Click here if you are having trouble viewing this email.

September 2025

Family Weekend 2025

Family Weekend 2025 will be here before you know it! Click here for the full schedule. Additional details will be provided in the coming weeks. In the interim, here are some highlights:

Families are Invited to Campus and Classes!

We look forward to welcoming family members to campus. Programming will begin on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 9, with events for both families and parents/ guardians only.

Advisor Conferences

20-minute advisor conferences will be held on Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11.

Appointments will be scheduled via a system called Calendly according to the dates below. Please mark your calendars because spots fill up quickly.

Date System Opens	Family Type	Appointment Type
Thursday, Sept. 25	NEW families	Advisor appointment and general event registration
Monday, Sept. 29	RETURNING families	Advisor appointment and general event registration

Scheduling for advisor appointments closes on Friday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. EDT.

Senior Families: The College Office will meet via Zoom with senior families before Family Weekend (on Oct. 2-3). They will also schedule these appointments via Calendly. Please be on the lookout for emails from the College Office with registration details in the coming weeks.

Announced Holidays and Absence Requests

Classes are canceled on Monday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Students must remain on campus through their last official commitment. This includes classes, games, performances, and other co-curricular commitments scheduled through Saturday, Oct. 11. Therefore, if your student has a game or other obligation on Friday evening or Saturday, they must remain on campus. However, if your child is finished earlier, they may depart campus after their final commitment of the weekend.

All boarding students must return before 10 p.m. check-in on Tuesday, Oct. 14. See information below about submitting an absence request.

All absence requests must be submitted via Orah by Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m.

Parents are also asked to remind their student that they are required to sign out on the sign in/sign out form when departing campus.

Family Weekend Bus Transportation

Return transportation from New York City (Bryant Park, 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) will be offered on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. Students can make reservations now through Sept. 29 by completing a registration form, which they received via email. Reservations are required, and cancellations after Sept. 29 are non-refundable. After the Sept. 29 reservation deadline, late requests will be processed only if seats are available, and a late fee of $5 will be assessed.

Click here for the 2025-26 Transportation Schedule. Transportation questions may be directed to Laurie Grusauski via email.

Dr. Anne Bruder is announced as Hotchkiss's Next Head of School

Hotchkiss Announces Next Head of School

Dr. Anne Bruder was announced as Hotchkiss's next head of school during a meeting in Elfers Hall on Friday, Sept. 12. She will be the first woman to lead Hotchkiss when she starts on July 1, 2026. She succeeds Craig W. Bradley, who will retire in June 2026 after 10 years of devoted service to the School.

Watch the announcement and read more.

Upcoming Family Event

Wellness Speaker Livestream Event Thursday, Sept. 18

Join us via livestream on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. as the School community comes together for the first wellness event of the academic year.

Our featured speaker will be Ethan Kross, bestselling author of Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters and How to Harness It, as well as Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don’t Manage You. He is an award-winning professor at the University of Michigan and its Ross School of Business, who has participated in policy discussions at the White House and been interviewed on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, NPR’s Morning Edition, and more.

An email containing the livestream link will be sent to all families the morning of the event.

News and Reminders

Opening Days 2025: A Joyful Start

From student leader training, pre-season athletics, and student arrivals to the Contra Dance, trips to Fairfield Farm, and Matriculation, we've got it covered! Read more and view photos and videos from Opening Days.

Convocation and Major School Prize Ceremony

Convocation, a time-honored tradition, formally opened the school year on Sept. 5 and celebrated students during the major school prizes ceremony. Read a full recap or click below to watch the replay!

Thanksgiving Break Transportation

Bus reservation information and instructions will be included in the October Family Update.

Click here for the 2025-26 Transportation Schedule.

Add The Hotchkiss School to Your Mobile Phone Contacts

Never miss a call from Hotchkiss! Please add The Hotchkiss School to your mobile phone contacts (860-435-2591).

The College Corner

The College Office has started another school year with great energy. We are excited to welcome Ms. Jordana Irzyk as a new member of our team. On the day before classes began, Ms. Irzyk and the other college advisors met with their cohort of seniors and PGs to outline the roadmap for the year and transition from the college search to the application process. Individual meetings for the Class of 2026 are now underway, with advisors guiding students through each stage of college admissions—whether applying early, through regular decision, or via rolling deadlines. Advisors will cover all aspects of the application process, including forms, essays, recommendations, activities lists, and financial aid. Given the uneasiness essays often cause, advisors work closely with students, building on the essay workshop from this past spring. In mid-September, the College Office will go on its annual essay reading retreat, where each student's personal statement is reviewed, and constructive, collective feedback will be shared. Looking ahead to October, we will host two fall college fairs and application “lab” days to help students prepare for the first major deadline on Nov. 1.

Upper-mid students and families can expect communication from the College Office later this month to prepare for the Class of 2027's college process, which begins in December.