Congratulations to our 3rd and 4th graders who completed the ELA portion of MCAS. We are so proud of them! This Tuesday and Thursday, Grade 5 students will dive into the ELA MCAS. A few reminders about MCAS. There are no smartwatches or phones allowed when students are taking MCAS. We encourage students to leave them at home on these days. Student should get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, arrive on time, and try their best is all they need.

This month, we will be conducting our biannual spring A.L.I.C.E. drill. These safety drills are an important part of practicing our routines and ensuring we are prepared in the event of an emergency. We are grateful for the continued partnership with Andover Police and district staff, who work closely with us to support these efforts and help keep our school community safe. As always, following the drill, I will send an email to parents and guardians to confirm that the drill has taken place.

Warmly,

Brenda Lee, Principal

Olivia Goodrich, Assistant Principal

As the Andover School Committee moves forward in the process of selecting a new Superintendent, we are excited to announce upcoming engagement opportunities and a dedicated webpage for students, staff, and the community.

Complete the Survey

The New England School Development Council (NESDEC), our search consultant, will provide, administer, and analyze a survey available to students, staff, parents/caretakers, and residents. This survey will help to identify the characteristics of a Superintendent that are most important to our community. The survey opens today and will close on Friday, April 10th.

Memorial Hall Library and The Robb Center will have computers available to take the survey. Paper copies are available by contacting shauna.murray@andoverma.us. If you need translation services to complete the survey, please contact shauna.murray@andoverma.us

Attend a Focus Group or Join a School Committee Informal Forum!

NESDEC consultants will facilitate five Focus Groups and the Committee will host two Informal Forums during the week of April 13th. Please feel free to attend the session that best fits your role.

Selecting a Superintendent is one the School Committee’s most important responsibilities, and the School Committee is committed to a comprehensive, thorough, and transparent search for the best possible leader of our schools. We encourage your participation in this process. Thank you.

Make a splash with Doherty Drama Club’s production of The Little Mermaid - April 10 at 7:00 pm, April 11 at 7:00 pm, and April 12 at 2:00 pm. This amazing show features many South School alumni!

Dive into an unforgettable under the sea adventure filled with dazzling music, vibrant storytelling, and show stopping performances from the Doherty students. Get your tickets now and join in on an unforgettable experience. All tickets are $15 – available at Andover Bookstore, online, and at the door.

Link to purchase tickets - https://cur8.com/25057/project/138605

We will soon begin the student placement process for the 2026-2027 school year. All personnel, including classroom teachers, are involved in the placement and spend a great deal of time, effort, and energy considering the factors that will help determine the appropriate placement for each child and the best grouping of students within each class.

We are committed to creating balanced classes so that each one represents a microcosm of the total school community. Our primary goal is to build classes where all students thrive and grow academically and socially. Because this process is so complex, requests for specific teachers will not be granted.

If you have information about your child’s unique needs, please write a brief letter indicating the most important factor you would like us to consider, such as your child’s learning style, academic abilities, social maturity, or other special circumstances.

Kindly email your letter to the following address (southschoolandover@gmail.com) no later than Friday, April 10th. Please send one email per child.

Writing a letter is voluntary, but you can be assured that the same care and consideration will be given to each child's placement regardless of whether a letter is sent.

Our community service group is teaming up again with Project 351 for a clothing drive. The drive will run from March 31st to April 10th.

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.

Expanding Emotional Vocabulary

This Week's Words: (YELLOW)

Kindergarten ~ Pround
First Grade ~ Joyful

Second Grade ~ Hopeful

Third Grade ~ Motivated

Fourth Grade ~ Determined

Fifth Grade ~ Committed

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

-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.

April Dates:

• 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