We hope you had a wonderful February vacation and were able to enjoy some well-deserved time together as a family, creating special memories along the way. We are excited to welcome everyone back and dive into a busy and joyful stretch of learning ahead!

Please be sure to review this newsletter for important information regarding new procedures for all-school events that take place during the school day. Your partnership helps ensure these events run smoothly and safely for everyone.

March is shaping up to be an exciting month as we celebrate our love of reading! In honor of Read Across America Day and literacy all month long, we will host a spirit week, welcome author, Kate Messner, for a special visit, invite community readers into our classrooms, and hold book brackets to determine South’s favorite book. It’s going to be a month full of stories, smiles, and school spirit!

Warmly,

Brenda Lee, Principal

Olivia Goodrich, Assistant Principal

In order to keep our school safe (and efficient), we are asking parents to pre-register for all special events, like concerts and grade level events, that you will be attending at South School.

Prior to each event, you will receive an invitation that includes an RSVP link. Please complete the RSVP form for each person attending. If you have already checked in at South School this year and received a badge, a visitor badge will be pre-printed and ready for you when you arrive. If you have not checked in this school year, you will need to click the Visitor Aware link located at the bottom of the RSVP form to complete the registration (this is only required once per school year).

Families who do not pre-register will need to register upon arrival, which may delay entry. Pre-registering helps us ensure a smooth and timely check-in process for everyone. When you arrive at the event, please have your driver’s license ready. After verification, you will receive your badge and may then attend the event.

Thank you for your support in advance of this change!

The first week of March, March 3-6 will be Reading Spirit Week. (See below)

We have a visit from author Kate Messner on Wednesday March 4, Community Reader Day on Friday March 6, and other activities. Stay tuned for info on all the wonderful events we will experience!

Starting on Monday, March 9, we will jump into March Reading Madness! Our theme for “The Book Bracket Thing” will be our school’s theme, “Notice, Wonder, SOAR!” Activities will include a door decorating contest from March 9-13, as well as Book Brackets and voting for our favorite books, ending with one school-wide winning book on Friday, March 27.

A huge thank you to our incredible PTO for bringing Johnny the K to South School this week! As an award-winning musician and former elementary school teacher, Johnny combined music, humor, and interactive fun to share important messages about positive behavior, strong character, and making great choices. Our students were engaged, laughing, singing, and learning all at the same time.

We are so grateful to our PTO for providing experiences like this that enrich our school community!

Words of the Week!

Expanding Emotional Vocabulary

This Week's Words: (BLUE)

Kindergarten ~ Hurt
First Grade ~ Down

Second Grade ~ Hopeless

Third Grade ~ Empathic

Fourth Grade ~ Ashamed

Fifth Grade ~ Pessimistic

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.

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

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.

February Dates:

• Wed., Feb. 25th - 5th Grade CE - Paul Revere House
• Thurs., Feb. 26th - Grade 4 & 5 CE - The Energy Academy: Power Squad

March Dates:

• Mon., Mar. 2nd - Grade 5 CE - Paul Revere House
• Wed., Mar. 4th - All-Grades CE - Kate Messner
• Tues., Mar. 10th - 3rd Grade Eminent Person Open House - 9:30am
• Wed., Mar. 11th - EARLY RELEASE - 12:15pm dismissal
• Wed., Mar. 11th - All Bands @ The Field House
• Fri., Mar. 13th - SCT play - Mary Poppins Jr. - 7:00pm - West Middle
• Sat., Mar. 14th - SCT play - Mary Poppins Jr. - 7:00pm - West Middle
• Sun., Mar. 15th - SCT play - Mary Poppins Jr. - 1:00pm - West Middle
• Tues., Mar. 17th - All Strings @ the Collins Center
• Wed., Mar. 18th - Grade 5 CE - Deborah Sampson
• Thurs., Mar. 19th - Grade 3 CE - Words & Pictures
• Fri., Mar. 20th - Grade K CE - Ralph Masiello
• Mon., Mar. 23rd - Bus evacuation drills
• Tues., Mar. 24th - Grade 1 Performance for families - 9:30am
• Tues., Mar. 31st - Grades 3 & 4 ELA MCAS

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