 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.  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.  This year's musical has been officially announced! Last Friday after school, students gathered in the auditorium for the big reveal. Mr. Laurie was there to make the announcement. The event included winter games, photos and freeze pops. Audition dates have yet to be determined but will likely be in November. Students wishing to be in the musical should join the google classroom where audition information will be posted as it becomes available. Link --> https://classroom.google.com/c/ODg0NzI3MDEwNjU3?cjc=rn4idcxi There will be many ways for parents to get involved. One such opportunity is to join our costume team. Another is with set construction. If you might be interested in either of these areas, please contact Mrs. Neu at [email protected]. 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.   
  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 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. 🧧 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 With the year-end half days eliminated, we have had to figure out a time for the high school picnic: We hope to have it on June 11 in the afternoon. We need at least 30 volunteer chaperones to sign up by May 20 to make this possible. Thank you for your help! Please sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLiSWha6usFXfIIIROzPdEEewST0FLlJNTil62RMzNlrq_Uw/viewform?usp=publish-editor  A group of the 6th graders won the Art of Math Challenge at the Barnes on May 3! For the competition, students in grades 1–12 take on the Art of Math Challenge in teams of three or more. Each submission consists of a 3D model of one of three selected artworks from the Barnes collection and a written statement The original work our students replicated (Unidentified Artist, Canal and Houses) can be found here. Students Mira Benaforado, Corinne Gazda, Hannah McClung, Cecily Miller, and Ruthie Sarnoski made Masterman proud through their hard work, creativity, and applied math applications...taking home the prize for Grades 5-6. The contest included school groups from around the tri-state area. Good work Team Masterman! Their write-up on the piece is below: Mathematics and creativity played a significant role in bringing the painting to life. The box we found was originally larger than the required size so we cut the sides down. The final box dimensions were 11 1⁄2 by 12 1⁄3 by 11 inches.When we uploaded the painting to the document, it became 15.5 cm by 11 cm. After measuring some of the items in the painting, we decided that multiplying the measurements by 3 for each object would be the best scale. We then assigned jobs in the group for maximum efficiency, though we all assisted each other. All teammates took notes on the dimensions of pieces throughout the constructing of the model. The first thing we did after that was sketching out where in the box everything would go so we can understand the placement of the objects, and what dimensions they needed to be. Next, we went through many material options, before settling on the most cost and energy efficient materials. Then, we started building. To make the trees, our team cut twigs to the correct size, which we determined by multiplying the original height of about 2⁄3 inches by 3. For the buildings, we scaled them to be a range from 2 to 11 inches in height. We painted the background and canal, and started assembling. When we hot glued all the pieces to the box, we had our final product: Canal and Houses model. After lots of hard work and collaboration, we were finished. This took a lot of team work and art supplies, but it was an amazing experience. WINNERS: Best Creative Math Strategy for Unidentified artist. Canal and House
We would also like to send congrats to our 7th and 8th grade teams, who also completed amazing projects! 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.
 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.  This Sunday, the streets of Philadelphia were filled with energy, and our school will be right in the heart of it! We are incredibly proud to announce that a massive group of our students and staff mentors from Students Run Philly Style took on the 10-mile Broad Street Run. These dedicated runners have spent months training—braving the early mornings and staying after school—to prepare for this iconic Philly tradition. Join us in cheering on this incredible list of athletes: Students:
A huge thank you to our staff and volunteer mentors who have run every mile alongside our students: Running Leaders:
Congratulations to all our participants. We can’t wait to see those medals on Monday! Go Runners!  Our auction would not have been the same last weekend without the beautiful performances of some musically talented students.
We lucky enough to hear from: The Masterman Jazz Combo Tre Smith, Alto Sax (8th grade) Eamon Hellyer, Trumpet (8th grade) Yoel Figueroa, Tenor Sax (9th grade) Quintin Harrison, Drums (9th grade) Luca Vitiello, Guitar and Bass (10th grade) The combo will be performing next for a special luncheon at the school district building on May 20th. And the full jazz band played at the All-City Jazz Fest at Cherry Street Pier on April 29. The Masterman Strings Alison Samuel, Violin (10th grade) Julia May, Violin (10th grade) Alison and Julia are a part of a larger group. a string quartet of which the violist and cellist were at NHD States during the auction. That quartet has also played at school district events. Huge thanks to these students and to our indefatigable Ms. Neu, who organized and assisted to make it all possible.  If you are available to chaperone any of the 8th grade events on May 8th (evening), May 26th (daytime), and/or June 3rd (daytime), please fill out the form below. We need and appreciate our chaperones! Thank you so much!! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1el-HbeXzYT2P06n-FPyIv_W-izscShNmv97T25mwZNA/edit. A Message From Ms Aubry: Senior will be taken on May 26, 28, and 29th. These will be taken during the school day. You will be able to do multiple outfits (formal wear) and photos in your cap and gown - you have a choice between blue and/or white cap and gown. We will have an assembly on 5/22/26 during guidance to go over outfits and what to bring. Please also see the flyer below. I also thought you would want professional pictures with your friends, so please list who you want to be scheduled with at the same time so we can get some nice pictures of you and your people! :) Please reach out to Ms. Aubry ([email protected]) with any questions. They have a Google form to fill out on the Class of 2027 Google Classroom. It is important that they fill this out with you and their contact info because you will be sent the proofs of the images directly. Students are also asked to list the names of friends they want to be scheduled with because we are going to get formal group photos with them as well. We will schedule a makeup day in August for any student who does not like their individual photos, but this will be on a limited basis - so please bring your best looks in May! Lastly, TAC Images will be giving back 15% of the profit made from the purchase of graduation photos back to the Class of 2027 through the HSA. I am really excited to start this new partnership, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! Please ask your student if they filled out the form. If not, the form is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf005UoztnH2_oUmIss5qAnLulc6RrWQN5khfxm2TLZY6O43Q/viewform  Students Run Philly Style ran the annual Roger S. Clark Rutgers Law APIL 5K Run for Justice in Camden on March 28. Thirty-one Masterman students and running leaders attended for a chilly but wonderful run along the Camden waterfront. Here are the race results: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/Overview/557  March 2026 Dear Parents and Guardians of Masterman 8th Graders, My name is Ms. Santana, and I recently began my role as this year’s 8th grade sponsor. While every activity below the line is optional and separate from one another, eighth grade dues are a required cost for all students. In order to cover the costs of graduation expenses, class t-shirts, and yearbooks, we are asking for $65 per child due Wednesday, April 29th, in the form of cash, check, or via School Cash Online (preferred). 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. Thursday, June 11th: Graduation Ceremony at The Community College of Philadelphia 10a-11:30a 4 tickets per student This year’s ceremony will be held at CCP’s Athletic Center, located a 3 minute walk from the school. They have a parking garage accessible by 17th and 18th St. for a daily rate of $7. Please refrain from parking in the staff lot behind Masterman. Thank you. Friday, May 8th: 8th Grade Dance 6p-8p Est. cost of $10 (due date tbd) Optional The 8th grade’s annual evening dance is slated to be held on the roof, weather permitting. We will need chaperones to monitor between floors as well as bathrooms. Please reach out to me at [email protected] or fill out the Google Form (linked below) if you’re willing and available to help! Tuesday, May 26th: 8th Grade Field Trip Est. time of 10a-3p Est. cost of $50 per student (May 4th due date); No additional cost for chaperones Optional This trip’s location is still in the final stages of the approval process, so I will provide additional details once all of the paperwork goes through. I think kids and adults alike will really love it! Stay tuned and please reach out if you can join us! Wednesday, June 3rd: Neshaminy Trip 9a-2p $65 per student and $40 per chaperone due April 17th Optional At the start of February, your child should have received a permission slip for Neshaminy. However, if they need a copy for this trip or any others, they can access it via their 8th Grade Google Classroom page. Thank you, Ms. Jaymarie Santana ([email protected]) SCHOOL CASH ONLINE QR CODE AND LINK: Please scan the QR code on the left to access School Cash Online and pay for any and all field trips, as well as 8th grade dues. You can also access online payments via philasd.schoolcashonline.com 8TH GRADE CHAPERONE INTEREST FORM 2025-2026: Please scan the QR code to the right or email me at [email protected] if you are willing and able to chaperone our trips! https://forms.gle/JfkeeYfwuuAyFcSA9 CLEARANCE INFORMATION: *Please visit https://www.philasd.org/face/#volunteer for more information on how to obtain clearances. We're about 8 weeks out from the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run and Students Run Philly Style teams across Philadelphia are already training together for race season. This is the point when it's time to lock in your plans to train for race day. If you don't yet have a bib for the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run, consider joining the SRPS Charity Runner team to receive guaranteed entry. SRPS Charity Runners commit to raise $750 by April 8th to support Students Run Philly Style's youth mentorship program. The opportunity for hundreds of young people to experience the largest 10-mile race in the country exists because people choose to be part of it. https://www.givesignup.org/Race/PA/Philadelphia/StudentsRunPhillyBroadStreetTeam Snack Donations Needed! With practices now officially underway, it is great to see such a fantastic turnout! We currently have over 100 students signed up this year and we are seeing 40–50 students joining us each day. A long school day followed by a tough workout means these runners are hungry—and our current snack supply has run out. To keep everyone fueled, we are looking to build up a steady supply for the season. Here is a quick look at our weekly "burn rate":
How You Can Help If you are able, we would greatly appreciate any donations of pre-practice snacks. We’ve found that the students perform best with options that aren't too heavy, overly sweet, or chocolatey. Great examples include:
You can deliver them to Room 104 at any time or ship them to the school C/O Mr. Gilligan. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School ℅ Mr. Gilligan 1699 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 Thank you!!! Snack Suggestions (Links): The National Honor Society is looking for parent volunteers to participate in this year's Career Day! We would love to have parents come and share their stories on March 11, 2026. Our students want to hear about what "real life" looks like and explore potential career paths.
Here are some of the details:
Thank you, On behalf of The NHS Team!  A huge congratulations to our DECA team on an impressive showing at the recent PA State Conference! Our students demonstrated true Masterman Excellence throughout the event, approaching every competition and presentation with remarkable poise, confidence, and skill.
We are incredibly proud of how they represented our school on the state stage and showcased their leadership and business knowledge. We would like to give a special shoutout to our individual award winners for their outstanding achievements:
We are so proud of your hard work and dedication. Way to go, DECA! More congratulations are due to Masterman’s debate team! Last weekend, four pairs competed at the Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament. Seniors Tova and Taylor made it all the way to the semi-final round, placing them in the top four out of 372 entries from around the country. It was especially great to see Masterman debate alumni Ray, Owen, and Henry returning to the tournament as coaches. This weekend, two additional pairs qualified for States, so three teams will be traveling to Bloomsburg, PA on March 19th. Go Blue Dragons! |
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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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