New Family Information

Middle School Placement Assessments

Upper School Course Selection 2020-21 Due May 1

Course selection forms are due by May 1, 2020. Please choose the class year below for course selection information specific to your grade. If your student is enrolled in the Cervone Center for Learning, please wait to submit the course selection form until after you receive an email from Jo Prockop, the director of the program.

Class of 2022 (juniors)

Class of 2023 (sophomores)

Class of 2024 (freshmen)

Required School Forms Due July 1

All required School forms, including general permission and medical forms, are due no later than July 1. You will need to submit them through Magnus Health, a leader in student health care management, which offers electronic signature as well as mobile form submission and parent access from any mobile device.

You will receive an email from Magnus with your username and temporary password the first week in May. If you have any questions, please contact our helpdesk @pennington.org .

All required forms will be reviewed by the Health Center staff, and you will receive an email notification over the summer if we require additional information regarding your child. If you have additional questions regarding your child’s forms, you may contact Maureen Iorio at miorio@pennington.org for Upper School or Chelsi Meyerson for Middle School at chelsi.meyerson@pennington.org.

Student/Parent Handbook 2020-21

Tuition Payments Due July 15

Once you have access, you can view all financial activity on Veracross by clicking the MY INVOICE button through your Parent Portal.

International Families:

All international families should have tuition paid in full by July 15, 2020. Payments can be made either through Flywire or by wire transfer.

Domestic Families:

Tuition should be paid based on the plan you selected on your submitted contract. Payments can be made either by ACH or credit card through the portal or by mailing a check to: The Pennington School, Attn: Business Office, 112 W. Delaware Ave, Pennington, NJ 08534.

Two-Payment Plan: The balance of your tuition should be paid on or before the due dates of July 15, 2020, and November 2, 2020

Ten-Month Plan: The Pennington School offers domestic parents the option of paying tuition over a ten- (10-) month period, from May 1 to February 1, without any late charges, provided payments are made on a timely basis in accordance with the terms of the plan. When you sign on to the Parent Portal in Veracross and click the MY INVOICE button, you will need to sign up for AutoPay to have your monthly payment pulled from your account of choosing. This is required for the ten-month plan.

Additional Fees: It is important to remember that any activity fees and tuition insurance must be paid directly to the School by July 15, 2020, and should not be included in the monthly payment plan.

Questions? You may direct any questions to Ms. Deborah Mitchell via phone at 609‒737‒6119 or via email at dmitchell@pennington.org.

Summer Reading

All students have summer reading requirements. Middle School students can find their summer reading assignments here.

Upper School students are required to read a School-wide selection, as well as selections assigned in specific English courses. Upper School students can find their summer reading assignments on this LibGuide.

For School-wide summer reading, students will choose one book to read with members of one of the academic disciplines. The book choices reflect different voices, perspectives, and means of expression. Some describe how people have used their voices to make a difference in the lives of others, and some offer an opportunity to look at the world through the lens of the experience of someone very different from oneself. A thread that runs through these books is that they can each spark dialog about ways to better understand what unites communities of diverse opinions, faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs.

Students are assigned academic advisors over the summer. Your child's advisor will reach out later this summer to confirm your child's book choice, so that discussion groups can be formed.

Students also read one or more books for their individual English courses; these books will play a key role in their English class for the first few weeks of the fall semester. Books are listed on the “Required Summer Reading for English” section of the LibGuide. Critical instructions regarding preparation for the opening-of-school discussions of books for English are also posted on that LibGuide, and students should look at these before beginning the reading. Once English course selections have been communicated in early summer, students should read the selection(s) for their approved English course as described in the instructions.

Please feel free to email Jordan Aubry, English Department chair, with questions about summer reading for English. Questions about the Upper School School-wide reading should be directed to Jo Prockop, chair of the Summer Reading Committee.

Summer Math

Technology Training

New students typically receive their technology training during the months of July and August. Training sessions for students and parents will be held before classes begin in the fall.

Families of all new students will be able to register for a summer technology information session in the Veracross Parent Portal. The sessions will be offered at a variety of times during the months of July and August. At least one parent is asked to stay for the first hour of the session. New boarding students will receive their training when they arrive on campus in September unless they choose to come to campus during the summer.

If you are away during the training sessions, please contact the Technology department to arrange another time to catch up. Email helpdesk@pennington.org for more information.

Dress Code

We believe that the expectations we have for our students are reflected in our standards for academic performance, behavior, and dress. In keeping with the ethos and traditions of the Pennington community, students are expected to dress respectfully and in a way consistent with the seriousness of the setting. Any ostentatious, outrageous, or provocative clothing is inappropriate and violates the spirit of the dress code. In an effort to standardize and simplify the dress code, we have developed a “unified” look for students. Parents are asked to support our dress code by encouraging the students to purchase the appropriate and properly fitted clothing and by monitoring their adherence to the guidelines. The following descriptions of dress cover the guidelines of our dress code. They must be worn throughout the day from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Clothing or styles not listed below are not considered part of our School dress and, therefore, should not be worn.

UPPER SCHOOL DAILY DRESS CODE

• Solid-color, classic fit khaki-style pants or similar style dress slacks, with traditional dress shirt with a collar and sleeves or a polo-style long- or short-sleeved shirt (with no logo or a small logo only) or

• Skirt no shorter than fingertip-length, with traditional dress shirt with a collar and sleeves or a polo-style long- or short-sleeved shirt (with no logo or a small logo only)

• A blazer, sweater, or Pennington sweatshirt (no hood) may be worn over a dress code shirt. • Leather or equivalent shoes or boots; no white-soled sneakers

UPPER SCHOOL DAILY VARIATION FOR CHAPEL/SPECIAL EVENTS

• With daily dress code pants or dress slacks, wear a traditional dress shirt, tie, and belt. or

• Daily dress code skirt and collared dress shirt (no tie required), or dress

MIDDLE SCHOOL DAILY DRESS CODE

• A “Pennington polo,” a long- or short-sleeved polo shirt with the School’s “split-P” logo available at the Campus Store or by ordering through Lands’ End with

• Solid-color, classic fit khaki-style pants or similar-style dress pants or

• Skirt no shorter than fingertip-length

• Leather or equivalent shoes or boots; sneakers may be worn on Fridays.

Boarding Students

What to Bring: A list for boarding students in grades 8 through 12.

When to Arrive: Here are some dates to keep in mind:

September 6: New/Returning international students move in; international family reception
September 7: New/Returning domestic students move in; boarding parent program; international student testing and training

Boardingware: Boardingware is the management tool we use for communication between parents/guardians, boarders, host families, and residential faculty. Using a web-based and iOS app, it allows us to keep track of the status of each boarder. Up-to-date details of a boarder’s whereabouts can be put into the app by the boarders and by the Administrator on Duty (AOD) to provide information directly to the faculty members on duty. The system is easy to use and improves the collection of information, providing a clear picture of each boarder’s activities. One of its benefits is that parents/guardians can create an account in order to request leave for their child, thereby simplifying the process of informing the AOD. Parents/guardians are also able to review activities that their child undertakes off campus through this account.

Parent Guides for Boardingware:

Quick Guide to Your Parent Account with Boardingware (webpage)

Quick Guide to Your Parent Account with Boardingware (pdf)

If you have any questions regarding Residential Life, please contact Maureen Iorio.

The Pennington School

Navigation

Calendar

Start Preparing for 2020-21!

Middle School Placement Assessments

Upper School Course Selection 2020-21 Due May 1

Required School Forms Due July 1

Student/Parent Handbook 2020-21

Tuition Payments Due July 15

Summer Reading

Summer Math

Technology Training

Dress Code

Boarding Students

Day Student Transportation for NJ/PA Residents

International Student Services

Middle School Launch September 8-9

Upper School Orientation September 8

School Calendar

Campus Store