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.

• November 22-24 Thanksgiving Holiday Recess - All Schools Closed
• November 27 Hillsboro-Deering School Board Meeting including FY25 Proposed Budget Presentation 6pm H-DHS Library Media Center
• November 28 Continued Hillsboro-Deering FY 25 Budget Presentation (if needed) 6pm H-DHS Library Media Center
• December 4 Hillsboro-Deering Board Meeting 6pm H-DES Library Media Center
• December 11 Washington School Board Meeting 6pm WES Art Room
  
• December 13 Windsor School Board Meeting 6pm Windsor Town Hall
  
• December 18 Hillsboro-Deering School Board Meeting 6pm H-DES Library Media Center
  
• 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
  

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

Kenny LeMieux

• Kenny comes in every day ready for kindergarten and always tries his best! He follows directions and is first to help others. He is incredibly kind and helpful in the classroom and always makes sure everyone feels included. He is a great representation of C.A.R.E.S. and is lovely to have in our class!

Paisley Davy

• Paisley comes to school ready to work every day! She goes above and beyond to help out classmates and staff with whatever needs to be done.

H-DHS Student Athletes and Coaches for 2022-2023

• Earned the NHIAA Award of Excellence for Exemplary Display of Sportsmanship, Ethics, & Integrity,

Keagan Lamos-Garon

• Keagan is being recognized for taking a few minutes after every lunch period to make sure the outside eating area is clean and all trash is picked up. Thank you Keagan!

Alex Gingell, Madi Barrick, & Lilly Valley

• The have done a great job leading the building in the pledge at the start of the day.

Jackson May

• Jackson May is always eager to learn. He follows the classroom expectations, is a good friend, and goes above and beyond to help around the classroom. Jackson is a role model in the classroom, and he works hard at everything he does.

Mason Ferwerda

• Congratulations to Mason Ferwerda for scoring his 50th goal. Mason is the first male soccer player to score 50 goals in 31 years. The last male soccer player to score 50 goals was achieved in 1992.

Ava McDonough

• Ava is the winner of the yearbook cover contest. Her artwork will be on the front cover of the yearbook.

Lyla Gelinas

• Runner up in the yearbook cover contest. Lyla's art work will be on the back cover of the yearbook.

Thomas Sawyer

• Runner up in the yearbook cover contest. Thomas' art will be on the back cover of the yearbook.

Aiden Pelletier

• Aiden is a very hard worker. He always tried to do his best in class. He is polite and respectful to his teachers and helpful to his classmates!

Marcus Mayo

• Marcus received a CARES card for Cooperation in library. He is steadfast to his learning no matter the situation. He is kind and does his best. Marcus is a pleasure to have in the library.

Logan Czyzewski

• Set the H-DMS record for number of goals scored in a season, 12 goals, 2 games with 3 goals

High School National Honor Society Students

• For planning and participating in an amazing Halloween event for our students in grade K-5. I am so proud of our students and they amaze me with their kindness and compassion every day

79 Students Honored at Superintendent's Club Dinner

Established over 20 years ago, The Superintendent's Club honors students in grades 7 - 12 who have earned high honors, or a Grade Point Average equivalent to high honors, in at least four marking terms in middle and high school. Students maintain their membership by earning honors or better in each subsequent term.

The annual Superintendent's Club Dinner and awards ceremony was held on Thursday, October 26th, recognizing the academic achievements of 79 students. Congratulations!

Grade 12 Members, Class of 2024:

• Abigail Benn
• Barbara Brien
• Signy Burke-Smith
• Abagail Carroll
• Gavin Coombs
• Alex Davy
• Megan Denslow
• Michael Denslow
• Claire Doyle
• Eve Erickson
• Mason Ferwerda
• Daniel Franklin
• Elysia Hagstrom
• Kara Kopf
• Benjamin LaBier
• Madison Lane
• Gregory LeBlanc
• Samuel Lindley
• Kyle Nickulas
• Olumide David Olawuyi
• Crystal Rocha
• Kennedy-Lynne St. Onge
• Ryleigh Stewart
• Isabel Swirko

Grade 11 Members, Class of 2025

• Jacob Audette
• Joel Belanger
• Nick Bowen
• Rieth Breed
• Morgan Dean
• Jack Harrington
• Grant Ledoux
• Logan Luciano
• Tyler Pollard
• Alexis Rancloes
• Kathryn Thyng
• Heather Wagner

Grade 10 Member, Class of 2026:

• Skyla Auger
• Penelope Bows
• Alex Crowe
• Kylie Crowe
• Megan Ferguson
• Jacob Greemore
• Noah Harrington
• Jack Hebert
• Gavin Miller
• Wil Laber-Melcher
• Valarie Rife

Grade 9 Members, CLass of 2027:

• Liam Randell Batangan-Cruite
• Jadelyn Baez
• Kaylee Beaulieu
• Quintin Benoit
• Gillian Cahalane
• Daniel Clough
• Jaime Cooper
• Katelyn Franklin
• Christopher Gordon
• Emery Greene
• Brody Hoegen
• Alexis Laporte
• Caylee Lugo
• Cadence Smead
• Alyssia Spencer
• Kylie Urban

Grade 8 Members, Class of 2028:

• Owen Bober
• Addison Brown
• Alison Doyle
• Holli Hargreaves
• Samantha Hargreaves
• Christopher Perrin
• Anabelle Sutelman
• Noah Welch

Grade 7 Member, Class of 2029:

• Caiden Baker
• Ariana Bowen
• Aubree Hartness
• Kennedy Horion
• Ava McDonough
• Kamdyn Michael
• Gavin Pollard
• Winter Radmore

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.

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

The New Hampshire School Transportation Association is working with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation in an attempt to reduce the wait time for applicants for a bus certificate. To that end, NHSTA is collecting parent data on the impact of the driver shortage across the state. NHSTA's goal is to improve timely access to driver training and ultimately to increase the pool of bus drivers. Please consider taking two minutes to complete their survey. Thank-you!

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 link below and then select each fiscal entity from the menu on the left side of the page to view the budget timelines and other information. These pages will be consistently updated throughout the process.

The Hillsboro-Deering Leadership Team will present their proposed FY25 budget to the Hillsboro-Deering School Board on Monday, November 27th. The budget will be a topic of discussion at every board meeting until the Public Hearing on January 11, 2024. All school board meetings provide an opportunity for public comment.

The FY25 Budget Book and Presentation of the Prosed FY25 Budget will be posted on the website on November 28th.

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,

Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to complete and submit an application to help our schools and families. Your time is appreciated!

If your student(s) is receiving benefits this year (free or reduced priced lunch) and you have not submitted an application as of August 15th, 2023 your benefits expired at the beginning of October. Please be sure to submit a new application as soon as possible.

Currently, all submitted applications have been processed and notice of eligibility has been either emailed to you (if you provided an email address on the application) or mailed to the address you provided on your application.

Please keep in mind that all applications, regardless of the eligibility determination, help our school funding and programs.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Anna Muncy, H-DSD Food & Nutrition Program Director

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

6 Hillcat Drive Hillsboro NH 03244

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