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| Welcome to Atkinson Elementary School |
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The Atkinson Elementary School is a vibrant learning environment growing with positive energy and effort. Our school community embraces the philosophy and goals of North Andover Public Schools through its mission statement and academic expectations.
Our mission is to cultivate a respectful community of engaged learners, insightful thinkers, and effective communicators.
Built in 1964 as a neighborhood middle school and named for Frederick Atkinson, a local doctor and school committee member, our elementary school provides care and challenge for all students each and every day. You'd never know that the school is almost 50 judging by its appearance inside and out.
Atkinson School is the “Home of the All-Stars," but it’s also the birthplace of RAISE values: Respect, Achievement, Inclusion, Service & Empathy. Our students are encouraged to be high achievers and productive citizens and to “Catch Some RAISE” everyday! Atkinson teachers present our children opportunities for academic and social-emotional growth that build on our community values and beliefs.
We all expect our 415 students to be the “all-stars” of today and tomorrow; good and smart people who lead by example. As a community of teachers and parents, we'll be RAISE-ing the bar as high as we can for our children in developmentally appropriate ways on academic, social and emotional learning for years to come.
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Atkinson Elementary School 2012-13
Kindergarten Screening, May 23, 24
Our new kindergarten families will be in next Thursday and/or Friday for kindergarten screening. As it is done annually, current students will be off those two days so the teachers and staff will be available to meet, greet and assess students coming in. These days help us to know the needs of the children in preparation for next year.
Placement Input Letters
Before the end of June, our grade level placement teams will be meeting to discuss data that will help us create class assignments for students entering grades 1-5 for next year. The placement procedure is an involved and thoughtful process. Factors we consider for placement into balanced groups include academic effort and achievement, gender, as well as social relationships and learning style. We welcome your input. If you would like to share with the teams information that could help us, please send in a letter to me before the end of May. Include what you see as the learning style of your child and the type of class environment in which you believe he or she learns best. A request for a particular teacher cannot be accepted. Our goal is to create classes balanced academically and socially to meet each and every learner's needs. Please send your input directly to me for careful consideration via email: landryg@northandover.k12.ma.us.
MCAS is Ending
We are just about finished our second and final round of MCAS testing for the year in grades 3-5. MCAS Math and Science assessments are in process, administered May 6-17. Science testing only happens in 5th grade. The students are well prepared and will hopefully do very well. We are hoping students perform at a level that is “proficient” or “advanced” in the content area, which scores the most points for our school. We are also judged on the growth students make year to year on MCAS. Fourth and fifth grade scores that are reported in August/September will have “student growth percentiles (SGP)” noted along with their performance level (Warning, Needs Improvement, Proficient, Advanced). Third grade scores will not have SGP because it is the very first year they’ve participated in state testing. This year was the very first time that we sent home MCAS packets over a vacation week. I hope that didn’t take away (math lingo) from anything you had planned with the family, but also hope that it served as a review and helped parents and guardians better understand the expectations of the exams. Thanks for taking the time to help at home to make sure the kids are well rested, fueled up and ready to show what they know.
Staff Appreciation Week-Thank you!
Thank you for your donations of time, money and energy that made Staff Appreciation Week soooooo special for the Atkinson School teaching community. Please know that we never expect any of this; we know that you appreciate our efforts to help your children and we truly value the way you support us through the year! One of the very best parts of the week is spending lunch altogether as a staff, something that doesn’t happen very often through the year; it was a great time again this year! We loved the raffles (and were really surprised at the value of those gift cards- Wow!) The breakfasts and morning duty coverage were real treats, too. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do for us!
Atkinson Cleanup and Nat’l Wildlife Volunteer
What a great day we had cleaning up the schoolyard back in late April! So many families showed up on a very busy weekend to get their hand dirty raking, weeding and collecting scraps of wood and trash that found their way onto our grounds. We are looking forward to a former North Andover student and volunteer for the Nat’l Wildlife Association, James McCarthy, planting up to 55 native bushes and plants at the south end of our school (near the flagpole) on June 15th. He organized this donation and has worked with Merrimack College to grow these bushes in their greenhouse. James also connected with other schools around town and will be installing similar plants on their grounds. These natural gifts will not only add beauty to the school, they’ll attract native birds and butterflies (and probably some bees) back to the area, which is a good thing for nature in North Andover. Thanks to James and to you for all time and labor you’ve shared to make our school look good!
Field Day and Fun Run
We’ll have holding our annual Field Day fun on Tuesday, June 11th (rain date June 18). It will involve active games for K-2 and 3-5 during the morning sessions set up by Mrs. Rodden, our fantastic phys. ed. teacher. Fun Run races will also be held for each grade level, similar to our fall event during those times. Our afternoon time will include a kickball game between 5th graders and staff along with a race between staff, students and parents this year. Yes, parents. If you’d like to run against us, you’ll need at least a team of 8 parents to make it work. If fewer can come, it’ll just mean more distance for each runner. So who’s in?! Maybe we will have some popsicles, too. J Thanks for coming to help or watch! Should be another really fun day...
Big Hit Variety Show
What a great couple of shows we had in April! Over 85 students participated in the performances on and back-stage. The students who made it into the performance really did a wonderful job sharing their talents and interest. More importantly, each was able to take that positive risk in front of a couple of very large audiences. I was and am so proud of them for their efforts. We watched over 35 acts that included entertaining hosts, singers, dancers, pianists, magicians, gymnasts, and pogo stickers. It’s always a really fun and memorable time for students and families. A few parents with theater experience offered to help me next year, which will be awesome!
We can’t express it enough, thank you all for your planning and effort with the various community, service and fundraising projects that we have running, with the MSJF event, Fifth Grade Day of Service, the Atkinson Cleanup Day, SAW, Mother Daughter Tea, Zinga, Mad Maggie’s, Square One Art and more!! You all contribute so much to make this community great!
Snowman Competition-Remember When?
As the weather heats up, please check out the dozen or so pictures in our slideshow above from the impromptu snowman-making contest that a few teachers and some students were part of on March 19th. Some children came to school grounds and others worked at home to make the perfect snowman. Mrs. Baylies, Mrs. Quaden, Mrs. O'Connor and Mrs. Fuller all entered their own works of art into the contest. We'll let you decide which one was the best!
READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK
During the month of March, we are celebrating reading more than usual at Atkinson, especially during the week of March 11-14, Read Across America Week. Annually, teachers and parents come together to encourage our youngsters to find literature that excites and interests them. Our PTO organized and ran a very successful Scholastic Book Fair all week for our children. Thursday night was our BINGO and BOOKS night when families came in for some fun and to buys some goodies. A portion of the sales goes directly to our PTO budget. Classroom teachers had activities to share with the students. As a school, we offered two projects that relate to reading: "The Pages and RAISE Competition" and our "So You Want to be a TV Book Critic." Please see the link below for more information. Thank you for your support!
RAISE YOUR SMARTS Projects were AWESOME!
We saw a great number of well-done projects come in over the past few weeks. Over one-third of the school (131 students) participated. Not bad… These kids all showed their ACHIEVMENT and many INCLUDED others in their learning and fun. Next time, let’s get over 200 kids to join in. KC, 1A, 2A, 3A and 3B all had double digits of participants.
We received some exceptional projects on Dr. Atkinson, our school, poems, brochure and a ton of cut outs and disappearing digits posters. Wow! Wait til you see some of them on display on our website and in our halls in the coming weeks.
All students who participated names were entered into a special raffle for movie passes and local food gift cards. If a child earned a 3 for his/her work, his/her name was entered three times. Students who got “2” have their name in twice. And anyone who scored a one on the rubric will still have one ticket in the raffle. Congratulations to the winners. Big thanks to all the participants!
RAISE Magnets for Sale
If you'd like to own one of those snazzy RAISE magnets that you see on cars across town, see Mr. Landry. He has 30 to sell. Each magnet is $5 and proceeds go directly to the Building Respectful Community/RAISE committee for use on activities and programs that impact social-emotional learning in North Andover.
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RESOURCES & FORMS
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EARLIER NEWS...
Holiday Social Fun!
Thanks to all of you who joined us for some conversation and holiday fun last week! We hope you took part in face-painting, crafts, the cookie walk and in some really great raffles. Because you sponsored our raffles, 12 North Andover children and families will benefit from clothing, gifts and food donations. The social is all about helping families in our North Andover community and you helped Atkinson's PTO do just that. Thank you and have a happy holiday season!
All-Star Assembly
Students congregated in our cafeteria on Friday, November 30th for another special All-Star Assembly. The focus was on recognizing classes and individual students for their strong effort with our recent service projects. We had some fun experimenting with new "energizers" that kids do in class and out at recess. Our focus was also on generating must-see behaviors from the kids' perspective. Five fifth graders planned and led portions of the assembly. We even attempted our first RAISE Wave...please ask your child about it!
Our Election Results
We held a mock election on Monday to see how the students at Atkinson felt about our two main presidential candidates, Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama. The students in K-5 voted in class or in the cafeteria during their lunch block. In the end, it was a landslide win for Mr. Obama at the grade levels and in the total tally for the school. The President earned more 66% of the vote. The national election was a bit closer, but Atkinson was right with its prediction. Looking forward to doing this again in 4 years. :)
Atkinson's First Annual "Fun Run"
It was fast, but all-inclusive... The Atkinson's first time Fun Run was a smashing hit! Students (and some teachers) in grade K-5 spent part of the day on October 26th out on the track running and walking for exercise and/or for first place. We congratulated all the students for their achievement in completing the number of laps assigned for the grade level. Our top three finishers were acknowledged during our afternoon assembly and the boy and girl winners of each grade received a medal in a ceremony similar to what we witnessed this past summer during the Olympic Games. It was a really fun day of fitness and RAISE values. Thanks go out to our PTO membership for volunteering and for providing our students with a popsicle treat. Big thanks to Mrs. Rodden and Mrs. Munro for organizing the event. We look forward to another Fun Run in the spring.
Conferences
Thank you all for coming in to meet with your child's teacher! We are all grateful for your time and your guidance about how to best support your child!
Fundraisers
Thank you so much for your help with our school causes! Because of your purchases, the Atkinson PTO is able to support Enrichment Programs at our school, as well as, provide teachers and staff with supplemental funding to support classroom needs beyond what is covered by the school district.
Converse Donates to Atkinson
The Converse Store recently organized a school supply drive in North Andover. During the months of August and September, citizens and patrons of the store dropped off a wide range of materials like glue sticks, tissues, crayons, pencils, erasers, composition notebooks, folders, markers, sanitizer, scissors and more. Atkinson was the lucky beneficiary of these donations.
Over time, we will get these items distributed to any student or family who may need them. If you would like to receive any of these supplies, please don't hesitate to email Principal Landry and he'll get the supplies to your child. This was a very generous service project put on by our community partners that reflects our RAISE values. Please consider visiting the Converse store for your sporting and/or fashion needs or just to thank them for their support of our school.
Title I School Letter
Please take a few minutes to read the letter from our Assistant Superintendent, Gregg Gilligan, about our school's access to Title I funding and support (linked above).
Responsive Classroom Parent Brochure
Please see the link above for some important information about the Responsive Classroom approach that's been adopted at Atkinson School. Please ask your child(ren) about their experiences with morning meeting and about their "hopes and dreams" for the school year.
IRIS/Sugarland Call System
Please answer phone calls that might come in under the ID of IRIS/Sugarland. It is North Andover Public Schools' new automated calling system. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the use of this communicaiton tool.
School Hours 8:25am-3pm
School starts at 8:25am. Teachers are on duty outside for morning recess from 8:10-8:25am. For inclement weather, students will go straight to class at 8:10am. PLEASE DO NOT DROP CHILDREN OFF BEFORE 8:10am (there will be no supervision). Please note, children must be escorted & and signed-in by an adult if they arrive on or after 8:35am. All children must know how they will be dismissed at the end of each school day. If a change needs to be made to their normal routine, please send in a note to your child's teacher. Drop-in dismissals at the end of the day are difficult to manage. If we know in advance, we can have your child ready for you when you arrive. Regular dismissal is at 3pm.
Dismissal Plan 2012-13
Thank you for printing out and completing the dismissal form (above) for the first day of school. It is very important that your child (and we) know how he/she is being dismissed each day. We have 3 points of dismissal: Cafeteria (car pickup, Kids' Stop, Parker/Main St. walkers), Playground Exit (Mass. Ave. walkers), Gymnasium (bus riders). Please indicate on your form the way your child goes home each day of the week. If you cannot print out the form, it is imperative that you write a note for your child's teacher over the course of the year for any other time when your child's dismissal plan changes significantly. Thank you.
Virtual Backpack Forms
Please check out the link on the left called "Virtual Backpack Forms." It is a page that contains copies of many of the required forms for the school year.
Car Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures
Please review the document above. It highlights our general procedures in the morning and afternoon around cars and children. Last school year early on, our traffic was backed up on Mass. Ave. all the way to the North Andover Common in one direction and past Waverly Road on the other end. It is very important that you read and follow the guidelines listed on the linked pages so that we can get students to school on time and safe while avoiding these traffic jams. Thank you very much for your cooperation!
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Medical Records
Please make sure your child’s health records are up to date. The State mandates that health forms for any new student be completed prior to entry into the school. Please present your child’s health records to the secretary and nurse as soon as possible or your child may be excluded from school. Thank you!
Lunch Program Info
Once again, our school lunch costs $2.25 this school year. Milk only is $.60. Students are also eligible for free/reduced lunches based on family income. Please send in those forms ASAP. The School Lunch Program will again offer a “point of sale (POS)” debit system at the Atkinson School this year. This system eliminates the need to give your child school lunch money on a daily basis-we try to collect money from home on Mondays.
The Elementary School Handbook
A copy of the new Atkinson Elementary School Parent and Student Handbook is posted below. The elementary handbook has a great deal of information that I hope you’ll find useful. In the handbook, you will find entries on attendance, birthdays, food safety, homework, health, PTO and our code of conduct that is directly linked to RAISE. Some handbook items apply only to adults while others should be read or shared with your child. It should take no more than 30-minutes to review the entire handbook. As we work to make fewer copies and to promote the use of our school website, I encourage you to download the handbook from the link below, although hard-copies of the handbook will be available in the Atkinson office and/or can be sent home at your request. Our goal is to have all children and families aware of our school procedures and policies. As the practices and policies around school conduct are updated this year to link to our work with Responsive Classroom training, we will certainly let you know. Thank you all for your time and support!
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RAISE the Bar, RAISE a Star!
The staff is very proud of the work we've done with RAISE values over the last four years. You may know that the entire school district has adopted our key values and now students in grades K-12 are taking part in activities that revolve around the elements of RAISE which are helping to build a respectful community in North Andover. Three years ago, Channel 5 visited the Atkinson School to interview Dr. Hutchinson and two of our students about the importance of RAISE. On April 30th of the same year, Fox25 News made a "Zip Trip" to our wonderful town. Some early-bird students, parents and staff joined me on the town common for a presentation of our RAISE program and sculpture to the world outside North Andover. Nice to hear good news on TV every once in a while. :-) Please check out both stories and, as always, thank you for your support at home around RAISE! Channel 5 Story Fox 25 News Zip Trip (We follow a Merrimack College student.)
RAISE Your Pride Level: The "RYPL" Effect
Please ask your child how he/she is RAISE-ing his/her school pride level... Last year, we talked a great deal about how our RAISE values play a role in our everyday lives, in school and at home. We are again focusing on PRIDE this year, meaning, how do we show how much we care about the people and things around us. We are building responsibility in our students in different ways through our focus on school pride.
BRC-RAISE School Happenings
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