All Around APS
News from the Andover Public Schools – October 7, 2022
APS Pride
High Plain Elementary Educator becomes United States Citizen
Congratulations to Rachel Combs, an instructional assistant at High Plain, for recently becoming a United States citizen! Students and staff recognized her at an all-school assembly last month, then Ms. Combs shared the process and her pride of becoming a naturalized citizen in Ms. Wise’s fifth grade class, where students are currently studying immigration. Ms. Combs emigrated to the U.S. from England.
Creating Community through Art at Wood Hill Middle School
Wood Hill Middle School has created a Community Art Project and “Pop-Up” Museum for this school year. Following a few years of social distancing due to COVID-19, the goal of the project is to reconnect students by sharing art experiences as a whole community. The project began in September and continues throughout the school year during each of the early release days. At the end of the year, Wood Hill Middle School plans to have a “Pop Up” museum on campus for everyone in town to visit.
The APS Elementary Instrumental Program is off and running!
In the past two years, the district has seen extensive growth in our instrumental program spurred by the community's desire for music instruction to occur within the school day. Music teachers Julie Diehl and Kaitlyn Sicinski have worked tirelessly to institute a program that is equitable and accessible. Students in grades 4 and 5 receive small groups lessons in either band or string instruments. Students in grade 3 have the option to start string instruction as a part of their regularly scheduled music program, partially supported by a gift from Andover Coalition for Education (A.C.E.). We are proud to serve close to 600 incredible young musicians!
APS Happenings & Upcoming Events
Scarecrows Everywhere!
As a part of a two-year SEL-in-Action grant funded by Novo Foundation and Education First, elementary art teachers developed a 5th-grade unit focused on design thinking and collaboration to design and build a scarecrow. Students individually came up with designs based on common themes, made prototypes in small groups, and then voted for their favorite. The unit was created in partnership with the Andover Coalition for Education (A.C.E.) and the top vote getters will be constructed to a full-size scarecrow by students and staff and displayed during the A.C.E. Scarecrow festival. The tenth annual A.C.E. Scarecrow Festival will take place from October 15th to October 29th in downtown Andover.
APS Influenza Vaccination Clinic
Vaccination continues to play an important role in preventing the spread of flu within the community, as well as decreasing any flu symptoms. During the week of October 17-21, Andover Public Schools is pleased to offer the influenza vaccine to all Andover Public School students in grades 3 and above, as well as all APS staff.
To see dates and times at your school, visit www.Remediumrx.net and click on the RED Banner in the middle of the screen - "Andover Schools Flu Clinic Fall '22”. Navigate to your child’s school to find details. The password for all schools is “andover” – if you are registering more than one child, you will need to repeat the process to schedule each vaccination appointment.
Andover SEPAC Talk on ADHD & Executive Functioning – Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Andover SEPAC will host Jason Fogler, Ph.D. from Boston Children's Hospital on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 7 p.m. Dr. Fogler's discussion will focus on ADHD & Executive Functioning: Typical and Atypical Development, and what parents and educators can do to support their students. This will be a virtual event, to sign up or for more information, click here.
Andover Parents Program for English Language Learners (APPELL)
The Andover Parents Program for English Language Learners (APPELL) has announced its upcoming fall dates! The next meeting will held on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 .
APPELL’s mission is to assist parents with English language skills and to improve conversational and written English through words, phrases and situations common in the school community. It’s a great way to connect with other APS families.
You do not need to register for meetings and are welcome at any time. For more information, please contact Marika Lyons at 978-247-860 or marika.lyons@andoverma.us
From the desk of Dr. Parvey
At the October 6, 2022 School Committee meeting, I presented my “Superintendent’s Goals for the 2022-23 School Year ” to the Committee for a first reading. These goals use the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Educator Evaluation model: Implementation Guide for Superintendent Evaluation.
Following a robust first year with the district, I have been able to identify key areas to enhance student learning, district improvement and professional practice to inform my goals for this school year. The feedback and insights I received from students, staff and families through community meetings, office hours, school events, and community surveys have helped to inform the development of an updated District’s Strategic Plan.
In terms of instructional leadership, using relevant data to drive instruction and inform district priorities will be a vital component this year to improving organizational performance, educator effectiveness, and student learning. This will also allow us to shift instructional, curricular, and engagement practices to meet our expanding knowledge of ALL student needs.
To improve the APS experience for all stakeholders, the leadership team will strengthen our commitment to Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), mental health awareness, communication, and community engagement in order to achieve cultural proficiency and enhance the desired daily experience for our students.
The second reading of my goals will be voted on at the October 20, 2022 School Committee meeting. I encourage the community to join me at my office hours throughout the school year to share your thoughts. The district’s partnership with the community is essential to the work we do on behalf of our students and I look forward to your continued engagement.
Magda Parvey
Superintendent
Blended and Personalized Learning at APS – with Jennifer Starr, Executive Director of Technology Integration and Digital Literacy
All kinds of educational terms are used when discussing teaching and learning; two common ones are “blended learning” and “personalized learning.” In fact, the two terms are typically used together to describe a blended and personalized learning experience for all students.
What do they mean?
A blended learning experience includes face-to-face learning and instruction, as well as an online or digital learning component that gives the learner some element of control over their learning (time, place, path, and/or pace). The learning path is an integrated learning experience that goes beyond using digital tools - it employs teaching strategies and models that leverage technology for deeper and more personalized learning.
What does it look like?
Imagine walking into a classroom and seeing three groups of students all working on different things. One group of students is working at a teacher station on small group instruction. Another group of students is collaborating on a project, and a third group of students is engaging content, such as their math curriculum or a literature assignment, through a digital learning tool. The teacher using this model has employed a blended learning strategy called “station rotation.” We frequently see classrooms with stations and students rotating through them. What makes this a blended learning strategy is the use of technology to leverage, support, and scale the learning process.
Technology tools, like Schoology, allow a teacher to individualize, personalize, and differentiate learning for all students in the classroom. Rather than a teaching model where all students are receiving the same lesson at the same pace and in the same mode, a blended learning strategy provides students with options for pacing their work, engaging curriculum content in multiple ways (video, text, collaboration with peers), and having some voice and choice in how they demonstrate their learning.
There are a variety of research-based learning models and strategies that fall under the umbrella of blended and personalized learning and are used by APS educators. Educators use various strategies to meet students individual learning needs to provide collaborative, deep, and personalized learning for our students.
District Upcoming Dates & Notes
School District Calendar
- Monday, October 10, 2022- Fall Recess (no school)
- Friday, October 21, 2022 – Early Release Day
Holidays and Observances
- Monday, October 10, 2022 - First Day of Sukkot*
School Committee Corner
The School Committee met on October 6, 2022. Items on the agenda included a review of the Superintendent Evaluation Process, a first reading of the Superintendent’s 2022-23 Goals, a first reading of the 2023-24 APS School Year Calendar and a first reading of Policies KF and KF-R – Community Use of Facilities.
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 Thursday, October 20, 2022. 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.
School Committee Informal Forum
The School Committee welcomes the community to attend a virtual informal forum on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. These forums have no set agenda, and the community is welcome to stop in at any time to speak with two members of the School Committee on any topics related to our schools. Those planning to attend are asked to register in advance at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIscO-qqT8iEtQXbs9MzSGUvxlmTHunPL_r
Participants may register at any time and will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
There’s a Policy for That! – School Committee Policy IMDC “Accommodation for Religious and Ethnic Observances”
Andover Public Schools serves children from many different religious and ethnic backgrounds, and a goal of the district is to create safe, caring, and culturally responsive classrooms and schools. With that in mind, School Committee policy IMDC “Accommodation for Religious and Ethnic Observances" describes the handling of absences and event scheduling by the district on days which require additional consideration. The School Committee recognizes the list may not include all holidays observed by Andover families but does attempt to identify the major ones. This list is updated yearly with the APS School Year Calendar.
All School Committee policies are available for the community to reference through a searchable manual.
Community Updates
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month – October 19th at 7 p.m.
The Andover Commission for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion invites the community to join them as they celebrate and educate on Hispanic Culture. They will be holding an Open Mic Night on Wednesday, October 19th at 7 p.m. at the Andover Center for History and Culture.
About us
Email: apscommunications@andoverma.us
Website: aps1.net
Location: 30 Whittier Court, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-7000
Facebook: facebook.com/AndoverPS
Twitter: @AndoverPS