All Around APS
News from the Andover Public Schools - October 21, 2022
APS Pride
Andover High School celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Students and staff at Andover High School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. Students from Amigos Unidos, the Diversity Club, the DEI Student Committee and the ELL students worked together during H-Block to come up with ideas for the celebration.
Special recognition goes out to Ms. Vivian McNeeley (ELL Teacher) for her partnership with AHS administrators to work with the students. Events and exhibits included Calaveras (Day of the Dead), Printmaking Art Projects, and a Latin Zumba dance lesson led by AHS Social Studies teacher Ms. Reusch. As every AHS student knows, Ms. Bergey deejays every Friday morning; special thanks to AHS Technical Specialist Eliud Felix for guest starring and playing Latin music to end the week.
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
New York Times Bestselling Author visits APS Middle Schools
New York Times bestselling author, Gordon Korman, visited all three middle schools recently, thanks to the generosity of the Andover Coalition for Education (A.C.E.). Mr. Korman began writing when he was 12 years old and to date has written over 100 children’s and young adult books. Hopefully, Mr. Korman inspired our students to try their hand at creative writing!
Navigating the Online World with Doherty Middle School students
Internet safety expert, Katie Greer, joined students at Doherty Middle School this week to talk about the best ways to navigate the complex relationships of technology in today’s world. Ms. Greer’s conversations with students are motivated by teaching students how to think critically about the impact of social media on youth and internet safety tips. Many thanks to DMS teacher Ann McNamee, the Doherty Parent Advisory Council and A.C.E. for supporting this important discussion.
Bancroft Students Walk, Bike and Roll to School!
Bancroft students recently participated in Safe Routes to School’s Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day. The initiative is sponsored by MassDOT to encourage students and families across Massachusetts to enjoy a safe, healthy, active lifestyle.
APS Happenings & Upcoming Events
Andover High School Building Committee- Public Forum
The Andover High School Building Committee will be hosting a public forum to provide information and solicit feedback on a potential Andover High School facility project. The architecture firm HMFH and Building Committee members will give an overview of the facility conditions they look to address, and the process that will be undertaken to develop options for community consideration. The forum will be held at Memorial Hall Library (3rd floor) on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 7 p.m.
West Elementary and Shawsheen Building Project
For the latest information on the West Elementary and Shawsheen Building Project, please visit our webpage.
From the desk of Dr. Parvey
National Principals Month is celebrated every October and provides us with an opportunity to celebrate and honor our school principals for their commitment and leadership of our schools.
We have ten dedicated principals at APS who work tirelessly in service to our students and families. Principals play critical roles in the lives of our students, and I am appreciative of their efforts to ensure that every student is cared for and provided with opportunities for learning and growth. One message will never capture everything our principals do day-to-day to ensure the success and safety of our students. I am very grateful for their leadership. I encourage our families to send a note of recognition or gratitude to your principals before the month is over.
Dr. Magda Parvey
Superintendent
APS Security Initiative update from Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration Keith Taverna
The Andover Public Schools in collaboration with the Andover Police Department continue to have a focus on school safety. As we do at the start of each school year, we have been working with staff and students to provide our annual training on the A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) program at developmentally appropriate levels.
To keep our students and staff safe, the district is reviewing how to enhance school safety, including a districtwide school safety assessment. At the October 20, 2022 School Committee meeting, the committee voted to award a contract to Guidepost, LLC to complete a districtwide school security assessment. As part of the assessment, Guidepost will review existing security systems, security policies and procedures, receive input from public safety, school administration, facilities and other relevant constituents and complete a vulnerability assessment at all schools in the district.
Based on their findings, Guidepost will recommend strategies and techniques to reduce risk and assist the district in prioritizing these recommendations. Work will begin in early November and take approximately four months to complete. Guidepost will be attending a future School Committee meeting upon conclusion of their work to share their findings with the community.
In addition to the school security assessment, the district is also in the process of implementing “go kits” in all physical spaces that are utilized by students and staff. These kits will contain items that may be needed in the case of an emergency and will be placed in a backpack to allow easy access and the ability to travel with students and staff.
District Upcoming Dates & Notes
- Diwali – Monday, October 24, 2022
Office Hours with Dr. Parvey
Dr. Parvey will host office hours on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 6 pm. Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration Keith Taverna will join Dr. Parvey to share an update on the district's ongoing school safety and security assessment initiative. These office hours will be held virtually; information on how to sign up is available here.
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 October 20, 2022. Items on the agenda included the Committee’s second reading and approval of Dr. Parvey’s Goals for the 2022-23 school year, a report on 2022 MCAS results for the district, approval of the FY24 capital improvement plan for school facility projects, a presentation on school safety practices (starts 1:20), and approval of the 2023-24 school year calendar!
Speaking of the school year calendar, there’s a policy for that! School Committee policy IC/ICA defines how the district’s annual calendar is prepared in accordance with standards set by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). The policy includes the minimum required number of days school will be in session (180 days) and minimum number of structured instructional hours across grade levels. Additionally, the policy requires that the school year calendar provide families information on the first day of school, school vacations, holidays and parent/teacher conferences days.
In upcoming issues of All Around APS, we will feature School Committee policies that may be of interest to our community. All policies are available for the community to reference through a searchable manual.
Meetings 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 School and Building Committee Meetings webpage.
To view meeting minutes from previous meetings, check out the School Committee’s School Committee meeting minutes archive page.
The next School Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, November 3, 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.
About us
Email: APSCommunications@andoverma.us
Website: aps1.net
Location: 30 Whittier Court, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-7000
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Twitter: @AndoverPS