Amesbury Public Schools Update

I am so excited that the first day of school is upon us! I am very much looking forward to seeing the students fill the classrooms, buses, and hallways! I love the energy that the start of a new school year brings - it is filled with promise, hope and opportunity. School opens on Tuesday, September 5th.

Last week's highlight was the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the SGT Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School. The event was incredibly well attended and by all accounts a huge success. Given that "Shay" was many years in the making, many of the previous members of the School Committee, previous superintendents, principals and city councilors were in attendance. It was absolutely fabulous to watch the expressions on people's faces as they toured the school.

This week the staff has returned to our buildings and has been engaged in professional development alongside spending time in their classrooms to ensure that they are welcoming, inclusive and help to create a sense of belonging for all students. With the grade reconfiguration, there have been lots of teachers and paraprofessionals who have changed buildings and even grade levels. We are working to build a strong sense of community in our buildings and establish new identities. One of the greatest unifiers is our new mascot. As Redhawks, both big and small, we come together to celebrate the Amesbury Public Schools and our community as a whole.

I hope that everyone has a fabulous school year!

Elizabeth McAndrews

Superintendent

I am asking that all families plan to take any first day of school photos at home or other location prior to arriving on the elementary school campus. Given our new traffic pattern, we need to make sure that we safely move vehicles through the drop-off and pick up process. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Last night families received an email from my office in regards to the plan for arrival and dismissal at our elementary schools. Please know that many individuals were involved in this plan including, but not limited to, a traffic engineer from the project, school administration, police administration and SRO's as well as key members of the Salter Bus Company, including a bus driver. We have taken considerable care in the development of this plan and sincerely believe that once people learn the specific pathways that they have to take, this plan will work well for all. We ask that you read the following documents carefully and follow the instructions as we open school next week. We will have additional staff members assisting with the arrival and dismissal process including police officers. If you have questions, please reach out to each individual school.

Reminder:

Please do not arrive on campus for arrival prior to 8:15 as vehicles will not be able to line up until that time

Please do not arrive on campus for dismissal prior to 2:45 pm as vehicles will not be able to line up until that time

Please use this link to find the bus routes for School Year 2023-2024

As I mentioned above, Tuesday was the first day back for staff. By far, the highlight of the day was the student led portions of the program. Five students ranging from Kindergarten through Grade 8 lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. A HUGE thank you goes out to Grace Ricci (K), Abigail Ricci (2), Talia Pamphile (5), Aiden Welch (7), and Abby Chmielewski (8). They were awesome! Senior Ethan Manclark, equally impressive, sang the National Anthem for us. A HUGE thank you to Ethan as well! Definitely my favorite parts of the morning!

Congratulations to Special Education Teacher, Charles Wright, for being recognized for his grassroots effort at establishing a Makerspace for the students at AIHS. Charles, also a graduate of AIHS, took notice of the needs and interests of his students, wrote a grant, and built a Makerspace in which students could build and create. Charles, thank you for your outstanding effort on behalf of our students!

Thursday, August 24h marked a very important milestone in the building of the SGT Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School. Seeing the vision of so many come to fruition was incredible! Thank you to all who were involved in this process along the way!

WOW! Is all that I can say! While I am rarely at a loss for words, I certainly was last night at the elementary Meet and Greet events. When I drove over before it started, there were so many people already at the two schools. Despite having to park well down Lions Mouth Road, towards the end of the high school cross country course, there was an incredible feeling of excitement and positivity. I am beyond pleased by the participation at this event and sincerely hope that the involvement of families will continue! They are a tremendous asset to our schools! A huge shout out to families, students, staff and administrators for this fabulous night. As I moved between the two buildings, I saw many families who did as well. I know that once we work through the kinks in arrival and dismissal, having the two schools on one campus will be a distinct advantage for families and for staff!

Using capital funds allocated to us by the City of Amesbury, we are replacing two HVAC units on the CES roof. Believe it or not, it took more than 18 months to have them made, delivered and installed. Another example of the steps being taken to improve our schools!