All Around APS
News from the Andover Public Schools - May 5, 2023
APS PRIDE
Principal of the Year!
Congratulations to High Plain Elementary Principal Pamela Lathrop, who has been selected as the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association (MSAA) Principal of the Year.
This program annually recognizes school principals who demonstrate exemplary skills in instructional leadership, supporting a safe learning environment and fostering a collaborative culture of shared decision making among all members of their school community. Following a review by the MSAA selection committee, Ms. Lathrop emerged as the winner based on her efforts in support of the students and staff at High Plain Elementary.
“I am so humbled and proud to have received this award,” said Ms. Lathrop. “I share this honor with the entire High Plain and APS communities. I have been so fortunate to have worked alongside some truly talented people. We have always been stronger together committed to the success for our students.”
We are so proud of her accomplishments; this recognition is well-deserved!
School Lunch Hero Day
Andover Public Schools food service staff have a lot on their plate and do so much for the APS community! APS celebrates them as “School Lunch Heroes” on May 5, 2023. School Lunch Hero Day, an annual event since 2013, provides the opportunity for the community to thank these hardworking heroes for their dedication to fueling our students for success. We are grateful for all your hard work in making sure our students have healthy, nutritious meals!
Nurses’ Week
Every year from May 6th to 12th, nurses across the U.S. are recognized for their service and dedication to caring for others and improving the health of patients nationwide through National Nurses Week. Nurses Week offers a chance to highlight and celebrate our APS nurses for their essential work, commitment and support to our students and families!
"I'd like to express my gratitude to my entire nursing team," says Rita Casper, APS director of Nursing. "Despite all the challenges over the last couple of years, they continue to work effectively and collaboratively as a group and continue to learn and flourish with each challenge that comes along. Thank you for creating a safe and supportive place for our students and staff."
New and Familiar Principal at Sanborn Elementary
We are thrilled that Carolyn Fawcett has been chosen to serve as the permanent principal at Sanborn Elementary, beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Ms. Fawcett has dedicated her entire 20-year educational career to the students and families at Sanborn. She served for two years as the assistant principal and as interim principal for the 2022-23 school year, working to provide a positive, collaborative, and inclusive school culture. Ms. Fawcett is dedicated to fostering an environment at Sanborn that nurtures and challenges our staff, and, especially Sanborn students to become their best selves, both academically and personally. Congratulations, Ms. Fawcett!
Celebrating APS Teachers - from the Desk of Dr. Parvey
Dear APS families and staff,
I hope the community will join me in honoring our teachers as we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week from May 8th - 12th. APS teachers are important partners in the district’s mission to ensure that all students have opportunities for a rich and meaningful educational experience.
I look forward to days when I visit classrooms to see our educators and the impact they have on our students. As each student learns differently, each teacher brings a unique approach to connecting with our students.
Teachers are lifelong learners on a journey to improve their proficiency and refine their craft.
Teaching is an artform; it’s personal and requires a special skill set to know when to incorporate the best strategy to meet the needs of our diverse learners. It is also a science, based in research and data. To connect and weave the two and truly tie them to successful student learning takes compassion, tireless effort, and commitment to continuous growth. It’s a pleasure to see our teachers accomplish this on behalf of our students, in and out of our classrooms. I hope our teachers have a wonderful week as we celebrate their hard work and dedication to the profession.
Magda Parvey, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Co-Teaching at APS - Nancy Koch – Executive Director of Special Services
The Special Services department looks forward to partnering special education with general education in implementing a co-teaching model in the 9th grade, beginning the 2023-2024 school year. Both special education and general education educators will be working with Marilyn Friend, founder of the Co-Teaching Connection. Dr. Friend is a veteran educator and author of Co-Teach! Building and Sustaining Effective Classroom Partnerships in Inclusive Schools and works with districts across the county helping schools establish strong co-teaching models.
The first phase of this initiative involves professional development for 9th grade general and special education teachers from all four subject areas, who have been paired to work together. Dr. Friend will be providing thorough training prior to the start of the next school year and will offer continued consultation throughout the year. We are very excited to be embarking on this collaboration that will benefit students.
District Upcoming Dates & Notes
- Monday, May 29, 2023 – Memorial Day- no school
- Friday, May 5, 2023 – Vesak Day
- Friday, May 26, 2023 – Shavuot*
The School Committee voted at their most recent meeting that June 16, 2023 will be the last day (1/2 day) for the 2022-23 school year for students.
Andover SEPAC Meeting - May 9, 2023
Please join Andover SEPAC on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 7 p.m. for a virtual presentation by APS school administrators. The Special Education team will be sharing information about special education programs in each school as well as how administrators and school staff handle students’ transitions from grade to grade and school to school. If you have a student receiving special education services who is transitioning from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle, or middle to high, you do not want to miss this conversation!
Meeting ID: 985 2422 3869
Passcode: 395376West Elementary and Shawsheen Project
AHS Building Committee Updates!
The Andover High School Building Committee and project team encourages you to get involved and provide feedback. Here are a few ways you can do so:
- Attend our next public meeting: Thursday, May 11th at 7:50 AM in the School Committee conference room*
- Attend our next community forum: Monday, May 22nd at 7:00 PM in the School Committee conference room*
- Visit our Facebook page to learn more and be notified of upcoming events: https://www.facebook.com/AndoverHighBuildingProject
- Visit our project website page and subscribe to our mailing list for project information and to receive email notifications: https://andoverhighbuildingproject.org/
- Email us with any questions or comments: andoverhighbuildingproject@andoverma.us
- Watch past meetings: www.andovertv.org/andover-high-school-building-committee
School Committee Corner
The School Committee met on May 4, 2023. Items on the agenda included a vote on a reduction of the bus fee and elimination of other student fees for the 2023-24 school year; a presentation from APS Executive Director of Technology Integration and Digital Literacy Jennifer Starr on the policy and procedures for challenged library and media materials; an updated presentation from Jason Levene, APS Social Emotional Learning coordinator, on the district’s work on emotional intelligence and implementation of RULER; and a wage Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Andover Food Service employees for 2023-24. As we celebrate “School Lunch Heroes” day, the Committee would like to thank the Food Service union for their continued partnership and unrelenting support of students.
The Committee’s new leadership also became official on Thursday night, as outgoing Chair, Susan McCready, handed her gavel to the new Chair, Tracey Spruce. Lauren Conoscenti will serve as Vice Chair.
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 May 18, 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.
School Committee Informal Forum
The School Committee welcomes the community to join us for an informal forum on Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. at Memorial Hall Library. 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. Because these sessions are attended by only two School Committee members, they allow an interactive dialogue outside of the Open Meeting Law legal parameters.
A visit with the AHS Student Government Association and There’s a Policy for That! – IC/ICA
Earlier this week, outgoing Chair Susan McCready had the opportunity to meet with the AHS Student Government Association (SGA) to discuss various topics important to students, including equity, passing time between classes and the state regulation on learning time; and overcrowding at the high school.
Throughout the conversation, Mrs. McCready referred to the School Committee policy handbook as a reference for how the district is governed, particularly during the discussion on how the school day is structured and required learning time for students. Minimum learning time requirements are specified in Policy IC/ICA, which not only sets the required number of days in a school year calendar as defined by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), but also the number of hours. For elementary school students, the district must provide a minimum of 900 hours of time-on-learning. At the secondary level (grade 6-12), students must receive 990 hours of instruction. Time which students spend at school breakfast and lunch, passing between classes, in homeroom, at recess, in non-directed study periods, receiving school services, and participating in optional school programs does not count toward meeting the minimum structured learning time requirement.
Mrs. McCready enjoyed her discussion and time with the students. Their insights offer a valuable perspective on how the district can strive to provide a positive and effective learning experience for all students.
All School Committee policies are available for the community to reference through a searchable manual.
Community Updates
For more information about this and other events for the Memorial Hall Library’s 150th Anniversary, please visit www.mhl.org/anniversary.
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