Principal’s Notes
Sept. 23

The opening of school has gone very smoothly and it is amazing to think we have already completed nearly one month of school! Just over two thousand two hundred students walked through the doors on the first day and began a full schedule of classes. Our teaching staff continues to work on the process of creating and refining competencies and assessments in all of our core academic courses. This process will ultimately provide students and parents with a clear understanding about what a student knows in a particular course of study. Our afterschool extra-curricular programs are in full swing and involve hundreds of students. For example the Actors Guild already has a performance scheduled to hit the stage this weekend and our athletic teams are living up to our “Sports Illustrated” fame. The high school is in full speed!

This year we will be writing our Five-Year Accreditation Report for the New Association of Schools and Colleges. Attempts to address the long standing recommendations by NEASC about improving our facility will likely be an issue for the Association as the plans for school renovation failed. At this time we do not know how that will impact our accreditation status. I will keep you apprised as the school year progresses.

We continue to advance our technology infrastructure, access, and opportunities for students with the deployment of Thin Clients throughout the building and remote access to our server. Greater availability of computers for students in school and remote access from home will enable students and teachers to enhance communication and learning experiences.

This week we invited the State Police K-9 units into the building as part of our effort to keep illegal substances out of our school. The unannounced visit brought officers and drug sniffing dogs in two areas of the school. I am happy to report that there were no illegal substances found during the search. We plan to continue with the unannounced visits throughout the year.

We are off to a great school year. If you have questions please call or email. I have included the link to our school website below. Right click on the link and select “open link” to access the school calendar or athletic calendar for the schedule of events.
http://www.salemschooldistrictnh.com/schools/shs/