Bulldog Bulletin
Week of September 8th
Every Voice, Every Heart, Every Day
We had a wonderful week at Sanborn! It was such a joy to welcome our newest Bulldogs, and our kindergarteners are already doing an amazing job settling in.
This week’s all-school meeting was full of energy and fun—our teachers went all out dancing to songs that celebrated both voice and heart. Check out pictures of them showing their heart below!
Ms. McGonigle and I also had the chance to meet with each grade level, where we shared expectations, revisited Sanborn CARES, and talked about making problems smaller and learning from mistakes.
Looking ahead, we’ve got some exciting events coming up:
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Monday – School Pictures
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Wednesday – Open House Family Fun Night
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PTO Spirit Wear Store – Now open! (see details below)
We’re heading into our first full week, and I’m excited for all the learning and joy it will bring.
Every Voice, Every Heart, Every Day.
Arts & Letters- ELA Curriculum
After participating in a comprehensive literacy review during the 2024-2025 school year, the Andover Public Schools adopted Arts and Letters by Great Minds as our new English Language Arts curriculum for Kindergarten through grade 5. This innovative program goes beyond teaching reading and writing skills—it helps students build knowledge, think critically, and develop a true love of learning. With a focus on engaging texts, meaningful discussions, and opportunities to connect reading and writing across subjects, Arts and Letters gives students the tools they need to grow as confident readers, writers, and thinkers.
A key benefit of Arts & Letters is the fact that it complements our continued approach to teaching students to read through an emphasis on foundational literacy skills, focusing on both word recognition and language comprehension development. Arts & Letters pairs particularly well with Fundations, Heggerty, and Geodes, all of which remain firmly intact within our instructional approach.
Families can expect their children to explore rich stories, expand their vocabulary, and make connections to science, history, and the arts as they learn. We look forward to partnering with you as we launch this exciting new program and support every child’s growth in literacy. Please be on the lookout for details regarding informational sessions for parents and guardians later this fall. In the meantime, you can learn more at greatminds.org.
Drop off and Pick Up
Drop Off
-Please do not drop students off until 8:45. We do not have staffing on the playground prior to that time.
-In the carpool lane, please pull all the way forward towards Lovejoy. It helps to ensure that we can move more cars along quickly. Please stand behind the fence line when dropping off your child.
Walkers
-Walker dismissal is ONLY for students who are walking home. You may not park in the parking lot and have your students walk home. It creates an dangerous situation. If you are picking up by car please use the carpool pick up.
Carpool Pick up
-Please pick up all students over by the back parking lot near the orange cones.
-Follow directions from Ms. Nunes who will be directing cars to exit one row at a time.
Thank you all for your help ensuring a smooth and safe drop off and pick up.
Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks
1. Students are offered breakfast and lunch free of charge. It is crucial that you order lunches for them IN ADVANCE if they plan to have lunch from the school cafeteria. Our kitchen staff prepares lunches based on the number of orders received, so accurate and timely ordering is essential. Breakfast does not need to be ordered in advance.
2. Memorize PIN : Please help your child memorizes their PIN to get their lunch. This number stays with them year to year. Knowing it by heart will expedite their lunch experience. It allows for quicker and more secure access to their account, making lunchtime smoother for everyone involved.
If you have any questions or require assistance with lunch orders or PIN-related matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school office.
3. Students should bring snacks from home each day.
PickUp Patrol
This school year we will continue using PickUp Patrol to help us track
dismissals. PickUp Patrol (PUP) provides you with a convenient way to make changes to your
child’s tardies, dismissals and absences plans and help ensure that our students are accurately dismissed each day.
How It Works:
1. Your child’s regular dismissal plan will be entered into ASPEN. This is called their
Default Plan.
2. Whenever your child is following a plan other than their Default Plan you’ll submit the
change using the PickUp Patrol app.
Examples of a plan change:
● Your child has a doctor's appointment and will be leaving early.
● Your child normally rides the bus but is getting picked up today.
● Your child will be arriving late.
● Your child is getting picked up by someone other than yourself.
3. When the change is submitted, the school will be notified and we’ll relay the change to
your child.
If you have any questions, please first check the PUP Parent Guide. If you still need help,
contact us here in the office.
Riding Bikes to School
Students in grades 3-5 can ride bikes to school starting on Monday 9/1/2025 if they have filled out a permission slip. All students must wear helmets to school and no motorized bikes or scooters are allowed. Anyone not following these procedures will lose the privileges.
Beginning of the Year Safety Drills
We had our first fire drill of the year on Thursday. We typically have them 4x/year.
An ALICE drill will be conducted early in the fall.
When an ALICE drill is performed, a notification from the school will go out AFTER the drill is complete. The staff do an amazing job preparing students for these drills.
Upcoming Dates
September 10h Back to School Family Fun Night/ Open House K-5
5:00 - 6:30 on the playground
Technology at School
We are all working to manage the age of technology and are looking for support between school and home. Many children have new smart devices and the elementary schools have some guidance.
A kind reminder to our families that cell phones must be turned off and in students’ backpacks at the start of the school day. Smartwatches may be worn as regular watches, however, students are not allowed to text, communicate with others, use applications, take pictures or videos, or access social media services and websites.
Should parents/guardians urgently need to reach their child during the school day, we ask that you call the main office. Students are also allowed to come to the main office if they need to contact someone at home. If a cell phone or watch becomes a significant distraction, school administrators will reach out to parents/guardians. The Andover Public Schools is not responsible for lost, stolen, damaged, or broken devices.
Aspen Updates
Now that the first week of school is behind us, we want to thank all APS families who have already verified and updated their student’s information. If you haven’t done so yet, please take a moment to complete this important task through our secure online portal, Family Connection.
This information includes your child’s emergency contacts, medical information, demographics, technology usage agreement, as well as acknowledging other district policies. Using Family Connection helps streamline communication and significantly reduces the amount of paperwork for families. Most importantly, it ensures we have the most up-to-date information for your child in the event of an emergency. This system is accessible through the Aspen Family Portal. Once you have logged into Aspen, click on the link under the Announcements on the Home page that reads ‘Family Connection – Back to School Forms’. You will be redirected to the Family Connection "Verification Form" page which contains directions on how to complete and submit the forms. If you need help, please refer to the – Aspen Family/Student Portal page on the APS website.
