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What’s New This Week
We look forward to welcoming 10th- and 11th-grade boarding and day students to campus this weekend. They will be joining 9th- and 12th-grade students and will complete the staged return of all students who chose an on-campus option. The 10th- and 11th-grade day students will be joining our community two weeks earlier than anticipated.
Testing for COVID-19 continues at a rigorous pace. To date, we have administered more than 5,300 tests to all on-campus faculty, staff, and students. Our positivity rate remains extremely low at 0.04 percent. While this is an indication that our protocols are working well, please remind your students to remain vigilant about their own health and good habits.
As Head of School Raynard Kington P’24 shared in his message to families this week, we will start testing students twice a week beginning Monday, October 12. Twice-weekly testing will be mandatory for all students coming to campus, and it will be considered a violation of the non sibi pledge if a student does not comply. By doubling the frequency of student testing, we will increase the likelihood of a successful repopulation of our students and a healthy campus throughout the term.
As we approach the beginning of hybrid learning the week of October 19, please know that our original policy of personal choice for attending class in person for both students and faculty remains in place. This policy was made for a number of health and safety reasons, including respect for choices around one’s personal risk profile or that of a family member with whom they are in close contact. In the case of faculty, there may also be pedagogical reasons that influence their choice. These remain difficult decisions for everyone involved.
As always, we remain nimble in our planning and consider your thoughts crucial to these efforts. We look forward to hearing feedback regarding the fall term, thus far, from both students and families. Students received a survey on Wednesday, and parents will receive a survey next week.
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From the Dean of Studies Office
Virtual Family Weekend is October 22–25: We look forward to welcoming families virtually to campus Thursday, October 22, through Sunday, October 25. (Note that these dates have recently expanded!) Family Weekend provides a unique glimpse into your child’s daily life at Andover with activities such as classroom visits with your child’s teachers and meetings with their advisor point person and house counseling team.
There also will be opportunities to hear from our head of school, join a webinar to discuss the relationship between parents and schools during this pandemic, participate in parent discussions, view student performances, and hear updates from various departments on campus. Please visit Family Weekend to view event offerings. Registration information and schedule details will be coming soon.
Parent Survey: A Parent Survey will be sent out the week of October 12. We are eager to receive feedback about what’s been going well for your child, what’s been challenging, and what we can do to improve our program. We continue to prioritize the safety, health, wellness, relationships, and engaged learning for all of our students around the world.
Parents and Academic Integrity: At the beginning of every year, all students read the PA Academic Integrity Primer and sign off that they understand the parameters of doing good intellectual work in an academic community. In addition, all English instructors go over academic integrity expectations with their students at the beginning of each term, and other departments regularly offer guidance specific to the assignment or discipline.
While the responsibility of academic integrity is up to each student, there are things parents can do to help. Please wait until your student has submitted written work before you read it. Their ideas and writing—yes, every comma—must be their own, and they may not receive help on assignments from family, friends, tutors, or the internet—except as part of peer-editing and workshopping in class or as an explicit part of a collaborative assignment. If your student is feeling unsure or overwhelmed, please encourage them to reach out to their teachers or Student Support Services for help. All students have conference period several times a week, and there is a great Writing Center available online, via the Academic Skills Center.
Ultimately, in addition to the content areas we teach, we are also working to create confident and independent learners who ask for appropriate help when they need it, and we know that a lot of their learning will be in their mistakes and the productive struggles. If there is a violation of our academic integrity standards, then the teacher, department chair, and a member of the Dean of Studies office will work with the student to help them understand the violation, which could also lead to a Disciplinary Committee (DC) meeting.
Just a reminder: If you email the Academy with information or questions about your student, please be sure to include their first and last name.
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Submit Required Health Information!
The Sykes Wellness Team looks forward to welcoming Cohort 2 students to Andover this weekend—and many more students in the future.
Parents of students (boarding and day) planning to arrive to campus this weekend: Please be sure to have all health requirements fully completed and submitted prior to arrival. Unfortunately, students missing required health information will not be able to join us on campus.
For those with potentially changing plans (remote vs. on campus) this academic year, we strongly encourage you to keep your student’s medical record current by submitting information now. The health portal is an easy way to submit all of your student’s required health information, including up-to-date physical exams.
We need your full collaboration and cooperation to enable a healthy campus. Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe, and please email us with any questions.
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Parent Development Webinar
The Parent Development team invites you to our upcoming webinar, “The Parent Fund: A Critical Resource During Challenging Times,” on Thursday, October 29, at 10 a.m. EDT. Join fellow parents, volunteers, and members of the administration to learn how support from parents and grandparents is crucial to sustaining Andover’s excellence. You’ll also receive an update on Academy finances, including the impact of COVID-19, and hear about ways to deepen your engagement with the Academy through volunteer opportunities.
Registration is open. Questions may be directed to Shannan Clarke, associate director of Parent Development. We hope you will join us!
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On-Campus November SAT Exam Cancelled
Due to safety concerns, the Academy’s standardized testing plan for the 2020–2021 academic year has been recalibrated and we are no longer able to administer the November 7 SAT exam. Hosting the November test would require us to make it available to non-PA students, and we are uncomfortable with bringing students who are not in our COVID-19 testing and community protocols to campus.
If your student registered for the November 7 exam on campus, please see the information below, which will also be emailed to students today.
What if I am already registered for the SAT exam?
- Boarding students: You should transfer your registration to the December 5 test date near your home.
- Day students: You can try to transfer your registration to a school near home for November 7 or the December 5 SAT test date.
- All students: College Board will automatically issue you a refund if you do not transfer your registration to another date.
What if I want to take the SAT but have not registered?
- Boarding students: You can register for the December 5 SAT test date near your home.
- Day students: You can try to register at a school near home for the November 7 or the December 5 SAT test date.
The director of standardized testing and the College Counseling team thank you for your continued support.
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Weekly Religious Services—All Are Welcome
Fridays, 5:30–6:30 p.m.—Jewish Shabbat Service and Jewish Student Union (JSU) Meeting: Led by Rabbi Michael Swarttz. Board members for the 2020–2021 Jewish Student Union (JSU) are Sima Shmuylovich ’21, president; Sophie Glaser ’22 and Bryce Shufro ’22, co–vice presidents; Ethan Ellsweig ’21 and Shira Wolpowitz ’21, events chairs; Alex Ashman ’22, secretary and treasurer; and Hannah Ullman ’21, communications chair. Zoom link
Sundays, 6 p.m.—Protestant (Ecumenical) Service: Led by the Reverend Gina M. Finocchiaro, interim Protestant chaplain. Music by Michael Belcher and others. Zoom link
Sundays, 6:45–7:30 p.m.—Roman Catholic Worship: Worship with the Catholic Community at Andover, followed by fellowship and discussion led by Dr. Mary Kantor and the Catholic Student Fellowship (CSF) leaders. The worship format follows the Liturgy of the Word (scripture service with reflection, music and prayers) for the first half of the Catholic Mass, but is not a full live or recorded Mass. The timing of the return of Catholic Mass to campus, with reception of communion, is yet to be determined. Zoom link
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PSPA Speaker Video Available
Thank you to all who attended the PSPA Speaker Series on October 5 with internationally acclaimed speaker Peggy Orenstein. A recording of “Boys & Sex: Hookup Culture, Love, Porn, Consent & Becoming a Better Man” is on The Hive under the Resources/Informational Videos dropdown menu. Per Orenstein’s request, the video will be available for viewing for only two weeks. The PSPA would also like to thank the Dean of Students Office, Sykes Wellness Center, and the Brace Center for Gender Studies for co-sponsoring Orenstein’s talk.
Did you know? All-School Meeting recordings, also on The Hive, can be found under the QuickLinks/MediaSpace dropdown menu.
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You Are Invited!- October 8: Fearing and Desiring of Black Women, a book talk with Dr. Jasmine Mitchell ’99
- October 14: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Northern California Regional Leadership Team
- October 19: Andover Chinese Archives Project & Course, Silences & Gaps
- October 29: The Parent Fund: A Critical Resource During Challenging Times
- October 29: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the New York Regional Leadership Team
- November 12: A Conversation with Megan Greene ’97 and Tedd Parker P’23
- November 17: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Pan-European Regional Leadership Team
- December 9: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Southern California Regional Leadership Team
- December 15: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, hosted by the Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia Regional Leadership Teams
All events are virtual unless otherwise noted. Please join us!
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