Dear West Elementary School Community,

There is an extra buzz of excitement in our hallways these days! Our students have been proudly cheering on the Patriots during their Super Bowl run, and the school spirit across West Elementary has been nothing short of contagious. From themed outfits to spirited conversations, it has been wonderful to see our students so engaged and connected through this shared excitement.

In classrooms, students are wrapping up Module 2 of Arts and Letters, and we could not be more proud of their work. They have produced and shared amazing writing and drawings and engaged in meaningful conversations on topics ranging from The Wide World of Frogs to the American West. Their curiosity, creativity, and thoughtful discussions have truly shined.

Families can also expect to receive DIBELS and MAP parent reports later this week. As always, we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher(s) with any questions you may have about these reports or your child’s progress. Looking ahead, Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held in March. Classroom teachers will be in touch soon with sign-up information and additional details.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead—and perhaps some thoughts of warmer temperatures—as we head into winter break on the 16th. Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support.

Warmly,
Dr. C

The West Elementary School community would like to thank all families for following carpool lane directions and for ensuring that our students are safely delivered to the appropriate staff during arrival and dismissal. To support student safety and efficient traffic flow, parents and caregivers are not permitted to park in the WEL or Shawsheen staff parking lots and walk students to the building. If you arrive in a vehicle, please use the designated carpool lane. Additionally, families arriving after the start of the school day must walk their child into the building and sign them in as tardy. We appreciate your continued cooperation and attention to these expectations, which help keep our students safe and our routines running smoothly.

Registration for the spring West Elementary Girls on the Run season will open on Monday, January 26 through the Girls on the Run Greater Boston website. This program is offered to female identifying students, grades 3-5.

Girls on the Run is an independently run organization that offers scholarships and sliding-scale fees as part of the registration process. Families can learn more and register by visiting:

https://www.pinwheel.us/register/index/SPRING26Reg

Just a few reminders as we head into the weeks surrounding vacation.

When to keep your child home:

· Fever

· Vomiting or diarrhea

· Contagious diseases- please call the clinic to discuss with the nurses if you have any questions

Criteria for a student returning to school following an illness:

· Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.

· Vomiting or diarrhea free for 24 hours.

·

When medication for a contagious infection is prescribed, please call the nurse to discuss a safe return plan.

· Head Lice - the nurse in the clinic must check the student’s head before a student can return to school.

Although we are not currently seeing a lot of head lice in the school, returning from vacation tends to be when we see an uptick in cases. Please continue to perform head checks on your children periodically and call the clinic with any questions.

All third-grade students are required by The Town of Andover and Massachusetts State Law to have a current physical and record of immunizations on file. Please send copies to the West Elementary Clinic either with your student, faxed to 978-247-5391 or you may scan and email to either email address listed below. If your student has not had their yearly appointment yet, please forward it when completed. Any physical completed on or after 04/01/2025 is acceptable. We appreciate your cooperation and prompt attention to this matter.

MCAS will be held as follows:

English Language Arts:

• Grade 5: April 6, 2026 & April 7, 2026

• Grade 4: April 9, 2026 & April 14, 2026

• Grade 3: April 13, 2026 & April 15, 2026

Math

• Grade 5: May 4, 2026 & May 5, 2026

• Grade 4: May 7, 2026 & May 12, 2026

• Grade 3: May 11, 2026 & May 13, 2026

Science (Grade 5 Only)

• May 18, 2026 & May 19, 2026

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 West Elementary 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 us 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.

Kindergarten:

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.

First Grade: (New to Andover / Andover Public Schools)

Children must be age 6 on or before August 31, 2026, and enrolling in the Andover Public Schools for the first time or transferring from another school district school.

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