Doherty Family Update 10.27.2024

On Monday, October 21st, author K.R. Alexander (Alex Kahler), prolific author of spooky stories, visited Doherty Middle School's 6th graders in the school library. His visit was possible through a generous Cummings Center grant and was just in time for Halloween! Alex shared his ideas on writing, and explained how reading scary stories and watching scary movies helps people to process their own fears. Alex shared memories of growing up in Iowa, when he had fears of many things, including spiders and clowns! He explained that his life experiences and travel have helped him come up with unique stories as an author and that over the years, he has come to terms with many of his youthful fears. He encouraged students to read widely, to pursue their passions, and to record their ideas and observations.

We had a beautiful day for the Middle School Fun Run! All of our runners did a great job finishing the race and posting their times. We saw a lot of hard work, determination and smiles along the way. Congratulations to all that participated.

Photos of DMS scarecrows and here is the Scavenger Hunt! link in case you want to participate.

🎃 Halloween is this Thursday and is a fun day at school! Students are invited to come to school in costume if they are interested. For students planning to dress up, please follow our costume guidelines.

Costume Guidelines:

1. Costume clothing should be appropriate to wear to school
2. Costumes should not have masks that cover the entire face
3. Outfits that depict another person's culture are not considered costumes
4. No weaponry of any kind
5. No blood or gore
6. Students should be able to sit comfortably while wearing their costume

APS "Let's Talk" Redistricting see this link for more information

Thu 10/24/2024 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Our first "Let's Talk" session will focus on redistricting following the opening of the West Elementary School this fall. We anticipate a redistricting plan will be developed this year and implemented for the start of the 2025-26 school year. Based on the larger capacity of the new building, an outside consultant would support the district to evaluate current and projected enrollment in each school, redraw school boundaries, and recommend the reallocation of district resources.

• Thursday, October 24, 2024
• 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the West Elementary School Cafetorium (58 Beacon Street)

We are excited to share that this year, the Merrimack Men's Basketball Team will be partnering with Doherty Middle School's 7th Grade. Throughout the year, members of the team will visit students to share about their Stay In To Win Program. Stay In To Win is an educational initiative targeting middle school aged students that started in 2012 and is sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The goal of the program is to motivate students to stay in school, understand the impact of their decisions on their futures, and to encourage students to develop success teams and plans.

As the Merrimack Team will be meeting with our 7th graders in smaller groups (not the entire grade at once), we will look forward to welcoming them into our school a few times throughout the year. Our first visit will be on Wednesday, October 30th. We are both excited and grateful for this opportunity. If for any reason, you would prefer your child to not attend a session please email Ms. Creamer at marymargaret.creamer@andoverma.us.

This week our 8th graders had a wonderful visit from Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS). Feel free to ask them about the presentation and what they learned! GLTS will be hosting an open house on Sunday November 3, 2024 where all students and families are welcome to tour the 22 CTE programs. The Open House only happens once a year and is free. No RSVP is required.

Reach out to Ms. Creamer our School Guidance Counselor with questions.

APS has partnered with Idioma Consulting & Education to continue offering FREE English classes for parents/guardians. See this link for details: https://secure.smore.com/n/d0gub-appel

APPELL - https://secure.smore.com/n/d0gub-appel

These are in-person classes held at CO in Conference Room A starting on November 12 from 9:30-11am. No sign up necessary.

ESOL Virtual classes - https://secure.smore.com/n/w52nra-esol

Classes meet virtually on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-7:30pm starting on November 6. Participants need to sign up to receive a Google Meeting link by November 1. Limit 25 participants.

Please see this Flyer from The Andover Village Improvement Society- Give Us Your Best Shot use this link for more information.

For 130 years, generations of AVIS volunteers have worked to preserve land, protect native habitat, and provide opportunities for the public to experience and enjoy nature. Andover is fortunate to have such a treasure of open space, and we are seeking digital photographs that capture the essence of our AVIS properties, iconic sites, and landscapes. In order to qualify, photographs must be taken within an AVIS reservation. https://avisandover.org/

What is RULER?

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

We will begin our rollout of the RULER Middle School Morning Slides this week.

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

The next coffee will take place on Monday, November 4th at 9:15 AM, and the topic will be the transition to high school. We are excited to announce that our special guest for this coffee will be our Andover High School Principal, James D'Andrea. However, there will also be time for questions and open conversation. All are welcome to attend. Please RSVP here.

• Team 6A Parent Fall Forum – Monday 10/28 11:50 am – 12:40 pm in the Media Center
• Team 8B Parent Coffee – Tuesday 10/29 8:20 am – 9:10 am in the Media Center

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

📱If your student is absent please call our attendance line.

If you need to dismiss your student, please send them in with a note including the student name, date, time. The note should be given to the main office.