PHA Middle & High School Newsletter
May 3, 2024
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Note From The Principal
Dear Families,
I hope this newsletter finds you well! In it you will find a list of end of year events and dates. One of those is the final Family Advisory Board meeting of the school year. I highly encourage you to consider attending this event, as the content being presented is very useful. Our College Counselors will be sharing their very informative presentation: College Readiness for Families of 6th-12th Graders- May 30, 6:00-7:30, zoom link here
Please reach out with any questions!
Christine Douglas
For all resources related to supporting our PHAmilies please see our the Family Central page on the PHA website!
Announcements & Updates
Political Philosophy Classes Visit Federal Courthouse
On Thursday, May 2 our Political Philosophy classes went to the South Boston Federal Courthouse to learn about important historical legal cases, to engage in a Q& A with two Federal Judges from the MA 1st Circuit Court, and to participate in a mock jury selection with attorneys and a judge. Juniors and seniors in the class felt like the experience was very relevant not just to their course, but also to their own life experiences. Senior Adrine shared, "I liked that the mock jury selection was realistic, especially because a lot of us are coming of age where we can get selected (to be on a jury)." And, Senior Tony enjoyed learning about the Brown v. Board case "because of how it impacts learning in our (urban/PHA) environment". Thank you to Mr. Wise for providing this opportunity to our students!
Letter From The Senior Class President
Dear parents,
My name is Lydia Martins. I am the senior class president for the Prospect Hill Academy Charter School Class of 2024, and I wanted to get in touch with you today in hopes to get help on raising money for our senior class! In this moment we are doing everything we possibly can to fundraise for our senior events this year and we wanted to ask families for some help financially. If you would like to donate, your donations would help us with our senior prom, yearbook and senior night! Thank you so much for all of the support you give to PHA and our students!
Here are our forms of payment:
Venmo: AllisonGD
PayPal & Zelle: +1 (339) 224-8273
Cash App: $Allisondavis25
Thank you,
Lydia Martins<3
Remaining Spring MCAS Exam Dates
High School
10th Grade Math- May 21 & 22
9th Grade STE (biology)- June 4 & 5
Middle School
8th Grade STE (science) - May 7 & 8
7th & 8th Grade Math - May 15 & 16
Family Engagement
International Night 2024
International Night is tomorrow!
PARENTING STRATEGIES TO HELP OUR TEENS THRIVE
Watch the latest (April 3, 2024) Parent Webinar from Cartwheel on "Helping Our Pre-Teens and Teens Thrive: Parenting Strategies for the Adolescent Years" by CLICKING HERE.
Family Advisory Board
The NEXT FAB [FAMILY ADVISORY BOARD] FORUM for Grades 7-12 FAMILIES on May 30, 6:00-7:30 PM on ZOOM
Join other parents and families of PHA Middle and High Schoolers to hear school news and updates from our Principals. Ask questions and share your experiences with campus leadership and community. Zoom link will be provided by email and text.
WEEKLY WEDNESDAY Parent & Family FAB HOUR for PreK-12 FAMILIES, EVERY WEDNESDAY at 5:30 PM on ZOOM
FAB (Family Advisory Board) HOUR is a virtual gathering for families with kids in PreKindergarten through 12th Grade to discuss all aspects of PHA, build community and support among families, and deepen our connections with teachers and staff. Zoom link will be provided by email and text.
Spring Dates
We will continue to update these lists throughout May!
May 7 & 8- Science MCAS
May 15 & 16 - Math MCAS
June 4- Athletics Awards Night, 5:00, High School Cafeteria
June 18- Last Day of School & 8th Grade Graduation Families encouraged to attend!
High School
9th Grade
May 8-10- Farm School (25 students attending)
May 21 & 22- Math MCAS
May 27th- Memorial Day- no school
June 4- Athletics Awards Night, 5:00, High School Cafeteria
June 4 & 5- Biology MCAS
June 17- 9th Grade Final Exhibitions, 4:30-6:30 @ Warehouse XI in Somerville Families encouraged to attend!
June 18- Last Day of School for Students- Final Awards Community Meeting
10th Grade
May 15- AP Computer Science Principles Exam
May 27th- Memorial Day- no school
June 4- Athletics Awards Night, 5:00, High School Cafeteria
June 7- 10th Grade Gateway Exhibitions
June 18- Last Day of School for Students- Final Awards Community Meeting
Collegiate Institute
Juniors
May 6th - May 17th- AP Exams
May 7th- MANDATORY prom meeting during Advisory for anyone attending prom
May 9th- Prom, 6-10, Spinelli's in Peabody (you must be in school through 11:06 to attend)
May 27th- Memorial Day- no school
May 31st- Last Day of Collegiate Institute Classes/End of Q4
June 4- Athletics Awards Night, 5:00, High School Cafeteria
Week of June 3-7- Half Days for Juniors - Junior Journey Prep Week,- dismissal at 11:45
June 10- Junior Journey Trips depart and return either on 6/14 or 6/15
June 18- Last Day of School for Students- Junior Journey Personal Growth Project Presentations and Final Quarter Awards
Seniors
May 6- First day to purchase your cap and gown- $20 to Mrs. Quinlan or Ms. Douglas. (we can only accept cash for these!)
May 6th - May 17th- AP Exams
May 7th- MANDATORY prom meeting during Advisory for anyone attending prom
May 9th- Prom, 6-10, Spinelli's in Peabody (you must be in school through 11:06 to attend)
May 10th- Senior Skip Day
May 20th- Senior Send Off Event - all seniors attend this event sponsored by the Charter School Consortium, held at Wentworth (info shared in CCR12 class)
May 27th- Memorial Day- no school
May 31st- Last Day of Collegiate Institute Classes/End of Q4
June- 3-6- Senior Graduate Portfolio Defense dates (seniors only come in to school when they are scheduled to present) Family members encouraged to attend!
June 4- Athletics Awards Night, 5:00, High School Cafeteria
Thursday, June 6- ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY JUNE 6 AT 3:00pm IN ORDER FOR YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR DIPLOMA ON JUNE 9,
Friday, June 7- Graduation Rehearsal, 1:00 at Kresge Auditorium, MIT (MANDATORY FOR PARTICIPATION IN GRADUATION CEREMONY)
Sunday, June 9- Graduation!!! Ceremony begins promptly at 5:00PM, all graduates should arrive by 3:30!
Counseling and College Counseling
Counseling Updates
Mental health partnership & family webinar opportunity
PHA has partnered with a mental health agency that will offer several supports to our counselors, students, and families. One of these supports is access to virtual family workshops that PHA families can access free of charge. Interpretation available in multiple languages including Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Portuguese during the live webinars. The next webinar, Finding the Words: Talking to Youth about Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, will take place on May 7th, at 7:30 pm. Please register here. If you cannot attend, you can register and a recording will be emailed to you!
End of year testing
As the end of the year approaches, students in grades 7-12 will take many tests such as final exams, MCAS, and AP exams. In the middle school, students were given time this week to talk through their test anxiety and/or any worries about MCAS during advisory. They were also provided with several test taking tips and strategies. Counselors are always available to chat with students individually about these topics as well!
Best wishes for a healthy spring!
Erin McElligott, Director of College & School Counseling, Alumni Support
Nan Young, HS Counselor
Annika Hudson, MS Counselor
Dana Naliboff, MS/HS School Psychologist
College Counseling Updates
Important next steps for seniors
Updates: At this point, 97% of seniors have applied to college, and over 80% have received at least one acceptance to schools throughout New England, and in states such as CT, NY, NJ, CO, and MI!
Financial aid: Most FAFSAs have processed and students should receive their financial aid packages from schools they’ve been accepted to shortly after their acceptances. If it has been more than 2 weeks, students are encouraged to call the Financial Aid Office of the college and ask about the status of their financial aid application.
Depositing: Typically, seniors have to make a deposit to secure their spot at their preferred college by May 1st. Because of the FAFSA delays this year, some schools have moved their deposit deadlines to later in May or June 1st. It is the student’s responsibility to research the deposit deadlines of the schools they’ve been accepted to and plan accordingly. College counselors are happy to meet with students to discuss their options. It is strongly encouraged that seniors review all of their financial aid award letters before making their final choice.
Information for junior families
This semester, juniors are participating in a weekly, semester-long College & Career Readiness class, taught by Mr. Costa. Juniors have learned how to ask their teachers for a letter of recommendation to support their applications next year. They have also been encouraged to visit local colleges to get a sense for where they’d like to apply as seniors. Please see the following from Mr. Costa regarding college visits for the rest of the year: “Each year juniors are required to sign up for and attend at least two official college tours as part of their College and Career Readiness class. It is a great opportunity for them to show the colleges that they are interested in them and for the students to learn more about the colleges. Students must attend the visits on their own time. Wednesday afternoons are best so that they won’t miss any class time. For the rest of this school year, juniors cannot be excused to go on a college tour during school hours.”
Erin McElligott, Director of College & School Counseling; Alumni Support
Devan Martin, College Counselor, CCR 12 Teacher
Leo Costa, College Counselor, CCR 11 & 12 Teacher
Athletics
Athletics Award Night is June 4 at 5:00! We look forward to seeing all student-athletes there!
Please email Mr, Lerner with any questions- glerner@phacs.org
Health Office
Any student who will be entering 7th or 10th grade must provide an updated physical exam and immunization record for re-enrollment. In addition ALL STUDENTS need to have an updated physical exam on file with the nurse in order to participate in field trips off campus.
You may submit the physicals by email to: nurses@phacs.org
Thanks so much for your attention to this!
-PHA's Nursing Team
Meals Information
Please note that families are no longer required to pre-prder meals!
Contact Information for Administrative Team
Michele Quinlan- 7-12 Administrative Assistant- mquinlan@phacs.org
Dominga Soto- 7-12 Administrative Assistant - dsoto@phacs.org
Christine Douglas-7-12 Principal- cdouglas@phacs.org
Ben Spencer- Middle School Assistant Principal bspencer@phacs.org
Jacques Faublas jfaublas@phacs.org
Amy Dickson- High School Assistant Principal for STEM- adickson@phacs.org
Holly Fritz-High School Assistant Principal for Arts & Humanities- hfritz@phacs.org
Patrick Nolan- 9-12 Dean of Students- pnolan@phacs.org
High School Front Desk- 617-284-7921
Middle School Front Desk- 617-284-7920
If your student is absent or late to school, please contact us to excuse the absence/tardy::
7-12 Absence Phone Line- 617-284-7990
Email Michele Quinlan for grades 9-12: mquinlan@phacs.org