ANDOVER ELEMENTARY MIDDLE SCHOOL
October 3, 2013
Dear AEMS Family,
Monday is Community Safety Day at AEMS. Don’t be alarmed if you drive by the school and see a fire truck, an ambulance and a police car. All classrooms will be included in the activities. The day will begin with bus evacuation drills.
The NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) testing has already started for grades 5 and 8. All students in grades 3 – 8 will begin testing on Tuesday morning, October 7th.There are three math tests and three reading tests. We are only administering one NECAP test per day. NECAP reading tests are next week followed by NECAP math the following week. Grades 5 and 8 are completing writing tests this week. The building will be very quiet and conducive to testing. It is very important that students are in school on time, well-rested and healthy. Make-up testing will be administered in the afternoons for students who are absent and/or miss a testing session. We have a smooth academic pace going at this point in the year and want to maintain that. You can help by making sure your child is well-rested, has a good breakfast, and brings a nutritious snack. Please encourage your children to do their best.
On Wednesday, October 9th, we will participate in International Walk to School Day. The entire school community walked last year and enjoyed a successful, invigorating morning walk. Students should arrive at school the way they normally do. The day begins at the regular time and students will go to their classrooms. Teachers will take attendance and tally the lunch count before re-boarding the buses. Buses will drop groups of students and staff members at various locations along the Rail Trail according to their grade. At no time will students be walking on main roads. At no time will students be unaccompanied by adults. Our youngest students in kindergarten will not board the bus but will walk on the Rail Trail and return to school. Grades 1 and 2 will walk from the South Short Street entrance. Grades 3 – 5 will walk from the Potter Place entrance and grades 6 – 8 will walk from the Switch Road entrance. We will all end up back at school and enjoy music and fruit and water in the gym before returning to classes. Ernie, our Andover Eagle will make an appearance for part of the festivities. If it is a rainy day, we will postpone the walk until the following Wednesday. Parents are welcome to walk along the trail with the classes and enjoy the celebration at the school. If for some reason, you do not want your child to participate, please give me a call so we can make alternative arrangements.
Students have a four day weekend coming up soon. There is a Teacher Workshop day on Friday, October 11th and Monday, October 14th is the Columbus Day observance.
Our AEMS Soccer Jamboree is Saturday, October 12th on the Proctor Academy turf fields. The games run from 9-3:00 and include two AEMS teams and several other local schools. There will be a snack bar with hot and cold items and fun for all!
Progress Reports will be sent home with students on October 15th. We will be half-way through the first trimester already!
AEMS Band members have been invited to join the Merrimack Valley Middle School Band and the Merrimack Valley High School Band for the October 18th MVHS home football game. Our students will pair up with marching band members who play the same instrument and get a feel for what it’s like to be in the marching band. Our students will see firsthand some of the music options available to them after 8th grade, socialize with other musicians, and watch some exciting football action.
Salad Bar is back on the menu and will be a regular Wednesday lunch. Yea! We have changed the format a bit to accommodate the kindergarten students and to also make sure that healthy salads were being created by students. No longer will a “salad” slip by that only consists of a mound of pepperoni slices. (sad, but true!)
We L-O-V-E volunteers and there are so many ways to volunteer. I have attached a list of some of the possibilities, but opportunities are not limited to the list. We know that not everyone can be available during the school day but there are other options.
Yes, it is true that several of our middle school students have expressed interest in participating in the 1st Annual Statewide Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament. Stay tuned through the fall. We will name a school champion before Thanksgiving and the state champion will be named in December. Pretty exciting!
Information regarding the flu clinic for students was sent home with them. Please send back the paperwork if you are interested.
And finally, Box Tops are back! Some of you have been stockpiling them at home waiting for a contest. It is now time to bring them in. We collect all year but there are certain times of the year that checks are issued to the school. October 31 is one of those deadlines. I have attached two collection sheets. Use the one you prefer. The student getting the most collection sheets turned in will win two passes to Montshire Museum or two Monarch’s Hockey tickets. The contest will end October 30th. The class that contributes the most collection sheets will win a frozen yogurt with toppings party and extra recess.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call.
Sincerely,
Jane Slayton