As we approach the end of 2024, it’s incredible to reflect on all that we have accomplished together as a school community. From exciting learning moments in our classrooms to memorable events and celebrations that brought us closer together, this year has been filled with growth, achievement, and joy.

Looking ahead to 2025, we are eager to continue building on this momentum. With new goals, opportunities, and dreams on the horizon, we are confident that the year ahead will be just as bright and rewarding for our students, staff, and families.

As the holiday season begins, we wish all of you a happy, restful, and enjoyable winter break. May this time be filled with warmth, laughter, and cherished moments with loved ones.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back together in January. As a reminder, school is a full day on Friday, December 20th. We will see everyone back on Thursday, January 2nd.

Warmly,

Brenda Lee, Principal

Olivia Goodrich, Assistant Principal

This year, APS is engaging in a comprehensive literacy K-8 review. The goal of this work is to improve our systems so that we can effectively support teachers and families in the hard work of guiding literacy success for all students.

To help inform our strategy, we want to learn more about your family’s experience with literacy curriculum, materials, and assessments through a brief, anonymous survey accessed here: bit.ly/APSfamily. Please complete one survey per household. We hope to have all feedback completed by January 10th. Thank you!

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who joined us for the third-grade strings informance. Your support and encouragement mean so much to our young musicians as they explore their musical talents. The students have worked hard to learn and prepare their pieces, and your presence made the event even more special for them. We are so proud of their progress and enthusiasm for music!

Anything look familiar?? We have tons of jackets, sweatshirts, water bottles, etc in our Lost and Found! Please remind your child to get any of their missing items. Please also remember to label your child's winter gear to avoid them getting lost. We will be donating all items by Wednesday, December 18th.

The South School Community Service Committee is delighted to once again collect holiday gifts for the Andover Housing Authority. We are one of the only schools in Andover that collects for these children and it is our 23rd year!

In order to supply gifts for all the families in need, we ask that you donate a new, unwrapped present, in the age range assigned to your grade. Please use this only as a guideline, as we are trying to ensure that we get enough gifts for all the ages on our list, certainly any donation would be greatly appreciated.

Grade Age range

Kindergarten toddler/preschool (ages 1-5 yrs old)

First grade elementary school (ages 6 – 10yrs old)

Second grade elementary school (ages 6 – 10 yrs old)

Third grade middle school (ages 11 – 14 yrs old)

Fourth grade middle school/high school (ages 11 – 18 yrs old)

Fifth grade middle school /high school (ages 15 – 18 yrs old)

For example, if you have a child in third grade you would donate a gift suitable for a middle schooler; if you have a child in first grade, you would donate a gift suitable for an elementary aged kid.

Drop off: South School Main Lobby

Jerry Pallotta will be visiting South School and presenting to students in grades K, 1, 2 on Monday, January 6, 2025. Mr. Pallotta published his first children’s book in 1985 and has been writing wildly successful books ever since! He writes the well-loved “Who Would Win?” series and is the author of many alphabet and counting books.

You can catch him reading his own book, The Ultimate Bug Rumble on YouTube.

Families are welcome to purchase Jerry Pallotta’s books using the attached book order form. Jerry will autograph the ordered books! The books will be delivered to South School.

If you would like to order a book, please complete the form and return to Mrs. T-K in the Library with a check made out to CB Books by Friday, December 13, 2024.

This visit is funded with a grant from the Cummings Foundation.

When to keep your child home:

• Fever
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Contagious diseases- please call the clinic to discuss with the nurses if you have any questions
• 
  

Criteria for a student returning to school following an illness:

• Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
• Vomiting or diarrhea free for 24 hours.
• If your child has a contagious illness – contact the school nurse before your child returns to school so that we can advise you regarding return to school protocols
• Andover Public Schools does not support a “no nit: policy. If you find your child has lice, please contact the school nurse so we can support and advise you. All students should be checked by the school nurse before returning to school.

Although we are not currently seeing a lot of head lice in the school, returning from vacation tends to be when we see an uptick in cases. As a preventive measure, please continue to perform head checks on your children monthly and call the clinic with any questions.

As we enter winter, we want students to have a consistent outdoor experience between grades and classrooms. To support this, we have set guidelines for temperature/weather type when deciding outdoor vs. indoor recess for all classrooms. Below are guidelines for outdoor recess for ‘23-24 school year.

• Students will be outdoors if the temperature (including wind chill) is 20 degrees or warmer and it’s not raining, sleeting, hailing, or blizzarding.

• If students want to play in snow, they must be wearing snow pants, boots, jackets, and gloves/mittens. If students do not wish to play in the snow, they will remain on the blacktop.

• With a large amount of students out on the playground at each recess, we need to be extra vigilant about safety. There is no throwing of snowballs or ice.

• Label each article of clothing so that if something is misplaced, it can be returned to you as quickly as possible.

Please be aware that all students go outside when the weather meets these conditions. Thanks for taking the time to remind students of the winter expectations. Snow play is beloved by many and we want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to safely enjoy their recess time during these months.

If your child is in need of appropriate recess gear, please reach out to our Social Worker, Andrea Goodman at andrea.goodman@andoverma.us

Communication with our families is essential to the success and wellness of our students. To assist our families and help them connect with the appropriate staff who is best suited to answer questions, we have updated our “Who We Are” page on our website. The information will guide families to resources on how to reach staff with concerns and how to stay connected to news and events across the district.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest PTO news?

Visit www.SouthPTO.com

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.

DECEMBER DATES

• Mon, Dec 23rd - Wed, Jan 1st: Winter Break

JANUARY DATES

• Thurs, Jan 2nd: Return to School

• Mon, Jan 6th: K, 1st, and 2nd Grade Visit by Jerry Pallotta

• Tues, Jan 7th & Wed, Jan 8th: 5th Grade Visit by Paul Revere House

• Mon, Jan 20th: NO SCHOOL ~ Martin Luther King Jr Day

• Wed, Jan 22nd: 3rd Grade Visit by Sheryl Faye

• Thurs, Jan 23: 3rd Grade Visits Lexington Symphony

• Wed, Jan 29th: Early Release

Email: brenda.lee@andoverma.us
Website: https://www.aps1.net/405/South-Elementary-School
Location: 55 Woburn Street, Andover, MA, USA
Phone: 978-247-9800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southschoolaps