Manchester Monthly

• Welcome: Superintendent's Message – Lead with Kindness
• Top Story: High School Course Catalog Now Available
• In Brief: Graduation Details; Websites Launch; Teacher of the Year; plus more
• In the News: Making Headlines During the Month of January
• Learning Focus: Statewide Assessments; i-Ready Diagnostic; SAT Prep
  
• Resources: Mobile Food Pantry; Winter Utility Help; Free Chromebooks
• Calendar: Presidents' Day, February Vacation Approaching
  

Lead with kindness. Anyone who’s been around me much has heard me use that phrase. It’s something that has been in my mind often over the last few weeks. Nothing can bring back Weston first-grader Jaevion Riley or Central graduate Timothy Pouliot. How we respond to their senseless deaths can honor their lives, however. It’s OK to be angry, sad or even afraid. What I ask is that you try to respond with kindness.

Through tragedies such as these, we must still find ways to move forward for our students, families and staff. In the coming weeks, we have very important work ahead of us, including high school course selection, our budget presentation, and long-term facilities planning. Meanwhile, our schools will continue with instruction and events and celebrations. As a school district, this is what we do, and carrying on not only honors the memories of those we’ve lost, it’s an important signal that anger and violence won’t win.

I hope you’ll take time to dig into the rest of this newsletter, which has a great deal of important and helpful information. Take care of yourselves, and most of all, be kind to one another.

Sincerely,

Jenn Gillis,
Superintendent of Schools

We are proud to unveil the 2023-2024 High School Course Catalog! The English language version of the document is online now, and translated versions will be ready soon (we will share these as soon as they’re available). In addition to the online version, print copies will also be distributed.

The course catalog lists all classes available to our high school students. In just a few weeks, students in Grades 8 through 11 will be selecting their courses for the coming school year. The course catalog itself has been overhauled to create new pathways for students, but we are also overhauling the selection process, too. We have moved the process earlier in the year, with the ultimate goal being that students will have schedules before they leave for summer vacation. By moving the process earlier and holding numerous information sessions, we are seeking to have students and families more deeply engaged in the process.

We are excited to get started and hope you will take the opportunity to get engaged in the process. You can find the digital version of the course catalog, as well as details on information sessions by clicking the button below:

We are excited to celebrate the Class of 2023 on Saturday, June 17! Graduations for all four high schools will be at the SNHU Arena in downtown Manchester. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis – no tickets are required.

Manchester School of Technology will kick off the graduation festivities, followed by Central, West and Memorial. The times for each ceremony are as follows:

• Manchester School of Technology: 8 a.m. start (doors open at 7:40 a.m.)

• Central: 10 a.m. start (doors open at 9 a.m.)

• West: 2 p.m. start (doors open at 1 p.m.)

• Memorial: 5:30 p.m. start (doors open at 4:30 p.m.)

Earlier this month, we launched new websites for the District, Board of School Committee, and all schools. The new sites are a big step forward, with built-in language translation and increased accessibility for all users. The website design is less cluttered and more accessible, and places an emphasis on news, updates and events.

Our schools and District team have been working hard to get these new websites launched. We’re excited to continue improving your website experience. You can read more about the new website features here or you can just start exploring at https://www.mansd.org/.

Do you know a teacher who consistently goes above and beyond? Applications are open for the New Hampshire Department of Education's Teacher of the Year. You can nominate a teacher online at http://bit.ly/3QJXtsK. The deadline to nominate a teacher is February 5.

Once your nomination is received, an email will be sent to the teacher letting them know they have been nominated, along with the application and an explanation of the process. It is then the teacher's decision whether to move forward in the process by filling out the application by the deadline.

Our District partners at Manchester Proud are seeking new members for its governing Council. Manchester Proud is a community movement dedicated to the making of exceptional public schools. In the last three years, Manchester Proud has supported development of the strategic plan, hiring of the Chief Equity Officer, the annual CelebratED festival, and the creation of the Compass community services website. If you want to help support this continued work, you can apply today by clicking here. Applications will be accepted through February 13.

You can read more about Manchester Proud at https://www.manchesterproud.org/.

This summer, the plane built by students at Manchester School of Technology finally took flight. This fall, the school and its partners in that project got to work on a second aircraft. There will be an open house this Wednesday, February 1, for students interested in taking part in the airplane build project.

The open house will be held at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry. You can read more about the open house in the Union Leader. You can read more about Manchester School of Technology at mst.mansd.org.

Courtesy photo

Last month, you may recall we told you about Memorial junior Kaylee Richard and Goffstown sophomore Samantha Grenier, who created a career fair aimed specifically at girls. That drew the attention of Sen. Maggie Hassan, who named Kaylee and Samantha "Granite Staters of the Month" for January.

The job fair late last year drew more than 150 students from Memorial, West and Central. We’re proud of the work Kaylee and Samantha have done, and we're happy their work is getting some more well-deserved attention. You can read more on Manchester Ink Link.

Boys' basketball coach John Langlois took the helm at West High School two years ago, and has the program on the rise. The Blue Knights' fourth consecutive win on Tuesday had extra significance for Langlois – it was his 500th career win. After the win, Langlois celebrated with players and family, but wanted to focus on that night's victory. “I’ve had so many great players over the years, some of them are here tonight,” said Langlois. “500 is nice but I’m really more interested in the win tonight. This was a good win. We played well.” We hope you'll join us in congratulating Coach Langlois. You can read more on Manchester Ink Link.

Each year, students in grades 3 through 8 participate in the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS). Students in grade 11 participate in the College Board School Day SAT and NH SAS science assessment. Manchester schools are planning to implement the assessments from March to May. Specific testing dates for your child will be provided by your child's school.

This year, students will take the following assessments, depending on their grade level:

• ACCESS for English Language Learners (February - March )
• NH SAS for English language arts/writing and mathematics in grades 3 through 8
• NH SAS for science in grades 5, 8, and 11
• College Board School Day SAT English language arts/reading/writing and mathematics grade 11

State assessments are an important educational tool for your student, and federal law requires that 95% of students participate. Schools are sending home our annual notice of assessments, but you can also read the letter here. You can read more about the state's assessment program here.

Students in Kindergarten through Grade 10 have completed i-Ready Midyear Diagnostic Assessment. The i-Ready Diagnostic is a computer-adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions for each student based on their answer to the previous question. Unlike the state assessments, i-Ready is used only by your student's school.

The i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment can identify each student's strengths and opportunities for growth. Click here for more information about i-Ready diagnostic results. If you have specific questions about your child’s progress, please contact your child’s teacher.

Manchester School District has partnered with FEV Tutor to offer a free eight-week SAT prep course from January through March. As noted above, all high school juniors will take the SAT this spring as part of the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment.

You can take part in sessions on your schedule: Monday-Friday from 7 am-10 pm, Saturdays from 8 am-4 pm, and Sundays from 11 am-10 pm. If you’re interested in this free course, you can get started by completing this form: https://forms.gle/yBD2nJbxqAGEBtdK7.

If you have any questions about this free virtual tutoring program, you can contact FEV Tutor directly by emailing nh@fevtutor.com or calling 855-763-2607.

The New Hampshire Food Bank's Mobile Food Pantry makes a stop in Manchester this Friday. Households will receive an assortment of produce and shelf-stable items. Anyone in need of food assistance is welcome. The Mobile Food Pantry is sponsored by the Bank of New Hampshire. Details on the Mobile Food Pantry are below:

What: Mobile Food Pantry

When: Friday, February 3 from 11 am-1 pm (while supplies last)

Where: Comcast, 676 Island Pond Rd, Manchester (Please enter from E. Industrial Park Dr)

If you need assistance with the cost of heating fuel or electricity, help is available. Southern New Hampshire Services administers the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program in our region. You can find more information, including eligibility requirements, and the application at www.snhs.org/services/fuel-assistance.

Manchester School District wants to ensure that every student has the technology needed to complete school work at home. Thanks to the federal government's Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), we were able to purchase Chromebooks to send home with families to keep students connected.

These Chromebooks are different from those used in school – the idea is that these would stay at home with students for use there. Since we understand that families often have multiple students who need computer access, families can request one device for each student. The devices are available for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Students can keep the devices as long as they are attending school in our district. If you are interested in getting a device for your student, you must contact your student's school and let them know you would like an ECF Chromebook.

If you have a device but don't have internet access at home, we can help with that, too. Please contact your school's social worker and let them know you need help getting internet access at home.

The next school holiday is February 20: Presidents' Day. February vacation week is one week later, from February 27 through March 3. As noted in our Top Story, students in Grades 8-11 will be selecting high school courses this month – key dates for that process are listed below (and in more detail on our website. Below, you can find upcoming days off and events, as well as a link to the full 2022-23 school year calendar.

February 2-15: Schools hold course catalog information sessions (see above)

Monday, February 13: Board of School Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall

February 13-17: High school students select 2023-2024 courses (see above)

Monday, February 20: No school – Presidents’ Day

February 21-24: 8th Graders select 2023-2024 high school courses (see above)

February 27-March 3: February School Vacation Monday-Friday

Monday, March 13: Board of School Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall

March 20: No school – Staff professional learning day

March 22-24: SAT administration at high schools

Full calendars for the 2022-23 school year, including translated versions, are available online at https://bit.ly/MSDCalendars.

Email: communications@mansd.org
Website: www.mansd.org
Location: 20 Hecker Street, Manchester, NH, USA
Phone: 603-624-6300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ManchesterSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @mansd_nh