According to National Geographic Kids: "The fact that Ireland is an island—as well as green with leafy trees and grassy hills—means that the nation is sometimes called the Emerald Isle. But the color that people originally associated with St. Patrick was blue! (Some ancient Irish flags even sport this color.) Green was finally introduced to St. Patrick’s Day festivities in the 18th century, when the shamrock (which is, of course, green) became a national symbol. Because of the shamrock’s popularity and Ireland’s landscape, the color stuck to the holiday.

Green is also the color that mythical fairies called leprechauns like to dress in—today, at least. But tales about leprechauns date back to before green was in: The fairies were first described as wearing red.

Learn more about this holiday here! here: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/st-patricks-day

Tuesday, March 18 4th /5th grade ALL STRINGS NIGHT 7:00pm AHS Collins Center (3rd years 4:15-5 rehearsal come back at 6:30; 2nd years arrive 5:00; 1st years arrive 6:00).

Last week the Andover Public Schools' Music Department hosted an 'All Band' night. Students in grades 4-12 performed grade-level ensembles followed by an 'all band' performance that included elementary, middle and high school students. This proud moment allowed families and educators to feel the power of our district's music program and the impact of music education on the lives of our children. Congratulations to Mr. Shawn Walsh, Director of Music and Fine Arts and to all the incredible music teachers who touch our children's lives daily.

Heritage Night at West Elementary will be held this year on Thursday, May 1, 2025 from 5:30 PM to 8 PM. If you didn't attend last year, it's a wonderful family event that gives an opportunity for West Elementary families (parents, teachers and staff) to showcase our community's diverse cultures and more so, share the special customs and traditions that make each of us unique. Children will have the chance to "fly" from country to country with passports, and immerse themselves in a variety of activities to learn about countries that make up our vibrant, diverse and rich community!

Its guaranteed to be a fun evening for all with crafts, performances, music, food, photo booth and even more fun activities!

This cannot happen without the active participation of EVERYONE in the West Elementary Community. Please sign up to Showcase a Country Table, Submit a Cultural Performance, or just come an have a good time! Sign up for a West Elementary Passport to travel the world!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4EA9AC23AAFE3-55366963-heritage#/

The West Elementary School Readers and Writers Conference is fast approaching! Students have participated in our bookmark contents, learned about upcoming author visits and shared stories about WERAWC from years past. This year we celebrate 30 years of this great tradition and do so with gratitude to our PTO and caregiver community for carrying on this celebration. This Friday we will have an all-school assembly including some 'special guests', and some presentations from our Student Council.

DillingerRAD will present final recommendations to the School Committee at the March 20th meeting.

The approved redistricting plan will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. This allows the district sufficient time to operationally plan for the new school zones. We appreciate the continued participation from the community during this process. To review information on the redistricting process, please visit our webpage.

https://www.aps1.net/o/aps/page/aps-redistricting-process-2024

launchaps1.net

Please join us for our third ELPAC meeting on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 12-1pm. All parents, guardians, and families of our Multilingual Learner students are invited!

Dates:

• Thursday, March 20, 2025 - Register to Attend Here!
• Thursday, May 15, 2025

Time:

12:00-1:00pm

Virtual:

A Zoom link will be sent out once you register to ensure interpreters are scheduled.

We will provide information about:

• What is ELPAC?
• How to get more involved
• Local Resources
• Understanding ACCESS Scores
• Question, comments, concerns

You may view the invitation here: https://secure.smore.com/n/kms2g

The West Elementary School Site Council will host the next meeting on March 26, 2025 at 6:00PM. The meeting will focus on recess planning and play space usage. Please join us in person , Andover Community Room of West EL.