NSD eNews
Volume XVIII Issue 9
Mario Andrade, Superintendent of Schools
January 11, 2023
Dear NSD Families and Staff,
Happy New Year! We are moving into the new year with renewed energy and continued focus on teaching and learning with rigor, helping students connect and move forward in their studies. I have been visiting three or four schools a week for several weeks now and I am encouraged by what I see with students engaged in their class lessons. Just a few days ago I was on hand for NTC Ambassador Days and Try-It Days where students showcased the many disciplines offered in our technical programs at our high schools. Awesome to see students take great pride in their pathways.
We are off to a great start in 2023!
Mario Andrade, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Nashua School District
Nashua Board of Education
The Nashua Board of Education met Monday for an organizational meeting, electing Jennifer Bishop to return as Board President and Regan Lamphier as Clerk.
The Board welcomed new student representatives to the Board for the 2023 calendar year: Warren Farley, Nashua HS North Class of 2025 and Dante Castellano, Nashua HS South Class of 2024.
Warren enjoys math, social studies, and business classes, but has a particularly keen interest in studying political science and economics. Dante is a member of the South NHIAA Championship Soccer Team, Vice President of the Interact Club, and President of the Planet Earth Club, which speaks to his deep concern of the impact of climate change on the environment.
The next Nashua Board of Education meeting will be held Monday, January 30, 2023.
Superintendent's Comments
January 9, 2023
Nashua Board of Education Meeting
Happy New Year and Welcome to Warren and Dante!
Happy New Year everyone! I want to welcome Warren Farley and Dante Castellano, our newest student representatives to the Board. I have learned both of you are very involved in your schools and passionate about your new role with the Board. If I can be of help to you at all during the year, please let me know.
Vision of Instruction
I commend administrators, faculty, and staff for developing and implementing our vision for instruction. I hear discussions each day supporting these four essential questions:
- What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
- How are we going to measure learning?
- What are we going to do if students do not meet proficiency?
- What are we going to do if students meet proficiency?
Our teachers strategically continue to build student agency and voice by following these five strategies:
- Establish clear and understood learning targets
- Use examples of strong and weak work
- Offer descriptive feedback during learning
- Teach our students to self-assess and set goals
- Allow time for students to track and reflect their learning progress
I greatly appreciate the work to fulfill our vision of instruction. We are entering the budget season, when we review and recommend an operating budget for the next fiscal year, and how we teach...discussion around our four essential questions and five instructional strategies...needs to be at the heart of our budget debate. Strategic investment will continue to move our vision for instruction forward and empower our students' academic success.
Redistricting Work Begins
We had our first meeting with Preston Smith of Business Information Resources, our redistricting consultant. We reviewed the scope of work, opportunities, and potential obstacles. Mr. Smith confirmed that the goal remains to present a recommendation to the Board in May. In the meantime, work is now underway to develop a plan to balance enrollment between the three middle schools. I will certainly be back to you in early spring to bring you word of our progress.
Just to let our families and staff know, we have a link on the home page of nashua.edu dedicated to the redistricting plan development process. We will update the site as information becomes available.
Thank you.