COIN BATTLES (formerly Penny Wars) starts on Monday and continues all next week! It is a friendly competition among homerooms that the students look forward to every year! Each day, students will bring in whatever coins and bills they can round up at home. Every morning for five consecutive days, homeroom teachers will stand in their doorways, holding a bag labeled with their homeroom. Students will have five minutes to go from classroom to classroom depositing coins/bills into the bags. They will increase their homeroom point balance by adding pennies and bills (positive points) and sabotage other homerooms with silver coins (negative points). When time is up, the bags will be collected, their contents will be counted, and results will be posted each day! Prizes will be awarded throughout the week. The homeroom with the most points at the end of the week will receive a pizza party!

It's time to start summer planning! If your student is interested in summer math opportunities, please see the information below:

For students current in Grade 7 Math that would like to take Grade 8 AMP next year: 7th Grade AMP

For current 8th grade students: High School Summer Math

West Middle School will be holding a cultural day during lunches on Thursday, April 10th.

We will need 10 parents to help with serving for each lunch period. Please contact Nurse Gibson in the WMS clinic if you are interested in helping that day.

As spring approaches, we want to reiterate some building expectations. Please review them with your student to support a successful (and calm 🤞) end of the school year:

• Students need to report to their homeroom by 8:15am
• If they are not in HR by 8:15am (even if they are in the building), they will be marked absent
• Chromebooks should be charged at home each night
• The office staff will have students call home prior to borrowing a loaner for the day
• Students are expected to help keep the building clean
• We have had an increase in trash being left around the building and intentional messes in the bathrooms
• While we have custodial staff to maintain the building, we all play a role in keeping our building clean on a daily basis
• Students should not be bringing outside food into lunch and sharing it with other students
• We have to be aware of allergies and other health conditions that may affect other students

As always, thank you for your support. We truly are lucky to have a wonderful school community that is committed to keeping WMS the special place that it is. Is you have any specific questions, please reach out to Mrs. Taylor or Mrs. Law.

Andover School Nutrition Department will be hosting it’s second annual Iron Chef Competition!

The concept for the competition is to plan a menu item that is student-friendly and follows the school meal guidelines. The winning recipe will be featured on the 2025-2026 menu and the school with the winning team will be awarded fun prizes.

The competition will be held at Andover High School on May 7th from 2:30-4:30pm. We encourage teachers and/or parents to attend. The application and questionnaire is below.

* All applications should be submitted by March 28th *

Applications can be submitted to taylor.pirog@andoverma.us.

It's almost MCAS season! Scheduled dates per subject are below:

• ELA: April 7th and 8th (all grades)
• Civics: April 30th (8th grade only)
• Math: May 5th and 6th (all grades)
• Science: May 14th and 15th (8th grade only)

* Makeup dates will be available *

Twice per year, we practice bus evacuations to ensure students know how to respond to a possible emergency. We will be practicing bus evacuations on Tuesday, March 25th.

The practice drill takes approximately 20 minutes.

The 1st Annual WMS Talent Showcase will be on Friday May 2nd at 6:30pm in the auditorium. The talent show planning committee meets every Monday after school until 3:50pm.

Anyone interested in being in an act should attend after school on Monday March 10th, 17th, OR 24th. The audition for student Emcee’s will be on Monday March 24th and 31st. Students auditioning can choose either date.

All information such as upcoming dates, Emcee audition script, planning committees, to-do lists and more can be found on our Schoology group page. Use access code D772-TTWR-T79SP to join the group for more information.

The Andover Public Schools’ MyCAP (My Career and Academic Plan) team is excited to invite you to participate in an inspiring opportunity to guide and motivate 8th-grade students as they explore potential career paths. Our Career Day event will be held on Tuesday, April 15th, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Andover High School, and we are looking for passionate volunteers to share their professional journeys and insights with students.

As a volunteer, you will have the chance to:

• Share details about your career and the path that led you there.
• Offer valuable advice on career preparation and education.
• Provide students with a clearer understanding of the skills needed for success in your field.
• Engage with students directly, answering their questions and inspiring their future aspirations.

This event provides a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on young minds, helping them envision the possibilities ahead.

If you're interested in volunteering, please complete the confirmation form (see the button below). We’d be thrilled to have you as part of this exciting and impactful event!

Thank you for considering this opportunity to shape the future of our students. We look forward to welcoming you on April 15th!

Best regards,

The APS MyCAP Team

• 3/17 - 3/21 - Coin Battles
• 3/21 - 8th Grade Step Up Day at AHS
• 3/25 - Bus Evacuations
• 4/7-4/8 - ELA MCAS
• 4/9 - Early Release