Bulldog Bulletin

We have had such a wonderful stretch of learning and community here at Sanborn School, and I am grateful for your continued support.

Registration for Kindergarten is now open. Please see the information below for details on how to register.

Last week, Kindergarten enjoyed a presentation from the Discovery Museum, “Forces in Motion,” which connects to their upcoming Arts & Letters Innovation Module. Fifth grade had an outstanding virtual visit from diver John Volanthen to bookend their Arts & Letters Module, Extreme Settings, connected to the anchor text All Thirteen. First grade welcomed Dr. Goldman for a visit focused on dental health, and fifth grade also enjoyed learning more about the middle school French program.

We also held our monthly C3 meeting, where we focused on strengthening connection and belonging at Sanborn School. In addition, we have begun organizing for our upcoming Learning Journey. Please mark your calendars for March 25, as this will be a unique opportunity to see a snapshot of your child’s learning experience.

Next week, we are excited for our Dance Fit Fun Run on Friday. We cannot wait to see our students getting their dance on and celebrating together!

Thank you, as always, for being such an engaged and supportive partner in your child’s education and in our Sanborn community.

Progress reports will be available on your parent portal Monday, February 9th. 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 blue words, which are low pleasantness and low energy!

Kindergarten-bored

First Grade- distracted

Second Grade-timid

Third Grade-isolated

Fourth Grade-regretful

Fifth Grade-despair

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 Thursday, April 9

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

Grade 5

-English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Tuesday, April 7 and Thursday, 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’s Fun Run Week! Here’s what the PTO wants you to know this week..

• Keep on soliciting donations for this Friday’s Fun Run ✨Dance Fit✨Edition; if we hit our goal of $25,000 not only will Mrs. Fawcett get slimed, every Sanborn student will get a day-pass to Great Wolf Lodge! 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. If you’d like to be there to cheer on your student day-of, make sure that you have an active CORI on file! RSVP here!

• We’re having a Parent Social at Treehouse Brewing Company this Wednesday, 2/11 at 6:30… join us for another fun night! Get your tickets here!

• We are excited for Authors Week in March! This year families have the opportunity to purchase a signed book from Maureen Harrington or Jeff Mack. All orders must be in by 2/12. Order here!

• The Talent Show is coming up! If your child is interested in performing, please read the Call for Talent Show Acts document and sign up for the auditions!

• Spring Explorations planning is underway... if you've got a special skill or talent to share, send your idea to Mrs. Diodati!

• Given the snow days in the last week of January, the missed Monday and Tuesday AM & PM Explorations classes will be made up at the end of the session.

• Monday Explorations - Snow Day Make-Ups: Student Council & Chess: New last day is Monday 3/23; Fidget Making, Fuse Beads, Book Bling, Magic Brush: New last day is Monday, 3/9

• Tuesday Explorations - Snow Day Make-Ups: Kidcasso Tues, Dodgeball 4-5, Scrapbooking, Slime Science, and Canva Club: New last day is Tuesday 3/3

Important Dates

• 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