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Parents/Guardians of 8th Graders - School Selection opens on 10/5/26. Counselors will meet with 8th graders to help them "Find Their Fit" in the next few weeks. Further details about the process can be found at: https://www.philasd.org/studentplacement/school-selection/ Parents/Guardians of Seniors - Just a quick reminder. Please check in with your child to make sure they are progressing on their college applications. Seniors are working on their applications during Senior Seminar class. Many applications are due 11/1/26 (EA/ED).  Fat Bear Week: The students marked Fat Bear Week by voting for their favorite chunky bear from the Katami National Park. Overdue Notices: Paper notices will be distributed on Monday, Sept. 28. Students cannot get out new materials if they have an overdue book. Students can log in to Destiny to view their accounts. Every Friday, high school students receive emails in their SDP accounts reminding them of overdue materials. Ms. Kearney is trying to get this feature for the middle school as well. Ms. Kearney encourages students to check with her if they think they returned their book and they received an overdue notice. Cardboard: Ms. Kearney is planning a project that requires lightweight cardboard. Anyone who has tissue boxes, cereal boxes, etc. can send them to the school library. Replacement books: If anyone has Harry Potter books or Rick Riordan books in mint condition and would like to donate them to the library, it would be appreciated. Library News! Destiny is the school library catalog, accessible through Infinite Campus with Single Sign On. This year, teachers also have Single Sign On. Look for the flowering tree! Reading Programs: Donors Choose fully funded the books for the Mountain Laurel Book Award and it is ready to go on the red cart in the library. Nominated by kids and teachers across the Commonwealth, the Mountain Laurel Book Award books are available for all students. Participants need only read three books from one of the lists (or listen to it or have read it before) to be able to vote in March for their favorite. This year, theChildren’s Book Council (CBC), a nationally recognized forum for quality book selection, accepted the library’s proposal for Kids’ Favorites Teen Books. We are getting boxes of newly-published books in return for our grade 7 and up students’ opinions of those titles. In the spring, the CBC will publish their annual Kids’ Favorites lists and our students have a chance to share their likes and dislikes. Grants Haunted Hilltown is the name of Ms. Kearney’s latest grant featuring scary books for middle grades and materials to construct settings featuring haunted houses for 6th graders. To that end, Ms. Kearney is putting out a call for lightweight cardboard (the kind you get in new packages of sheets or shirts–not corrugated cardboard), paper towel rolls also. Any donations can be delivered to the library between now and the end of October. Thank you in advance! Scholastic Book Fair October 27-30 is our annual book fair in the school library. Volunteers are needed, but the Sign Up Genius is not up, yet. This is the library’s main fund raiser. Your generosity and support is appreciated! Welcome to the 2026–2027 academic year. As we settle into our routines, the School Counseling Department is dedicated to partnering with you to support your child’s academic success, post-secondary ambitions, and personal well-being. Meet Your 2026–2027 School Counseling Team To ensure consistent and personalized support throughout your child's academic journey, counselor assignments are structured by grade level and student last name:
Recent Outreach & Senior Updates We have already hit the ground running! Over the past couple of weeks, our counselors have visited all 5th and 9th-grade advisories to introduce ourselves and help our newest students transition smoothly. At the same time, counselors are actively working with 12th graders during Senior Seminar class. These dedicated sessions provide direct support for navigating college application portals, finalizing personal statements, organizing recommendation requests, and staying ahead of early decision and early action deadlines. Expect more updates on financial aid and application deadlines soon! The Attendance Corner A successful school year starts with showing up! Academic success relies on consistent, full-day engagement. Missing instruction disrupts momentum and limits classroom participation. We need every student in the building, every single day, on time. We count on your support to make sure students show up daily, prompt and ready to learn. Let us know if you are experiencing challenges around attendance. Prioritizing Student Well-Being: Managing Stress & Anxiety In a high-performing academic environment, maintaining a healthy balance between drive and mental wellness is vital. Rigorous workloads and competitive goals can sometimes lead to anxiety. Peak performance is unsustainable without proactive stress management to help students regulate their nervous systems. Here are some techniques that you can try.
Mark Your Calendars: Attention all Middle School families! The High School Fair is coming up on September 19, 2026, at the PA Convention Center. Middle School families are strongly encouraged to attend! This event offers critical insight into high school programming, specialized pathways, and admissions requirements. Warmly, Counselors Nelson, Allen and Whitlatch  Congratulations to Masterman's 2026 NHD team! Two groups qualified for and competed at NHD nationals in June at the University of Maryland. Eoin Daly, Owen Kuster, and Corinne Xu competed their excellent group documentary, "From 'Miniature Adults' to Pediatric Patients: How the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Revolutionized and Reformed American Pediatric Healthcare." Leila Golzari-Hunt, N'Yahmé Joslyn, Olivia Kang, Eliana Kelberg-Gross, and Sophia Plastaras competed their group performance, "One Voice, One America: How Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial Performance Set a Precedent for Reform." The group qualified for run-offs, earning a TOP TEN finish in the entire United States!!!! A special thanks to parent Brandy Meyers who brought the team to Maryland and made the trip possible.  On June 4, Sections 5-3 and 5-4 presented their mock trials based on the book HOOT in federal court to The Honorable Marjorie Rendell and Mr. Matt Tom. Section 5-1 observed and/or served as members of the jury.  Check out the Open Problem of the Week from the Math Department that is posted in the first floor hallway near the high school scan-in kiosk! Thank you to seniors Tova Albert and Taylor Samara-Reuter for leading the implementation of this new initiative.  Congratulations to Masterman's National History Day team! We are proud of their strong research and beautiful projects! The 19 person academic team competed at NHD States at the University of Scranton this weekend. Our results were the following: First place Group Performance: Leila Golzari-Hunt, N'Yahme Joslyn, Olivia Kang, Eliana Kelberg-Gross, Sophia Plastaras One Voice, One America: How Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial Performance Set a Precedent for Reform Second place Group Documentary: Eoin Daly, Owen Kuster, Corinne Xu From “Miniature Adults” to Pediatric Patients: How the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Revolutionized and Reformed American Pediatric Healthcare 4th place Individual Performance: Halimah Fasasi “All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave”: How the Combahee River Collective Revolutionized Black Feminism 4th place Group Website: Haley Lau and Tania Wasim Virginia Alexander: American Pioneer of Racial Justice and Public Health 6th place Individual Exhibit: Mason Seder “We Didn’t Have Nothing to Lose”: How the Sonderkommando Revolt Defined Resistance in Reaction to the Atrocities of the Holocaust The first and second place projects have qualified to compete at Nationals in June!  The Middle School Mock Trial Club presented the case of The State v Aaron Burr to Justice Kevin Dougherty in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on March 7. Students from Section 5-3 served as the jury. Several members of the club also served on a student panel discussion at the Constitution Center at a gala event to honor The Rendell Center on April 30. At Mathnasium, our mission is to help every student develop a deep understanding of math, regardless of their starting point. We complement the efforts of schools, teachers, and private tutors by offering proprietary personalized learning plans based on each student’s unique needs. Through our comprehensive math skills assessment, we identify if a student has any math gaps, is working at grade level, or if they are an enrichment student ready to be challenged. Our Programs include K - 12, Financial Literacy, Pre-Algebra, & Test Prep for HSPT, SAT & ISEE. At Mathnasium each student has their own unique learning plan and we offer individualized instruction via our curriculum. Curious if Mathnasium is right for your student? Schedule a free Math Skills Assessment via our website: https://www.mathnasium.com/math-centers/centercity   The Class of 2026 is approaching another culminating event: Senior Projects. Some of our Seniors could use assistance in securing a mentor for their desired project. These projects are usually either of a shadowing or community service nature and require 45 hours between May 18-29. If interested please leave your contact info in the attached Google Sheet next to the projects you would like to work with. If multiple people would be able to support, please continue to add contact info in cells to the right of the student's names. Feel free to reach out to any of the Senior Seminar teachers should you have any questions: Richard Zimny [email protected] Chelsea Broadhurst [email protected] and Kurt Ostrow [email protected]. Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QrqUAbnu-5PlPs4Gl23xIQyhVT_4qi9w1DeF5JxsEY0/edit?gid=2095888626#gid=2095888626  Check out their wide range of math enrichment opportunities today! At Mathnasium, our mission is to help every student develop a deep understanding of math, regardless of their starting point. We complement the efforts of schools, teachers, and private tutors by offering proprietary personalized learning plans based on each student’s unique needs. Through our comprehensive math skills assessment, we identify if a student has any math gaps, is working at grade level, or if they are an enrichment student ready to be challenged. At Mathnasium each student has their own unique learning plan and we offer individualized attention and instruction via our curriculum. Curious if Mathnasium is right for your student? Schedule a free Math Skills Assessment via our website here: https://www.mathnasium.com/math-centers/centercity Check out this video recapping Masterman's mock election, produced by senior Joe Faranda. Congratulations to all the students who worked on the campaigns and participated in the election. And special congratulations and thanks to Mr. Gilligan who makes this incredible project happen in his AP US Government class every year.  Congratulations to Masterman’s 2026 National History Day team! All of our students brought well researched and thoughtful projects. The following students won awards: Individual Performance:
Group Performance:
Group Documentary:
Individual Website:
Group Website:
Historical Paper:
Individual Exhibit:
Group Exhibit:
Women’s History Prize: This prize was for only one project in the high school division. The winner of this monetary award was Halimah Fasasi for her individual performance on the Combahee River Collective. Special thank you to Ms. Kearney for tireless help with research and Ms. Waber for invaluable assistance with the performances. Future Scientists: Biology Edition for Middle Schoolers The Future Scientists: Biology Edition program is designed to give students a taste of life in a molecular biology lab—all participants will explore the topics hands-on. Through supervised experiments, participants will gain familiarity with common tools and experimental techniques used in molecular biology research, meet Penn researchers, and tour Penn laboratories. Techniques include DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, light microscopy, ELISA, and sterile cell culture. 2026 dates: Monday, July 6 - Friday, July 10 Monday, August 10 - Friday, August 14 FULL INFO HERE Penn Arts and Sciences Summer High School Programs Penn Arts and Sciences (SAS) High School Programs welcomes bright and ambitious high school students to learn from—and alongside—the very best in the Ivy League. Whether your student is ready for an immersive pre-collegiate experience, looking for advanced studies in a field they are passionate about, or planning to get a head start on college admissions by earning academic credit, we have a summer program that will offer them an exciting academic adventure. FULL INFO HERE Dear Masterman Community,
You're Invited to The Wiz! Masterman is proud to present our spring musical, The Wiz. More than 250 students are involved across cast, crew, and orchestra, and their dedication over the past several months has been extraordinary. We would love for you to join us and support their work. Performance Dates:
Staff Shout-Outs
More Good News from Around Masterman
The second semester is always when momentum builds. The foundation laid in the fall begins to bear fruit. Classrooms feel focused, performances feel sharper, and our seniors begin to see the horizon. It is a good time to be at Masterman. Stay Classy! Principal Laurie
Congrats to our Scholastic Art Award Winners from AP Art! Seniors Tess Mullen and Hana Halimitabrizi both won regional awards in Philadelphia for fantastic art. Hana was given "Honorable Mention" for her illustration on nostalgia and Tess was awarded a "Gold Key" for her "Crawling" collage of over 1,300 cutout eyes from magazines. Tess's art was entered into the National Competition for Art and we will hear back in March if she places nationally. Great job to both students and Go Tess Go!!! |
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J.R. MASTERMAN
HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION 1699 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 Email [email protected] Phone 215-400-7580 |
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