Bulldog Bulletin
Week of September 15th
Every Voice, Every Heart, Every Day
What a wonderful first full week at Sanborn!
We had a wonderful family fun night. It was so fun to have so many families join us and meet their teachers.
Our students are settling into classroom routines, making new friends, and building strong learning communities. In literacy, they are diving into annotation, strengthening fluency, and exploring how to identify the central idea in texts. Part of the program is to have a bookend lesson where students have an opportunity to make a fun connection to the topic. One of our bookend lessons, was in 3rd grade we had Mr. Diodati, a licensed commercial fisherman visit this week to share his knowledge of the ocean. In math, students are engaging with numbers in a variety of creative ways—building number sense, problem solving, and sharing their thinking with one another.
It has been exciting to see their curiosity, energy, and joy of learning shining through in every classroom. We are proud of the way they are already demonstrating perseverance, cooperation, and kindness as they grow together.
Every Voice, Every Heart, Every Day.
Lowell Street will be closed in the area around 277 Lowell Street from Monday, September 15 through Friday, September 19, 2025, between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, to allow for the replacement of a drainage culvert as part of the Lowell Street Water Main Project.
The vendor servicing APS bus routes have been made aware of the construction work and are making efforts to provide timely service to and from schools. Residents are advised to avoid the area, seek alternate routes, and anticipate travel delays.
Detours will be in place to guide drivers around the work area. Access to homes will be maintained at all times. We appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation during this important infrastructure improvement project.
Arts & Letters- ELA Curriculum
After participating in a comprehensive literacy review during the 2024-2025 school year, the Andover Public Schools adopted Arts and Letters by Great Minds as our new English Language Arts curriculum for Kindergarten through grade 5. This innovative program goes beyond teaching reading and writing skills—it helps students build knowledge, think critically, and develop a true love of learning. With a focus on engaging texts, meaningful discussions, and opportunities to connect reading and writing across subjects, Arts and Letters gives students the tools they need to grow as confident readers, writers, and thinkers.
A key benefit of Arts & Letters is the fact that it complements our continued approach to teaching students to read through an emphasis on foundational literacy skills, focusing on both word recognition and language comprehension development. Arts & Letters pairs particularly well with Fundations, Heggerty, and Geodes, all of which remain firmly intact within our instructional approach.
Families can expect their children to explore rich stories, expand their vocabulary, and make connections to science, history, and the arts as they learn. We look forward to partnering with you as we launch this exciting new program and support every child’s growth in literacy. Please be on the lookout for details regarding informational sessions for parents and guardians later this fall. In the meantime, you can learn more at greatminds.org.
Drop off and Pick Up
Drop Off
-Please do not drop students off until 8:45. We do not have staffing on the playground prior to that time.
-In the carpool lane, please pull all the way forward towards Lovejoy. It helps to ensure that we can move more cars along quickly. Please stand behind the fence line when dropping off your child.
Walkers
-Walker dismissal is ONLY for students who are walking home. You may not park in the parking lot and have your students walk home. It creates an dangerous situation. If you are picking up by car please use the carpool pick up.
Carpool Pick up
-Please pick up all students over by the back parking lot near the orange cones.
-Follow directions from Ms. Nunes who will be directing cars to exit one row at a time.
Thank you all for your help ensuring a smooth and safe drop off and pick up.
Technology at School
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.
Aspen Updates
Now that the first week of school is behind us, we want to thank all APS families who have already verified and updated their student’s information. If you haven’t done so yet, please take a moment to complete this important task through our secure online portal, Family Connection.
This information includes your child’s emergency contacts, medical information, demographics, technology usage agreement, as well as acknowledging other district policies. Using Family Connection helps streamline communication and significantly reduces the amount of paperwork for families. Most importantly, it ensures we have the most up-to-date information for your child in the event of an emergency. This system is accessible through the Aspen Family Portal. Once you have logged into Aspen, click on the link under the Announcements on the Home page that reads ‘Family Connection – Back to School Forms’. You will be redirected to the Family Connection "Verification Form" page which contains directions on how to complete and submit the forms. If you need help, please refer to the – Aspen Family/Student Portal page on the APS website.
