High Plain Elementary Corner
Ms. Leveque's and Mrs. Lyons' Weekly Newsletter
As part of our HPE Student Council, we have a news team that has a weekly report for our students. Thank you to Mrs. Chaves for producing this work! We also have students working with Mrs. Roussel on a Hawks Newspaper. We've been able to create a website so you can view both from one spot. Click on the tabs at the top of the site to move from the newspaper to the news. Here is the latest news.
Monday, February 3rd, your child's report card will be released through the Parent Portal. We wanted to share some information about the grading system that we use at APS. Please reach out directly to your child's teacher for any additional questions about your child's report card.
The standards listed on the report cards are grade-level standards 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 "Developing" along these standards at this point in the school year.
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.
** Our second set of conferences will be held on in March and classroom teachers will be reaching out by next month with dates/times to choose from.
We share in your excitement for your child to enroll in Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 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 3 to Monday, March 3, 2025. Please access the Kindergarten Registration Link on our website.
High Plain is currently making Kindergarten Registration appointments between the dates of February 3rd to February 14th, between 10:00AM and 2:00PM. Please be sure to call the school (978-247-8600) or email me (mara.shanahan@andoverma.us) soon to make your appointment.
To find which school your child will attend, review our district map at this link. 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:
Kindergarten:
As per School Committee Policy (Policy JF: Residency, School Admission, Entrance Age), children must be 5 years old on or before August 31, 2025 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, 2025 and enrolling in the Andover Public Schools for the first time or transferring from another school district or private school.
The first day of school for Pre-K and Kindergarten students is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
We look forward to meeting all our incoming students and families in the new school year!
The health office wants to make sure we are keeping you informed around topics you want to hear about. We are looking for your input on topic areas and how you would best like to be contacted. Our goal is always to maintain confidentiality around the health and safety of your children and make you aware of what is happening in the health office. Thanks for supporting the home-school connection!
This is an anonymous survey and if you have specific medical needs that need to be addressed, please contact the High Plain Nurses' Office at 978-247-8602.
Access the Google Survey here.
Ticket Sales: Come see Seussical, JR! Friday, February 7 at 7pm or Saturday, February 8 at 1pm or 4pm.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online using a credit card
OR
CLICK HERE to print the form and send to the school with cash or check
Candy-Grams: We will be selling them at the door, but you can do it in advance to save time!
CLICK HERE to send a Candy-Gram to your actor or crew member
In Spring 2025, the School Committee will review the proposed redistricting options and vote on the preferred redistricting plan. The approved redistricting plan will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. This allows the district sufficient time to operationally plan for the new school zones.
What is the Redistricting Advisory Council (RAC):
This is a non-binding group of parents and educators from each elementary/ middle school that is occasionally consulted as part of the redistricting process. All redistricting decisions are ultimately made by the school committee.
We appreciate your feedback.
The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates at HPE. 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: Thursday, April 10th and Friday, April 11th
Mathematics Assessments: Wednesday, May 14th and Thursday, May 15th
Grade 4
English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Thursday, April 3rd and Friday, April 4th
Mathematics Assessments: Friday, May 9th and Tuesday, May 13th
Grade 5
English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Tuesday, April 1st and Wednesday, April 2nd
Mathematics Assessments: Tuesday, May 6th and Thursday, May 8th
Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Assessments: Tuesday, May 20th and Wednesday, May 21st
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.
Free Parenting Solutions Library
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new MPY Parenting Solutions Library, available in English and Spanish. The MPY Parenting Solutions Library is offered at no charge, in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non- profit. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive. The video trainings are presented by experts with advanced degrees and present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change.
Throughout the school year, there are many opportunities to apply for financial assistance to help with fees associated with programs, events, supplies and activities for students in Andover. Should you be in a position where we can support, please fill out our response form in which you can indicate the programs that you and your family are interested in getting more information about as the applications become available. High Plain will keep this information confidential. Please keep us updated if your information or circumstances change through the year. There may be some instances we are unable to offer support due to limited resources.
We know that there are times when families have a need to make a change to their child’s usual dismissal routine. PickUp Patrol is an app-based system where users can quickly alert the school of a change in dismissal routine for that day. Changes will be allowed until 2:30 PM each day, at which point no dismissal changes will be accepted. We do not use PickUp Patrol for absences or late arrivals. You need to call the school and reach the attendance line for absences and late arrivals.
How It Works:
- Your child’s regular dismissal plan from Aspen has been entered into the system. This is called their Default Plan.
- 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 normally goes to an afterschool program but will be taking the bus today.
- 3. When the change is submitted, the school will be notified. Before the end of the school day, the teachers are notified and we’ll relay the change to your child.
If you have any questions, please first check the PUP Parent Guide, then contact us in the main office. Please remember that PickUp Patrol changes only reflect that single day, not the on-going default plans. If you need to make a change to a default plan, please do so in the Aspen portal, or feel free to email me (mara.shanahan@andoverma.us), and I will make sure that default plan is reflected in PickUp Patrol.
SCHOOL BUS
Bus transportation to and from school is provided free of charge to elementary students. Kindergarten students must be met by a known adult at the bus stop. Bus routes are available for families in the Aspen portal.
CAR PICKUP/DROPOFF
Please note that there are differences in morning arrival and afternoon car pick up. In the morning, you may arrive between 8:45-9:00 by using the High Plain Rd. entrance or the Cross St. entrance. In the afternoon, you can only arrive through the Cross St. entrance. The High Plain Rd. entrance is closed to allow buses. In the afternoon, dismissal begins at 3:30. Both morning and afternoon arrival, all vehicles must turn right when leaving the drop off/pick up line.
WALKERS & BIKE RIDERS:
· For morning arrival, a school crossing guard will be at the Cross Street/Brady Loop entrance.
· All AM walkers and bike riders should use the Cross St. entrance and the sidewalks that follow the front side of the school.
· Bike Riders: Only students in grades 3, 4, and 5 may ride a bike to and from school. A permission form must be completed with the main office.
This is a reminder that the High Plain Road entrance is closed to cars at dismissal. It is the access entrance for buses only. The Cross Street entrance is how cars enter for car pickup. This is a safety concern. We have seen cars try to sneak in daily and it's simply not fair to those who are following the dismissal procedures. We ask you to be respectful of your fellow HPE community members and abide by this rule.
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.
In School Devices
K-3 Devices will stay in school.
4-5 Devices can be brought home if directed by the classroom teacher to complete an assignment. Otherwise, they will remain in school.
Breakfast and lunch are once again free to all students. Breakfast is served from 8:45-8:55 each morning and no advanced ordering is needed.
Lunches will need be preordered. Lunch requires families to order in advance to ensure we have the correct allergy-friendly lunch for all our students. 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.
Information about the Andover Public Schools lunch program, as well as menus and instructions for online ordering, may be found on the website here: http://www.andoverschoolnutrition.com/
School Hours of Operation
8:30 am: School office opens
8:45 am: School drop off
9:00 am: School day begins
After 9:00 am: Children are tardy and must be accompanied by a parent into the office
After 2:00 pm: Unless it's an emergency, no dismissal changes
Students must be dismissed before 3:00
3:30 pm: School ends
Ms. Sarah Leveque, Principal
Email: sarah.leveque@andoverma.us
Website: https://aps1.net/212/High-Plain-Elementary-School
Location: 333 High Plain Road, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-8600