Amesbury Public Schools Update

I hope that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable break from school during the February vacation! I feel like winter has actually arrived this week - two storms in the same week! I do not love the snow, especially when the start of Spring Sports for AHS are right around the corner and even before that, the AMS Musical, Oklahoma, next weekend (March 10th, 11th and 12th).

That being said, we are in an incredibly busy time right now as we are building the FY 24 budget. We have already had two budget workshops with our School Committee and will present our preliminary budget to them on Monday, March 13th. To this point, the District Leadership Team has worked to develop a budget that meets the needs of our students and staff while making some adjustments to right size as a reflection of our enrollment. Over the next week, we will revise our draft budget to reflect the anticipated amount of additional funding we will receive as part of the FY 24 budget. We will be holding a Public Hearing on the budget on Monday, March 27th at 6pm in the Amesbury High School Library. Our regular School Committee meeting will follow the public hearing. Finally, the School Committee will vote on a final budget to present to the Mayor, and ultimately the City Council (in June), on Monday, April 3rd. All interested parties are welcome to attend!

We continue to make good progress on the Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School. We have finished the technology bid process and are almost done with the FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment) bid process too. I am very excited to open the new school and will certainly provide opportunities for students, staff, families and community members to see the new building as soon as it is possible. I can tell you it is something very special about which we can all be so proud!

Take care and enjoy the snow,

Elizabeth McAndrews

Superintendent

This past Thursday was Read Across America Day. It is a day that I eagerly look forward to each year. This year was no exception. I was lucky enough to read in BOTH Mrs. Nash's First Grade Classroom (AES) and Mrs. Hawrylciw's Second Grade Classroom (CES). While I was in each school, I saw so many celebrities including our Mayor, principals from our other schools, SROs (School Resource Officers) and even long time celebrities like Mr. Peter Hoyt and Ms. Carol Bartlett! Reading to students in both classrooms brought me so much joy! One student even asked her teacher if I could stay and do their Fundations work with them! While I was definitely honored by the request, I was extremely relieved that Mrs. Nash suggested I stay and watch rather than run the lesson. It was a fabulous day. Here are some of the pictures from the day. Thank you to all who organized the day and to all those who participated in it.

New Dates:

Monday, March 13th - Preliminary Budget Presentation - 7 pm AHS Library

Monday, March 27th - Public Hearing - 6 pm - AHS Library followed by School Committee Meeting

Monday, April 3rd - School Committee Meeting with Budget vote - 7 pm - AHS Library

Looking for something to do this coming weekend? Love music and dancing and singing? You are in luck! Beginning Thursday, March 9th at 6:30 pm, the Amesbury Middle School Drama Club proudly presents three shows of the youth edition of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma. Please spread the word! Tickets are $5 at the door.

The three shows are:

Thursday, March 9th at 6:30 pm

Friday, March 10th at 7:00 pm

Saturday, March 11th at 2:00 pm

Please come support our middle school performers! I am sure it will be an outstanding performance!

The Amesbury PTO is sponsoring its annual Boys' Dance on Friday, April 28th from 6-8pm in the AES Gymnasium! It has the fabulous theme of the "80's". Mark your calendars now and search those closets for something cool to wear!

Please join the I Amesbury 2030 Task Force on March 29th from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm in the Amesbury High School Auditorium for this community-wide event to talk about Housing in Amesbury. This event will be part of the development of the Housing Element of the City's new Master Plan. If you have any questions, please reach out at: oced@amesburyma.gov. This event will include remarks from Keynote Speaker Mark Melnik, Director of Economic and Public Policy Research, from UMass Donahue Institute.