All Around APS
News from the Andover Public Schools - March 3, 2023
APS Pride
AHS students host Congressman Moulton for a student town hall
Andover High School students welcomed U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA, 6) this week at a student town hall forum. Students submitted questions in advance, which were asked by AHS juniors Michaela Buckley, Ed Mukalazi, and Will Tutwiler. Topics students for discussion included equity in education, social media, student debt, and social issues facing our country today. Kudos to Social Studies teacher Mary Robb for organizing the event and the students for their civic engagement!
High Plain Elementary School Nurse Honored as School Nurse of the Year
Congratulations to High Plain Elementary School Nurse Kristen Aiello, who was voted as “School Nurse of the Year” by her colleagues at the Massachusetts School Nurses Organization (MSNO). The award is presented annually by the MSNO to publicly celebrate and honor a practicing registered nurse for outstanding contributions in the specialty of school nursing. Ms. Aiello will accept her award at their annual conference in April!
Doherty Middle School Students advance to MATHCOUNTS State Competition
Doherty Middle School MATHCOUNTS team recently won first place in the 2023 Northeast MA Chapter Competition. The students representing the team were Kaylee Xie, Anish Kumar, Kenneth Sun and Emily Yang. Three of the team members also landed in the top 10 individual scores with Kaylee, Kenneth and Anish securing third, sixth and seventh positions respectively. Kaylee Xie also won the first prize in the Countdown round of the competition.
MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide mathematics competition and is recognized as the most challenging math competition for middle school students. The foundation provides students in grade 6-8 the opportunity to compete in live contests against and alongside their peers. Participating in this competition helps students build confidence, problem solving skills and positive attitudes about math so that students can embrace challenges and expand their academic and career opportunities in the future.
Because of their recent success, the Doherty Middle School team has advanced to the Massachusetts State Competition, which will be held on Saturday March 4, 2023 at University of Massachusetts Lowell.
APS mourns the loss of two dedicated staff members
It is with great sadness that we share our sympathies with the families and friends of Ann Sermos and Mary Kay Poe. Both women made such an impact in our community. Our thoughts are with their families at this time.
Mary Kay Poe spent the majority of her life in Andover and in the district. Mary Kay was one of the first people to welcome the district’s youngest learners and their families, as she was the administrative assistant for 25 years at Shawsheen Preschool. Hundreds of Shawsheen families, past and present, came to offer condolences to her family earlier this week. Her calming presence at Shawsheen made an impression on everyone; she made you feel as if your request or question was the most important thing she needed to take care of that day. Her kindness and positive energy will be greatly missed.
From the Desk of Dr. Parvey - What Makes a Snow Day a Snow Day?
Dear APS families and staff,
While meteorological spring began this week, Mother Nature can still send a wintry mix our way at any time to mess up the best-laid plans. For superintendents, this means the decision on whether or not to hold school can be tricky and not always an exact science. I recently received a question from a parent about how we decide to make the call, and I thought it might be helpful to share with the entire community.
It is a difficult balance and a stressful decision to make. We always have the safety of our staff and students as the first priority in any consideration. The days leading up to a snow day, our team watches a number of forecasts for changes as the storm approaches. Especially in the spring, the snow totals can increase or decrease, or the storm’s track can change course quickly. The district subscribes to a weather service designed to inform us at a hyperlocal level; we can interact with these meteorologists directly if we have questions as the storm approaches.
The timing of the storm has a strong impact on our decision, particularly if the storm is during the morning commute. We review the forecast with our transportation company and the town’s department of public works to gather their expertise on anticipated challenges with the travel. We consider the students that are “walkers”, our students who are new drivers, and our staff who need to travel for work from different communities, all with the goal of getting everyone to school safely.
I am in contact with my colleagues from surrounding districts to weigh all the factors of calling a snow day. We look for the state’s public information and travel advisories. For Tuesday's storm, the Governor ordered all non-essential executive branch workers to work remotely. This is an indication that travel would have been difficult during the morning commute. In all, over 300 public, private schools and universities made the decision to close that day.
I am always appreciative of the community’s patience with the timing of the decision, knowing that not everyone will be pleased. Calling off school the day before gives many of our families the opportunity to secure childcare or make alternative arrangements for their employment. This also allows our staff to focus on their families and how the weather might impact their schedules. It is always a challenge, and my preference is to take a measured approach to this type of call. We make our best assessment with the resources we have available.
The forecast for the weekend is looking as if winter is sticking around a bit longer. The good news is that the first day of spring (equinox) is on March 20th!
Magda Parvey, Ed. D.
Instructional Assistants Professional Development Seminar – by Nancy Koch, Executive Director for Special Services
This month, the district’s Special Services department is providing all Instructional Assistants (IAs) an in-service professional development seminar provided by Constellations Behavioral Services.
Constellations has been providing high-quality behavior analytic services for over 12 years, providing consultation to school teams to support students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Their team of consultants currently provide support to over 30 public school districts, with the mission of supporting schools to build their internal capacity and develop sustainable systems to meet the social-emotional, behavioral, and educational needs of every student within their community. Working with Constellation staff, our goal is to provide the right tools, resources, and knowledge so that every team can effectively support students so that they may reach their fullest potential.
On March 10th, IAs will each receive training tailored to the primary and secondary levels on classroom supports and systems that align to the school-wide plan and framework. The IAs will receive instruction on the use of group contingencies and evidence-based teaching procedures that are proven to increase engagement while reducing disruption and negative behavior. Universal supports for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skill development and self-regulation are essential to establishing positive behaviors. Constellations will introduce an integrated approach which applies the principles of behavioral science to support the acquisition of SEL core competencies. The goal of this in-service seminar is to provide IAs with strategies to be implemented in classrooms when working with students.
District Upcoming Dates & Notes
- Friday, March 10, 2023- Early Release Day
- Wednesday, March 8, 2023 – Holi*
- Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - Ramadan* (month-long)
Shawsheen Preschool Open House
Shawsheen Preschool will host its annual open house for prospective parents for the upcoming school year (2023-24) on Friday, March 10, 2023, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Join Shawsheen staff for an overview of the APS Preschool Program, tour the building, and have any questions answered. Also, there will be an opportunity to sign up for Peer Screenings. If you plan on attending, please email colleen.barr@andoverma.us
Andover High School Building Committee – Community Survey & March 9th Forum
A high school building project could be the most impactful capital project our town has ever undertaken. The Andover High School Building Committee appreciates feedback from the Andover community in the continued development of options and we are grateful for your time in answering this brief survey. If you have any questions about this survey, please email andoverhighbuildingproject@andoverma.us
The Andover High Building Committee will be hosting a community forum on Thursday, March 9,
2023 in the Memorial Hall Library at 7:00 PM. The goal is to provide the public with the opportunity to share feedback to inform options for a potential building project. Up-to-date information can always be found on the Committee’s webpage.
What's happening behind the fence at the West Elementary and Shawsheen Building Project?
Each week, we will share a time lapse video of the construction of the new schools as they are being built! From new equipment, weather conditions, and the progress of the buildings, check out the video on the project’s page to see what happened at the site!
Stay Connected with APS
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.
School Committee Corner
The School Committee met on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Items on the agenda included the Public Hearing on the FY24 Recommended School Budget, a presentation from middle school principals and Dr. Julie Riley on the Middle School schedule assessment, and began voting on warrant article recommendations for Town Meeting, which will be held on Monday, May 1, 2023.
Meetings are held in the School Committee Room at Central Office, 30 Whittier Court – 2nd floor and are broadcast live by AndoverTV via Andover public access television (Comcast Channel 99 and Verizon Channel 43) or by streaming from www.andovertv.org. Recordings of these meetings are posted on Andover TV’s Video Archive under the School and Building Committee Meetings webpage. To view meeting minutes from previous meetings, check out the School Committee’s meeting minutes archive page.
The next School Committee meeting will be held on March 16, 2023. Agendas are posted up to 48 hours in advance and can be emailed directly to those who are interested and sign-up for “Notify Me” alerts on our website. All School Committee policies are available for the community to reference through a searchable manual.
What are the Mission, Core Values, and Vision of the District?
Over the course of the school year, the School Committee and district administrators began work to update the district’s mission, core values, and vision to shape the District’s Strategic Roadmap. This Roadmap is an intentional document that helps to shape the District’s Strategic Plan, which administrators are currently working on.
The School Committee met for a workshop last fall and shared a survey with the APS community to gather perspective and feedback. Results from this survey were shared at a School Committee meeting on January 5, 2023.
The key factors in shaping the District’s Strategic Roadmap were to define:
- Mission: Our Core Purpose with Distinction
- Core Values: Drivers of Our Words and Actions
- Vision: What We Intend to Create
On February 2nd & 16th, the School Committee reviewed the draft document, and considering community feedback, refined the District’s Strategic Roadmap into a final version. This version was voted on February 16, 2023.
Community Updates
The educational program on raising children grades PK-5 for seniors will be held on Thursdays for eight weeks beginning on March 23, 2023.
For a complete list of offerings and events at the library, please visit their website.
Families with MassHealth Need to Renew Coverage
Families with MassHealth need to renew their coverage this year in order to maintain coverage. Coverage protections put in place during the pandemic will end soon, and MassHealth will return to standard annual eligibility renewal processes. MassHealth families may need to take the following steps:
- Update contact information – make sure MassHealth has your most up-to-date address, phone number, and email so that you do not miss important information and notices about what else is needed.
- Report household changes to make sure MassHealth knows about any changes in your household, like a new job, address, changes to income, disability status, or pregnancy.
More information is available on the MassHealth’s Redetermination website.
About us
Email: APSCommunications@andoverma.us
Website: aps1.net
Location: 30 Whittier Court, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndoverPS/
Twitter: @AndoverPS