Dear Families, Students, Staff and Community Partners,
The time has almost arrived for the start of another school year in Manchester. I hope you and your loved ones had the chance to build fun summer memories and that your student is ready for our first day of school! As you know, our school year starts Wednesday, September 4. As we all prepare to transition back to the classroom, I wanted to connect and share with you a few updates from the District. Consider this my “What I did on summer vacation” letter to you. We have some exciting news to share.
In the next few days you will likely see the District’s school buses on the road and in your neighborhood. As you may know, the District has hired dozens of bus drivers so we are set for home to school transportation. We also have a plan in place to acquire the school buses needed to manage our students’ after school/extra-curricular transportation needs. It is an exciting time for us and we are ready. The transportation team is still reviewing routes and ridership and will be making adjustments to account for items like new enrollments. As we near our opening day, you can be assured that when the first day of school arrives, our buses will be where they need to be to get our students to and from school safely. Our projected bus routes for this school year are posted at: https://www.mansd.org/page/transportation. We have placed a transportation link on each school site for your use - look for a transportation button to access this link. In addition, keep an eye out for updates from the district that will outline any new or modified bus routes so you and your students have the information you need about pick-up and drop-off times and locations. Should you have any questions, please reach out to our transportation department at transportation@mansd.org.
Also, Manchester School District is thrilled to be opening a brand new Welcome Center this month. In partnership with GEAR UP and Manchester Proud, this new center is downtown, located at 148 Concord Street, next to the city library. The Welcome Center will serve the needs of families who are new to the district as well as offering a single point of service and contact for families who are wondering about available resources for their student. The center will serve as a focal point to answer questions and to celebrate our district and our students. Throughout the school year, we will host special events and student-centered activities and displays that reflect the wonderful things going on in our school district. We invite you to come and check out the new center at our upcoming Open House. We will be releasing this date in the very near future.
The Manchester School District reflects our community. We celebrate many different backgrounds and cultures in Manchester. Our families are born and raised in the Queen City as well as brand new to both the state and even our country. That cultural diversity presents both opportunities and challenges to the learning environment. In order to provide the best outcomes for students, while ensuring we improve the opportunities for students who come to us from non-English speaking backgrounds, Manchester is leading the state in launching its dual language immersion program. These programs are designed to help students learn a new language while providing a teaching environment in their first language. We are thrilled to implement and expand dual language immersion programs this year and into the future.
Lastly, several of our school facilities will have a different look and feel this year. As part of our city-wide renovation and school improvement project known as Priority One, the district will soon be taking possession of a number of temporary modular classrooms at six sites around our city: Beech Street and McDonough Elementary Schools, and Hillside, McLaughlin, Parkside and Southside Middle Schools. This is all part of our effort to renovate and build new additions for all four of the city’s middle schools. And work will soon begin on construction of a new elementary school at Beech Street. The modulars, which are all brand new facilities, will help us provide the necessary space to balance student learning and renovation work being completed at our middle schools. Our goal is to limit disruption as best we can throughout the school year. The modulars will be in use for three years before the project is completed and they are removed from the school sites.
I would like to invite you to come and visit one of the modular buildings at our Open House on August 29 at McLaughlin Middle School. These will be open for two blocks of time: 10 am-noon and 5-7 pm. We’re excited to show these spaces off, and this will be your first -- and best -- opportunity to take a look around inside them. Our district leadership team and school leadership will be on hand to show you around and answer any questions.
Lastly, a word of thanks. Your support of our schools, our students and our district means everything to us. Our students are our pride and joy and we are so excited to get started with the 2024-25 school year. Change can be difficult and I hope this outreach and the connections we offer to families and students and staff are sufficient to ensure people are as comfortable as possible jumping into a whole new school year. I am looking forward to getting started and I will be in touch again soon with another update as we approach September 4.
With warm regards,
Jennifer Chmiel (Gillis)
Superintendent, Manchester School District