Welcome to all new families!
We are so happy that you are joining the Masterman community.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter (scroll to bottom of this page) and Join the HSA here —it's free!
Supporting Our School, Teachers, Families, and Students
The J. R. Masterman Home and School Association is a non-profit, non-sectarian, and non-partisan
organization that promotes cooperation between home, school, and community.
organization that promotes cooperation between home, school, and community.
An Invitation from the HSA Board
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Dear fellow parents and guardians, We invite you to join us! Our primary goal this year is to engage more families in the activities of the HSA to have an immediate, positive impact on the educational experience for Masterman students. As an entirely new HSA Board, we are eager to collaborate with administration to serve the school community. We ask for the entire community's patience, support, kindness, and constructive feedback as we work to build the organization to its full potential. We thank you for your engagement. Go Dragons! —Your HSA Board |
Join Us to Support Masterman Students
BECOME A MEMBER!
Membership is free to parents and guardians with the option to donate as you are able. We strive for 100% participation and ask you to please complete the membership form.
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DONATE
Make a tax-deductible donation to support staff and students! Your contribution to the HSA General Fund will enhance our children’s educational experience at Masterman.
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VOLUNTEER
It takes many volunteers to organize programs and events to support our school. Sign up to chaperone, join a committee, or help out at HSA events.
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Statement Regarding Media CoverageWhen the HSA Board published its Status Report on February 8, 2023, we understood that, by making it publicly available on our website in our great country with a free press, anybody could say anything they wanted about it. We took this risk because we were confident in our report and believed that public discussion of the report would result in positive change. On Friday March 24, we saw the first major validation of this when Dr. Watlington and Board President Streater, in front of the cameras, announced that the District would place 316 children that remained unplaced in the lottery selection process in open seats in magnet schools, as was recommended in our report. It’s evident that the press scrutiny launched by our report has begun to make an impact in improving outcomes for students and schools across the city. We appreciate the parents who told their stories to the press, putting themselves on the line to achieve this vital goal. Thank you!
At the same time, we understand that journalists and individuals on social media have and will continue to mischaracterize our report to fit their particular goals. If anyone has any doubt about the position of the Masterman HSA, it is well summarized in the report, which remains available for all to see. Specifically, we reiterate that we believe in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as well as merit. We do not see these things as incompatible. On the contrary, we see it as imperative that both excellence and equity be equally prioritized and attained for the success of our school. To be clear, every student who enters our school community has met the criteria as established by the school and district and is deserving of our continued support to advocate for the necessary resources to ensure their success. The HSA maintains an unwavering commitment to this work. We will continue to work with the School District of Philadelphia to find a better way to balance these goals than the present lottery selection process, which has adversely impacted members of our school community and many others throughout our city. Mitchell Orenstein, HSA President |