Parent FAQs

For a list of what items students should bring, please refer to page 144 of the SPS Handbook. More information about the electrical/fixture restrictions and furniture/decorating restrictions can be found in the Safety section of the SPS Handbook on pages 52-54.

Students should bring rain boots, snow boots, a raincoat, winter jackets, and hats and gloves. Ice skates are great to have for pick-up games on Turkey pond!

How often you speak to your child varies greatly from family to family. We suggest talking with your child to find a mutually beneficial time and method.

Many parents use AMAZON Pantry to send essentials. Packages can be addressed to the School and then picked up at the School's Post Office by your child.

The daily schedule is rigorous and follows a basic formula of Chapel, classes, athletics, meals, activities, study, and sleep – six days a week.
Click here to view a sample schedule.

Our on-campus health center is staffed 24 hours a day by registered nurses.

A pre-determined amount of athletic credits are required depending on form year. There are alternatives to organized team sports every season.
Refer to the Graduation Requirements page on the website for credits required.

Students may switch sports before the season begins. Every trimester has a drop/add deadline for switching courses.

The requirements are listed on the Graduation Requirements page on the website.

Clark House is open 24 hours a day, 7 day a week, while School is in session and has a staff of nurses present during these times. The contact number is (603) 229-4850 and the e-mail is anurse@sps.edu. The medical director or his coverage is in the office most days and is available for emergencies 24/7.

Dr. John Bassi, M.D., the medical director, has been working in the Concord area caring for adolescents for almost 20 years. He is a graduate of Brown University School of Medicine and a board-certified family physician with several years of surgical training and a strong interest in sports medicine. Ms. Lisa Eberhart, the director of counseling services, Mr . Ryan Shirilla, and Dr. Amy Blanchard, comprise our counseling staff and are available for scheduled appointments or for urgent/emergent needs 24/7. In addition we have a dietician available 20 hours-per-week and a psychiatrist who is on campus every other week. The Community Engagement office and the Living in Community office are located in Clark House. There is a meditation room and a full spectrum light room. We also offer flu shots to all our students, faculty and staff.

Simply call, stop by, or e-mail anurse@sps.edu to schedule an appointment with any of the professionals.

Please refer to the Student Handbook for our medication policy. If your student is taking a stimulant (ADHD medication), psychotropic (anti-depressant, anti-anxiety medications, etc.), or an opiate, it is our policy that the medication be stored at Clark House and administered on a dose-by-dose basis. To access the medication, the student will come by the health center, check-in, and go to the medication window where a nurse will administer a dose of the medication as prescribed. When medication is dropped off at Clark House it must be in a bubble or “blister” pack so please ask your local pharmacy to package it this way and provide a travel bottle (an empty labeled bottle) for each of your child’s medications. Other medication such as acne creams and antibiotics, can be stored in the student’s room where the student will be responsible for self-administering.

Throughout the year, the health center promotes ways to reduce illness and injury, namely handwashing, hand sanitizing, not sharing water bottles, coughing into one’s elbow, wearing helmets, and using bug spray and sun screen during times of prolonged sun exposure. If your child is injured or sick and is unable to attend classes, he or she will come to the health center where a medical evaluation will be conducted and if warranted, will be admitted to aid in recovery. You will be notified if your child is spending the night at the health center or if a medication is prescribed. Once your child has improved, there may or may not be some restrictions, and they will be allowed to return to School life. If their illness or injury requires more attention than we can provide at Clark House, your child will be taken to the Concord Hospital Emergency Room (a half-mile down the road), referred to a consultant in the local community, or taken to an urgent care clinic. You will be notified if your child requires care beyond what we can provide. If you live locally and desire to have your child at home during recovery, the health center will coordinate arrangements with you.

SPS has had an excellent relationship with Concord Orthopaedics Professional Associates (COPA) for many years. They are located less than a half-mile down the roa d, across the street from Concord Hospital. Our athletic trainers take injured students to “ ortho clinic” twice weekly. For more acute situations there are several urgent care facilities in the area, including the Acute Injury Clinic through COPA which is open most evenings.

Students who are ill usually recover quickly and are back to routine in a relatively short time. On occasion, a student’s illness or mental health situation may require a leave of absence from the School. In a situation where a student requires care beyond what we can provide at the health center or if recovery from an acute situation will take longer than a few days, a short term health leave may be in order. Leaving the School for a short duration for medical or mental health illness will be discussed and coordinated with parents. In the event that the School is faced with outbreaks of contagious illnesses such as the flu or Norovirus, we may encounter situations where the health center exceeds its capacity. In such cases, we would ask parents who live within a three-hour drive of the School to take their ill child home.

There are occasions when a student’s health needs fall beyond w hat we can provide at the School. In an acute, potentially life threatening situation, 911 will be called and the student will be transported to Concord Hospital Emergency Department, during which time the health center staff and/or Dr. Bassi will communicate with parents. In other circumstances when it is determined by Dr. Bassi that a student needs treatment for a nonlife-threatening illness, the student may be transported to Concord Hospital Emergency Department in an ambulance or by Dr. Bassi, a faculty member, or an SPS Safety officer. Concord Hospital is a half-mile down the road. If the Emergency Room determines that the student needs to be hospitalized, a pediatric hospitalist will admit your child. Dr. Bassi will follow the hospitalized student. Parents will be notified throughout the entire process, speaking with a nurse, Dr. Bassi, the hospital Emergency Room physician and/or the admitting physician. Coordination of care and updates on progress are of the highest importance during these urgent times, and we make it our priority to communicate with you as your child is taken through the hospital system.

There are several options in and around Concord that can be found on the Visitor Center page of our website.

There are three designated weekend recesses a year: Family Weekend, Mid-Winter Weekend, and Spring Recess. Please refer to the calendar card for dates.

There are three school vacations per year: Thanksgiving Recess (one week), Christmas Vacation (three weeks), and Spring Vacation (three weeks). Refer to the calendar card for specific dates.

Yes. Buses provide transportation to many places in New England, including major airports. Information on bus travel is provided prior to each recess. Click here to view a sample schedule.

No. SPS uses Able Moving and Storage. Contact Sharon Zayas at 603-882-2340 or 800-886-2340. Click here for general information about this service.

Without any deliveries to campus, the School would be able to keep the community fed for up to two weeks. All dormitories are equipped with emergency generators to provide electricity throughout the dorm during a power outage.

Clark House, a 14-bed medical center that functions much like a family practice, is open 24/7 when School is in session. Dr. John Bassi, a board certified family practitioner, a staff of caring nurses, two counselors, and two athletic trainers provide care for the School. Concord Regional Hospital and a multi-specialty orthopedic group are less than a mile away. Clark House phone is 603-229-4850

Each year, at the opening of School, the Safety Department requests that families living beyond a five-hour travel radius by car will have designated a friend or relative who can be relied upon to pick up their child in the event of an emergency. Families living within the five-hour travel radius should anticipate the need to pick up their child. Please contact Tim McGinley at tmcginley@sps.edu to confirm that the information you have provided is still current.