Dear NSD Families and Staff,

I am writing with good news. We have received confirmation that the in-school oral health visits by certified dental hygienists will continue during the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

Like last year, NSD students in preschool to grade 8, with signed parent permission, will once again be able to participate in oral screenings over the course of the school year regardless of the family's dental insurance status.

The impact is significant because the need is great. Recent research revealed that Nashua youth have the highest prevalence of untreated dental decay in New Hampshire. It is important to do what we can to be sure NSD students are focused on their classroom lessons, and not be distracted, uncomfortable, or in pain because of toothaches, decaying teeth, or poor oral hygiene. I am delighted to know the services will continue for at least another year.

In the meantime, Class of 2024 pre-graduation events are beginning to take place as our seniors head into senior week. Both Nashua North and Nashua South seniors are celebrating with awards, recognitions, and academic cord presentations, and preparing for cap and gown distribution and graduation rehearsals. Like so many of you, I am looking forward our graduations the week of June 10. See you then!

Mario Andrade, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Nashua School District

May 28, 2024 BOE Meeting

Committee of Finance and Operations: The Board approved several purchases:

• approved purchase of FinalForms software, a new online sports team registration platform at a graduated cost depending on the number of users, beginning in June 2024.
• approved an amount not to exceed $45,033 to ProAV Systems, Chelmsford, MA, to upgrade audio/visual equipment in Nashua HS North Lecture Hall/Board Room;
• approved $5,675 purchase of countertops from Tri-State Kitchens, Nashua, to replace the aging Nashua HS North School store T-Stop countertops;
• approved purchase to replace inferior classroom entrance panels at Bicentennial Elementary School: • six storefront assemblies from L&W Supply for $51,054.11; • Six window units from Marvell Glass for $25,895; • Asbestos abatement to One Source for $7,300; and • Asbestos removal plan and monitoring to RPF Environmental for $7,000;
• approved the $25,582.80 purchase of 120 new desks for Nashua HS North from Virco of Conway, Arizona;
• approved NSD FY24 April 2024 Transfer Report.

Committee on Policy: The Board approved Policy JLCD, and held a first reading for several other policies.

Second Reading

J. Students

JLCD Administering Medication to Students

JLCD-R1 Administering Prescription Medication to Students - Form

JLCD-R2 Administering Over-the-Counter Medication to Students - Form

JLCD-R Administering Medication to Students (Rescinded)

First Reading

• JJJA Student Co-curricular Activity Eligibility-Academic Expectations
• AC-E Annual Notice of contact information for Human Rights Officer, Title IX Coordinator, 504 coordinator and Civil Rights Agencies
• EEA Pupil Transportation Services
• GBCD Background Investigation and Criminal Records Check
• EBBB-R Attachment Bureau of Emergency Med Services (Rescind)
• 2210.1 Advertising in Curriculum and School Publications (Rescind)

Committee on Human Resources: The Board approved six recommended personnel actions, including the hiring of Peter Argeropoulos as Assistant Principal at New Searles Elementary School, and Alice Whalen as the Middle School Special Education Coordinator.

New Business: Cherrie Fulton, Director of Title I, brought the Board news of an approximately 10% decrease in Title I funding for next school year. According to the US Department of Education website, Title I is one of several federally-funded entitlement "resources to schools and districts to ensure that all children have a fair, equitable, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and close educational achievement gaps." As a result, the Title I Preschool, currently housed at Broad Street Elementary School, is closing and the summer 2025 Blast-Off to Kindergarten program and programming for elementary school summer program through the YMCA of Greater Nashua will not be funded.

The Board also discussed and approved a NSD/NTU MOU about 2024-25 professional development days and approved sick bank language in contracts for teachers, secretaries, and paraeducators to make it easier for participation.

The next Nashua Board of Education meeting is scheduled to take place Monday, June 24, 2024 at Nashua High School North.

Teacher of the Year: Congratulations to Lex Duval for winning the 2024 No Bell Award! The Class of 2024 members of the Nashua HS South chapter of the National Honor Society voted him as an outstanding teacher who met all award criteria: leads students; communicates enthusiasm and respect for the subject taught; inspires students to develop a hunger for learning; and serves as a role model for students. Mr. Duval is a social studies teacher at South, where he coached South's Granite State Challenge Team. The annual award comes with a $7,500 cash award, made possible each year by an anonymous donor, and an engraved school bell without a clapper to represent the many, unheralded efforts that teachers, like Lex, make each day. Again, congratulations!

Note pictured above is Mr. Duval between his parents with Rithika Praturu, South Class of 2024 and Secretary of Nashua HS South chapter of National Honor Society who will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall, and Keith Richard, Principal of Nashua High School South.

Congratulations Audrey Mullaney, South Class of 2024, and Selena Zou, North Class of 2025, two Honors Biotechnology & Biomedical Sciences students, who placed as runners up to just four finalists in the highly competitive Second Annual BioTrek Championship last week in Manchester.

The mission of the competition is to have student teams identify a medical problem, design a tissue-engineered medical product to address the problem, and then develop a business model around the product.

Audrey and Selena teamed up to design a product they called "OPT in.” “OPT in” is a biofabricated, trabecular tissue meshwork treatment design for a medical syndrome that causes optic nerve damage called primary open angle glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.

They advanced to the finals where four biofabrication industry representatives from around the country judged the competition. From what their teachers tell us, both Audrey and Selena showed poise and an extensive knowledge about their product and its application while presenting and answering questions.

Congratulations to Audrey and Selena for their creative problem-solving skills. Well done!

Note photo below below from the Second Annual BioTrek Championship, featuring Selena and Audrey in the middle, flanked by Francine Brown and Divya Nagri, their teachers from the Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences 2 class.

The CLiF Year of the Book this year at Mount Pleasant Elementary School ended as it started, with an author visit and a book giveway for each student. On Tuesday, the Voelkels told tales of jungle adventure. Jon and Pamela Voelkel, authors of Jaguar Stones books, visited to help Mount Pleasant Elementary wrap up its Year of the Book, courtesy of CLiF, the Children’s Literacy Foundation, Waterbury Center, Vermont.

Goals for Year of the Book are to create a culture of literacy within a school community, encourage reading and writing, integrate literacy into other areas of the curriculum, increase family engagement in literacy, and make high-quality books accessible to all students. In addition to author visits, CLiF provided 10 new books for each student to choose and keep for their home libraries. Kudos to Mount Pleasant Elementary School for fulfilling the mission of Year of the Book. Keep reading!

Keep with us the summer! #NashuaSchools is gaining followers! Since the beginning of the school year, hundreds have joined. Once again, we encourage you to follow NSD on Instagram for all upcoming important announcements and school highlights!

The Nashua School District announces the final open house for Elm Street Middle School, which also served as Nashua High School and Elm Street Junior High School, will be held:

4-6 pm, Wednesday, June 26, 2024

117 Elm Street, Nashua, New Hampshire

We welcome both current and former Eagles as well as former Panthers for the final stroll through the hallways of a school that has served the City of Nashua, generations of families, and thousands of students since 1936.

The last day of school is Friday, June 14 and the week of June 17 will be devoted to moving Elm Street Middle School teacher materials and supplies to Brian S. McCarthy Middle School, and so we see the open house as a final so long. Hope you can join us! Please enter the open house using the Chestnut Street entrance to the cafeteria. If you have questions, please email middleschoolproject@nashua.edu.

The Brian S. McCarthy Middle School will be opening for school business Thursday, August 1, 2024. The final interior work is being finalized and the school grounds are also in the final stages of readiness with plantings and parking lot paving wrapping up these next few weeks.

Nashua ETV and Pete Johnson, Nashua ETV Administrator, produced the latest episode of Eye on Education with Ed Lecius with a tour of McCarthy Middle School. Mr. Johnson also kindly shares his latest aerial photos of the new middle school. Please see below.

Thank you once again to Nashua ETV and Nashua ETV Administrator Pete Johnson for producing another great video for our NSD families, students, and teachers. Please click below to revisit the wonderful and well-attended event at South in March that celebrated our students' creativity and the work of our art teachers.