Learn about recent news and upcoming events

Shelly  Larochelle, principal of Northwest Elementary School, is among 58 outstanding elementary and middle school principals from across the nation and abroad who have been named as  2016 National Distinguished Principals  (NDP) by the  National Association of Elementary School Principals  (NAESP).The NDPs will be honored  Oct. 7  at an awards banquet at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., as part of a two-day program. Established in 1984, the National Distinguished Principals program recognizes public and private school principals who make superior contributions to their schools and communities. The principals will also have the opportunity to share best practices. The 58 principal honorees are selected by NAESP state affiliates and by committees representing private and overseas schools. NAESP Executive Director Gail Connelly congratulated the class of outstanding principals, noting their significant influence on the students, schools...

The September edition of MSD Messages is now available for download. Click HERE , or read below.

Safe Sports Network is hosting their annual FREE sports physicals event. This year it will be on November 16th, 2016 at the NH Orthopaedic Center in Bedford, NH. The event will run from 5:30p-7:00p.  Participants are asked to RSVP ahead of time. They can sign up using this link: http://www.nhmi.net/safe-sports-physical-form.html . Walk-ins are also welcomed, they can print off the form and bring it with them.

Courtesy: Union Leader Manchester School District will welcome its new superintendent, Dr. Bolgen Vargas, in October. His appointment was confirmed after the full Board of School Committee voted in favor of offering Dr. Vargas the job and a contract was approved Monday night.  Dr. Vargas comes to Manchester from Rochester, NY, where he served first as interim then superintendent of Rochester City School District from 2011 until the end of 2015. His previous career experience includes 20 years as a school counselor. Dr. Vargas also served  eight years as a Commissioner on the Rochester Board of Education, including four as president. Members of our school communities had an opportunity to meet and hear from Dr. Vargas during his one-day tour of several schools as part of the final interview process. Parents and students were invited to question and answer sessions at MST, Beech Street and Northwest elementary schools, McLaughlin Middle School, and Central High School....

Superintendent of Schools Debra Livingston has named the district’s new director of student services and preschool coordinator, as well as two assistant principals. The Board of School Committee officially approved the hires at last week’s meeting. As director of student services, Dr. Jennifer Dolloff will be responsible for the school district’s special education program, maintaining and monitoring the records of all students receiving services. She will supervise special education staff across the district and serve as chief advocate for the needs of Manchester’s special education students at the state and national levels. Dr. Dolloff comes to our district from the Southeastern Regional Education Service Center (SERESC) in Bedford. SERESC is a consortium of educational consultants and programs providing school districts across the state with resources and assistance. Dr. Dolloff’s role there primarily focused on the needs of children receiving special education services. ...

The five members of the Manchester Superintendent Search Committee charged with screening and presenting qualified candidates to the full school committee were notified late   Tuesday   afternoon that one of the two final candidates who was to visit Manchester on Friday, September 23 has voluntarily withdrawn from this search for a variety of personal reasons. The search consultants from HYA, a national search firm that has been working with the Manchester Board of School Committee, received word from Dr. Vincent Cotter on Tuesday that he was no longer interested in the Manchester position. This leaves one candidate, Dr. Bolgen Vargas of Rochester, NY.  Dr. Vargas will spend all of Friday in Manchester meeting with school board members, school faculty, students and parents.  He will have lunch with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and will answer general questions at a public forum on Friday evening, which will begin...

Manchester School District wants to better understand how effectively it is communicating higher level learning opportunities to high school students and their families. A higher level learning opportunity is defined as an experience such as a course or program that rises in levels of complexity and demand through accelerated learning. Courses and programs that meet the criteria for higher level learning opportunities include high school honors (Level 3), Advanced Placement (Level 4), Manchester Community College’s Running Start program, and Southern New Hampshire University’s Dual Enrollment Program (a/k/a College in the High School). We invite parents and students to take a survey that will help us collect important information about your experiences. The links for each are below. Thank you for your time! Parent survey : www.mansd.org/2016-opportunity-parents The parent survey is also available in Arabic, Bosnian, Nepali, Spanish and Vietnamese. Students in grades 8 -...

Manchester School District is looking to enhance its pool of substitute faculty and staff. Substitutes for classroom teachers and paraprofessionals are needed regularly when there are unexpected absences, but school districts regionally and across the country are experiencing a shortage of subs. “We recruit substitute teachers and paras all year long to maintain the number of qualified individuals we can call on,” said Superintendent Dr. Debra Livingston. “In recent years, fewer people are applying, and the pool is getting smaller.”   Many current subs are retired teachers or educators who choose not to work full-time, and the ability to create a customized schedule is a major draw. “The flexibility is fabulous,” said Moira Philbrook, who has regularly filled in at elementary and high schools off and on for about 20 years since leaving a teaching position. “I can say yes or no, depending on my family schedule or other commitments. I also like the variety of meeting d...