All Around APS
News from the Andover Public Schools - March 18, 2022
APS PRIDE
Heroes Among Us – Boston Celtics Honor Dalton brothers
AHS students Ian (’25) and Graham Dalton (’22) were honored by that Boston Celtics on March 6th as “Heroes Among Us” for their courage and quick thinking when they spotted a neighbor’s attic on fire and alerted the homeowners during a January Nor’easter. (photo courtesy: Boston Celtics)
AHS Science Teacher selected as an Educator Ambassador
Congratulations to AHS Science Teacher Darlene Doucet, who has been selected as one of 24 educators from across the Commonwealth who will serve as a GBH/NEPM (New England Public Media) Educator Ambassador. As an ambassador, Darlene will work with GBH and NEPM to better understand public media’s role in K-12 education.
Project 351 Ambassador
Nicole Flanagan, 8th grade student at Wood Hill Middle School, serves as APS’s representative to Project 351. Project 351 is an organization that builds movement of youth-led service by engaging students in leadership within their communities.
Nicole, thank you for your service and impact in our community.
Andover Robotics Club finishes the season strong
All three teams from Andover Robotics Club (ARC) participated in the FIRST Tech Challenge state championships earlier this month in Natick. Both Team Thunder and Team Hailstorm were invited to final Alliances, where Team Thunder received 2nd place. Team Thunder also received the Innovate Award and Team Hailstorm won the Promote Award. Congratulations to Rishika Agarwal, AHS junior and president of the ARC Club, who is one of 3 chosen as Dean’s List finalists, and is invited to Houston, TX to attend “Worlds”, where the Dean’s Lists winners are announced.
Happenings at APS
Doherty Middle School students donned snowshoes and went sleuthing behind the school as part of their science class focusing on trace fossils. Students in Mr. Keady’s class had fun as they looked for prints in the snow - not sure if they found anything!
AHS hosts “Step Up Day” pilot program
West Middle School 8th graders were part of a pilot program at Andover High School, where they were welcomed by AHS student ambassadors and staff in anticipation of becoming rising freshman. As part of the “Transition to High School” events held at AHS, the “Step Up Day” pilot program featured a tour of the building, an introduction of H-Block and available classes, and an overview of clubs and organizations available for incoming 8th graders.
Shawsheen Curious Creatures
Shawsheen Preschool kicked off the spring season with a visit from some fun animal friends! Curious creatures gave two presentations last week and students got to meet snakes, chinchillas, rabbits, tree frogs, turtles, and even a baby alligator!
From the desk of Dr. Parvey
Earlier this school year, I released my Superintendent’s Entry Plan to the community. A large part of this plan is to hear the perspectives of our students, staff, and families on the district’s strengths, needed improvements and opportunities. To effectively serve our community and to advance academic excellence and educational equity for our students, I am looking for your feedback through a community survey.
Your participation in this survey will be considered along with additional information gathered during my first year at APS to assist in shaping the district's strategic plan. This survey is anonymous and will close on March 25, 2022. I look forward to your perspectives and thank you for your engagement.
Dr. Magda Parvey, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Upcoming District Dates
School Calendar
- Early Release Day – Friday, March 18th
Holidays and Observances
- National Women’s History Month – March
- Music in Our Schools Month- March
- Holi – Friday, March 18th
- Autism Awareness Month – April
- Math Awareness Month – April
- Youth Sports Safety Month – April
- Ramadan – begins at sundown on Saturday, April 2nd
Middle Schools- 3rd term begins on March 18th
Andover High School – 3rd term ends on April 4th
Upcoming MCAS Dates – exact dates will be confirmed by your principals
Grades 3 – 8 Testing Windows
- English Language Arts: March 28 – April 29
- Math: April 25 – May 27
- Science Technology Engineering (grades 5 & 8): April 26 – May 27
High School Testing Windows:
- Grade 10 English Language Arts: March 22 & 23
- Grade 10 Math: May 17 & 18
- Science Technology Engineering: June 7 & 8
School Committee
- The School Committee will hold its next regular meeting on April 7th. The agenda will be posted up to 48 hours in advance on our website.
Community Updates
Clothing Drive for Cradles to Crayons
As part of her service, Project 351 Ambassador Nicole Flanagan is organizing a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons, which focuses on providing clothing and school supplies to children 12 and younger.
The clothing drive in Andover will be from March 28 through April 7. The drop-off locations will be Wood Hill Middle School and the Cormier Youth Center downtown at 40 Whittier Court. They are open for drop offs Monday through Friday 11-6.
All types of clothing are accepted by Cradles to Crayons with the following restrictions:
- Clothing should be new or gently used in sizes from infant to adult small.
- Pajamas, underwear, and socks must be new.
- Only New England team logos and names.
- No town names, or teams, nor any holiday references can be on the clothing.
- Tops, bottoms, coats, gloves, hats, and scarfs are acceptable.
- Any style, color, and brand will be accepted as long as they follow the other guidelines.
- A tip for finding clothing is to look in your closet for items you don’t wear or clothing you have outgrown that can be donated.
All donations are important. You can make a positive impact on someone’s life. For more information, contact andover351ambassador@gmail.com.
Andover Food Services is hiring!
APS has multiple job opportunities in our food service department, Hours are flexible, we are ideally looking to fill 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. shifts. Pay starts at $15.96/hr. with benefits. Positions are open at all schools. To view the job description and complete an application; click here.
Open Mic Night for Women’s History Month
The Andover Commission for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion will celebrate local women on Wednesday, March 23rd from 6-8 p.m. Join and listen to the stories and experiences of Andover’s female business owners and managers.
Andover Public Schools
Email: APScommunications@andoverma.us
Website: www.aps1.net
Location: 30 Whittier Court, Andover, MA, USA
Twitter: @AndoverPS