Bancroft Bulletin
Family Edition: March 6, 2026
DATES TO KNOW
March 10: PTO 7:00 in the library
March 11: Early Release - dismissal at 12:15
March 26: Bancroft Talent Show (info comes from PTO) at 6:00
Andover Public Schools 2025 - 2026 Calendar
Andover Public School 2026-2027 Calendar
MCAS dates
Grade 3
ELA - April 6 and April 7
Math - May 11 and May 12
Grade 4
ELA - March 31 and April 1
Math - May 13 and May 15
Grade 5
ELA - April 13 and April 14
Math - May 4 and May 5
Science - May 18 and May 19
Message from the Clinic
Important Message From Our Clinic
Just a few reminders as we head into spring:
When to keep your child home:
· Fever
· Vomiting or diarrhea
· Contagious diseases- please call the clinic to discuss with the nurses if you have any questions
Criteria for a student returning to school following an illness:
· Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
· Vomiting or diarrhea free for 24 hours.
·
When medication for a contagious infection is prescribed, please call the nurse to discuss a safe return plan.
Head Lice - the nurse in the clinic must check the student’s head before a student can return to school.
Although we are not currently seeing a lot of head lice in the school, it is a year round concern. Please continue to perform head checks on your children periodically and call the clinic with any questions.
We still have some cold days ahead of us, so please make sure your child has appropriate clothing for outdoor recess including a warm coat/jacket, snow pants and boots if they want to play in the snow, a hat, and gloves.
Physical Education weekly update!
Week of March 2nd
Students in grades K–2 practiced dribbling with a playground ball, focusing on following specific skill cues to improve control and coordination.
Students in grades 3–5 practiced dribbling and shooting with a basketball, also emphasizing proper technique and skill cues.
All students participated in a fun game called “Dribble the Rainbow,” where they worked in small groups. Students completed dribbling challenges from each color dot in the rainbow, and grades 3–5 also incorporated shooting.
Music weekly update!
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MUSIC CLASS 3/2/26-3/6/26
Students in grades K,1,and 2 are performing the book “Mortimer” by Robert Munsch. In this experience, students are engaged in singing, moving, and instrumental play with all 4 families of the unpitched percussion instruments. (metals, woods, drums, and shakers and scrapers.) Students also experience playing barred instruments to show when the characters of the story go up and down the stairs to demonstrate their understanding of high and low.
Third grade students are learning about the 4 families of the orchestra and played an interactive listening game of “Instrument Bingo” where we chose “conductors” to be in charge of their “orchestra” by selecting students who were able to listen closely and attentively and identify the different instruments of the orchestra being played.
Fourth grade students are busy creating their own rhythmic speech patterns to “Good Better Best.” Students not only create the rhythmic speech but also a movement to go with it and perform for the class. We then transfer the movement and rhythmic speech to the unpitched percussion group of instruments.
Fifth grade students have begun their work with ukulele. We discuss how to carefully handle them (getting them on and off the cart), how to hold the ukulele, what some of the parts are called, the names of the strings. Students have begun to write their first ukulele songs focusing on the specific strings of the ukulele and specific rhythms. We perform for each other.
Art weekly update!
Week of March 3
Kindergarteners will be learning about Korean American artist Joo-Young Choi. She creates puppets and characters for imaginary worlds that she makes up. She creates installations with characters as a type of mythology. Students will be creating their own imaginary friends in art class.
First graders are learning about stained glass made by artists, such as Kehinde Wiley and Henri Matisse. Students are creating a drawing inspired by stained glass techniques.
Second graders are learning about Kente cloth weaving from Kenya. Students are creating their own paper weavings.
Third grade students are continuing to work on their “Outer Space” Arts and Letters inspired project.
Fourth graders are learning about lines of symmetry in art. They are looking at Frank Lloyd Wright’s stained glass examples, and they will be creating their own 2D piece of symmetrical art.
Fifth graders are creating a 5x 5 artwork inspired by the theme of interdependence for a district-wide installation.
Library Media weekly update!
Week of March 2
Kindergarten read We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio this week. Students then discussed what it means to be a wonder and what makes someone a wonder. Kindergarten determined that a wonder is another way to say unique, awesome, beautiful, or special. Students wrote about what makes them a wonder.
First grade students read The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara. Students discussed fractured fairy tales and then created a character they would like to see in a Three Little Pigs retelling.
Students in grades two through five continued to work on their writing and research projects. Grade two read the first chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis to help imagine what their character will see behind the Bancroft doors. Third grade students continue to work on their small moments and personal narrative. Many have started plotting out their stories. Fourth and fifth grade students are in the depths of their research. This week students began taking notes on their respective topics and discovered that research can be trickier than they expected!
On Tuesday, Kate Messner visited Bancroft! During her presentation, Kate spoke to students about her writing and research process. Students were excited to learn about all of the different types of books Kate has written and even designed a Bancroft monster with her. Ask your student what they enjoyed from Kate Messner’s presentation!
School librarian: Tiffany Hutchins
Librarian email: tiffany.legare@andoverma.us
Bobcat to Bobcat
Bobcat to Bobcat is a committee in our school of staff members who work to support families who may need assistance with various needs throughout the year. This includes helping with scholarships for events, holidays, and more. Our work is confidential and financially supported by our PTO as well as our staff and families who donate when needed.
All donations are given anonymously and recipients’ information will be kept in strict confidence.
We have an amazing community here at Bancroft and know that when there is a need, everyone pitches in. We will reach out throughout the year!
If you are a family wanting to be on our list needing support, please email our social worker, Nancy Modlish at nancyjo.modlish@andoverma.us or me, Beth Leavitt at beth.leavitt@andoverma.us.
Cold Weather Reminders
We have set guidelines for temperature/weather type when deciding outdoor vs. indoor recess for all classrooms. Below are guidelines for outdoor recess.
Students will be outdoors if the temperature (including wind chill) is 20 degrees or warmer and it’s not raining, sleeting, hailing, or blizzarding. We use Weatherbug.com to determine the temperature.
On questionable, cold days the office will make an announcement before the first recess announcing outdoor or indoor recess. If no announcement is made then it is outdoor recess.
If students want to play in snow, they must be wearing snow pants, boots, jackets, and gloves/mittens. If students do not wish to play in the snow, they will remain on the blacktop.
With a large amount of students out on the playground at each recess, we need to be extra vigilant about safety. There is no throwing of snowballs or ice.
Label each article of clothing so that if something is misplaced, it can be returned to you as quickly as possible.
Please be aware that all students go outside when the weather meets these conditions.
Please send your child to school wearing appropriate outdoor clothing for the weather. We highly encourage you to practice getting dressed in the snow gear as quickly as possible- make a game of it and time it! The expectation is, if your child is well enough to come to school, they are well enough to go outdoors.
Thanks for taking the time to remind students of the winter expectations. Snow play is beloved by many and we want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to safely enjoy their recess time during these months.
TECHNOLOGY DEVICES 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.
To promote healthy digital habits during the school day, the resources below may be helpful to use. We appreciate your partnership as we work to keep interruptions to the school day at a minimum.
Resource for Apple Watches:
How to set a School Time schedule
Open the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap All Watches, then tap your child's watch.
Tap Done, then tap Schooltime.
Turn on Schooltime, then tap Edit Schedule.
Choose the days and times when you want Schooltime to be active.
Tap Add Time if you want to set up more than one schedule in a day.
Resource for Gizmo Watches:
How to set up School mode
Open the. Gizmo Hub app.
Tap the. School mode switch. turn on or off. If necessary, set up a School Mode schedule.
Meals at Bancroft
All students are able to receive 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch daily during the 2025 - 2026 school year. Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria from 8:45 - 9:00 and does not need to be ordered ahead of time.
Lunches will need be preordered. It is very important that our cafeteria has an accurate lunch count each day. Please review with your children each morning what you have ordered for them.
Please click below for the monthly menu and more information about Andover's Nutrition Program including how to sign up.
LOST & FOUND
Every year the lost & found racks become quite full of clothes, water bottles, shoes, etc. and you can help by LABELING EVERYTHING!!
PLEASE write your last name on items and this will help us to return things to your child.
Thank you!!
Transportation Information
MOST IMPORTANT - CARS DO NOT TRAVEL FROM THE BANCROFT ROAD SIDE OF THE SCHOOL. YOU ENTER THE CAR LANE FROM WEST KNOLL.
OUR BUSES MUST USE BANCROFT ROAD AND IT IS NOT WIDE ENOUGH FOR CARS AND BUSES. YOUR COOPERATION IS GREATLY APPRECIATED FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL!
When cars are waiting prior to 8:45 and prior to 3:30, they must be TURNED OFF.
This is a NO IDLING ZONE as the SIGNAGE INDICATES.
DROP OFF: ALL CARS MUST DRIVE UP WEST KNOLL TO DROP OFF STUDENTS. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not get out of the car in the morning to help your child. We have staff on duty to assist and this will hold up the line quite a bit. We know many have to rush off and we want to help in any way we can. This is a way we can help one another!
There is a staff member there to direct traffic and it is a single lane so you may not pass even if your child has exited your car.
PARENT PICK-UP: ALL CARS MUST DRIVE UP WEST KNOLL TO PICK UP STUDENTS. NO CARS WILL BE PERMITTED TO ENTER FROM BANCROFT ROAD.
In order to help expedite the pick-up procedure, please write your last name ONLY in LARGE, BLACK, BOLD print on a piece of tag board/paper and have it prominently displayed when you arrive to pick up your child. This will expedite the process. If someone else is picking up your child, please have them follow the same protocol.
AGAIN . . . DO NOT EXIT YOUR CAR DURING THIS TIME OR PASS CARS! Every car stays in a single line and waits for the car in front of you to drive off.
Thank you very much!
Resources
Important Links (APS):
Bancroft Elementary School
Email: beth.leavitt@andoverma.us
Website: Bancroft School
Instagram: @bancroftaps
Location: 15 Bancroft Rd, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 247-9500
X: @BancroftAPS