As we reach the final days of the school year, we are filled with gratitude and pride as we reflect on all that our students have accomplished. This year, our theme, Notice, Wonder, SOAR, encouraged students to look closely at the world around them, ask thoughtful questions, explore new ideas, and grow as learners and citizens. As you read through the many "We Are Proud Of" highlights shared by each grade level and department below, you will see countless examples of students demonstrating curiosity, perseverance, creativity, kindness, and achievement.

Tomorrow, we look forward to celebrating our fifth graders during their Celebration of Learning and graduation ceremony. This special group has left a lasting mark on South School, and we are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished during their time here. We thank them for their leadership, their contributions to our school community, and the many ways they have helped us Notice, Wonder, and SOAR together. We wish them all the best as they begin their next chapter in middle school.

While the school year is coming to a close, we will remain in touch throughout the summer. Families can expect communications in July and August regarding school supplies, important back-to-school information, and other updates. Class placements will be shared in mid-August.

As a reminder, our last day of school is this Wednesday and it will be an Early Release with a dismissal time of 12:15.

On behalf of the entire South School staff, thank you for your partnership, support, and trust throughout the year. We wish all of our students and families a safe, relaxing, and joyful summer. Keep noticing, keep wondering, and keep soaring!

Warmly,

Brenda Lee, Principal

Olivia Goodrich, Assistant Principal

Kindergarten - As a Kindergarten team, we celebrate the positive relationships, friendships, and sense of belonging the children built within our classroom and school community. It has been so exciting to watch the students notice, wonder and SOAR as they found academic and social success . Watching these students come in learning letters and numbers and leaving as readers and mathematicians is such an exciting accomplishment! They have gained knowledge, confidence, connections, and curiously. We have had an incredible year in Kindergarten!

First Grade - We are proud of how much our students grew as readers and thinkers! Our students were able to have meaningful discussions together about books. They became experts on the importance of books, creature features, the power of wind, and stories around the world through their noticings and wonderings! They have strengthened their number sense, ability to solve word problems, and explain their mathematical thinking! We are so proud of all the ways they have grown!

Second Grade - We are proud of implementing a successful Walk to Learn Model for reading and, as a result, all students received what they needed in terms of their reading and writing. The implementation of Arts and Letters has given our children a wealth of information topics such as seasonal change, the American West, Civil Rights Advocates and Good Eating. Our children have grown as learners academically and also socially!

Third Grade - We are proud of the growth students showed in reflecting on their math assessments by using the success criteria to identify their strengths and areas for further learning. Successfully implementing Arts and Letters and watching the students level of interest go beyond the classroom in all areas: the sea, space, immigration, and art.

Fourth Grade - As a fourth grade team, we are proud of our students for embracing the new ELA curriculum. They learned about the literal and figurative heart, myths and enduring stories, the American Revolution, and the Negro Baseball League. We are proud of their growth with class discussions, engaging with complex texts, and working hard to build up writing and vocabulary skills! We are also proud of the students progress with reflecting on their math thinking!

Fifth Grade - Grade 5 is proud of all of the work the teachers and students have done with the Arts & Letters modules this year, particularly in engaging with rich texts. Student use of math notebooks deepened their understanding of their thinking about mathematical concepts. We consistently built positive relationships with our buddies in younger grades. Our fifth graders were role models throughout the school and are ready to move on to middle school.

Support Staff - At South, our support staff work alongside students, families, and educators to help every learner reach their full potential. This year, we provided social-emotional, communication, and individualized supports; partnered with families; and collaborated with staff to meet students' diverse needs. Together, we help create a school environment where all students feel seen, supported, included, and empowered to succeed. Go South Tigers!

ESL - Proud of the accomplishments of our Multilingual Learners and their engagement and progress with the new ELD curriculum.

Specialists - Our specialists are incredibly proud of the learning, creativity, and growth demonstrated by South students this year. In the library, students strengthened their research skills, participated in Digital Citizenship Week, March Reading Madness, the statewide bookmark contest, and enjoyed a grant-funded author visit with Kate Messner. In physical education, students showcased skill development, respect, and sportsmanship throughout the year, while fourth and fifth graders represented South proudly at the Cross Country Fun Run and All-District Track Meet. In art, students collaborated on impressive projects including fifth grade parade floats, the fourth grade mural, the Interdependence Mural, and artwork featured at Around the World Night. In music, students demonstrated confidence and talent through outstanding chorus, band, and strings performances, while our youngest learners brought energy and joy to the stage.

Academic Coaches - We are proud of our South students enthusiasm for learning, engagement with rich texts and math concepts, and for collaborating with peers to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways!

Report Cards will be posted in the Aspen Family Portal on Wednesday, June 17th and the directions on how to access will be sent out.

As always, the standards listed on the report cards are grade-level standards that are taken directly from the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks and explicitly state what students must know and be able to do.

Paper copies of the report will be sent home with your child on Wednesday, June 17th.

DIBELS is a literacy screener that helps us understand your child's reading development and it helps us guide our instruction. For more information: Andover Public Schools mCLASS Literacy Assessments

End-of-Year NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessment results are now available in the Aspen Parent Portal.

MAP assessments provide information about your child’s academic growth and achievement in reading and mathematics. Reviewing these results can help you better understand your child’s progress throughout the school year. You can find information about MAP testing and results using this link.

To access your child’s MAP results:

1. Log in to the Aspen Parent Portal.
2. Navigate to your child’s record.
3. Select ‘Documents’ on the side tab to view NWEA/ MAP results.

Please refer to the attached guide for step-by-step instructions on accessing MAP reports in Aspen.

If you need assistance accessing the Aspen Parent Portal for your child's report card or MAP results, please contact your school office.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines regarding the administration of medication in public schools has been updated. To ensure we remain in compliance with these new state regulations, and to provide the highest level of safety for our students, the district has updated its policy regarding the validity period of medical orders.

Effective immediately, all medical orders for both prescription and non-prescription medications must be dated within the current academic cycle: July 1st through June 30th.

What this Means for your family:

• Annual Renewals: Any medication orders on file from the previous school year will expire on June 30th. You must provide a new, signed medication order from your child’s licensed prescriber for the upcoming school year.
• July 1st Start Date: We encourage parents to schedule wellness visits or contact their child's physician after July 1st to ensure the paperwork is correctly dated for the full upcoming school year.

If your child currently has medication in the clinic:

Please make arrangements to pick up your child’s medication at the South School clinic starting the week of June 15th. Any medication not picked up by noon on the last school day (June 17 which is a ½ day) will be discarded.

If your child has an Epi-Pen or inhaler, please wait until June 16 or the last day of school to pick up these medications. It is against school policy to send home medication with students.

If your child will need any medication for the 2026- 2027 school year, a Medication Administration Consent Form must be completed for each medication. This includes prescription medication as well as over the-counter medication. See above statement for new medication policy)

(Inhalers, EpiPen, lactose medication, daily medications, Tylenol/Motrin etc.)

Memorial Hall Library’s Summer Reading Program, "Plant a seed! Read!" is described in this Summer Reading Video. Memorial Hall Library will launch their summer reading program on June 15th. Register in the Children’s Room at Memorial Hall or online for the program after June 15th. The Children's Room will offer awesome summertime activities. Once registered, children keep track of their reading and earn rewards. They will also be able to participate in all the summer reading entertainment and educational programs FREE of charge! Join the fun as children read, sing, laugh, learn, and "Plant a seed! Read!” at Memorial Hall Library Children's Room! For more information on all children’s activities please visit Memorial Hall’s website at www.mhl.org/kids/programs, or call The Children’s Room at 978-623-8401 x39.

Information on the Massachusetts Children’s Book Awards (MCBA) program will be coming home soon for students entering grades 4 and 5. MCBA is a reading incentive program for students in grades 4,5,6, sponsored by Salem State College. Students who read or hear five or more books from a list put together by Salem State College, teachers, librarians, and students, become eligible to vote for the best book in Massachusetts next March (2027). Here is some info about the books selected for this year's list. There will be a voting party in the Library for our MCBA voters in early April 2027. MCBA books are perfect for summer reading!!

We will send out our lists for next year this summer; however, if you would like to get a head start and buy the supplies as one package, check out below!

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.

June Dates:

• Mon., June 15th - Grade 5 Celebration of Learning - 9:45am
• Tues, June 16th - Volunteer Breakfast
• Wed., June 17th - Last day of school (1/2 day - 12:15pm dismissal)

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