Amesbury Public Schools Update
From the Office of the Superintendent - May 26, 2021
Dear Amesbury Families,
What a gorgeous stretch of weather! We are in the homestretch!
For many of us, Memorial Day weekend symbolizes the unofficial start of summer and the rapidly approaching end of the school year. For me, this year has both flown by and been one of the longest years of my career. In my last newsletter, I thanked all of the different stakeholders in our community for their teamwork, determination and commitment. I would like to reiterate that and ask for your support as we close out our school year. Without a doubt, this year has taken a toll on all of us. Even in the most “normal” of a year, the end of school is both exciting and emotional. Every student deals with this differently. We need to continue to work together, as a team, to support one another. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s school for school-based questions and to me for district-related questions.
As you may know, we have added some new people to our District Administration team. We are very excited to have Mr. Jarred Haas joining us as the AMS Principal and Mr. Jim Montanari as the AES Principal. Since I have been officially named Superintendent, I will need to make some adjustments to the AHS administration. I expect that more information on that will be forthcoming very soon. I ask for your patience and support as my new team members become acclimated to Amesbury, it’s timelines, and processes. I am confident that they have already started “learning” their respective schools and Amesbury as a whole.
I want to officially extend my heartfelt “Thank You” to all of you who supported my candidacy for Superintendent. I am overwhelmed by the communications that many of you sent to the School Committee, the emails sent to me, and for the congratulations that I continue to receive nearly two weeks later. I am so honored and excited to have been given this opportunity to serve the District as a whole. My team and I have already begun planning for next year and I eagerly anticipate working with all of you as I formalize my vision and share my plan for Amesbury Public Schools.
I hope that all of you, from students, to staff members, to teachers, to parents, and to administrators, are able to take some much needed time off during a time where it is possible to travel, go to the beach, or just stay at home and relax. We have certainly earned it!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth McAndrews
Superintendent
Rotary Educator of the Year
Congratulations to Stacey Fijalkowski for being selected as Rotary's Educator of the Year. On Wednesday, May 26th, a small group of Rotarians presented this award to "Miss Fij" in front of a large group of her students. Mrs. Fijalkowski was nominated for her hard work, determination, and passion for both her students and her content. During the pandemic, it was not unusual for her to be seen driving around Amesbury delivering work and checking in on her students. We are so proud of Mrs. Fijalkowski and are so thankful for all that she brings to our District.
Last Day of School
The last day of school for the 2020-2021 School Year is Thursday, June 17th. It will be an Early Release Day for all students. Students at the high school level (AHS and AIHS) as well as the middle school level (AMS) will be dismissed at 10:50 am. Students at the elementary level (AES and CES) will be dismissed at 11:30 am. Buses will run on this day.
Mascot Committee
This Friday, May 28th is the last day to volunteer to serve on the Mascot Committee. In order to volunteer, please complete this short
Google Form. Responses will no longer be accepted after 3 pm on Friday.
As I previously stated, the composition of the committee is determined by School Committee policy CN. The committee must include:
The principal or his/her designee
3-4 staff members
5 students (at the high school level, one of these students should be a representative of Student Council (STUCO), and one student should be a representative of the Student Advisory Council (SAC))
3-4 parents
3-4 community members (at the high school level, at least one of these members should be a representative of the athletic boosters)
Members of this committee will be randomly selected on Tuesday morning and those individuals will be notified by the end of that day.
Thank you to all who have already volunteered - there are a lot of you!
School Choice and Residency
I wanted to take a moment to remind the Amesbury school community that in order to attend Amesbury Public Schools, families must either reside in Amesbury (proof of residence must be provided at time of enrollment) or be part of our School Choice Program. Once you have enrolled in APS, as long as your residency hasn't changed, you do not need to re-enroll. Similarly, once you have been accepted as a School Choice student, you do not have to re-apply.
I realize that this past year has resulted in some residency changes for some members of our school community. If your family has moved out of Amesbury, but would like to continue to attend Amesbury Public Schools, it is imperative that you complete a School Choice Form. At this time, we are no longer accepting School Choice applications for Kindergarten and Grade 1. All other grade levels will remain open for applications through Tuesday, June 15th. At that time, School Choice will be closed.
If you have questions, please reach out to your building principal first. If you still need additional help, please feel free to reach out to Daniel Grayton at daniel.grayton@amesburyma.gov or (978) 388-0507.
School Year 2021-2022
I know! I know! We aren't even out of school yet and I am talking about the start of next year! The first day of school for all students is Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Students will attend school for Wednesday and Thursday of that week and will enjoy a four day weekend. School will resume after the Labor Day weekend on Tuesday, September 7th. I expect that we will return fully in-person next year. I am certain that there will be guidance released that outlines which safety protocols will be in place for the start of the school year. Once that guidance is released, I will share it with all of you.
I have included a link to the 2021-2022 School Calendar.
Free Breakfast/Lunch Pick Up
Free lunch/breakfast pick up will continue on Mondays and Wednesdays through the end of the school year. The final pick up day will be Monday, June 14th and that pick up will contain meals through Thursday, June 17th.
Summer School
A few weeks back, we sent a survey to families to determine if they were interested in having their general education student participate in a summer academic program. We are beginning to review that data but wanted to share the link one more time to ensure that all families have had a chance to respond.
This is NOT for credit recovery. It is designed to support students in acquiring skills and understanding in Math, ELA, and SEL.
Please only complete this survey if you haven't completed one already!
Survey link: https://forms.gle/6xFU9Z3J38LHz5a67
Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!
