Parent Plan-It

Commencement & Senior Information

Commencement 2021 Updates. Seniors and their parents/guardians should review the website for the latest updates about Commencement and Senior Week. Please keep an eye out for further communications with up-to-date changes and details.

Call for Senior College Gear Photos! Seniors are asked to submit a photo of themselves in their college gear, and also a short college decision video on Canvas by Saturday, May 15. The college gear photo can be a t-shirt, hat, acceptance letter, poster, banner, etc., and the photo should be just of the student. Please make sure that it is a jpg file, horizontal, and a minimum of 1MB file size. Seniors should review all deadlines on the “Senior To-Do” list in their Class of 2021 Canvas Tile.

Commencement Flower Arrangements. On Friday, May 28, the PA is building flower baskets to decorate the Meetinghouse for Commencement Meeting for Worship. Contact Clerk Kristy Swartz ASAP if you are interested in helping. No experience required.

Parent Visits – Commencement Weekend. Parents may sign up for a 2-hour on-campus visit with their child for Sunday, May 30 or Monday, May 31. No more than TWO members of the student’s immediate family may join the scheduled visit to campus. Contact the Deans’ Office with any questions. There will not be parent visits on Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29 of Commencement weekend.

Announcements

Parent Visits. Parents may sign up for a 2-hour on-campus visit with their child for Saturday, May 15 or Sunday, May 16. No more than TWO members of the student’s immediate family may join the scheduled visit to campus. For more information and to sign up, please click here. Contact the Deans’ Office with any questions.

GS Campus Vaccinations. Rite Aid Pharmacy will come to campus on Tuesday, May 25 for the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Please direct any questions about the vaccine clinic to the Director of the Student Health and Wellness Center Joellen Gillon.

Parent Book Club Meeting Tonight. The May title is The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. The next meeting is tonight, Thursday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. Contact Clerk Erica Crenshaw with any questions.

Summer Academy Courses. The George School Summer Academy offers a collection of in-person and online enrichment courses for students entering 6th through 12th grade for the 2021-2022 academic year. Courses include a writing workshop, screenwriting, robotics and engineering, computer science and coding, introduction to neuroscience, public health, and SAT preparation. Learn more about George School’s other summer programs here.

Social Innovators Program. George School students are invited to apply for a twelve-week Social Innovators Program through a partnership with The University of Pennsylvania. The program helps students launch ventures that create value and positive impact on society. Students who successfully complete the course earn a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 24. Students may apply online. There is also a parent information session on Thursday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. Learn more.

Alumni Speaker Series. This event will feature Gabor Vari ’96 on Wednesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m. In his talk entitled “From Psychiatrist to CEO,” Gabor will speak about starting his business, the challenges and successes of being an entrepreneur and share stories including how his business successfully partnered with private equity. Register here.

Semester 2 Exam Schedule. Exams will take place between Tuesday, June 1 and Friday, June 4. View the full exam schedule here. NOTE: Day Students should come to school only if they have an in-person exam. Students should check-in at the FAC using their QR code at the beginning of the exam and check-out when finished.

AP Exam Update. All day students who are taking a digital exam must take the exam at home. They cannot come to campus and take their digital exams at GS. Distance-learners coming to campus to take in-person exams must bring a negative COVID test administered no more than 72 hours prior to exam day. Students should check in with Laurie Moyer at the FAC. Please contact Chelsie Tuttle with any questions.

Reminders

Day Student COVID Testing. One-half of the students will be tested each week. All testing will now take place in the Geissinger Gym. Students arriving in the morning between 7:15-8:30 a.m. should go to the gym for testing between 10:45 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Students arriving in the afternoon between 1:30 and 2:15 p.m. should go directly to the gym after checking in to be tested. Testing will take about 15 minutes, and students must bring water. Students should not eat, chew gum, or drink 30 minutes before the test.

If a student does not show up for testing, they cannot come to campus until the next round of testing. Additional information about testing is available on the George School COVID Testing FAQs webpage.

Testing Schedule:

Freshman and Sophomores: May 17
Juniors and Seniors: May 24

Day Student Arrival Time. Day students may only arrive on campus at the following times: between 7:15 and 8:30 a.m., between 1:30 and 2:15 p.m., or between 3:15-3:40 p.m. All day students must stay on campus through their final obligation of the day once they arrive.

College Counseling

Join us for an HBCU Event TONIGHT! College Counseling is hosting “Celebrating and Exploring the Pathway to HBCUs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities” tonight Thursday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. All grade levels are encouraged and invited to attend this important conversation led by recent George School seniors and alumni. We look forward to seeing you! Here is the meeting link.

Virtual College Fair. George School and the Philadelphia Area Independent Schools (PAIS) will host a College Fair Collaboration on Tuesday, May 18 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Students (sophomores and juniors) will be able to join virtual information sessions from colleges in the US, Canada, and the UK. Here is the registration link and here is a video with details to help you register!

College Essay Writing Workshop. College Counseling will host a virtual College Essay Workshop for rising seniors (Class of 2022) on Monday, June 14 – Thursday, June 17. An email was sent to students on Friday, May 7 with the link to register. Ask your student to register using their George School email. Space is limited!

JUNIORS: The Week Ahead with College Counseling. Parents of juniors, make sure to check your e-mail for “The Week Ahead with College Counseling” from Sunday, May 9 for the latest updates.

IB Activities Update

All Internal Assessments (IAs) have been submitted so students must concentrate on any IB coursework as assigned by teachers and work on fulfilling IB Core requirements, including completing and recording Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) work, drafting of the Extended Essay (EE), and completing assessments for Theory of Knowledge (TOK). It is crucial that students adhere to the guidelines, such as due dates, for this work as stipulated by IB.

Class of 2023:

We’re excited to welcome the new IB Diploma cohort into the program and we’re looking forward to working with all of you! If you have any questions or would like to discuss your potential IB course plan, please don’t hesitate to reach out: ibcoordinator@georgeschool.org.

Class of 2022:

The final draft of the Extended Essay was due Monday, May 10. To ensure submission to IB, this draft must be properly formatted with adherence to all assignment guidelines, including those for academic honesty and citations. Students who are behind on their work, or who have been contacted by Marion Wells (EE Coordinator), must be in communication with her. Students should schedule a time for the Viva Voce, an oral integrity check and essay review, with their EE Supervisors; this meeting should take place by no later than Friday, May 28 at which point Reflection #3 must be submitted.

The next CAS check is due on Friday, May 21. By this deadline, students must have sought approval for and confirmed their CAS Project with Kim McGlynn. Students who do not submit these checks must immediately contact Kim to ensure that they are on track to complete this core requirement for the diploma, especially as this work must be tracked and authenticated over time.

Class of 2021:

The final CAS check is on Wednesday, May 26 and it is imperative that students complete their CAS portfolio work by this deadline after which students will meet for a final check-in with Kim. CAS work must be checked and authenticated over time for validation, and seniors must complete this core requirement as instructed to earn the diploma.

Students should ensure that College Counseling has an accurate and updated record of the college or university they are attending as IB results will be automatically sent to this school based on the information College Counseling has on file.

Students should make sure to record their personal code and pin from the GS portal exam registration page. They will need this information to access results from the IB website on Tuesday, July 6: https://candidates.ibo.org.

IB diplomas will be mailed to the home address that we have on file. Please make sure that this information is accurate and updated.

Students should contact EE Coordinator Marion Wells or IB Coordinator Kim McGlynn with any questions or concerns.

Parents Association Updates

Please consider joining a committee for next year!

Email the Clerk directly or Giselle Torres-Toala to get on the list for September kick off meetings:

Admission Ambassadors with the Admission Office help prospective families learn about George School. Clerk: Kimino Rutherford

Book Club helps select the books and organize meetings. Clerk: Erica Crenshaw

Bookstore Volunteers work in the school bookstore during the school day. Clerk: Rebecca Mitchell

Commencement Flowers Committee create the floral arrangements for Commencement. Need Clerk! Contact: Giselle Torres-Toala

Cookie Delivery Committee distributes cookies to students during exams. Clerk: Denise Joseph

Candy Delivery Committee distributes Halloween and Valentine’s Day candy to students. Clerk: Lisa Schaner

Faculty and Staff Appreciation plan and oversee appreciation events. Clerk: Janine Baadarani

George School Fund Parents Committee advocate for the George School Fund. Need Clerk! Contact: Giselle Torres-Toala

New Student Orientation and Move-In Day Committee greet, direct, and assist new families as they register in the fall. Clerks: Giselle Torres-Toala and Chris Holmes

Parents Inclusion Committee fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion in the George School community. Clerk: Cynthia Vandenberg

Ideas or Questions? Contact Maureen Petrosky or Giselle Torres-Toala.

Support George School

Did you know?

The George School Fund provides the critical funds that bridge the gap between the cost to educate each student and the revenue brought in from tuition and endowment income.

We rely on the charitable gifts from George School’s current families, alumni, faculty and staff, and alumni families to bring our Quaker values to life and power the educational opportunities for your child.

Please consider making a gift today!

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Resources

Looking for something? Visit our Parent Resources page and the Parent FAQs page for more information.

The Parent Plan-It is designed to inform parents about campus events and deadlines. It is published weekly on Thursdays when school is in session. It is a must-read resource for parents about important dates and school procedures. Please contact editor Katharine Sipio with comments, suggestions, and news at 215.579.6576 or by email at ksipio@georgeschool.org.