NSD eNews
Volume XVIII Issue 6
Mario Andrade, Superintendent of Schools
November 3, 2022
Dear NSD Families and Staff,
Welcome to November, a very busy month in many ways.
I would like to remind you that Tuesday, November 8, is Election Day. Please take the time to vote. Record-high turnout is expected with the mid-term elections. Keep in mind voters are voting to select candidates for positions at the federal, state, and local levels and to answer two NH constitution amendment questions.
Election Day, with students home from school, is an important day for our faculty and staff to have dedicated time devoted to further studying teaching strategies and effectiveness. This year, across all schools, our teachers will talk about making sure each student has access to the support and resources they need to achieve their educational goals.
I am excited by our Portrait of Graduate/Learner work spearheaded by our high schools, mentioned below, as it transcends preK-12. These conversations reinforce our four Essential PLC questions: 1) what do we what all students to know and be able to do? How will we measure students' knowledge and skills? What will we do if students do not reach proficiency? What will we do if students exceed proficiency?
A kind reminder to our elementary school families that parent/teacher conferences will be taking place this month. Please reach out to your children's teachers to schedule a conference.
Thank you.
Mario Andrade, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Nashua School District
Nashua Board of Education
November 1, 2022 Meeting
Portrait of a Graduate/Learner:
In an effort to help students thrive, a team of North and South administrators are developing a Portrait of a Graduate/Learner. Nate Burns, North Principal, Keith Richard, South Principal, Nick Audley, South Assistant Principal, and Jackie Hackett, North Guidance Director, presented to the Board an introduction of the important work ahead. Click here for their presentation.
GPA/Class Rank:
Several parents/guardians spoke during public comment about the May 2022 Board decision to adopt the task force recommendation to eliminate class rank and recalculate GPA. In late September, following comment from about 20 parents/guardians against moving forward with the change, the Board decided to review again. Dr. Andrade presented on Tuesday an alternate recommendation that still eliminates class rank but adds all learning opportunities to the GPA formula, beginning with the Classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026. Please click here to view Dr. Andrade's presentation, and click here to hear his commentary as he presents to the Board. With a 5-2 vote, the Board voted to approve his recommendation.
In other business, the Board approved to increase drivers education tuition from $550 to $650, to purchase 66 computers for the CTE program, to decommission and install new N4 HVAC control system at Bicentennial Elementary School, and to issue a negotiated prepayment to the Grace Fellowship Church for our purchase of the Franklin Street School in order to accommodate timely upgrades to the parking lot before winter.
As has been done in previous years, the Board approved participation in the NH DHHS Youth Risk Behavior Survey for this year. More information will be sent to parents in the weeks ahead about the spring 2023 administration of the survey to middle and high school students.
The next Nashua Board of Education meeting will be held following Thanksgiving, on Monday, November 28, 2022.
Superintendent's Comments
November 1, 2022
Nashua Board of Education Meeting
Nashua Education Foundation
It was a great night last week at the Nashua Education Foundation NEFies. I was honored to present the Ron Kraus “Outside the Education” Award to the United Way of Greater Nashua. The United Way pivoted dramatically at the onset of the pandemic to make sure our students had the resources they needed:
- UW Volunteers supported breakfast and lunch distribution at schools and in neighborhood
- UW stocked a pantry for staff to pick up school supplies for students in need
- UW distributed Chromebooks to students in need
- UW distributed laptops to teachers in need
- UW recruited volunteer tutors during summer and during the school year for tutoring services
- UW offered WIFI Hotspots for students in need with no access to internet
We are all very grateful for their service.
The NEFies also honored 13 members of our staff with 2022 Excellence in Education Awards. Once again, congratulations to…
Emily Chrusciel - Fairgrounds Elementary School
Maureen Curran - Nashua High School North
Sarah Desaulniers – Pennichuck Middle School
Meghan Durden – Charlotte Avenue Elementary School
Jeanmarie Eckstein - Charlotte Avenue Elementary School
Roberta Flanagan – Fairgrounds Middle School
James Gaj – Nashua High School South
Cheri Gratton - New Searles Elementary School
Anastasia Lopez - Elm Street Middle School
Kristen Mailhot - Nashua High School North
Nate Mazerolle - Nashua High School South
Diane Merchant – Mount Pleasant Elementary School
Julie Oliver - Birch Hill Elementary School
Fall 2022 Sports Team Participation
Congratulations to all our student athletes this fall. We had 642 high school participants this fall, which is up from 589 last year. We also had approximately 260 middle school student participants this fall.
Several teams are still completing:
- Congratulations to Fairgrounds Middle School boys’ soccer team for winning the Tricounty D2 championship Friday, capping an undefeated 8-0-1 season.
- North football team won the west conference with an undefeated season, earning a bye in the first round, and is expected to go deep into the playoffs. North will host the winner of the Windham/Bedford game in a quarterfinal game the weekend of November 11/12.
- South boys’ soccer finished third in the division and is playing in the semifinals against Manchester Central tomorrow. Good luck to the Panthers!
- North and South Cheer Teams will complete in the state championships on Sunday.
Best of luck!
Professional Development Day on Election Day
Our facilitators are working to prepare a great session for their fellow faculty and staff next Tuesday on Election Day, when our students are not in school because nine of our schools serve as polling locations, and teachers gather for a day of professional development.
There are two professional learning objectives for the November 8 PD Day.
- The first is to explore ways that Tier 1/Universal Instruction can be improved for both English language learners, multilingual language learners (MLLs), and ALLS (Academic language learners.
- The second is for teachers to work in teams and set at least one goal to support students that advances equity, access, and opportunities for all learners in their classrooms.
It is a lot to consider, but important for us as educators to collectively learn about and discuss.
Veterans Day
The City of Nashua Veterans Day Parade smartly steps off from Holman Stadium at 11:11 am next Friday, November 11. The parade moves from there, down Main Street to Elm Street Middle School. Our secondary school marching bands will be participating in the Veterans Day Parade, and we are proud to join them in honoring our veterans for their dedicated service. Thank you to our veterans and our soldiers currently serving here and abroad, and thank you to their families too.
Thank you.