At George School, you will invent yourself. And reinvent yourself. You’ll join intriguing clubs (or even start one.) Have adventures on the weekends. And learn to live in a dorm with roommates. You’ll do all of this in a lovely place with cherry trees, robotics classes, and live music.
George School is your home. You might have come here for the academics and the college counseling, but it’s everything surrounding that—the leadership skills you will build in clubs and sports, the life skills you gain from living with others from across the world, and the creative outlets that you’ll pursue—that will really shape your experience here.
Gabriella has discovered that meeting “random” friendly people isn’t at all random at George School.
Prefects are student mentors who live in each residence hall and set examples as strong leaders and role models. They help with check-in times and study hall, providing advice and wisdom. They also create and lead community-building activities.
I’ve come to love the club scene at George School. There are so many different groups where my peers and faculty friends can come together and laugh, relax and learn together.
My dorm became my second home, I became more involved in helping out the dorm community. I began to realize that George School wasn't only a high school but a caring community and will forever be my second home.
Thanks to CBS Philadelphia and Janelle Burrell for a lovely feature on Donzaleigh Abernathy ’75 and her inspiring visit to George School on MLK Day! View the recording here.
The youngest daughter of Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, who, along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a co-founder of the American Civil Rights Movement, Donzaleigh was Dr. King’s goddaughter and spent her childhood on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. Now a wife, actress, published author, and co-founder of New Roads Schools in Santa Monica.
Hi everyone,
You may have seen on the news, a big earthquake happened early Monday morning in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. At least 5,000 people died since yesterday across the two countries and thousands are still stuck under collapsed buildings. The scale of the initial earthquake is so big that it was felt in many other surrounding countries including Lebanon and Greece. Many of the survivors are homeless in near-freezing winter conditions. The aftershocks of the big earthquake are continuing to happen as rescue operations are happening, and because many of the roads are broken, rescuers still have not been able to enter many major provinces.
Amnesty Club will be holding a bake sale today during lunch to raise money to help the earthquake rescue operations. The proceeds of the bake sale will go to Ahbap, a local disaster relief NGO. We believe that as a community we can make a difference to help this humanitarian crisis, and we need your help. Please come in front of the Dining Hall during lunch to buy some of the baked goods we made, including brownies, börek, chocolate chip cookies…We appreciate your support!
Best,
Sevde Guleryuz ’23
Parents/Guardians: Please plan to join us for Advisor Meetings on Thursday, February 9. This is a time where students, parents/guardians, and advisors can discuss students’ academic progress and any questions they may have. All meetings are virtual. There are no in-person meetings.
*Schedules and links to Advisor Meetings are now available on the Portal.
Reminder: There are no classes on Thursday, February 9 or Friday, February 10. Classes resume at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, February 13 for the start of Term 5.
Attention Parents/Guardians: The Admission Team is looking for parent volunteers to help out with Celebration for Accepted Students (CAS) on March 30 and April 4.
If you are interested in being a volunteer, please contact Admission Visit and Outreach Coordinator Deb Soufleris at dsoufleris@georgeschool.org.
Dear George School Students,
Do you remember the moment you said “yes” to GS?! For so many, attending the Celebration for Accepted Students (CAS) IS that moment. Every year, the Admission Office works to create an exciting, special, fun-filled experience for our newly accepted students… and we need YOUR help to make the 2023 CAS our best event yet!
This year, there will be two CAS days: March 30 and April 4.
Families will come to campus and attend programming throughout the morning and afternoon to get a sense of what George School is all about. We will need high-energy, dynamic, positive student volunteers to help families navigate campus; answer questions about life at GS; run icebreakers and other games; and so much more. If you are interested in being a Student Volunteer, please fill out this form at your earliest convenience.
Thank you!
The Admission Team
Our student novelists will be presenting short book talks and excerpts from their novels in the Bancroft Performance space during lunch today, 2/8.
We have everything from murder mystery thrillers to fantasy, a rapping stutterer to a Chinese miner, settings in west Africa to ones in post-apocalyptic societies, and so much more.
Please come and help us celebrate the amazing work of the 12 students in the Novel Writing class this term:
Sanjana Bhattacharya ’24
Brandi Chesner ’25
Aicha Dabo ’24
Elise Dehlin ’25
Nadia Fadiga ’24
Akshay Frabizzio ’24
Avery Frank ’25
Mary Katherine Hackenberg ’24
Cailet Ortogero ’25
Matyas Syptak ’24
Richard Wang ’24
Darwin Zhou ’23
We hope to see you there,
Courtney Bejgrowicz
she/her/hers
English Teacher
Peer Leader Sponsor & Senior Reflection Admin.
Bancroft 10
Thanks to the Parent and Guardian Association (PGA) Inclusion Committee for working to strengthen and enhance the relationship between George School and the local community. The next time you visit Summit Shopping Center or downtown Newtown, look for shops, restaurants, and stores with a George School sticker in their window; these business owners are happy to see and support GS students and community members. For more information about this initiative, email Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Rachel Williams at rwilliams@georgeschool.org.
Parents/Guardians: Please join the Parent and Guardian Association (PGA) meeting on Wednesday, February 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the MDA Library Conference Room. Those unable to attend in person may join virtually via Zoom. The meeting link is on the Parent Portal.
Head of School Sam Houser will join us for a portion of the meeting for a brief Q &A. In the interest of time we are asking that you send your questions in advance of the meeting to gs_communications@georgeschool.org.
Those able to attend the meeting in person are invited to attend a PGA-hosted parent dinner in the Main Dining Hall at 5:30 p.m. Join fellow parents and guardians for a meal and camaraderie, and experience the GS dining hall firsthand!
For planning purposes, please complete this form to let us know if you’ll be joining us. We look forward to seeing you!
********
Coming soon: We want to hear from you. We want to provide opportunities to hear from you regarding your experiences as a member of the GS community. Following are upcoming opportunities to share your thoughts:
Dates, times and details will be posted to the Daily as they are available.
Join College Counseling for this virtual event on Tuesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. to learn about the importance of college visits, the variety of visit options, and how to maximize your experience. While all are welcome, this program is geared towards juniors and their families as it is part of College Counseling’s Junior Seminars – this is a mandatory program for the Class of 2024. More details will be available soon.
Please be sure to review your contact information on the Portal and update it if needed. It is important for the school to have up-to-date information to send out community-wide messages.
The Transformative Justice service learning course is organizing a book drive to support Books Through Bars. We will have bins set up in Main, the FAC, and MDA library through the month of February. Look for the beautiful posters (shoutout to Catherine, Hope, Zuri, Rachel, & Bella)! While we will happily accept any and all books donated, Books Through Bars is in particular need of these books listed on their website. We would be very grateful to receive as many of those as you can spare!
Thank you so much for your support!
Maya Ferguson, on behalf of the Transformative Justice class
FEBRUARY 7 at 5:30 p.m.
⚪️WHITE OUT ⚪️ Show up, wear WHITE, and be LOUD!
GS vs. Westtown @ George School Performance Gym
G🏀 C🏀UGARS!
Vantage Points, formerly Courageous Conversations, invites our global adult community of parents, guardians, and George School faculty and staff, together virtually to discuss various topics that impact our society.
Joined this year by neighboring Pennswood Village residents, attendees actively engage in discussions in an effort to broaden our perspectives and viewpoints. Meeting virtually, the community comes together in small group conversations around topics such as world literature, global economics, and international media and culture, and influences in education.
2022-2023 Vantage Points sessions:
*The final session for the school year will be held in-person at MDA Library.
Goldfish N’ Java is pleased to announce…
🎶 LIVE MUSIC WEEKEND 2023 🎶
WHEN: FRI & SAT MARCH 3-4 at 7:30 PM
WHERE: MARSHALL WOOD FLOOR
Wait, I’m new, what’s all this?
To those who don’t know, Live Music Weekend is an annual two nights where students (and faculty!) get together to perform or just enjoy their friends’ music. It’s a totally laidback setting, with lots of decorations and cool lights based around a theme, this year’s being DISCO. Ask any upperclassman and they’ll tell you, it’s two unforgettable nights. After all, who doesn’t love live music?
I want to perform but I’m not really a musical person…
See, we’re not just looking for solo singers with perfect vibrato (love ya though), we welcome all acts of all musical backgrounds and styles, from entire dorms singing One Direction mashups, beatboxing battles, original raps, to even a kazoo cover of My Heart Will Go On (yes, we’ve had all of these in past years). And if you’re still feeling shy, call up your friends and perform with them! The audience will give you nothing but enthusiasm. It’s a once a year chance. Why not give it a try?
But hey, if performing’s not your thing— coming out to enjoy the music and supporting your friends is awesome too 🙂
How can I sign up to perform?
Fill out this sign up sheet: https://forms.gle/AaCZ8NpLC2WcFNz4A
Sign ups will close on Wednesday, February 15. We will send out reminders in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions, feel to reach out to any of the leaders.
That’s all for now!
– Your Goldfish N’ Java Leaders,
Shay, Izzy, & Vivian
From the Director of DEI and the Student Inclusion Committee:
Many black people at George School (students and adults alike) face discrimination weekly when we must handle unsolicited comments about our hair. While people in the community (peers, colleagues, and teachers) might not intentionally wish to cause harm, subtle microaggressions such as these are painful and make black people feel like second-class citizens.
THE CROWN ACT
In the United States, black women are thirty percent more likely than other woman to be sent home from work due to their hairstyle. As a result, a group of social justice organizations joined together: Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Coalition. This group aims to create an equitable and inclusive experience for black people through the advancement of the CROWN Act: a law that prohibits discrimination against black people based on how we wear our hair.
In January 2019, California was the first state to introduce the CROWN Act into law. As of August 2022, 18 states have enacted the CROWN Act law.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THE ADULT COMMUNITY
Faculty and staff hold positionality and are in a position of power. Making comments about students’ hair in your classroom in front of others or in private side conversations consistently is painful to our students. Because of your position of power, students often do not feel safe bringing your behavior to your attention. Our students should not be put in a situation of feeling harmed because of their appearance by anyone. We all deserve to be seen, affirmed, and respected, exactly as we are!
HOW CAN I MAKE A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER?
Since black people in this country have been fighting against hair discrimination for over 400 years, your best bet is to say nothing to a black person about their hair (even when you think you want to complement us for our beauty)!!!!
Don’t talk about our hair!
Don’t touch our hair!
Don’t comment about our hair!
To learn more about the story of Black hair, click here.
Please join the Transformative Justice service-learning course in welcoming Philadelphia’s Ascension music program to campus this Friday.
Location: Bancroft Performance Space
Date: Friday, February 3 at 11:45 a.m.
Philadelphia’s Ascension music program is provided through DayOneNotDayTwo, an organization that inspires communities plagued by poverty and gun violence to challenge conventional paradigms and combat harmful narratives. Through the ascension program, young artists are paid to create socially responsible hip-hop and poetry as a way to build power through narrative.
Please join us in giving our guests a warm welcome to George School.
🎤🎶🎵🎶🎵
College Counseling Seminars. Juniors will begin attending weekly college counseling seminars on Tuesday, February 14 to provide them with tools needed throughout the college planning process.
Planning and Maximizing the College Visit. Join College Counseling for this virtual event on Tuesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. to learn about the importance of college visits, the variety of visit options, and how to maximize your experience. While all are welcome, this program is geared towards juniors and their families as it is part of College Counseling’s Junior Seminars – this is a mandatory program for the Class of 2024. More details will be available soon.
College Counseling Seminars. Juniors will begin attending weekly college counseling seminars on Tuesday, February 14 to provide them with tools needed throughout the college planning process.
College Application Review Deadline. Seniors must complete the “Class of 2023 Application Submission Form” after they submit every application. Your file will remain incomplete at colleges if this form is not submitted. This is the only way College Counseling will know where to send application materials on the student’s behalf.
Requests for Scholarship Documents: Students needing documents sent to a scholarship organization must complete the Scholarship Documents Request Form. Requests must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the scholarship deadline to ensure a timely turnaround.
College Visits. As Accepted Student Days and other college events approach, seniors must submit a “College Visit Absence Request” via REACH at least two school days prior to the absence. This policy is noted on page 39 of the Community Handbook.
📖 Attention parents/guardians: There are four more opportunities to join a book club discussion this year! If you are interested in participating in any of the conversations about the below books, please email Erica Crenshaw.
Bundle up tomorrow and come to Drayton Circle and get a cupcake! 🧁
11:00 AM-1:00 PM. Be there for a great treat!
Why?
Because we LOVE YOU! And February is the month of Love and Black History and more LOVE! So, begin February with a cupcake! 💚
WIN Days are for students to rest, socialize with friends, visit colleges, and work on long-term projects in between terms. There are no classes on WIN Days.
Boarding students may leave campus on Wednesday, February 8 after their last school obligations (academic, performing arts, and sports) are complete. If you live locally and have an obligation on Thursday or Friday, you may go home on Wednesday afternoon and return back to campus for your obligation. Boarding students cannot leave campus until their obligations are finished.
Boarding students must be back on campus in time for Study Hall on Sunday, February 12.
When you know your plans, please enter a Weekend Leave Request in REACH. Contact the Deans’ Office at deans@georgeschool.org with questions.
Classes resume at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, February 13 for the start of Term 5.
Unwind and recharge this February by practicing self-care and participating in Self-Care Bingo! Turn in your completed bingo card by Tuesday, February 28 to the Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) for a chance to win a $50 gift card!
1. Take a look at the 24 self-care activities on the bingo sheet. Many have clickable links that take you to examples and resources!
2. Get “bingo” by completing at least five activities (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). Feel free to participate with friends!
3. Send your completed card to Alejandra Carranza at acarranza@georgeschool.org or Caroline Hedde at chedde@georgeschool.org; or drop off your printed copy to the SHWC by Tuesday, February 28. Remember to include your name if you are dropping it off!
4. You will be entered to win one of three $50 gift cards to DoorDash, GrubHub, or Starbucks. Three names will be chosen from the raffle and the first draw gets the first pick!
Consider using these coping mechanisms and engaging in these self-care activities throughout the year. Remember, the Counseling Staff is available to meet with students through this link.
On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 1:35 p.m., we will have a campus-wide Shelter-in-Place exercise. With new faculty, staff, and students, it is good practice to have these exercises to ensure that our community knows how an emergency is communicated, what to do, and how to improve. Community members will receive a mobile text, an email, and be notified via a campus-wide overhead audio page. This is a practice drill.
For this exercise
• All buildings on campus will have restricted access (no one is to go into or out of any building) until an “all clear” is given via the official campus emergency notification system (audio/text/email).
• Immediately seek shelter.
If inside
• Lock doors/windows, turn off lights, and pull down shades.
• Silence all electronic devices
• Stay clear of windows.
• Do not leave until an “All Clear” has been announced.
If outside
• Find the nearest hiding location – out of sight.
A Canvas course planning tile containing resources for 9th graders is now available. They should watch the presentation and complete the survey contained in the tile prior to the Q&A sessions scheduled for the week of January 30.
Happy Lunar New Year from the George School community! May this new year bring great joy and happiness.
Here’s what happened this weekend to celebrate:
SEASU (Southeast/East Asian Student Union) treated us to a foodie celebration of Lunar New Year with an Asian Food Street Festival! Students also penned a lantern with their New Year wishes to decorate Red Square and lit sparklers to celebrate.
Do you know any families interested in joining the George School community? Prospective families and students can learn more about the application and interview process here.
A parent of two alumni has generously offered to match parent gifts for the Great Green Give dollar for dollar up to $25,000—increasing the impact of your gift! Help us reach our goal of 1,000 donors by Friday, February 3, 2023 and help make a difference for George School students. Make your gift today! https://www.givecampus.com/1r9130
Our COVID-19 dashboard is updated weekly to inform the community of the number of COVID-19 positive cases on campus. George School is a mask-friendly campus; masks are encouraged, but not required in most campus buildings. Masks are required inside the Student Health and Wellness Center.
Referring to people by the gender and pronouns they determine for themselves is a basic part of human dignity.
GENDER SPECIFIC PRONOUNS
Gender-specific pronouns are the ways we refer to each other in the third person. Anyone has the right to change pronouns at any time and use whichever sets of pronouns they are most comfortable with. We also have the right to share pronouns with people who we want to know them. Some of us might use different pronouns with different people depending on who we are comfortable using them with.
GENDER NEUTRAL PRONOUNS
Some folks use gender neutral pronouns such as they, them, theirs, Ze, hir, xe, zie, and more. Gender neutral pronouns do not specify along the binary of female or male. If you are not sure what pronouns to use, always use the person’s name, and don’t assume pronouns based on your perceptions.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THE ADULT COMMUNITY
Faculty and staff hold positionality and are in a position of power. Asking students pronouns and consistently using them correctly helps students feel seen, affirmed, and respected.
WHAT IF I MAKE A MISTAKE?
If you make a mistake, say sorry. Apologize and move on. It can be tempting to explain your mistake, but please don’t! This then puts the person who has been misgendered in the uncomfortable place of feeling awkward and now needing to comfort you for your mistake.
WHAT TO DO IF I HEAR SOMEONE BEING MISGENDERED?
If you hear someone using the wrong pronoun for a friend or peer, you might want to approach the person who has been misgendered and let them know that you noticed them being misgendered. You can ask if it is OK for you to take the other person aside and remind them about the correct pronouns. Remember that you might know pronouns for a person that they haven’t shared with others, so having a private conversation about this might be appreciated.
HOW CAN I MAKE A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER?
SHARE!
If you feel comfortable doing so, share your pronouns. Sharing pronouns is a nice idea but not a requirement. It is a great way to create and normalize space for people to share their pronouns if you first share your own. It is also a great way to disrupt the normalization and privilege of assumption. You can share pronouns on your zoom screen, in your social media bios, in email, resume, and when you meet someone new.
ASK!
You cannot tell someone’s pronouns just by looking at them! Asking about and correctly using someone’s pronouns is a basic way to show respect.
RESPECT!
If someone takes the time to let you know their name and pronoun, use and respect it. It is not up to you to decide if you want to use the pronoun or not. Never refer to a person as “it” or as “he-she”. This is offensive and considered slurs against transgender and gender nonconforming individuals.
PRACTICE!
If you have difficulty using someone’s pronoun and name, practice.
The roster for 2023-2024 for service trip courses has been finalized. All of these have service components that will fulfill a student’s graduation requirement. You can find descriptions for each course, as well as costs here.
If a student would like to register for one of these trips, they must submit a Parental Consent Form to Meredith Baldi, Service Learning Coordinator by Monday, January 30. (Please note that consent to register just pre-approves a student for the course, it does not guarantee them a spot in the course).
Contact Service Learning Coordinator Meredith Baldi with questions at servicelearning@georgeschool.org.
Valentine’s Day is swiftly approaching, and you know what that means…
IT’S CARNATIONS TIME! 🌹
Student Council will be selling flowers💐 for the community to purchase in the Main lobby during lunch, and will personally deliver to anyone of your choosing. Our delivery options are mailbox or TO CLASS ON VALENTINES’ DAY!!! 💘 (also known as cupids). You can buy carnations for your friends, teachers, advisors, prefects, or partners. Cash and student ID (for people with the proper permissions) are accepted.
Flowers only (Mailbox)
Cupid Delivery fee: $3 delivery fee (to be added to the total cost of flowers)
Special discount for faculty!
See you at lunch in Main lobby!
Join us on Friday, February 3, 2023 for the Great Green Give and let’s show the George School community what a difference a day makes!
The Great Green Give, George School’s annual day of giving, is an opportunity for the entire community–alumni, parents/guardians, faculty/staff, students, and friends–to come together and create meaningful impact.
We are looking for parent and student volunteers who want to have fun while helping to make calls during our phone-a-thon. We have shifts throughout the day on Friday, February 3, so come support the Great Green Give and make a difference! Sign up here.
2022–2023 GRADES AND COMMENTS SCHEDULE
Both grades* and comments are released midway through each term. End of term grades include comments as indicated below. All grades are released to the portal at 5:00 p.m. on the date indicated.
*Please note that grades are always course-to-date grade, incorporating work in previous mods as well as the current mod. For example, the midterm grade given during the second mod of a course will be based on work done in the first mod and the first three weeks of the second mod. Ultimately, a student’s transcript will show only the cumulative grade given at the end of each course’s final mod.
Term 4:
Term 5:
Term 6:
Term 7:
Day Student Attendance Policy. If your child is ill, has a doctor’s appointment (doctor’s note required), late to class, or will miss a class or classes for any reason, parents/guardians must email Attendance Supervisor Laurie Moyer, or call 215.579.6593 , to notify her of the excused absence the day before or by 9:00 a.m. the morning of the absence. Your child must also check-in and out with Laurie in the Deans’ Office if they arrive late or leave early for the academic day.
Boarding Student Doctor Appointment Policy. Parents/guardians should let the Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) know 24 hours in advance if their boarding student is leaving campus for a medical appointment with them. Students are required to sign out and back in through the SHWC. If the student has an off-campus appointment that requires the use of GS transportation, parents/guardians must give the SHWC 48 hours notice to secure transport. Contact Administrator of the SHWC Indira Rodrigo with questions.
This initiative is to encourage George School students to develop new proposals for improving the environmental awareness and enhancing environmental education on the George School campus.
Participants will have six weeks to develop and submit proposals (January 6 – February 17). The submission deadline is midnight, February 17. All Proposals are to be submitted to Robert Kleimenhagen, Jr. at rkleimenhagen@georgeschool.org. Finalists will be notified by February 24 and will have from February 25 to March 11 to prepare oral presentations. From March 13 to 15, finalists will make oral presentations at a panel of Trustees and Faculty members of the Environmental Stewardship Oversight Committee (ESOC), Finance Committee, and Physical Plant Committee (PPC). Winners will be announced at Assembly on March 31.
HOW?
Students are invited, as individuals or groups, to submit proposals. Proposals should include:
DETAILS
