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

• Grades 2-4: Penn Wynne Elementary School — Creative Bears, Grade 4
• Grades 5-6: Julia R Masterman — 6th Grade Art of Math Masterman, Grade 6
• Grades 7-11 Strath Haven Middle School — Team Oranges 2.0, Grade 8

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:

• The Tailored Suit: A crisp white button-down shirt, a navy or black suit, and an optional tie in blue or black.
• The Formal Jumpsuit or Pantsuit: A sleek black or navy blue jumpsuit or pantsuit paired with a white top or contrasting blue accessories.
• The Classic Dress: A formal dress in black or navy blue, or a classy white graduation-style dress.

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:

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. 

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.
​

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":

• Attendance: 40–50 runners per practice
• Frequency: 3 practices per week
• Total Needed: Approximately 150 snacks per week

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:

• Granola bars (oat-based)
• Fruit snacks
• Individual cracker packs (Goldfish, pretzels, etc.)
• Rice Crispy treats

If you're willing to donate, please feel free to send items in with your student or drop them off at the next practice. Thank you for helping us keep our runners energized and ready to hit the trail!

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):

• Nature Valley Granola bars
  
• Rice Crispy Treats
  
• Nutrigrain bars
  
• Kind bars
  
• Fruit snacks
  
• Belvita snack packs
  
• Nature's Garden Organic Trail Mix Snack Packs, Variety Pack, 1.2 oz, 24-count
  
• Veratify Healthy Mixed Snack Box
  
• Kirkland Soft Chewy Granola Bars

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:

• Giovanny Moniaga: 1st Place in PSPK
• Hana Halimitabrizi: 2nd Place in JOB
• Xin Huang: 6th Place in PFL and Top Role Play score at Masterman
• Samuel Hornik: Top Test Score at Masterman

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!

Masterman wins the University of Pennsylvania Liberty Bell Classic debate tournament! Facing hundreds of debaters from around the country, seniors Tova and Taylor made it through six elimination rounds (beginning with tripleoctofinals) to win finals on a 2-1 decision, placing 1st overall in the Public Forum Debate category. Congratulations also to the 7 other Masterman teams that competed!

This weekend, 4 teams are at the Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament in Boston—stay tuned. 

On Saturday Feb 7th, 14 of our middle schoolers participated in the Mathcounts Chapter Competition. 8 teams competed and Masterman took 1st place in the team round!  Congratulations to all competitors, who participated in the intense competition that spanned 4 rounds:

7th Vidur Diwakar
8th Vihaan Kaushik
8th Yitong Jiang
8th Shrinil Amin
6th Rehan Rasul
8th Grace Siegel
7th Aydin Ergi
7th Isaac Aguirre
7th Viven Chen
8th Olivia Ryerson
6th Cassie Zhang
7th Agnibha Roy Chowdhury
6th Emma Cheng

From 100 competitors down to 10 at the start of the countdown round, Vidur took 2nd place!! To be commended were Vihaan at 5th place and Yitong at 7th. Vidur will head to Harrisburg on March 21 to compete in the individual state competition. And, with the guidance of our team captain, Vihaan, Yitong, Vidur and Shrinil will be competing in the team portion, as they nabbed the 1st place team spot!! 
Huge shout out to 10th grader Aaryan Gada and parent Prachi Gada, for their continued coaching, encouragement and dedication to the team!!

​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:

• Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 PM
• Friday, February 27 at 6:30 PM
• Saturday, February 28 at 6:30 PM

This production represents the very best of Masterman: talent, teamwork, and commitment. I hope to see many of you there as we celebrate the hard work of our students and the vibrant arts culture that makes our school so special.

Staff Shout-Outs

• Ms. McPherson, for always offering her help and support with a smile and for planning meaningful Latino cultural experiences, including the visit to Casa Latina at the University of Pennsylvania with Spanish 3.
• Mr. Beers, for sharing his poem during Monday's assembly.
• Mrs. Nelson and Ms. Ramsey, for organizing the common area outside the counselors' offices to better serve students.
• Nurse Bagley, for her steady care and support of our students.
• Mr. Muse, Madame Tavianini, and Madame Heimann, for accompanying our scholars to Quebec this week.
• Mr. Gold, Mr. Muse, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Zimny, for supporting our Sciad competitors at Girls High last weekend.
• Ms. Elana and Ms. Fox-Jones, for planning the "home" leg of the Poland exchange experience.
• Our 5th grade teacher team, for organizing multiple field trips for our youngest scholars.
• Our grade sponsors, for planning meaningful end-of-year trips and celebrations.
• Ms. Graham, for organizing the Climbers Breakfast and securing speakers for Black History Month.
• Donna Amit, for reinstituting PALentines and strengthening community during the winter months.
• Justin Gilken, for his dedication and readiness to help at all times.

More Good News from Around Masterman

• Attendance continues to trend positively as we move through the winter months. Thank you to families and staff for reinforcing the importance of showing up ready to learn each day.
• Our Instructional Cabinet continues its focused work, and we are seeing increased use of checks for understanding and academic discourse routines across content areas. Steady improvement is happening in classrooms every day.
• Course selection is nearly complete, and early numbers suggest strong interest in advanced coursework across departments. Our students continue to lean into challenge.
• The Poland exchange and Quebec trip reflect something special about Masterman: students eager to engage globally and staff committed to making that possible.
• We have had several students recognized recently for acts of integrity and kindness, living out our PBIS pillars in ways that define our culture.
• Planning has begun for spring athletics, and participation numbers are strong. Our students continue to balance academics, arts, and athletics with remarkable commitment.

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

We are pleased to share we have an educational tour to Panama happening in Spring 2027 for high school students. Highlights include:
🏰 Tour the historic ruins of Panamá Viejo and the colorful streets of Casco Viejo
🎶 Enjoy a youth folklore dance show and participate in a cultural exchange with locals
🍍 Visit a pineapple farm and learn about Panama’s agricultural traditions
🌊 Take a boat ride on Gatun Lake and spot wildlife on Monkey Island
When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and I would love to have your student join us on one of these adventures.

Nationwide the majority of the students who participate in these experiences do fundraising and have been very successful.​

Come hear all the details, including the itinerary, activities, academic opportunities, and the cost of the trip at our information night on February 26 at 6:00 PM. 

Please click here to register for the meeting ASAP to save your seat. The meeting will take place via Zoom, so you MUST RSVP to receive the link! (No RSVP, no link).

There are limited spots on these trips, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Last October, 16 students and 3 chaperones spent 12 days in Torun, Poland, as participants in a student exchange program. While there, they lived with student host families, attended high school classes, enjoyed fun educational and social activities, and explored the culture and history of the area.  

Now it is Masterman's turn to show our hospitality, and we need assistance to ensure that the visiting Polish students have the same rich experience they provided for us. 

Help raise funds by attending this special event:​

March 6 from 5:00-7:00 PM
Craft Hall- A Family Friendly Sports Bar- 901 North Delaware Avenue

Come one, come all!! Please plan to attend our Masterman Family Friendly Happy Hour with GUEST BARTENDERS Principal Laurie, Assistant Principal Michelle Harrison, Ms. LeeAnne Fox Jones, and Ms. Elana Solomon serving drinks, mocktails, and appetizers. Mr. Zimny will be helping with food orders and promoting our 50/50. There may even be other teachers popping in. You never know! 

You can also support the program directly by donating here.

Any questions? Please email [email protected]

Congratulations to the Ethics Bowl team for their performance at this year's local tournament at UPenn!
​The team of Halimah Fasasi ('26), Harry Renfro ('26), Nikodem Protasewicz ('27), Corinne Xu ('27), Zohar Yurdin ('27), Leila Golzari Hunt ('28), and Olivia Kang ('28) came in third place. They beat out in a tie-breaker Masterman's other team: Kimathi Ashong ('27), Bruno Beckman ('27), Beatrice Bloovman ('27), April Chen ('27), Alastair Herman ('27), Mariana Martinez ('27), Mady Muñoz Martinez ('27), Austin Zhang ('28), and Maria Sosa ('29).
Almost everyone on the team was competing for the first time, and they look forward to coming back even stronger next year!