MERSD District Newsletter
May/June Edition
SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
Happy Summer Break!
The end of the school year is always a festive time filled with events celebrating the hard work and accomplishments of our students and staff. Graduation and the fifth and eighth grade Moving On Ceremonies were filled with laughter, tears and song, and all were wonderful displays of the talents of our students, the dedication of our teachers and the support of our community. Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who have spent countless hours supporting our students and the schools.
Although the students are heading-off on summer break, MERSD remains a busy place throughout the summer. Faculty will be engaging in professional development ranging from literacy and STEM training to curriculum development. Our summer teaching staff will continue to provide instructional and support services, and our facilities and technical staff will be hard at work with annual maintenance and repairs to our buildings and grounds. Last but not least, the Leadership Team will review the year’s progress and prepare for the year ahead.
End of Year District Improvement Progress Report
At the June 6th School Committee meeting, the District Leadership Team presented the End of Year District Improvement Plan progress report on our 2023-2024 goals.
The overarching goal of our district improvement plan is to increase our professional capacity to support and nurture all learners. With your help and through the collective and collaborative efforts of all the stakeholders, we are making solid progress toward reaching our goals and achieving our mission to provide a high quality, comprehensive, student-centered educational experience that prepares them for a post-secondary educational or service experience, a career, and life as an engaged member of society. To learn more about our accomplishments and plans for the year ahead, please visit our Strategic Plan to review our 2023-2024 District Improvement Plan Progress Report and Presentation.
CURRICULUM & TECHNOLOGY
District Grants
As the school year comes to a close, this is a great time for reflection. There are so many things to celebrate and goals accomplished. A great deal of work has gone in to a range of initiatives that have been supported by grant funding. Please review our 2023-2024 MERSD Grants Overview to learn more about some of the many efforts that have been taken this school year.
Seal of Biliteracy
MERSD is proud to recognize the 15 students who earned The MA Seal of Biliteracy, an award that recognizes high school students who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and a world language in recognition of having studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. The vision of the program is to help students recognize the value of their academic success and see the tangible benefits of being bilingual. The State Seal of Biliteracy takes the form of a seal that appears on the transcript or diploma of the graduating senior and is a statement of accomplishment for future employers and for college admissions. Congratulations to our students.
The recipients of the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy:
Ella Chafe, Amelia Costa, Gavin Davis, Adrian Kuehnemund, Mercedes (Mechi) O’Neil, Emily Parkins, Joanna Shan, Diego Sanson
The recipients of the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction:
Aiden Brown, Natalie Brunner, Phileine de Widt, Ava Doane, Charles Lations, Celia Mann, Charles Virden, Adrian Kuehnemund
Book Study
One of the many Professional Learning opportunities our staff engaged with this year were optional Book Study groups that included titles focused on AI, Multilingual Learners, Writing Instruction, and Math pedagogy. Opportunities for this type of professional learning will continue during the summer months and into next year.
HS SCORE Projects
SCORE is the Senior Choice of Relevant Experience, a capstone learning experience and a MERHS graduation requirement. This is an opportunity for our seniors to explore an area of interest or passion and apply their knowledge and skills in an authentic learning environment then present their experience to the MERHS learning community.
FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
BUSING AND TRANSPORTATION
Registration is now open for bus service for the coming 2024-2025 school year.
To register your student(s) please visit our website. To reserve a seat on the bus, please register as soon as possible, but no later than August 14th, 2024.
MERSD IN THE NEWS!
MERHS Green Team Honored for Environmental Efforts – Students Aiden Brown, Paul Coughlin, Gavin Davis, Ian Carlin – developed a plan to reduce carbon emissions on the school campus by highlighting the "No Idle" State Law. Check out the full article HERE!
EES 5TH Graders Learn About Local Watershed through Mass Audubon Program: EES’ Fifth-Grade Teaching Team was awarded a grant from Mass Audubon for students to participate in the Rivers to Sea program. Check out the full article HERE!
FINE & PERFORMING ARTS
THE SOUND WAVES
MUSIC HONOR SOCIETY
MERSD Music Honor Society New York City trip. Students experienced performing their own music and also attended the musical, Little Shop of Horrors!
MERMS DEAN OF STUDENTS
We welcome Mr. Janack as our new Dean of Students at MERMS. Thank you for 9 years as our band director and your passion for Performing Arts at MERSD!
SPRING ART SHOWS
MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES
ATHLETICS
SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS
The District Calendar is available in the Quick Links Section of the district and school homepages.
School & District websites -we are making an effort to keep these informative and up to date.
District & School website calendars have up-to-date information about school and district activities.
Athletic schedules can be accessed from the link on the Athletics page.
The budget page can be accessed by a Quick Link off the district home page. Here you will find our FY24 budget documents and presentations. We will be updating this in the fall to reflect the FY25 budget process.
Superintendent’s Blog is a forum to share good news, observations, and information about our schools and about education in general.
Manchester Essex Regional School District
36 Lincoln St.
Manchester, MA 01944
Phone 978.526.4919
Fax 978.526.7585
MERSD Mission Statement: Educating all students, instilling a passion for life-long learning, and encouraging both local and global citizenship.