 2027 Masterman Lunar New Year Celebration Join us on Saturday, January 23, 2027, to celebrate through culture, performances, and community activities! The event time is tentatively 10:00 AM–3:00 PM. Student Emcee Applications Closed Thank you to everyone who applied! Our student hosts will be announced soon. Talent Show-Performers Wanted! Students, parents, families, and Masterman staff are warmly invited to share their talents. Music, dance, instruments, singing, martial arts, cultural performances, and other creative acts are welcome! Perform individually, with a group, or as a family. Performance sign-up deadline: October 31, 2026 Volunteers Needed! We welcome parents, students, staff, and community members to help make this celebration a success. Every helping hand makes a difference! Volunteer sign-up deadline: December 31, 2026 To perform or volunteer, please contact: * Ruby Wu, Bilingual Counseling Assistant: [email protected] * Hanling Zheng, HSA VP2: [email protected] Come share your talents, your culture, and your Lunar New Year spirit with the Masterman community! More event details will be shared as we get closer to January.  Thank you to all families who joined our 5th & 6th Grade Parent Meetup on 9/28 and 7th & 8th Grade Parent Meetup on 10/5! We appreciated everyone who participated, shared experiences, and connected with other Masterman families. Our next Parent Meetup is: High School: October 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM These informal meetings give families an opportunity to connect, ask questions, share helpful information, and learn from one another. HSA members will also be available to support families when possible. If parents are interested in an additional individual grade-specific Parent Meetup, please email [email protected] We are happy to arrange additional opportunities for families to connect. Masterman HSA's Parent Meetup Zoom Meeting Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87917578903?pwd=0yYUGTglAXJLLR6aTiY2h4oEnyBLA1.1 Meeting ID: 879 1757 8903 Passcode: 981790  To the parents/guardians of our 7th and 8th graders: Please fill out this form if you are interested in chaperoning any of the 7th and 8th grade trips/activities this year. If you have not yet completed your background checks and volunteer paperwork, you can find all of the information on this page: https://www.philasd.org/face/#volunteer Upon completion of your volunteer forms, please download and email them to Ms. Markita Lambert at [email protected]. Thank you so much! Ms. Donna Amit | 7th grade sponsor | [email protected] Ms. Jaymarie Santana | 8th grade sponsor | [email protected] LINK TO FORM: https://forms.gle/ejZgVdPhb7AaPVJ16  In order to cover the costs of graduation expenses, class t-shirts, and yearbooks, dues at the amount of $70 are a requirement for all eighth grade students. Dues can be paid in the form of cash, check, or via School Cash Online (highly preferred). You can pay in increments or all at once, regardless of the method you choose. However, if your family is experiencing any challenges related to participation, please reach out to me or your child’s counselor directly. We are committed to supporting all students and can work with you confidentially to explore options, including payment plans, to ensure every student can participate.  Thank you to all the parents who joined our 5th & 6th Grade Parent Meetup on September 28! We appreciated everyone who participated, shared experiences, asked questions, and connected with other Masterman families. Please save the dates for our upcoming Parent Meetup meetings:
These Parent Meetup meetings are informal opportunities for families to connect with one another, share experiences, ask questions, exchange helpful information, and learn more about school life and available resources. HSA members will also be there to help support families and answer questions when possible. Would you like an additional meetup for your child’s individual grade? Parents are welcome to email me if there is interest in arranging an additional grade-specific Parent Meetup. We are happy to help create more opportunities for families to connect and support one another. We hope many parents can join our upcoming meetings. Your participation helps us build stronger connections among families and a more supportive Masterman community. Masterman HSA Parent Meetup Zoom Meeting Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87917578903?pwd=0yYUGTglAXJLLR6aTiY2h4oEnyBLA1.1 Meeting ID:879 1757 8903 Passcode:981790 9th Grade (Class of 2030) was sent their class dues letter this week. --> Click here to view it. This letter is to inform you about class dues that your child will need to pay within the next few months. We collect dues over a four-year period in order to spread out the cost of all of the senior year expenses in addition to paying for a yearly trip and other small activities throughout the year. This year, our class of 2030 trips is in the works - I am figuring it out with the student events committee and parent board. More information will be coming home about that closer to the date. Dues for this year are $180 to cover the cost of the trip & other events we have planned.  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.   Congratulations to our Masterman Students Run Philly Style team for taking on the Philadelphia Distance Run on Sunday, September 20! Despite the rainy weather, our runners and leaders showed incredible courage and effort. While SRPS is built around personal growth rather than competition, we’d like to highlight a few outstanding performances from the day: Half Marathon Dana Chepysheva – 1st Place, Female 14 & Under Lesnid Bowen – 2nd Place, Male 14 & Under Alexander Zhao – 2nd Place, Male 15–19 5K Grace O'Connell – 2nd Place, Female 15–19 Charlotte O'Connell – 3rd Place, Female 15–19 Congratulations to all of our PDR runners for an amazing race day!l Half Marathon Alexander Zhao Bohiedana Chepysheva Chase Burnett Emma Solomon Lesnid Bowen Micah Neale Raviv Weiner Ashley Nash Jacob Fisher LeeAnne Fox-Jones Patricia Neale Rachel Wu Sarah Cooperman Steve Gilligan Steve Rauscher Thomas O'Connell 5k Charlotte O'Connell Grace O'Connell Sarah Cooperman Thomas O'Connell  TAC Images (our new photography company) is uploading your students' photos to your own personal gallery online. Please register at https://www.tacimages.com/Gallery-Form/ If you have any issues with you gallery or have questions, please reach out to TAC Images directly (Not Ms. Aubry). Their email is: [email protected] Students who did not get their picture taken the first round are scheduled to get their photos taken on 9/30, 10/1 and 10/2. The schedule can be found here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1O6UQVT68gWyZuT0xjaew9yZ0A6pig1NwtOGhcLz_MTA/edit?usp=sharing From the Free Library of Philadelphia: The Parkway Central Library has these upcoming events:
Library applications for public library cards are due on Thurs., Sept. 17th. Haunted Hills was fully funded by Donors Choose. Now we need soft cardboard for our project. Please drop it off at the school library. Thank you. 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 There were no "photo packages" that were sent home with students this year. In order to avoid paper waste, TAC Images (our new photo company) will be handling all of the product sales of physical prints of your students' portraits online. TAC Images will have a table set up at Back to School Night on 9/17 in order to show their products and meet with families to answer any questions. After all of the picture days have finished, expect to hear from TAC Images to access your students' portraits. All questions can be directed right to TAC Images (not Ms. Aubry) at [email protected] Anyone interested in buying a 2027 High School Yearbook needs to pre-order it using the PhilaSD school funds website. The order form will close December 18th. 12th grade seniors (the class of 2027) do NOT need to order a yearbook because they are included in their yearly dues. Yearbooks will only be for sale during this time period and will be available for pickup in May 2027. The yearbook this year will cost $90. Here is the link to buy a Masterman 2027 yearbook: https://philasd.schoolcashonline.com/ If you do not have a school funds account, please see the flyer linked below. 
 📣 Parent Meetup Meetings Dear Masterman Families, Please save the dates for our upcoming Parent Meetup meetings:
We hope many parents can join. Your participation helps us build stronger connections among families and a more supportive Masterman community. Please save the dates, and we look forward to seeing you! Masterman HSA's Parent Meetup Zoom Meeting Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87917578903?pwd=0yYUGTglAXJLLR6aTiY2h4oEnyBLA1.1 Meeting ID: 879 1757 8903 Passcode: 981790 🧧 Save the Date: 2027 Masterman Lunar New Year Celebration! 🧧 We are excited to announce that the 2027 Masterman Lunar New Year Celebration is tentatively scheduled for: Saturday, January 23, 2027 (confirmed) 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (tentative) This annual celebration brings together Masterman students, families, staff, and our school community to celebrate Lunar New Year through culture, performances, and community activities. 🎭 Talent Show – Performers Wanted! We warmly invite students, parents, families, and Masterman staff to participate in our Lunar New Year Talent Show! Performances may include:
Music, dance, instruments, singing, martial arts, traditional cultural performances, and other creative talents are all welcome. 1. Performance Sign-Up Deadline: October 31, 2026 If you are interested in performing, please contact: Ruby Wu, Bilingual Counseling Assistant 📧 [email protected] Hanling Zheng, HSA VP2 📧 [email protected] 2. 🎤 Calling for 4 Student Emcees! We are also looking for four student emcees — two male and two female students — to help host the 2027 Lunar New Year Celebration. Students in Grades 11 and 12 will receive priority consideration. Emcee Interest Deadline: September 30, 2026 Interested students should contact: Spring Cai, HSA Treasurer 📧 [email protected] 3. Volunteers Needed A celebration of this size would not be possible without the support of our Masterman community. We welcome parents, students, staff, and community members who would like to volunteer and help make the event a success. Volunteer Sign-Up Deadline: December 31, 2026 To volunteer, please contact: Ruby Wu, Bilingual Counseling Assistant 📧 [email protected] Hanling Zheng, HSA VP2 📧 [email protected] We hope many members of the Masterman community will join us—not only as guests, but also as performers, emcees, volunteers, and participants. Come share your talents, your culture, and your Lunar New Year spirit with the Masterman community! More event details will be shared as we get closer to January.  High school SGA needs chaperones for the high school fall picnic! We will need at least 41 volunteer chaperones with clearances signed up by September 14 to run the picnic. It is planned for Thursday, October 8 from 10:15 am to 3:15 pm. Please complete this form if you are able and willing to help make this fun activity possible for the high school students. Thank you! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5UcWjcIEPXTtEjcVh3l69_HDLNEr3dcQaV09C1QxN8R-Yvg/viewform?usp=header All parents/guardians of seniors (Class of 2027) were sent their senior photos for review. Students must select 2 photos for the yearbook: 1 cap & gown photo and 1 non cap & gown photo. If students have trouble logging in or accessing images, they need to email Ms. Aubry ([email protected]) - Students can select their images by adding two to the "favorites" gallery. If a student does not choose, TAC Images will pick on behalf of the student. Senior portrait makeups and retakes will be all day on September 3rd, 2026. A schedule will be posted for that soon on the 2027 Google Classroom page. The Class of 2028 will NOT get portraits taken this fall. Instead, juniors will be scheduled in May, 2027 on May 19 & 20th for their individual senior portraits by TAC Images. Grades 5th/6th, 7th/8th, and 9th/10th will be getting their school pictures taken September 9-11. TAC Images should be sending a schedule soon. We always love having parent volunteers help facilitate student movement on picture day. We had a great team last year! If you wish to help this year, please email Dr. Graham ([email protected]) and Ms Aubry ([email protected]).  This past June and July, students from Masterman travelled to Lima, Peru to participate in a medical service-learning project through the organization MedLife. For 10 days, students volunteered in local schools and mobile medical clinics to assist in beautification, medical intervention, and community development in some of the region's most struggling neighborhoods. The MedLife chapter at Masterman will be bringing some of their lessons back to Philadelphia through fundraisers and volunteer opportunities. A selection of photos from the Masterman Pride celebration on Friday, June 5.  College Signing Day/The Senior Celebration was a big hit with the Class of 2026! One of our counselors, Ms. Marcus, organized the celebration. It started with the "Senior Strut" where the 6th grade lined the second floor hallway and the seniors, wearing their college shirts, strutted by to cheers and high fives! The Class of 2026 then went to the patio for some speeches, college shout outs, food, a photo booth, and time with friends. The counselors hope the seniors know we're so proud of them as they take the next step forward in their educational journey. Please follow this link for photos from the event. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help, and to the HSA for funding the event! In the spirit of Election day this week, don’t forget to also cast a vote for your SAC representatives. Voting will close on Thursday, May 21, at 11:59 PM. There are nine applicants for the four open 2-year SAC positions. You can select up to 4 candidates. Click Here to review candidates and vote. A huge thank you to everyone who submitted their name to be on the SAC ballot — your willingness to serve our school community means so much! Notable Dates: May 7 — Voting opened. Please CLICK HERE to see the ballot. May 21 — Voting closes There are nine applicants for the four open 2-year SAC positions. You can select up to 4 candidates. In the spirit of election season, we encourage every community member to participate and cast their vote. Your voice shapes the future of Masterman! LASS OF 2027 SENIOR PORTRAITS ARE HERE! Please see the schedule attached here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yqE9UIgjLeWoTLjjKQ_rrbu3j41CRbG6z0iImUJydLU/edit?usp=sharing What to wear: PLEASE mark down when you should be coming to school dressed to impress for your senior portraits. This is your time slot and it cannot be changed. ALSO NOTE: on Friday - please come with nice clothes as well so we can do your GROUP photos and a class photo on the patio. What should you wear? Students who wear masculine-presenting formal attire: A button-down shirt (preferably white or light blue), necktie or bow tie, and dress pants (black or navy blue). Suit jackets (in black or blue) are highly encouraged! Students who wear feminine-presenting or inclusive formal attire: A formal dress, a tailored pantsuit, or an elegant blouse and skirt or pants in blue, white, or black. Students who wear gender-neutral or non-binary formal attire: A well-fitted button-down shirt or blouse (white, blue, or black) with dress pants, a tailored pantsuit, a jumpsuit, or a combination that makes you feel confident and comfortable in these colors. SOME TIPS:
UPDATE with pricing: To ensure we are actively supporting the school's legacy of excellence, we are proud to introduce our new community initiatives for the Class of 2027: The TAC Images Grant: For every 15 Legacy Collections purchased by Masterman families, our studio will quietly donate one Full Digital Archive Grant (a $545 value) to the school. These grants may be distributed completely anonymously by the administration or guidance counselors to families experiencing financial hardship or facing economic barriers. Our goal is to ensure that while we deliver a world-class, premium portrait experience for Masterman families, we also build a framework where no student is left out of preserving this incredible academic milestone. 
Masterman's School Advisory Council (SAC) has exciting updates to share with our community! May SAC Meeting: Join us for the May SAC meeting on Wednesday, May 6th at 6:00 PM. We'd love to see you there — all community members are welcome! Join here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89602803975?pwd=UW5qcWx4RThIVTNEZHJFQy9Qd295dz09 SAC Election Update: A huge thank you to everyone who submitted their name to be on the SAC ballot — your willingness to serve our school community means so much! Here's what's coming next in the election process:
In the spirit of election season, we encourage every community member to participate and cast their vote when the ballot arrives. Your voice shapes the future of Masterman! |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
J.R. MASTERMAN
HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION 1699 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 Email [email protected] Phone 215-400-7580 |
|