Bulldog Bulletin
Week of January 20th
You Belong Here
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend! With snow in the forecast for tonight, I hope you’re staying cozy and safe. A reminder that we have tomorrow off of school in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I am looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday!
Just a reminder that we should not be riding bikes or scooters to school until the spring. I will send an announcement when students in grades 3-5 can ride bikes and scooters.
We continue emphasizing mindful listening as part of our focus on being fully present and engaged. This week, students practiced mindful listening by noticing new sounds at recess and identifying a "secret sound." Their efforts have been impressive, with many students receiving shoutouts during the morning announcements for demonstrating excellent listening skills!
At school, we encourage students to practice being fully present when listening to their teachers and classmates. Next week, students will share what they have learned from mindfully listening to their peers, further strengthening this important skill.
Supporting Mindful Listening at Home
Parents, you can help reinforce mindful listening with these simple strategies:
- Create quiet moments: Set aside time each day to sit together in silence and notice the sounds around you. Ask your child what they hear and how the sounds make them feel.
- Active listening practice: Pause what you're doing when your child speaks, make eye contact, and respond thoughtfully by repeating or summarizing what you’ve heard.
- Encourage thoughtful conversations: Ask open-ended questions and give your child time to consider their answers. Reflect together on how listening helps build understanding.
Next week, we will celebrate music in exciting ways! Our winter concert will take place during the day for students and at 7:00 PM for families. Additionally, on Thursday, our third graders will visit the Lexington Symphony Orchestra, where they will experience the joy and power of live music.
Thank you for your continued support as we help students grow their listening skills and appreciation for music and community!
As we continue the K-8 redistricting process, we are pleased to invite the community to highlight areas of interest (i.e., neighborhoods, streets), with an interactive, online mapping tool - ARCGIS.
This resource will allow the community to review an updated scenario based on the collaboration with the School Committee at its January 9th meeting and community engagement. The updated scenario was presented to the community at a Let’s Talk! session on redistricting held January 16, 2025.
The community can provide visual feedback and written comments to DillingerRAD, the consultant supporting APS with this process. For more information on how to utilize the tool, please check here. Access to this link or the QR code below will close on Friday, January 24, 2025.
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.
We appreciate your feedback.
The Andover Public Schools FY26 Budget process began last fall and has been shaped over the past few months. The fiscal challenges the district faced last year continue for FY26 and beyond. Key factors contributing to these challenges include rising costs in transportation, salaries, special education programming, and utilities.
To promote opportunities for community involvement, APS superintendent Dr. Parvey and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration Keith Taverna will be visiting all schools’ PTO/PAC meetings to discuss the FY26 Budget process and answer questions. We encourage you to visit the FY26 Budget webpage for more information on what has been shared with the community so far.
You are invited to join us for their conversation with the Sanborn community at our PTO meeting on January 28th, 2025 at 7:00 pm. We hope you will join us.
MCAS Dates
We want to share these dates in advance as we prepare for the upcoming.
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing.
Grade 3 April 7, 8 (ELA) and May 6, 8 (Math)
Grade 4 April 10, 11 (ELA) and May 13, 15 (Math)
Grade 5 April 10, 11 (ELA) May 13, 15 (Math) and May 19, 20 (Science)
More information will be shared closer to testing time.
MAP Testing Letter from Dr. Riley
Between January 6th and January 17th, Grades 2-8 students will take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on the computer during the school day. MAP Growth scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth in math and reading. (NOTE: This will be the first time students in Grade 2 will be taking MAP Reading.)
Each testing session lasts from 45-60 minutes. Testing days are at the discretion of individual schools, within the testing window. The results of these tests assist teachers in informing instruction, personalizing learning, and monitoring the growth of individual students. Principals and administrators can use the data to assess performance and progress at each grade level, school, and district. It will help us learn more about where students may need interventions and identify what those supports might be at the classroom, school, and district level.
MAP Growth tests are responsive and adapt to your child’s answers to measure your child’s knowledge. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of where your child is on their learning journey. Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores in similar skills and topics and then plan instruction accordingly.
MAP Growth reports also provide typical growth data for students in the same grade and subject with the same starting performance level.
We look forward to supporting you with information about your child’s progress. In early February, parents and guardians will receive a Family Report summarizing each child’s winter benchmark results. Results will be sent home with your child. Principals will communicate a reminder about results in their school newsletters.
For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit or NWEA MAP Assessment | Andover Public Schools
Upcoming Dates
Monday, January 20th: No School
Wednesday, January 22nd: Winter Chorus/Orff Concert 7:00pm
Thursday, January 23rd: 3rd Grade Lexington Symphony Field Trip
Tuesday, January 28th, at 7p Special PTO Meeting with Superintendent Dr. Parvey.
Wednesday, January 29th: Early Release
Wednesday, February 12th: 5th grade chorus performs at the Collins Center 7:30pm
APS: Who We Are & Stay Connected
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.
