We had a wonderful Scholastic Book Fair last week. It was such a joy to see our students excited about selecting new books to spark their imaginations and grow their love of reading. Thank you to everyone who supported this event—it was a tremendous success!

Harvest Festival

We ask all students to wear blue for the Harvest Festival. Please note that parents are not invited to attend the event due to limited space. However, we will be recording the performance and will share the video with families as soon as it is available.

Bus Reminders
Riding the bus is a privilege, and we kindly ask for your help in reminding students about appropriate bus behavior. Over the past few weeks, we’ve noticed some concerning trends, including students yelling, using Chromebooks, eating food, and playing instruments while on the bus. For everyone’s safety, please review the bus expectations with your child.

Mind Your Bu$iness Program
Our fourth graders concluded their “Mind Your Bu$iness” program on Friday, wrapping up a valuable experience that taught them about financial literacy, decision-making, and entrepreneurship. We are so proud of their hard work and creativity!

Lost and Found

This is the last call for items in our Lost and Found! Any unclaimed items will be donated to Lazarus House on Wednesday. As we enter the winter months with many layers of clothing, we encourage families to label items like coats, hats, and gloves to help ensure they make their way home.

Thanksgiving Break
Please note that this Wednesday, November 27, is a 12:15 early dismissal for all students. There is no school on Thursday or Friday.

Finally, we want to express our gratitude for our incredible school community. The support, collaboration, and kindness of our families, staff, and students make Sanborn such a special place to learn and grow. Thank you for all you do! We wish all of our families a safe and joyful Thanksgiving break filled with love, laughter, and appreciation.

The holiday season is fast approaching! It is a joyful time of year but it can also bring financial worries and stress for some families. In partnership with the PTO, we’re working to support Sanborn families through gift card donations from Market Basket, Walmart, or Target to help with holiday gifts and essentials. If your family could use some assistance or if you’d like to contribute, please sign up by clicking one of the links below. All donations are given anonymously, and recipients’ information will be kept strictly confidential.

If you need assistance please share your information confidentially here:

Sanborn Holiday Giving - Request for Assistance

If you would like to donate a gift card please sign up here:

Sanborn Holiday Giving - Sign Up to Donate

Sincerely,

The Sanborn Community

Just like last year, we are hosting a can drive for Lazarus House. You will find bins at the end of each wing and in the front lobby. Lazarus House has shared that they currently need peanut butter (plastic jars only) and canned tuna or chicken. We are seeing which wing can collect the most canned goods. The student council will be providing updates to students.

Head Lice: Parents are encouraged to check your child’s hair for head lice regularly. If you discover head lice or have any questions please contact the School Nurse at 978-247-9702.

Illness guidelines: It is that time of year again when colds, flu and other illnesses are circulating. To prevent illness you are encouraged to get updated flu and COVID vaccinations if you have not done so. Your child’s pediatrician can help to determine what your child’s vaccine needs are for this Fall.

If your child is ill, they can return to school when they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication like Tylenol or ibuprofen ( Motrin). They should also be free of vomiting and diarrhea for 24 hours and should complete 24 hours on an antibiotic to return to school. These guidelines help to prevent the spread of illness at school. Please call the Absentee Line at 978-247-9701 if your child will be absent or tardy. Thank you!

If you are not sure if your child should return to school, please call the Sanborn Clinic to check in with the nurse.

Spare Clothing: The clinic is in need of gently used elastic waist girls pants. Donations can be sent into the clinic. If your child does come home with clothing borrowed from the clinic, please wash it and send it back to keep the borrowing closet going.

Also, it is recommended that you send a spare set of clothing to be stored in your child’s locker in case a change is needed during the school day. Children are much happier if they are able to change into their own clothing when necessary.

Please contact Lisa Slattery in the Sanborn Clinic with questions at 978-247-9702 or lisa.slattery@andoverma.us

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.

As we enter winter, we want students to have a consistent outdoor experience between grades and classrooms. To support this, we have set guidelines for temperature/weather type when deciding outdoor vs. indoor recess for all classrooms. Below are guidelines for outdoor recess for ‘24-25 school year.

• Students will be outdoors if the temperature (including wind chill) is 20 degrees or warmer and it’s not raining, sleeting, hailing, or blizzarding.

• 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. 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.

Tuesday, November 26th Harvest Festival (Available to Watch on Andover TV)

Wednesday, November 27th Half Day

Thursday, November 28th No School

Friday, November 29th No School

Wednesday, December 4 Early dismissal at 12:15

-Saturday, December 23 - Wednesday, January 1 Winter Recess - no school

• What do you have to know about a shape if you want to build it?
• What makes a circle different from other curved shapes?

Students also discussed naming and identifying shapes, regardless of their orientation or overall size.

• Reminder that as part of Harvest Festival we are collecting canned goods donations for Lazarus House’s St. Martha’s food pantry, which supplies emergency groceries to over 1,200 families each week. Lazarus House is, specifically, looking for donations of peanut butter (in plastic jars only), canned tuna, and canned chicken. Donations are due by 11/26 and can be dropped in the donation bin located in your student's wing or the vestibule at Sanborn. Need an incentive? The wing with the most donations will get extra recess!
• Celebrate Giving Tuesday with us at Learning Express Andover on 12/3 at 6-8:30pm! You'll get 10% off your purchase and 10% of every purchase made during this private shopping event will be donated back to the Sanborn PTO.

  
  

• Get in the spirit with Sanborn parents! Join us for a table arrangement creation event, on 12/11 at 6:30PM at Konjoian's Greenhouse. We will provide light food and beverages, and you'll leave with a beautiful arrangement for your table! The event costs $50 which covers your arrangement, canapés and beverages.
  Space is limited, so please fill out this form to lock in your spot!
• A few ways to stay up to date on the latest news and offerings from the PTO:
• The Bulldog Spirit is the monthly newsletter from the Sanborn PTO where they communicate about our school events, fundraisers, enrichment activities, etc. Sign up here.
• Bookmark the PTO website!
• For real-time updates during the school year, follow the Sanborn Community on social media: Facebook, Instagram
• Join your child's grade-level Facebook group - this group is just for kids in your child’s grade. Here you can connect, ask grade-specific questions, etc.