Photo proofs for the Upper and Middle Schools were emailed by Highpoint Pictures on October 23. The message comes from support@theimageconnection.com, so please check your spam or junk folder if needed. 

To order printed photos or digital files, follow the instructions in that email. Free shipping is available through November 9, and the final order deadline is December 31. Retouching options are also available.

Short Hills Campus photo packages will be mailed to families within the week.
Retake Day for both campuses is Thursday, November 13:
Basking Ridge Campus (Faculty Collaboration Room): 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Students absent on the original photo day may take a no-cost retake. Students requesting a new photo will be charged a $10 retake fee ($25 for seniors). To sign up, please email Highpoint directly.

Questions? Contact Highpoint at 914-738-5500 or staff@highpointpictures.com.

Join us on the beautiful Pottersville Campus for an afternoon of line dancing, games, and fall fun. The event will begin with line dancing in the Dining Hall and wrap up with lawn games and S’mores outside (weather permitting). Come dressed in your favorite flannel, boots, hats, and fall festival attire. All grade levels are welcome, and parents are required to attend with their children. Register here by midnight on Thursday, November 13. 

This event is presented in collaboration with Experiential Education and the Pingry Dance Spark Grant. To learn more about our Spark Grants, click here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Assistant Director of Communications, Internal Strategy Jen Belcher and/or Lower School Dean of Students Erik Hove.

Every year, our Head of School sends a New Year’s card featuring students’ artwork to the Pingry community, and it’s time to collect entries!

Artwork/designs should be geared to the winter season and/or New Year’s 2026, and should not include religious or holiday themes. The chosen designs will be used to create the greeting card that will wish our community a Happy New Year.

Final submissions are due by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 14 to Natalie Gonzalez, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, with the subject line “Pingry New Year’s card art submission.” All artwork must be submitted in a digital image format (jpeg or png)—save the original for home, please!

The PSPA and Department of Community Engagement and Social Impact have partnered with several organizations for our school-wide Thanks-For-Giving Drive. 

• Lower School: We have partnered with Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (MEND). MEND is a hunger relief network focused on increasing access to high-quality, culturally relevant, and nutritious food for all residents of Essex County, through a growing and collaborative network of food pantries and community partners. Using a blend of supplemental food pantry support, free fresh food markets, and healthy home deliveries, MEND breaks down barriers that prevent people from otherwise getting the good food they need and deserve, and improves the health of our community.
• Middle School: We have partnered with God’s Co-op Pantry. God’s Co-op Pantry looks to help those in our local and surrounding communities meet the basic human need for food. Their food pantry primarily serves three distinct and growing populations including veterans, senior citizens, and members of the general population inclusive of all faiths.
• Upper School: We have partnered with GRACE, Giving & Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials. GRACE meets community needs with community resources to enable the good health and success of their vulnerable and underserved neighbors. GRACE brings fresh nutrient-dense food and essentials to everyone in their community while providing a space for accessing stabilizing supports and community building. 

Donation Requests: Thanksgiving Meal Kit Items
Lower School: Thanksgiving Staples
$25 ShopRite Gift Cards - please deliver gift cards to Mona Sinclair in the front office
Gravy, Boxed Stuffing, Canned Yams, Spices and Seasonings, and Baking mixes

Middle School: Pantry Essentials
Vegetable Oil (48 oz.), Maseca Flour (corn flour used for tortillas), Canned Chicken (12 oz. can), Dry Black Beans (16 oz. bag), Spaghetti, Pasta Sauce, Progresso or Campbell's Chunky Soups, Ground Coffee, Tuna (5 oz.) 

Upper School: Spices
Popular spices including, but are not limited to, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili flakes, coriander, and cinnamon; Spice packets including, but not limited to, Sazon and Adobo

For this year’s drive, we have set goals:

• Lower School: collecting enough donations to provide Thanksgiving Meal for 125 Families. 
• Middle School: collecting enough donations to provide Meals for 50 Families.
• Upper School: collecting 600 Spices, which will allow each family to get a spice to accent their meals.

Please check out our campus flyers: Lower School Thanks-For-Giving Drive flyer, Middle School Thanks-For-Giving Drive flyer, Upper School Thanks-For-Giving Drive flyer

Please plan to park and bring your donation items to the collection bins in the front entrance.

 As a reminder, Pingry will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the date of the Book Club will be changing. We’ll share updated details in an upcoming BBB. Thank you for your understanding.
 

The November 2025 issue of The Pingry Record—our first edition of the school year—has just been published! This issue features a range of articles, interviews, and student perspectives highlighting the incredible creativity and curiosity of our community. Check out the online issue here! We hope you enjoy reading the voices of Pingry’s student journalists!

Looking for the perfect gift for the special people in your life or a treat for yourself? Look no further than The Bear Pause!

We have a fantastic selection of Pingry-branded apparel, accessories, home goods, and office supplies for everyone on your list: Gift grandma or grandpa a “Pingry Grandma” or “Pingry Grandpa” cap and cozy slipper socks. Surprise your best friend with a Little Words bracelet or a new mug. Treat your student to a new hoodie and water bottle. Upgrade the alumni in your life’s wardrobe with a Peter Millar 1/4 zip and vest. Outfit little ones in our infant and toddler apparel. Grab travel mugs and warm hats for busy, on-the-go parents.

No matter who you’re shopping for, The Bear Pause has you covered this season! Check out the flyer below for details on our Holiday Sale!

 

The PSPA and Department of Community Engagement and Social Impact will host our annual MLK All-School Day of Service. This is a great opportunity to give back to the community and raise awareness about important community organizations. This year, we have had overwhelming interest from our student body to lead service stations on behalf of a non-profit they care about, and we couldn’t be more proud of these students!

At this time, we are also looking for parents/guardians who would like to lead a project station, and we want to encourage any parents/guardians interested in leading a service project to complete this form as soon as possible. Learn more about the event and what it means to run a project station here.
 
If you are interested in leading a station, please complete this form. Space may be limited, so please get your proposals in soon. Our project station intake form will be open until all project stations have been filled, and an announcement will be made in the Big Blue Bulletin.
 

Last month, bestselling author and higher-education expert Jeff Selingo joined the Pingry community for a timely, thoughtful conversation about what really matters in the college process.

At Pingry, we graduate good people—students who think critically, listen with compassion, and bring courage and character into a world that needs both. For our College Counseling Office, the goal isn’t just to help students get into college. It’s to help them find a place that meets their ambition and values, and to support them as they become the kind of people who will thrive there.

Thank you to the many parents/guardians who joined us in person for this event. To view a recording of Jeff Selingo's conversation with Senior Associate Director of College Counseling Meg Finegan, click here. 

Please read this letter from Director of Operations Michael Saraceno for important details about delayed openings, early dismissals, and school closings.

Please read this letter from Transportation Coordinator AJ Passaro  for important details about how delayed openings, early dismissals, and school closures affect bussing at Pingry.

The Department of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is proud to partner with and support affinity groups for parents. These groups are for parents or guardians within the Pingry community who themselves or their children identify within the specific groups and can speak from the “I” perspective regarding their experiences as members of those communities. Some groups will be getting together in the coming weeks for coffee and conversation. Please click here to RSVP or contact Dr. Gilberto Olvera, Director of DEIB, if you have any questions. These fall coffees will be in the O’Connor Boardroom on the Basking Ridge Campus from 8:40–9:40 a.m. 

• South Asian Families Affinity Group (POSTPONED)

We’re excited to launch the Pingry Alumni & Family Business Directory—a new way to highlight the many businesses owned and operated by our Pingry community!

This directory will serve as a trusted resource and a great opportunity to showcase your business, connect with others, and support one another. To be included, please complete the brief form linked here. (Note: You must be the business owner or founder to submit your business.)

Once the directory is ready to go live, we’ll share it with the community so you can explore and connect with fellow Pingry families and alumni.

Thank you for helping us celebrate and strengthen the Pingry network!
 

Have an idea for a parent social event? Have a skill/space/business that other Pingry parents would enjoy spending time in or learning about? Parent socials can be a happy hour, dance/fitness class, or any other fun adult group activity. 

Reach out to PSPA VP of Parent Socials Tania Shehzad to plan and discuss any ideas you might have! 

The PSPA has had an exciting start to the school year—check out the highlights in the latest edition of the PSPA Volunteer Newsletter! Featured in this edition are photos from 14 different events in September and October, as well as a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities. We hope this newsletter continues to showcase the amazing efforts of our volunteers to the whole community and further encourages volunteers to sign up for upcoming events.

In addition to the All–Parent and Guardian Meeting and our Casual Conversations, we’ve hosted Faculty & Staff Appreciation events, Volunteer Fairs, and Big Blue Pride events, as well as organized our first few Parent Socials and supported the school with Arts & Beautification and Library volunteers and at Homecoming and Friday Night Lights!

THANK YOU to the over 390 volunteers who have helped out at an event already this year and the over 350 parents in attendance across our All–Parent and Guardian Meeting and Casual Conversations!

Wear Your Favorite Pingry Spirit Gear! The Lower School will host a Spirit Day to celebrate our Field Hockey Team, as well as the Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Teams, who have advanced to the Non-Public State Tournament and Sectional Finals. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged, but not required, to wear Pingry colors and their favorite Pingry gear! Go Big Blue! 

Connect with Pingry parents! The PSPA’s Grade-specific parent socials are a great way to meet other families, so mark your calendars for the events below (details and Punchbowl invitations follow). 5th grade coming soon!

Grade 4: Friday, November 14 
View Invitation Here!

Grade 1: Friday, December 5 @ 7 pm
View Invitation Here!

Grade 3: Saturday, December 6
View Invitation Here! 
 

A big THANK YOU to all who volunteered and helped support the Lower School Book Fair last week. It was a huge success thanks to the Pingry community. But it’s not over! The Pingry Book Fair continues online at Pingry Scholastic HomePage until November 17! Online sales continue to benefit the School until the 17th. Thank you all!

The Lower School Library will be hosting our annual Native American Heritage Read-In. The goal of our Read-In is to make literature a significant part of Native American Heritage Month, which is nationally recognized as the month of November, and to celebrate the works of a variety of authors and illustrators. All are welcome to participate. Pingry families are invited to join our Kindergarten through Grade 5 library classes to read books written by Native American authors to the students. To sign up to be a reader, please go to the Lower School Library Native American Read-In Sign-up. For more information on the variety of Read-Ins we will host throughout the year, please click here.

Calling all students! The Lower School has launched this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest in classes this month. Students are eager to share their creativity and imaginative ideas for this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest.  This annual contest encourages students to think about this year’s theme, then imagine and create a Google Doodle—a piece of art that incorporates the letters G-o-o-g-l-e—based on what the prompt inspires in them. This year’s theme is, My superpower is…

Students are starting to brainstorm ways they can celebrate their unique strengths and express themselves through original art. While at home, students can unleash their creativity by designing their Doodle using markers, crayons, paint, or any other medium they prefer, for the opportunity to become a winner in the "Doodle for Google" competition.

Students who would like to officially enter the contest should return their completed entry form, signed by their parent/legal guardian, to their homeroom teacher, by November 21, 2025.

The National Winner’s artwork will be featured on the Google homepage. Click here for more information about the contest.

For any additional questions, please contact Alana Zussman. 

We are pleased to announce that the Lunchroom Visitor Program is back for parents of Grades 1, 2, and 3 this year. Parents are invited to join their child’s class for lunch. This is a unique opportunity for parents to spend time with their children and observe their genuine interactions with their peers. Please refer to the detailed email sent by your Class Parent for more information about the program and how to sign up. 

Registration is now open for the 2026 Math Kangaroo contest. Please use the following code to register your child in Grades 1–5 for the Pingry administration of the contest, which will be online (and proctored via Zoom) Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Invitation Code: NJSHORT0002001@2026math
Registration Link 

Please contact Ms. Verna Lange with questions about the Math Kangaroo contest.

While it’s not quite winter yet, it’s getting cold outside…Brrr…Our students will continue to go outside for P.E., Recess, and other breaks now and throughout the winter season. Therefore, students should dress warmly and pack coats, hats, and extra layers of clothing for these outdoor activities. Please remember to mark your child’s name on clothing. 

The first Student Government event of the year is a brand new one: Fall Fest! All students are invited to remain after school to celebrate the cozy vibes of fall. Planned activities include cookie decorating, a festive film, an escape room, and more. Students do not need to register ahead of time. In celebration of fall cozy vibes, November 14 will feature a Relaxed Dress Code Day that allows for pajamas, which are usually not permitted.

Connect with Pingry parents! The PSPA’s Grade-specific parent socials are a great way to meet other families. Save the date for the upcoming Parent Socials:

Grade 6 - Saturday, November 15
View Invitation Here!
 

The Middle School is excited to bring back its annual Talent Show for the ninth year in a row. The afternoon will be an exciting way to kick off Winter Break, and it will provide Middle School students an amazing opportunity to showcase their multitude of talents for their peers. Auditions will take place during FLEX on November 19 and 20. Students who would like to sign up to audition should use this Google Form between now and Monday, November 17.
 

Great news! The deadline to apply for this year’s Vibrant China Global Program has been pushed back to Friday, November 21. We invite Form I and II students of Chinese and heritage speakers to apply! Please contact Ms. Yifan Xu or Dr. Gillian Johnson with questions.

Please join Pingry’s Middle School Trimester 1 music students for this sharing event in the Lower Commons, just inside the building’s main clock-tower entrance. Participating students who are staying at school until the concert will be provided with dinner at 5:30 p.m. and report for final rehearsal at a time that will be specified by their strings, chorus, or band teacher. Dress for students should be appropriate concert attire in alignment with the “Dress Code for Special Occasions.” Please reach out to your child’s music teacher if you have any questions about the event.
 

On certain Wednesdays, the Basking Ridge Campus sets aside morning time for faculty collaboration and professional development. The next of these Wednesdays will occur on December 5, when the first class will consequently begin at 9:30 a.m. Busses will run at their regular times, and students are still welcome to enter the building as early as 7:00 a.m. Supervision will be provided to students who arrive ahead of the 9:30 a.m. start.

In December, we will host student-led conferences, which are meetings between students, families, and advisors to discuss student progress, goals, strengths, and areas for improvement. No Middle School classes will be held that day, and advisors have reached out to schedule half-hour time slots with families. Conferences require that students and at least one parent or guardian attend in-person on the Basking Ridge Campus. For conferences in the Middle School, please enter through the Middle School entrance.

Green Key is an application-based organization that runs tours of Pingry’s farm, forest, and composter for prospective students, alumni, and current students, faculty, and staff. The group also sometimes helps run advisory activities and other events to promote sustainability on our Basking Ridge Campus. We are seeking new members, particularly Form III and IV students, who are interested in the environment and like interacting with people. Interested students should fill out this application by Friday, November 21.

One Wednesday per month begins with Faculty Collaboration Time, which pushes back the school day start time by one hour. Therefore, on December 3, the first class will begin at 9:30 a.m. Busses will run at their regular times, and students are still welcome to enter the building as early as 7:00 a.m.

Pingry’s Introduction to Networking Workshops return in December! Designed to help students build confidence in professional settings, these interactive sessions teach the fundamentals of effective communication, digital presence, and authentic relationship-building. Whether you’re preparing for Career Day, college interviews, or your first internship, these sessions will equip you with practical skills to make a lasting impression. 

Led by alumni and industry professionals, the workshops will explore:

• Establishing Your Brand: Crafting a positive digital footprint and professional persona.
• LinkedIn Basics: How to create and leverage your profile for future opportunities.
• The Art of Conversation: Initiating, sustaining, and closing interactions—virtually and in person.
• AI & Networking: Using technology responsibly to support connections and career exploration.
• And Other Essential Soft Skills

Click here to register for the Introduction to Networking Workshops! If you have any questions, please reach out to Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement Caitlin Farrell at cfarrell@pingry.org.

Parent conferences are an excellent way to strengthen the partnership between school and family. In both the Upper and Middle Schools, conferences will take place on December 12.

For Form III families, these will be student-supported conferences, with students helping to discuss their progress, setbacks, and goals at Pingry. As such, Form III students are expected to attend the conference. To accommodate different schedules, parents may participate either in person or remotely. Parents will meet their advisor in the US Commons by the Main Entrance. Conferences for Forms IV–VI will continue as Advisor/Guardian meetings.

To schedule an Upper School conference, open the Conference Sign-up List and select your child’s advisor’s link. Please schedule only with your child’s advisor.

From the 2026 Commencement Committee: As you finalize your seniors’ selections and orders, here are a few suggestions:

• Digital Copy: Consider ordering a digital copy for announcements, résumés, or other uses.
• Touch-Ups: Because the selected photos will be used in an enlarged format for the Graduation Lawn Sign displays in June, please let Highpoint know if your senior would like the touch-up option (additional fee) by checking the appropriate box when ordering. 

Thank you and we look forward to celebrating your senior soon! 
 

The Yearbook Team invites you to place an advertisement for a member(s) of the Class of 2026 in this year’s Blue Book! You can easily create your ad by using our streamlined ad creation software. Simply visit The Jostens website and follow these directions. You can choose from an updated collection of templates, upload your photos, and add your text with your choice of fonts, all right on your computer. For those who wish to create your own ad from scratch, you may do so and upload a high-res JPG of the finished product.

Ads will be charged at the rate of $899 for a full page, $599 for a half page, and $350 for a quarter page. The price of your ad will be charged to your Pingry account at checkout by entering one of these three codes when prompted:
PINGRYAD-FULL
PINGRYAD-HALF
PINGRYAD-QUARTER

Please note: if you choose to pay with your credit card through PayPal, you will be charged an additional $8.99 service fee for handling by Jostens. Charge the ad to your Pingry account instead and save the service fees.

If you have any questions regarding your ad creation and purchase, please reach out to Yearbook Advisor Peter Blasevick, and a member of the yearbook staff will help you through the process.
 

Connect with Pingry parents! The PSPA’s Grade-specific parent socials are a great way to meet other families, so mark your calendars for the events below:

Form III (9th Grade) 
Form III date coming soon. 

Form V - April 24, 2026
Adult Social is following Pre-Prom festivities.

Form VI - April 24, 2026
Adult Social is following Pre-Prom festivities.
 

Please save the date to celebrate the Class of 2026 at Pingry’s 165th Commencement Exercises. in the Bugliari Athletics Center. The ceremony will be held on the scheduled day and time regardless of the weather. More details about the ceremony will be provided throughout the year through the Big Blue Bulletin and pingry.org/commencement. Last month, seniors were emailed a diploma form. Please make sure the name they entered is agreed upon for both the diploma and display in the Commencement program.