Parents - Proctor Academy

Welcome to The Proctor Academy Parent Association: PAPA

The Proctor Academy Parent Association (PAPA) is a service organization dedicated to supporting the school's students, faculty, administration, and staff. In pursuit of this mission, PAPA relies on parent volunteerism to achieve its mission. Opportunities to volunteer are many, diverse, and fun!

PAPA Steering Committee members are an available resource to parents, and you may contact them at any time with questions, thoughts, or suggestions. General meetings of PAPA are held throughout the school year. All parents or legal guardians of Proctor students are active members of PAPA and are invited to attend. Parents are encouraged to be active participants at Proctor! Need help? Contact Debbie Krebs, PAPA Liaison, by email or (603) 735-6721.

The Proctor Student Handbook is a valuable resource. Look for an updated handbook each August. In addition, please be sure to read the Parent Page, which is emailed each Friday during the school year. Report any email address changes or additions to the Office of the Academic Dean. We look forward to seeing you on campus!

Get Involved!

Learn how you can get involved with activities on campus by clicking on the links below to sign up to volunteer with the following opportunities:

Adopt-A-Team - Spring Term - Volunteer HERE
Adopt-A-Dorm - Spring Term - Volunteer HERE
Senior Dinner - May 26 - Volunteer HERE
Summer 2023 Welcome Calls to Incoming Families - Volunteer HERE

*If you live out of the area and would like to mail food or other items for an event, please send to the attention of Debbie Krebs to ensure it reaches your intended event.

Sign up today to get involved! Click on any of the PAPA sponsored activities above to signup! Please email Debbie Krebs with any questions you may have about volunteering.

PAPA Meeting Dates

We will hold in person PAPA Meetings in the Development Office (upstairs from Admissions - enter the green down on the front of the building opposite Maxwell Savage). Those not able to attend in person can join us via Webex by clicking on the links below. Join us 5:15 PM for a brief social, the meetings will begin at 5:30 PM.

May 10, 2023 - Potluck (No Webex available) **Learn more HERE

PAPA Meeting Minutes

PAPA Steering Committee

Parent Giving Program

Useful Links

myProctor Login Directions

PAPA Committees and Volunteer Engagements

Admissions/Welcoming Committee

This committee works with the Admission Office to recruit and provide volunteers for the following areas:

Recruit callers in the spring/early summer to make welcoming/informational calls to new school year and following up calls a few weeks after the start of school.
Recruit student and parent volunteers to help welcome parents and students back to school in September during new student registration day and returning student day.
Recruits parent volunteers and students in the summer prior to the beginning of the new to assist the Admission Office in the fall open house.

Adopt-a-Dorm Program

PAPA grew out of a desire to help support the school's faculty and staff in their duties as stewards of our children. The Adopt-a-Dorm Program is designed to lend assistance to the resident dorm parents if and when they need it. The Adopt-a-Dorm program is a program built around parent volunteers who are able to enhance dorm life and assist in building community spirit by supporting dorm parents and their surrogates. The program is set up to provide the same kind of support that a "Homeroom Parent" would in a classroom whereby parent volunteers help coordinate snacks and events.

In addition to enhancing dorm life, involvement in this effort helps parents connect with other parents, students and faculty creating a closer knit community for everyone. Your participation will be greatly appreciated! Proctor is a community of learners that is supported by loving, giving parents who share in the rewards of their student's success. Any and all Proctor parents, whether local or long distance, can become a part of this special effort.

All gifts to Adopt-a-Team functions should be made payable to "Proctor Academy" and sent to the following address:

Proctor Academy
Attention: Kristy Donaldson & Adopt-a-Dorm
P.O. Box 500
Andover, NH 03216-0500

Adopt-a-Team Program

This program serves the three-fold purpose of imbuing our athletic teams and afternoon activity groups with additional spirit, creating occasion for coaches/activity leaders, students and parents to socialize, and celebrating the accomplishments – both large and small – that regularly occur in our afternoon program. The program has been wildly successful! Coaches and students regularly express gratitude for the support offered by our loyal parents. For their part, parents have articulated appreciation for the opportunity to spend time with their children while meeting their children’s friends and networking with other Proctor parents.

At the heart of the program are team/activity group coordinators. The role of the coordinator is to communicate with parents (the athletic office provides contact information) as well as the coach/activity leader, and organize two (or more) events during the course of the season. So many parents are willing to support, that the role of the coordinator need not be taxing. Events might range from a simple reception with baked goods, fresh fruit and drinks to a full-blown BBQ. Our students and coaches/activity leaders are always grateful. For athletic teams, the event could occur following a competition. For an activity group, an event might be scheduled around a significant date or performance. We look forward to seeing you on the sidelines of our fields and in our studios!

All gifts to Adopt-a-Team functions should be made payable to "Proctor Academy" and sent to the following address:

Proctor Academy
Attention: Kristy Donaldson & Adopt-a-Team
P.O. Box 500
Andover, NH 03216-0500

Family Weekend Committee

Student Activities Committee

This committee was formed with the idea that PAPA is a service organization and there are ways parents could be supportive of the school with regard to the students and student activities. The committee has one point person who is the liaison between Proctor’s Student Activities staff and parent volunteer event coordinators. Areas PAPA might assist are:

Providing housing during Project Period
Support for guest speakers
Coordinating volunteer efforts for PAPA sponsored student events, the spring formal, senior dinner or other on-campus events.

Past Parent Newsletters

Each Friday, our Communications Team shares a comprehensive newsletter with parents. Send updated email addresses to Ellen Hackemann at hackemanel@proctoracademy.org. Please add communications@proctoracademy.org to your email Address Book. If you use a spam filter program, please assign this address a status of 'safe' or 'trusted.'

Recent Parent Pages:

Parent to Parent Advice

Questions about...

Grades & Schedules: Derek Nussbaum Wagler, Academic Dean (603) 735-6645
Travel: D Taylor, Admin. Assistant for Student Life (603) 735-6647
Finding a student on campus: Administration Office, Maxwell Savage (603) 735-6000
Roommate issues: Kyle Tremblay, Dean of Residential Life (603) 735-6772
Being a Day Student: John Bouton, Assistant Dean of Day Students (603) 735-6628

Banking

Dorm Life - Moving

Send minimal items the first time. Bring winter items up at Fall Family Weekend.
If your student has questions about dorms, roommates, etc. contact: Kyle Tremblay, Dean of Residential Life, tremblayky@proctoracademy.org or (603) 735-6772
For first time boarders it is great if they bring a picture of family and pets from home, stamps and an address book with names of family and friends, etc., detergent for the laundry in the dorm, a few posters, and a container to keep food and snacks organized. There are some storage areas in each dorm (basements can be damp in some cases, though.)
For students spending a term off-campus or needing summer storage, Proctor partners with Dorm Room Movers as a third party storage service. Learn more HERE.

Dorm Damage

Travel

Remember that airlines now can and often do charge for a third suitcase. Encourage your student to start ferrying things home during spring break or ship before the end of the year.
Use Manchester Airport if you can - it is a bit more expensive, but much more convenient for the students.
Remember that if your student is being picked up in Boston, MA, or Manchester, NH, following a vacation, the school-provided chartered transportation leaves at 5:30 PM. Make sure flights are in by then as they do not provide a late pick-up for late or delayed arrivals.
There is school-provided transportation from South Station in Boston, MA, after vacations, pick up is at 5:30 PM.

International Travel

Forwarding agents do not take suitcases or bags. Courier services take them; however, it is expensive. It may be less expensive to pack everything in boxes and send it by mail. Delivery may take longer, so plan for extra time.
Proctor partners with Dorm Room Movers as a third party storage service. Learn more HERE.
For international student help contact Morgan Salathe.

Visits

Arrive on Thursday afternoon for Fall Family Weekend. Join the golf tournament and then go to classes with your student Friday morning.
There are many scenic attractions you can take advantage of while here for a long weekend. The info booths on Routes 93 & 89 have all kinds of suggestions for places to go while visiting.
In the area there are a lot of good hiking trails - Ragged Mountain/Proctor, Mt. Kearsarge, Mt. Sunapee, even a short hike up the Blackwater, our ski area trails, can be fun.
Skiing in the winter is great (even for the beginner.) Try Ragged Mountain or Mt. Sunapee for a day.
Museums are all around you. Kearsarge Indian Museum is a gem in Warner. Go up to Dartmouth College in Hanover and visit the Hood Museum. If you have brought younger siblings, a trip to the Montshire Museum (right across the river) in Norwich, VT, is a lot of fun.
Check out the New London/Sunapee Area Chamber web site for things to do while here.
When you are in Concord, visit the AAA office at 2 Capital Plaza off Main Street. They have several discounts on area attractions, movies, and museums. These are available to members of AAA. It is open from 8:30-5:00 Mon-Fri. (800) 222-3422. A brochure is available listing all of the places that participate.

Weekends

Academics

Don't hesitate to call or email faculty, advisor, or staff if you have a concern. They are interested in helping you sort out issues or answering questions.
When you arrive for registration, you will receive a list with all your contacts for faculty, deans, dorm parents and advisor. This will help you know whom to talk to for problems.
New parents, develop a relationship with your student's advisor. The advisor is the conduit through which all information about your student should flow. Remember, however, your student's advisor is also teaching, coaching, and dorm parenting, so be patient with their response!

Weekend Activities

The faculty weekend team is responsible for hosting, creating, and planning weekend events with support and guidance from the Student Activities Office and Student Leaders. A variety of on- and off-campus activities are offered. On-campus events may include dancers, concerts, and theater performances. Faculty also sponsor on-campus activities such as ultimate frisbee, orienteering, capture-the-flag, broomball, and ping-pong tournaments. Off-campus trips are taken to nearby cities (such as Concord, Boston, or Hanover) and colleges for cultural events, dinners, sporting events, and shopping. In addition, trips are taken to nearby climbing sites, local rivers for kayaking, ice climbing in the winter, ski areas, hiking, and local beaches for surfing. Some off-campus activities may involve additional costs.

Tips for Day Student Parents

General Advice

Choose one spot on campus to meet your child for evening pick-up. (The stone table outside the dining hall is a popular choice.)
Consider hosting a boarding student over a weekend or short break. Students from afar appreciate a home-cooked meal and a break from the bustle of dorm life. This also connects boarders with day students in a healthy manner.
Day students are welcome at all meals in the dining hall. Arriving a few minutes early for breakfast, or staying on campus for dinner is a great way to meet new friends.

Whom To Contact

When you have to contact your son or daughter during the day, first call the Main Desk at (603) 735-6000. Next, call the Health Center at (603) 735-6737 (cell phone weekends and evenings - (603) 344-0915.)
If you decide to keep your child at home due to bad weather or driving conditions, call the Health Center (603) 735-6737 if it is before 8:00 AM. If it is after 8:00 AM, call the main school line (603) 735-6000 or the Dean of Students office (603) 735-6646.
If you decide to keep your child at home due to illness, call the Health Center at (603) 735-6737.
If you have questions regarding a day student problem contact Assistant Dean of Day Students John Bouton at (603) 735-6628.

Students Driving

For a day student to drive to Proctor, a day student permission form must be filled out, signed by student and parents and returned to the Dean of Students' Office.
All parking for day students is next to the field house. The car must remain there until it's time to go home. No driving on campus!
For a boarding student to ride in a day student’s car, the boarder must have a Riding Permission Form signed and filed with the Dean of Students, and the boarder must sign out at the dormitory and call the Administrator On Duty at 603-491-9282.

Lockers

Proctor Academy Parent Association