Throughout the month of August, WHAV provides a daily report counting down to the first day of school in Greater Haverhill.
When Methuen students go back to school next week, they can boast that they attend some of the safest schools in the country.
Methuen police Lt. Joseph Aiello recently received the 2017 National School Safety Award at a national conference this summer in Las Vegas.
Methuen’s former school resource officer, Aiello now supervises the department’s school services unit. He organizes the city’s Police Explorers program and belongs to the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council School Threat Assessment and Response System.
“Lt. Aiello’s decade of school safety training and experience has elevated him to a nationally recognized expert in school safety and security,” Methuen police Chief Joseph Solomon said. “His dedication to school safety is a major asset to the city of Methuen.”
The Haverhill School Committee’s final summer meeting is Thursday, Aug. 24. Superintendent James F. Scully will provide an update of plans for opening day and will discuss grade configurations and plans for Greenleaf, Consentino and Tilton schools. In September, the committee resumes its regular twice-a-month meeting schedule.
The ABC Annex at Bartlett, which houses the kindergarten, first- and second-grades from Consentino School, will post classroom assignments on the front door at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25. The first PTO meeting will take place Sept. 20 at 3:15 p.m. Bartlett School is at 551 Washington St.
Whether their children walk, ride a bus or are dropped off at school, Haverhill parents should be sure to check their kids’ school websites to learn the buildings’ specific drop-off and pick-up procedures before classes begin on Tuesday, Aug. 29. To find individual school websites, visit the district site at hillies.org, and use the drop-down menu at the top right, labeled “Schools.”
After two years of study, Georgetown School District officials have decided to leave school start times as they are.
Superintendent Carol Jacobs said the district formed the Start School Later Committee to study the issue after published reports claimed health benefits of giving students more time to sleep, based on their biological clock.
“Committee members held two community forums, conducted two surveys, set up a local Start School Later chapter to access current information about the national movement, met with groups and individuals such as the athletic director, bus company representative, Penn Brook School’s music teacher and the after-school directors at both the Middle High School and Penn Brook,” Jacobs said.
After studying survey results and looking at the logistics involved in changing school start times, the committee voted to make no change at this time.
“The community support was just not there,” Jacobs said.
On the state level, education officials are studying whether to mandate that all middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., Jacobs said.
Penn Brook School, which serves kindergarten through grade 6, begins classes at 8:40 a.m. The day at the Middle High School begins at 7:30 a.m.
Haverhill Public Schools open their doors to students in grades 1 through 12 on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Kindergarten begins Sept. 5. All Haverhill students will attend for a half-day on Friday, Sept. 1, and enjoy a day off for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4.
Regional first days are:
Pentucket: Aug. 31
Timberlane: Aug. 31
Methuen: Aug. 29
Whittier: Aug. 29 for freshmen and new students; Aug. 30 for all students
Sacred Hearts, Bradford: Wednesday, Aug. 30
Central Catholic High School: Sept. 7
Georgetown Public Schools: Grades 1-12, Aug. 29; kindergarten, Aug. 30
Do you have a submission for the Back-to-School Countdown? Email information to [email protected]. Tune in tomorrow for more back-to-school information.