Contact: Dr. Carla Scuzzarella, Principal
North Andover High School, North Andover, Ma. 01845
978-794-1711

NAHS Principal, Carla Scuzzarella, received word early Friday, October 19th that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges has removed North Andover High School from warning status.

The NEASC's Commission on Public Secondary Schools reviewed the school's status at its meeting on September 30 - October 1, 2007.   Following a review of the submitted material, the Commission voted to continue the school's accrediation and to remove NAHS from warning. The Commission was pleased to learn of the additional staff, implementation of a pilot schedule, and the successful passage of an override by the Town.

We are pleasantly surprised with this news, as our last communication from the NEASC in early September indicated the Commission would take no action until after our Accreditation visit this month.”

North Andover High School will welcome the NEASC visiting team on Sunday, October 21, 2007 for the decennial visit.

The North Andover School Committee welcomes the attendance of community members to observe and offer public comment to the Committee as we conduct our meetings and deliberate over public business. 

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 39 Section 23C governs public participation at open meetings of municipal government bodies as follows,

Section 23c.  No person shall address a public meeting of a governmental body without permission of the presiding officer at such meeting, and all persons shall, at the request of such presiding officer, be silent.  If, after warning from the presiding officer, a person persists in disorderly behavior, said officer may order him to withdraw from the meeting, and if he does not withdraw, may order a constable or any other person to remove him and confine him in some convenient place until the meeting is adjourned.

The Committee’s goal is to set aside a period of time at each regular business meeting to hear from the public.

The following are general rules for the Committee’s public comment period(s):

TO:    School Committee
FROM:   James Marini, Interim Superintendent
RE:  FY09 Budget Priorities
DATE:  October 2, 2007 – updated October 12, 2007

To help focus the discussion on budget priorities for FY 09, I thought it might be helpful for me to frame the issues as I see them.  This is intended as a working document only and will be modified as we work through the process of developing budget guidelines.  My goal is to receive from the Committee a clear statement of how you want me to proceed in developing the FY 09 budget. 

Included in the School Committee packet are the proposed system goals for 2007-2008.  These goals are presented for School Committee review and to inform budget guidelines for FY09.  The goals were derived from planning sessions with the Leadership Team and are intended to guide the work of the school department.  While the goals are comprehensive and not intended to be accomplished in one year, they form the foundation upon which our decisions will be based.  After a full review, the School Committee will be asked to vote to support the system goals.

North Andover Public School Special Education Child Find
2007-2008 School Year

The Special Education Department of the North Andover Public Schools is conducting a Child Find search for:

Children ages 3 to 5 years who live in North Andover and who may be experiencing learning difficulties or delays

And

Young adults ages 16-22 who left school prior to receiving a diploma or a G.E.D.

If the above describes your child, a child that you know, or you, and if the person is a North Andover resident, please call the Special Education Office at 978-794-1717 for more information.

Preschool screening is available upon request throughout the school year if you believe your child has learning difficulties or delays. This screening is completely voluntary.

North Andover Public Schools are participating in a new town-wide school department initiative to reduce trash by increasing the recycling of cardboard, steel cans, plastic and glass bottles and paper.  Our schools are the town's largest producer of municipal waste.  This partnership offers a great opportunity for all our schools to affect positively our environment and to reduce significantly  town trash disposal expenses. The Solid Waste Advisory Committee, led by Tina Klein, has partnered parent liaisons at each school with the custodial staff and the DPW. These teams will be coordinating recycling systems and providing the schools with the proper collection equipment.

If you'd like to learn more about general recycling information, there's a wealth of info posted on www.townofnorthandover.com/recycle.  There are several seats open on the North Andover Solid Waste Advisory Committee. They could use your help and it's a great way to become more involved in your community.

School Committee FY09 Budget Directives are now available for review.   Click on this link to view them.

September 4, 2007 

Dear North Andover Elementary Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

Welcome back to school!  The purpose of this letter is to introduce you to updates in the Elementary Science Curriculum.  During the past year, we developed a comprehensive and detailed Elementary Science Curriculum to help guide teachers in science instruction.

Some features of the new curriculum are:

The North Andover Foundation for Education has successfully completed its first year.   We are very excited to have been able to present the North Andover Public Schools with a donation of $18,000 for the purpose of partially funding an art teaching position at the High School.   It is our understanding that this position was the priority of the administration as the school year approached.  Without this position, high school students would not have been fully scheduled (resulting in additional study halls) and art class size was approaching 40.  With the addition of this teaching position, students will be adequately scheduled and class size will be more reasonable.  This donation was only possible as a result of the generosity and support of all those who took the leap of faith and supported our efforts this year.  Support from the community has been overwhelming, particularly for a new organization such as ourselves.   We are currently in the process of establishing our goal for the 2007-2008 school year, and will be working to establish a measurable, targeted objective.   For more information on North Andover Foundation for Education you may visit their web site at: http://www.northandoverfoundation.org/