Dear Newmarket Junior High Families,
Welcome back to the start of the 2023/2024 school year! I sincerely hope that you and your family have had a restful and rejuvenating summer break and did your best to avoid what seemed like the endless rainy days. As I transition to my second year, it has been an eventful summer around the building with hiring new staff and administrators as well as having the pleasure of beginning to be recognized throughout town. The first time a car full of students yelled my name took me a bit by surprise, it is always welcomed. As I mentioned last year, this is an extremely dedicated and compassionate community that truly supports its schools and values the great work done by our students and staff and I am reminded every day what a privilege it is to work here in Newmarket. As we begin this school year, I am filled with a sense of purpose and pride for the upcoming year and am genuinely excited to tackle whatever challenges present themselves. With your continued support, my staff and I will continue to provide top notch educational and extracurricular experiences for all of our students.
As you may be aware, we have completely changed our schedule for students in junior high to better meet their unique learning needs. We will be utilizing a 6-period day with classes lasting 55 minutes. Below is our daily bell schedule:
7:35 am -8:30 am Period 1
8:30 am -9:25 am Period 2
9:25 am -10:20 am Period 3
10:20 am-11:00 am WIN
11:00 am-11:55 am Period 4
11:55 am-12:25 pm JRHS LUNCH
12:25 pm-1:20 pm Period 5
1:20 pm - 2:15 pm Period 6
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm Advisory
The schedule was developed over the course of last year in consultation with our junior high staff, students, and input from other key stakeholders. This schedule eliminates the need for the Red/Black rotation, allows students to see every teacher every day, and provides additional flexibility for grade-level projects and experiences. In addition to a student’s four core academics (math, science, history, English) they will have a rotation of two additional Unified Arts (Music, Band, Art, Physical Education, Spanish, Computer Science, Health, or STEAM) every day. As some of you may have noticed we have shifted STEAM into its own Unified Arts course and eliminated Mandarin at the junior high level due to low enrollment. Additionally, we have been unable to fill a vacancy for a technical education teacher so that course had to be removed from the offerings. Our hope is that the addition of STEAM will be able to still touch on some of the more popular topics from tech. ed.
One other large change that will be a point of focus this year will be the expectation that students keep any and all cellular devices (excluding those for medical needs) off and away in a locker or at home. While it can be extremely challenging for a student to be away from their cell phones for a moment, we believe that, based on best available research, student engagement increases and disciplinary incidents decrease when they’re not tempted to be on their devices. We ask that you do everything you can to help support us in eliminating the distraction and keeping your students focused on learning.
Over the last year, we’ve had several community events around the district’s Vision of a Graduate (VoG). In essence this is what core skills and beliefs we want all of our students to demonstrate and exhibit once they matriculate from Newmarket. We’ve had several working groups of students, staff, and community members provide feedback on this document and are excited to bring a working draft to community for more feedback shortly. The VoG will serve as a road map for the district as we begin to move forward for the 2023/24 school year and beyond. Be on the lookout for more information and an invitation to participate in this formative process.
I wanted to make the community aware of a few important upcoming dates for opportunities to come into the building and meet our wonderful staff. Sixth grade orientation is on Wednesday August 23rd from 8:00-11:30. We will be providing transportation (see attached bus information for orientation ONLY) and as a reminder this event is for incoming 6th graders only. The first day of school for all students, grades 6-12 will be Monday August 28th with the doors opening at 7:15. We will be hosting the Junior High Open House on Wednesday, September 20th from 6:00PM-7:30PM and will follow a similar format to last year where parents can engage with their student’s individual team of teachers.
While the start of any school year can bring on excitement and nervousness, we are excited to welcome students back to school and are committed to assisting and supporting them as we all transition back to the hard work of learning. In order to trouble shoot some first day issues, please have your children login and check their emails before the first day of school. If there is an issue, please email the help desk. Please be on the lookout for our annual packet of forms that will go home with your student during the first week of school. These forms should be filled out and returned as soon as possible so we have the most updated and accurate information.
I wish you all a smooth start to the school year where we can all stay healthy, positive, and connected. My door is open and I welcome your input. Please feel free to contact me via email at the address below or call to make an appointment to speak with me via phone to discuss any ideas or concerns.
Thank you,
Andrew Korman, PhD
Principal
Newmarket Junior Senior High School
kormana@newmarket.k12.nh.us