The Open House/Curriculum Night for High Plain Elementary will be held on Wednesday, September 11th for all grades. This is an evening for parents to visit the school, meet the classroom and specialist teachers, and learn more about what to expect during the coming year. This is an evening for parents to hear about the school year and we ask to the best of your ability that children do not attend. As we are holding it on one evening, consistent across the schools, we are offering two sessions for you to choose from. This also allows you to hear from multiple teachers if you have multiple children at High Plain. Both sessions will contain the same information, and we encourage you to attend the session that works best for your schedule. You do not need to sign up for which session you wish to attend.
Session 1: 5:30-6:00pm
Transition Break: 6:00-6:15pm
Session 2: 6:15-6:45pm
Please note that parking will require some creativity. You are welcome to park in the Wood Hill lots and on the side streets around High Plain.
We encourage you to stop by the art room, the library, the music room, and the gym to meet our specialist teachers. They are excited to work with your children and welcome the opportunity to meet you and say hello.
We would also encourage you to take a peek at the Meet the Staff Bulletin Board in the main hallway. It is a great way to put a name to a face and see the many people who work at HPE. It highlights our school theme Name, Story, Dream from our staff community.
If you would like to volunteer or visit High Plain this school year we ask that you complete a CORI form. CORI forms will be available in the school office. A CORI form must be completed each year. If you wish to fill one out, please bring your government issued identification.
We are fortunate to have Ginny the therapy dog on campus a few days a week. Ginny was certified as a therapy dog back in the fall of 2022 and has dual-certification with both Mrs. McLaughlin, her owner, and Mrs. Celata, our school social worker. Ginny spends some of her time with Mrs. McLaughlin who is an instructional assistant in fourth grade, but she spends most of her time with Mrs. Celata in her office and visiting classrooms around the school.
Ginny is a 7-year-old Australian Labradoodle. She is non-shedding and considered hypoallergenic to most people with dog allergies. When Ginny is around students, she is under the direct supervision of Mrs. McLaughlin or Mrs. Celata. We take the health and safety of our students seriously and know that while Ginny may be supportive to some students, we understand that some students are not comfortable around dogs. Before entering a new classroom, Mrs. Celata and Mrs. McLaughlin always ask first if there are any students who would like to have Ginny stay away from them. No student will have to be close to Ginny if they do not want to be.
We wanted to share the video we have shown to the students about how to approach a therapy dog and to explain the difference between a therapy dog and a pet. When Ginny is in school, she is working and takes her role seriously. She has provided great comfort for many students. You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axLBd_4IKdE
Ginny is a well-known and beloved member of our community, and we hope that your children are enjoying their interactions with her. Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions by emailing me at Sarah.Leveque@andoverma.us.
We still have over 57 families who have not completed this work. Your child's safety is our top priority. Without updates, we have dismissal confusion and tears. Please get this completed.
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
At High Plain, we believe that everyone—students, staff, and families—plays an essential role in building a supportive and inclusive community. That’s why we’re excited to invite you to become involved in a group that helps shape the experience at our school, the School Council. High Plain is looking for 2-3 parent guardians to join the School Council. A school council is a representative, school building-based committee composed of the principal, parents, teachers, community members and, at the secondary level, students, required to be established by each school pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C. While not a governing body, the School Council meets in an advisory capacity to review and discuss the four following areas:
Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
Reviewing the annual school building budget
Formulating a school improvement plan
The HPE School Council will meet four times a year for hour long meetings after school (3:45-4:45pm). The council will determine if the meetings will be in-person, virtual, or a hybrid composition based on council member votes. The council is a 2-year parent commitment. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the school and offers a behind the scenes look at education. It’s also a fantastic way to spread the good word about HPE! If you are interested in joining the council, please complete the survey. Nominations will be accepted until September 13th. From there, representatives may be voted upon by the school community if the interest supports more than 3 team members.
NAME/BUS TAGS (For Kindergarten and Grade 1 Students)
Your child’s teacher will give you a name tag necklace on the first day. Please have your kindergartner or first grader wear the nametag until further notice.
SCHOOL BUS
Bus transportation to and from school is provided free of charge to elementary students. Kindergarten students must be met by a known adult at the bus stop. Bus routes are available for families in the Aspen portal. This will state your drop-off and pick-up times. As the year begins, please know that your bus could arrive 10 minutes early or later than what is stated in Aspen. We appreciate your patience.
CAR PICKUP/DROPOFF
Please note that there are differences in morning arrival and afternoon car pick up. In the morning, you may arrive by using the High Plain Rd. entrance or the Cross St. entrance. In the afternoon, you can only arrive through the Cross St. entrance. The High Plain Rd. entrance is closed to allow buses. Both morning and afternoon arrival, all vehicles must turn right when leaving the drop off/pick up line.
Morning Arrival: 8:45-9:00
· Morning car drop-off begins at 8:45 at the High Plain main entrance sidewalk. You may use the High Plain Rd. and Cross St. entrances.
· The staff will supervise the children as they exit the car in the HPE Circle area.
· Please follow the staff’s direction as they will have a series of cars pull up for children to exit.
· All vehicles must turn right when leaving the drop off lane in the AM.
· There is no supervision before 8:45 AM and students should not be dropped off before that time.
· The children will have supervised play on the playground until 8:55 AM.
· If you arrive after 9:00, please park and walk your child/children into the building. You will need to sign your child into school. You will find the sign-in book in our school foyer.
Afternoon Car Pick Up: 3:30
· Any student being picked up by car should be picked up via the pick-up line.
· This line moves quickly and has the support of assigned assistant staff to escort students safely to their cars.
· Please enter only through the Cross St. entrance and join the line and stay to the right. The High Plain Rd. entrance is not available for the afternoon.
· Please leave an opening at all intersections for buses to pass the waiting car line and negotiate turns into the bus drop off area.
· If you arrive before the car line is in motion, please be aware of the Massachusetts Anti Idling Law (MGL Chapter 90 16B, 540 SMR 27.00), as posted.
· Drivers should have a visor card with their child’s last name on it, displayed on the rearview mirror.
· Visor cards may be picked up at the school office any day and we will have extra for you during the first few weeks of school.
· Please turn right after picking up your student and exit through Cross St. so traffic flow will be one way.
· Please make your child’s teacher aware, via the PickUp Patrol app, when there are any changes to the default dismissal plan.
WALKERS & BIKE RIDERS:
· For morning arrival, a school crossing guard will be at the Cross Street/Brady Loop entrance.
· All AM walkers and bike riders should use the Cross St. entrance and the sidewalks that follow the front side of the school.
· Bike Riders: Only students in grades 3, 4, and 5 may ride a bike to and from school. A permission form must be completed with the main office.
· At dismissal, there are 2 groups of walker students and 1 group of bike riders. All Kindergarten students must be released to an adult.
· Walker line 1 and bike riders will be escorted from the Wood Hill cafeteria to the Cross Street/Brady Loop entrance and crossed by the crossing guard.
· Walker line 2 will be escorted to the end of the High Plain driveway.
· No adult should attempt to pick up a walker or bike rider at the Wood Hill circle or parking lot.
Breakfast and lunch are once again free to all students. Breakfast is served from 8:45-8:55 each morning and no advanced ordering is needed.
Lunches will need be preordered. Lunch requires families to order in advance to ensure we have the correct allergy-friendly lunch for all our students. 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.
Information about the Andover Public Schools lunch program, as well as menus and instructions for online ordering, may be found on the website here: http://www.andoverschoolnutrition.com/
School Hours of Operation
8:30 am: School office opens
8:45 am: School drop off
9:00 am: School day begins
After 9:00 am: Children are tardy and must be accompanied by a parent into the office
After 2:00 pm: Unless it's an emergency, no dismissal changes
Students must be dismissed before 3:00
3:30 pm: School ends
Ms. Sarah Leveque, Principal
Email: sarah.leveque@andoverma.us
Website: https://aps1.net/212/High-Plain-Elementary-School
Location: 333 High Plain Road, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-8600
