It was another wonderful week at South School! We were so proud of our fourth and fifth grade students who showcased their talent at the All Strings Concert on Tuesday evening. What a fantastic performance!

A huge thank you to our PTO for providing such meaningful curriculum enrichment opportunities across the school this week. On Wednesday, our fifth graders experienced an engaging Deborah Sampson reenactment that brought history to life. First graders were thrilled to welcome illustrator Scott Magoon on Thursday, and our kindergarten students wrapped up the week with a special visit from illustrator Ralph Masiello on Friday. We are so grateful for these experiences that continue to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning in our students!

Please read below to read more about our spring session of Tiger Academy and the great offerings! We also have exciting news to share about our book brackets and we would love to have more countries represented at our first All Around the World Night!

Warmly,

Brenda Lee, Principal

Olivia Goodrich, Assistant Principal

Thank you to those of you who have volunteered already to have a table at Around the World Night! So far we have the following countries represented:

-Balkan/Serbia

-China

-Colombia

-India

-Ireland

-Italy

-Morocco

-Nepal

-Pakistan

-Poland

-Puerto Rico

-Taiwan

If you don't see your country listed and want to share your background, please sign up! The more countries the better! The deadline to sign up for a table is Friday, April 3rd.

If you have any questions or want to sign up please email Cara Saw at ball.cara@gmail.com.

March Reading Madness is already underway here at South School! Our theme for The Book Bracket Thing is the same as our school theme for this year: “Notice, Wonder, SOAR!” All the books selected by Mrs. T-K and Ms. Ferreira reflect this theme.

Grades K,1,2: “The Book that almost rhymed” won with 106 votes

Grades 2,3: “Odder” won with 84 votes

Grades 3,4: “Wonder Walkers” won with 66 votes

Grades 4,5: “The Music inside us” won with 116 votes

Students read the above books this week and voted again. We will find out what our two final books are tomorrow!

The Community Service is proud to team with the MSPCA again! Since 1868, the MSPCA-Angell has been at the forefront of animal protection and veterinary care, providing hands-on care for thousands of animals each year. Today, the MSPCA-Angell is a world leader in animal welfare; healing, rescuing, sheltering, protecting, and advocating for more animals than any other humane organization in the United States.

The MSPCA-Angell is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that does not receive any funding from state/federal agencies and is not operated by any fellow SPCAs. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our supporters, and the thousands of animals they help each year.

The MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen is always grateful for donations, especially pet food. They also provide pet food for local food pantries so pet food donations are always greatly appreciated. Cat and dog food, both canned and dry food as well as kitty litter, is the greatest need. (Please no open or expired pet food)

When: Friday March, 13 to Thursday March, 27

What: cat & dog food, cat liter

Drop off: Front Lobby

For Who: MSPCA

We wanted to share information about some assistance programs available to Andover families through the Andona Foundation (https://andona.org/). Please let Andrea Goodman, South School social worker, know if you need assistance or have any questions. You can reach her at: andrea.goodman@andoverma.us or 978-247-9816.

Clown Town:

2026 Clown Town sponsorship form - due May 4

The annual Clown Town carnival will be held in downtown Andover on May 15th through May 17th this year. Each year, Andover schools awards families with the Andona sponsorship for Clown Town. This packet includes rides, tickets and vouchers for Andona activities at Clown Town. Please pick up the packet at the "Information Booth" by the gazebo on any day of the event. Please reach out to your school adjustment counselor if you would like an alternative form of pickup.

Campership Assistance:

2026 Andona Campership form

The campership assistance (up to $300) to help pay fees for a summer program of your choice. To learn more and apply for their program, please click the application below. Forms are due May 15th.

Please reach out to Gabrielle at camperships@andona.org with any additional questions about either opportunity.

CLOTHING:

Please remember to send in your child with appropriate clothing, and a change of clothing in case they do get wet. Many students do not like the limited clothing selection I have in the clinic. If your child does borrow clothing from the clinic, please wash and return them. My supply is officially dwindled.

FOOTWEAR:

Please make sure your child wears sneakers, a supportive shoe or boots if they will be playing in the snow for outdoor recess. Many students are coming to school with Crocs or other loosely fitting shoes. Students need to have safe footwear for running around in the playground and climbing on the playground structures to avoid orthopedic injuries.

Expanding Emotional Vocabulary

This Week's Words: (BLUE)

Kindergarten ~ Lonely
First Grade ~ Excluded

Second Grade ~ Rejected

Third Grade ~ Discouraged

Fourth Grade ~ Defeated

Fifth Grade ~ Offended

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.

March Dates:

• Mon., Mar. 23rd - Bus evacuation drills
• Tues., Mar. 24th - Grade 1 Performance for families - 9:30am
• Fri., Mar. 27th - Grade 4 Float Presentation - 9:30am
• Tues., Mar. 31st - Grades 3 & 4 ELA MCAS

April Dates:

• Wed., Apr. 1st - Grades 3 & 4 ELA MCAS
• Mon., Apr. 6th - Grades K, 2, 3 , & 4 CE - Geo Game Show
• Tues., Apr. 7th - Grade 1CE - Puppet Pals
• Tues., Apr. 7th - Grade 5 ELA MCAS
• Wed., Apr. 8th - EARLY RELEASE - 12:15pm dismissal
• Thurs., Apr. 9th - Grade 5 ELA MCAS
• Fri., Apr. 10th - Grade 3 Showcase for parents - 10:25am
• Wed., Apr. 15th - Science Fair - 5:30pm
• Thurs., Apr. 16th - Grade 2 CE - Zoo New England
• Fri., Apr. 17th - Warrior Way
• Mon., Apr. 20th - Fri., Apr. 24th - Spring Recess - NO SCHOOL
• Wed., Apr. 29th - All-school CE - Acrobat Li Liu
• Thurs., Apr. 30th - Around the World @ South School - 6pm

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