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There were four official entries in our holiday "meaning of reading" video contest for first graders, and two submissions after the deadline. While Smyth Road received high honors, we are proud to show you the creativity of some of the honorable mentions. Well done, boys and girls! (Note: We cannot post every video we received because we don't have the OK from signed media releases for all the children.) Wilson School: The Meaning of Reading from Communications Coordinator on Vimeo . HGF: The Meaning of Reading from Communications Coordinator on Vimeo .

What does it take to raise $6,000 in under three weeks? The fifth graders at Parker-Varney Elementary School proved it can be done with hard work and focus on a cause. They held several fundraisers for Liberty House, a transitional housing community for homeless American veterans in Manchester. The students' efforts included candy cane gram sales, a Polar Express movie night, a district-wide dress down day for all employees and staff, and collecting donations online through gofundme.com.  The fundraiser ended officially today when the Parker-Varney students hosted a luncheon at the Manchester School of Technology for the residents and staff of Liberty House. There, they sang Christmas carols, ate a delicious lunch prepared by MST Chef Mike Holfelder and his culinary arts students, and presented the executive director of Liberty House with a check and other gifts. In the end, the students raised six times their original goal of $1,000!  The fifth grade wants to thank...

We asked Manchester's first grades to tell us what reading means to them and record their answers in a 45- to 60-second video. What adorable, creative and thoughtful responses we received! It was difficult to choose, but members of our staff in the superintendent's office selected one video that seemed to capture the essence of reading best. Take a look at what the boys and girls in Mrs. Fleming's class at Smyth Road Elementary School say about reading: Those students were invited to visit us for a special story time with Santa Claus, who traveled all the way from the North Pole, even though it's a very busy time of year. We have to thank the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester for making the connection for us and making sure Santa's schedule could accommodate us. Santa read "I Like Myself" to the class, while they drank juice and snacked on mini muffins. He then gave each child a copy of the book to take home. Special thanks to our friends a...

Read the latest edition of MSD Messages .

FIRST is looking for several  VISTA  members to serve in Manchester with its FIRST LEGO League (FLL) program, which includes Manchester School District's Junior STEAM Ahead program for fourth graders.  Interested candidates can find information and application online .

After 35 years with the Manchester School District, Assistant Superintendent Karen Burkush will retire at the end of this school year, effective June 30, 2015. “I have enjoyed my career here in the school district,” said Burkush. “I’ve had the privilege of working with many amazing individuals, including faculty, staff, students and parents.” Burkush’s first position in 1980 was as speech pathologist for pre-k through sixth grade students. She also served as Child Find facilitator, special education coordinator, assistant director of student services and then director of student services before becoming assistant superintendent in 2004. “We thank Karen for her many years of service to our schools and students and wish her well,” said Superintendent Debra Livingston. “Her skills, experience and historical perspective have been a valuable part of our administration.”

Congratulations to the FIRST LEGO League team from Hillside Middle School! The seventh and eighth grade team members won the judges' award for "Passion About the Problem" at Saturday's NH/VT competition in Nashua. Special thanks to Dyn Inc. for its sponsorship!

Anybody can learn!  Join millions of teachers and students around the world for an Hour of Code during Computer Education Week on December 8 - 12. Activities are available for ages 4 to 104! Check out the resources below and give your students the gift of discovering computer programming! T ry a little or try a lot! Find fun one hour activities or a full course! Simple activities for kindergarten, too! Visit  hourofcode.com  from code.org. No computers? No problem - offline activities to support computational thinking are available.      Try an hour with  Khan Academy  - draw, create a web page, or explore javascript.   Girls from across the country are invited to light a tree in the nation's capital. Check out Made with Code ! The   Google Code-in  is...

Congratulations to Parker-Varney and Gossler Park elementary schools for taking on the attendance challenge. Students in both schools worked extremely hard to make sure that they were at school -- and on time -- every day, and the numbers w ere tracked for the month of October. Parker-Varney won the competition by just a hair, 94.8 percent to 94.07 percent!  Gossler Park's principal, Ms. Upham went to Parker-Varney today to pay off the bet, submitting to a version of the "Ice Bucket challenge." PV students designed a nine-foot pipe to dump the cold water on Ms. Upham, who also donated $105 to ALS research in Parker-Varney's name. Thanks to technology, the event was FaceTimed with Gossler Park so that those students could watch their principal get soaked!  Way to go, everyone! Keep up the great attendance all year long!

Congratulations to the Middle School at Parkside for its "Spotlight" session at the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference this week! Members of the Parkside Technology Team -- Shauna Gagnon, social studies teacher; Robin Tafe, media spec ialist; Stacey Rust-Belforti, reading essentials teacher; Pauline Soucy, computer teacher; and Forrest Ransdell, principal -- shared with educators around the state their experience integrating technology to enhance learning for the whole school.

2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the first New Hampshire primary.   T o commemorate this historic event, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College has joined with AARP New Hampshire to sponsor The New Hampshire Primary 100th Anniversary Essay Contest . Students enrolled in Civics, U.S. Government, or Politics courses in grades 9-12 are invited to submit an essay about New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary and the important civic role that New Hampshire citizens play in nominating our president. Students are encouraged to explore the greater significance of the primary and why political participation truly matters. ENTRY GUIDELINES 350 words, double-spaced • 12-point font, Times New Roman • cover sheet which must include name, home address with zip code, email address, phone number, name of school (or the word “homeschooled”), title of course, grade, and word count of essay • only one essay per student TO ENTER:  Essays are du...

Dear Principals of Manchester School District, The 5th graders at Parker-Varney School are working toward the common goal of making the lives of the homeless veterans at the Liberty House a little bit brighter.  We are trying to raise money and collect supplies to donate to this charity.  We are going to be putting our skills together to sell candy cane grams and contact local businesses and community members to donate to this cause.  We will be presenting them with these donations and a holiday concert at a luncheon at MST on December 18 at noon. We have been granted permission for Superintendent Livingston to hold a jeans day, where participating teachers would make a donation of $5.00. All money collected would be donated to the Liberty House to help the homeless veterans of Manchester.  December 7 is the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day so we are asking for Monday, December 8 to be the designated jeans day.  All money raised by your school should be sent ...

Manchester's fourth graders have an exciting opportunity to experience FIRST LEGO League in their classrooms, and three schools are ready to kick off the program next month. We're calling it "Junior STEAM Ahead," because it's a perfect fit for enhancing math and science concepts the way STEAM Ahead NH is doing at the high school level. But our junior program needs volunteers from the community. Please download and share our  flyer with friends and family who might be able to help! It has more information about FIRST  LEGO League and how volunteers can participate.