SAU 32 Monthly News
October 16, 2023
Plainfield School District News!
Welcome to Fall in our Schools!
At this point, school is well into its regular routine and running smoothly. We hope everyone is having a great October, filled with hiking, apples, all things pumpkin and cinnamon, and of course Halloween is right around the corner! Below you'll find a few updates regarding our district happenings:
District Work
What's New and News for October 2023
Thinking Globally
Like many of you, I've been anxiously keeping up with the news these days and watching what's unfolding in the Middle East. Situations such as this highlight the essential value of peace and understanding, while simultaneously causing us to reflect on everything we all do to make sure our children have the future we want for them. I am hopeful that empathy, compassion, and strength will form the foundation of diplomacy that will alleviate the human suffering we're seeing take place. At times like this, it's always a good idea to check your child's "media diet" to see what they may be hearing or seeing. UNICEF has released some great Resources (linked here) on how to discuss conflict and war with your children if you feel you need to address it or if they're asking questions.
Fall is the Beginning of Budget Season
The SAU is well into developing our proposed budget for the Board to review. If you have ideas, suggestions, or thoughts about the budget or what will benefit PES, please be sure to get in touch with me, Mrs. Bucklin, or attend a Board meeting so we can hear directly from you. We work closely with our Town of Plainfield Finance Committee to review each section of the proposed budget, and now is a great time to learn more about thoughts for the 24-25 school year.
On the evening of October 26th from 7-8 pm, I'll be offering a zoom on School Finance: How Your Schools Are Funded in New Hampshire. There's a zoom link attached here as well as below. We'll go through an overview of how our state funds our schools and how these formulas become part of our local budget process. I hope to see you there!
Committee Work
There are multiple, very active committees going on in the Plainfield school community these days. Please see our district calendar for meetings times if you'd like to sit in on any of these meetings.
Middle School Study Committee: This committee is studying our Plainfield Middle School model and potential ways to improve this time of learning for students. Stay tuned: within the next month or so, we'll be sending out a survey to the community to make sure we hear your input!
Capital Facilities Planning Committee: This group is reviewing prior plans for PES repair and maintenance, and they will then use this historical information -- in addition to an assessment of our current needs -- to create both short- and long-term planning suggestions for Board consideration.
DEI Committee: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is meeting in both small groups and as a whole to review and design opportunities to ensure all students feel a sense of belonging in our Plainfield school community.
Education News from NH
As I send out these monthly newsletters, I'll be including information regarding education news from around the State of New Hampshire and our Department of Education (NHED).
The Minimum Standards for Public Schools (ED 306) are up for revision, and these updates have the most potential to cause significant changes in our schools. The State Board of Education will officially review these at their November meeting. After that, there is a 180 day period for feedback. Once the draft is officially released, we'll keep you up to date on the process and the most critical shifts.
Please feel free to contact me at sleggett@plainfieldschool.org or by calling 603-469-3250.