Doherty Family Update 12.14.2025

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

• Tuesday 12/16 - Thursday 12/18 - PAC Grab a Gift Holiday Shop
• Wednesday 12/24 - Friday 1/2/26 - Holiday Recess
• Monday 1/5 - Back to School
• Thursday 1/15 - 7A Field Trip - Peabody Essex Museum
• Monday 1/19 - No School - Martin Luther King Jr Day
• Wednesday 1/28 - Early Release Day- 11:30 AM dismissal

8th Grade Parent Curriculum Night on February 11th from 6:30–8:00 PM starting in the Collins Center at Andover High School

Just a friendly reminder regarding our district's policy on schoolwork during planned unexcused absences, such as family vacations, competitive activities like sports tournaments, or arts performances. Please understand that teachers are not required to provide work before an unexcused absence, though they are often willing to help if they are able to and appreciate advance notice. Students should utilize Schoology as it provides a helpful guide and overview of class activities and assignments, and the student should plan to check it while they are out. Upon return, the student is responsible for checking in with teachers to create a plan for making up missed work, which is key to ensuring their smooth transition back to class. We appreciate your partnership in supporting your student's learning!

Principal Perry, Doherty Ambassador Daniela McDonough, Team Leader 8A Ms. McIntyre

Daniela was nominated by her teachers

and

selected by Principal Perry as the Doherty Ambassador

A social change movement powered by young leaders of vision and values. We build a more just, inclusive, and equitable world by developing change makers of compassion, courage, and skill.

Founded in 2011 in partnership with Governor Deval Patrick, Project 351 engages eighth graders representing Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns in a five-year Leadership Continuum for skill development, civic engagement, career-readiness, and transformative social impact. Since 2011, 5,586 eighth grade Ambassadors have united across all facets of diversity to positively impact more than 1.5 million neighbors. As they serve, Project 351 leaders cultivate the values of kindness, empathy and inclusion; address the causes and consequences of poverty; progress social and racial justice; and strengthen a statewide ethic of youth service and advocacy.

Project 351 is a nonprofit organization motivated by Dr. King's vision of the Beloved Community and a fierce belief in the unlimited potential of young people.

The annual Winter Concert was a truly wonderful evening, showcasing the exceptional talent of Doherty students across all musical ensembles. The Chorus filled the auditorium with beautiful harmonies, delivering festive and heartfelt songs that set a perfect seasonal mood. The Band impressed the audience with their spirited and polished performance, demonstrating rhythmic precision and dynamic range. Finally, the Orchestra captivated everyone with their rich, complex arrangements, proving their mastery of diverse musical selections. Every student contributed to a spectacular show, and the combined efforts of the chorus, band, and orchestra made for an excellent, memorable night!

Alex Duback

Jeffrey Kuchan

Sabrina Lambros

Emily Silva

Derek Voigt

Grade 6 Chorus

Grade 7 & 8 Chorus

Grade 6 Orchestra

Grade 7 & 8 Orchestra

Grade 6 Band

Grade 7 & 8 Band

The Doherty PAC is excited to host their annual Holiday Shop next week. For three days, Tuesday through Thursday, December 16–18, students can visit their festive mini-store outside the cafeteria during lunchtime to pick out affordable, discounted gifts for friends and family. It’s a fun, easy way for students to do a little holiday shopping of their own! Cash, debit cards (with the student’s name), and Apple Pay are accepted. The PAC looks forward to helping our students spread some holiday cheer!

We are celebrating the value of inclusion this month! Students and staff are writing shoutouts for our community bulletin Board!

The Doherty Student Council is excited to announce a food drive from December 1st to December 18th! This is a friendly competition between Advisories to collect the most non-perishable food items. You can bring cans, pasta, bottled water, protein bars, macaroni and cheese, or any other non-expired items you have. All donations will go to the Bread and Roses food bank in Lawrence to help families in need during the holiday season. Don’t forget to check the Main Foyer Bulletin Board to see how your Advisory is doing in the competition! Let’s work together to make a difference!

Ms. Heintzelman & Ms. Patterson's Advisory is in the lead for the amount of donations. Please take a look at the graph. It would be wonderful if every Advisory participated!

The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute competition designed for students in grade 8 and below. The competition focuses on middle school mathematics topics, including counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry (including the Pythagorean Theorem), spatial visualization, and interpreting graphs and tables. Some of the later questions may touch on beginning algebra topics, such as linear or quadratic functions and coordinate geometry. The competition is in January, 2026, please register by January 5th if your student would like to compete.

Registrar in this google form

AMC 8 Google Form

Save the Date!

Doherty Drama Club is excited to announce that we will be holding auditions on Tuesday, January 6 and Thursday, January 8 for our spring musical. (Title to be announced soon!!) There will be three performances – April 10, 11, and 12 - mark your calendars!

Drama club rehearsals will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 - 5:30 and on Fridays from 3:00 - 5:00. Further details will be available at the Doherty Drama Club webpage in the next week:

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

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

Please remind your student(s)

Now that we’ve settled into the school year, we want to share a friendly reminder about student devices.

Students are expected to bring their fully charged computers to school every day. You can really help us with this by reminding your student to charge their computer every night. This simple routine makes a big difference in ensuring they are prepared for class each day.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your student's education.

Merrimack College, one of our community partners, recently visited Doherty. We wanted to share this upcoming event as it may be of interest to some of our students.

CTE High School Update:

Greater Lawrence Technical School and Essex North Shore applications are open! Please note, students should be using their parent or guardian's email account to apply, and there is no teacher recommendation required.

Greater Lawrence Technical School: If your student is interested in applying to GLTS, the application closes February 1st. The application is here:

Essex North Shore Updates:

• The Essex North Shore application closes on January 10th, 2026.

• If your family would like to learn more about Essex North Shore, you can join a virtual information session for families via zoom on Monday December 1st. They have a 12pm zoom available or a 6pm zoom available. Your family must register prior.

Lottery Process: There is a new policy in Massachusetts for CTE schools and programs. The main change includes a lottery-based admissions process. The Essex North Shore Admissions policy is linked here: The GLTS Admissions Policy is linked here

Homework Help with AHS Students - Fantastic Start!

Andover High School’s Junior Board assist Doherty Middle Schoolers with their homework. If you're interested in attending next week’s session, please RSVP. We'll have food available since the club starts at 3:15 PM. Note any allergies or restrictions on the sign-up sheet. Kindly RSVP to plan the number of HS volunteers.

If you are interested in your student joining, please fill out this form. Please note: It does not need to be a weekly commitment, students can come when it works best for their family’s schedule.

Reminder about School Visits

If your student is missing school because of a school visit, we kindly ask that you notify Doherty and indicate this is the reason they are missing school. This helps us ensure your student’s attendance is recorded accurately. Thank you for your help!

If you have any questions or need additional information about the high school transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our school counselor Ms. Creamer at marymargaret.creamer@andoverma.us. Thank you for your continued support!

8th Grade Families interested in the Private School Process see form below:

We’re excited to offer a wide variety of after-school programs and clubs here at Doherty Middle School! These activities provide students with opportunities to explore new interests, develop skills, and connect with peers in a fun and supportive environment that promotes community.

Please note: A completed permission slip is required for students to participate in any after-school club or program. Be sure to submit the form to ensure your child can join in on the fun!

Dylan Birch Clubs Organizer

Mondays:

Anime Club Ms. Physic – Room 221

Board Games Ms. Hudak – Media Center

Dateline Doherty Ms. Angis – Room 222

Tuesdays:

Arts and Crafts Club Ms. Abernathy and Ms. Leyne - Room 123

Make it or Bake It Club Ms. Bergin – Staff Lounge/Kitchen

Thursdays:

Homework Hang Ms. Creamer - Room 138

Math Team Ms. Tyrell - Room 207: Meet #2 November 20 @Wynn Middle School Tewksbury, Parent Pick up at Doherty 5:30 Meet #3 January 15 TBD Meet #4 Feb 26 TBD Meet #5 March 26 TBD Math Team advisor- Elizabeth Tyrell Room 207

Robotics Club Mr. Schack – Room 135 (starts 3rd Quarter)

Student Council Ms. Heintzelman – Room 122

Yearbook Ms. Bakshi – Room 211

Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, the Teaching and Learning office has conducted a deep analysis of the uses and impacts of AI on teaching and learning that has included:

• An examination of existing AI policies and guidelines from other districts in Massachusetts, other states, educational organizations, colleges and universities

• APS secondary faculty focus groups

• APS secondary student surveys

• APS superuser team review

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to this year-long process. While this work will continue to evolve, just as technology evolves, we would like to share the Andover Public Schools Teaching and Learning Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence for the 2025-2026 school year.

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.