Bulldog Bulletin

Although it was a short week, we ended it with the outstanding Frozen play. The students did an incredible job. I had the opportunity to attend all three performances, and each one was truly exceptional. We were so fortunate to have Ms. Hart, Ms. Price, and Ms. Thorner from Bancroft lead this wonderful experience with support from the PTO and the Rotary Club. It was a truly amazing experience, and parents and staff alike were so impressed by the students’ hard work, commitment, and talent.

On Monday, registration for our incoming kindergarten students opens. Please use the Kindergarten Registration link below to register and to find more information about the process.

Next week, kindergarten will begin with “Forces in Motion” from the Discovery Museum, which connects to their upcoming Arts & Letters Innovation Module. Fifth grade will continue their Arts & Letters Module, Extreme Settings, with a virtual visit from diver John Volanthen, featured in the book All Thirteen. On Thursday, Dr. Goldman will visit first grade to talk about dental health. Fifth grade will also welcome representatives from the middle school French program to learn more about that option for next year.

Our monthly C3 meeting will be held on Friday at 8:15, and all are welcome. We continue to focus on strengthening connection and belonging at Sanborn School. Our most recent initiative, the Learning Journey, will invite families into the building to experience an inside look at a day at Sanborn.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for the many ways you support our students, staff, and the Sanborn community each and every day.

The standards listed on the report cards are grade-level standards that are taken directly from the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks and explicitly state what students must know and be able to do. The standards serve as the foundation for the curriculum chosen, guide the pedagogy enlisted to deliver the curriculum, and become the target for our assessments, both formative and summative.

The report card will use indicators that illustrate each individual’s progress in meeting these academic standards. Note: The standards are end-of-year standards. It is not unusual for most students to be “Beginning” or "Developing" along these standards at this point in the school year. This is particularly true with our ELA standards. We are in the first year of implementing the Arts and Letters curriculum and therefore, the sequence in which we teach the standards differs from previous years. We no longer teach whole units dedicated to one type of writing or literary genre. Instead, we teach the standards many times during the year. Hence, it is a developing or beginning skill based on our curriculum.

M - Meets the standard

- The student can apply the standard with independence

- The student demonstrates mastery of or proficiency in that standard

- The student is able to apply the standard in a variety of contexts

D - Developing

- The student applies the standard with varied consistency, quality, or independence

- The student is making progress toward mastery of or proficiency in the standard.

B - Beginning

- The student has not yet reached the understanding to apply the standard.

- The student is making early progress toward mastery of or proficiency in the standard.

On February 13, 2026, parents and guardians will receive Family Reports that summarize your child’s middle-of-the-year assessments. These reports will be sent home with your child.

• DIBELS (Grades K–5): A literacy screener that helps us understand your child’s reading development and guide instruction.

• MAP Growth (Grades 2–5): An adaptive assessment in reading (Grades 2-5) and math (Grades 3-5) that shows your child’s current learning level and growth over time.

For more information:

• MAP Growth: NWEA Family Toolkit or Andover Public Schools MAP Assessment

• DIBELS: Andover Public Schools mCLASS Literacy Assessments

These middle-of-the-year results help teachers inform instruction, personalize learning, and monitor the growth of individual students. Administrators use the data to assess performance and progress at each grade level, school, and district. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher or principal.

Dear Families of Incoming Kindergarten students:

We share in your excitement for your child to enroll in Kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year and look forward to them being a part of the Andover Public School community in September.

Kindergarten registration will begin on Monday, February 2, 2026 to Monday, March 2, 2026. Please access the Kindergarten Registration link on our website.

Following your registration, please contact your school directly to make an appointment to submit your registration paperwork.

For your reference, student eligibility requirements are as follows:

A student must actually reside in Andover, unless one of the exceptions set forth in Policy JF applies. The residence of a minor child is ordinarily presumed to be the legal residence of the child´s parent or legal guardian.

Kindergarten:

As per School Committee Policy, children must be 5 years old on or before August 31, 2026 and entering Kindergarten in the Andover Public Schools for the first time.

First Grade: (New to Andover / Andover Public Schools)

Children must be age 6 on or before August 31, 2026, and enrolling in the Andover Public Schools for the first time or transferring from another school district school.

The first day of school for Pre-K and Kindergarten students is Tuesday, September 8, 2026!

We look forward to meeting all our incoming students and families in the new school year!

We are back to our RULER vocabulary. This week we will focus on red words, which are low pleasantness and high energy!

Kindergarten-nervous

First Grade- jealous

Second Grade-embarrassed

Third Grade-resentful

Fourth Grade-anxious

Fifth Grade-self-conscious

Mark your calendars!

The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates. Please note that students will take 2 days of tests per content area. Please refrain from vacations or unnecessary absences on these dates.

Grade 3

-English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Monday, March 30th and 31th
-Mathematics Assessments: Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8

Grade 4

-English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 9

-Mathematics Assessments: Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12

Grade 5

-English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 9
-Mathematics Assessments: Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12

-Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Assessments: Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19

-February 16 - 20: Winter Break - NO SCHOOL

-February 13th: Fun Run "Glow Dance Edition"

-March 2-6: Author’s Week

It was an amazing weekend cheering on our fellow bulldogs in Frozen Jr! As we move into February, here’s what the PTO wants you to know this week…

• Fun Run kickoff time is finally here! Sign your student(s) up here, it’s free to register! Check out our website to find out more information about the PTO’s biggest fundraiser of the year and Let us know if you’re coming! If you’d like to be there to cheer on your student day-of, make sure that you have an active CORI on file.

• Frozen Jr. was a huge success over the weekend! The Sanborn Stage came alive with the music of Arrendale; the hard work both on display and behind the scenes was palpable. We’re proud of everyone- cast, crew and volunteer parents for making this weekend so memorable. We’d also like to send a special thanks to Andover Rotary, who awarded Sanborn a $1,500 grant for Frozen Jr. Your support is making a difference in the lives of our students and we appreciate you more than you know!

• Have a talent to share? We're recruiting acts for the 2026 Talent Show on March 12th. Sign up to perform and help make this year’s talent show an unforgettable celebration of creativity and confidence!

• We’re having a Parent Social at Treehouse Brewing Company on 2/11 at 6:30… join us for another fun night! RSVP here!

Important Dates

• 2/2 Fun Run Kick Off!

• 2/3-2/13 Call for Talent Show Acts

• 2/11 Treehouse Brewery Parent Social

• 2/13 Fun Run Dance Fit

• 2/16-2/20 Winter Recess

• 2/24 Talent Show Auditions