Categories
family weekend 2023

Family Weekend 2023

We are excited to welcome families to Farmington from Friday, October 27- Saturday October 28 for Miss Porter’s School’s 2023 Family Weekend. Explore campus and get a feel for your student’s experience as you attend classes, cheer them on at a sports game or celebrate an arts performance.

family weekend schedule

4:00 p.m.

International Families Tea Reception

Please RSVP here.

Hosted by Chief Advancement Officer Christine Pina, Senior Leadership Gift Officer, Global Resources Shiang Sobieski and members of the Institute for Global Education

Greene House, 2nd floor

 

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Registration

Nona Evans Room

8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Class Visits (45 min classes)

8:45 – 9:30 a.m.         Block 2

9:45 – 10:30 a.m.       Block 3

10:45-11:30 a.m.        Block 1

Please check your student’s schedule on MyPorters for class start time.

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Family Conferences (In-person & on Zoom)

10 minute slots arranged in advance through pickAtime.

Please note that conference scheduling will open October 9.

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Josten’s MPS Ring Sale

Main Parlors

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Library Book Fundraiser

Make a donation to the Ford Library in honor of your student, or an Ancient you hold dear to your heart.

Main Parlors

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

 

Buffet Lunch

Enjoy a special family lunch with your student! 

Main Dining Room

Chat with Flik Independent School Dining Dietician Lisa Jackson, MS RDN

Lisa will be stationed in the Dining Room during lunch to answer any questions and share the creative and delicious ways that Flik is nourishing the MPS community.

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Families of Color Luncheon

Hosted by the Parent Leadership Committee, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Susan Martell Jenkin, and Chief Advancement Officer Christine Pina.

You must pre-register here to attend this lunch. 

Space is limited and registration will be capped at 120 individuals *including students*

Riverview Lounge, Pool and Squash Building

1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Head of School Address

Join Dr. Katherine G. Windsor for an update on Miss Porter’s School. 

Barbara Lang Hacker ’29 Theater / Livestream

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Dorm & Day Student Room Family Socials 

Get a chance to meet and connect with other families with students in the same dorm or day student room as yours. Hosted by the Engagement Task Force of the Parent Leadership Committee.

Various dorm locations

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

College Planning Workshops for Junior Families

Required* for all 11th grade students; students and families of all grades welcome to attend. (*Juniors on Varsity Teams who have Saturday games will be dismissed at 3:30 p.m.)

 

A Conversation with College Admissions Deans

2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Join the Porter’s College Office and four admissions deans from across the country to learn about the current college admissions landscape and what you need to know as you approach your planning for life after Porter’s.

 

College Admissions Case Studies Program

3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Our visiting college admissions deans will lead us through a Mock Admissions Committee to share insight on what really matters in a college admissions file, who gets in, and why. 

 

Barbara Lang Hacker ’29 Theater 

Due to institutional policies of the universities represented, we will be unable to record this program.

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Tour with Farmington Historical Society

Join the Farmington Historical Society for a tour on “The Odyssey of the Amistad: Trail to Freedom.” The walking tour engages participants to learn about Farmington’s involvement in the Freedom Trail and see the history that remains in Farmington. 

You must pre-register here to attend this tour. 

Registration will be capped at 45 individuals *including students*

We offer this tour to promote a more complete history of Farmington, which is also represented in the Miss Porter’s School Land acknowledgment:

At Miss Porter’s School, we acknowledge the Tunxis Indigenous People as the original inhabitants and stewards of the lands that we call home. The history of this land is difficult to piece together, and the stories told were shaped by settler colonialism. We recognize the need for a fuller understanding of the Tunxis and our shared past.  Because of this, we must speak the truth as it is currently known. The Head of School, Board of Trustees, and senior administrative leadership commit to honoring the past and understanding our responsibility for the future.

Starts at the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 1652 (Congo)

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Bowl-A-Thon Workshops

You must pre-register to attend.

Sign up here for the 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. slot

Sign up here for the 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. slot

Families are invited to a one-hour bowl making workshop, with two sessions beginning at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. All levels are welcome, and all creative contributions will support our annual Bowl-A-Thon Sit-down Dinner and Sale. 

Space is limited! Every member of your family that will participate (including Porter’s students) should be counted, unless your student is a head of Bowl-A-Thon.

Olin, Room 216

4:00 p.m –  4:45 p.m.

Student Life Update

Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris ’71 Student Center

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Watch Athletic Practices

Varsity Field Hockey

JV Field Hockey

Varsity Soccer

JV Soccer

Thirds Soccer

Varsity Volleyball

JV Volleyball

Thirds Volleyball

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Parent Receptions 

Please join families by class year for cocktails.

 

9th Grade & 10th Grade Family Reception

Hosted by the Parent Leadership Committee and Class Deans Katrina Council and Sarah Quinn. 

The Bates Lobby – Lower level of Main

 

11th Grade Family Reception

Hosted by the Parent Leadership Committee and Class Dean Eileen Mooney.

Office of Admission, Greene House

 

12th Grade Family Reception

Hosted by Head of School Kate Windsor, Class Dean Oscar Rollan and the Parent Leadership Committee with a special performance by the Perilhettes at 5:20 p.m.

Lamphere House

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Dinner for all families 

Main Dining Room

6:00 p.m.

Varsity “Dig Pink” Volleyball Game

vs. Kingswood-Oxford

Crisp Athletic Complex, Crisp Gym

7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Music Showcase

Barbara Lang Hacker ’29 Theater / Livestream

7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Dance Showcase 

The Gaines Dance Barn / Livestream

8:30 p.m.

Athletic Spirit Bonfire (s’mores and hot cocoa, and spirit!)

Enjoy watching fall athletic teams compete in a dance competition while you roast s’mores and sip on hot cocoa with the Porter’s community!

Weyerhaeuser Amphitheater

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Breakfast

Families are welcome to have a hot or cold breakfast and coffee before heading off to conferences and the Standardized Testing in the College Admissions Process program.

Main Dining Hall

8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.



Family Conferences (In-person & on Zoom)

10 minute slots arranged in advance through pickAtime.

Please note that conference scheduling will open on October 9.

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Standardized Testing in the College Admissions Process

Required for all 11th grade students; students and families of all grades welcome to attend. 

Please join Adam Ingersoll and fellow MPS families for a thoughtful and pragmatic discussion of college admission testing that will be useful to students and parents alike.

Learn what you need to know about the following and more:

  • How to respond to the flexibility afforded by test-optional policies
  • Best way to approach the SAT vs ACT decision
  • Understanding the new digital, adaptive PSAT and SAT
  • Debunking the most pervasive myths about testing 
  • Finding the optimal timeline for your testing and test prep
  • Scope of test prep and expectations for improvement

 

About the speaker: Adam Ingersoll is the co-founder of Compass Education Group, a provider of test prep and academic tutoring for thousands of students annually around the world. Adam has worked in college admission testing and educational services since 1994 and he is recognized as a leading voice on standardized testing. He is a frequently booked speaker at schools and conferences, and he has provided training on test use and interpretation for university admission offices, including Caltech, Rochester, and USC.

Barbara Lang Hacker ’29 Theater 

10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Brunch

Main Dining Room

1:00 p.m.

Field Hockey – Varsity – Game 

vs. Ethel Walker School (Home)

Oaklea Field (Just off Mountain Road) 

1:00 p.m.

Volleyball – JV – Game

vs. Kingswood-Oxford (Home)

Mellon Gym

2:00 p.m.

Soccer – JV – Game

vs. Ethel Walker School (Home)

Kiki’s Field

2:00 p.m.

Soccer – Varsity – Game

vs. Ethel Walker School (Home)

Kiki’s Field 

2:30 p.m.

Cross Country – V & JV – Shaler Invitational

Away – The Williston Northampton School

3:00 p.m.



The Hayley Petit Cup

Annual regatta vs. Farmington High School in honor and memory of Ancient Hayley Petit ’07.

Farmington Boathouse at Tunxis Mead Park, 200 Tunxis Mead Road, Farmington, CT 06032 (drive to the very end of the road, parking is located just past the gate and a short walk to the river) 

3:00 p.m.

Volleyball – Thirds – Game

vs. Choate Rosemary Hall (Home)

Mellon Gym

4:00 p.m.

Soccer – Thirds – Game

vs. Choate Rosemary Hall (Home)

Kiki’s Field

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.



Dinner 

Families that remain on campus are welcome to join our normal weekend dinner service! 

Main Dining Room

Students are required to remain on campus through their last required commitment of the weekend.

APPOINTMENTS

Conferences with teachers, advisors and House Directors will take place on Friday, October 27 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET, and Saturday, October 28 from 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Parents/Guardians will have the option to choose in-person or virtual conferences.

Conference sign-up will open on October 9 at 12:00 pm EST. Instructions on how to access pickAtime can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact Brie Angle.

The Ivy Store Hours

Friday, October 27

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Saturday, October 28

9:00 am – 12:00 pm

conferences

You can schedule conferences with your student’s advisors, house directors, and teachers on PickATime beginning Monday, October 9 through Tuesday, October 24. Conferences will be held in-person and on Zoom. You must register for Family Weekend in order to register for in-person conferences.

 

accessibility

Over the past several years, we have made many improvements to make campus more accessible for those with various needs. Main now has permanent ramps in the front, as well as lifts; paths have been made wider and smoother; and Sarah Lane is a campus throughway reserved mainly for pedestrians. 

During Family Weekend, there will be accessible parking reserved in all of our parking areas. The Alumnae & Development Office parking lot will be specifically dedicated to accessible parking. 
If you have any questions or specific accessibility issues that you would like to discuss prior to your visit, please feel free to contact Parent Relations or call 860-409-3634.

 

parking

Families are encouraged to park in the following areas:

Tennis Court Parking Lot
69 Garden Street
Pool & Squash Building Parking Lot
88 Garden Street
Office of Admission at the Greene House
44 Mill Lane
Alumnae & Development Parking Lot
66 Main Street
Accessible parking only

 

accommodations

There are many wonderful accommodations located in the Farmington Valley if you’re planning to spend the evening near Miss Porter’s School. Here are a few options to get you started in your search.

MISS PORTER'S SCHOOL

Be BOLD for girls' education this Farmington Give Day with your gift to the MPS Annual Fund!