Greetings!

I hope this message finds you in the midst of enjoying summer!

Each year, our school administrators take time to retreat together to plan for the upcoming school year and engage in our own professional learning.   I am excited to share some of that work and key priorities that emerged from our recent administrative retreat. Our goal is always aimed at enhancing our educational environment and ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovative practices.

• Generative AI in Education: During the retreat, we delved into the potential applications of generative AI within our school. We explored how this technology can be leveraged to support personalized learning experiences, streamline administrative tasks, and foster creativity among our students and staff. We are committed to integrating AI tools thoughtfully and ethically to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.  Included in this work is ensuring we teach our students how to use responsibly and that it isn’t a replacement for learning.
• Partnership with Khanmigo: We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Khanmigo, an AI-powered educational assistant developed by Khan Academy. This collaboration will provide our students and teachers with access to incredible resources and personalized in-time tutoring support.  The NH Department of Education partnered with Khanmigo making this tool free to school districts for the coming school year.  You can check it out here: https://www.khanmigo.ai/
• Re-examining Our Mission Statement: Another important aspect of our retreat was the initiation of a comprehensive review of our mission statement. It has been over a decade since we’ve developed a mission statement and we feel it is time for a review.  As our educational landscape evolves, it is crucial that our mission reflects our current values, goals, and aspirations. This process will involve input from all stakeholders, ensuring that our mission remains relevant and inspiring for our community.
• Transition to Alma – Our New Student Information System: We are preparing to transition to Alma, a new student information system that will significantly improve our data management and communication capabilities. Alma will offer a more user-friendly interface, better reporting tools, and enhanced accessibility for students, parents, and staff. Training sessions and resources will be provided to ensure a smooth transition.  We will continue to send out email notifications to set up your Alma accounts.
• Development of a Communication Plan: We are also developing a comprehensive communication plan to ensure that all stakeholders—internal and external—are clear about expectations for communication. This plan will outline the methods and frequency of communication, key points of contact, and protocols for sharing information. Our goal is to foster transparency, collaboration, and timely dissemination of information across our community.

We are enthusiastic about the upcoming school year.  We are certain these areas of focus will have a positive impact on our schools. Your engagement and support will be vital as we move forward with these projects. We will be calling on you for your input as we continue our work.  More information to come!

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer - Go Blue and Gold!

Marcy

Good Morning!

We have officially wrapped up the 2023-2024 school year and are already planning for opening days in the fall.

Earlier this year I shared with you that we would be rolling out a new student information system.  I am pleased to announce that Alma is our new information system and is ready to go today!  Please be on the lookout for an email notification to set up your account.  It will come from notifications@getalma.com.  In addition, here is a link with login instructions.

Have you been to our website recently?  Go to SAU67.org and check it out.  It has a fresh new look, is well organized and will continually display the good work of our students and staff.  You should be able to find everything you need.  We certainly welcome any feedback you may have.

Finally, I”m sure you’ve noticed our digital signs by now.  They look great and have already gotten a lot of use.  They will allow us to share information and reminders in a timely, convenient way.

Our new student information system, website and digital signs are major upgrades and have been brought forward in an effort to continually improve the way we share information with students, staff and our communities.

I hope you’re having a fantastic start to your summer!

Take care,

Marcy

Greetings Bow & Dunbarton Families,

The end of May has arrived and we will head into the final two weeks of school - can you believe it?  For me, this year has flown by as I’m sure it has for many of you, especially those with graduating seniors!

May was filled with all kinds of excitement for our students.  They showed us so much talent during music concerts, a theater production and many sporting events….all on top of how busy they are during the school day.

The next two weeks will be very busy ones.  There will be field days, promotion ceremonies, graduation activities and more.  Please be on the lookout  for your principal’s newsletter to see dates and times of events.

As a reminder, the last day for DES, BMS and BHS students is an early release on Friday, June 14th.  Bow Elementary School students' last day will be a full day on Thursday, June 13th to accommodate packing up and moving for the summer as the BES renovation/addition project moves into classrooms.

At the end of the school year, you will receive information from me regarding our new student information system, ALMA and our new website.  I hope that you will see both of these changes as improvements in how we communicate what’s happening both in and out of the classroom.

TOURNEY TIME!  This weekend we have four teams competing in the NHIAA tournament along with a number of athletes competing in track and field events at the Meet of Champions.

Saturday June 1: 

Varsity Softball away @ Conval D2 Quarterfinals 4pm

Girls Varsity Lacrosse away vs. Gilford @ Laconia, Bank of NH Stadium D3 Semifinals 2pm

Boys Varsity Lacrosse away @ Kearsarge D3 Quarterfinals 7pm

Varsity Baseball home vs. Hanover D2 Quarterfinals 4pm

Sunday June 2

Varsity Track & Field away @ NHIAA Meet of Champions, UNH 10am

REMINDERS:

BHS Graduation, June 14th @ 4:00 pm, St. Anselm College

BMS Recognition, June 13th @ 5:30 pm, Bow High School

DES Promotion, June 12th @ 6:30 pm, Dunbarton Elementary School

The warmer weather is finally here to stay.  I hope you get out and enjoy it this weekend!

Marcy

Good Afternoon,
Last evening, the Bow School Board voted unanimously for the last day of school for Bow Elementary School Students to be on Thursday, June 13th.  This will be a full day of school.
We made this unique request only for Bow Elementary School due to the renovation/addition project.  All staff need to be out by June 14th as major construction will take place in the building following that day.  This will provide staff with the necessary time to pack up their rooms for the entire summer. They will not have access to their classrooms after June 14th until teachers are back on August 26th!
Again, BES students last day will be Thursday, June 13th - this is a full day of school.
Thank you for your support,
Marcy****

Greetings Bow & Dunbarton Families,

Following two administrative search processes, I’m excited to share this message with you.

On Wednesday, the Dunbarton School Board voted unanimously to hire Ms. Megan Bartashevich as the Assistant Principal of Student Services for Dunbarton Elementary School.  Ms. Bartashevich has been an incredible special educator and teacher leader at Bow Elementary School for the last eighteen years.  DES is excited to begin working with Megan beginning July 1st.

On Thursday, the Bow School Board voted unanimously to hire Ms. Brenda Barth as the next Assistant Principal for Bow High School.  You may recognize this name as she has been one of our amazing humanities teachers at Bow High School for the last twenty three years (among many other roles)!  BHS is thrilled to have one of their own earn this spot.  Brenda will begin her new role on July 1st.

I am confident both Ms. Bartashevich and Ms. Barth will be outstanding additions to our administrative teams and to their respective buildings.  

Join me in congratulating both Megan and Brenda!

Enjoy your weekend,

Go Blue & Gold!

Marcy

Greetings Bow & Dunbarton Families,

As we head into April break, I would like to share some updates and important date reminders with you.

Earlier this week,  Dunbarton Elementary School was awarded the 2024 Special Recognition Award for Community Engagement by the NH Excellence in Education organization.  This is a special recognition for the community of Dunbarton.  Here is the press release. Well done, Dunbarton!

When we return from break, there will be roughly 6 weeks of school left.  As with every year, this will be a very busy time.  Co-curricular activities are in full swing as are preparations for end of year events and celebrations including Bow High School class of 2024 graduation.

Important Date Reminders:

-Dunbarton Elementary School will have their promotion Ceremony on Wednesday, June 12th.

-Bow Memorial School will have their 8th Grade Recognition on Thursday, June 13th @ BHS.

-Bow High School Graduation will be on June 14th @ St. Anselm College.

-The last day of school is June 14th and is a half day for students.

During this second half of the school year we have been working on a new website!  Our focus has been on developing a site that is cleaner, more organized and easier to navigate - and one that highlights the good work of our students and staff.  We are hopeful to be able to roll this out to you by the end of the year.

In addition to a new website, we made the decision to switch to a different student information system.  We have been using Infinite Campus for more than a decade now.  We are in the midst of a transition to a system called Alma.  I believe that Alma will be a much easier product to use for students, staff and families.  Our IT staff have been hard at work on migrating all of our student information to be ready for a July 1st debut.  More information will come as we get closer to the end of the year.

Finally, you may remember that we have a Robotics team that qualified for the world championship.  Team Tungsten will be traveling to Dallas on Tuesday to compete in the VEX World Championships, against 800 other teams from around the world.  They will be in the Opportunity Division.  Matches start on Thursday morning and will be covered live here if you would like to follow their progress.  

I hope you are able to find some time to relax over break and come back ready to tackle the rest of the school year!

Go blue and gold!

Marcy

Good Afternoon Dunbarton & Bow Families,
I want to get this information out to you sooner rather than later so you may plan.
At the SAU Board meeting this past Monday, the Board approved keeping the last day of school for students as Friday, June 14th.  This is a half day for students.  As you know, we have had one traditional snow day.  This meant our last day of school was going to be pushed to Monday, June 17th.  However, we exceed the number of hours required by the state, so it is a local decision. An important factor the Board considered is the renovation and addition project at BES.  This will keep the project moving without unnecessary delay.
Dunbarton Elementary School will have their promotion Ceremony on Wednesday, June 12th.
Bow Memorial School will have their 8th Grade Recognition on Thursday, June 13th @ BHS.
Bow High School Graduation will be on June 14th @ St. Anselm College.
As we get closer to these dates, more details will come from the buildings.  Please keep an eye out for principal's messages each week.
I'm looking forward to a strong rest of the year and warmer, sunnier days ahead!
Marcy

Due to inclement weather and expected post-storm cleanup, we will have a 2 hour delay, tomorrow, April 5th.  There will be no AM Pre-school.