At the August 29 School Board smoothly. meeting, the principals and kindergarten coordinators gave their first day reports, updating the board on enrollment numbers, and thanking those that contributed to the flawless first day of school.
Moose Hill School Kindergarten Director Bonnie Breithaupt began the announcements by saying the first day of kindergarten was a great day. Parents accompanied their children on the bus as a way to ease “the transition into kindergarten;” and said the school appreciates that many parents were able to take the time out of their work day to come in and help with this transition.
Enrollment was right on target, according to Briethaupt. She said 276 total students in attendance – 140 of which attend the morning kindergarten session and 136 attend the afternoon. For the morning session, each class size is around 20 students with seven teachers leading the classes, and for the afternoon there are 17 classes with eight teachers.
There are 120 students enrolled in the Londonderry Early Education Program (LEEP), which is ten more than they had at the start of last year. LEEP is a developmental preschool servicing three and 4-year-olds with special needs.
“We strive for a 50/50 ratio between special education and inclusion students,” Briethaupt said.
The enrollment numbers for the school will increase throughout the school year as children in the community turn three and become eligible for the program.
Briethaupt also mentioned how clean the building was for the first day of school, and how the entire staff of the school did a “tremendous job” in the preparations. She gave special thanks to the bus drivers because the routes were being altered until right before school, due to the late registrations that occurred in August.
North School Principal Paul Dutton went next, exclaiming that they had a “great opening.” He said staff and students were excited to be back into the classroom. North School had a “new learner orientation” the Monday before the first day, which he said helped to ease” the transition into longer days for the 1st year students.
An exciting aspect of North School, according to Dutton, is that the entire professional staff are CPR and AED certified and trained. As a school, they are also excited to be implementing the Math In Focus program, which takes math concepts and applies them to everyday life.
“As a school, we’re focused on continuing to set the foundational skills for our students to be college and career ready,” he said.
The main focus at North School is POP: perseverance, ownership, and practice; they continue to build off that foundation with “ideas of the growth mindset.”
Enrollment numbers have increased slightly with 467 total students, with 25 regular classrooms. There are 92 students in first grade, 101 students in second grade, 82 students in third grade, 95 students in fourth grade, and 97 students in fifth grade.
Board member Nancy Hendricks asked Dutton if he believes the increase in first and second grade students merits adding another teacher in the near future, to which he responded: “I think we’re in great shape.”
“We’ll continue to showcase our accomplishments and provide information out through our Twitter account,” Dutton said.
Mathew Thornton has grown over the summer, according to Principal Shannon Putney, with several new teachers hired between 1st grade and 4th. There is also a new library media specialist, occupational therapist, part-time P.E. teacher, and several new special educators and special education assistants.
According to Putney, the IT department, administrative assistant staff, and custodial staff went “above and beyond” this summer to prepare the building for the school year. Staff members worked “countless hours” to make everything look exceptional, and students were smiling as they dropped off. The first day went smoothly, and when Putney asked the students about their day, she said many of them claimed the best part was meeting their teachers and making new friends – and, of course, recess.
Enrollment was almost 100 students above North School, coming in at 540 students, with 106 in first grade, 107 in second grade, 97 in third grade, 110 in fourth grade, and 112 in fifth grade.
South School’s numbers came in closer to North School with 472 students, according to Principal Linda Boyd, which was 11 more students than projected. There were 115 counted in first grade, though it “felt like more.” Average class sizes ranged from 19-23 students per class, and the highest number of students per class occurred in fifth grade at 23.25 students per class.
Though Boyd said each class is “good in balanced,” South School is facing some “growing pains” in first grade – there are 38 more students this year than they had last year. Because of this, there is “a whole different energy” in the morning.
Boyd mentioned that this is their second year of full implementation with the i-Ready program, which is an adaptive diagnostic for reading and mathematics that “pinpoints student needs down to the sub-skill level,” according to the i-Ready website.
Overall, “it was a great first day,” said Boyd.
Londonderry Middle School had a smooth first day, according to Principal Rich Zacchilli. There was only one “oh my” moment, he joked – when Superintendent Scott Laliberte and Assistant Superintendent Daniel Black arrived at the school with the same suit on.
All joking aside, Zacchilli thanked everyone involved in the opening of the school, particularly Matt Blanchette and the entire custodial staff.
“It was like no one ever left,” he said of the first day.
Total enrollment for Londonderry Middle School was 971 students, with 300 in sixth grade, 339 in seventh, and 332 in eighth.
“We’re looking forward to a wonderful year,” said Zacchilli.
Jason Parent, Principal at Londonderry High School, went last, and began by thanking the grounds crew and interns for repairing the roof and cleaning all the rooms in the building. He also mentioned that there is a new outdoor classroom that was part of an alumni donation and a senior class gift, that both students and teacher look forward to using in the upcoming school year. Summer interns also worked all summer to update windows 10 and make sure wireless internet is available throughout the entire building.
Like North School, the entire staff at Londonderry High School are CPR and AED certified, which was one of the school’s goals this year. They continue with their college and career ready goal to create “pathways for every student,” and are in the process of re-evaluating competencies and assessments, and thinking about the NEASC reaccreditation visit in that will occur in the fall of 2021.
Enrollment for Londonderry High School is currently at 1500 students, with 376 freshmen, 362 sophomores, 359 juniors, and 403 seniors.
Recently, Londonderry High School held their “meet the coaches night” with was a success and well-attended, according to Parent. Freshman orientation also went very well. The School Board representative from the High School, Tyler Cullen, expressed that they should also thank the class representatives for their participation in freshmen orientation.
Parent agreed and said the class representatives are there “to showcase Lancer Nation, to welcome this freshman class into Lancer Nation and make them feel comfortable in their school. So I think there was a real acceptance there that day and it’s a great way to welcome our freshmen.”
The school is excited for co-curriculars and athletics to begin in the next few weeks. Londonderry High School’s first home football game against Nashua North will take place on Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m. At the halftime show, the 273 members of the Lancer Marching Band and Color Guard will perform “Reverse the Curse – a tribute to the Boston Red Sox.” The band is also preparing for their fifth Tournament of Roses Parade, in which they will perform.
Open House for Londonderry High School will take place on September 14 at 6:15 p.m.
“There’s a lot going on” in all the schools, said Parent, “but it’s a great start.”