February 2, 2024
Dear SAU 90 Staff and Families,
Well, if Punxsutawney Phil is right, spring is on its way! According to the legendary groundhog from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Phil did not see his shadow. Therefore, winter should be in the rearview mirror soon! As it currently stands, we have had just one school delay which means that currently, the last day of school for students is Wednesday, June 12. We know that the weather has been very unpredictable on the seacoast making those 4:30 AM decisions challenging. I begin this decision-making process 24 hours in advance of storms. I consult with the New Hampshire Homeland Security & Emergency Management/National Weather Service out of Concord, town officials, First Student, and area superintendents. Weather on the seacoast can be significantly different than conditions inland and can change rapidly. For the sake of our families and for the sake of consistency, we continue to work with SAU 21 on decisions that impact our students. This includes delays, releases, cancellations, and decisions to exercise a remote option. Remote learning would only be considered after we have had three snow days. We continue to be mindful of our many families who have students who attend Winnacunnet High School.
I had the opportunity to visit with the Marston School students this week. And they were very busy with their literacy and mathematic activities that morning. It is so amazing to watch our third, fourth, and fifth graders make such strides in their reading, writing, and math skills since the beginning of the school year. Their progress, hard work, and efforts are certainly impressive. Additionally, I was able to attend their Spelling Bee which proved to be an exciting event. Congratulations to all our finalists who represented their class. William Denio will move on to represent Marston School at the regional competition. Please be sure to check out this week’s Facebook post which features our amazing children!
The town’s deliberative session will take place tomorrow, February 3 at Hampton Academy. This will begin at 8:30 AM in the gymnasium. The deliberative session for the school’s warrant articles will take place on Monday, February 5 at the Hampton Academy Auditorium beginning at 7:00 PM. Please be sure to review the attached videos for more information that are narrated by students, Jack and Nathan, from Hampton Academy. Registered voters will consider the posted warrants for the annual meeting. The second session of the annual meeting, the traditional voting day, will be on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Voting takes place at Winnacunnet High School Dining Hall. Polls are open from 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Absentee ballots may be obtained from the Town Clerk’s office at the Hampton Town Hall during their regular office hours. Please remember to vote!
It has come to my attention that students are using their cell phones on school buses and during the school day. Please remember, that under policies JICJ and JICC, cell phones are not allowed on the buses nor are they allowed in school. We recognize that some parents do send their children to school with these devices for safety and medical reasons. However, they should always remain in their backpacks unless they have permission from the school to do otherwise. We thank you for reinforcing these expectations with your children.
Wishing everyone a safe winter weekend ahead!
Warmly,
Dr. Lois B. Costa
Superintendent of SAU 90
Shark News: Shark News 2.2.24
Budget Video: https://youtu.be/Y5IGs3jTgAI
Ventilation Video: https://youtu.be/ctIUzlyLvXU