Hello Auburn Families and Staff,

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were filled with fun, family and friends. It is always a transition back to school after a break but I am thankful for the positivity of staff as we return to our normal routine.

As a reminder there is a half day of school on Friday, January 17th for students allowing staff to participate in professional development with Monday, January 20, 2025 being the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. As you know Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1986 as a federal holiday to honor his contributions and remember his message of peace, equality, and justice. All messages that still ring true today. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is also the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service by Congress, according to the United States Department of the Interior. Dr. King wrote, spoke, marched, and stood up for what he believed in—and this federal holiday lets people honor his life and work. The day of service uplifts people to address social problems, bridge barriers, and move closer to Dr. King's vision and legacy. Such an important message for us all to remember and to share with our students.

Below you will find another brief update regarding the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. I will continue to provide these updates throughout the spring.

Very soon, we will be sharing information regarding transportation for the 2025-2026 school year along with information regarding Returning Student Registration, Preschool and Kindergarten registration for the upcoming year so stay tuned!

Finally, I am pleased to inform you that Glenn Gregoire is our new Director of Facilities. Glenn takes over for Joe Fahey who retired at the end of December. Glenn brings a wealth of experience with him related to facility management and I know we are in good hands.

Thank you for your continued support of the Auburn Public Schools.

Beth

Below you will find some updates to the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. It is my hope that these updates will serve to keep you informed regarding initiatives underway in the district.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

• A team of teachers, led by Mr. Keller, Asst. Superintendent, are working to research and select a new math program for students in grades K-8. After extensive research and review of products, teacher visits to districts are underway to observe programs in practice. The two programs that were identified and are under further review are iReady and Reveal Math.
• Empowering Writers was adopted this school year in grades k-5 with the hope to expand into grades 6-8 next school year. Empowering Writers, through a sequential process of modeling, observation, review and evaluation, helps teachers create the essential link between critical reading and good writing.

HEALTH, WELLNESS AND SAFETY

• Auburn High School and Auburn Middle School are fully up and running with the Sandy Hook Promise Anonymous Reporting System. This allows students to anonymously report incidences such as school threats, bullying or mental health issues which are then shared with school administrators to address.
• Student Leadership Teams at AMS and AHS to better include student voice in the school community.
• Lenny Learning Lessons, Prek-12, to address social emotional learning. This program is research based and highly regarded.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

• Student Representative will soon be included as a non-voting participant on the School Committee to enhance student voice regarding school based initiatives.
• Student participation in the recent national election continues with student workers at the election.
• Parent Square has been recently purchased to be utilized as our communication tool with families. Parent Square will streamline communication for teachers, building administrators and district level leaders in a format that is easily accessible for all families.

Auburn High School will be hosting an informational night for current 8th Grade Families on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 in the AHS Auditorium from 5:30-7:30pm. The event will include an overview of AHS from administration, along with providing families the opportunity to learn more about departmental offerings, become familiar with the course selection and registration process, and check out the many clubs and activities sponsored by the school. We hope to see you there!

On New Year’s Day, 3 Auburn High School Students, Calla Anderson, Karsen Racicot and Claire Smith, marched as part of the New England Honor Band in the Rose Bowl Parade.

Congratulations to them on their selection for this prestigious event!

Please follow the link and see the attached flyer for the town of Auburn and the Auburn Public Schools to get discounted tickets to the game https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Auburnday2025

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. ~Helen Keller