NSD eNews
Volume XIX Issue 4
Mario Andrade, Superintendent of Schools
September 27, 2023
Dear NSD Families and Staff,
School spirit is contagious throughout the school district. I had the pleasure of attending several high school Battle of the Bridge games last week. I was far from alone. I was happy to see not only a high number of high school students and family members who attended the games, but also many middle and elementary students. It was great to see the school spirit.
Monday evening at the Nashua Board of Education meeting, we had an opportunity to honor Lisa Gingras, Athletic Director. The NHADA, the New Hampshire Athletic Directors Association, recognized Lisa Gingras as the Division I Athletic Director of the Year and, at the same time, the NIAAA, the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, named Lisa the New Hampshire Awardee of Merit, given to one athletic director in each state annually. In addition, Nashua South was presented the NHIAA Sportsmanship Runner-up Banner by the NHIAA for the 2022-2023 school year.
Each of these awards speaks to integrity of leadership, from Ms. Gingras to coordinators, to office staff, to coaches and players on the playing fields. What a positive reflection on our high schools. We are proud and, again, congratulations to all who take part in our athletic programs.
Sincerely,
Mario Andrade, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Nashua School District
Nashua Board of Education
The Nashua Board of Education met Monday evening and voted to approve many committee recommendations.
Committee on Finance and Operations: Members reiterated the need to hire more crossing guards and announced an added incentive in pay that compensates crossing guards with a full hour of pay with each morning and afternoon shift.
Four motions were approved to:
- purchase a $12,784.80 Tomcat Pro Rider scrubber/sweeper from Clean-O-Rama of Gorham, Maine;
- purchase five core connectivity switches for Fairgrounds Middle, Pennichuck Middle, Bicentennial Elementary, Fairgrounds Elementary, and Main Dunstable Elementary from IntraSystems of Bedford for $50,609.60;
- purchase a new core connectivity switch for NHS North from IntraSystems of Bedford for $80,609.79
- fund contracts for Project Succeed, an intervention and counseling program for students in need, with The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua for $290,221.43 and The Youth Council for $208,884, and to contract with The Youth Council for addition counseling services at $50,000.
Committee on Policy: The Board approved eight policies and one was rescinded.
B. Board of Education Governance and Operations
- BDE Committees and Delegates
- BDF Advisory Committees to the Board
- BGAA Policy Development, Adoption, and Review
- BDEA Policy Committee rescinded
G. Personnel
I. Instruction
J. Students
Committee on Human Resources: The Board approved personnel recommendations that included hiring six teachers. Current hiring status stands with 36 teacher openings, 48 paraeducators, 2 administrators and 0 secretaries.
New Business: The Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Community Counsel of Nashua/Greater Nashua Mental Health that renews last year's memorandum to provide mental health counseling and therapeutic services on an as needed basis. In addition, the Board approved the continuing practice between the Board and the Nashua Teachers Union to allow available high school teachers to teach an extra class during the school day.
The next Nashua Board of Education meeting will be held Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at the Nashua High School North.
Mount Pleasant Elementary Kicks Off Year of the Book
Bringing laughter and fun to spark the creative, storytelling process, Marty Kelley, children’s author and illustrator who hails from New Hampshire, earlier this week kicked off a school-wide year devoted to reading books and being creative at Mount Pleasant Elementary School.
“Be curious," said Kelley, and encouraged all to "take time to play, ask what if, fail, and ask how can I make this better." Sound advice particularly during the Year of the Book at Mount Pleasant, courtesy of CLiF.
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), based in Waterbury Center, Vermont, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring a love of reading and writing among children in low-income, at-risk, and rural environments across Vermont and New Hampshire.
Mount Pleasant Elementary School was announced last April as a recipient of a $25,000 CLiF Year of the Book grant for the 2023-2024 school year. The grant provides the school with frequent author visits, special programs, and ten free books for each student as part of the program. Another feature of the grant is that the school library and the Nashua Public Library each received $1,000 to purchase new books for their collections.
Substitute School Nurses Needed
City of Nashua Public Health Hosts Flu Vaccine Clinic
The City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services is hosting a series of flu vaccination clinics in the greater Nashua community, including one this Saturday at Elm Street Middle School for school-aged children:
City of Nashua Public Health Flu Vaccine Clinic
- School-Aged Children Flu Clinic
- 9 am to Noon, Saturday, September 30
- Elm Street Middle School
- 117 Elm Street, Nashua
Appointments are preferred. Please look for and scan QR code published on the attachment below or call public health at 603 589 4500 to make an appointment.
Public Health Flu Vaccine Clinic flyer
Dental Health Cavity Prevention Pilot Program
As Dr. Andrade noted at the Nashua Board of Education meeting, he is delighted with the enthusiasm our principals and our school nurses have expressed for a pilot school-based dental screening program being offered to the Nashua School District this school year.
A dental prevention initiative is being sponsored by the NH Department of Health and Human Services, Oral Health Program, and in collaboration with Solvere Health, a healthcare company devoted to serving under-resourced communities.
The mission of the pilot is to eliminate barriers to dental care.
Over the course of the school year, parents will have the opportunity to sign up to have their children screened at school. Recent screening data of grade 3 New Hampshire students revealed a great need for dental care in Nashua. We are sadly the neediest community in New Hampshire; consequently, the pilot in-school screening program was developed and is being offered to all preschool to grade 8 students.
Parents will be receiving more information next month and sign-up forms will be sent home over the course of the school year as the dental hygienist team travels from school to school.
We appreciate this opportunity for each of our students in preschool to grade 8. For more information, please click here.