Hello SAU 34 School Community,

Please scroll down to access a wide range of information and links about what is happening all across SAU #34.

If you have trouble opening any of the links, please scroll to the top and click on the picture of the SAU sign. That will bring you out of the email preview and into the actual newsletter, all the links will work from there.

• Feb 20 Hillsboro-Deering School Board Meeting 6pm H-DES Media Center
• Feb 21 Windsor School District Public Budget Hearing and School Board Meeting Windsor Town Hall
• Feb 22 The Washington Elementary School Winter Performance and Showcase "Take Me out to the Ball Game!" WES 6:30pm
• Feb 27-March 3 School Vacation
• March 6 Hillsboro-Deering School Board Meeting 6pm H-DES Media Center
• March 11 Washington School District Annual Meeting 9am WES Multipurpose Room
• March 14 No School for Students, Professional Development Day for Staff
• March 14 Hillsboro and Deering Ballot Voting (SB2 2nd Session)
• Hillsboro: H-DMS Cafetorium 7am - 7pm
• Deering: Deering Town Hall 8am - 7pm
• March 14 Windsor School District Annual Meeting Windsor Town Hall 6pm
• March 23 Early Release for Students, Parent-Teacher Conferences in the afternoon and evening

Detailed budget information for each district and for SAU #34 is publicly accessible at: https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/domain/31

H-D Lower Elementary School Principal Robin Whitney recognized Grayson Sutelman

• Grayson is a second grade student. He is a very conscientious student and always tries his best! He is a tenacious fellow as work that may be difficult for him still gets his best efforts and he makes sure that he has completed it correctly. Every day he shows CARES behavior to others. We are lucky to have him in our class and school!
  

H-D Upper Elementary School Principal Craig Roach recognized Cecilia Hunt

• Mr. Roach and the 4th Grade Team want to thank and appreciate Cecilia for being a responsible student for your whole grade. Each day we have noticed as you've taken the task of bringing the sleds for recess out, gathering them neatly, and bringing them back in for their next use. We know each day we can count on you. Thanks for going above and beyond to care for your school and classmates.
  
• 
  

H-D Middle School Principal Marc Peterson recognized The H-DMS Boys' Basketball Team:

Grade 7:

Grayson Ainslie

Quinn Coombs

Conor Dumais

Mason Poland

Grade 8:

Jack Anderson

Jaime Cooper

Adrian Cordeiro

Logan Cormier

Trevor Mays

Jake McClure

Ryland Michael

Braden Savoy

Ryan Shortt

Coach Owen Coombs

• Finishing the season 6 - 6 and making the playoffs as the #7 seed

H-D High School Principal Jim O'Rourke recognized Zack Coombs

Congratulations to Zack Coombs in becoming only the twelve player in H-DHS history in

• becoming a 1,000 point scorer. Zack, we are so very proud of you and your accomplishments, CONGRATULATIONS!

WES Teaching Principal Kelli Colarusso recognized Carter Whitehill, Gwendolyn Caffrey, and Camryn Card.

• Every morning, Carter stops and has a conversation with me before starting his day. He updates me on the sports he's playing or what he did over the weekend. This starts my day off on a positive note, and I really appreciate our daily chats!
  
• Gwen and Camryn have been helping me shelve library books for the entire school year. They use their free time (snack, sometimes the end of lunch, etc.) to come into the library and help me do a job that always seems to pile up! They are a huge help in the library.
  

The Duncan-Jenkins Trust was created and endowed in 2001 by the last will and testament of Sarah E. Jenkins of East Washington, New Hampshire. The purpose of the trust is to benefit the schools, staff and graduates of Washington and Hillsboro-Deering School Districts by adding enrichment above and beyond what taxpayers are expected to finance.

On February 9th The Duncan-Jenkins Trust hosted the 19th Annual Dinner to recognize the grants awarded during the past year. The dinner was not held the past two years due to the pandemic. Below is a list of all of the grants awarded from 2020 - 2022.

Mr. Jed Schwartz, a member of the Trust Committee, also announced the creation of the Ron and Grace Jager Future Educators Scholarship, which will be awarded for the first time this spring.

Links to additional information regarding the the many opportunities available through the trust are on the district website and can also be found below.

In an effort to start the transition to middle school and meet their future classmates, Washington Elementary School (WES) and Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School (HDES) fourth and fifth graders enjoyed a Winter Field Day at Kroka Expeditions on February 8th and 9th. Kroka is a non-profit wilderness expedition school in Marlow, NH. They hold day programs, semester programs, partner with homeschool groups, grow much of their own food, and have acres of land to explore.

During the winter field days, both Hillsboro-Deering and Washington 4th and 5th graders went to Kroka to meet the animals, go on a hike, cook bread-on-a-stick, play team building games, and go sledding. This allowed the 4th and 5th graders to meet the classmates they will be joining in middle school. In the spring, Kroka Expeditions will travel to Washington to once again provide a field day for WES and HDES 4th and 5th graders. This will allow Hillsboro-Deering students to see Washington and learn more about their future classmates.

This collaboration was started during the 2018-2019 school year by Tricia Bennett who was a Washington student and is now a Kroka senior instructor. Lindsay Moon has now taken over as the School Programs Director and has been integral in helping Washington and Hillsboro-Deering re-establish this collaboration after a hiatus due to the pandemic.

“We hope this new tradition will continue for years to come because it is a low-pressure, enjoyable way for WES and HDES students to meet each other. Kroka does an excellent job of providing programming that meets the needs of the students and incorporates knowledge of sustainability and the importance of spending time outdoors,” says Kelli Colarusso, teaching principal at Washington Elementary School.

Students practice writing free verse poems with random objects they chose out of a bag. They connect to the objects with most of their senses in order to create their poem.

This year, Washington Elementary School has partnered with Sullivan County Conservation District to provide students in kindergarten through grade 5 with lessons outdoors. The Washington Conservation Commission attends these lessons as well in order to support the school in its efforts to promote place-based and outdoor education, and help with the coordination of these programs.

This fall, Dawn Dextraze from Sullivan County Conservation District visited Washington Elementary School and took each class on a hike to practice observation and journaling skills. In December, Dextraze provided “Winter Wonders” professional development for teachers in which they participated in multiple activities that they could bring back to their classrooms.

On February 13th, Dextraze returned for winter programming. Students in kindergarten and first grade learned about how animals survive in the winter in their cozy homes. Second and third graders investigated mammal tracks and signs. Fourth and fifth graders did a study on habitat warmth.

A fifth grader, Nicholas Drew, explains, “We had so much fun! We took temperatures to see which was warmest - on top, in the middle, or underneath the snow. We took temperatures near a log, a tree, out in the open, in the water, and near the waterside. Near the tree was the warmest. We got a temperature of 39.4 degrees.”

This spring, students will receive another lesson from Sullivan County Conservation District. “It is great to have a continuing relationship with the school to promote outdoor education. The ability to provide opportunities for our local students is very important to us as a Conservation Commission,” says Arin Mills, member of the Washington Conservation Commission and Washington School Board Chair.

Friday, February 17, 2023

• Boys Varsity Ice Hockey at NEC vs Laconia High School 6pm

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

• Boys Varsity Ice Hockey away vs Berlin High School 6pm

Friday, February 24, 2023

• Boys Varsity Ice Hockey at NEC vs Kingswood 6pm

Order an H-DES Yearbook using this link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob

Order code: 14314423

We continue to have multiple upper respiratory and stomach viruses circulating. We ask the community to remain diligent in order to keep our school buildings well and open.

Students or staff experiencing new onset of symptoms should stay home and rest until they are fever free (without fever reducing medication), and are experiencing improvement of symptoms. Anyone who demonstrates symptoms while at school will be dismissed by the school nursing team and asked to remain home until return criteria is met.

Students and staff should stay home for an extra day of rest if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms.

• Fever or chills (including subjective fever)

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Sore throat

• Nasal congestion or runny nose

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

Students and staff staying home when sick is one of the strongest mitigation strategies in stopping the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom. If you are unsure if you should send your child to school, we ask that you keep them home and contact the school nurse. School nurses have COVID tests available to support our staff and students. Please contact your school nurse with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

A large number of new winter coats were donated to the HDSD by the local Knights of Columbus Council serving the St. Mary and St. Theresa Parishes of Hillsboro and Henniker. The coats were funded by the local Knights of Columbus through fund raising activities. The coats provided are part of the Knights of Columbus national “Coats for Kids” Program. The coats are all brand new and available to any student regardless of need. Please contact your building school nurse if you are interested in a new coat. The coats will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.

• The NH Department of Health and Human Services has an important update for families with children covered by NH Medicaid. During the COVID-19 federal Public Health Emergency (PHE), New Hampshire has provided continuous health care coverage for children and families that receive Medicaid. When the PHE ends, this extended coverage will end too, and families may need to complete a renewal to re-certify their children’s Medicaid eligibility. Learn more about planning for the end of the PHE here.

The calendar on the SAU website has been updated to be more user-friendly and to provide selectable event views by building. In addition, the individual school calendars have also been updated to include events that are occurring in the other schools. These changes enable a single view for everyone to see what is happening across the SAU and District.

By clicking on the calendar name on the left-hand panel, you can hide that particular calendar's events from the larger view. You also can subscribe to a calendar to receive updates and changes to events.

HDSD.org

• Schoolhouse is once again offering its four-week SAT Bootcamps this spring. Registration for the virtual tutoring program opens on Monday at this link. The bootcamps aim to prepare students for the upcoming SAT exam.

Watch Video

Our district has moved to an online registration process and it is so very important for parents and guardians to log in to https://hdsd.web2school.com/ and update all information. DO NOT click on the new student registration button. Simply log in with your username and password and follow the prompts. If you have any issues or do not remember your login information, please contact the school office below for assistance:

• Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School, PreK-5, alemkau@hdsd.org , 603-464-1122

• Hillsboro-Deering Middle School, 6-8, sbelida@hdsd.org, 603-464-1120

• Hillsboro-Deering High School, 9-12, pkallander@hdsd.org , 603-464-1184

• Washington Elementary School, K-5, dbilski@hdsd.org , 603-495-3463

The document links below, which are also in Web2School under Announcements, will be helpful for you to review prior completing your information update:

H-D – Washington Student Electronic Device Agreement

Notification of Video and Audio Recording

Opt-Out of SORA Digital Library

HDSD Annual Parent Guardian Notice of Policies

Washington SD Annual Parent Guardian Notice of Policies