you had created a Save Payment Method or set up a Scheduled Deposit, you will need to recreate these in Windcave. A Saved Payment Method can be configured only by completing a deposit and choosing this option on the confirmation screen. Once a Saved Payment Method is created, a Scheduled Deposit can be configured from the Accounts screen by clicking on Blue Bucks or PA Campus funds. Email Claudia Scofield for assistance or more information.
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Mindfulness Event with Matthew HepburnJoin us on Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, as Matthew Hepburn helps us explore ways to find freedom and calm in everyday life. A meditation teacher since 2012, Hepburn has taught in schools, prisons, inner-city dharma centers, and silent residential meditation retreat centers. He is featured on the meditation app 10% Happier.
These events, both free and open to the public, are part of the Head of School and Tang Institute’s Mindfulness and Meditation Series. Registration is encouraged.
- Friday, January 31: Discussion, 7–8 p.m. Kemper Auditorium. Register here.
- Saturday, February 1: Daylong Workshop, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Davis Hall in McKeen Hall on the Abbot campus. Register here.
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Andover Summer for a Family Sibling?If you’d like to introduce a younger son or daughter to Phillips Academy, consider the Andover Summer program! Our Lower School Institute (LSI), geared toward students entering 7th or 8th grade in the fall, provides an opportunity for middle schoolers to live and study at Phillips Academy for five weeks, immersing themselves in interdisciplinary coursework. All about new experiences and perspectives, LSI gives younger students a taste of boarding school life while providing the structure and support to ensure their time here is a success. Andover Summer also offers an extensive Upper School program for rising 9th- through 12th-graders looking to expand their horizons, study something they don’t have time to fit into their regular session course schedule, and/or get a jump on the skills and content needed for the next year. Upper School courses (about 90 minutes each) meet six days per week, packing a full term’s content into just over a month!
Applications for both Upper School and LSI programs are now being accepted on a rolling basis. For more information or to ask questions, please email Anneke Skidmore, assistant director and dean of admission.
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Save the Date for Hank Phillippi RyanOn Friday, April 10, you are invited to join us in welcoming Emmy Award–winning journalist Hank Phillippi Ryan to campus. A well-known Boston TV personality, Ryan will discuss how she has managed to mix the factual world of investigative reporting and fiction to become a best-selling author of psychological suspense thrillers. This event, free and open to the public, takes place 7–8 p.m. in the Freeman Room in the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library.
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Yearbooks & Senior TributesOrders are now being accepted for Phillips Academy’s award-winning Pot Pourri yearbook. The cost is $125, and there are three ways to order:
- Online: Order online and enter school code 3591.
- In person: Your student can stop by the Student Activities Office (lower level of Paresky Commons) and buy a yearbook with their BlueCard.
- By mail: Return this order form with your check. (Order forms are also available on The Hive.)
Senior Tributes in the yearbook: Express pride, love, and congratulations to the soon-to-be PA graduate in your life with a personal ad in the 2020 yearbook. Use this form to select the desired size and personalize the ad with your own message and photos.
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News from the Parent Development TeamHappy 2020! Thank you to the many parents who supported Andover with a gift to the Parent Fund at the end of December. We are delighted to report that more than 55 percent of current Andover families have given back to the Academy so far this school year.
With the help of our Parent Fund Committee volunteers in the months ahead, we will continue to strive toward our 100 percent parent participation goal. The Academy depends on support from parents and alumni to help sustain its annual budget—your gift of any size makes a difference!
We invite parents to stop by our offices on the third floor of McKeen Hall with any questions and to learn more about supporting Andover and ways to get involved. You can also email Shannon Clarke, associate director of parent development, or call her at 978-749-4583.
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You received this message because you are a valued member of the Andover community. We are obligated to communicate with you, and require you to be on our email list while your student(s) attends Phillips Academy. For more information contact the Dean of Studies Office. |
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