Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Sep 1, 2026 – Dec 18, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 18 of 18 terms
A
- Aelred's
- Saint Aelred's House, a boys' residential dorm.
B
- Benet's
- Saint Benet's House, a girls' residential dorm.
- Brigid's
- Saint Brigid's House, a girls' residential dorm.
F
- Form
- The term used for grade levels (e.g., Third Form is 9th grade, Sixth Form is 12th grade).
G
- Greg's
- Saint Gregory's House, a boys' residential dorm.
H
- Head's Holiday
- A surprise day off from classes granted by the Head of School, often announced at dinner.
- Hugh's
- Saint Hugh's House, a boys' residential dorm.
L
- Leo's
- Saint Leonard's House, a boys' residential dorm.
M
- Martin's
- Saint Martin's House, a girls' residential dorm.
- Mary's
- Saint Mary's House, a girls' residential dorm.
- Monks
- The Benedictine community of Saint Gregory the Great who live on campus and teach classes.
R
- Red Key
- The student ambassador and tour guide organization for the admissions office.
S
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the representative body for the student voice.
- Stillman
- Stillman Dining Hall, the primary campus cafeteria.
T
- The Abbey
- The common shorthand name for Portsmouth Abbey School.
- The Beacon
- The official student-run newspaper of Portsmouth Abbey School.
- The Tuck Shop
- The campus snack bar and social hub located in the Stillman Dining Hall building.
V
- Vespers
- Evening prayer services held in the Abbey Church, which students attend as part of the spiritual life.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Burden
- The Burden Classroom Building, the primary academic hub for humanities and mathematics.
- Check-in
- The nightly requirement for boarding students to be present in their dorms for attendance.
- McGuire
- The McGuire Fine Arts Center, housing studios, gallery space, and the theater.
- Saturday Classes
- The academic schedule that includes mandatory classes on Saturday mornings.
- St. Thomas More
- The St. Thomas More Library, the main campus library and study space.
- stillman_dining_hall
- Stillman Dining Hall
- Study Hall
- Designated quiet hours in the evenings for students to complete academic work in their dorms.
- The Abbey Church
- The Church of Saint Gregory the Great, the architectural and spiritual center of campus.
- The Gym
- The Carnegie Abbey Field House and related athletic facilities.
- Work Job
- The campus service program where every student is assigned a daily task to help maintain the school.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Sep 1, 2026 – Dec 18, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 18 approved campus terms and 10 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.