West El Weekly Update

Thank you to our Student Council for hosting 'Dress Like A Teacher Day' and for an AMAZING presentation to our school at our first High Five Assembly.

Registration for the West EL Girls On the Run program opens tomorrow, February 3rd.

Site/Team Name: West Elementary, Andover

Grades: 3rd-5th

Practice Days & Times: Thurs/Fri 3:30pm-5pm

First Practice: Thurs April 3rd

5K: TBD (either 5/31 or 6/1)

Program Fee: $225 Financial Assistance available!

GOTR Contact: please forward questions to Danielle Cogliano dlcogliano@gmail.com

https://www.girlsontherunboston.org/

Scan QR to register online!

Starting after February Vacation

Exciting additions! Starting the Monday after February vacation, we'll take absences, tardies, and changes in dismissal on Pick-Up Patrol. We will not be taking early dismissals; notify your teacher about early dismissals.

Dress your best and dance the night away at our first Sweetheart Dance in the new school. There will also be snacks, crafts, photobooth, airbrush tattoos and more!!! The new school has much more room inside. However, as you are all aware there is limited parking so PLEASE try to Carpool or Walk if possible.

To make this a successful and truly memorable Sweetheart Dance we need the support of our Wonderful West El Parents!! All volunteer opportunities will allow you to be able to help and still enjoy the dance with your little sweetheart(s). Your help is GREATLY appreciated. Food Donations can be dropped off at the school starting Monday Feb 3rd- Feb 7th during regular school hours (no earlier than 845am). Recommended to bring homemade on the 7th and indicate any allergens. Label trays so they can be returned.

Friday February 7th

6:30-8:30pm

Tickets are $10/child (No charge for Adults)Secure your spot here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4EA9AC23AAFE3-54540754-west

Monday, February 3rd, your child's report card will be released through the Parent Portal. We wanted to share some information about the grading system that we use at APS. Please reach out directly to your child's teacher for any additional questions about your child's report card.

The standards listed on the report cards are grade-level standards taken directly from the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks and explicitly state what students must know and be able to do. The standards serve as the foundation for the curriculum chosen, guide the pedagogy enlisted to deliver the curriculum, and become the target for our assessments, both formative and summative.

The report card will use indicators that illustrate each individual’s progress in meeting these academic standards. Note: The standards are end-of-year standards. It is not unusual for most students to be "Developing" along these standards at this point in the school year.

M - Meets the standard

- The student can apply the standard with independence

- The student demonstrates mastery of or proficiency in that standard

- The student is able to apply the standard in a variety of contexts

D - Developing

- The student applies the standard with varied consistency, quality, or independence

- The student is making progress toward mastery of or proficiency in the standard.

B - Beginning

- The student has not yet reached the understanding to apply the standard.

- The student is making early progress toward mastery of or proficiency in the standard.

Parent Teacher Conference will be held in March- teachers will be in touch with dates and times.

The Grade 5 Joy Concert will take place at the J. Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts in Andover High School on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM. Students are required to wear a white top, black pants (as dark as possible) and black/dark shoes. Please reach out to your music teacher if you have trouble obtaining the outfit. This is an expected event for all Grade 5 students. The Fine Arts department requests you limit attendance to two seats per child given capacity limitations.

Families will receive communication regarding their child's literacy assessments on February 6, 2025. All families are invited to attend a virtual information session. Scan the accompany QR code to attend or visit the following zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/99533529945?pwd=Q01AU76RXnTbQQvdZCjDDDa7aeVzfp.1#success PASSCODE: 826763

We share in your excitement for your child to enroll in Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year and look forward to them being a part of the Andover Public School community in September.

Kindergarten registration will begin on Monday, February 3 to Monday, March 3, 2025. Please access the Kindergarten Registration Link on our website.

High Plain is currently making Kindergarten Registration appointments between the dates of February 3rd to February 14th, between 10:00AM and 2:00PM. Please be sure to call the school (978-247-8600) or email me (mara.shanahan@andoverma.us) soon to make your appointment.

To find which school your child will attend, review our district map at this link. Following your registration, please contact your school directly to make an appointment to submit your registration paperwork.

In Spring 2025, the School Committee will review the proposed redistricting options and vote on the preferred redistricting plan. 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.

What is the Redistricting Advisory Council (RAC):

This is a non-binding group of parents and educators from each elementary/ middle school that is occasionally consulted as part of the redistricting process. All redistricting decisions are ultimately made by the school committee.

We appreciate your feedback.

https://www.aps1.net/o/aps/page/aps-redistricting-process-2024

launchaps1.net

The Andover Public Schools FY26 Budget process began last fall and has been shaped over the past few months. The fiscal challenges the district faced last year continue for FY26 and beyond. Key factors contributing to these challenges include rising costs in transportation, salaries, special education programming, and utilities.

To promote opportunities for community involvement, APS superintendent Dr. Parvey and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration Keith Taverna will be visiting all schools’ PTO/PAC meetings to discuss the FY26 Budget process and answer questions. We encourage you to visit the FY26 Budget webpage for more information on what has been shared with the community so far.

You are invited to join us for their conversation with the West Elementary School community on February 28, 2025 at 9:00 AM in our Media Center.

The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates at West El. 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