The generosity and thoughtfulness of this school community are truly inspiring. From the heartfelt donations of gift cards and toys, to the parents who organized a delicious staff breakfast, every act of kindness radiates the spirit of togetherness and care. Families coming together to contribute to the food and toy drives highlight the strength of the school's commitment to supporting those in need. This collective outpouring of generosity not only uplifts the school but also reinforces the values of compassion, empathy, and community. It's a powerful reminder of how, when we unite, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Warmest Wishes, Rebecca Perry

Doherty Values Challenge

Each month our DMS community will focus on recognizing students who are showing the value of the month. Throughout the month, the main office will incorporate the values into our morning announcements to help get the students aware of the value and ways that they could accomplish the value. The bulletin board in the hallway outside the music room will also be used as a community builder for the values! Our Values Ambassadors have selected Kindness for the month of December.

Last year marked our first time undertaking the values challenge as a school, and the first value we focused on was kindness, which I wholeheartedly supported. This experience made a significant impact on me. This year, seventh and eighth-grade students had the opportunity to apply to be Values Ambassadors, and I was selected after serving as an ambassador last year. Choosing kindness felt right because it was a familiar and comforting value from our first year. I am proud to take on a leadership role in our school community as a Values Ambassador. As a group, we decided that kindness would be represented by the colors yellow and light blue—bright colors that symbolize hope. I was inspired by yellow while reading "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton in English class this year. Ponyboy’s message about staying gold and being true to oneself, as well as being a good person, really resonated with me. I reflected on my goals and the bright yellow associated with kindness. Just like last year, this value means a lot to me, and as an ambassador, I want to share these feelings with the Doherty community and highlight what it means to be a student in Andover.

Andover, Mass. --Three APS eighth graders are excited for the new year, when they will travel to Boston in January to represent Andover as Project 351 Ambassadors! We are proud to share that Thomas Eraly (Doherty Middle School), Maya Nunez-Duncan (West Middle School), and Sophia Seng (Wood Hill Middle School) have been selected by their principals and teachers to engage in the year-long program of service learning, leadership development, and civic engagement.

Thomas is grateful to have been chosen and is excited to help people. He expressed his interest in exploring ideas on how to support others who might have unmet needs. He looks forward to meeting all the other Ambassadors and seeing the impact he can have on the community.

We believe that inside every young person is a brave, bold leader with dreams of a better world and the skill, passion, and creativity to achieve their vision. When called to serve, this generation responds with an urgency of now. Yet, too often, a young person’s desire to lead isn’t matched with requisite resources, mentors, and platforms.

This untapped potential is our most precious resource and an extraordinary force for good.

Project 351 is determined to meet the demand for high quality, enriching service opportunities that respect and reflect the unique gifts and world changing aspirations of young people. And, to joyfully mobilize that abundance of talent and goodness to uplift, unite, and transform communities.

Our story began in 2011, when former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick sought to celebrate his second inaugural with a focus on young people and community. The concept of Project 351, which had been developed by Carolyn Casey, reflected Governor Patrick’s belief in the Beloved Community and the unlimited potential of young people. His embrace led to the realization of Project 351 as a one-day celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., statewide unity, and youth leadership.

By day’s end, a movement of hope-in-action had been founded. And, with it, an invitation to serve and lead for eighth graders in each of Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns. From that day forward, Project 351 Ambassadors would unite the entire state as one team, one community in service to cause greater than self.

One year later, Governor Patrick convened the second Class of Ambassadors to celebrate Dr. King and kick-off a 12-month leadership journey. The mission of Project 351, as an independent, nonprofit youth leadership organization, had begun!

Take a look of some of our student led learning activities.

In this 6th-grade archaeological dig site lesson, students had the opportunity to explore and analyze various farm artifacts, learning how to infer, interpret, and analyze historical objects. They began by carefully examining items such as old tools and farming equipment found at a site. Using clues from the artifacts’ shapes, materials, and wear, students made inferences about what the artifacts were used for. This hands-on lesson gave them a deeper appreciation of archeology and how we study the past while developing critical thinking and observational skills.

Students made a scale model of distances between planets in our solar system in science class. They were combining their math and science skills to make the model. They were surprised by how far apart the planets really are!

“Students in 7th grade French spent the week running their own restaurant. After a unit studying “gastronomie” in France as well as the culture of food in various francophone countries, students designed their own restaurant and menu. From there, students ran their restaurant and “ate” at their peers’ restaurants, using their best French manners and conversational skills.”

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• Thursday 1/2 - School Reopens

Merrimack College Warriors

Jan 3 (Fri) 3:00 PM vs

Fairfield University

Merrimack College Athletics has donated 250 tickets to The Men's Basketball game on January 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM to Doherty middle School. These tickets will be available for Doherty families on a first come basis. This year Doherty has partnered with Men's Basketball and the Stay in it to Win it Program. Players from the team have visited our 7th graders and will continue to meet with groups of students through the year. Even though the game starts at 3, we are so close to Merrimack, that right after dismissal on January 3rd, you can still make the game! Fill out the Google form if your family would like to attend. We only have 250 tickets, so it is first come first serve. Thank you Merrimack Athletics! Tickets will be distributed to students to give to their family on January 2 & 3. Click the button below to request tickets.

Key #1 - Players Achieve their goals by Staying In The Game. Students Achieve their goals by staying in school.

Key #2 - Players can't win games on their own; they need their teams. Students can't succeed on their own; they need their success teams.

Key #3 - When players make good decisions, they score points and win games. When students make good decisions, they get better grades and succeed in school.

Key #4: Players who work hard achieve high numbers in points, rebounds, and assists. Students who work hard achieve high scores in reading, writing, and math.

Key #5 - Successful players practice to perfect their basketball skills. Successful students get involved to perfect their personal development skills.

• Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - District departments will present their budget proposals.

• Thursday, January 23, 2025 - The School Committee will hold a preliminary vote on the FY26 budget allocation in relation to the overall town’s FY26 budget.

• Thursday, March 6, 2025 - The School Committee will hold a public hearing. Following the hearing, the School Committee will vote on the School Department budget.

• Saturday, March 8, 2025 - The Superintendent will share the FY26 budget approved by the School Committee to the Town of Andover’s Select Board and Finance Committees at the Tri-Board meeting.

• Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - The school budget will be presented as part of the total town budget for a vote at the annual town meeting.

Andover Public Schools contracted with the Achievement Network (ANet) organization to facilitate a comprehensive kindergarten through eighth-grade literacy review. Under their guidance, a district-wide Working Group composed of district leaders and K-8 educators representing all elementary and middle schools, has been meeting monthly since October 8, 20204, to analyze and reflect upon all aspects of our current practices in literacy instruction for general and special education students. The process involves taking into account what is working well and what may need to be adjusted to better support and advance Andover Public Schools (APS) students’ literacy growth.

The Working Group

To determine a strong foundation for this work, with feedback from the staff survey, the Working Group prioritized the creation of a vision for K-8 literacy in Andover Public Schools. A clear vision for literacy instruction in APS will ensure clarity around our hopes for what literacy will look and sound like for our students as we move forward. Next, the Working Group developed a Theory of Action to help delineate the responsibilities of district leaders, school leaders, and teachers as they work collaboratively and in tandem to support student achievement.

In addition, the Working Group has been analyzing our current curriculum materials and literacy units for alignment to evidence-based practices that offer explicit instruction in all aspects of foundational skills, language comprehension development, and writing based on research and evidence-based science of reading practices. The Working Group has analyzed current and historical literacy assessment data to identify strengths, trends, and challenge areas while considering how our curriculum materials impact these outcomes. Furthermore, the Working Group has reviewed our current battery of literacy assessments and measured them against their intended purpose and ability to respond to students’ foundational skills and language comprehension needs.

The Survey

In November, over 300 educators responded to a comprehensive literacy survey as part of the literacy review process. We would like to express deep gratitude for your engagement in this survey. The survey measured responses in the following categories: Vision and Belief, Professional Learning, Assessments, Instructional Materials, Trust and Engagement, and Other Content Areas. The Working Group began with objective data analysis of the response data. It moved to wondering why the data was what it was and determined actionable insights and areas for further investigation. Please review a synthesis of our analysis here.

What’s Next?

The work is far from done, and we will continue the review process into January. Last week, classroom visits by ANet and leaders were conducted on December 5th and 6th. We are grateful for the leader and teacher efforts that allowed us to observe instructional materials and literacy practices across our district. In the coming weeks, parent and caregiver surveys will be administered as part of the literacy review process. We are on track to completing the audit and presenting the Working Group’s recommendations in late January 2025 to the School Committee.

Additional Information

To learn more information, please review:

• A short video of the review process

• Slides from our December staff update

• Our parking lot of shared feedback on your experience with this process and/or any questions that are top of mind for you. We will continue to monitor and respond to all questions accordingly.

When Andover Public Schools submitted its application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for funding support in 2018, the district saw the West Elementary School building project as an opportunity to approach the project for the benefit of Andover’s entire elementary program. In this application, APS noted that if a new West Elementary School was built, the district would redistrict the other four elementary schools in such a way that each school’s enrollment is most effectively aligned with its capacity.

In Spring 2025, the School Committee will review the proposed redistricting options and vote on the preferred redistricting plan. The approved redistricting plan will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. This allows the district sufficient time to operationally plan for the new school zones. DillingerRAD is the consultant who will be supporting the district to analyze data in the redistricting process.

The redistricting process is a work in progress to develop a long-term plan for the future. The plan is intended to help address anticipated growth in Andover that could impact our students’ educational environment for years to come.

• In Spring 2025, the School Committee will review the proposed redistricting options and vote on the preferred redistricting plan. The approved redistricting plan will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. This allows the district sufficient time to operationally plan for the new school zones.

Communication with our families is essential to the success and wellness of our students. To assist our families and help them connect with the appropriate staff who is best suited to answer questions, we have updated our “Who We Are” page on our website. The information will guide families to resources on how to reach staff with concerns and how to stay connected to news and events across the district.

Thanks to all of you who have generously donated gift cards to our holiday gift card drive this year! It was an overwhelming success and your kindness is greatly appreciated!

It's wonderful to be a part of such a generous community!

Thank you!

PLEASE SEE THIS LINK FOR THE AUDITION INFORMATION PACKET. Doherty Drama Club is pleased to announce that our spring musical will be… Newsies! Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged "newsies." When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what's right. This show has terrific musical numbers and featured parts for a multitude of actors.

Based on the 1992 motion picture and inspired by a true story, Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots). Featuring the now classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” Newsies is packed with non-stop thrills and a timeless message, perfect for the whole family and every audience. There will be three performances – April 4, 5, and 6 - mark your calendars!

Auditions will take place in early January. Rehearsals will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 – 6:00 and on Fridays from 3:00 - 5:00. (Please note the change in rehearsal times from last year’s schedule.)

Further details will available at the Doherty Drama Club webpage in the next few weeks:

https://sites.google.com/a/k12.andoverma.us/dms-drama

AND

PLEASE SEE THIS LINK FOR THE AUDITION INFORMATION PACKET.

Questions? Contact Ms. Kennedy (elizabeth.kennedy@andoverma.us)

What is RULER?

RULER is an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Purpose of Morning Check In:

• Create a unified low-stakes rollout for all three APS Middle Schools
• Begin a student focus on the emotion matters mindset and discussion
• Build student relationships and community

RULER VIDEO and Website

YEARBOOK

Simply scan this QR code and follow the prompts. Yearbooks will be delivered to homerooms the last week of school

You may also call 866-287-3096 or go to www.YearbookOrderCenter.com and use order number 13395

To be completed if your student will participate in after school Extracurricular clubs. Click here for the form. The form is also available on our website.

Completed form can be dropped off at the Main Office.

List of Clubs and Activities can be found on our website under INFORMATION and RESOURCES