‘FLOWERS ARE THE MUSIC OF THE GROUND …’ That’s a line of poetry that’s fitting these days, what with buds blossoming outdoors while in Bailey Auditorium student musicians gather to share their work honed over months of practice. We have photos below from the two town-wide concerts held earlier this week and a reminder that the town-wide chorus concert is next Wednesday night and there are a lot more student performances coming after the April break.

Last Friday at MHS the class of '23 shared their Senior Stories (check out this video recap) and this week has featured a special initiative for juniors, who were given a chance to have a practice job interview. Dozens of local business people and others volunteered for the project, giving students feedback for when the stakes are higher.

The kindergarten registration window for the 2023-2024 school year is now open. Parents/guardians of children whose fifth birthday falls on or before January 1, 2024, may begin the registration process by visiting the registration page of the district website.

SUMMER SCHOOL UPDATE

For the past two years, the district offered summer programming for any student interested in attending, with the experience designed to help ease the transition out of the pandemic. This summer, we are returning to our typical summer programming which will be by invitation only for students who are below grade level in reading and currently in grades K-3. Invitations have already been sent out.

Also:

• Manchester Adult and Continuing Education will also offer a fee-based STEAM camp for school-aged students from July 31 to Aug. 18. More information on that is coming soon.
• We will continue to run credit recovery courses at Manchester High School. Again, more information to come.

Last week at Verplanck School, Ms. Sims' third graders visited Ms. English's kindergarten class to help them with opinion writing.

Ten students from the school district have advanced to the semifinals of the Connecticut Invention Convention. You can see the list here. Project judging will be done by the end of April and finalists will be invited to attend an in-person event on June 10th at UConn. Those who advance to nationals will be invited to compete in Michigan next spring.

• The MHS Class of '23 is selling fun novelty socks to help keep the costs down for students to attend the prom and Senior Class picnic; the details are here.
• Purchase your lawn sign to honor an MHS senior by April 30 by clicking here.
• Pink Flamingos in the yard are a fun, positive way to celebrate high school accomplishments. Click here to "flock" a friend from the Class of ‘23.
• Silk City Coffee is sponsoring a Give Back Day for Project Graduation on April 21, 1-6 p.m. 20% of all sales will support this year's Project Graduation party- that includes merch, beans and gift cards.

ALSO:

• Manchester High’s class of 2023 graduation will be held on Memorial Field on June 14 (rain date: June 15)
• Online enrollment for MELC's summer program started April 3. This is for children currently in grade K-6 and runs from July 3 through Aug. 11. For details click here.

Earlier this week we shared a video of Illing eighth-grader Gabe Forde talking about autism awareness month. You can see it here. We are also midway through Ramadan and thought we’d also share this video -- posted a year ago, it features Nurun Nahar explaining the history of and traditions associated with this, the holiest month for Muslims. Nurun was at Bowers then but now is with the district's Department of Race and Equity.

Tuesday was the nicest day of the year so far and at MHS student-athletes including Leah Nurse and Angel Rodriguez took full advantage.

Thursday, April 6
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Shake, Rattle & Roll for ages 2-5 at Mary Cheney Library.
1:30 - 6:30 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at North United Methodist Church, 300 Parker St.
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Manchester Arts Commision Presents: The State of the Arts 2023 at Manchester Country Club.
6 p.m. -- Eid card craft at Mary Cheney Library.

Friday, April 7
10 a.m. - noon -- Preschool playgroup at Mary Cheney Library.
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- ‘The Future’ exhibit opening night at WORK_SPACE, 901 Main St.- runs through May 31.

Saturday, April 8
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. -- 2nd Saturday Open House,at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
1 p.m -- History Walk #7 of 23 in 2023: Porter Street and reservoirs, starting at 395 Porter St..

Monday, April 10
6 - 8 p.m. -- Songwriters Group meeting at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.

Tuesday, April 11
8 a.m. - 1 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at Great Path Academy on the MCC campus.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Teen Escape Room at Mary Cheney Library.
5:30 - 8:30 p.m. -- Smartphone Photography Basics - workshop at WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St.
7 p.m. -- FY24 Budget Adoption at Lincoln Center.

Wednesday, April 12
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. -- Manchester Art Association field trip to NYC to see the American Watercolor Society Exhibit.
6 - 7:30 p.m. -- Anime/Manga Club for 7-9th graders at Mary Cheney Library.

7 p.m. Town Wide Chorus Concert at Manchester High’s Bailey Auditorium.

ALSO

• Town offices and schools will be closed on Friday in observance of Good Friday.

• Tony Award winner The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ runs at Cheney Hall on the weekends through April 16.

• The first of three free golf days for residents at Manchester Country Club will be on Monday.

DOWN THE ROAD:

• Manchester Public Schools will be closed April 17-21 for spring vacation and Eid al-Fitr.

• YSB has something for kids every day during spring break starting on April 17. Click here for the full schedule.

• 300 Years of Manchester exhibit: The Present opens at The Lutz on April 18 and runs through May 28.

• Register your team for the Kings of the Court 3 x 3 basketball tournament on April 19 at Mahoney Rec.

• Celebrate Earth Day by participating in a community cleanup event at the Cheney Rail Trail and Center Springs Park on April 22.

• The Illing Drama Club will present ‘Honk!’ on April 27, 28, 29 at Manchester High.

• Rebuilding Together in Manchester will be held on April 29.

Further Down the Road:

• The Butterfly Stroll returns to Main St. and the Lions Club will hold a free fishing derby - both on May 13.

• The Manchester Land and Conservation Trust’s annual giant tag sale will take place May 19 -27 at the barn on 330 Bush Hill Rd.

• Manchester Running Company’s ‘Spring Street Mile’ will be back on May 20. Click here to register.

• The Lutz has a seven-week summer camp program starting on July 3 that will take campers on a journey through time. Click here for registration information.

• Manchester High’s class of 2023 graduation will be held on Memorial Field on June 14 (rain date: June 15)

• Plan on Cruisin’ on Main Street on Aug. 6.

• The Silk City Fest returns to Purnell Place on Aug. 26.

• The winners have been announced for the 2023 Black Joy Youth Poetry Contest -- which was created through a partnership between the Department of Race & Equity and the town’s Neighborhoods & Families Division. To see the winners and read their work, click here.
• TLC, the Transitional Living Center, is a residential facility for Manchester children and youth who, through no fault of their own, cannot live at home. A private, non-profit institution, TLC is looking for volunteers to serve on its Board of Directors. For information click here.

D. S. Fahmeed Hyder, who was one of the keynote speaker at the district's International Mother Language Day event in 2022, has been appointed the next Head of Trumbull College at Yale.

ALSO:

• Fentanyl has now become deadlier with the addition of Xyalazine, an animal tranquilizer that does not respond to NARCAN. Just a tiny bit of fentanyl, usually found as a white powder or a pill, can be deadly. This flier has more.
  
• Get the FACTS: The Change Collaborative of Manchester shares monthly updates on substance use prevention efforts happening in the community and our schools – including events, youth peer-to-peer supports, and resources for families. Click here to get updates.
  
• The Manchester Brotherhood in Action (BIA) is fundraising to help two local families with medical bills for children who have serious health issues. Click here to learn more.

Monday's town-wide orchestra concert featured performance by Bennet sixth-graders, Illing eighth-graders, the MHS orchestra and a 6-12 rendition of 'Twinkling Stars.' On Tuesday it was a town-wide band program that featured a similar format. Next Wednesday at Bailey Auditorium -- the town-wide chorale concert.

• NOTE: OneManchester is compiled by the school district's communications office but is dependent on contributions from people and institutions throughout the town and school district. So if you have something, anything, that you think people would want to know about, please let us know. Photos, fliers, links, tips, whatever -- please share with Paul Ofria at pofria@mpspride.org.