All Around APS

Dear APS families and staff,

I am excited to introduce "Take 2!" Each month, I will share a conversation with two members of the APS staff. These interviews create the opportunity to learn more about our dedicated staff and how they support our students and the APS community.

You will learn why they do what they do, a unique, fun fact about them, and why they love working with our students at Andover Public Schools. Check out the video below to hear from our first “Take 2!” interviewees, West Middle School Social Workers Mrs. Deveney-McNamar and Ms. Wiley!

Many thanks to Principal Tim Corkery for the recommendation and to Mrs. D. and Ms. Wiley for taking the lead and their willingness to share first!

We hope you enjoy!

Dr. Magda Parvey

Superintendent

Despite the clouds, about a hundred people gathered on a beautiful Friday to celebrate the grand opening of the new West Elementary and Shawsheen Preschool. The event was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured state, town, and school district officials, alongside a group of West Elementary students: Alice Donahue, Sami Droubi, Avery Cullen, Nate Chieasa, Charlie Clermont, Alex Molnar, Aryansh Kau, Avery Dispena, Colin Batts, Matilda Melandri, Mabel Corning, Caroline Cosiglio, Rami Droubi, Priya Ganda, Grave Remeika, and Emma Walsh. Together, they cut the ribbon, symbolizing a new chapter for the community. Informal tours took place following the ceremony.

After many years of planning and two years of construction, including a very busy summer of completing interior work, demolition of the old West El, furniture deliveries, final building inspections and much unpacking, the new West El welcomed students for the first day of class on August 28, 2024. Shawsheen staff and students will join the West El community in the 2025-26 school year.

On Saturday, September 14th, members of the Andover High School Golden Warrior Marching Band volunteered their time and talent to cheer on participants in Hike for Hope in support of Lazarus House. As individuals crossed the finish line, percussionists played to greet participants with a spirit of celebration and gratitude.

The annual event brings the community together to raise critical funds for Lazarus House to continue to meet the needs of the increasing number of Guests who find themselves without the necessary Food, Shelter, Clothing, Advocacy, and Community Resources for themselves and their families.

Congratulations to the seven AHS seniors who have been named as semifinalists in the Merit Scholarship Program! Richard Chen, Samyak Jain, Sharayu Josh, Daniel Shin, Luke Suh, Yiwei Wang, and John Weng are among the 16,000 students across the United States to compete in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. To compete in the National Merit Scholarship competition, students need to begin the process in their junior year of high school.

15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalists’ level, and it is from this group that all National Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen. In February, students will be notified of finalist designation. Merit Scholar designees are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. It is quite an honor to be selected as semifinalists and recognized on a national level for their hard work and achievement. Best of luck to all!

Eight Andover High School students, known as team SPEEDers, are currently in Hamburg, Germany for an experience of a lifetime! AHS Physics Club members Theo Buckridge, Richard Chen (Team Leader), Samyak Jain, Mengan Li, Daniel Lin, Niranjan Nair, Hari Palaniyappan, and Robert Zhu were invited to run experiments on a high energy relativistic electron beamline at DESY, or Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron.

This experience is a result of being one of 3 teams globally to win the Beamline for Schools competition last spring. AHS Science teachers Mr. Donovan and Ms. Givens support the SPEEDers team as advisors and share that the team won the opportunity because their proposal was innovative, well researched, and has the potential to provide useful diagnostic tools for scientist operating the DESY beamline. We can’t wait to hear about their experience when they return to Andover!

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

• Wednesday, October 2, 2024 – Early Release Day
• Monday, October 14, 2024 – Fall Recess (NO SCHOOL)

• Thursday, October 3, 2024 – Navaratri
• Thursday, October 3, 2024 – Rosh Hashanah* (day 1)
• Friday, October 4, 2024 – Rosh Hashanah* (day 2)
• Saturday, October 12, 2024 – Yom Kippur*
• Saturday, October 12, 2024 – Dasera/Dussehra
• Thursday, October 17, 2024 – First Day of Sukkot*
• Thursday, October 31, 2024 - Diwali

*Holidays begin at sundown the previous day

AHS Show Choir students invite you to join us for the 15th Annual Andover Broadway Cabaret to be held on Wednesday, September 25th @ 7:00 pm at the J. Everett Collins Center for Performing Arts at Andover High School.

Enjoy moments from both old and new Broadway musicals throughout the night. There will be solos, duets, small groups, and our very own AHS Show Choir... surely an event that you won't want to miss! Music will include selections from “Anastasia”, “Dear Evan Hansen”, “Spring Awakening”, “Hamilton”, “Bring it On,” and more!

Tickets will be sold at the door and are available online at

https://cur8.com/schedule/item/25057/335465

Adults: $12.00

Senior Citizens: $8.00

Students: $5.00

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.

The School Committee met on September 19, 2024. Items on the agenda included an update from Dr. Ryan Fielding, APS Clinical Director, on Mental and Behavior Health supports and initiatives in the district and an overview of the district’s literacy review process for this school year from Dr. Julie Riley’s team.

Additionally, the School Committee Chair announced that the Committee is now seeking nominations for the APS Staff Shout Out. This is an effort to recognize our extraordinary staff who embody the mission, values, and vision of the Andover Public Schools. Selected staff will be announced at each School Committee meeting. We look forward to hearing how our staff have made a meaningful impact on your student(s).

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 October 3, 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 on Main Street (In front of LaFina , across from Old Town Hall) 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.

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. To view the list of topics anticipated for the 2024-25 school year, please visit our webpage.

The Andover Health Division is hosting two public flu clinics in October. Appointments are required. Each person receiving a flu shot needs their own appointment. Please use the QR codes below to schedule your appointment. If you have questions or need help signing up for an appointment, please call the Health Division at 978.623.8640.

Memorial Hall Library launched their fall programs officially this week and more information about each program can be found on MHL's website's event calendar - they are also always happy to answer any questions people may have and can be reached at cr@mhl.org or by phone at (978) 623-8440