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  • Investigation into a Bus Incident

    Good afternoon, Portsmouth School Department staff, families, and students, Earlier this afternoon, a rider on the high school run of bus P5 quietly indicated they were concerned that another student may have a weapon on the bus. The bus company followed its procedures and sent a silent SOS alert to its headquarters. School and police officials were notified. Portsmouth Police responded swiftly and investigated the claim. Their investigation determined that there was no weapon and that most students were unaware of the potential concern. The bus was allowed to complete its route. We thank the Portsmouth Police for their swift action. We thank the bus driver for their calm response, and the student who made the original report. We all have a responsibility to keep our school community safe, and it’s important that we all take proactive steps to do so. Thanks for your understanding and support. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact PHS Principal Steve Chinosi at (603) 436-7100. Have a great weekend, Dr. Zach McLaughlin Superintendent of Schools

    Friday, Jun 14 2024

  • District Safety Update

    Good evening, Portsmouth School Department families and staff, I apologize for the timing of this message, but it was important to get the information out as soon as possible. Earlier this evening, the Portsmouth School Department and Portsmouth Police Department became aware of a threatening message posted on social media. Working together, school and police personnel identified the person who posted the message. Law enforcement then made contact and interviewed this individual, including a set of safety checks. At the conclusion of that visit, it was determined that there was no immediate threat to the school or student body. The Portsmouth Police Department and School Department will continue collaborating on a longer-term resolution to the concern. In the coming days, the school community will notice an increased police presence, but it is important to note that this is to help reassure our staff and students. This presence is not due to the belief that there is pending danger. Thanks to the students, staff, and parents who reported the concern. Rapid reporting of these issues is crucial to keeping our school community safe. We also would like to thank the Portsmouth Police Department for their ongoing partnership and professionalism. As always, we want to assure you that our administration is here to support you and provide any assistance needed. We strongly encourage you to communicate any concerns or questions you may have. Your safety is our top priority, and we are committed to working together to maintain it. Thank you for your continued support. All the best, Dr. Zach McLaughlin Superintendent of Schools

    Tuesday, Jun 04 2024

  • Phone Service Interrupted at PHS, Dondero, New Frank...

    Dear PSD families, Our internet provider notified us that we are part of a regional outage. They are working to resolve the issue. This outage affects both our internal internet district-wide and external phone service at Portsmouth High School, Dondero School, New Franklin School, and Lister Academy. Phone service is still up at Portsmouth Middle School, Little Harbour School, and Central Office. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we hope to have all phone service restored soon. Respectfully, Zach McLaughlin Superintendent of Schools

    Friday, May 24 2024

  • Press Release: The Arrest of a School Employee

    Press Release Date: May 24th, 2024 From: Portsmouth School Department Re: The Arrest of Harry Charache The Portsmouth School Department is aware of Harry Charache's arrest. Mr. Charache has worked as a substitute teacher in the district and offered after-school martial arts at some schools. Mr. Charache has not substituted for the district since April 12th. That evening, the district was notified that a  temporary order of protection  had been served to Mr. Charache. As his case is being adjudicated via the criminal justice process, the Portsmouth School Department will not employ him as a substitute teacher or engage him as an afterschool activities vendor. The current charges against Mr. Charache are not alleged to have occurred on campus or with children. The Portsmouth School Department’s first priority is the safety of our school community and, particularly, our students.  If you have additional questions or concerns, please get in touch with the Superintendent’s Office at (603) 610-4471.

    Friday, May 24 2024

  • Change of Location for Tomorrow's Strategic Planning...

    Before vacation, we invited you to participate in community focus groups on the draft strategies and action steps for the Portsmouth School Department strategic plan. The dates and times of those opportunities remain the same, but we will be moving tomorrow's in-person opportunities to Portsmouth Middle School's library . A large track meet is occurring at Portsmouth High School, and we believe we will have improved parking opportunities at Portsmouth Middle School.  If you'd like to preview the draft before attending, you can view the document here: Strategic Plan Draft Strategies and Action Steps We hope you can join us at one of the following opportunities. _______________________________________________________________________________________ What:  Strategic Planning Feedback Opportunities for Community Members Want to weigh in on the draft Portsmouth School Department Strategic Plan?   Your voice is needed!  Our strategic plan will be guiding what we prioritize in our classrooms for the next several years, and we want to hear your thoughts on our proposed strategies and action steps.   Who:  These events are open to everyone who is a part of the SAU52 community. We are hoping to see family members, students, teachers, administrators, educators, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, community members, board members, alumni, business leaders, and employees of local community organizations! When/Where: Community Input Sessions at Portsmouth High School- May 2nd 5:30-6:30 in the Portsmouth High School Library Moved to Portsmouth Middle School Library May 2nd 6:30-7:30 in the Portsmouth High School Library   Moved to Portsmouth Middle School Library Virtual Community Input Sessions- May 7th 5:30-6:30 via zoom ( https://bit.ly/PortsmouthCommunityInputVirtual1 ) May 7th 6:30-7:30 via zoom ( https://bit.ly/PortsmouthCommunityInputVirtual2 ) As always, do not hesitate to reach out with questions/comments.

    Wednesday, May 01 2024

  • District Update: Student Government Day, Kindergarte...

      Please note: This video, recorded on Friday, April 12th, 2024, has closed captions available. The links referenced in the video are here: Kindergarten Online Registration: K Registration Link Staff, Family, and Community Communication Survey: Adult Communication Survey Link Strategic Planning Webpage: PSD Stratgeic Planning Page A transcript of the video is available below and will be automatically translated to secondary languages within ParentSquare for families that have indicated a language request. The transcript begins here: Zac McLaughlin: Happy Friday Portsmouth. It's Student Government Day here at City Hall. So we have students shadowing a bunch of people who are part of both city government and the schools. And so I'm here with the shadow superintendent for the day, Marlon Pinto, and we're here to give you some information that we want to make sure you have as we move into the weekend. Marlon Pinto, PHS Senior: We just want to remind people that today is the last day for kindergarten registration, so please make sure to have that in. Reminder, it's the last day for today. Zach McLaughlin: In addition to that, also make sure we have, at this point, we've got a communication survey out to all the adults, so staff, parents, community. It will also be up on Facebook later today and we want to have you inform us how we can better communicate with all of you folks. Marlon Pinto, PHS Senior: Yeah, this communication survey, it's really important because I mean, without it we can't figure out what's the best way we can effectively communicate to both students, parents, staff, and everybody in the community. So it's appreciated if you guys fill that out for us. Zach McLaughlin: Last thing, also on our website, for those of you who've been trying to follow our strategic planning process, there is a tab on our website. I'll include the information down below, so if you want to see meeting minutes, you want to see graphical representations of the work that we've been doing and to know what that process is going to continue to look like, go ahead and check that down below. And I think that's probably it for us. So have a great weekend, Portsmouth. Mario Pinto: Have a good one. Zach McLaughlin: All right, take care.

    Friday, Apr 12 2024

  • Police Investigation at New Franklin School Campus

    Good morning Portsmouth parents, students, and staff,  The Portsmouth Police Department and School Department are currently investigating a weapon discharge that happened behind New Franklin School in the early hours of Friday morning. This weekend, a walker discovered shell casings on Myrtle Ave near the tennis courts behind New Franklin School. Portsmouth Police began to investigate the situation. Utilizing school cameras and the initial investigative work of the police, we were able to determine that a person fired a gun behind the New Franklin School at approximately 2:30 AM on Friday. Portsmouth Police will continue to have a presence around the school campus as the investigation continues. The police do not currently believe that this act represents a threat to the school. It is still disconcerting, and the School Department will continue to assist the Police Department to identify the suspect involved. As always, the safety of our school community is our first and paramount focus. If you have any information that may assist in the investigation please call Detective Captain David Keaveny at 603-610-7511.  Respectfully, Dr. Zach McLaughlin, Superintendent of Schools Mark Newport, Chief of Police

    Monday, Apr 08 2024

  • Important Communication Survey Launches Tomorrow!

    Good evening parents, students, staff, and community members, Get ready! Starting tomorrow, the Portsmouth School Department will launch a district-wide survey to gather your valuable input on our communication efforts. We invite all staff, parents/guardians, community members, and students to dedicate 15 minutes to this confidential online survey, which will take place from April 8-22. Your insights gathered through this survey will help shape the future of how we communicate with you. Tomorrow, we will be sending an emailed link to parents/guardians and staff for one version of the survey. We will send a different link to students to get their input on a slightly adjusted version. We encourage you to be open and honest in sharing your feedback on district communications. Your support is invaluable to us, and we thank you for being an essential part of the Portsmouth School Department community. Should you seek further information about the survey, please contact the Superintendent's office at (603) 610-4471.  Have a good evening and thanks for helping us better craft our communications with you, Zach McLaughlin Superintendent

    Sunday, Apr 07 2024

  • District Updates: Last Day of School, Kindergarten R...

    Happy Friday, Portsmouth School Department, As we head off to the weekend, I have three quick updates for you and one tease…. My tease is that I will send you another message later this week about communication. Look for it as I will need your help. First, with our surprise April storm putting us out yesterday, we want to clarify what that has done for our end-of-school-year dates. If we followed through with our calendar and make-up days, the last day for students would be a half day on Tuesday, June 18th; however, we have decided to take a different approach. Monday, June 17th, will remain the last day of school for students, but it will be a full day. Then staff will come in for a workshop day on Tuesday, June 18th. Then the district will be closed for the national celebration of the end of slavery on Juneteenth. Staff will then return for a final workshop day on Thursday, June 20th. Remember, June 17th will be the last day for students, and it will be a full day. Down below I will include a link to the updated calendar.  Updated Calendar Link Second, I want to put out another request for families to complete their kindergarten registration for next year. Our deadline is a week from today, Friday, April 12th. At that time, it is crucial that we have accurate numbers for next year. Those numbers will help us make important decisions, including the possible utilization of modular classrooms at Dondero to help with class size. So, if you have a student who will be joining Kindergarten in the fall, please go to our online registration page. If you have a friend or family member who has children who will be coming in the fall, please tell them to visit the registration page. I have provided a link in the notes below:  Online Registration Link Finally, as I close, I want to acknowledge the passing of an employee. Late last week, we received the news Ed MacPherson had passed away unexpectedly. Mr. MacPherson was a long-term custodian at New Franklin School, and after he retired, he came back to serve as a lunch monitor. He was an important part of the fabric of the school, and I know that his loss will be felt. I know that I had a fourth grader in my house who was brought tears upon knowing that "Big Ed" wouldn’t be coming back. It is a testament to his work for the community and a reminder of how important all the amazing employees of this school district are. I want to offer my condolences to his family, friends and coworkers, and I want to wish you all a peaceful and recharging weekend. Take care of yourself, Portsmouth.

    Friday, Apr 05 2024

  • No School Tomorrow (4/4) in Portsmouth

    Good evening Portsmouth School Department, This is Zach McLaughlin, the Superintendent of Schools. I am calling tonight to let you know that Portsmouth Schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday April 4th. We hope you have a safe day, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back on Friday. I hope you and your families have a good rest of your evening.

    Wednesday, Apr 03 2024