PHA Family Newsletter

June 20, 2025

Dear PHAmily:

Happy last day of school and first day of summer!

Can you believe that today marks the end of our culminations and celebrations of the 2024-25 school year? Across campuses, we’ve celebrated our students, their lived experiences, and cultures. More significantly, we’ve celebrated their achievements, their growth, and development from the Grade 10 Gateway Projects to Grades 7/8 Stories of Growth Projects from Grade 6 Bridging Ceremony to the Kindergarten Moving Up Ceremony. While summer is a time to relax and rejuvenate, it is also a time to play curiously, embark on adventures, and remain engaged in learning. To retain and continue learning during the summer to avoid learning loss, also known as the summer slide, PHA educators suggest the following:

1. Limit screen time.

2. SET a daily summer schedule. It is essential to recognize that children still require structured learning time during the summer.

3. PRACTICE grade-level mathematics facts.

4. Renew and/or use your library card weekly.

5. PLAY educational games. Here’s one resource to try: Common Sense Media

6. READ, read, read and read some more - at least one hour/day!

7. WRITE every day! Write stories about family history. Write a book summary. Write in a journal. Write letters to relatives, friends, or a teacher. Write learning goals for the next school year.

8. Be creative! Make something and use your imagination. Cook something.

9. Practice learning to compromise and negotiate.

10. Listen to and discuss podcasts and audiobooks.

To learn more: Turning Summer Learning Loss into Learning Gains

We look forward to seeing you at the various summer playdates and Ready for School events (listed below) and can’t wait to welcome our students back in September.

Sincerely,

Angela

Angela F. Allen Ph.D.

Head of School / CEO

• 7/12/2025: Summer Playdate 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM (Webster)
• 7/26/2025: Family Fun Day 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Franklin)
• 8/09/2025: Summer Playdate 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM (Franklin)
• 8/23/2025: Ready for School Registration: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Essex)
• 9/2/2025: Grades 1-12 First Day of School for the 2025-2026 School Year
• 9/2/2025 & 9/3/2025: PreK & K Family Interviews/Screenings (Webster)
• 9/4/2025 & 9/5/2025: Half Days for PreK & K: release at noon

On Sunday, June 15th, Prospect Hill Academy celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2025 during commencement ceremonies held at MIT's Kresge Auditorium.

Said PHA senior Jordan St. Germain in her graduation speech: "We've seen each other on our best days and on our worst. We've seen what it looks like to fail and to get back up again. And we've faced challenges that showed us what real strength is when we have no choice but to keep going...'Don't go through life, grow through life.'" This theme of resilience and growth in the face of challenges and hardship, coupled with caring and unyielding support from fellow students, teachers, and family members, was a throughline in many of the student speeches during Sunday's graduation.

We are so proud of all our graduates and are excited to follow along as they enter their next journey beyond PHA!

Check out the graduation highlight reel here and view the photo album here.

May 1st marked National College Decision Day, the deadline for high school seniors to pick the college they plan to attend in the fall. PHA's Class of 2025 will be attending a range of local and regional schools, including Babson College, Bates, Brandeis, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Hawaii Pacific University, Northeastern, Regis College, Salem State University, and Simmons College, among many others.

The Collegiate Institute celebrated college decision season with weekly Pinning Ceremonies for the Class of 2025. The pinning ceremonies were an opportunity for our seniors to highlight where they chose to attend college on the College Counseling "Where I'll Be" map and provide space for their teachers and fellow students to celebrate them as a community.

PHA International Night was held on May 3rd. We had an amazing evening celebrating our global and multicultural PHAmily. Thank you to all the students, families, staff, partners, and community members who helped to make this annual PHA cultural celebration such a success!

Check out more photos here.

We are excited to announce that PHA has once again earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding young women’s access to AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). PHA was one of only 847 schools nationwide to achieve this accomplishment for AP CSP!

The award recognizes our school's leadership in diversifying computer science education and preparing our female students for the in-demand jobs of the future and giving them the opportunity to help solve some of society's most challenging problems.

This represents the sixth year (out of 7 years that the award has been given out) that PHA has been recognized for achieving high female representation and closing the gender gap in AP Computer Science.

We are honored and thrilled to share that PHA is one of 150 local-area nonprofits selected by Cummings Foundation for their 2025 $30 Million Grant Program! This impactful funding from the #CummingsGrant will help ensure that all PHA students graduate with an actionable and affordable college pathway through our Dual Enrollment program. Thank you Cummings Foundation for your incredible investment in our students and our mission!

PHA was honored to be selected by the Barr Foundation as a host school for their Catalyzing New Models in education program that invites educators to visit and learn from schools doing innovative and effective work.

Earlier in the school year, 25 guest educators from three different states visited our high school to learn all about Project Based Learning (PBL) and the systems, structures, and programs that we have to support our teachers and students in creating a student-centered, project based, and democratized learning culture where all voices are heard and included in decision making.

We are very proud to have been chosen to share our work and are grateful to the Barr Foundation for their ongoing partnership. Pictured in the photos, our PBL Student Ambassadors shared their experiences with project based learning and being ambassadors.

Private Foundation grants

Barr - High school project-based learning

Mass Life Science Center - 7-12 STEM equipment and professional development

EOS Foundation - Breakfast after the bell, meals program kitchen equipment

Eastern Bank - Focus on early literacy

Moderna - 7-12 STEM equipment

Cambridge Community Foundation - After school and out of school time learning

Schrafft - College and career success

Moses Kimball - College and career success

Mifflin Memorial Fund - Focus on early literacy curriculum and books

Cummings - Dual enrollment

Akamai - Lego robotics

Competitive Public grants

DESE Improved ventilation air quality (IVAQ) - Middle school new window and air purifiers

DESE MA FRESH Farm to School - Farm School field trip, internships, farm to school curriculum and supplies

Early Childhood Campus

ECC's Spring Music Concert was a success. On May 28th, our ECC students showcased their hard work and talent in music class this year. It was a joyous occasion where our community came together to enjoy the melodious tunes sung by our gifted children. We were thrilled to see over 100 families and friends in attendance, cheering our students as they performed familiar songs.

On June 11th, ECC hosted their annual All About Me Fashion Show. This event celebrates our students' individuality, where they will model excellence by showcasing their culture, interests, and traditions. It was a beautiful opportunity to appreciate the diverse components that make each of our students unique.

The ECC scholars ended the school year with Spirit Days and a Field Day.

View the album from the ECC Fashion Show, Spirit Day and Field Day here.

Congratulations to all our Early Childhood Campus students who celebrated a moving up milestone this week!

Upper Elementary Campus

It has been a very exciting end of the school year at the UE Campus!

The Bridging Ceremony this year marked a significant milestone in our scholars' academic journey as both the 5th grade scholars and the 6th grade scholars crossed the bridge to start Middle School in the fall. It was a poignant celebration, symbolizing the culmination of their time with us and the exciting transition to middle school. Seeing the entire community come together to honor and support our students was amazing. View the photos from the 5th and 6th Bridging Ceremonies.

The Field Day was an absolute blast! Witnessing our students enthusiastically engage in friendly competitions alongside their classmates and teachers was truly heartwarming. It’s moments like these that remind us of the strong sense of community and camaraderie we foster here at the Upper Elementary Campus

Middle School

8th grade Graduation

Earlier today, our 8th grade scholars- or the PHA Class of 2029 - celebrated the end of Middle School at the 8th grade moving up ceremony. Families, faculty, and staff, including teachers from the Upper Elementary campus, came together to mark this significant milestone along our students’ educational journey. With flowers, balloons, and heartfelt cheers, the audience watched as students received various awards for their achievements and progress as well as plentiful reassurances that they are ready for the increasing independence and rigor of the high school.

Congratulations to all of the 8th grade scholars. View the photos linked here.

High School/Collegiate Institute

On Thursday, June 12th, the 10th Grade Class hosted the Cultural Fashion Show at the Foundry in Cambridge, the culminating event of their learning in the humanities during quarter 4. The students displayed their handmade garments along with explanations of their learning.

View the photos linked here.

Junior Journey 2025

The Junior Journey Program at PHA began in 2008 as a three-week adventure to Antigua, Guatemala for twenty-five members of the Junior Class.

This year, the juniors traveled to the Dominican Republic, New Orleans and Puerto Rico where the students participated in different service learning opportunities that helped to support local communities in those areas.

In New Orleans, students learned about the impact of Hurricane Katrina and they helped a local non profit plant indigenous plants in the Bayou.

Both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic trips helped local families build foundations for their homes and latrines. Students got to eat local food, adventure around different parts of the cities they stayed in, learned about the local history, and more!

Spring 7-12 Athletics Updates

The spring sports season ended on a high note with Junior track and field star Joelyse Ayala winning the MCSAO Gold Medal in both the Long Jump and 100 Meter sprint. Joelyse then went on to the MIAA Championships held at Tufts University where she won a Bronze Medal in the 100 meter.

This year’s recipient of the Athletic Director’s Award was Sophomore Gedeon Leroy. Gedeon played key roles on the soccer, basketball, and track teams this year!

Congratulations to all of the spring athletes!

Hi PHA Families,

The Meals Team has had another exciting year! Every day, our seven dedicated staff served over 400 breakfasts and 600 lunches, totalling over 161,000 meals this year! New breakfast options this year, including Very Berry Overnight Oats and Turkey-Ham & Cheese Croissants, have increased participation and student satisfaction. Over the course of the year, our students ate over 12,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables!

Our director Michelle Doyle completed her first year on the School Nutrition Association (SNA) of Massachusetts Board of Directors, and traveled with SNA to Washington DC in March to advocate for Federal School Nutrition Programs. She also presented at the SNA Annual National Conference in Boston and the Massachusetts Healthy Kids Healthy Programs Summit, speaking to 200+ conference attendees about Nutrition Education.

Thanks to a generous grant from the EOS Foundation, we installed a new oven at our Upper Elementary campus. This has allowed us to serve hot breakfast sandwiches, and we are excited to roll out more delicious meal options next school year!

Free summer meals are once again available throughout the state at local Summer Eats sites. Please go to https://projectbread.org/summer-eats-program to find a location close to you! You do not need to live in the town where the site is located to receive a free meal! Meals are available to all children ages 0-18.

Information on Cambridge MA Summer Eats

Information on Somerville MA Summer Eats

Have a safe and healthy summer! We look forward to feeding your students when we return in September!

Best,

Michelle Doyle, MS MPH

Meals Program Director

The ECC Meals Team

A few items below from the Nurse team regarding student re-enrollment and medication administration for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year...

All students entering grades 4, 7, and 10 require an updated physical exam for re-enrollment. A valid physical exam would be one that was performed on or after 09/01/2023. Please upload this document (all pages) to Power School when you go to re-enroll your student.
If your child has an upcoming appointment, please let your school Nurse know the date of the appointment so that we can authorize the enrollment. You will be unable to enroll your student without either the valid physical or the date of an upcoming appointment.
Also, if your child takes any medications in school, including inhalers, epipens, prescription medications, etc. we will need a new prescription from your child's healthcare provider, as well as a new medication and action plan for asthma or food allergies. Please request these items from your healthcare provider well in advance of the beginning of the school year.
Please reach out to your School Nurse with any questions.