JANUARY NEWSLETTER

I am excited to announce that MERSD has launched its search for our next Essex Elementary Principal!

The Essex Elementary Principal is responsible for providing instructional leadership to a school community that prides itself on educational excellence and equity through the development and implementation of strong and innovative curricular programs, the planning and provision of high-quality professional development, and the development and maintenance of a budget that is fiscally responsible and supports the district’s core values, mission and vision.

Timeline

· Posting Opens -January 12th

· Feedback Sessions -Week of January 22nd

· Paper Review - Begins January 29th

· Initial Interviews - February 5th – 13th

· Finalist Interviews - Begin Week of February 26th

· Appointment Anticipated - Week of March 11th

How to Get Involved

• Search Committee: If you are interested in serving on the search committee, please email Amy LeJeune (lejeunea@mersd.org) for details about the schedule and time commitments and to indicate your interest in volunteering. Please know that if we have more volunteers than the available seats on the committee participants will be chosen by lottery.
• Composition of the Search Committee
• Three teacher representatives
• Three parent representatives
• Three representatives from the District Leadership Team
• During the finalist extended interviews, there will be time allotted for meetings with all constituent groups.

• Survey & Feedback Groups: I hope you will take the time to fill out our brief survey and consider attending one of the community focus group sessions to share your feedback.
• Principal Search Survey
• Feedback Sessions
• Parent & Community Focus Group: January 24th @ 2:30 - EES Library & Virtual
• (Please RSVP Here)
• Faculty Focus Group: January 24th @ 3:30 - EES Library

This is an exciting time for MERSD, and I hope you will consider lending your voice to the process of filling this key leadership role.

MERSD is excited to share that we were awarded a competitive grant from DESE to support the field test of Investigating History Curriculum. We received a total award of $23,730 that covers teacher professional development, substitutes, print student and teacher curriculum resources, and internal costs for field test of the curriculum. The Investigating History curriculum field test is being done in concert with our district-wide history/social science curriculum review process K-12. Through the grant we have also created a network of districts (Reading, Wakefield, Watertown, and Hamilton/Wenham) to build professional learning communities, allowing teachers to share their experiences and practices.

The Investigating History curriculum is designed to allow our students to deeply engage in exploration to understand more broad perspectives about our world and historical events in a culturally responsive manner. The nature of this inquiry-based curriculum supports our teacher’s efforts to engage our students in authentic learning experiences and raise the bar for rigorous learning in history and social sciences. Our teacher’s efforts to facilitate this learning are to be commended, and the discussion and engagement coming out of our field test classrooms are powerful experiences for our students.

Read more about the grant HERE

View Investigating History HERE

The Seaside Parish Knitters are a group of townsfolk who meet weekly at the town library to knit hats and mittens for local children and families. They donate their hand-made winter gear to groups such as Beverly Bootstraps and local elementary schools. They also create blankets, shawls, helmet liners, neck gaiters, and scarves for military troops.

MMES was able to connect with the group thanks to Nurse Joanne Seaman, who reached out to former MMES educator and member of Seaside Parish Knitters, Cindy MacDougall. Seaside Parish Knitters donated a basket full of warm, hand-made hats and mittens to students on January 8, 2024.

(Click Photo for Full Story)

Essex Elementary School students participated in their first “Vocabulary Parade,” one of several initiatives planned to strengthen vocabulary skills.

Students selected words connected with their ongoing studies. Kindergarten students chose words involving emotions, connecting with the grade-level emphasis on social-emotional learning. Grades 1 and 2 chose adjectives and more descriptive nouns. Grade 3 selected prefixes, suffixes, and root words, while Grade 4 students chose words with multiple meanings. Fifth-graders created their own words using Greek and Latin roots. ((Click Photo for Full Story)

Special Education Parents Rights Workshop

January 29th, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ~ Virtual

Please RSVP to Shelley Mullarkey for Registration and Link.

Mullarkeys@mersd.org.

SEL Presentation featuring Michael Eatman

March 28th, 6:00 p.m.

For more information contact Joanne Maino.

Mainoj@mersd.org

Sponsored by MERMS Council

New IEP Workshop for Parents

April 4th and 25th, 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m. ~ Virtual

Presenter: Allan Blume

Please RSVP to Shelley Mullarkey for Registration and Link.

Mullarkeys@mersd.org.

More information and events coming soon!

Monday, January 29 at 6pm, Zoom

Special Education Parent Rights Workshop

Attorney Kristin Wesolaski presents an overview of parent rights under special education law, including but not limited to eligibility, parent notice and consent, IEP development and timelines, evaluations, and dispute resolution.

A Zoom link will be provided.

Navigating Your Family's Emotions: An Introduction to the Zones of Regulation

February 5th, 2024

Essex Elementary Art Room

12 Story St.

Essex, MA

Join special education teacher and social worker Lauren Costa for a workshop that focuses on strategies parents can use at home to support children in developing self-regulation. The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum that helps children to identify feelings that arise when they encounter challenges, recognize when they are becoming less regulated, and manage emotions in order to feel grounded and re-centered. To make emotions easier to talk about, think about, and regulate, The Zones of Regulation utilize simple, common language and visuals to make the complex skill of regulation more concrete for learners and those who support them.

Thursdays, April 4 and 25 at 6pm, Zoom

Understanding the New IEP: A Parent Workshop

As an outcome of their IEP improvement project, DESE has created a new IEP form for special education teams, which will be launched by MERSD in Fall 2024. Join IEP trainer and former Simmons professor Allan Blume for a training on how to understand the changes and best utilize the new format as a member of the special education team. Note: This is the same presentation on both dates. Two dates are being offered to minimize conflicts and maximize convenience for parents. A Zoom link will be provided.

To RSVP to any of these workshops please email Shelley Mullarkey at mullarkeys@mersd.org.

We are seeking four community volunteers to participate as members of the MERSD Wellness Advisory Committee. The Manchester Essex Regional Schools Wellness Advisory Committee is a group that includes caregivers, teachers, school staff, students, and/or members of the community. This group will focus on a holistic approach to wellness that includes but is not limited to:

• Social Emotional Learning

• Physical Health and Nutrition
• Mental Health
• Comprehensive Health and Physical Education instruction

The committee will focus on the health and well-being of everyone in schools, assessing wellness policies and practices, setting and monitoring goals, and identifying and completing action items. Based on Massachusetts mandates (105 CMR 215.000), the wellness advisory committee must meet at least 4 times per year (or quarterly) and meeting minutes and agendas will be made available to the public. During the 2024 year, the committee will meet February 29, May 9, October 3, and December 12 at 3:30pm. The committee will provide updates to both the superintendent and the school committee on goals and objectives.

We are seeking broad representation from our community volunteers including those involved in health-related disciplines, members of the board of health, nutrition professionals, health care providers, and community agencies serving youth. If you are interested in serving as a member of this committee, please share your interest via email, by February 2nd, with Superintendent Pam Beaudoin (beaudoinp@mersd.org) and cc’ Superintendent's Executive Assistant Amy LeJeune (LeJeuneA@mersd.org). Please include your name and your connection to wellness/health fields. Based on levels of interest, appointments to the committee will be based on balanced representation from interested community members.

The MERSD School community is notified of snow days, delays, and cancellations through the following:

• Connect-Ed call to all families
• District Social Media Channels
• Boston Television Stations: WHDH, WCVB, WBZ, Fox25 & NECN
• School and District Websites

The Open Door Food Truck will visit Essex Elementary School and Manchester Memorial Elementary School. For more information about The Open Door please visit their website.

The District Calendar is available in the Quick Links Section of the district and school homepages. Please note that the last day of school, if all snow days are used, will be June 20th; without the use of snow days, we are scheduled for the last day of school to be June 12th. Should we exceed five snow days, additional make-up days will be added to the end of the year through June 30th.

• 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 a 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 FY 24 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.

• MERSD Facebook

36 Lincoln St.

Manchester, MA 01944

https://www.mersd.org/

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.