High Plain Elementary Corner

Week of March 29, 2026

Dear HPE Families,

It feels like March is flying by and our students have taken advantage of every learning opportunity. Yesterday our students had a successful bus evacuation practice, the second one of the year. Classrooms are deep into Module 3 in Arts and Letters and teachers are wrapping up the opportunity to observe their students and lesson structures under the guidance of our math coach. These learning opportunities for students and staff provide opportunities to reflect, think critically, and try a variety of entry points to learning. And what else is there to say about our classrooms except that our students are active learners who are rocking and rolling!

We are gearing up for MCAS testing which starts this Tuesday, March 31 for students in grade 5. The schedule is listed below. We encourage families to help our students feel at ease so they are not stressing about these assessments. They have all the information they need to do well. A few reminders to get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, arrive on time, and try their best is all they need. All Smartwatches should be kept at home on testing days as they cannot be worn during the assessment. The rest is up to them and we have full confidence they will succeed.

Finally, below you will find a picture from our Kindergarten Play. This annual tradition is beloved by our kindergarten team. The students did a beautiful job performing for their families today. Thank you to Mrs. Merchan, our music teacher, and our kindergarten team for making this magic come alive.

Enjoy,

Ms. Leveque and Mrs. Lyons

Sarah.Leveque@andoverma.us and Marika.Lyons@andoverma.us

-Monday, March 30: HPE School Council, 3:50-4:50 Zoom

-Tuesday, March 31: Grade 5 ELA MCAS

-Wednesday, April 1: Grade 5 ELA MCAS

-Thursday, April 2: Passover

• PTO Virtual Meeting, 7pm

-Friday, April 3: Good Friday

-Tuesday, April 7: Grade 4 ELA MCAS

-Wednesday, April 8: Early Release Day; 12:15 dismissal

-Thursday, April 9: Grade 4 ELA MCAS

-Friday, April 10: Orthodox Good Friday

• Warrior Way: AHS students visit HPE

School Year Hours:

Monday-Friday, 8:45-3:30

Andover Public School 2026-2027 Calendar

As part of our HPE Student Council, we have a news team that has a weekly report for our students. Here is the latest news.

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

On this night, we will celebrate the cultural heritage and diversity of our community.

From 5:30 to 7:30 pm, we will host a Heritage Night. This night will include a potluck buffet with food from different cultures, performances (singing and dancing, music), and booths filled with artifacts, fun crafts, and activities.

To make this evening a success we need volunteers! Using this google form, please sign up to:

1. Bring in food or drink from around the world;

2. Set up a booth with activities from your home culture like teaching traditional dance, or games, or demonstrating how traditional clothing is worn, or leading a traditional craft, or teaching how to write something in your home language;

3. Perform on stage

Email marika.lyons@andoverma.us or sarah.leveque@andoverma.us with any questions.

Thank you to our fourth and fifth grade volunteers who took their recess time to complete a little spring cleaning, picking up trash around the school grounds. They collected 9 full trash bags!

As some of our families and students go through the process of redistricting from High Plain to West Elementary, we want to ensure you feel fully supported. We know change brings many questions, and we share a common purpose, to make this transition as smooth and positive as possible for every family and child.

We encourage all families to reach out with questions as we welcome a conversation with you.

Ms. Leveque, High Plain Principal, and Dr. Carideo-Cobbs, West Elementary 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 High Plain Elementary 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 at www.aps1.net/o/aps/page/kindergarten-registration.

Following your registration, please contact us 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!

Our PTO plans lots of fun for our students and families. Please sign up for the PTO Newsletter at www.highplainpto.org so you don’t miss out on fun events. We will be at the Open House Curriculum Night so come say hello!

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 will be listed in the Aspen portal.

NAME/BUS TAGS (For Kindergarten and Grade 1 Students)
Your child’s teacher will give you a name tag necklace on the first day. Please have your kindergartner or first grader wear the nametag until further notice. The information on the tag is based on what families have entered on the back to school forms.

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.

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.

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.

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/

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.

Please make sure that you arrive with your license. We cannot check you in and let you enter without your license or state issued ID. You also need to have a valid CORI form on file. Please help us with these required safety steps.

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

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