Doherty Family Update 6.17.2026

Typical beginning and ending of the day

School opens at 7:50 for breakfast in the cafeteria- 🌟Only the Front Door is open at 7:50

8:05 all doors including the back and side of the build are open

8:05 Bell rings - students can access their lockers

Our school day starts promptly at 8:15

Doherty Website- Has all the Information

Happy Summer!

As the sun sets on another incredible academic year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we have shared and celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students. The final weeks of school are always a whirlwind of excitement, and this year was no exception. We have just wrapped up a phenomenal culminating week filled with joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories.

Our 8th graders truly took center stage this week as we celebrated their transition from middle school.

• 8th Grade Team Day & Dance: Our students showed incredible school spirit during Team Day, which flowed into an elegant and fun-filled 8th Grade Dance. It was wonderful to see them dressed up, laughing with friends, and celebrating their hard work.

• Moving-On Ceremony: The highlight of our week was the 8th Grade Moving-On Ceremony. Watching our oldest students walk across the stage, ready to take on the world, was a deeply proud moment for our faculty and families alike.

• Grade-Level Field Trips: In addition to our 8th-grade festivities, students across all grade levels enjoyed our end-of-the-year field trips. These trips provided a wonderful opportunity for students and teachers to bond outside the classroom and celebrate a year of hard work.

To our departing 8th-grade families: whether your student is moving on to high school here in our district or exploring new educational paths, I wish you all the absolute best. You will always be a part of the Doherty family, and we cannot wait to see the amazing things you will accomplish in high school and beyond.

To our returning families: if you and your student are back at Doherty next year, I am already looking forward to another great year of growth, learning, and community.

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."

— Malcolm X

Thank you to our phenomenal staff, our dedicated parents, and, most importantly, our incredible students for making this year so special. Have a safe, happy, and wonderful summer!

Warm regards,

Ms. Perry

Principal, Doherty Middle School

Last week we awarded our first ever Dolphin Award, to students who display all the values celebrated this school year. Doherty values exemplified this year were:

Kindness, Accountability, Inclusion, Determination, Integrity, Teamwork, Respect, Leadership

8th Grade (from left to right): Colby Levental, Emma Nichols, Abby Buchwald Stimpson, Emily Buchwald Stimpson, Jacob Huffer, Chris Schmidt, Thomas Kushman, Owen Obbard, Alex Maravelis, Nikki Aguiar (not pictured), and Eva Guerette (not pictured)

7th Grade (from left to right): Caitlin Dai, Ellie Pheiffer, Max Murphy, and Narayani Govindarajan (not pictured)

6th Grade (from left to right): Lucia Tonello, Elliot Davis, London McLaughlin, Isla Betts, Lily Nason, and Christian Doyle (not pictured)

Dear Andover Families,

We are writing to let you know that your child’s End-of-Year NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessment results are now available in the Aspen Parent Portal.

MAP assessments provide information about your child’s academic growth and achievement in reading and mathematics. Reviewing these results can help you better understand your child’s progress throughout the school year.

To access your child’s MAP results:

1. Log in to the Aspen Parent Portal.

2. Navigate to your child’s record.

3. Select ‘Documents’ on the side tab to view NWEA/ MAP results.

Please refer to the attached guide for step-by-step instructions on accessing MAP reports in Aspen.

If you have questions about your child’s results, please contact your child’s teacher or school principal. If you need assistance accessing the Aspen Parent Portal, please contact your school office.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support throughout the school year.

As the school year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to the incredible Doherty PAC. To say you are "amazing" is an understatement—the dedication, generosity, and hard work you have poured into our school community this year have made a profound difference for our students, staff, and families.

Because of your efforts, this year was packed with memorable moments and invaluable support. We want to give a special shout-out to the many ways you stepped up for us:

🎉 Unforgettable Student Experiences

• Grade Team Days & 8th Grade Fun: Thank you for sponsoring the Grade Team Days and, just this past week, the incredible 8th Grade Team Day Ice Cream Social! The kids had an absolute blast.

• End-of-the-Year Field Trips: Your incredibly generous financial contribution toward our end-of-the-year field trips made a massive impact, significantly relieving the financial cost for our families so that all students could participate.

• The Free Book Fair: Earlier this year, you put books directly into the hands of our students, fostering a love of reading without any financial barrier.

• 8th Grade Ceremony Refreshments: Thank you for providing the wonderful refreshments just this week after the 8th grade ceremony, helping us send our graduates off in style.

🍎 Spoiling Our Staff

Our teachers and staff felt so loved and appreciated all year long thanks to the phenomenal meals you provided. Thank you for keeping us fueled and smiling during:

• The Back-to-School welcome back

• The festive December Break spread

• The delicious End-of-the-Year meal just this week!

💰 Direct Classroom Support

• Team Money: The classroom and team money provided throughout the year allowed our teachers to enhance their lessons and get the extra resources needed to make learning fun and engaging.

🌟 A Bitter-Sweet Farewell 🌟

While we are celebrating a fantastic year, we also want to send a huge, heartfelt Special Shout-Out to Rodney Johnson and Sandra Adourian.

Both RJ and Sandra will be leaving the PAC this year as their students move on to high school. We truly cannot thank you both enough for the countless hours, energy, and love you have dedicated to the Doherty community. You are leaving behind big shoes to fill, and while we will miss you terribly, we wish you and your students the absolute best in high school!

To the entire Doherty PAC: Thank you for being the backbone of our school community. We couldn't do this without you!

Hello DMS Families,

As we come to the end of the school year, the library has stopped lending books and has started collecting any outstanding and overdue book returns. The last day to check out books was Thursday, May 21st. The school librarian would appreciate any efforts at home to find overdue books and get them in the Doherty Library book drop prior to June 8th. After that date, bills will be sent home to families for the cost of the unreturned items. Thank you so much for encouraging your children to read, to use their school library, and to return their books so they are available to others!

Entering 7th Grade

Wave, by Diana Farid

Fast Pitch, by Nic Stone

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, by Dusti Bowling

Alone, by Megan E. Freeman

Star-Crossed, by Barbara Dee

Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn, by Sally J. Pla

Yonder, by Ali Standish

The Bletchley Riddle, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

MexiKid: A Graphic Memoir, by Pedro Martin

The Circuit, by Andrew Rostan

The Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: the Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance, by Jennifer Armstrong

The 57 Bus, by Dashka Slater

Entering 8th Grade

A Good Girls’ Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson

Ashes in the Snow, by Ruta Sepetys

Rez Ball, by Byron Graves

They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn

Under a Painted Sky, by Stacey Lee

Truly Devious, by Maureen Johnson

The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han

A First Time for Everything, by Dan Santat

Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Yang

Free Lunch, by Rex Ogle

Impossible Escape: a true story of survival and heroism in Nazi Europe, by Steve Sheinkin

The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win WWII, by Candace Fleming

Important Update: New Medication Order Requirements for the 2026-2027 School Year

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines regarding the administration of medication in public schools has been updated.

To ensure we remain in compliance with these new state regulations, and to provide the highest level of safety for our students, the district has updated its policy regarding the validity period of medical orders.

New Medication Order Requirements:

Effective immediately, all medical orders for both prescription and non-prescription medications for the upcoming school year must be dated within the current academic cycle: July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2027.

What this Means for your family:

• Annual Renewals: Any medication orders on file from the previous school year will expire on June 30th. You must provide a new, signed medication order from your child’s licensed prescriber for the upcoming school year.
• July 1st Start Date: We encourage parents to schedule wellness visits or contact their child's physician after July 1st to ensure the paperwork is correctly dated for the full upcoming school year.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe and healthy.

Jeri Quirk-Carr, M.Ed, BSN, BS, RN

Doherty Middle School Nurse

50 Bartlet Street

Andover, MA 01810

978-247-9402 (clinic)

978-824-9790 (fax)

Jeri.quirkcarr@andoverma.us

Andover High School's Students-to-Students mentoring program is designed to help ease the transition to high school by connecting incoming students with trained upperclassmen mentors who provide support, guidance, and a welcoming community throughout the first months of freshman year.

Mentors are carefully selected juniors and seniors who help students feel more comfortable and connected at Andover High. Through games, music, conversations, and shared experiences, mentors offer support and “inside information” from the perspective of experienced upperclassmen.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, the Students-to-Students Executive board provided this parent letter. In addition, they have shared this link to apply.

We kindly encourage families to review this opportunity together and consider whether this program may be a good fit for your student.

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.