December 19, 2024

The Office of Family Engagement wishes you a joyful holiday season. This is the final Family Bulletin of 2024. The next issue will be sent Thursday, January 9. See you in 2025!

Calendar of Events

Athletics Calendar

Be sure to listen to our talented student musicians performing at the Sounds of the Season All-School Meeting on December 13. You will also enjoy the Academy’s Service of Lessons & Carols, an annual candlelit service of music, scripture, and poetry in the season of Advent anticipating Christmas, which took place in Cochran Chapel this past Sunday.

In celebration of the 12th annual Mixed Heritage Awareness Week, families are invited to attend a screening of Little White Lie, an internationally recognized personal documentary, on Friday, January 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Kemper Auditorium. The film will be followed by a talkback with writer, director, and producer Lacey Schwartz Delgado. This event is free and open to the public. 

At age 18, Schwartz Delgado discovered she was African American, although she had been raised as a white Ashkenazi Jew in Woodstock, New York. The revelation of her mother’s affair and uncovering her biracial identity ignited a mission to give voice to difficult truths, which are widespread but rarely talked about. Her story is a catalyst for audiences to reclaim a sense of self and bridge societal divides. 

New washers and dryers will be installed in dorms on January 8, 9, and 10. No washers and dryers will be available on these dates, so please encourage your student to do laundry the prior weekend. As the new machines come online, house counselors and boarding students will be notified.  

Flu Vaccine: Per the Academy’s enrollment agreement, the seasonal influenza vaccine is a requirement this year to help mitigate the spread of the flu. All students should have received a flu vaccine by December 3. If students are receiving their seasonal influenza vaccine over Winter Break, please submit proof of a flu vaccine from an outside provider via the Medicat Health Portal. 

Annual Physical Documentation: If your student has an upcoming physical exam during Winter Break, please upload the physical exam report via the health portal by clicking here or email us documentation.

Questions? Email the Sykes Wellness Center.

Coming in January! Topic: Spotlight on the Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD)—Learn more about the range of support, resources, and programming offered by CAMD on Thursday, January 9, at 12:15 p.m. ET. This information session will highlight the many ways your students can engage with CAMD staff. Hear about opportunities like the CAMD Scholars program, CAMD events, and more. Click here to register.

The Family Giving team wishes you and your family a healthy and happy holiday. 

Families who have not yet made a gift to the school will receive email reminders later this month. We hope you will help strengthen parent support for the Andover Fund with your donation. Thank you to the 300-plus families who have contributed to date!

Last call for Andover Fund Parent Committee Volunteers: Parents and guardians are invited to join the Andover Fund Parents Committee (AFPC). AFPC volunteers engage in peer-to-peer fundraising to raise critical support for the Academy. Through their outreach and community building, AFPC members ultimately help enhance the student experience and strengthen PA parent connections around the globe.

If you would like to explore volunteering for the AFPC, please contact Katherine Solimini, associate director of Family Giving, by email or call 978-749-4583. All are welcome to join. We look forward to connecting with you in 2025!

As students begin to look at summer opportunities, they may need a copy of their Andover transcript. All requests for transcripts should be emailed to the registrar. If you request an official transcript, please note that it must be sent directly from the registrar’s office to the organization requesting it; students are not permitted copies of their official transcript. Please use the email above if you have questions.

Private Lessons: The Add/Drop deadline for Term 2 lessons is tomorrow, Friday, December 20, at 5 p.m. If your student is interested in lessons and did not request them during advising period, they should send an email to Allison Ross.

Families of seniors! This section keeps you in the loop about the important events and milestones of your student’s final year.

Deadline Extended! Yearbook Senior Tribute Ad: The deadline for submitting senior tributes has been extended to February 1. Our senior tribute pages in the Pot Pourri yearbook are a fun senior tradition; the yearbook staff hopes you’ll consider participating. Space for tributes to seniors, which are submitted by their family, is available through the yearbook for an additional charge. Follow the directions on the Class of 2025 Yearbook Info flyer to create and purchase your ad. 

Class Rings: You can purchase a class ring for your senior through our vendor, Herff Jones. Questions? Please email Mike McCann.

2025 Commencement: We are excited to welcome the families of the Class of 2025 to celebrate Commencement on June 1. For a complete schedule of events and FAQs, please visit the Commencement webpage. 

If you have any accessibility needs (ASL interpreter, wheelchair, among other accommodations), please email those requests to Naomi Mashburn ’08 before February 14. If you have additional questions as Commencement approaches, please also email Naomi Mashburn or call 978-749-4225.

PA yearbooks are now on sale! All families are encouraged to order a 2025 Pot Pourri by clicking PA Yearbook. If prompted, enter school code 3591. Yearbooks—full color and typically about 300 pages—will be delivered to campus in May.

We at the PSPA (Parents of Students of Phillips Academy) wish you the warmest of holidays and hope you have a relaxing and restful break with your family. 

Campus Closet is closed for Winter Break: Note that our online shop is also on a well-deserved hiatus. 

Crew members needed in January and February: Campus Closet is staffed by PSPA volunteers; all proceeds go toward student activities and building a stronger PA community. Please sign up here for a Campus Closet shift or two. 

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!

Want to find other Andover families in your area? Log in now using your Hive credentials. The directory is opt-in; families must log in to be visible to others. You can find tutorials on how to use the directory here. Should you need assistance with resetting your Hive login information, reach out to the Technology Help Desk by email or call 978-749-4357.

The Office of Family Engagement is here to support you throughout the school year! If you have any questions or need assistance, please email Director Jennifer Vasquez or call 978-749-4068. 

Andover Family Directory

2024–2025 Academic Calendar

Class Schedule

2024–2025 Information for Families 

Guide for New Families

Strategies for Student Success