Bancroft Bulletin
Family Edition: August 23, 2024
Welcome to the 2024 - 2025 school year!
Hello Bancroft Community,
We are days away from opening for the 2024 - 2025 school year and we are very excited here at school! Thanks to our incredible custodial staff, Bancroft is ready for students to come to their classrooms on Wednesday. The teachers have been working for many hours preparing their rooms as well - what lucky kids! Everything looks AMAZING!!
Below is some basic information about procedures for drop off and pick up as well as lunches. The "dates to know" has important events to add to your calendars.
I look forward to next week's Bulletin which will include our opening day photos - YAY!!
We welcome back our Bobcats who have been at Bancroft for years and welcome our newest Bobcats to all grades - we have been very busy this summer enrolling many new families.
We want to remind everyone to drive very slowly and carefully and to have patience for our first few days. It takes a little time to get into the groove with bus routes, walking routes, drop off and pick up, etc. You should review your dismissal plan with your children to help with any confusion on how they are getting home.
We hope you have had a wonderful summer and we look forward to hearing all about your family adventures.
We are looking forward to a wonderful year!
Beth Leavitt, Principal
Kim Rabold, Assistant Principal
DATES TO KNOW
August 28 - First Day of School for grades 1 - 5
September 3 - First Day of School for Kindergarten
September 11 - K - 5 Open House - we will be having all grade levels in one evening. K-2 will be from 5:30 - 6:15 and 3 - 5 will be from 6:45 - 7:30. More details below!
September 25 - School Picture Day
School Times for the 2024 - 2025 School Year
- 8:15 am: School office opens
- 8:45 am - 9:00 am: School drop off (there are NO adults supervising until 8:45 so please do NOT drop off early)
- 9:00 am: School day begins
- After 9:00 am: Children are considered tardy and must be accompanied by a parent into the office.
- After 2:15 pm: Unless it’s an emergency, no dismissal changes please.
- 3:30 pm: School ends
If your child will be absent or tardy, please call 978-247-9501 (attendance line) before 9:00am.
If, for some reason, you need to change the way your child is typically dismissed from school, you must send a written note to school with your child the morning of the change. In cases of emergency only, you must email the school office at lucia.rizzo@andoverma.us or laureen.parvin@andoverma.us.
Please do not consider that confirmed until you receive an email back from us.
Transportation Information
MOST IMPORTANT - CARS DO NOT TRAVEL FROM THE BANCROFT ROAD SIDE OF THE SCHOOL. YOU ENTER THE CAR LANE FROM WEST KNOLL.
OUR BUSES MUST USE BANCROFT ROAD AND IT IS NOT WIDE ENOUGH FOR CARS AND BUSES. YOUR COOPERATION IS GREATLY APPRECIATED FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL!
When cars are waiting prior to 8:45 and prior to 3:30, they must be TURNED OFF. This is a NO IDLING ZONE as the SIGNAGE INDICATES.
DROP OFF: ALL CARS MUST DRIVE UP WEST KNOLL TO DROP OFF STUDENTS. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not get out of the car in the morning to help your child. We have staff on duty to assist and this will hold up the line quite a bit. We know many have to rush off and we want to help in any way we can. This is a way we can help one another!
There is a staff member there to direct traffic and it is a single lane so you may not pass even if your child has exited your car.
PARENT PICK-UP: ALL CARS MUST DRIVE UP WEST KNOLL TO PICK UP STUDENTS. NO CARS WILL BE PERMITTED TO ENTER FROM BANCROFT ROAD.
In order to help expedite the pick-up procedure, please use the provided name cards from the PTO and have it prominently displayed when you arrive to pick up your child. This will expedite the process. If someone else is picking up your child, please have them follow the same protocol. If you do not have the provided tag or someone else is picking up your child, please write your last name ONLY in LARGE, BLACK, BOLD print on a piece of tag board/paper and have it prominently displayed when you arrive to pick up your child
AGAIN . . . DO NOT EXIT YOUR CAR DURING THIS TIME OR PASS CARS!
Thank you very much!
Grade Level Teams
2024 - 2025 Grade Level Teams
Kindergarten
Melissa Chiozzi
Abby Corbin
Courtney Miller
VIcki Zallen (Weiler)
First Grade
Tamara MacAllister
Hannah McWilliams
Caileigh Reming
Anna Ryan
Second Grade
Julie Farnham
Meagan Keefe
Stephanie Kulak (formerly Long)
Allison O'Brien
Third Grade
Shay Hawley
Michelle Mallon
Megan McCarthy
Kirsten Prinn
Fourth Grade
Nancy Minigell
Jenny Papppafotopoulos
Carol Pehrson
Michelle Thorner
Fifth Grade
Julie Lovejoy
Lisa McDonough
Kristen Moriarty
Bill Scanlon
Meals at Bancroft
All students are able to receive 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch daily during the 2024-2025 school year. Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria from 8:45 - 9:00 and does not need to be ordered ahead of time.
Lunches will need be preordered. It is very important that our cafeteria has an accurate lunch count each day. Please review with your children each morning what you have ordered for them.
Please click below for the monthly menu and more information about Andover's Nutrition Program including how to sign up.
LOST & FOUND
Every year the lost & found racks become quite full of clothes, water bottles, shoes, etc. and you can help by LABELING EVERYTHING!!
You can write your last name on items and this will help us to return things to your child.
Thank you!!
Mark your calendars! Back to School Open Houses
September 11th
PARKING WILL BE VERY TIGHT - carpool or walk if possible.
Park with care. The basketball court will be open.
K-2 5:30 - 6:15
5:30 - 5:45 in the cafeteria to hear from the Principals, PTO and more!
5:45 - 6:15 in the classrooms to hear from teachers
6:15 - 6:45
Transition Time
If you have a 3-5 child and are staying for the next session, please wait in the cafeteria
or visit the specialist spaces (library, gym ,art, music) for a quick hello.
If you are a K-2 parent/guardian, you are welcome to say hello to a specialist however we need parking spaces to open for those families arriving for the second session.
3-5 6:45 - 7:30
6:45 - 7:15 in the classrooms to hear from teachers
7:15 - 7:30 in the cafeteria to hear from the Principals, PTO and more!
If you have siblings and heard our chat in the first session then you are all set as it is the same presentation for both groups.
The Open Houses are an ADULT ONLY time for parents to hear about the curriculum as well as what to expect from the year.
Coming Soon - Updated APS Websites!
We are excited to introduce a new website in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year! As part of our commitment to enhancing communication and engagement with our community, the new platform will offer easier navigation, a cleaner look, and enhanced accessibility.
APS will be moving to the new site in the coming days. During the transition period, there may be times when the website will direct to the old version or redirect to the new one. The district’s website address will remain the same: www.aps1.net. The new site will also offer an integrated mobile app for both Android and iPhones.
If you are accessing links from a principals’ newsletter and having difficulty, please log onto www.aps1.net to search for the content or try again a bit later.
In addition, notifications will be emailed through ThrillShare. We no longer use BlackBoard Connect. Be on the lookout for emails coming through a ThrillShare address.
We are excited to introduce these improvements and appreciate your patience as we continue to add new features and content.
Family Connection - Yearly Updates Needed
Dear Parents/Guardians,
If you have not done so already, the Andover Public Schools is asking our returning families to verify/update certain pieces of information via a secure online portal called Family Connection. This information includes emergency contacts, medical information, demographics, technology usage agreement, as well as acknowledging other district policies. We hope that this online system will streamline our communication and reduce the amount of paperwork you need to complete. It is important that this is completed before the first day of school, so we have the latest information for your student in case of emergency and so we know how your child is being dismissed on the 1st day of school. Please complete this process even if your students are newly registered.
This system is accessible through the Aspen Family Portal. The Aspen login screen has changed over the summer. Please review the New Aspen and Schoology Sign in information if you have not yet logged in over the summer.
If you need a password reset, please visit our Password Self-Service tool. All other account questions, please email infosys@andoverma.us.
Once you have logged into Aspen, click on the link under the Announcements on the Home page that reads ‘Family Connection – Back to School Forms’. You will be redirected to the Family Connection "Verification Form" page which contains directions on how to complete and submit the forms.
Things you should know:
- For security reasons, the system is not available outside of the US and Canada.
- You will need to be logged into the Aspen Family Portal account with your Family account (fam*****@student.andoverma.us). It will not be available using a student account.
- The forms must be completed by a parent or guardian.
- If you have more than one student in Andover Public Schools, you must complete the process for each of your students. Click the “Save Form” button after each student, then click the “Submit” button. When you hit the "Submit" button it will lock all the forms for processing, which could take up to 30 minutes.
- A change in address or a change in child custody will require you to provide documentation to the school. Links to residency requirements are found on the APS website (Proof of Residency). Bring the documentation to your child’s school during normal school hours.
- If you need help please refer to the - APS Student Update Quick Reference Guide
- Aspen Family Portal Web address: https://ma-andover.myfollett.com
- Please complete the forms before the first day of school
Thank you,
Andover Public Schools
Resources
Important Links (APS):
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Bancroft Elementary School
Email: beth.leavitt@andoverma.us
Website: https://www.aps1.net/69/Bancroft-Elementary-School
Location: 15 Bancroft Rd, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 247-9500
Twitter: @BancroftAPS