Happy Spring!

It is crazy to think that we are heading into the last quarter of the school year!

That means that there are lots of performances, ceremonies, and celebrations! Although it is a really busy time, it is a really enjoyable time. I hope to see many of you out at the buildings to celebrate and recognize our students.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the Evening of Arts. It was a fabulous night and so awesome to see so many of our students enjoying themselves and demonstrating how talented they are! Please check out the section below that shares some of the fabulous talent.

On Monday night, the School Committee approved the FY24 school budget which represents a 5.58% increase over the FY23 budget. At this point, the budget is in the Mayor's hands. In May, Joan Liporto, Director of Finance and Operations, and I will present the School Committee's budget to the City Council and the City Council will vote on a budget no higher than the School Committee approved budget. After that vote, we will have a final budget.

The Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School has a new substantial completion date of May 12th. This is still in line with the timing needed for our furniture and equipment to be delivered. We are working on plans to officially open and "show off" the building. More information will follow in the upcoming weeks.

Have a great weekend and enjoy any holidays you may celebrate!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth McAndrews

Superintendent

I have included an UPDATED/ADJUSTED school calendar for this year. As you are all aware, due to the grade level reconfiguration and the opening of the Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School, we will need to relocate many of our staff members. There is much organizing, packing, and recycling to be done. To that end, we have added 3 PRT (Professional Release Days) at the end of the school year to provide time for our staff members to pack their materials in preparation for the move that will take place over the summer. In addition, the School Committee recently voted that the last day of school for this year will be Wednesday, June 21st.

The end of the year will look like this:

Thursday, June 15th - PRT Day and Exam Day at AHS

Friday, June 16th - PRT Day and Exam Day at AHS

Monday, June 19th - Juneteenth Holiday

Tuesday, June 20th - PRT Day for all buildings

Wednesday, June 21st - Last day of school - Early Release Day

For PRT Days - Middle and High Schools dismissed at 11:30 and Elementary Schools at noon.

For ER (Early Release) Days - Middle and High Schools dismissed at 10:50 am and Elementary Schools at 11:30 am.

Please see adjusted calendar below.

Given the modifications to the end of the school year, I wanted to outline the details around Pre-K and K screenings and end of the year.

Monday, June 12th - Last day of school for CURRENT Pre-K and K students

Tuesday, June 13th and Wednesday, June 14th - Full day Pre-K and K Screenings

Thursday, June 15th, Friday, June 16th, and Tuesday, June 20th - Pre-K and K Screenings until noon

Wednesday, June 21st - Pre-K and K Staff work on placements

If you have any questions, please contact Principal Jim Montanari at james.montanari@amesburyma.org.

Wow! Not really sure what to say! The Evening of the Arts on Wednesday night was absolutely fabulous! The collaboration between all of the arts programs throughout the district was really awesome, and, I imagine, involved a lot of coordination. Members of the community were first treated to an incredible display of visual art including 3D, digital game design, photography, and so much more! At the midpoint of the evening, the show moved into the AHS Auditorium where the audience was treated to a sneak peek at Mean Girls (April 27th, 28th, and 29th), songs by the Rhythmics, the AHS Chorus, and by the "district" choral group. In addition, members of the high school and middle school bands performed as well. It was an extremely entertaining evening.

Please see below for some pictures!

Another great event took place on Wednesday night!

This fair targeted students interested in beginning a trade or career after high school. Organizations who attended included Gloucester Biotechnology Academy, Job Corps, MASS Hire Whittier Tech Evening Education, LARE Institute and Root NS!

Thank you to all who attended and provided our students will the information necessary for their next steps!

On Thursday, April 13th, I will host a Superintendent's Coffee from 9-10 am. All are welcome. This is an opportunity to ask questions, share thoughts, or just chat about our schools. We will meet in my office at Amesbury High School. Please check in at the Reception Area and they will direct you to my office. I hope to see some new faces as well as the familiar ones!

Please support our talented students in their production.

Tickets are on sale now! Students $10, Adults $15

Shows will take place on Thursday, April 27th at ---, Friday, April 28th at --- pm, and Saturday, April 29th at ---- pm.

It will be a fabulous show!