H. Peter Loewer

Congratulations, we made it to the end of another school year! The air is buzzing with excitement as summer officially begins.

To our NHS Class of 2025, congratulations, this is a particularly momentous time. We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and know you are ready to take on the world. As you embark on your next adventures, remember the lessons learned, the friendships forged, and the incredible community that will always be here to cheer you on. We wish you the very best in all your future endeavors.

Congratulations to our rising ninth and sixth graders, these are pivotal milestones in your educational journey.

We hope you all have a wonderful summer break, filled with laughter, relaxation, and quality time with family and friends. Take this time to recharge, pursue your passions, and make new memories. We're already looking forward to welcoming everyone back in the fall, refreshed and ready for another year of learning and community building.

NPS continues to monitor what is occurring on the Federal level. At this point the Trump Administration is only proposing increased funding for the Charter School grant program and proposes level funding for three programs: Impact Aid, Indian Education and the Perkins CTE program. NPS should not be affected by these changes and the current Federal grants we receive will be level funded.

Furthermore, the administration is proposing a K12 Simplified Funding Program, which would “consolidate most existing grant programs for elementary and secondary education into a single State formula grant program.” The intent is to provide flexibility to states in distributing funding to districts. 

The Northampton Public Schools (NPS) are actively engaged in several strategic initiatives to improve various aspects of the district. This work is important to the long-term strategic plan as we focus on continuous improvement in the areas of facilities, fiscal health, food nutrition, culture of inclusion, climate and social emotional well-being, educational programs, instruction, assessment, and systems operations. Below is a summary of the work that occurred during year one of implementation. Please see the link (Spanish) for a summary and next steps. Eight work groups were established this year with a specific purpose and focus:

The last day of school has changed from Friday, June 13 to Monday, June 16 . June 13 will be a full day of school and June 16 will be a half day of school for students.

Schools dismiss according to the following schedule:

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL:

Wednesday, August 27 -- for grades 1-12

Tuesday, September 2 -- for PreK and Kindergarten

Beginning on June 17, the Superintendent's Office hours will be 8:30AM - 4:00PM.

On April 30, teachers from local schools were honored at the Log Cabin. Teachers were nominated by their peers and selected to be recognized. Northampton award recipients were:

NHS Students Win Multiple NATAS Student Production Awards!

Jeromie Whalen, Ph.D., Communications & Media Production Teacher at NHS announced

that The Transcript, the weekly video news magazine produced by NHS students at Northampton High School, received multiple Student Production Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter. This is one of the most prestigious media awards available to our students, and we wanted to share and celebrate their efforts and achievements.

The Transcript Season 17 Episode 17

Talk on the Block | Family Traditions

Elly Hiranandani, Producer

Travis Emerson, Producer

River Burnell-Wojtech, Producer

Special Report | Sit Down With Inspector General

Jane Harrison-Millman, Producer

Joseph Dieppa Lopez, Producer

Special Report | Trump MSG Rally

Michael Tornow, Producer

Shira Sweet, Producer

Jane Harrison-Millman, Producer

Northampton High School

Weekday Wakeup

August Santos, Producer

Michael Tornow, Producer

Behind the Screen: Digital Childhood

Jane Harrison-Millman, Producer

Shira Sweet, Producer 

October 7th Memorial

Grace Caouette, Producer

Ryan Raud-Mickle, Producer Logan Kircsak

Producer Shira Sweet

Producer Ruth Pollin-Galay, Producer

A Cold Open Carol

Kai Pitre, Producer

Rose Bennett, Producer

Talk on the Block | Construction

Elly Hiranandani, Producer Travis Emerson

Producer River Burnell-Wojtech, Producer

Special Report | Congress Term Limits

Jane Harrison-Millman, Producer Michael Tornow, Producer

Shira Sweet, Producer

Northampton High School

Spotlight NPS | Northampton High School

Gavin Knight-Richard, Producer & Editor

Thomas Stanley, Talent Performer

Kai Pitre, Editor

Rose Bennett, Director

Thank you to Northampton Open Media, Northampton Public Schools, and our city officials for their continued support of student growth and learning!

On May 9, NHS students showcased their art work at the Northampton Center for the Arts. Parker Durant West (Class of 2026) stands with her art work below.

The Youth Education Commission invited Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to Northampton High School on May 27. The Commission and students at NHS discussed with Secretary Tutwiler the budgeting challenges faced by school districts in western Mass. Along with other area schools, this visit provided an opportunity to highlight the ongoing lack of sufficient state school funding for minimum-aid and declining enrollment to districts like Northampton, as well as rural districts. 

The JFK Student art exhibit opened on Friday, May 9, in the Hosmer Gallery of Forbes library.

All of the artists featured are 6th-8th grade students of Emma Mendoker and Michelle Mallory.

Under the direction of Shelby Serio, JFK students were preparing to perform on June 3. Shelby Serio quotes “Articulation and dynamics have to be huge!”

Under the direction of Erica Caron, JFK chorus students performed.

On May 22, JFK drama students presented QUEST: One Play to Rule Them All!

On May 20, Bridge Street students joined teachers Molly Moynihan and Helen Woods and 75 other teams with over 1,000 runners at the Annual Girls on the Run 5K event.

Every single BSS runner finished within 45 minutes, with three third graders finishing with their fourth and fifth grade counterparts. Our fifth graders absolutely crushed it, finishing the route at nearly a high school team’s pace (high school courses are the same distance at 3.1 miles max). 

The team thanked all the staff who came out to cheer them on. Below is a picture of the GOTR team.

On June 10, BSS 5th graders celebrated their move to 6th grade. During this celebration, Principal Ruyffelaert was thanked for her years of service at Bridge Street as she retires at the end of the school year.

On June 5, BSS staff, students and families had an opportunity to participate in the World Picnic offering different ethnic foods from around the world.

One June 12, 5th graders from Ryan Road celebrated their move to 6th grade.

A special thank you to Chris Wenz (pictured bottom left) for serving as Leeds Principal for the last six years. She will truly be missed when she leaves NPS on June 30. Her dedication and commitment to both school and the district was immeasurable. 

 

An Interim Principal, Susan Buchanan (pictured bottom right), has been appointed to assist with the smooth transition until a search can be conducted later in the upcoming school year. Ms. Buchanan will serve for a full-year term. A search committee will be formed in January to assist in the permanent principal search. An invitation will be sent out to caregivers and staff interested in serving on this committee.

 

Susan Buchanan holds a Masters of Education from American International College and holds licensure for school building administrator. She has served as a mathematics instructional coach in Northampton for four years, taught math at the elementary and middle school level for 13 years, was an elementary assistant principal, and adjunct professor at Westfield State University and Elms College. 

NPS' Early Childhood was honored to host the MA Department of Early Education & Care (EEC) Commissioner Kershaw and her team for a visit to Northampton on May 21, 2025. They came to learn more about the systems and strategies that have made our EEC grants implementation so successful. Northampton Public Schools holds the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative and Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grants. The Gazette reported on the visit; the article is attached and here are a few highlights from the day:

The day started off with a playground visit with children and teachers (please see bottom left photo). A midday meeting followed with the Commissioner, her team and regional family engagement leaders from REACH Early Intervention, Community Action and their Head Start Early Learning Program, the United Way, NPS' District Student Services and Parent Child+ Home Visiting, and Northampton Parents Center as well as the state leadership of Head Start. 

An afternoon session was held on the implementation of Preschool Partnership services in all Northampton preschool programs (public, centers and family child care). This meeting included preschool directors, NPS special education staff and instructional coaches along with the Commissioner and her team.  (please see bottom right photo)

We ended the day with an early childhood professional development event for 65 early childhood educators. The event opened with a Visionary Award to NPS' former Early Childhood Director and current Leadership Coach, Barbara Black. In her tenure with the district Barbara developed the strong relationship NPS has with the Department of Early Education and Care. She set the foundation for the grants we hold today, which in FY25, brought in over 1.1 million dollars to increase the equitable access to inclusive early education programming for all city preschool children. We were honored to have Superintendent Bonner, Mayor Sciarra, Rep. Sabadosa's Aide Julia Mathis and Commissioner Kershaw join in the award ceremony. 

Are you interested in professional development opportunities funded by the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative grant? Check out the offerings at: Preschool Partnership FREE Professional Development

There are new play opportunities for families with young children! Register for these and more at www.bit.ly/ECCpresents

Ward 1 - Holly Ghazey

Ward 3 - Emily Serafy-Cox (will run for At-Large)

Ward 5 - Ann Hennessey

Ward 6 - Margaret Miller

Ward 7 - Kerry LaBounty

At-Large - Gwen Agna and Aline Davis

For over forty years, hundreds of Northampton community members have been volunteering their time supporting education in city public schools through Volunteers in Northampton Schools (VINS). These volunteers are active in each of the schools and help out in many different ways. They read and play math games with elementary students, join classes for field trips or weekly outdoor nature studies, decorate hallways with student art, and visit classes to share a particular interest, expertise, or cultural background. 

The program is managed by Coordinator, Andres Cucalon Molina, who recruits, interviews, and places volunteers to match requests from teachers and school staff. Andres is available to support volunteers and staff to ensure an enjoyable collaboration.  

Volunteers and teachers report that their presence in our schools enhances learning in a unique way and is often a highpoint of their week.  

You are invited to join this effort in any of the following ways:

Become a VINS Volunteer or encourage a friend, neighbor or family member to volunteer. Contact Andres to fill out a form their indicates your own interests and availability. Some volunteers contribute weekly or even daily while others come in once a year.

If you expect to join a class for a field trip, classroom activity, or field day, plan ahead by completing the state required CORI check. You can obtain a form from the VINS Coordinator or through your school office. The CORI is in effect for three years, and each school office maintains a list of eligible volunteers.

Support VINS through a donation or by attending our popular March Dog Show. VINS is a non-profit organization separate from the school district with a modest yearly budget that covers coordination activities.  Donations of any amount are welcome. Sends check to:

         Volunteers in Northampton Schools, Inc. 

           c/o RK Finn Ryan Road School  

           498 Ryan Road, Florence, MA 01062

Volunteer to join the VINS Board of Directors. The Board meets once a month to advise and plan fund-raising like the ever-popular fun, free, and not entirely serious Dog Show the first Saturday in March. Your ideas are always welcome.

vinsvolunteer@gmail.com        

Please refer to Friday's Community Events Post for more local events.

For information about Summer Camps, click here.

The Northampton Arts Council has curated a unique and thrilling music odyssey annually at Pines Theater in Look Park for the past 35 years! 

LookStock, a music festival that kicked off 35 years ago, is making a grand return this year, now under the guise of Transformance 35: Immigrant Song. 

This beloved event invites talented local musicians to step into the shoes of legendary international artists.

The Massachusetts Attorney General recently released a new Flyer on the Rights of Immigrant Students to Attend School for Parents & Families, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Mandarin (translations are linked at the bottom).

This information accompanies the previously issued Guidance for K-12 Schools on Protecting Students and Their Information. This flyer was created in response to requests for a document specifically tailored for families and translated into multiple languages.

All of these documents are also available on the AG webpage: Resources for Immigrants in Massachusetts.

To report an incident, navigate to the Northampton Public Schools website (www.northamptonschools.org), under the "District Information" drop down, select "Report an Incident." This page has the forms to report a bullying, discrimination, or harassment incident.

Northampton Public Schools is currently hiring for the following positions:

These positions are available on School Spring or through the northamptonma.gov website.