July 13, 2023

This special issue of the Family Bulletin—for both new and returning families— shares some important updates and reminders from offices across campus, all intended to help the start of the new school year go smoothly for you and your student.

Parents and guardians are also encouraged to visit the 2023–2024 Information for Families and Frequently Asked Questions sections of our website. A mid-August issue of the Family Bulletin will provide additional Opening of School (OOS) details.

For quick access to all the latest Opening of School information, be sure to download the Andover Event Guides app. Here’s how:

Please allow the app to send you notifications to be sure you receive any last-minute information. Be sure to check the app regularly in case changes are made to the OOS schedule.

All medical and insurance information was due to the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center (via The Hive) on July 1. Returning families, please remember to update your health forms. This is an annual requirement. Questions? Contact the Sykes Wellness Center team via email or phone 978-749-4455. 

Most other registration requirements must be completed via The Hive by Tuesday, August 1. If you have difficulty logging onto The Hive, please contact the Help Desk or call 978-749-4357. Be sure to view this short video tutorial to help ensure your child has everything completed and will be ready to begin classes this fall.

Phillips Academy uses an app-based assessment tool created by Sway Medical (“Sway”) for head injury assessment and monitoring. All students must complete a new baseline assessment at the beginning of every school year to ensure the most accurate baseline.  

Good news! The 15-minute Sway assessment can be completed now using any smart phone or tablet. Please encourage your student to do this as soon as possible—before they come to campus. Results are automatically shared with the Sykes Wellness Center team.

Instructions on how to complete the Sway assessment were emailed to students (copied to parents/guardians) on Thursday, July 6. If you cannot locate the email, please watch this brief video. 

Those unable to complete the Sway assessment before arrival will be required to do so during registration. Questions? Please email the Sykes Wellness Center team.

The BlueCard, your student’s Phillips Academy ID, is used to gain access to buildings, check out material from the library, and purchase items both on and off campus. Earlier this week an email was sent to students (copied to parents/guardians) with information on 1) how to submit a headshot for the ID and 2) how to access the BlueCard account.

Students also received an additional email regarding photo requirements and submitting a photo. The deadline to submit the photo is Tuesday, August 1. Please be sure your student completes this task. Questions? Please contact the BlueCard office.

Early Arrivals: If your student has been notified to register earlier, here are the details: 

Snyder Center parking is near the PA ice arena.

Students may not arrive prior to their scheduled registration date AND are not allowed to move into their dorm until they have registered. Students are also expected to arrive on their scheduled registration date. Questions? Email the Dean of Students Office or call 978-749-4175.

An email will be sent the week of August 21 to all students (copied to parents/guardians) with their cluster assignments; boarders will also receive housing information. The email will include roommate information (if applicable), house counselor(s), and a request that students contact their cluster dean. See a list of “What to Bring” to campus on The Hive.

Students will be notified of their advisor assignment via email the week of August 21. For student-advisor meeting dates and further details, please visit Frequently Asked Questions.

In February 2022, the faculty voted to change the advising structure for boarding students. Boarding students will now be assigned an advisor without regard to their dorm placement. This new structure will allow for more diverse, smaller, all-gender advising groups. The new structure will also allow for more consistency on a boarding student’s core team, as boarders will stay with the same advisor for their entire time at Andover, even as they change dorms and house counselors year to year. The house counselor will continue to serve as the point person and parent contact for boarders. The point person will coordinate communication with the advisor and cluster dean on a student’s core team.  Students will meet with their advisors every week on Tuesday mornings.

The transition to this new advising structure will take two years. Most rising senior boarders will stay with their previous advisor in 2023–2024. Rising upper boarders and rising lower boarders will be re-assigned to new advisors in August 2023. For rising lowers, this change means that they will continue to live with their previous advisor in the dorm, and their new advisor will be a faculty member not living in their dorm. Although this change may require some adjustment for families of lowers in the short term, in the long term we believe the new system will serve all students better.

Our day student advising structure remains unchanged. Day students are assigned in all-gender groups when they matriculate. The day student advisor remains that student’s advisor and point person through graduation.

The Academy currently purchases course materials in bulk for all classes. These materials—a physical book, information for access to electronic resources, or information on availability of books at the library—will be provided by teachers on the first day of classes.

To cover the cost of the books and other course materials, a Course Materials Charge of $800 is included in the first student tuition invoice. This yearly $800 charge will be placed in a separate Course Materials Account; the account will also be used to cover art fees, PSATs, and Advanced Placement Exams. Any balance in your student’s Course Materials Account will be refunded upon their departure from the Academy. Questions? Please email Cindy Stewart.

Parents and guardians of new students are cordially invited to a “meet and greet” reception on Tuesday, September 5, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in Davis Hall (in McKeen Hall on the Abbot campus). If you are dropping off your student, we hope you will join us for this informal social event and enjoy light refreshments before you depart campus. For more information, email Katherine Solimini, associate director of Parent Development.

To help with travel planning, we are pleased to share that Family Weekend is October 20–22—and students will not have classes on Monday, October 23. More information will be provided in the weeks ahead.

A few Phillips Academy families have reported receiving phishing emails asking for tuition payments to be sent to a non-Academy address. We have found no evidence of a data breach, so we suspect these fraudulent emails are being sent using publicly available information. Always look carefully to be sure that emails are coming from andover.edu—and take a few moments to review this message from our director of finance, which was emailed to families earlier today.

The Family Bulletin is typically emailed on Thursdays during the school year when classes are in session. Be sure to review each issue for important information, a quick glimpse of what’s happening on campus, and a selection of events of interest to parents, guardians, and other family members.