PHA Family Newsletter
Your Source for PreK-12 School Updates
September 19, 2025
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year!
As we embark on this new school year, I'm filled with both pride and anticipation. This year marks a truly special milestone—our 30th Anniversary.
Three decades of delivering educational excellence, three decades of strategically unlocking our students' brilliance, three decades of transforming lives, and three decades of unwavering commitment to deliver on our mission to prepare students for a lifelong love of learning, foster responsible citizenship, and with more than 90% of each graduating class having success to and through college right here in Somerville and Cambridge. MA.
As such, we are excited to welcome back our PreK-12 scholars and can’t wait to see them develop and grow this year. We’ve spent much of our summer preparing for this week with a clear path—a district and campus plan(s) to excellence in teaching and learning that yields high student outcomes in all domains! In the coming weeks, we will share the specifics of these plans.
Last week, our faculty and staff worked hard to create positive, inviting, and affirming learning spaces at each campus. This week, students have started developing their academic and social-emotional learning skills as they settle into our inclusive community, developing a sense of belonging and rekindling old and building new relationships with one another and faculty and staff. Additionally, our faculty and staff have begun to assess our students’ knowledge and design effective learning plans to move their learning forward continually. As you might imagine, many of our students have set their own hopes and dreams for this new school year. As such, we invite you to lean in and partner with us to ensure that your child(ren)’s learning journey this school year is successful.
We THANK YOU in advance for your support and look forward to partnering with you this Anniversary year to celebrate PHA and the teaching and learning outcomes of students
With gratitude,
Angela
Angela F. Allen Ph.D.
Head of School / CEO
10/13/2025: SCHOOLS CLOSED: Indigenous Peoples Day
10/14/2025 & 10/15/2025: SCHOOLS CLOSED: Professional Teachers Development Days
10/18/2025: STEAM Saturday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Essex St)
10/18/2025: Fall Fest: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Webster)
10/25/2025: STEAM Saturday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Essex St)
11/01/2025: STEAM Saturday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Essex St)
11/08/2025: STEAM Saturday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Essex St)
New Faculty and Staff Spotlights
Meet MaryFrances Tintle, our new Early Childhood Campus Director!
Ms. Tintle joins PHA with over 30 years of experience in elementary education, beginning her career as a first-grade teacher in Roxbury, MA. Her extensive background spans classroom teaching and 17 years as an elementary school administrator. For six years, she served as principal in Pinehurst, North Carolina. After returning to her home in New England, she continued her leadership journey as a principal in Lowell, MA. In addition to her school-based roles, Ms. Tintle has worked as an educational consultant in districts across the United States, supporting school improvement efforts and instructional practices.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, a Master’s degree in Elementary Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study, all from Fitchburg State University.
Ms. Tintle is passionate about early childhood education and is excited to bring her experience, energy, and commitment to the PHA community, as illustrated throughout her career.
In fact, last Friday, Ms. Tintle ended the school day with a surprise group of 10 visitors — from her 1989 first grade class at St. Patrick School in Roxbury, MA. Upon learning that Ms. Tintle was back in MA, they coordinated a visit. "It was an unbelievable surprise! Something I never would've expected in a million years! I was their teacher 36 years ago!!", said Ms. Tintle. It's extraordinary that Mary's students, now adults, remembered the positive impact she had on their lives all those years ago. This well-choreographed reunion speaks volumes about her dedication as a teacher and the lasting connections she made. It is a powerful testament to the enduring bond between teachers and their students. We already see Mary planting the seeds for the magical and lasting relationships with our young scholars and families at the Early Childhood Center.
We are happy to introduce Susie Smith, our new Middle School Assistant Principal!
"I am excited and honored to be joining the PHAM family as the new Assistant Principal! I began my career in Lawrence, teaching middle school math, and most recently, I served as a high school history teacher and instructional coach in Lynn. I was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, where I was fortunate enough to attend schools that challenged me with rigorous, individualized work—projects I often helped design and lead—and that connected me deeply to my local community. That experience led me to firmly believe that school can be rigorous, relevant to the real world, and enjoyable!
I hope to continue building on the work that PHA has done to provide students with a project-based curriculum that is authentic to their interests and fosters a love for life-long learning. Outside of work, I enjoy reading novels, cooking, crafting, and spending time with my friends—and my cat, Biscuit", said Ms. Smith.
First Day of School for our New and Returning Scholars
We were thrilled to welcome our new and returning students to school earlier this month!
Our scholars are excited and ready for the new school year ahead!
Check out some of the wonderful First Day of School photos our families shared with us below, and see the full album here.
Thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Somerville for once again organizing a backpack and school supply drive to benefit PHA and Somerville students! Thanks to their generous support, our students will receive brand new backpacks donated by PUMA and school supplies from the community & Kiwanis members.
PHA's Director of Computer Science Chairs CSTA Annual Conference
Congratulations to Dr. Ruth Farmery, PHA's Director of K-12 Computer Science, who recently chaired the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers' Association) annual conference held on July 8-11 in Cleveland, OH!
"I was really happy to hear feedback from attendees that they appreciated the program we had put together for this year. On Wednesday, I joined the stage before the keynote to thank the rest of the 2025 committee for all their work, and at the Awards Banquet (also Wednesday), I was recognized by Jake Baskin (CSTA Executive Director) for my role as Conference Chair", Dr. Ruth Farmery.
Read more here.
PHA Recognized as USDA "Breakfast Trailblazer"
We are deliciously delighted to share that PHA has been recognized by the USDA as a national "Breakfast Trailblazer" for the work that our Meals Program has done to decrease added sugar in breakfasts, and improve the breakfast program during the 2024-2025 school year!
Read more about this impressive recognition here.
Message from Michelle Doyle, Meals Program Director
Welcome back to another great school year!
The Meals Team is excited to once again feed our students FREE breakfast and lunch. Meals are free when students take all required components (which includes a fruit or vegetable!). More information and menus can be found on our website: https://www.phacs.org/apps/pages/meals-program.
This year, we are thrilled to be cooking and serving all of our breakfasts, hot lunches and cold lunches at all campuses! Thank you for your patience as we learn our way around our new kitchens and slowly introduce new menu items.
We are grateful for the many years Essence of Thyme & Cravings (“ETC”) catered our hot meals, and are excited for this new chapter of offering fresh, nutritious & healthful meals to our students.
Feel free to reach me at any time at mdoyle@phacs.org
Happy Eating!
Michelle Doyle, MS MPH
Meals Director
Message from the Nursing Team
Welcome back PHA families!
We are all experiencing the excitement that comes with a new year. This also means attending to the many tasks that are necessary to make the transition back to school a smooth one for everybody.
The Nurse team has been working to maintain our medical records to meet the requirements of our state and district policies. Please make sure to submit all documents that have been requested of you.
All students new to PHA, as well as re-enrolling students entering grades 4,7, and 10, must have an updated physical exam, performed on or after 09/01/2024, submitted to the school nurse at the beginning of the year. Additionally, we must be able to verify that all mandated state immunizations are up-to-date.
Students who plan to participate in athletics must also provide the same documentation, regardless of grade.
If you have an upcoming appointment, please contact your school nurse and let them know the date of the appointment.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
The PHA Nurse Team:
Gaby Mendez(MS/HS) 617.284.7908
gmendez@phacs.org
Courtney Farber (UE) 617.684.8508
cfarber@phacs.org
Ernsy Alabre(EC) 617.284.7808
ealabre@phacs.org
Nurse fax: 857.575.1274
