Please note that this Wednesday, November 27, is a 12:15 early dismissal for all students. There is no school on Thursday or Friday.

Communication with our families is essential to the success and wellness of our students. To assist our families and help them connect with the appropriate staff who are best suited to answer questions, we have updated our “Who We Are” page on our website. The information will guide families to resources on how to reach staff with concerns and how to stay connected to news and events across the district.

Just a friendly reminder that PickUp Patrol is our preferred method for parents to communicate changes in dismissal by 2:00PM everyday, which also includes early dismissals. We are NOT using PickUp Patrol for parents to communicate absences or tardies. PickUp Patrol’s app for parents is not downloaded from an app store. Instead, add https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents to your phone’s home screen for easy access. Welcome Emails were sent earlier this year by PickUp Patrol, but the registration links were ONLY active for 24 hours . If your link expired and you were unable to create an account, please contact nicole.popczuk@andoverma.us and a NEW Welcome Email will be sent to you. Let us know if you have any questions. Thank you!

First graders enjoyed a visit from the Andover Center for History and Culture and Andover High School students. They learned about the history of Andover and the direct area around the West Elementary School. The children were amazed by the toys their predecessors enjoyed as well as loved spending time with AHS students. Thank you grade one teachers for providing this experience!

Special thanks to parent Ms. Su Xu who presented on DNA and engaged our grade five students in an introduction to genomics. Students participated in a strawberry DNA extraction experiment and enjoyed a presentation on how scientists extract, use and expand understanding through DNA.

Students in Ms. McCarron's class enjoyed a read-aloud from a special 'mystery reader'- Dr. Parvey! The children loved the story, asked and answered questions about the book and the job of a school superintendent and took great joy in knowing that while Dr. C was the 'boss of the school', she too has a boss!

As the holidays draw near, we understand that this time can be difficult for some of our West El families. If you would like assistance this holiday season, please email the information below by December 8th: Adam Hirschfeld at adam.hirschfeld@andoverma.us or Catherine Mangie at catherine.mangie@andoverma.us. Please know that all information will remain confidential. Please return by Monday, December 9

• Student Name(s)
• Grade Levels
• Parent/Guardian name
• Number of family members
• Phone number

If you are interested in helping us support a West El family during the holiday season, please purchase a gift card from Target, Stop and Shop or Market Basket in $10 increments. Gift cards can either be brought in by your student and given to her/his teacher or can be mailed to school at 58 Beacon St. Andover, MA 01810, c/o Season of Giving. We would appreciate it if donations were made by Friday, December 6th

November 27th: Early Release 12:15 PM

November 28th & November 29th: Thanksgiving Recess

December 2nd: Picture Re-take and Class Photo Day

December 4th: Early Release

December 5th: Artist In The Making Visits- Grade 3-5.

December 12 & December 13th: Wonka Kids, 7:00PM

December 23rd- January 1st: Winter Recess