December 1, 2023
Dear SAU 90 Staff and Families,
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Tomorrow is the Hampton Holiday Parade. Experience Hampton puts on this event in their efforts to bring families and visitors in our downtown together to celebrate the start of the holiday season. This is one of the largest holiday parades in the state of New Hampshire and has been in existence since 2010. This year, the parade’s theme is, “Surfboards & Snow Globes,” as they wanted to pay homage to the beach, the holidays, and the lifestyle that living in a seaside town encapsulates. Our very own Molly St. Jeanne, owner of Big Bad Food Truck, will lead the parade as the Grand Marshal. Molly is a Hampton business owner, community leader, an alumni, and a former employee from the Hampton Schools. SAU 90 staff, students, and families are invited to join us as we ring in the start of the holiday season. We will be assembling at 12:30 PM at the Ginger and Clove parking lot on 881 Lafayette Road. The parade starts at 1:00 PM sharp, with road closures happening around 12:30 PM. This event happens rain or shine. Please dress appropriately – wear your Hawaiian shirts, leis, and help kick off the holiday season. We hope to see you marching with us or viewing along the parade route.
With the winter weather upon us, I thought it would be important to review our procedures for determining school closures. Please know that this is something that we consider very seriously and realize that this has an impact on our families. Typically, superintendents meet with the state’s emergency department of works 24-48 hours before a storm so that we can hear from the state regarding expected areas impacted, travel conditions, and when clean-up will begin. Then, on the day of the storm, Superintendents will speak with their local municipalities. For Hampton, this includes First Student, Town Offices including Hampton Police and Fire, and Facilities to determine road conditions, buses, and school grounds. Around 4:30 PM, the area superintendents will hold a conference call and make decisions for their individual districts, keeping in mind that the weather can vary greatly on the seacoast and inland. Although this is not a perfect system, every effort is made to determine the safest plan for students. Parents will be notified through our school’s messaging system if school is delayed or will be closed. Therefore, is important that we have updated contact information on file for this purpose. Please be sure to contact your school if you need to make any changes. Thank you in advance.
In the spirit of the season, we know that there have been and continue to be a number of collections happening around the district, town, and nation. We appreciate all of the donations to our troops, families, eighth graders, and students as we ensure that everyone has a happy holiday season. With that being said, if you or your family could use assistance, our Outreach Worker, Emily Fixler is here to help you. She can be reached at 603-926-2000 at Hampton Academy or on her cell phone at 603-858-9810. Our greatest wish is that everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season.
See you at the parade!
With Hampton PRIDE,
Dr. Lois B. Costa
Superintendent of SAU 90
Shark News: Shark News 12.1.23