For student mail, the address is:
Student Name, Blair Academy, PO Box 900, Blairstown, NJ 07825

For mail to business or academic offices, the address is:
Blair Academy, PO Box 600, Blairstown, NJ 07825

When using UPS, FedEx and other shipping companies, the address is:
Student Name, Blair Academy, 2 Park Street, Blairstown, NJ 07825

If your child becomes sick, he or she should go to the on-campus J. Brooks Hoffman Health Center. There are beds available if a child needs to stay over. Blair also uses the services of Dr. Cullen, a local physician who comes to Blair for appointments. Blair refers emergency cases to Newton Memorial Hospital in Newton, NJ, approximately 10 miles away.

During Community Weekends, boarding students are required to remain on campus. Day students are welcome and encouraged to be on campus but are not required to do so. There are generally extra activities planned for the students. These weekends are designed to promote bonding time among the student body or to encourage studying during exams periods. There are two Community Weekends in September and one in May. Special requests for exceptions should be addressed to Carm Mazza, dean of student affairs-school life. 

CLASS-DAY ATTIRE is most analogous to the “business casual” style in the work world … neat, clean and modest. Students are expected to wear class-day attire from breakfast through the end of the class day on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays and Fridays, and from breakfast through lunch on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Also, whenever they are representing the School in any official capacity – be it on or off-campus – students should wear class-day attire, unless formal attire has been specified. No hats, caps, head bands, bandanas, hoods, visors, etc. (during inclement winter weather, winter knit hats may be worn outside).

Boys should wear …

• Neat and properly fitted solid color slacks (khakis, chinos or corduroys … all with hemmed legs and belts. No oversized, baggy or low hanging pants and no denim material (pants or jackets).
• Collared shirts (tucked in if the shirt tails are of uneven length) at all times. No sweatshirts (zippered or otherwise).
• Socks and shoes in good condition (leather shoes preferred … clean, neat athletic shoes allowed). No casual sandals … shower/sport sandals, flip flops, etc. (casual sandals will be allowed during “shorts season”).

Girls should wear …

• Dresses, neat and properly fitted slacks (including capri pants), or khakis … no denim material (pants or jackets).
  
• Skirts of respectable, modest length … no more than 4” above the knee. No “see-through” dresses, blouses, skirts or pants. No “sweat-skirts,” or sweat shirts. No denim skirts.
• Dress shirts or blouses that fit neatly, are appropriately buttoned, cover both shoulders and do not reveal any midriff, lower back or undergarments. No spaghetti straps, tank tops, halter tops, tube tops, etc. No low-cut blouses/ shirts. No sweatshirts. No denim jackets.
• Leather shoes or dress sandals (or clean, neat athletic shoes). No casual sandals, shower/sport sandals or flip-flops (casual sandals will be allowed during shorts season).

FORMAL ATTIRE
Boys should wear …

• Pants that meet the class day requirement.
• Button down shirt and tie.
• Leather dress shoes and socks. (No athletic shoes).
• Blazer or sport coat.

Girls should wear

• Skirts, dresses (with shoulders covered) or dress slacks (not khakis).
• Dress shirts or blouses that fit neatly, are appropriately buttoned, cover both shoulders and do not reveal any midriff, lower back or undergarments. No spaghetti straps, tank tops, halter tops, tube tops, etc. No low-cut blouses/ shirts. No sweatshirts. No denim jackets.
• Dress shoes or dress sandals. (No athletic shoes).

Parents may put money in a student’s account by contacting Beth Flores in the Business Office at (908) 362-6121 ext. 5615. Cash, checks made payable to Blair Academy and credit cards are accepted. Students use their ID card which doubles as a debit card for purchases in the bookstore and The Black Canteen. Students may also use this card to withdraw cash from the Student Bank (located in the bookstore). Parents can limit how much a student may spend per week, month or term in any particular area.

Some children do experience homesickness, especially in the first few weeks of school. If this happens, encourage your child to get involved! You should also encourage him/her to speak with their prefect, housemaster, advisor or monitor. You may contact the housemaster or advisor as well. These people often have a more realistic sense of how your child is doing than he/she does. Support your child, but remember, many phones calls and visits home will usually prolong the homesickness.

Weekend activities range from trips into New York City, to fast food runs and trips to the mall. There are also various planned activities on campus. For a complete schedule, see the Weekend Highlights section of the website. Posted by 3:00 p.m. on Fridays, the Weekend Highlights section can be accessed from the main parent page.

There is room in most dorms to store luggage during the school year either in an attic or a basement. There is also limited space to leave a few larger belongings over the summer.

Students are not required to bring their own computer to Blair, although most do. Either a laptop or a desktop computer is permitted, although many students choose laptops due to limited dorm space and flexibility. Both PC’s and Macs are suitable choices, but you may want to wait until after your child arrives at Blair to determine his or her specific needs. There are computers in many of the buildings on campus including the library, computer lab and common rooms in dorms which students may use.

Each student is assigned a monitor who oversees his or her academic progress. Faculty advisors are chosen by the student (within the first five weeks of the school year) and serve as his or her advocate and mentor.

A Prefect is a senior leader who helps the housemasters run the dorms. Prefects act as a liaison between students and faculty.

Every effort is made to place students with a compatible roommate. However, roommate issues still arise. Remind your child that good communication is very important as is respect for each other’s space. If there are still issues, a student or parent can contact the housemaster for further help and guidance on how to deal with problems.

Remember that your child will be sharing a relatively small room with another student, so space is limited. For a list of what to bring (and not to bring), click here.

There are coin-operated machines in every dorm. The cost is $1.00 per load to wash and $1.00 per load to dry. All Prep Laundry Service is an outside service that offers wash and fold as well as dry cleaning. Pick up and drop off days are Mondays and Thursdays. Service can be arranged through the Business Office.

Cell phones are permitted, however, students are asked to confine their use to in or just outside the dorms. Students are not permitted to text or talk on the phone while walking around campus.

A driver’s education classroom course is offered each semester at Blair by an outside organization. Behind the wheel training can be scheduled independently after successfully completing the classroom course. Registration information is sent home in July.

Working papers are not issued through Blair. Students must obtain a work permit through their home public school district, then bring them to Blair for signatures. Sam Bacon, dean of academics, and Carm Mazza, dean of student affairs-school life, are authorized to sign working papers.

New students receive their roommate assignments when they arrive on campus for registration in September. Room assignments are not finalized until just prior to the opening of school. Students who knew each other before coming to Blair are generally not placed together because the experience of learning to live with someone new is both enjoyable and valuable. After their first year, students may choose their roommate for subsequent years.

Yes, as long as the student has no other obligations that he or she will be missing. Student must, of course, let their housemaster know that he or she is leaving campus. Parents are asked to avoid taking children off campus during Formal Dinners.

As a new student, your child’s course load will be determined by the dean of academics based on grades and classes taken at his or her previous school. You and your child will be asked to decide if and what language and art classes he or she would like to take. After the first year, the student will work with his or her monitor, with guidance from teacher recommendations, to choose classes.

Blair does not have a typical PE program during the class day; instead, all students are required to be physically active during the afternoon sports period. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors are required to participate in a team sport (or drama) minimally two out of the three seasons. They may opt for a physical activity offering (weight training, yoga, etc.) one season per year. Seniors have no team sport requirement. All freshmen—as well as sophomores and juniors new to the school—are required to participate in a team sport during the fall season; experience has taught us that such involvement helps significantly with the adjustment to a new community.