We wish everyone in the SAU 34 School Community a Happy, Healthy, and Joyful Holiday Season and a Wonderful New Year in 2024!

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.

• December 19 SAU 34 Public Budget Hearing 6pm H-DHS Library Media Center
  
• December 21, 2023 - January 1, 2024 Holiday Recess, All Schools Closed
  
• December 25, 2023 & January 1, 2024 Holidays, All Offices Closed
  

• January 2, 2024 Hillsboro-Deering School Board Meeting 6pm H-DES Media Center
• January 8, 2024 Washington School Board Meeting 6pm WES Art Room
• January 10, 2024 MIddle and High School Performing Arts Concert 6pm H-DMS Cafeteria
• January 11, 2024 (Snow Date January 16) Hillsboro-Deering Budget Hearing 7 pm H-DMS Cafeteria
• January 18, 2024 H-DES Year of the Book Family Education & Activity Night 5:30pm H-DES Cafeteria and Media Center

• February 5, 2024 (Snow Date February 6) Hillsboro-Deering Deliberative Session 7pm H-DMS Cafeteria
• February 14, 2024 (Snow Date February 15) Washington Budget Hearing and School Board Meeting 6pm WES Multipurpose Room
• February 15, 2024 (Snow Date February 16) Windsor Budget Public Hearing and Board Meeting 6pm Windsor Townhall

The calendar on the SAU website provides a user-friendly way to selectable event views by building.

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

Berklee Tilley

Lilly Neal

Aurora Andrews

Lyla Gelinas, Teagen Gingell

Ethan Benn

Alexis Dillon

Gwendolyn Caffrey

• Gwendolyn is a 6th Grade Student and she won 2nd Place in the Radon Program Poster Contest, a statewide competition sponsored by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services NH DHHS

The Work to build the school budgets for the 2024-2025 School Year is underway. This is a complex process with four separate fiscal entities, each with their own budget across SAU #34. Each budget process has its own timeline, based on requirements outlined in state law.

The four fiscal entities in SAU#34 are:

• The School Administrative Unit (SAU) is responsible for the oversight, management, and accountability reporting for all operational, business, and human resource functions for the three school districts. The budget of the SAU is voted on as a separate warrant article in all four towns, and the cost is divided among the the three member districts using the apportionment formula.
• The Hillsboro-Deering Cooperative School District provides programming for students from pre-school through age 22, and operates three schools located on the main campus in Hillsboro, as well as an alternative program located on a rented property in Deering.
• The Washington School District provides programming from early learning through age 22, with early learning through grade five at Washington Elementary School and grades 6 and beyond tuitioned to Hillsboro-Deering.
• The Windsor School District provides programing for pre-school through age 22, with all students tutioned to the Hillsboro-Deering Schools.

As the budget process unfolds there are multiple opportunities for community members to provide input and share their comments with the school boards. Please click the links below a view the budget timelines, proposed 2024-2025 budgets, and other information. These pages will be consistently updated throughout the school budgeting process.

https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Page/115

https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Page/124

https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Page/134

https://nh02217314.schoolwires.net/Page/142

The Powerschool Parent Portal provides families with a wealth of up to date information about their student's school experience.

All families should have received an email with a personalized link to sign in to the Parent Portal.

It is very important that all families use the Parent Portal to update their student registration information and permissions.

If you are having any difficulty accessing the Parent Portal please reach out to Neal Richardson, Director of Technology at nrichardson@hdsd.org so he can assist you.

Hello H-DSD Families,

If you are considering making a donation to the community this holiday season, please consider the Hillsboro-Deering Food and Nutrition Program.

Last year, we served 117,559 school lunches to students during the regular school year and 32,463 breakfasts. Having access to and eating a balanced breakfast and lunch is an essential for successful learning and supporting our students.

We work to offer meals that are healthy, meet USDA guidelines, and that appeal to a variety of students. We also work to do our best to feed every student that wants to eat a meal while at school.

If you donate to our program, you are directly donated to negative lunch account balances. This helps to make sure that our program continues to feed as many students as possible!

If you would like to donate, please direct any cash or check donations to Anna Muncy, the Food and Nutrition Program Director.

Anna Muncy

Hillsboro-Deering School District / SAU #34

(603)-464-1160 | amuncy@hdsd.org

6 Hillcat Drive Hillsboro NH 03244

As of November 20, 2023, residential households in the U.S. are eligible for additional 4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. If you have not yet ordered tests to your address you may order up to 8 per household.

Dear SAU 34 Families:

Flu season has arrived. We ask your help in preventing the spread of flu in our schools. The

flu spreads from person-to-person, and children in schools are among the most affected. We

want to keep school open during flu season and we cannot do it without you.

Here are a few ways you can help:

Know the signs of the flu.

• Signs may include; fever greater than 100 degrees, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.

Keep sick children at home.

• Children should stay at home for at least 24 hours after the last signs of a fever without using medicine.
• Children should not return to school within 24 hours of the last sign of vomiting or diarrhea.
• Children with a constant cough should stay home until medicine relieves it.
• Any child who is sick at school, should go home.

Report their absence to the school nurse.

• If your child is out sick with the flu or flu-like illness, please let the nurse know.
• Washington Elementary School:
• James Rhodes 603-495-3463 mailto: jrhodes@hdsd.org
• Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School:
• Diana Merriam 603-464-1311 mailto:dmerriam@hdsd.org
• Hillsboro-Deering Middle School:
• Sharon Gamache 603-464-1275 mailto:sgamache@hdsd.org
• Hillsboro-Deering High School:
• HeatherAnn Labier 603-464-1290 mailto:hlabier@hdsd.org

Teach your children recommend mitigation strategies.

• Hand washing with soap and water often is the best way to reduce the spread of germs.
• Teach your children to cover their coughs and sneezes (with a tissue or their elbow).
• Teach your children not share their personal items like their food or water bottles.

Our schools work closely with the NH Bureau of Infectious Disease Control (BIDC) to monitor flu

events. For more information, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current

information about the flu.

We are best able to keep everyone as healthy as possible by working together. We will notify you of any changes to our school’s plan to prevent the spread of the flu this season.

Check out the school newsletters and facebook pages for lots of great pictures and information about what is happening all across SAU 34!

We have reached the time of year when weather forecasts begin to call for things like snow, ice, wintry mixes, high winds and bitter cold. With that comes poor road conditions, power outages, safety concerns at bus stops, and other weather related issues that may lead to delayed openings, early releases, and cancellations for schools.

I am the one who makes the decision to close school due to inclement weather and emergencies, but not in isolation. Prior to making a decision, I monitor weather reports and often consult a variety of people including our town roads, First Student Transportation, other area superintendents, and state and local emergency officials. I rely heavily upon the information I receive from our road agents and emergency officials. If I receive a report that conditions are too dangerous, I will not send students and staff to school.

Sometimes making the decision is not clear cut. Weather conditions often change quickly. For example the rate of snowfall per hour may be more than predicted, or a storm may start earlier or later than forecasted. Weather conditions can also vary widely across our SAU during the same weather event. Invariably, there is some disagreement with decisions regarding a particular weather storm. Every effort will always be made to announce a change in schedule as soon as possible to allow everyone time to plan, but this is New England, and weather and road conditions can shift quickly, so it is important we maintain flexibility to ensure everyone’s safety and best meet educational needs. Ultimately, we respect that families have the final say on whether or not they believe they should drive their child to school, send their child to school by bus, or allow their young adult to drive on questionable weather days.

Because access to information can be impacted by the weather conditions we put out information using a range of methods, to ensure the widest possible access. These methods include:

• Phone calls and emails using the SAU 34 Mass Notifications System

• Posting on the district website: www.hdsd.org

• Posting on the SAU 34 Facebook Page

• Television station WMUR (9)

Please know that the safety of our students and staff is the highest priority when it comes to making weather and emergency related decisions.

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and support.

Jennifer Crawford

Superintendent of Schools

Watch Video

Both the Hillsboro-Deering and Washington School Boards have recently approved revisions to the 2023-2024 School DIstrict Calendars. PDFs of those calendars with the changes in red font with yellow highlighting are linked at the bottom of this newsletter.

The changes include:

- March 12th will be Parent Teacher Conferences from 10am - 6pm.

- Thursday, March 21st will be a regular school day

- Friday, March 22 will be a Professional Development Day, no school for students

- Wednesday, April 3rd will be a regular school day