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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] Don't forget to use the Blue Dragon Sports Calendar to keep up to date on all the upcoming spring contests and to plan your fan support! The Masterman Swimming Dragons left it all in the pool as they finished 2nd overall in the Public League Championships! Coach Vecsi was extremely proud of the dedication and perseverance that these swimmers demonstrated all season long. Masterman finished first in the following events: Boys 200 Medley (Ivan Man, Josh Cheng, Daniel Knapp, Ian Danihel), Girls 200 Free (Isabella Trieu), Boys 200 Free (Lyric Tully), Girls 100 Free (Marika Bowen), Girls 500 Free (Scarlett Vecsi), and Boys 200 Free Relay (Mason Seder, Lyric Tully, Josh Cheng, Daniel Knapp). The team continues to compete as districts and states are on the horizon. Well done! What a great senior night for boys varsity basketball! It was heartwarming to see the outpouring of fan, family and teacher support for our six departing seniors. We are so proud of your hard work and growth throughout the season and over the past four years. While Raj, Prince, Meech, Tony, Abbas and Na'im will truly be missed, they are always welcome back to visit, play in the alumni game, help out with the team, or just hang out. Dragons Forever! The final regular season indoor track meet is in the books. It sets the stage for a great championship next weekend. Here are some highlights, hot off the press:
The MG girls and boys basketball split their games with Greenfield on Tuesday. Both teams displayed fantastic teamwork and sportsmanship! Coach Gold and Coach Broadhurst are proud of the players' strong effort and commitment to building a lasting work ethic, learning, and having fun. Great job, Dragons! After a few bumps in the road due to the snowy weather, we were finally able to celebrate the senior members of the Cheer and Basketball teams on Monday, 2/2! Thank you to everyone who came out to the senior game to show their love and support! It was a wonderful evening! 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!!! 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! 
Hey there sports fans! The Birds aren't in the big game this year so how about making it a little more fun by joining our pool? Get in on the action and help raise funds to support programs across Masterman. Better yet, share the pool with everyone else at your watch party! To join, choose your squares in the $10 or $25 bracket and then send payment via Venmo or credit card. Full instructions here. You will get chances to win based on scores at the end of each quarter of the Super Bowl, and Masterman HSA will receive 50% of the proceeds. Save the Date: Masterman’s Spring Auction and Party will be held on the evening of Saturday, April 25th, at Craft Hall. Featuring food and drink, music and dancing, and the culmination or our online auction, it’s the HSA’s largest event (and fundraiser!) of the year. Mark your calendars now. Join the Auction Committee: Planning is well underway, and we could use everyone's help! Volunteers are soliciting donations and planning the party for this year’s event. Email Rebecca at [email protected] to find the best way to get involved. It’s a great way to have some fun while doing good. Auction Raffle Baskets: We are looking for parents to help organize raffle baskets for the auction. Thank you to those who have already volunteered! This is an easy way to support the auction without a large time commitment. We are still looking for parents to lead the 5th and 8th grade baskets. Please email [email protected] to help out or to get more information.
A note from Nurse Bagley: If your student has lost glasses this year please remind them to come check the health room (nurse's office)! We have a lot of lost glasses and would like to return them. Last week, senior members of our basketball and cheer teams brought the “My Jersey, Your Impact” tradition to Masterman. For those unfamiliar, it is a wonderful tradition where Senior athletes thank teachers/staff members who have had a positive impact on their high schoolexperience by inviting them to their Senior Game and asking them to wear their jersey. It was a lovely afternoon. Check out the highlights via Masterman Voices on YouTube here. We need chaperones for the annual Masterman HS Winter Formal, sponsored by Peer Counseling and supported by the HSA. The event is on Friday, February 13, from 6pm to 9pm at NOTO (1209 Vine St.). Chaperones must have SDP clearances. If you are interested or have any questions, please email Mr. Gilken at [email protected]. We are looking for one energetic female chaperone to join our chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference in Hershey from April 12-15. This is a great opportunity to support our aspiring young professionals as they compete at the state level, attend leadership workshops, and network with students from across the state of Pennsylvania. Clearances are required. If you are interested please contact Mr. Gold at [email protected] as soon as possible. We would love to have you on board! 🐎 Are You Ready in Your Festive Attire? We warmly invite you and your family to join us on Saturday, March 7, 2026 for the Masterman Lunar New Year Event 2026! Let’s welcome the Year of the Horse together with an exciting morning of performances, delicious food, cultural traditions, and community celebration. Guests are encouraged to wear traditional or festive attire (traditional or modern) to celebrate the holiday spirit! Event Details Time: 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM Location: Masterman School – 17th Street Entrance Performances: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Auditorium, 1st Floor) Food, Activities & Raffle: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Cafeteria, 4th Floor) Please note: All visitors must exit the building by 3:00 PM. Classrooms and other school areas will be off-limits during the event. Final Event Schedule Highlights This year’s program features an incredible lineup of student performances, including:
A heartfelt thank you to all students, parents, teachers, volunteers, and organizers who have worked so hard to plan and prepare these wonderful performances. Ticket Information Early Bird Tickets: $8 (available through February 28) Regular Price: $10 after February 28 Tickets may be purchased online by credit card https://mastermanhsa.betterworld.org/events/lunar-new-year-celebration-2026 To reserve an early-bird ticket and pay by cash or Venmo, please contact: [email protected] Please keep your purchase receipt (screenshot or confirmation email), as it will be required at check-in. Volunteers, performers, and Masterman staff do not need to purchase tickets. Volunteers Needed We are still looking for volunteers to help with set-up, food coordination, check-in, and clean-up. If you would like to volunteer, please email: [email protected] Your support helps make this celebration safe, organized, and successful for our entire school community. Food & Festivities After the performances, join us upstairs in the cafeteria for:
Introducing a new way to support our classrooms, groups, and clubs! If you are active in your neighborhood’s BuyNothing or Facebook Marketplace group, please be on the lookout for the items listed here. If you could pick them up & then relay them to the listed Masterman staff member, it would be a great help to the club or group listed, and it only costs you your time!! Or if you already have them yourself, that's great too! Check back periodically as we will update the sheet as needs arise. Right now, the list includes items from professional attire to coffee stirrers! Is your student interested in travelling to Peru this summer? Masterman’s first chapter of MedLife, a volunteer organization which promotes education, healthcare, and development in underserved international communities, is organizing a trip to Lima, Peru from June 27 to July 5th 2026 for high school students. If you are interested in hearing more information, please email Mr. Kamison at [email protected]. Have you been looking for ways to get involved and help out? Big meetings not your thing? There's a ton happening and we need more families to step up and share some of their time to build community and support our teachers and students. Browse our signup sheet for a range of ways to get involved, large and small, temporary and long-term. Family Facebook groups per grade, plus all-Middle School and all-High School, have been updated for the 2025–2026 school year! Even if the names have not been updated yet, these are the correct groups: Middle School Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 High School Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Be sure to follow the HSA Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as joining the specific groups above. Check out this information about staying safe around Masterman and how to seek help in case of emergency. masterman_safe_streets_flyer_2023_vs2.pdf Remember cutting the little rectangles off the tops of food packages and bringing them in to school? It's an app now! Scan your receipts and get credit for all applicable products listed, no package clippings needed. The pennies for each product really add up and go straight to the school. Please join in! After the winter break, Masterman administration met with HSA leadership, along with Dr. Domers and Cari Cantor from the district, to share and discuss the district's Mid-Year Data Review of conditions at Masterman. We share the document below and will provide opportunity for discussion at the upcoming HSA general meeting. 
The Middle School Winter Music Concert came off beautifully on December 15, 2022. With beautiful performances, warm energy, and good community, it was a great night for Masterman. |
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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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