You Belong Here
It's been an amazing start to the 2024-2025 school year! The energy and enthusiasm from both our staff and students have been truly infectious, filling our school with an overwhelming sense of positivity.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Ms. McGonigle and I had the pleasure of visiting classrooms and witnessing the magic as our students bonded and engaged. We listened to captivating summer stories, admired creative coloring projects, joined in community-building activities, and observed the routines that will shape this academic year.
We’re thrilled to continue this journey with you and your children and look forward to the many positive moments and experiences that lie ahead. Remember, "You Belong Here."
Wishing you all a wonderful LONG WEEKEND!
PickUp Patrol
This school year we will be using a system called PickUp Patrol to help us track
dismissals. PickUp Patrol (PUP) provides you with a convenient way to make changes to your
child’s dismissal plans and help ensure that our students are accurately dismissed each day.
How It Works:
1. Your child’s regular dismissal plan will be entered into ASPEN. This is called their
Default Plan.
2. Whenever your child is following a plan other than their Default Plan you’ll submit the
change using the PickUp Patrol app.
Examples of a plan change:
● Your child has a doctor's appointment and will be leaving early.
● Your child normally rides the bus but is getting picked up today.
● Your child will be arriving late.
● Your child is getting picked up by someone other than yourself.
3. When the change is submitted, the school will be notified and we’ll relay the change to
your child.
4. Register: In the next few days/weeks you will receive a registration email from PickUp
Patrol with a link to set up your account. The web app is free for parents and you can
use it from your phone or computer. When you receive the registration email, log in
right away to confirm your child’s default plan (The link expires in 48 hours).
Soon after the start of the school year, you will receive an email from PickUp Patrol asking you to confirm your child's default plan.
For the first few days of school, teachers will be using the information in your back to school forms on Aspen. If there is a change, please send in a note with your child before PickUp Patrol is activated.
If you have any questions, please first check the PUP Parent Guide. If you still need help,
contact us here in the office.
Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks
1. Students are offered breakfast and lunch free of charge. It is crucial that you order lunches for them IN ADVANCE if they plan to have lunch from the school cafeteria. Our kitchen staff prepares lunches based on the number of orders received, so accurate and timely ordering is essential. Breakfast does not need to be ordered in advance.
2. Memorize PIN : Please help your child memorizes their PIN to get their lunch. This number stays with them year to year. Knowing it by heart will expedite their lunch experience. It allows for quicker and more secure access to their account, making lunchtime smoother for everyone involved.
If you have any questions or require assistance with lunch orders or PIN-related matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school office.
3. Students should bring snacks from home each day.
Drop off and Pick Up
Drop Off
-Please do not drop students off until 8:45. We do not have staffing on the playground prior to that time.
-In the carpool lane, please pull all the way forward towards Lovejoy. It helps to ensure that we can move more cars along quickly.
Walkers
-Walker dismissal is ONLY for students who are walking home. You may not park in the parking lot and have your students walk home. It creates an dangerous situation. If you are picking up by car please use the carpool pick up.
Carpool Pick up
-Please pick up all students over by the back parking lot near the orange cones.
Thank you all for your help ensuring a smooth and safe drop off and pick up.
Riding Bikes to School
Notification will come from Ms. Fawcett a week or so after the start of school when grade 3-5 students can begin to ride bikes to school. All students must wear helmets to school and no motorized bikes or scooters are allowed. Anyone not following these procedures will lose the privileges.
Beginning of the Year Safety Drills
We had our first fire drill of the year on Thursday. We typically have them 4x/year.
An ALICE drill will be conducted early in the fall.
When an ALICE drill is performed, a notification from the school will go out AFTER the drill is complete. The staff do an amazing job preparing students for these drills.
Technology at School
We are all working to manage the age of technology and are looking for support between school and home. Many children have new smart devices and the elementary schools have some guidance.
A kind reminder to our families that cell phones must be turned off and in students’ backpacks at the start of the school day. Smartwatches may be worn as regular watches, however, students are not allowed to text, communicate with others, use applications, take pictures or videos, or access social media services and websites.
Should parents/guardians urgently need to reach their child during the school day, we ask that you call the main office. Students are also allowed to come to the main office if they need to contact someone at home. If a cell phone or watch becomes a significant distraction, school administrators will reach out to parents/guardians. The Andover Public Schools is not responsible for lost, stolen, damaged, or broken devices.
Aspen Updates
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.
