It has been a great week at South School! Our third graders enjoyed a wonderful visit to the Lexington Symphony on Thursday.

Also, on Thursday, our first graders were thrilled to welcome Top Secret Science into their classrooms for hands-on, engaging learning. A big thank you to our PTO for supporting these enriching experiences—and for the much-appreciated donation of tissues and cleaning wipes to help us through cold season. We are so grateful for your continued support of our school community.

As a reminder, Wednesday, January 28th is an Early Release day.

Warmly,

Brenda Lee, Principal

Olivia Goodrich, Assistant Principal

We are excited to host our Around the World Night, a special evening celebrating the many cultures that make up our South School community! This event will be a wonderful opportunity for families to learn from one another and honor the rich traditions represented in our school.

To make this night a success, we are looking for volunteers to help with planning and activities. If you are able to help, please sign up here:
Around the World Night Volunteer Sign Up

We also invite families to share their culture in a way that feels meaningful and comfortable to you. To participate, please sign up here:
Around the World Night Sign Up

Families may choose to host a table sharing information about their heritage, lead a hands-on activity such as a traditional craft or game, teach others how to write or say something in a home language, or share music, dance, or a performance on stage. Families may also choose to share a food or drink connected to their culture.

We look forward to celebrating together and learning from the many cultures that make our community so special! Email olivia.goodrich@andoverma.us with any questions.

We are incredibly excited to share that Frankie, a trained therapy dog, will be joining us again this year! Frankie is a cavapoo (King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and Poodle Mix). He has gone through extensive training and continues his training regularly. He has passed his Canine Good Citizens (CGC) test, and Frankie is a certified Therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International (TDI). Many of your children had an opportunity to meet him last year, and we’re excited for new students to meet him this year. Here is a social story for new students to learn more about Frankie, and as a helpful reminder for everyone else: Social Story about Frankie.

Benefits of a Therapy Dog:

★ Cognitive - companionship with a dog stimulates memory and problem-solving and game playing.

★ Social - a dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion, encourages responsibility, wellbeing, and focused interaction with others.

★ Emotional - school dogs improve self-esteem, acceptance from others and lift moods, often provoking laughter and fun. Dogs can also teach compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety.

★ Physical - interaction with a furry friend reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, assists with pain management, gives motivation to move, walk, and stimulates the senses.

★ Reading - reading to dogs has been proven to help children develop literacy skills and build confidence, through both the calming effect the dog's presence has on children as well as the fact that a dog will listen to children read without being judgemental or critical.

What if my child is allergic to dogs? Frankie is a "doodle mix"; he has hair, not fur, and does not shed. He is considered hypo-allergenic but you are welcome to opt your child out of meeting with him if you are concerned.

Where will he go? Frankie will only be allowed in situations with students who voluntarily wish to work with him. Frankie will spend time in my office when he is not out visiting with students and staff, and he will have a crate in there to take breaks and rest during the day. Like last spring, he will work with students in one on one or small group capacities, and visit classrooms when invited - and always with me as his handler.

What if my child is afraid of dogs? Some children may have had upsetting experiences and thus have a fear of dogs (or other animals). Frankie will only be in contact with children who want to work with him. Experience and research has shown that with proper guidance and handling, children can learn to overcome their fear of animals and grow to respect and appreciate them. If for any reason you would like to opt your student out of the therapy dog program, please complete the opt-out form: Therapy Dog Opt Out Form Jan 2026.

We hope you will join us in welcoming Frankie back to the South Elementary School family, and embrace all that he has to offer our school. If you have any concerns or questions, please email me or call the school office.

Andrea Goodman, LICSW

Social Worker

andrea.goodman@andoverma.us

978-247-9816

The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates at South. Please note that students will take 2 days of tests per content area. Please refrain from vacations or unnecessary absences on these dates.

Grades 3 and 4

-English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1
-Mathematics Assessments: Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13

Grade 5

-English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Tuesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 9
-Mathematics Assessments: Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8

-Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Assessments: Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19

Dear Families of Incoming Kindergarten students:

We share in your excitement for your child to enroll in Kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year and look forward to them being a part of the Andover Public School community in September.

Kindergarten registration will begin on Monday, February 2, 2026 to Monday, March 2, 2026. Please access the Kindergarten Registration link on our website at www.aps1.net/o/aps/page/kindergarten-registration. Following your registration, please contact your school directly to make an appointment to submit your registration paperwork.

For your reference, student eligibility requirements are as follows:

A student must actually reside in Andover, unless one of the exceptions set forth in Policy JF applies. The residence of a minor child is ordinarily presumed to be the legal residence of the child´s parent or legal guardian. As per School Committee Policy, children must be 5 years old on or before August 31, 2026 and entering Kindergarten in the Andover Public Schools for the first time.

The first day of school for Pre-K and Kindergarten students is Tuesday, September 8, 2026!

We look forward to meeting all our incoming students and families in the new school year!

All students are able to receive 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch daily during the 2026-2026 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.

January Dates:

• Wed., Jan. 28th - EARLY RELEASE - 12:15pm dismissal
• Fri., Jan. 30th - Grade 3 CE - Sheryl Faye - 2:00pm

February Dates:

• Thurs., Feb. 5th - French teachers visit 5th Graders
• Thurs., Feb 5th - Report Cards posted to portal
• Fri., Feb. 6th - South Read Aloud Day - 10:00am - 10:40am
• Wed., Feb. 11th - All-school CE - Johnny the K - 2:00pm
• Mon., Feb. 16th - Fri., Feb. 20th - President's Day/Winter Recess - NO SCHOOL
• Wed., Feb. 25th - 5th Grade CE - Paul Revere House
• Thurs., Feb. 26th - Grade 4 & 5 CE - The Energy Academy: Power Squad

Also, as a reminder, CORI Forms need to be filled out every school year to volunteer and participate in school activities, such as chaperoning a field trip. If you would like to fill it out at home before coming over, here is the link to print the form: CORI FORM

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

Visit www.SouthPTO.com

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