December 5th was the 66th day of school for the 2024-2025 school year. According to the state, any student who has been absent 10% of total school days to date is considered chronically absent. This means that any student with 6 or more absences is considered chronically absent this school year.
At the current time, our district attendance rates are trending positively in comparison to last year’s attendance rates, as shown in the table below.
As you likely know and have experienced, when your student is absent your student’s school will reach out. Our district protocols on outreach depend on the school your student attends.
Elementary: When your student is absent and the front office, nurse, and/or classroom teacher have not received communication from home regarding their absence, the school nurse or administrative assistant will reach out to inquire about the wellbeing of your student.
Middle School & High School: When your student is marked absent from their 1st period class of the day, and the main office has not received communication from home regarding the absence, an automated call will occur at approximately 10am to advise you of your student’s absence. In the event of consecutive absences, the school will reach out with additional communication to families.
District protocol (with guidance from the state and DESE) requires that the school reach out at regular intervals after a number of absences has accrued. Families/Guardians can expect a letter home once a student has missed 5, 10, or 15 days of school during the school year. Our outreach is to collaborate with you and your student to best support regular attendance, address any barriers to this, and as a reminder of school and state policies. Should your family receive one of these letters, we are looking to partner with you to support your students’ success and ask that you connect with us to do so!
This data was compiled by the MERSD Attendance Working Group which is composed of staff members from all four schools. Our goal this year is to regularly monitor attendance trends throughout the district in hopes to keep improving our rates and supporting families.
This month the focus was on overall attendance, but the group will also be exploring tardies and dismissals and their impact on learning and achievement.
Seventh Graders Reflect on Democracy in Patriot’s Pen Contest
Students from Mrs. Plante and Mrs. Gauthier’s seventh grade English classes chose to reflect on their role in shaping America’s future by participating in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest. This national competition, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), provides an opportunity for students to express their views on an annual patriotic theme. The contest starts at the VFW Post level, with winners progressing through the District, Department (state), and National levels.
This year’s theme, “My Voice in America’s Democracy?” prompted sixteen thoughtful Manchester Essex seventh grade students to explore how they can contribute to our democracy. Mrs. Plante and Mrs. Gauthier would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of each student who entered the contest. Kim Emerling, VFW District 10 Commander, visited the seventh grade on Friday, December 13 to congratulate all our entrants. We are incredibly proud to announce that one of our students, Makayla M., won at the district level and is now advancing to the state round!
Thank you to all who participated for making their voices heard!
Caleb B.
Melina B.
Isaac C.
Katherine C.
Scarlett C.
Madeline E.
Thomas F.
Eleanor H.
Aviva H.
Myriam L.
Layla M.
Makayla M.
Declan M.
Ava P.
Evelyn R.
Skylar R.
Thank you, Mrs. Plante & Mrs. Gauthier for making this possible for our students!
Our first annual middle/high school play, Shrek the Musical, was a huge success! It was wonderful having middle and high school students collaborate on such an enjoyable show!
Many thanks to Mr. Icenogle and Ms. Garofalo for the hours (and hours!) of work that went into planning, rehearsing, getting the technology just right, and LOTS of other things that are part of creating a successful musical! Special thanks also go to high school student, Nicholas Haley, for the photos and to the Friends of Manchester Essex Performing Arts for their generous contributions and support of our performing arts programming.
Students in 6th grade are reading the book, Refugee by Alan Gratz. To extend their learning and make connections to the real world, Mrs. Whittredge and Ms. Myers invited Ms. Myers' father in to present to the kids.
Tom Myers is a US Coast Guard Veteran who was station in Ft. Lauderdale and Key Largo, Florida from 1988 to 1991. Much of his work involved search and rescue missions for refugees from Cuba. Mr. Myers' presentation was informative and thoughtful and presented in a way that our young students can understand. This is the second year Mr. Myers has come to present.
Many thanks to Ms Myers, Mr. Myers, and Mrs. Whittredge for creating this authentic learning experience for our students.
High School Peer Mentors
High school peer mentors visited 8th grade health classes this week to give an overview of what it's like being a high school student and to answer questions. They discussed topics like organization, time management, homework, cell phones, and how to use U Block effectively.
Thank you Amelia, Troy, Aaron, and every high school student who helped with their sound advice!
Manchester-Essex Regional Middle School
Email: mainoj@mersd.org
Website: www.mersd.org
Location: 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, USA
Phone: 978-526-2022
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterEssexRegional/