Bulldog Bulletin
Week of September 1st
Every Voice, Every Heart, Every Day
It’s been a wonderful start to the 2025–2026 school year! The energy and excitement from both our staff and students have filled the building, setting the tone for a year of growth and joy. We have welcomed a number of new families to our community.
We look forward to welcoming our youngest bulldogs on Tuesday! Welcome to Sanborn's Class of 2032.
This week, Ms. McGonigle and I had the chance to visit classrooms and see the heart of Sanborn in action. We listened to summer stories, admired thoughtful projects, joined in community-building activities, and observed students settling into the routines that will guide them throughout the year.
We are so grateful to be on this journey with you and your children and look forward to the many meaningful moments ahead. Together, we will continue to live our theme: Every Voice, Every Heart, Every Day.
Wishing you all a restful and joyful LONG WEEKEND!
PickUp Patrol
This school year we will continue using PickUp Patrol to help us track
dismissals. PickUp Patrol (PUP) provides you with a convenient way to make changes to your
child’s tardies, dismissals and absences plans and help ensure that our students are accurately dismissed each day.
How It Works:
1. Your child’s regular dismissal plan will be entered into ASPEN. This is called their
Default Plan.
2. Whenever your child is following a plan other than their Default Plan you’ll submit the
change using the PickUp Patrol app.
Examples of a plan change:
● Your child has a doctor's appointment and will be leaving early.
● Your child normally rides the bus but is getting picked up today.
● Your child will be arriving late.
● Your child is getting picked up by someone other than yourself.
3. When the change is submitted, the school will be notified and we’ll relay the change to
your child.
If you have any questions, please first check the PUP Parent Guide. If you still need help,
contact us here in the office.
Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks
1. Students are offered breakfast and lunch free of charge. It is crucial that you order lunches for them IN ADVANCE if they plan to have lunch from the school cafeteria. Our kitchen staff prepares lunches based on the number of orders received, so accurate and timely ordering is essential. Breakfast does not need to be ordered in advance.
2. Memorize PIN : Please help your child memorizes their PIN to get their lunch. This number stays with them year to year. Knowing it by heart will expedite their lunch experience. It allows for quicker and more secure access to their account, making lunchtime smoother for everyone involved.
If you have any questions or require assistance with lunch orders or PIN-related matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school office.
3. Students should bring snacks from home each day.
Drop off and Pick Up
Drop Off
-Please do not drop students off until 8:45. We do not have staffing on the playground prior to that time.
-In the carpool lane, please pull all the way forward towards Lovejoy. It helps to ensure that we can move more cars along quickly.
Walkers
-Walker dismissal is ONLY for students who are walking home. You may not park in the parking lot and have your students walk home. It creates an dangerous situation. If you are picking up by car please use the carpool pick up.
Carpool Pick up
-Please pick up all students over by the back parking lot near the orange cones.
-Follow directions from Ms. Nunes who will be directing cars to exit one row at a time.
Thank you all for your help ensuring a smooth and safe drop off and pick up.
Riding Bikes to School
Students in grades 3-5 can ride bikes to school starting on Monday 9/1/2025 if they have filled out a permission slip. All students must wear helmets to school and no motorized bikes or scooters are allowed. Anyone not following these procedures will lose the privileges.
Beginning of the Year Safety Drills
We had our first fire drill of the year on Thursday. We typically have them 4x/year.
An ALICE drill will be conducted early in the fall.
When an ALICE drill is performed, a notification from the school will go out AFTER the drill is complete. The staff do an amazing job preparing students for these drills.
Upcoming Dates
September 1st No School
September 2nd Kindergarten first day of school
September 110h Back to School Family Fun Night/ Open House K-5
5:00 - 6:30 on the playground
Technology 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.
Aspen Updates
Now that the first week of school is behind us, we want to thank all APS families who have already verified and updated their student’s information. If you haven’t done so yet, please take a moment to complete this important task through our secure online portal, Family Connection.
This information includes your child’s emergency contacts, medical information, demographics, technology usage agreement, as well as acknowledging other district policies. Using Family Connection helps streamline communication and significantly reduces the amount of paperwork for families. Most importantly, it ensures we have the most up-to-date information for your child in the event of an emergency. This system is accessible through the Aspen Family Portal. Once you have logged into Aspen, click on the link under the Announcements on the Home page that reads ‘Family Connection – Back to School Forms’. You will be redirected to the Family Connection "Verification Form" page which contains directions on how to complete and submit the forms. If you need help, please refer to the – Aspen Family/Student Portal page on the APS website.
