Enrolling in one of our schools
Welcome to SAU 70! All four of our schools take great pride in the tremendous opportunities that await your student. Our districts are known for academic excellence, athletic involvement, and participation in a wide range of co-curricular opportunities.
Whether you recently moved to Hanover or Norwich or are considering joining us as a tuition student, we welcome you.
The enrollment process is streamlined online for new students. See below for the necessary documentation and links to start the process.
For planning purposes, it's important to be mindful that all SAU 70 Schools dismiss an hour earlier each Wednesday to allow our staff to participate in staff meetings and professional development opportunities.
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Documents Needed:
Birth Document
Proof of Residency
Immunization Record
Enroll for 2023-24 School Year
Are you from a community outside Hanover and Norwich and interested in enrolling?
School Administrative Unit (SAU) 70 is located along the Connecticut River in the Upper Valley. As the first interstate school district, SAU 70 serves towns on both sides of the river, Hanover, New Hampshire and Norwich, Vermont. Students living in Norwich, VT attend the Marion Cross School through 6th grade and students living in Hanover, NH attend Bernice A. Ray Elementary School until 5th grade. Students then move on to the Frances C. Richmond Middle School in Hanover, NH and then to Hanover High School for grades 9-12.
Residency Requirements
A resident student is defined as any student living on a regular basis with a parent or legal guardian whose residence is in Hanover, New Hampshire (see RSA 21:6-e),or any student whose parent or legal guardian resides in Norwich, Vermont (see 16 V.S.A. 1075(a)).
School Specific Information
Bernice A. Ray School
Additional requests for information will come directly from the school registrar.
The Bernice A. Ray School welcomes all elementary-age children in
Hanover and Etna, NH.
Our teachers and staff members are committed to maintaining a safe, healthy, and trusting environment for all children. We offer a balanced and challenging academic program, and a supportive atmosphere for children of all abilities and backgrounds.
The educational, social, and emotional growth of each child is our prime concern, and we actively encourage our students to become responsible and contributing members of the community.
Embracing Diversity
The Ray School embraces the diversity of our children: their backgrounds, beliefs, interests and talents. We expect all members of our school community to respect and learn from each other. Holiday activities emphasize a global perspective and reflect the traditions, cultures and religions in our society.
We expect all members of our school community to respect and learn from each other.
The THREE Rs
In addition to the fundamentals – reading, writing, and math – we seek to expand each child’s interests, reasoning and communication skills. Our children learn to take risks in pursuit of knowledge, and to develop their individual talents.
All members of the school community follow the precepts of our ''Three Rs'' –
- RIGHTS, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY.
Marion Cross School
Norwich, VT is home to approximately 3,400 people. Norwich is located along the Connecticut River in the Upper Valley, across the river from Hanover, NH and Dartmouth College. Children living in Norwich attend Marion Cross School for grades K-6 and then join Hanover students to attend middle and high school.
Community is a concept we take very seriously in Norwich. - Tom Candon, Former Norwich Board Chair
FAQs
Pre-Kindergarten
TIMELINE
Enrolling in Pre-K for MCS
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Complete PreK Application Form by February 2, 2024.
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First full week in February families will be notified of acceptance
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Complete the Resident Enrollment form after being accepted
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PreK orientation in May. Information will be sent to families.
Register for your school of choice.
Marion Cross School partners with Norwich Nursery School and Child Care Center in Norwich (as well as several other Vermont child-care programs). Public funding is applied toward the qualified program cost for 10 hours per week for 35 weeks. To be eligible you must complete the resident enrollment form above.
Publicly Funded Pre-K
To access public funding for the school year, parents must complete the enrollment form found on this page, as well as any paperwork your local area VT Pre-K program requires
2023-24 State Wide Rate: $3,764.00.
PRESCHOOLERS
Kindergarten
Kindergarten registration happens every spring and is advertised in the Valley News transaction ads, posted to the Norwich Listserv, and mailed to current MCS families. There are several steps to the kindergarten registration process including: enrollment forms, kindergarten screening, and registration forms.
TIMELINE
Complete the online enrollment form and:
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Spring: Attend Kindergarten Information Night.
- Summer: Parents receive SAU 70 email containing information and instructions to complete/update annual back to school forms. Watch for summer email.
- August: Teacher letters mailed home
- Day Before School Starts: Welcome Back Open House where students can tour classroom and meet teachers (2:00-3:00pm)
- First Day of School: PTO Breakfast for Kindergarten parents
SCHEDULE A TOUR
The Marion Cross front office staff can assist you with answering questions you might have, set up a tour, provide an information session for you and your child and help you with the transition.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What is the entrance age for kindergarten?
- What is kindergarten screening?
- What does a typical day look like for a kindergartener at MCS?
- Where and when is pick-up and drop off?
- Are there any kindergarten meet-ups during the summer?
- How many kindergarten classes are there?
- How many students are in a typical kindergarten class?
What is the entrance age for kindergarten?
What is kindergarten screening?
The purpose of kindergarten screening is to assess student readiness for kindergarten. During the screening your child will meet with: the school nurse for vision and hearing tests; special education teachers, our occupational therapist, speech therapist, and kindergarten teachers to access for any unidentified needs. Kindergarten screening is not about academic needs and more about social skills and ability to work with others.
Kindergarten screening happens during the course of one day. Students are led through different stations in small groups for about 45 minutes while parents can meet and ask questions about Kindergarten and Marion Cross School.
What does a typical day look like for a kindergartener at MCS?
Every day begins with a morning meeting where students gather and greet one another. Kindergarten students have a morning and afternoon snack as well as a morning and lunchtime recess. MCS does not have a cafeteria, so students each lunch in the classroom. In the afternoon, there is a quiet time where students rest. Students are not expected to sleep during this time, but it's ok if they do. Kindergarteners have a special everyday. The specials are library, music, art, PE and French. All of the specials meet once a week, except PE which meeting twice a week and French which meets in the classroom everyday.
On Fridays, kindergarten classes spend the day at the outdoor classroom in the Milt Frye Area behind the school for Forest Fridays. More information about Forest Fridays
Where and when is pick-up and drop off?
School starts at 8:10am, but students can be dropped off as early as 7:30am. Kindergarteners are restricted to the area near the play structure in front of school and kindergarten classes line up to go inside with their teachers in this area.
School ends at 3:10pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and at 2:10pm on Wednesdays. Kindergarteners are picked up in the COOP area outside the kindergarten classrooms. The teacher must see the person picking up your child and shake hands with your child before he or she is dismissed.
MCS is a hectic place for pick up and drop off. The bus lane is close to kindergarten classrooms, but you cannot use the bus driveway when buses are present. After 7:40, you can typically use the bus lane for drop off. If you use the bus lane, pull all the way in the driveway, go up the short hill, use the bus turnaround, and drop off your children by the fence. This way your child gets out on the right-hand side of their cars. We have has some close calls with children crossing the lane of traffic. It truly is much safer not having children dart across the driveway. After school, the bus lane is not available for use.
St. Barnabas (the grey church) has been both generous and flexible with us, offering us their front and back lots as drop off/pick up sites for children at the beginning and end of the day. If you park here, please walk your child across the bus lane to school.
Are there any kindergarten meet-ups during the summer?
How many kindergarten classes are there?
How many students are in a typical kindergarten class?
Grade 1 - 6
Registering for School
The first step in registering a student at Marion Cross School is to call the Front Office staff at (802-649-1703) to arrange a tour and provide some basic information.
Parents of all new students, including incoming pre-K and K students, should complete the online registration form. Birth certificates immunizations, and proof of residency may be uploaded or brought/mailed to MCS Front Office.
We look forward to you and your student joining our community. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
Contact Us
Have questions? Feel free to contact the front office by clicking on the envelope below. We will respond as quickly as we can.
Thank you.
MCS Front Office Staff
802-649-1703
Frances C. Richmond Middle School
In addition to our Documents Needed, RMS requires the following:
Schedule a Math and Foreign Language Placement exam(s)
RMS registrar will provide you with information once you've been officially enrolled.
Welcome to the Frances C. Richmond Middle School! We are a comprehensive middle school of 375 sixth through eighth grade students located in Hanover, New Hampshire. Our mission is to inspire students to build the skills and compassion necessary to succeed in a complex world and, as they move toward greater independence, empower them to examine the impact their actions have on themselves, others, and the environment.
Richmond Middle School students distinguish themselves in our classrooms, school events, extracurricular activities, the community, and in supporting and encouraging one another. We offer a rigorous, diverse, and carefully designed and delivered educational program whose intent is to guide each student on their path to becoming confident independent learners. Further, we emphasize real-world connections and an interdisciplinary approach to learning that is based on the skills of communication, collaboration, and creativity.
Our staff and students have truly achieved the impossible through determination, collaboration, and daily appreciation for the support of this exceptional community. -Kelly McConnell, former Dresden Board Chair
RMS strives to be an inclusive, respectful, supportive, and affirming environment for all of our community members. We maintain that schools are safe only when all constituents in the building know (and believe) that hateful behavior towards any group is incompatible with our values, will not be tolerated, and will be addressed. Through our committment to equality we all become stronger.
Hanover High School
In addition to our Documents Needed, HHS requires the following:
All 9th graders are required to take placement exams. If you are entering HHS after 9th grade, your child may be required to take placement tests in math, science, and foreign languages. The School Counselor will determine this after academic records are reviewed.
Hanover High School's diverse course offerings and numerous extracurricular activities allow students to explore their own interests and develop skills in many fields.
Hanover High School is located in the Upper Valley, an area of central New Hampshire and Vermont that runs along either side of the Connecticut River. People are drawn to the Upper Valley for its quality of life, beauty, recreational activities, arts and cultural experiences and employment opportunities.
Explore the Upper Valley
FAQs
- How will we decide what courses my child will take?
- My child is interested in playing a sport, whom do I contact ?
- My child is interested in participating in theatre, whom do I contact ?
How will we decide what courses my child will take?
All 9th graders are required to take placement exams. If you are entering HHS after 9th grade, your child may be required to take placement tests in math, science, and foreign languages. The School Counselor will determine this after academic records are reviewed.More information
My child is interested in playing a sport, whom do I contact ?
Please contact the Athletic Director, ext. 2115 for information about joining HHS athletic teams. More information
My child is interested in participating in theatre, whom do I contact ?
Please contact Terry Samwick for information about joining HHS theatre program. More information
Hanover High School Teachers
Of the 92 professional staff at Hanover High School, 71% hold a master's degree, and 18% hold a master's degree plus 60 credits or a doctorate.
Meet our staff
92% of the class of 2016 are now attending or are scheduled to attend four-year colleges. 1% will attend a two-year college or have other plans for post-secondary study.
More information