West EL Weekly Newsletter

Thanks to everyone who supported the Acord Food Pantry last month during our food drive. We collected just over 700 pounds of food for our neighbors struggling with food insecurity. Executive Director Stacey Verge praised the West El Student Council and their work in organizing this effort, " As you are all aware, the cost of living is rising, forcing individuals to make difficult decisions between paying rent , utilities, medical bills, heat or food. Thanks to your generous food donations, our clients will not have to choose between groceries and other essentials". Well done West El!

Please take a moment and review the K-5 Math Family Update prepared by Math Instructional Coach Tim Harkins. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uHMvHlgVKX4EhoMUNi2WAqk9zml5ccg7/view?usp=sharing

Last week our third-grade team enjoyed a musical workshop from the Lexington Symphony Orchestra. During this time students enjoyed a combination of music and history and asked excellent questions of our guests. This week grade three will attend the symphony off-site. Thank you West El & district Music educators for supporting this work!

Beloved children's author Jerry Pallotta spoke at Bancroft to our kindergarten, first, and second graders this past week. He attended thanks to a generous grant from the Cummings Foundation and was able to visit all APS elementary schools. He brought forth a message about curiosity and how this drives his writing process. As he explores the world and makes connections about how things work, he becomes inspired to research topics and share his findings with kids through his books. Our kids were fully engaged and left with such a great message to start the new year. May our children's natural curiosity lead down the path of digging into new concepts and sharing their knowledge with others. Most importantly, may our children continue to see the joy in the world around them.

Let's Talk!

As district continues its work on the K-8 redistricting process in partnership with DillingerRAD, we are pleased to offer a virtual "Let's Talk!" community forum on the APS Redistricting Process on Thursday, January 16, 2025 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. The community is welcome to join the conversation with DillingerRAD at any time using this link.

This session will review the information provided to the School Committee at their January 9th meeting and solicit community input and feedback around one revised scenario. DillingerRAD will be available to answer any questions. The link to join is available here.

The approved redistricting plan will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. This allows the district sufficient time to operationally plan for the new school zones. We appreciate the continued participation from the community during this process.

Between January 6th and January 17th, Grades 2-8 students will take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on the computer during the school day. MAP Growth scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth in math and reading. (NOTE: This will be the first time students in Grade 2 will be taking MAP Reading.)

Each testing session lasts from 45-60 minutes. Testing days are at the discretion of individual schools, within the testing window. The results of these tests assist teachers in informing instruction, personalizing learning, and monitoring the growth of individual students. Principals and administrators can use the data to assess performance and progress at each grade level, school, and district. It will help us learn more about where students may need interventions and identify what those supports might be at the classroom, school, and district level.

MAP Growth tests are responsive and adapt to your child’s answers to measure your child’s knowledge. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of where your child is on their learning journey. Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores in similar skills and topics and then plan instruction accordingly.

MAP Growth reports also provide typical growth data for students in the same grade and subject with the same starting performance level.

We look forward to supporting you with information about your child’s progress. In early February, parents and guardians will receive a Family Report summarizing each child’s winter benchmark results. Results will be sent home with your child. Principals will communicate a reminder about results in their school newsletters.

For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit or NWEA MAP Assessment | Andover Public Schools

The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates at Bancroft. Please note that students will take 2 days of tests per content area. Please refrain from vacations or unnecessary absences on these dates.

Grade 3:

ELA: April 10th and 11th

Math: May 8th and 9th

Grade 4

ELA: April 14th and 15th

Math: May 13th and 14th

Grade 5

ELA: April 7th and 8th

Math: May 5th and 6th

Science: 19th and 20th