Information for Admitted eSummer Students
Congratulations on your acceptance to eSummer at Phillips Academy! As we near our start date of June 26, 2023, please continue to revisit this page as we will use this space to share updates, as well as information you may have received by e-mail. Click on each of the links for more information.
Over the course of the summer, students can expect weekly communication from the eSummer Coordinator and Director of Summer Session, along with opportunities to engage in virtual social events and leadership opportunities. Families should also expect to receive weekly communication from program leaders, though any questions or concerns about individual student performance should be directed to faculty members. Since all students will receive a weekly Learning Tracker document that summarizes the feedback they have received during their 1:1 Learning Conference with their teacher, and which articulates their personalized work plan for the week, families should feel empowered to review that document to stay up-to-date on students' progress toward their learning goals. The scale below is used to document students' mastery levels, and the final assessment of student performance will provide a rating and narrative comments in each selected learning goal or Habit of Learning.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR eSUMMER
- By June 15th, all eSummer students will receive an email from our Office of Information Technology providing you with your Andover email address and login credentials. These will be accompanied by instructions for how to set up your Andover account, log into our intranet, and access your courses in our system.
- On June 21st, eSummer student orientation will officially launch. All students can expect to receive an email from their eSummer teacher(s) with instructions for how to access their course(s) and how to complete the Student Orientation module. There will be a set of required activities that must be completed within the first week of the program, including signing up for a 1:1 Learning Conference during the week of June 26th.
- On June 26th, eSummer courses will officially launch. All students will have a synchronous class meeting at some point that day, at a time and Zoom link published on the course home page and in communications sent from each eSummer faculty member.
- Between June 26th and July 28th, students should expect to devote roughly 15 hours per week to eSummer course work. The majority of this will be completed independently, though students should expect between 3-5 hours of synchronous learning activities (1-2 full-group class meetings, 1-2 small-group workshops, 1:1 Learning Conferences with teachers, drop-in office hours, etc.) - the specific schedules of synchronous learning activities will vary by course and teacher, and will be coordinated and publicized during the first week of the course.
- By August 15, eSummer students can expect to receive their narrative comments and mastery ratings for the Learning Goals on which they chose to focus their work during the summer. Additionally, at that point the eSummer Exhibition of Learning will launch, allowing families and friends to peruse the work that students completed over the summer and to view their final portfolio submissions.
eSummer Course Catalogs
Upper School and ELL
Lower School Catalog
Course Catalog for rising 9th-12th graders in our Upper School and English Language Learners eSummer program.
Catalog for rising 7th and 8th graders in our Lower School eSummer program.
COURSE SELECTIONS & ENROLLMENT FORMS
Enrollment forms & course selections should be completed in the Parent Portal by June 1. Many of our popular courses fill quickly, so make your selections soon.
Payment of your remaining balance is due no later than June 15. If you have any concerns, please contact Bianca Nawrocki, our Manager of Finance, at [email protected]
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
In order to participate effectively in our online courses this summer, all students will need access to an internet-connected device (i.e. computer, tablet, phone) on which they can type, record video and audio, download content, and access information. We highly recommend a computer, as it provides a wider range of functionality than a tablet or a phone.
Reliable internet service and the ability to access Academy webpages are also technical requirements for participation.
Specific guidance for the requirements relating to Canvas, the Academy's learning management system, can be found here. Additionally, Microsoft Office 365 and the Adobe Creative Cloud will be made available to anyone with an andover.edu email address.
Operating system requirements are Windows 8.1 or higher for Microsoft Office and Windows 10 for Adobe Creative Cloud, or any of the three most recent versions of macOS (currently 10.13 through 10.15).
Browser requirements are the most recent version of the major browsers.
PAnet
PAnet, Phillips Academy’s intranet, will become active for eSummer students on June 21st, 2023. This site will provide links to all of your pertinent information, such as your class schedule, grades and instructor comments, campus news, academic resources, and most importantly, your My Mail link (at the top of the page). Through the My Mail link, you will gain access to your school email/inbox, OneDrive storage, and Microsoft Office applications. You will use the same username and password to access all of these options, which will be shared with you in a separate communication.
Important: Although we have been communicating with you thus far via your personal email address, from June 26th forward we will only use your new Andover email address for eSummer communications. Please check your Andover email regularly, especially throughout the summer.
CANVAS
Canvas, Phillips Academy’s Learning Management System, is the platform for all eSummer courses. It is accessible through PAnet, at the top of the page next to My Mail, and uses the same username and password. Upon entering Canvas, you will see a tile with the name of the course in which you are enrolled (those students taking more than one class will see more than one tile). By clicking on your course, you can enter and begin exploring the content and resources, particularly the Student Orientation section. Canvas courses will not be accessible to students until Wednesday, June 21st.
PREPARING FOR eSUMMER
As you prepare for your eSummer experience, we recommend you take the following steps:
- Ensure you can use your Andover credentials to log into PAnet, and that from there you can access your Andover email and Canvas course(s).
- Bookmark PAnet, Canvas, your Andover email and OneDrive pages in your browser, for easy access throughout the summer.
- Practice using Zoom, Flipgrid, and Padlet - these are 3 of the most common eSummer applications. Making sure you know how to download a document, make adjustments, save it, and then upload it to Canvas will also go far!
- Set aside at least 2 hours on Monday, June 26th to complete your baseline assessment(s).
- Be on the lookout for an email from your teacher in late June with instructions for your first synchronous course meeting on Monday, June 26th.
- Download any necessary software or electronic texts required for your course(s) (specific information will be shared through the email from your instructor)
- Reflect on your own goals for the summer - when August arrives, and you are looking back on the experience, what do you want to have achieved? What will make you consider the summer a success?
- Review our notice to students and families regarding online recording here.
- Review our website section devoted to frequently asked questions here.
BASELINE ASSESSMENTS
All courses will require each student to complete a baseline assessment to assist in the development of an appropriate Personalized Learning Plan, which will guide your work over the course of the five weeks. Students enrolled in a course through the math department will receive a math assessment via email by June 1st. These assessments must be completed by June 15th. All others will be given a baseline assessment during their orientation period which must be completed by the end of the day on Monday, June 26. Baseline assessments are available through Canvas, in the Student Orientation module for your class, and are designed to take no more than 2 hours.