All Around APS

Dear APS families and staff,

Welcome back to the 2024-25 school year! It been a wonderful few weeks of seeing our students back in their classrooms ready to embrace new challenges with the support of APS educators. We’ve had a smooth beginning to the school year, and I look forward to continuing that momentum in partnership with our community.

There are a number of initiatives I shared at the September 5th School Committee meeting that I would like to highlight for our community. I am pleased that we have held the first meeting of the FY26 Budget Advisory Council and will meet for an orientation of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council this month. These ad-hoc councils will offer me the opportunity to gather insights from the community and facilitate productive conversations to serve the interests of all APS students.

On the first day of school, we had a great time welcoming students and staff to the new West Elementary School building. As I shared in my August “Welcome Back” message, with the opening of the West Elementary School Building, we will begin the process of planning for redistricting. Redistricting has been a focus for the West Elementary and Shawsheen Building Committee throughout the years of the project. To ensure our families have the opportunity to share their perspectives, the district will create a Redistricting Advisory Council and I will be sharing more information on this process in the coming weeks.

At the School Committee meeting, I also shared “APS by the Numbers,” which may be of interest to the community. This data includes student enrollment, enrollment by race and diversity, recent hires to the district, and average class sizes as we opened school for this year.

I am optimistic about the year ahead and our collaboration in service to our students. As I enter my fourth year as superintendent, I remain appreciative of the support from the Andover community.

Dr. Magda Parvey

Superintendent

The APS 2024-25 School Year Calendar is available on our website.

• Ganesha Chaturthi - Saturday, September 7, 2024
• Samvatsari - Sunday, September 8, 2024

The Andover community is welcome to join the Andover Public Schools and the Town of Andover for the West Elementary and Shawsheen Preschool ribbon cutting celebration on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine and informal tours will be offered following the event.

Andover Public Schools welcomes your feedback on the APS Bullying Prevention and Intervention plan. Through district policy work, the updates to this plan reflect the most current alignment with MA state guidelines and regulations. Our window for feedback will be from September 5 to September 19, 2024. Please complete this form to provide your thoughts.

Before the pandemic, screen use, anxiety, and social problems (like bullying and fighting) were top concerns for parents. The last few years have made some of these issues even more challenging. This talk with Dr. Elizabeth Englander of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center will examine challenges in school, like bullying, friendship skills, and mental health, and how the ways kids use screens, gaming, and social media can impact these. We will discuss how to move forward, how to partner with your child's school, and how to help parents be most productive in guiding their children towards optimal social and emotional health.

This event is for parents and caregivers of students in grade 4-12 and will be held at the Collins Center at Andover High School on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. We hope you can join us for this important discussion.

We are pleased to introduce Xerox translation copiers to all APS schools in the district! These copiers will assist our families to receive school documents and forms in their home language. We are hopeful this new technology will be one of the ways to foster better communication and partnerships with our families and students. Families should reach out to their schools directly should they need assistance.

We are excited to introduce a new website for the start of the 2024-25 school year! As part of our commitment to enhancing communication and engagement with our community, the goal of the new platform is to offer easier navigation, a cleaner look, and enhanced accessibility. The new site will also offer an integrated mobile app for both Android and iPhones. We are excited to introduce these improvements, welcome your feedback and appreciate your patience as we continue to add new features and content.

The School Committee met on September 5, 2024. Items on the agenda included a presentation from Dr. Julie Riley on the APS Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan, an affirmative vote to increase per-diem rates for APS substitutes, and an update on School Committee community outreach initiatives.

Meetings are held in the School Committee Room at Central Office, 30 Whittier Court – 2nd floor and are broadcast live by AndoverTV via Andover public access television (Comcast Channel 6 and Verizon Channel 43) or by streaming from www.andovertv.org. Please visit the School Committee Meeting – Agendas, Presentations, and Videos webpage for more information.

The next School Committee meeting will be held on September 19, 2024. Agendas are posted up to 48 hours in advance on the district’s website.

Come visit members of the Andover School Committee at Andover Day 2024! The Committee will be at Andover Day from 10A-4P and we welcome all to stop by and say hello! Presented by the Andover Chamber of Commerce, Andover Day is the community’s biggest family-friendly event celebrating all things Andover.

Much like “office hours,” School Committee informal forums allow for an interactive dialogue with the Andover community. These meetings have no set agenda and are attended by two members of the Committee. All members of the Andover community are welcome and encouraged to attend to discuss any item under the purview of the School Committee.

Informal forums typically take place monthly during the school year and are offered at various times. We hope to see you if you have an issue you'd like to discuss.

Upcoming Informal Forums for 2024-25

• Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 7 p.m. - Ballardvale Fire Station (161 Andover St.)
• Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. - Memorial Hall Library (2 N. Main St.)
• Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 7 p.m. - Ballardvale Fire Station (161 Andover St.)
• Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 7 p.m. - virtual

*Virtual meeting links for participation will be sent in advance of these meetings. Forums dates and times are subject to change; we will notify the community should changes be needed.

We wanted to share some anticipated topics for discussion at School Committee meetings for this fall. This list represents typical annual votes or updates on various agenda items and is not meant to be a complete list of agenda items. This summary is meant to help inform the community when certain topics may be discussed annually on the agenda. We advise reviewing agendas for specific dates and topics. Agendas are posted on the district’s website 48 hours in advance of School Committee meetings.

October

• Enrollment data – provided to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for October 1st
• Superintendent evaluation process and annual goals* (Policy CBI)
• FY26 School calendar* (Policy IC/ICA)
• Student Activities Accounts (Policy JJF)

November

• Annual budget calendar (Policy DBC)
• Annual budget planning assumptions (long range financial planning model - Policy DB)
• Capital Improvement Plans (as part of annual budget planning)

* topics where two readings occur to ensure sufficient feedback is provided.

All are welcome at the Andover Health and Wellness Fair at the Robb Center on Wednesday, September 18, 2024!