School Board Meeting. 3-25-26

001Good evening. We'd like to call the Londonderry School District meeting to order. Uh, the meeting of the Londonderry School Board will be held on Wednesday, March 26th, 2026 >> [music] >> at 7:00 p.m. in the Londonderry High School, 295 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, New Hampshire in the cafeteria. The meeting will also be broadcast on local cable access channel 8, as well as the district's YouTube channel. Will all please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Parent will lead us in it. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for >> [clears throat] >> This will be the reorganization of the School Board meeting. I sit here temporarily and will read a script from our attorney

002that explains the process to elect the new School [music] Board chair. Once that person is chosen, they will take over the meeting. As in previous years, >> [music] >> and from the advice of our attorney, the following process will be utilized for the nomination election of the chairperson. Open floor nomination for the chairperson, accept the nomination and ask for [music] a second, call for a discussion, call for a vote. The nomination fails to achieve the required majority of three, I will open the floor again for a nomination and repeat [music] the process. Our attorney has advised that we should handle one nomination at a time. During the discussion phase, a board member is free to speak [music] for or against the nomination and indicate if the nomination fails, they would nominate another specific individual. Once

003a chairperson is elected, the chairperson would take [music] over the meeting and conduct the election for the vice chairperson in the same manner. I would like to now open the floor for the nomination [music] of a chairperson. Yeah. I would like to make a motion to re-nominate Bob Slater as the chairperson of the Londonderry School Board. >> [music] >> So moved. Any discussion? Oh, sorry. Is there a Any discussion? [music] Good. Now, call for a vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay. [music] Bob, you take back over. Thank you. >> [applause] [music] >> All right. >> [clears throat] [music] >> Thank you. First off, I'd like to um, thank the voters out there, um, >> [music] >> for having their faith in re-electing me for another three-year terms on the School [music] Board. And,

004um, I'd like to thank my colleagues, uh, that sit up here and, um, put a lot of time in and away from their families [music] to represent all of our students and our staff and our community members to make Londonderry the best school district we can possibly be and achieve even higher goals each and every [music] year. Um, so I want to personally thank Amanda, Sarah, Tim, and Kevin in their trust in me [music] being the chair and trying to feed you guys all the information I can possibly get to you per day, per week, >> [music] >> and and on a daily basis. Um, so we can function, um, as a group that is looking out for the benefit [music] of our community, our students, and our staff. So, thank you all and the

005[music] trust in me in that. So, I'm happy to serve all. So, uh, with that, I will look for a nomination, um, for vice [music] chairperson. I'd like to nominate Amanda Butcher to be vice chair. >> [music] >> I'll second that. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Welcome. Thank you. Congratulations, Amanda. All right. >> [music] >> Now, we'll go to 3.2. Uh, I will look for a motion for re-adoption of our policies, please. [music] So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Second by Amanda. >> [music] >> Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor? Aye. Aye. 5-0. [music] Thank you. We'll move on to the consent agenda. We have some retirements. I put one in front of you folks. Um, so we're going to start with, uh, Sarah Brown, please, of Allied of part of Allied

006Health. >> [music] >> Today, we gather to honor someone whose care, calm presence, and kindness have shaped the heart of Matthew Thornton, Sarah Brown. We'll deeply miss Sarah's bright [music] smile, her steady help, and the reassuring way she cared for every student and staff member who walked through their door. It is nothing short of amazing [music] what comfort a wet paper towel and an ice pack can uh, can cure. Or perhaps, it was uh, never really the paper towel or the ice pack [music] at all. Maybe it was simply Sarah's special touch. Over her 25 years of service, Sarah created countless memories, [music] but some of her fondest came from the time that both of her daughters attended Matthew Thornton. >> [music] >> Being able to care not only for the children of the community,

007but also for her own, made those years incredibly special [music] to her. Throughout her career, Sarah has navigated difficult and emotional situations with unwavering grace and kindness. >> [music] >> She has been a source of comfort during scraped knees, upset stomachs, tears, [music] worries, and every unexpected moment that comes with supporting young children. Her compassion made students feel safe. [music] Her calm made staff feel supported, and her presence made our school a better place. >> [music] >> Sarah's work extended far beyond tending to bumps and bruises. She has been a listener, a guide, a caretaker, and often the person who helped staff and students feel seen and cared for when they needed it most. As Sarah steps into her well-deserved retirement, we want her to know how grateful we are for her years of dedication.

008>> [music] >> Sarah, your kindness has left a mark on this school that will stay with us long after you leave its halls. [music] Thank you, Sarah. We will miss you. Thank you, Kevin. And, Christine Francoeur, please. >> [music] [music] >> I can do mine while we wait for that one? Yeah. Go ahead, Amanda. Okay. Um, this is for Kathy Orio. Today, we have the privilege of celebrating someone who has shaped the heart of Matthew Thornton Elementary for nearly [music] three decades, Kathy War Orio. Kathy has been a steady source of joy, guidance, and compassion within the Londonderry School District since November of 1997, touching [music] the lives of students, families, and colleagues alike. Kathy began her career in Londonderry as a student assistance program counselor, later becoming a school counselor at Matthew Thornton Elementary,

009where she has shaped the lives of countless students in grades 1 through [music] 3. Over the years, Kathy has helped young children navigate friendships, build healthy relationships, [music] discover joy in simply being a kid, and find confidence in who they are. >> [music] >> Her commitment to advocating for children, especially our most vulnerable, has been unwavering, heartfelt, and deeply impactful. For those who have worked with her, Kathy's infectious laugh, quick wit, and bright sense of humor are simply unforgettable. Walking past a lunch bunch session led by Kathy was always the highlight of the day. You could hear the giggles before you even reached the door. Her presence brought warmth, safety, and fun to every space she entered. >> [music] >> While Kathy is sad to say goodbye to the place she has considered home for

010nearly three decades, she is absolutely delighted to begin her next chapter, one filled with the joyful chaos of five grandchildren who are ready and waiting for her attention, love, and energy. Kathy, as you step into this well-earned new adventure, please know that you leave behind a legacy of kindness, [music] dedication, and laughter. Think of us often as we will certainly think of you. [music] Matthew Thornton will not be the same without you. We will miss you, we thank you, and we wish nothing but happiness in the years ahead. [music] Thank you, Amanda. Next up will be Janet Stiff, please. Janet Stiff, our dear friend and keystone of our kindergarten program, will retire at the end of this school year after 30 years of service as an educator. An original member of the kindergarten team when

011Moose Hill first opened its doors in 2001, Mrs. Stiff has been a mentor, union representative, and a passionate advocate for the developmental needs of the young child. >> [music] >> Janet is the hardest working teacher in all of the early childhood world. Always dreaming up new ways to reach young learners, she has created endless activities, games, and online resources for her [music] students and their families. She's been our stalwart leader in understanding new trends in education, >> [music] >> even recommending articles for us to read in the summer. Countless children have been nurtured and challenged [music] by her thoughtful and well-prepared teaching. Likewise, her enthusiasm, experience, [music] and deep knowledge of early childhood have bolstered her colleagues, student teachers, [music] and mentees to work hard for their children. More than anything, Janet has always been

012a true early [music] childhood professional. Her passion for recognizing kindergarten as a distinct >> [music] >> and singular singularly important grade level has inspired all of us. When you walk into Janet's classroom, you witness an environment carefully constructed to allow 5- and 6-year-olds to feel confident, >> [music] >> successful, and independent. It's a model for best practice, and we have all benefited from witnessing [music] it. Janet, thank you for all you've done to inspire us and so many children. [music] We wish you the best in your retirement. Enjoy traveling, watching Bill Douglas, visiting [music] Zach in New York City, and doing jazz recitals to BTS. Thank you, Tim. And next up will be Christine Frankour, please. Chris Frankour has been teaching for [music] 22 years at North School, teaching students in both third and fourth

013grade. Miss Frankour has been a constant presence for her students, [music] always showing up with her care, patience, and a deep commitment to making sure every child is successful [music] in her classroom. She has built strong relationships with families and has been [music] a supportive and trusted colleague to those who have had the privilege of working alongside her. The impact of a great teacher reaches far beyond the classroom, and Miss Frankour's influence will continue to live on [music] in the many students whose lives she has helped shape over the years. Her dedication to her students and to our school community has truly made a difference. [music] On behalf of North School and the district, we thank Chris for her years of service and the care and commitment she has given to all her students. >>

014[music] >> On behalf of North School and the school district, we thank Miss Frankour for her many years of service [music] and for the care and commitment she has given to her students. We wish you all the very best in the exciting adventures that lie [music] ahead. Thank you, Sarah. All right. Moving on. Uh up and coming meetings will be April 7th, [music] 2026 regular school board meeting here in the cafe at 7:00 p.m. And on April 21st, 2026, [music] again will be a regular school board meeting here in the cafe at 7:00 p.m. And uh that may fluctuate once we get to uh 8.10, but we will keep that in the consent agenda, and I will look for a motion to approve the consent agenda, please. [music] >> So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second.

015Second by Tim. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. 5-0. Thank you. >> [clears throat] [music] >> All right. Committee reports. We'll start with our student representatives. [music] Welcome. Hi. Um yeah, so for updates, student council unfortunately had to cancel the spring [music] semi-formal. However, the postcard decorating for the house offices went really well. They came out really nicely. Um and today [music] for juniors was SAT day, and that also went really well. Um so >> [music] >> sorry. So, back in February, student council had its um food drive where we collect boxed goods, and [music] the day before vacation, we had a box battle event, which is where we had each class compete against each other to earn um donations in their name to the St. Jude's Food Pantry. [music] In total, we donated um

016oh, just over 300 um food items and $600. [music] We This was a huge success across the whole school. Everyone loved it, and we hope to make it [music] a new tradition at the school. Thank you. Great. Thank you so much for the updates. Uh school [music] board liaisons, Amanda. So, for Moose Hill, they have the Week of the Young Child coming up. Um that is April 13th to the 17th. Um there's a variety of events that week [music] um to celebrate, including music and bubble dance parties, Popsicle parties, decoration [music] of snap bracelets, um and an ice cream social. Uh they are accepting [music] bubble donations, so um those do not need to be new. They can be opened and partially used, but any bubbles are welcome. >> [music] >> Any volunteers are welcome

017on Monday for the bubble and dance and Friday for the ice cream social. Thank you, Amanda. Sarah. >> [music] >> All right. For Londonderry Middle School, the last day of quarter three is this Friday. There's also sixth grade dance taking [music] place at 6:00 p.m. Um this Friday as well. Um upcoming eighth [music] grade DC field trip, there's some big dates coming up for medication drop-offs. Um this Saturday is the first one. And April 9th, uh >> [music] >> spring sports begin on March 30th. And the eighth grade field trip, um DC trip will be uh April 21st-April 24th. And upcoming New Hampshire [music] SAS testing in May. Also, the PTO will be selling lawn signs for the eighth graders to benefit [music] the eighth grade class. Look for an email coming in early April.

018PTO is also looking for leaders for next year. Various roles are open. Uh please [music] reach out to Nicole Hand if you'd like to more information on that. And for the high school, today they had the SAT exams [music] in school. They have upcoming senior resume writing workshop, >> [music] >> and we have Bring Back the Trade Skills Expo coming on April 18th from 9:00 to 2:00 9:00 to 2:00 at LHS. We also have What the What's Next [music] Fair for all students on March 31st from 6:00 to 7:30 at LHS as well. And this Saturday, the high school is doing an Easter egg hunt. [music] Um so, please feel free to bring the family and kids along uh this Saturday. [music] Thanks, Sarah. I'm sorry. Next Saturday, April 4th. Thanks, Sarah. So, for Matthew

019Thornton, uh last week they wrapped up Turn Up the Fun Week. >> [music] >> Uh book fair was extremely successful through the week, culminating with uh family night on Thursday night. Uh it was the best uh by sales, it was the best book fair to date. And then Friday was the end of the week for Turn Up the Fun Week. >> [music] >> Uh that was the talent show. It was extremely well attended. There were 42 individual acts, uh kids ranging ranging [music] from first to fifth grade, and it was extremely well attended by parents, grandparents, and it was about an hour and 40 minutes. Uh so, thank you for everyone that turned out and supported the school for all of [music] last week. Thanks, Tim. >> [music] >> Kevin. Uh couple quick updates from

020North. Uh first, a little over a week ago, they held their VIP and Me dance, which was [music] by all accounts a strong success. Um They It did sell out, and it was uh I heard great reviews from several families in the area. Um and then another big item was today. They celebrated their first Wiz Fit [music] goal with Brownie playing DJ on the uh on the playground while the kids got Popsicles in celebration [music] of that. I believe it was $10,000 was their first goal, and they achieved that. Uh with the money [music] going towards the next big piece of playground equipment that we put in to the new playground. >> [music] >> Thank you, Kevin. And unfortunately, South School had their meeting last Monday, and town council and planning board and I just

021happened [music] to be away, so I will update everybody at our next school board meeting on those three liaison reports [music] and that. So, let's jump into announcements and presentations, and uh we are thrilled um to [music] have in the house our New Hampshire state girls basketball champion team here of 2026, and I'd like to invite the girls up and the coach and say a few words. Whoever would like to speak, [music] I know uh it was quite a season um and fun to watch. >> [music] >> So, the floor is yours. >> Okay. Well, thank you first for having us. And before the girls and Coach Doherty take over, I just need to say a few thank yous, starting with the school board and our and our Londonderry High School admin team for the

022support. This This journey started in New York during the summer with the approval from you guys, and from there, the team bond and the will to win this year, we started back then. So, we can't thank you enough for supporting these girls all the way back in the summertime because from watching them from New York to the other weekend at UNH, it's just been a journey, and it's been a heck of a journey watching these girls and being part of this program. Um and then just to jump forward to the playoffs, this Londonderry community, I cannot thank them enough. They really embraced this girls team this year. Um, I think coach Doherty has the the best saying. We had a big I think it was the Pink Out game when we had a big fan

023section during the regular season and one of the boys said out loud, "Man, these girls are good. We're coming to all their games from now on." Um, and then from there on once they saw these girls just dominate on the floor, our fan base has been amazing and [music] to go to all the playoff games from the body paints to the packing the stands to people that we don't even know who live in this town who came and and [music] cheered on these girls, we can't thank them enough. And then we would also like to give a special thank you to the police who escorted these girls during their UNH um journey. They showed up. Uh, they came. They got them safe to the highway and then they hit the road to Durham and then

024they came home as champions as well. Um, and then too of special thanks to coach John Doherty. Um, being in charge of numerous teenage girls is not easy. Um, and he does it with grace and calmness and kindness and he got this team ready and prepared to win a championship. Um, so I just wanted to give a special thanks to our head coach John Doherty who has an amazing staff underneath him but being a head coach is not easy and he did an incredible job this year. So, at that time at this time I would like to call up coach John Doherty. Thanks, Katie. Um, I'm not going to say too much because my whole saying has always been it's not about me, it's about them. I'm just the one who's in charge and points

025them in the right direction but the dedication and the time that these girls have put in um >> [music] >> is way bigger than anything that I could do. Um, but I do want to say thank you to you guys. I do put a lot um >> [music] >> out there for these guys to do whether it's summer leagues, New York. You know, we went to Rhode Island. We've we've done a bunch of things and you guys have graciously always approved [music] those things so we really appreciate that. Um, so like I said, it's not about me. It's about them. So, [music] Sam wants to come up first. >> There you go. All right. Come on out. I mean like feel like they've said it all but you know, I speak on behalf of the

026team. We're all just really grateful for everything you've done for us and we thank you for having us here tonight but I'm just really happy that we got to win it. This a great group of girls so I'm really happy. I think Brooke wanted to say something. That's it. Throw her [laughter] under the bus. Um, thank you for all your support. [music] Uh, we couldn't have done it without you guys showing up for us and always providing us the spaces [music] to go and get better. So, thank you. >> [laughter] >> I mean, basically the same thing. Thank [music] you guys so much for allowing us to go to all these special places. I mean, it really helped our team [music] get bonded together and I think that this is the best season I've had

027so I'm so happy that you [music] guys did that for us. Any questions for the girls? >> [music] >> I don't have a question but um so happy for you guys. You'll have this forever. Um, and being on a team, it will help you in anything that you do in your life. It really will. We take pride in working as a team and um it will help you in your work and working with people and but no one will ever take this from you guys. It's really special. I loved being able to get up there and watch you guys take it home. >> [music] >> Thanks for doing us proud. And and we >> [music] >> myself coaching girls for many years here at the lacrosse level to what you guys accomplished is very hard

028to do. Um, you know, everybody had you you know, under the radar and you guys showed up and worked all season to get to that top spot in those last key couple of games [music] and you really dominated with team effort. It was team effort across the board and that does come from leadership [music] from the head coach. So, kudos to you coach, uh Katie for your support of these girls and girls, you you ought to be very proud cuz it's you did something that's very hard to do in this state. Um, so uh I can't thank you enough for you know, what you've done [music] for the school and what you've accomplished and and I understand you on April 3rd might have got an invite to Concord to to visit with Governor Ayotte. So,

029>> [music] >> that takes a lot too and I'm glad um that that governor is going to recognize you know, such a wonderful group of of young ladies and coaching staff uh representing Londonderry at the highest level and [music] that. So, uh I want to thank Governor Ayotte for recognizing what you guys have done too and really appreciate uh the season [music] and in the years getting to this point that it takes to do that. So, congratulations to you all and and the other teammates and coaches that couldn't be here tonight. So, outstanding. Thank you very much. >> [applause] >> And do you mind if they take a picture with you guys? Grab the banner and take a picture. >> [applause] [music] [laughter] [music] >> Look at Emily. I'm small. >> [laughter] >> Thank you

030so much. >> [applause] >> And before [music] uh um Miss Sullivan leaves, I'd like to just quickly uh >> [music] >> recognize our our very own Katie Sullivan for a prestigious award she just got recently given out by 95.7 WZID uh >> [music] >> for one of the outstanding 20 women in the state of New Hampshire. >> [music] >> That is quite an accomplishment and I know um what you do in this town is just remarkable. It's [music] it's not only for the school district, it's for the town, it's for the community. It's for the students. Um, just all around so uh we couldn't be more proud of you for this [music] accomplishment and just wanted to say congratulations and that. So, >> [music] >> Thank you. I appreciate. I will give a special shout

031out to my mom and dad who were my dates last night to the award dinner. Um, dad dressed up in a nice little suit and stuff and they were great. Uh, but it was funny cuz when I was there and it was supposed to be my time, I ran into the governor who she only wanted to talk about the girls behind me and the team. So, I'm like, "Okay." But again, like we said, it's about the kids and that's why I did and I think that's why I got recognized with all my um I give it all back to my pay it forward kids, my Lancers, this town, my veterans who inspire me. So, it was like John coach John said, it was about the kids. We get sometimes uh the recognition and stuff like

032that but we do it because we love absolutely love what we do but >> [music] >> and I just got to say thank you to my parents who raised a good girl who continues to do well and um I couldn't think of a better town to do everything in. So, thank you and I appreciate the support from the board too. It's for letting me do everything I get to do in this town cuz it's a fun it's a fun job. So, I appreciate [music] it. Congratulations again. >> you, Katie. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right. >> [music] >> And 6.2 got the distinct honor of bringing up the New [music] Hampshire Assistant Principal of the Year of 2026, Kim Ferraro of North School. Mr. Dutton, I believe he's going to come up. >> [applause] [music]

033>> Good evening. So, I'm excited and honored to share that Kim Ferraro, North School's Assistant Principal, has been selected as a 2026 New Hampshire Elementary Assistant [music] Principal of the Year in the state of New Hampshire. Kim is incredibly deserving of this recognition. [music] She's an exceptional leader at North School and throughout our district. I have had the privilege of working a li- alongside Kim for the past 5 years and during which she has continued to thrive and shine as Assistant [music] Principal. An outstanding leader, teammate, and champion for our students, [music] staff, and families. Kim brings a remarkable balance of empathy, expertise, [music] and high expectations of her work. She inspires confidence and trust across our entire school community. She truly leads with both head and heart, always student-centered, solution-oriented, and deeply committed to

034ensuring every child feels seen, [music] supported, and successful. Congratulations, Kim. I'm going to turn it over to her to say a few words. >> [music] >> Thank you, Mr. Dutton. I'm truly honored to have received this incredible award from the New Hampshire Principals' Association. When I joined the Londonderry School District at North School back in the summer of 2021, I knew it was the start of an amazing journey. A big part of my position is building relationships with students, staff, and families, and community members. And in this wonderful town, that's very easy to do. I'm working alongside the best of the best in the field of education to meet the needs of all of our students and provide a safe, caring, and nurturing environment for all. I'm honored to be a member of this amazing

035administrative team and we all work together with common goals with our students at the forefront of all of our decisions. >> [music] >> I'm truly the luckiest to work alongside the DO staff, Mr. Dutton, Mrs. Connors, and our entire North School family every single day. Thank you so much uh to the board for all of your support today and always. I appreciate it. Go Bears. >> [laughter] >> You have an awesome job. Yeah, and what what you can't know is looking [music] at your family behind you at how they are watching you smiling, it's I could look at them the whole time, but it just shows how [music] what a great job you do affecting and just your family and our community. So, thank you. >> [music] >> Congratulations, Kim. And Kim, the day we

036were up at North School, that was to hear all the the people that came in to speak on your behalf >> [music] >> and be said to be able to sit in on that and hear of all your accomplishments district-wide, not just at North School, all the elementary levels, middle school level, whatever it took to to do >> [music] >> something positive for a student or students of this community, just the praise of the groups of people that were interviewed was phenomenal. So, um great job, [music] great honor, and we are so lucky to have you here in Londonderry. So, thank you for all you do. Thank you for being here. >> [music] >> Thank you. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right. [music] Well, we're going to move up to 6.3. I don't know

037if it'll be quite as exciting as what we you had [laughter] to follow up, Lisa. I know. >> [clears throat] >> Thank you. Lisa Burns and get a voting update. Welcome, Lisa. [music] All right. Thank you very much. And yes, not as exciting. However, there is a common theme here that I'd like to really point out, which is teamwork. Um leadership, teamwork. >> [music] >> It's pervasive around here and it's it's a pleasure to be part of this team. Um I personally want to thank all of you, the school district as well as the school board, uh moderating my first school deliberative session. I appreciated the hard work of the board and the district coming together as one, preparing the warrant articles to move to the ballot, the strong leadership characteristics that were displayed throughout

038the year created a supportive environment for healthy and open dialogue. Didn't mean always that people agreed on everything, but you were able to all come together, have great discussions, and come to good conclusions together >> [music] >> as a team. And that was really displayed very well through the meeting, which we were able to do very efficiently and effectively. So, you made my job easy. >> [laughter] >> So, I appreciate all of you. Looking forward to this next year and seeing all the great work that that will be done over the next year as well. So, thank you for that. Officially, I'm here on behalf of the town of Londonderry's election committee. It's really to extend a sincere thank you to the school board and the school district for your preparedness and your support of

039the combined town and school elections held on March 10th. >> [music] >> Everyone involved went above and beyond to ensure our voters had a smooth and positive experience. The level of professionalism, teamwork, and dedication on display made a meaningful difference. It did not go unnoticed. I'd like to especially recognize the facilities team that was with us from 3:45 in the morning all the way until about 1:00 a.m. the next day. >> [laughter] >> Um long day, the crew was instrumental in transporting ballots and machines from town hall to the school uh the day before the election as well as the day of and after, helping to set up all the booths, the tables, all the equipment, electrical power for everything. [music] You know, the team the teamwork there was just amazing as well. So, really

040thank everyone for that. Um the kind of commitment reflects not only strong leadership from all of you, but also a shared sense of purpose that we deeply appreciate. So, on behalf of the entire election team, thank you again for your exceptional support and partnership. We couldn't have done it without you. So, not as exciting, but I really appreciate you guys. Lisa, thank you. I know it was your first year and that, but impeccable work. [music] Thank you so much for your leadership as well in your role. It made made our life easy as well. So, thank you so much and glad to have you aboard. Thank you. >> [music] >> All right. We're going to jump into 6.4 with Mr. Parent [music] and curriculum coordinators for winter data report. Thank you. Good evening. I'm pleased

041to be joined by our outstanding curriculum coordinators, Nicole Treadway, >> [music] >> Megan Nason, and Dr. Kim Lumley Susi. They have worked tirelessly with our staff preparing them [music] to facilitate the diagnostics that we issue, but more importantly, working in [music] the PLCs, really looking at student performance, trying to drive better instruction and tailor [music] to meet students' needs. They've done incredible work and I'm I'm pleased that they're able to join us tonight to present the winter data as [music] we look forward to the spring. We will begin with the K [music] to 5 data and the tools that we use within those grade levels are the i-Ready, >> [music] >> K data dibbles, and the New Hampshire SAS. >> [music] >> You can go ahead. So, we're going to start with our kindergarten data.

042>> [music] >> Um the first thing that you see up here are three of our winter benchmarks. >> [music] >> Um we pull these right off of the report card for kindergarten. We do not have we do not use i-Ready at the kindergarten level. So, really their data is focused more on the report cards and their common um performance assessments. [music] Um [snorts] student performance on the three primary math indicators is strong overall. 83% [music] of students are meeting the benchmark for number identification, 85% for counting objects, and 91% for comparing numbers. This indicates that a large majority of students have developed solid foundational number sense skills with particular strength in comparing numbers. Continued focus on number identification and counting objects will ensure all students reach proficiency. [music] The discrepancy between the percentage of students

043meeting benchmarks in number identification and counting objects versus comparing numbers is likely due to differences in the expected number range for each standard. While identifying and counting require students to work within a broader and more often more complex number range, especially as they move into trimester two. Comparing numbers may involve a more narrow um or more accessible [music] range. This difference in expectations can result in higher performance in comparing numbers, even as students continue to develop accuracy and fluency and >> [music] >> in identifying and counting across a wider range. For our first through fifth grade [music] for math, this slide here shows our fall to winter growth. So, blue being the fall of 2025, orange being the winter, this past winter, and then the two gray boxes are the New Hampshire winter average and

044the national [music] winter average. Across grades 1 through 5, we saw significant growth in math performance from fall to winter. This growth reflects strong instructional practices, targeted interventions, and consistent use of data to inform teaching. >> [music] >> In addition to growth, our winter results are well above the state and national averages. This indicates not only progress over time, but also that our students are performing at a high level compared to to their peers beyond our district. [music] And one thing I just want to point out here is our fifth grade math, um which I will talk about a little bit later as well, but we saw significant growth in our fifth graders this year, um which again goes back to there's there's some definitely definite instructional strategies that we've changed um over the last

045couple of years. We've um incorporated some new things, but also just I know we've talked about it before, but motivating our fifth graders to do the i-Ready diagnostic is not always easy. So, I feel like we are starting to kind of unlock that a little bit and hopefully it trickles up to the middle school. Um but we are so so proud of of our fifth [music] grade overall. Um to have almost 70% of our fifth graders in the winter >> [music] >> at proficiency for math is is amazing. >> [music] >> Okay. This next slide shows the comparison among the three schools. So, you'll see the lighter color um coded with their school colors. So, orange being Matthew Thornton, the red in the middle being North, and the blue being South. So, you'll see their

046fall to winter comparison in first [music] through fifth grade. Some of the highlights here uh from Matthew Thornton, first grade had 35% growth from fall to winter. Second grade had 17% growth from last winter to this winter, and they also had an 11% cohort growth, meaning the same group of students. Third grade had a 33% growth from fall to winter and a 9% cohort growth. Fourth grade had a 32% growth from winter as well as cohort growth. And again, our fifth grade here, 35% from fall to winter and a 10% growth from last winter as well as 16% cohort growth. So, to get those fourth graders to fifth grade maintaining who was already on grade grade level and also increasing that cohort proficiency. >> [music] >> At North School, we had growth from fall to

047winter at 28% in first grade. In second grade, we had growth at 31% from fall to winter. Third grade showed an impressive 43% growth from fall to winter, as well as a 10% growth from last winter, and a 13% cohort growth. And then our fourth grade at North School at 30% growth from fall to winter, and fifth grade at 19%. [music] South School, our first grade had a had significant gains with 49% growth from fall to winter. Second grade with 46 and a 19% cohort growth. So, again, the same group of students. >> [music] >> Our third grade with a 48% growth. Fourth grade with a 28% growth from fall to winter. And our fifth grade again at 29% from fall to winter, and a 10% growth from last [music] winter as well. Did I

048mess up my slides? [music] Okay, so this slide is a comparison of our winter to winter. >> [snorts] >> Which I think [music] I messed up my notes, but that's okay. I can still do it. Um, so you'll see this is overall we have a trend um, over the last 3 years um, in all of our grade levels. You will see again that pocket we have in second grade and fifth grade we saw significant gains in both of those grade levels over the last 3 years and we're continuing to trend upwards. Um, in our other grade levels it stayed pretty consistent. I think the important thing to note here is that these are all different groups of students. So this is a winter to winter to winter comparison, so it's not the same group of

049kids that we're talking about. >> [music] >> Um, meaning that that in 2023 in that fall those kids came in slightly higher. Um, we tend to see that trend. So it's about the same again with some of the jumps in a couple of our grade levels that we hope to see that trend to continue. Um, but to maintain with different groups of students is also a huge accomplishment. [music] Okay, this is a really important slide to us. Um, this is our growth. So this is what this slide is showing is our students who met their typical growth in I-Ready for the winter diagnostic, their stretch growth, and then who improved placement. [music] So typical growth, the average annual growth for students at this grade at a baseline placement level. This is their typical growth for

050the year. So what you'll see here with the green bars are the percentage of students who have already met their typical growth for the year at the winter benchmark. The blue is their stretch growth. This is a really ambitious but attainable goal for students um, which usually will put them instead of just an improved placement they might go from like below grade level to being on grade level or above grade level. So it's usually like a two placement jump. Um, so to see not the the numbers aren't quite as high there in the winter, but we have a lot of students who are trending which again that's a bigger jump for students to make. And then the purple is improved placement. So this basically means that we had a student that went from red to

051yellow or yellow to green or below to to being just below. Um, this again to see these percentages at mid-year where we have anywhere from 50 to 60% in those grade levels already with [music] improved placement in the middle of the year benchmark is huge. Okay, next we'll talk about reading. So our first [music] slide is actually for our LEAP students, so we wanted to add this in here um, to show their growth and performance over the course of this the fall to the winter. Here you'll see letter identification and letter sound knowledge. These are critical foundational skills for our pre-K LEAP students because they directly support early reading development. >> [music] >> When students can quickly recognize letters and connect them to their corresponding sounds they're better able to decode words, build phonemic awareness,

052and begin reading with confidence. These skills serve as building blocks for more complex literacy tasks such as blending sounds to read words and encoding sounds to write. >> [music] >> We're proud to report that 89% of our LEAP students are meeting benchmarks for letter identification and letter sounds. Thank you to our LEAP staff for their continued hard work and dedication to our youngest learners, not only in the area of academics, but also in in all areas of child development as well. >> [music] >> Our kindergarten benchmarks, I'm going to talk just talk about a couple data points for kindergarten. So letter identification again, letter sound knowledge, and phonetic spelling are essential data points for kindergarten students because they reflect the core building blocks of early literacy. We're proud to report that 86% of our students

053are meeting the half-day benchmarks for both upper and lower case letters. 75% of our students are meeting the benchmark for letter sounds, and 77% of our students are meeting the benchmark for phonetic spelling. [music] For both sounds and phonetic spelling the benchmark increases in trimester two, but levels out a little bit between the second and third trimester. [music] We anticipate [clears throat] that students will continue to master these skills through the spring with a continuation of explicit instruction. >> [music] >> At the mid-year point our kindergarten students are demonstrating strong growth and levels of proficiency. Our teachers work tirelessly to provide explicit instruction while also creating opportunities for students to apply their skills. >> [music] >> As noted with our LEAP students, these academic gains are especially impressive as teachers are simultaneously supporting social emotional

054development, fine motor skills, and other foundational early childhood needs for our five and six-year-olds. The next [clears throat] couple of slides that you'll see is our Acadience data for kindergarten. This first one is our reading composite score. So Acadience Dibels is our literacy screener. This data is shared to show other areas of growth among our kindergarten students, but it's important to note that it's really primarily used as a risk indicator to help identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. It provides us quick reliable data on the foundational skills to really hone in on which students need extra support or intervention. >> [music] >> We share this data as we do not use other formal assessment tools like we do in our first through fifth grade classrooms. Um, our kindergarten middle of the

055year reading composite score. So the reading composite score is a combination of multiple Acadience scores. Um, it provides the best overall estimate of a student's early literacy skills and or reading proficiency. So as you can see here at this point mid-year we have 70% of our kindergarten students who are [music] at or above benchmark, which means students in this range have a 70 to 99% chance of um, achieving early literacy >> [music] >> um, and or reading benchmarks. >> [clears throat] >> The next one is our phoneme seg or phoneme phoneme segmentation. So PSF assesses the student's fluency in segmenting a [music] spoken word into its component parts or sound segments. The middle of the year is the first time that our kindergarteners see this, so this is a this is a big one for

056them. Um, but very impressive that 79% of our students at this point in the middle of the year are meeting the benchmark [music] for this. Again, it's that same range, so that 70 to 90% um, range of children who meet this benchmark of being right on target for meeting future literacy benchmarks. [music] And last is the nonsense word fluency. >> [music] >> This is a brief direct measure of alphabetic principle and basic phonics. Um, basically it assesses their basic letter sound correspondences. The middle of the year is again is the first time that our kindergarten kindergarten students see this assessment. Um, so to report that 76% of our students are at or above benchmark is very impressive. Um, and again this this just means that these students that the majority of our students are right

057on target for achieving those early literacy goals. Okay, next you'll see the same fall to winter and winter New Hampshire national average slide for reading as you did for math. So the blue bar being fall, the orange being winter, and then the two gray bars being the New Hampshire national. >> [music] >> Across grades [clears throat] 1 through 5 we saw significant growth in reading performance from fall to winter. Noting the huge growth in first, second, and third grade. This growth reflects strong instructional practices, targeted interventions, and consistent use of our the data to inform teaching. This indicates again not only progress over time, but also that we are performing at high levels compared to peer our peers beyond our district. In addition to strong growth we've seen our winter results are also exceeding both

058state and national averages. We're eager to see the impacts that the addition of full-day kindergarten may have on the future first grade literacy outcomes, especially when compared to districts at the state and national level that already have full-day programs in place. As highlighted in the early earlier literacy slides, our kindergarten students have demonstrated impressive growth and achievement. This is a direct reflection of the dedication and expertise of our kindergarten teachers and the strong foundation they build within our current half-day program. [music] We're optimistic that that this foundation combined with increased instructional time will lead to even greater gains in the transition to first grade in years ahead. [music] We also want to highlight the shift you may notice between third and fourth grade. This is a significant transitional period for students in literacy development. >>

059[music] >> We're working to better understand the factors contributing to this change including partnering with our curriculum providers and their representatives to little to dig a little deeper into our data. >> [clears throat] [music] >> Okay, the next one is the school comparison. So again, Matthew Thornton in orange, North in red, and South in blue. >> [music] >> So some highlights here, our first grade at at Matthew Thornton stayed at 39% growth from fall to winter. Our second grade with a 34% from fall to to winter and had a huge huge growth in their core cohort growth at 28%. >> [music] >> Our third grade at a 29 29% growth from fall to winter with a 17% cohort growth. Our fourth grade again with a 9% growth from fall to winter and fifth grade at

06017. At North School we saw 43% growth in our first graders. Second grade had a 27% growth from fall to winter. Our third grade again with huge growth at 28% with an 11% cohort growth. Our fourth grade at 17% and our [music] fifth grade at with 16% growth. South school our first grade at a 37% growth, second at 30% with a 15% cohort growth and our third grade at 36% growth from fall to winter and fourth and fifth at 21 [music] and 24. >> [clears throat] [music] >> This is our comparison of again of winter 2024, 25 and 26. This one's for reading. Over the past 3 years our scores again have remained largely consistent across the grade levels with some slight dips. >> [music] >> It's important to note that these comparisons reflect different

061groups of students year to year, not the same cohorts and in some cases there's been a 5 to 15% difference in how many students began the year on grade level. >> [snorts] >> We have also made significant changes to our literacy curriculum over the past 2 years. >> [music] >> As expected, this comes with a learning curve. Both but both teachers and students have done an excellent job adapting. [music] The level of student engagement is evident in classrooms, which you can't always see in a presentation like this. Whether it's third grade chariot races from ancient Rome, first grade wellness days days focused on germs in the human body, second grade Olympics celebrating ancient Greece or medieval themed vocabulary jousting, which I promise is safer than it sounds. Our fifth grade research projects connected to [clears

062throat] the CKLA content, the curriculum is truly coming alive. Moving forward, we will continue aligning our curriculum and instruction practices with the science of reading and and assessment expectations, closely examine the transition from third to fourth grade >> [music] >> and use targeted literacy PLCs to drive data informed decisions. We will also continue exploring writing frameworks and providing ongoing support and resources to teachers [music] as they implement these practices. The last slide again is our growth slides. [clears throat] Um so again you'll see the green is the students who have met their typical growth for reading for the winter at this point and again that typical growth is their growth for the year. Um the blue again being our students [clears throat] who have met their stretch growth, which if you'll notice this is this

063is a little bit higher than what we saw in math, um which is [music] we're really excited about to see that we have a pretty big percentages of students who have already met those stretch growth goals. And then our purple being improved placement, [music] which you can see [clears throat] in second and third grade again it's such a big year for students in regards to literacy and reading. So to see students >> [music] >> shifting in placement there, it's really showing us that our early intervention is working. The changes that we've made, they are working. Um >> [music] >> so it's exciting to see the student growth here. And as we transition to the middle school, [music] their data collection tools include the i-Ready, the PSAT 8, it's really 8 9, it's a ninth grade

064test, uh the New Hampshire statewide assessment system the SAS and [music] they're going to share their accelerated pathways into high school. Yes, so we are the bridge between the elementary and the high school. So we're going to talk about two yeah, the middle child. Um so good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to share our middle school data from Londonderry Middle School. We are currently at the end of our third quarter of the school year. It's rapidly ending and we are getting ready to take our state spring assessments. [music] As we look at the data gathered at the middle school level, we discuss this using data points from both i-Ready and our PSAT 8 9. These are informative data points that can be used to drive classroom instruction support and help us to understand where

065our students are within the domains assessed. >> [music] >> Our sixth and seventh graders take the i-Ready twice a year in math in the fall and winter and our eighth graders are not participating, that's why you don't see that on there in i-Ready. Instead we will talk about a different data set with them, [music] which then carries over to the data collection at the high school. Um this first slide is indicative of our student performance in math on the i-Ready for those grade six [music] and seven. As you can see our sixth and seventh grade students have grown from fall to winter in both grade levels by 13% in grade six [music] and 18% in grade seven. The other two measures on the slide show that our students are also outperforming the New Hampshire and

066national averages of students who participated in i-Ready. >> [music] >> These overall growth gains are specific to the four domains of math of numbers and operations, algebra, measurement and data and geometry. Um this slide is a breakdown of the data from fall to winter for each of our three teams per grade level. Highlights indicate that each of these teams um at these levels have also made improvements. As you can see in um sixth grade our the first team has improved by 13%, team [music] two is 10% and team three is 13% and again if you shift over to the right you will see in grade seven that first team has grown [music] by 25%, team two 18% and team three again 18. So you can see an upward trend in math um [music] for our

067students. This show uh this slide is very similar to the one that Nicole talked about. So this is not the same cohort of students. So despite seeing a slight decline in winter proficiency scores [music] um at the early on grade level and grade levels, our LMS math department and PLCs have been using this data to [music] initiate significant curriculum changes. Math teachers have collaborated in PLCs and as a department to deeper their understanding of our grade level standards. [music] This focus in includes continually spiraling back to the essential skills to support the rigorous opportunities we are currently working toward. Our aim over the next few [music] years is to increase our number of students enrolled in pre-algebra in seventh grade and algebra in eighth grade. [music] We plan to evaluate the impact of the curriculum

068changes that we put into place this year [music] by using our state assessment scores in the spring. This is our PSAT benchmark and our eighth graders again this is a ninth grade assessment so eighth graders are taking it in the fall, but it really is carrying over to the ninth grade standards. [music] Our eighth grade students show on this slide to take that challenging PSAT assessment. While we haven't seen a significant increase in the student performance on the test, [music] it's important to note that our students are maintaining their existing level of proficiency. That PSAT 8 9 again assesses the ninth grade standards [music] and serves as a valuable preliminary step for their upcoming high school math curriculum. And switching over to reading. Again we are using two different data sets for our groups of

069students. [music] i-Ready for our students in grade six and seven have shown improvement from the fall to winter with [music] a 12% growth in sixth grade and a 13% growth in seventh. Also these scores indicate that our students once again are above the state and national averages of students who participate. [music] Our students are most often working within the domains of vocabulary and improving their comprehension [music] skills within fiction and non-fiction. So you don't usually see the big giant jumps that you'll see because our students already have mastered many of the domains, those early [music] literacy domains. So we're working on those, you know, upper more rigorous reading standards. The next one again is um a grade level and team view and we highlight the growth of each of our teams. Uh in grade six,

070[music] team one and three have shown a 16% improvement of their scores from the fall to winter and [music] team two is 6% and in seventh grade uh team one has shown 12% improvement, team [music] two 11 and team three [snorts] 17%. So again trending upward and showing growth in those areas. [music] This again is that um same you can see there is a slight decline um over the last 3 years, but we do anticipate a positive shift in our literacy scores as a result of those changes that the elementary uh reading teachers are making in instruction. [music] That should lead to some improved proficiency and development of a stronger foundational reading skill earlier on. Um and it's important to note for middle schoolers [music] that as students progress to higher grade levels, the texts

071that they encounter becomes increasingly [music] more rigorous and complex and at this stage our students are transitioning um from learning to read to reading to learn, [music] but that content just becomes more and more challenging. Um and again I think as Nicole noted with fifth grade we're really trying to get our kids excited about [music] um taking these and that sometimes can be challenging at the middle school level, but we're working really hard at trying to do that. Um the next one is our PSAT for literacy and in the fall of 2025 our eighth grade students they took that PSAT 8 9, did a great job. Similar to the previous year, it was almost like we had the same academic >> [music] >> profile of students. The student performance in ELA was strong with a

07273% achieving that benchmark proficiency. >> [music] >> This outcome is a solid indicator that they are prepared for the rigorous demands that they will [music] face at the high school level after leaving LMS. The next one is just a 3-year a 3-year chart of the overall performance [music] of our PSAT scores. And as you can see over the 3 years we have shown improvement by 93 [music] points over the last 2 years overall, 48 point increase in ELA and 34 points in math. [music] And as noted this year we had 11 students score over an 1,100 as total scores and we even had two students get perfect scores, [music] a 720 in ELA, which is really awesome. Um which then leads us to our advanced [music] pathways. So currently 2/3 of our eighth grade students

073are enrolled in a world language choosing from [music] Spanish, French or German. That is a large number of students and the most we've had um over the last 3 years. In eighth grade we're offering a robust math and science curriculum to help prepare students for [music] high school. We currently have four sections of CP Algebra 1, >> [music] >> one section of Honors Algebra 1, and three sections of CP Earth and Space as well. So, again, those are students who are on those advanced pathways, so that [music] when they do get to Londonderry High School, they are already like a year ahead and can advance through the math [music] and science courses. Um these courses are specifically designed to support the academic pathways [music] once they transition over to the high school. And then I

074think it's really important that we also celebrate the everyday learner because our students are spending an enormous amount of time every day in our classroom with our teachers, [music] and sometimes it doesn't always show up on the one-day assessment. So, our students are showing progress on our standardized assessments, [music] and as evidenced by data from both I-Ready and PSAT, but equally as important is acknowledging the daily [music] successes of our student body. And this recognition, which includes our Quarter 2 High Honors, Honors, and Honorable Mention lists, highlights the students' ongoing everyday achievements. And [music] again, I think it's really important. We do have these posted in the front of our school, and it's really been great that after every quarter, kids are running up there, looking. They want to They really [music] want to see

075that they are meeting the demands of the everyday student and doing a great job. [music] Awesome. And now we finish with the high school. The data sets that we'll be talking about tonight are our dual enrollment courses, the PSAT math and literacy, the SAT math and literacy, and our academic honors. Good evening. One of the [music] data sets that we're very excited about is our LHS college credits. Our teachers go through a rigorous process of becoming adjunct faculty at the colleges [music] offering these different courses that we offer to our students. They need to submit their transcripts, their resumes. They go through the same process that somebody would go through [music] to get hired at that college. In our case here, Southern New Hampshire University and Manchester Community College, the Community [music] College System of

076New Hampshire. Once our teachers receive that designation, they are presenting to students the same material those [music] students would see in the equivalent course at the collegiate level. The collegiate representative comes in, does evaluations of our teacher [music] to make sure they are meeting the level of rigor expected. And our students have realized what a great opportunity this [music] is for them. Not only do they get a chance to see what it's like to be in a college course while they still have the support of their high school teacher, their high school building, >> [music] >> but also for the amount of credits that they can leave us with. Our students leave with a large number of credits, so many so that many of our students go into college with sophomore status. Many of our

077students graduate within 3 years. >> [music] >> We have a student just talking to us the other day who rolled her 3 years into an MBA program at her college. >> [music] >> So, at the end of 4 years, when all her friends were graduating with their undergrad degree in accounting, she was graduating with her MBA the same time because of the courses she had taken with us. Obviously, that also brings about a wonderful cost savings for families as well. So, [music] that's something we're really excited about. As of when this went to print, you'd see for this year, we only had first [music] semester. Just this afternoon, I got the numbers from Southern New Hampshire University. We had another 149 students earning credit in a course for Southern New Hampshire University this semester. So,

078that [music] brings that to a total of 256. And Manchester Community College had a much later deadline. I did double-check. They won't have their stats until next [music] week. So, they have to go through, make sure everything's processed correctly, then they give us the final tally. Then moving on to some of the more typical high school [music] statistics, we're very excited about how our students are performing in literacy. [music] We feel that there's always room for improvement, but consistently, there is steady improvement from each year. And if [music] you look at this data set, you'll see it's the fall is the dark blue. That's the Londonderry High School average. [music] Then you have the New Hampshire average and the US average. So, our students are consistently ranking very high up there, and we're very pleased

079with how they're doing there. >> [music] >> The next page, we're not as pleased with, but it has given us pause to look at what we're doing in mathematics instruction. It has given us the time that we need to really [music] investigate what we're doing in terms of our instructional strategies. Today, we had our SAT, which I'll tell you about when you get [music] to the SAT slide, but one of the things that was brought up was one of the math teachers happened to be proctoring, and she said watching [music] the kids work through the math section was like nothing she'd ever seen before. >> [music] >> Kids were really persevering. She said often, she would have proctored tests, and [music] the kids get to a certain point in the math section, like you see

080them kind of literally drop their pencil, and now it's, you know, kind of shut down their computer, and they just sit there, and they're done. She said these [music] kids worked hard. So, when they didn't know how to do something, they kept at it. And if we can give [music] every kid that skill, more important than any other skills we can give them. So, we are looking We've been working with the middle school. We're looking at our mathematics program and what it is that we can be doing [music] to help our students see improvement in those scores, looking at how we instruct and what it is that we're teaching our students as well. >> [music] >> Then the next slide is our PSAT comparison. We were very excited this year to have a National Merit

081Finalist based on his PSAT scores. [music] That's a huge national honor. If you look consistently again, we're pleased with our literacy scores, and we have here [music] the ninth grade from fall of 2023, then fall of 2024, and fall of 2025. So, you can see within each group, we have the math and the literacy statistics. [music] Consistently doing okay in [singing] the literacy, and not quite [music] where we want to be yet in math, but we're starting to see some good things there. So, then we look at the SAT. So, today was our SAT. [music] It was, I have to say, and I can say it now because the tests are all submitted, the smoothest [music] SAT administration we have had ever. Literally not a single irregularity. You submit, for example, an irregularity report because

082something happens during the test. >> [music] >> There's a loud sound outside, and kids are distracted, you submit a report. A [music] kid grabs their cell phone, you submit a report. Not a single irregularity for this test administration. Kids were [music] in on time. We had two students who were running a little bit late. They got to the front door, and they booked it to get to their testing room. We had [music] 90% attendance in school today for the test. Out of that 10% that was missing, we had several students. We had a student having wisdom teeth out. We had several students with different [music] things that got in the way who will be taking our makeup on April 23rd. And then we have a few students that we need to find out from the

083families >> [music] >> what the situation is, and very few opt-outs, which is a wonderful >> [music] >> recognition of our students who are taking this so seriously. As the students walked in this morning, big thanks to our PTSO who put out breakfast [music] sandwiches for the students, and there were fruits and yogurts, and we had music playing, [music] and trying to, as Megan was saying, trying to get kids excited about taking a standardized test. >> [music] >> For some of our kids, it's not exciting because it's a standardized test. For others of our students, this is really challenging. This is really tough. And I think we've gotten the message across to many of of [music] our students that maybe you're not looking to do a 4-year college. Maybe you're looking to become an electrician.

084You are going to have to take a written [music] exam. You're taking a written exam to get your driver's license. There are a number of written assessments that you have to take that are challenging, but whatever you are going into, there [music] is a good chance somewhere along the way you will have to take a written assessment. So, pushing that for our students. One of [music] the things that we saw today on the SAT as well is the use of the Desmos calculator. The Desmos calculator is a calculator [music] that is embedded within the computer. The kids take the test on the computer through the Blue Book app. The Desmos calculator is faster than the handheld calculators kids usually use. Last [music] SAT administration, about half, looking around from room to room, were using the

085calculator that is right there on the screen. Our math department has made a huge push this year to get the students using the Desmos calculator in the classroom. >> [music] >> One of the rooms I happened to notice, every single student was using the Desmos calculator. It's quicker. [music] It is an easier way. It's less juggling of students. When they're using a handheld calculator, they're answering [music] questions on the test, and then they're going to their calculator, they're going back and forth. That's a time suck when they're taking the test. Using the Desmos calculator is a skill that kids have to learn. [music] It's a calculator, but using it is different than using your handheld. Watching our students today actually doing that, we felt, "Okay, we're doing something right. They've got it. They have mastered

086[music] that skill, so that what they're being tested on now is not so much can you do the your move your fingers fast enough to do it use your calculator, but rather can you master the content knowledge?" [music] Our SAT literacy scores continuously going up and up. As you know, as you get higher in that [music] percentage, or obviously, it's that much harder to increase by several percentage points, >> [music] >> but the fact that over the past 3 years, our students have shown that consistent growth, we're very pleased. The New Hampshire Assessment [music] in Science, which is coming up on April 21st, because we're now in testing season, so we've got our SAT today, we've got the New Hampshire Assessment [music] in science. We've got a large number of students taking the Seal of

087Biliteracy exam sponsored by the Apple Testing Corporation. >> [music] >> And then of course we head into our AP testing season, which is 2 weeks plus a week of makeup. But on the New [music] Hampshire assessment in science, if you look at this huge jump, we are very very pleased. The New Hampshire assessment in science for most students was something that yeah, just something they showed up for. >> [music] >> I've not taken science as a junior, so I don't really care. Now, with the school board's approval, thank you. We have [music] our students taking 3 years of science. So that in and of itself makes it a little bit more valuable to students. >> [music] >> And we've emphasized to students how important this test is. So students in their science class are looking

088at some of the material [music] that some of them haven't covered since they were in eighth grade. You know, the test is a broad range of science information. >> [music] >> So to see that percentage increase, we're looking at an 86% increase between [music] 2024 and 2025. That is just amazing and it proves what our students can do [music] when they see the value behind it. And that is kudos to our science department really pulling apart the test and looking at how students have done in the past on each different section [music] and finding where are the gaps in what we're teaching and what do we need to make sure that we're instructing our students in. >> [music] >> We don't want to ever teach to the test, but we also don't ever want to

089set our students up for failure because they haven't had [music] information that they need. So that's been important to us. And then as Megan said earlier, looking at our students [music] in terms of their overall performance, single day tests only can tell us so much about any student, but looking at how at how hard our students work and looking at that number of students who make the honor roll. And I love that information from 48% of [music] our freshmen make the honor roll to 70% of our seniors. To me that just speaks volumes that the kids are understanding what it is that they're doing. By [music] senior year they're taking courses they're excited about. They're taking courses that they know will prepare them for a career, for college, whatever their next steps may be. So

090we like to see >> [music] >> the students as a real as a whole person, not just how they perform on that one day. So um as always we talk about our next steps um to continue to [music] try to improve scores. As I mentioned, the PLC work is critical uh toward that effort. You know, they have data team meetings. Uh they're facilitated by an administrator um or curriculum coordinator. [music] Our teachers are working really hard to dive into you know, how their students are doing, where [music] they're struggling. Um so we want to continue uh the work that goes into uh those PLCs and data meetings. Um and again we're looking forward to the spring [music] assessments that await. Uh trying to find strategies, uh questions of the day, things like that [music] to

091properly prepare them for what awaits. Thank you for your time and we welcome [music] any comments or or questions. Sure. I just had um a couple things. I'll start um with high school because it was most recent, but um with that last comment you made Kim about [music] um the increase in the scores across grades I or the report cards, um I think that the teams are doing a great job of really disseminating the like benefit after high school [music] with some of the college credits and kind of what you put in now is going to really impact [music] you. I think that like goes a long way in that as well. I think there's been a big push for that the last couple years and I think that's motivating for a lot of the

092kids um that I've been seeing. Um so I just want to say that was great. And then um when I just an elementary question, with the half-day benchmarks for the literacy, I appreciated that on the um on the graph titles. That was helpful. I don't remember seeing that before. Um is like >> [music] >> is that obviously less than the full-day standards and where where are those coming from? >> [music] >> They they really have been teacher team driven, I guess I would say, working um again through their PLC summit they have created their CFAs, so their common formative assessments, all of their rubrics >> [music] >> have been created by that kindergarten team. Um we have had a couple K1 alignment meetings leading up to kind [music] of the planning of okay, if we

093go full day, what does this look like? Um going into next year, right now those benchmarks were we're not going to touch too much to make sure that we are able to implement what the curriculum, get our feet on the ground, um and make sure and and really see um because if you look at our Acadience data too, that that [music] is though that is a comparison to full-day half-day to any to it's baseline data um to >> [music] >> to students who start at a similar spot, right? So when you see that as well, clearly our kid our kiddos are meeting more than just Okay. half-day there. Um but for going into next year, we definitely want to take some time [music] to to then look at okay, what what are other full-day kindergarten

094programs look like, what do their report cards look like, what do their um rubrics [music] look like to see if we need to make adjustments on what our current for example with the um uppercase letters. Is it 0 to 9 is a 2 in the in [music] trimester one? Is it then how many are we expecting in trimester two and shifting possibly shifting those expectations as full-day K is is in place, [music] but >> why I was asking um because I know like the curriculum is all curriculum is designed for full-day because it's the half-day is so uncommon. So that's kind of why I was asking for next year in terms of like comparing >> Mhm. and seeing like the we want to see what the impact is obviously of having that. You'd expect them

095to master more targets because they have so much more time. >> Right. And and truly they're using full-day curriculum in [music] a half-day program. They use Math in Focus, they use Foundations. Um that team worked hard to make tweaks to to those two programs to obviously pacing and and you really have to look at priorities. Um what are the instructional priorities, what are the routines that they [music] have time for. So anticipate adjustments to that in the future, but >> [music] >> but looking at the specific benchmarks and making adjustments right now. Um I think they would they [music] would say the same at at the moment, so Um Megan, I don't have a question for you, but great job. >> [music] >> Uh just a couple comments. First, starting from the elementary school um

096presentation. I love seeing the leap data in there. I don't know if it's been [music] in there before, but that was the first time I noticed it in there and I really love like keeping those metrics and trying to keep a track on that cuz that's an important population we really want to you know, make sure we have that focus on. So that's that's fantastic. Um also [music] the math scores, wow. I mean, across the board in the fifth grade, holy cow. Like that is impressive. Um Another thing I noticed [music] across those numbers too was that um you know, the success at the elementary level seems to be spreading across schools. Um so great [music] teamwork there getting you know, hey, here are the things that are working here. Let's spread it across. So

097that's awesome to see that and uh you know, keep keep moving that. Um the SAT uh PSAT numbers in middle school looking that's impressive. [music] Moving that that going and I love hearing the the idea of like let's let's crack down a little bit deeper into the math and see what what how we can keep continue that moving as well as the at the high school. And as always I'm always blown away by the number of credits the students in the high school. That's such a unique [music] and incredible program that we do there that um you know, being able to to your point save parents money in the next year, but even just set our kids up to be [music] able to go in with the with college level um >> [music] >> learning,

098college level work under their belts. I mean, that's a you know, most of the time students go into uh college >> [music] >> effectively drinking from the fire hose. They never had that kind of rigor or that kind of academic um >> [music] >> expectation expectations put on them. So um it's great to see the number of students taking advantage of it and succeeding with it and I just love seeing that, so [music] good job across the board. Appreciate it. Yeah, and I'll just hit on I I appreciate Kim what you said about the math scores at the high school, how you're jumping into that um to see [music] what you can digest out of that to get those numbers up cuz that that is you know, a number that really could use uh some

099work in that um and as far as uh the uh reading scores across the board district wide, I'm excited. [music] I mean, I've been looking at these graphs for over 6 years now [music] and 2 years prior and these numbers are just starting to jump jump in that and I know it comes from you know, taking [music] some of these curriculums and and pulling them apart and seeing what works, what doesn't work rather than just investing into a new curriculum. So I know it takes time. Um but I just over the last [music] 3 years here um we've seen significant, you know, we were in the 30s, 40s, [music] and 50s in literacy. Now we're in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, um which is impressive. >> [music] >> And uh the math scores at the

100elementary as Kevin said, uh you know, great great increase there. >> [music] >> Um really excited to see what we can do at the high school level and middle school to get those numbers into 40s, 50s, [music] 60s and that and uh I know the superintendent's big on math, so I'm sure he's uh he's not accepting [music] those numbers with any uh uh >> [clears throat] >> lightheartedness here towards [music] that, so um I just I don't really I'm not fond of those time comparisons on early grade level graphs. Those are tough when you take a new group of students and put them together depending on what classroom um I know it shows [music] some some deficiencies and drop year to year, but you know, those are a tough graph to to really comprehend [music]

101because of that transition with with students in different classes, but it does give us an idea that maybe we need [music] a little do little more collaborating between those grade level classroom teachers and and that to share what they're doing, [music] and maybe that'll level it out. I don't know. Um but it's just uh some things that [music] I've seen you folks do over the last couple of years when you see a problem is to jump into it and try to increase that, [music] so um overall, this is a phenomenal report. I I love seeing the numbers that much higher than state level. Um and [music] you know, I know we we do tend to look at other school districts, and and [music] I know we've caught up to some of the higher level districts

102that were slightly above us, and uh we're gaining, and our goal is to pass them, and I know you guys are working [music] diligently, and I um want to thank you for all your efforts across the board from leap grade through 12 for um doing what you're doing for our students. [music] It's it's tremendous amount of work to get us back to that level, so thank you all [music] for this uh great report, I think, and that overall, and uh look forward to the next one, so [music] good luck um you know, moving forward, and uh thank you again for all you do. Appreciate it. >> [music] >> All [music] right. Let's jump into our favorite thing [music] in deliberations, some more policies. I don't believe the first um >> [music] >> I didn't see

103any changes, Dan, did you? >> One one minor change at the end. >> Did I miss one? Um I struck out the line, you know, so uh upon refusal, the chair [music] may request assistance from law enforcement officials, and stopped after that. And which policy was that, Dan? >> Uh that's BEDH. BEDH, okay. >> Yeah, on the third. >> [music] >> Yeah, my point is, I think once once it's with the law enforcement, they'll figure it out. We don't need to We don't need to uh dictate what happens. [music] Yep. Yep, got it. All right. Go through these where there's no changes, [music] we'll um other than that one, if everybody's okay with that. One line change on BEDH, I will go through these, and uh move them to [music] process and move them to

104the third reading. So, starting with 8.1, I'll [music] look for a motion to approve the third reading to adopt policy BEDH, public comment and participation at board meetings, please. [music] So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Seconded by Kevin. All those in favor? Aye. Aye, >> [music] >> 5-0. Thank you. 8.2, I'll look for a motion to approve the third reading to rescind policy BDDH, public participation at [music] board meetings, please. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Seconded by Amanda. All those in [music] favor? Aye. >> Aye. Aye, 5-0. 8.3, I'll [music] look for a motion to approve the second reading to adopt policy EBBCA, [music] use and location of external defibrillators, please. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Seconded by Tim. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye, 5-0. [music] 8.4, a motion to approve

105the second reading to rescind [music] policy JLCEH, use and location of automated external defibrillators, please. >> [music] >> So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Seconded by Kevin. All those in favor? Aye. [music] Aye, 5-0. 8.5, a motion to approve the second [music] reading to adopt policy JFAB, admission of tuition and non-resident students, [music] discussion of tuition rate for students of non-resident staff, please. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. >> [music] >> Seconded by Amanda. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye, 5-0. 8.6, motion to approve the [music] second reading to rescind policy JECB, admission and attendance of non-resident [music] students. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. >> Seconded by Tim. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye, 5-0. 8.7, [music] a motion to approve the second reading to adopt policy JICN, [music] prohibition of deepfake

106images and other media. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. >> [music] >> Seconded by Kevin. All those in favor? Aye. Aye, 5-0. And [music] 8.8, a motion to approve the second reading to adopt policy JICNR, [music] prohibition of deepfake images and other media, please. So moved. Motion by [music] Sarah. Second. Seconded by Amanda. All those in favor? Aye. Aye, 5-0. >> [music] >> Thank you, everyone. And 8.9, we have North School bleacher [music] purchase, Ms. Small. Yes, um we are just looking um to get a purchase request approval. Um the North School bleachers were presented um during our budget season, and they were approved by voters as part of the buildings and grounds capital reserve. So, we posted the RFP the day after cuz summer work is incredibly important to get out there so we

107can get things on the book, especially this summer with um a lot of other projects going on. So, Joe and I met um the beginning of this week um to look through things, um and this one time is of the because the bleacher project involves the removal of the bleachers for one schedule, and then um you have the over pours happening, and then they have to come back. Um so, when we look through, um Joe really wants to go with Robert H. Lord. It's the middle bid, but it's only over the lower bid by like $500, and um they had the best uh time frame. They We feel the most confident that they can get the job done so that the gym is ready [music] for the opening of school, but they needed us to

108lock in um as soon as possible to ensure that that could happen. So, we we were looking for your feedback, and hopefully approval to move forward with this purchasing. Any questions for [music] Amy? I'm good. Makes sense to me. Yeah, that looks good. I sometimes you you need to go with the company you're >> [music] >> more comfortable with and scheduling-wise, and not being huge difference, it is still a savings of about $3,100 over the three bids, [music] so that's significant savings with our bidding process, so appreciate you and and Joe you know, doing the due diligence on on that on your part. Um with that, I'll look for a motion to approve uh Robert H. Lord [music] Company for $31,002 um for the North School bleacher replacement, please. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second.

109Seconded by Tim. [music] All those in favor? Aye. Aye, 5-0. Thank you, Amy. Thank you. >> [music] >> All right. 8.10, proposed '26-'27 [music] school board meeting schedule. So, if if you look at the schedule there, um we're we're kind of continuing with past practice. So, we kept the first [music] and third Tuesday of the month um from from April to June, one meeting in July, uh an early meeting in August, >> [music] >> and then kind of jumping back to that first to third um September through November, and then everyone's favorite season, budget season. We kept the same [music] pattern as this year. Um so, if there are any changes, we can certainly make them. Uh I don't know if anything jumps out [music] at the school board right now, but we just tried

110to reproduce uh the calendar as we've kind of done it in recent years. I have one conflict for August 4th. I'm going to be away, but if no one else is, then you guys are free to [music] meet, but I'm definitely not going to make that meeting. Yeah, it looks I have a feeling we'll have to look at it again, and Yeah, I think we can wait on that, but let's Okay, I just know I'm going to be gone from the 31st to the 8th. Okay. So. All right. That's a long longer window. If people need to go ahead. Sure. As we get closer to when we all figure out our summer schedules. Yeah, we'll revisit it. Yep. >> [music] >> Yeah, I think we do a pretty good job trying to accommodate family things

111and that, so whatever we should do as a group, and plus staff and the superintendent [music] works with us, but I uh now December budgets are on Thursdays. Is that the date for the December Yep, so those [music] are all those are all Decembers. Great. To kind of accommodate that. Okay. On Thursdays, sorry, not Decembers. Okay, thanks. All right, um if everybody's good with that for now, we can always adjust as we go, but um I'll look for a motion to approve [music] the '26-'27 school board meeting calendar. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Seconded by Kevin. All in favor? Aye. Aye, 5-0. >> [clears throat] [music] >> All right. >> [music] [music] >> across the board for the school [music] articles, as well as you and I. It was really refreshing and yeah, it

112makes me proud to represent Londonderry. So, I appreciate the vote of confidence for three more years with that. Good job. >> [music] >> Anything else, Kevin? No, I'm good. Tim, you're good? Sure. Good. Good. Dan? Jay? Yep, [music] you want me to go get something? Uh um a couple of things actually. So, obviously um we had a uh significant and very scary accident [music] in front of the high school. Um so, our thoughts are with the crossing guard. Thankfully, >> [music] >> um the reports that we've received, she has minor injuries there, but it's just a reminder uh traffic safety in front of the uh in front of the school [music] before school starts and after school really important um for our drivers, our our pedestrians, people walking [music] to to the rec courts. Thankfully,

113uh you know, no students were involved, um but it was a serious [music] uh incident there and and our hearts uh and thoughts go out to our crossing guard and and the family for sure. Um so, I just wanted to to share that. Um and [music] um more positive news, I want to do a quick follow-up with the reading initiative. Just um talk about uh K5, they had their Read Across America to kick off uh this month of March with lots [music] of uh fun activities uh for the students. The middle school had a drop everything and read, so they had their books that they were encouraged [music] to and they just stopped uh right in the middle of the day and carved out some time to do some uh personal reading and reading for

114fun. [music] And our high school had a really clever idea. They had a March Madness, March Book Madness. And if you see um behind you, um departments read uh children's books to >> [music] >> students in classes that were interested. 700 students filtered through the library. Um and >> [music] >> I'm just going to minimize this. And then, most of those students and our staff at the high school filled out brackets uh for >> [music] >> the March Book Madness. Uh Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus was your champion. I haven't read that book, but now I will. Um but that's [music] that's the book that was selected. So, uh just kudos to the library, the administration uh for supporting that. Um the literacy committees at all the schools, they're really championing [music] that

115work. I thought that was great. Uh another fun night that we had and I wish I I took some pictures, but I didn't upload them, was the family STEM night. That was really well attended. Um families uh sifted through the cafeteria at the high school here. The theme was mad scientists [music] and I want to just thank our STEM teams, uh Nicole for helping to facilitate that. Um the robotics team for coming, they took up the middle space [music] in the the elementary students were just thrilled to be a part of that. They did it participate in science experiments. It was a really really cool showing. Our uh Science National Honor Society facilitated a lot of the stations. >> [music] >> So, it was it was super cool work. Um great things happened in the

116middle school with Shrek the Musical [music] uh Junior. That was a big hit uh there over uh this past weekend. And then finally, as was mentioned, want to acknowledge and thank Caitlin Burkhart and the counseling [music] team, Dr. Kimberly Sousi, uh Rick and his administrative team, and five members of [music] the IT department were on hand making sure today went well for the SAT cuz they knew the importance. [music] You'd heard about the breakfast that was awaiting the juniors. Um it was really awesome. And Rick shared in his weekly updates um what the schools doing [music] to promote those incentives for those students taking it, whether it's parking pass points, um pins, academic [music] pins, or tier three where they can earn a cord um for improvement on uh from [music] the PSAT to the

117SAT. The second picture is the class of '26. You look at how many students met the 5% growth [music] um from the PSAT to the SAT last year. And now they all received a cord uh to signify that achievement. So, I thought that was pretty cool and just [music] great work happening at all the schools. So, we're set. Thanks. That's great. Thank you for all that. A lot of good things happening [music] and keep it coming, guys. I love it. Anything from the Jay on that? >> [music] >> Good. Amanda, you got anything? >> I'm good. All right. With that, I will look for a motion to go into non-public [music] session, requested under RSA 91-A {colon} 3, section 2B and C, please. So moved. Motion by Sarah. Second. Second by Amanda and I'll go

118with a roll call vote from my left to right, please. Aye, Kevin Gray. Aye, Tim Porter. Aye, Bob Slater. >> Aye, Sarah Letson. Aye, [music] Amanda Butcher. Goodnight, Londonderry.