Warrior Wednesdays
News from the Andover Public School District
We are devoting this edition of Warrior Wednesdays to honor the students, faculty and administrators who have shown their community spirit and helped coordinate relief efforts in the past few weeks. While the road to full recovery is a long one, the generosity and initiative shown by many are to be applauded. The people highlighted below are among many who have contributed. We hope that the efforts of these individuals serve as some examples of the many ways and the many people who have stepped forward to assist their neighbors. We are honored to have you as part of the APS community.
Sincerely,
Shelley Berman, Superintendent
In Case You Missed It
STUDENTS' SPOTLIGHT
A big shout out to AHS senior Sam Holland, student leader of the Jungle (the student section at games), who collected carloads of donations and launched a gift card drive at the Andover-Lawrence football game.
AHS senior Sahana Anand volunteered at the Arlington Middle School in Lawrence in the days following the explosions, and helped organize over 50 Vocal Music Program’s Show Choir students to perform for residents, volunteers from the Red Cross, and Mass Emergency Management on Sunday, September 16.
At High Plain Elementary students Brooklyn Murray, Gabriella Silverthorn, Emilie Silverthorn, Keira Gildea, Jessica Broughton and one little sister, Harleigh Murray, organized a lemonade/bake sale stand last weekend and raised $431 to donate to the Lawrence police officer who lost his home while working to help others during the gas crisis. (third photo- not pictured: Hannah Silverthorn who also participated)
Also at High Plain Elementary, 5th graders Alex Gabov and Luca Treacy brought food to the fire department on Greenwood Street and visited the Lawrence Senior Center to donate goods for the families in need. (first photo)
The High Plain Elementary PTO held a drive for families in the Merrimack Valley that were most affected by the latest events, collecting gift cards to Market Basket, CVS, Walmart, and Target.These were donated to Andover families who have been displaced or without access to hot meals. Also toiletries such as tooth brushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner were sent to the YMCA.
West Middle School 7th graders Holly Smith, Ella Vidoni, Maeve Feeley, Julia Rodenberger and Eva Routhier worked with Principal Franks to organize a fundraising drive. They collected donations of gift cards to CVS, Market Basket, and Stop & Shop, and collected checks and cash for the Red Cross of Massachusetts. They also led the school in writing thank you notes for the first responders.
At South Elementary, students showed their support in many different ways; hosting a lemonade stand, bringing food to Andover shelters, opening their homes and volunteering in Lawrence.
The West Elementary community is collecting gift cards to restaurants for families and staff affected by the loss of heat, hot water and ability to cook.
Students at Wood Hill Middle School, Anthony Shvets, Angela Mac, Marco Gomez, Zara Hayat, Gabrielle Millien, Maullaury Carbel-Zekpa, Ria Vaishnavi and Leona Rogers are coordinating a fund drive to support families who have been impacted.
FEATURED FACULTY & ADMINISTRATORS
Joe Yarid, director of Social Work for Andover Public Schools, was in constant communication throughout the tragedy in an effort to understand the level of needs within each school community, volunteering at the Youth Center and recruiting other social workers to volunteer as well.
Dr. Ryan Fielding, clinical director for APS, brought a group of therapeutic comfort dogs from Lutheran Charities to the district to support students.
Nancy Modlish, social worker at Bancroft Elementary played a critical role the Friday after the explosions in reaching out to families who had either been directly affected or displaced. She continues to check on these families today.
Molly Shanker, 8th grade science teacher at Doherty Middle School, has continuously supported students and coordinated their efforts in fundraising and writing thank you cards to first responders.
West Elementary faculty and administrators volunteered their time over the weekend. School psychologist Paige Jensen, social workers Adam Hirschfeld, and Catherine Mangie worked together at the Senior Center the weekend of the disaster.
Aixa de Kelley, director of Guidance at Andover High School, volunteered at Lawrence Public Schools in the days after the fires. Diane Costagliola, secretary to the principal at Andover High School, spent time volunteering at Andover Youth Services.
South Elementary Instructional Assistant Yuka Nakamara and Administrative Assistant Sue Comeau, and the entire after school program took additional time to ensure the emotional and physical safety of all after school students.
Staff at Shawsheen School have opened their doors to those staff members who were impacted. People brought in electric ovens, toaster ovens and electric grills to share with those who don’t have gas. The Shawsheen PTO sponsored a drive for Lawrence, and most of the Shawsheen staff contributed.
APS COMMUNITY NEWS
We also want to recognize that recovery will take a while and that some in our community will remain in need throughout the next months. APS continues to work with the town to provide additional assistance to those in need.
How to Help:
Last week, Governor Charlie Baker, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, Andover and North Andover Town Managers Andrew Flanagan and Andrew Maylor announced the establishment of a humanitarian relief fund to be named the Greater Lawrence Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund will help serve the short and medium term needs of impacted residents, including housing, sustenance and support services for residents of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence.
The Greater Lawrence Disaster Relief Fund is part of the Essex County Community Foundation. If you would like to donate to this Relief Fund, more information can be found here: http://eccf.org/GLdisasterrelieffund
If you need assistance:
The town of Andover’s website offers daily updates and resources for residents. The YMCA Andover/ North Andover continues to offer their shower facilities for those in need. Any non-members who wish to use the facilities need to sign in at the front desk, sign a waiver, and bring a photo id. They offer shower facilities for different groups, for example, they have a family locker room (co-ed), men’s locker room, boys’ locker room, women’s locker room and girl’s locker rooms. For more information, call (978) 685-3541.
Approved 19-20 Calendar and Ethnic and Religious Observances.
At the September 20, 2018 meeting, the School Committee voted to approve 2019-2020 school calendar. This was the third reading of the proposed calendars, and the vote was unanimous following thoughtful consideration, discussion and feedback from the public, the AEA and students.
The approved 2019-20 calendar is different than the 2018-19 school calendar. Based on responses to the committee from parents, teachers, students and the community, school will be in session on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Good Friday in 2019-20.
A few important notes on this decision:
- The district does not and cannot make decisions about school vacation days based on religion. Instead, we’ve traditionally not had school on “low attendance days” when so few staff and students would be available that the district could not reasonably operate. Four of those days are observed as religious days (Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Good Friday and Christmas Eve) and a fifth is the day after Thanksgiving.
- The School Committee votes annually on the following year’s calendar; this calendar is for 2019-20. This will allow the SC to assess and determine which days, if any, are truly “low attendance” days.
- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Good Friday are included on the diverse list of religious and ethnic observances given special consideration under the School Committee’s Religious and Ethnic Observances policy which can be found here.
AHS Rescheduled Open House
AHS has rescheduled the Open House for Thursday, October 11, 2018. We look forward to seeing you for an evening of information about our school, your student’s classes, and our community. Teachers will be discussing the course outline, objectives, and syllabi. If you need to make an appointment to see a teacher or a group of teachers about your child it is best to approach the teacher or your child’s guidance counselor.
AHS Facility Study Committee Community Meeting- October 2nd
The Andover High School Facility Study Committee continues to examine options for a building renovation that will address the capacity and condition of the school and the quality of the learning environment. At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2, the Committee will brief parents and the community on the various options they have been studying. There will be a tour of the building at 6:00 p.m. prior to the meeting. The Committee has developed a “Frequently Asked Questions” document that can be found at www.aps1.net by clicking on the picture of Andover High School.
Contact Us
Email: nicole.kieser@andoverma.us
Website: www.aps1.net
Location: 36 Bartlet Street, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-7000
Twitter: @AndoverPS