Skip To Main Content

Logo Image

Logo Title

SAU 70
The nation's first interstate school district

Happenings @ SAU 70 - November 21, 2025

Post RSS Feeds Subscribe to Post Alerts
"Happenings at SAU 70 " with the SAU logo and each school's logos
Happenings @ SAU 70 - November 21, 2025

Important Dates

  • Wednesday, December 3 - Norwich Board Meeting & Budget Presentation 6 PM, Marion Cross School
  • Wednesday, December 10 - Hanover Board Meeting & Budget Presentation 6 PM, Bernice A. Ray School
  • Tuesday, December 16 - Dresden Board Meeting & Budget Presentation 6 PM, Hanover High School
  • Monday - Friday, December 22 - January 2 - No School all SAU 70 Schools - December Break
  • Wednesday, December 24 & Thursday, December 25 - SAU Office closed
  • Thursday, January 1 - SAU Office closed

District Calendar 

Superintendent Steiner

A Message from the Superintendent: Reflecting on Gratitude

November is a natural time for reflection, and as I settle into my new role and the additional challenges this year has brought, I am incredibly fortunate and thankful.

I am deeply thankful to work in a District that supports education at such a high level. First and foremost, I am thankful for our students. They truly make coming to work a pleasure every day.

I also extend my gratitude to the amazing people I work with directly: our dedicated SAU staff, teachers, administrators, EAs, custodians, technicians, cafeteria workers, and support staff. A special thank you to our School Board members who volunteer countless hours and often go unrecognized for their immense contribution.

Finally, thank you to our parents and caregivers for sending such incredible students to our schools and for supporting our system. We are also grateful for our community members, businesses, and others who continue to support our schools in various essential ways.

Financial Challenges: Addressing Healthcare Costs

This year, we have faced significant and unbudgeted financial challenges stemming from rising health care costs, which affect both Hanover and Dresden school budgets.

  • Unbudgeted Reserve Assessment: We recently received an unexpected assessment of close to $1 million from our healthcare provider to cover their reserve shortfalls. This unbudgeted expense must be paid during the current 2025/2026 school year.
  • 2026/2027 Healthcare Increase: For the upcoming 2026/2027 school year, we budgeted for an 18% increase in health care costs, which we thought would be a high estimate. The actual increase turned out to be almost 26%, resulting in a projected increase of close to $2 million for Hanover and Dresden.

These unexpected assessments and increases are challenging, to say the least. We continue to examine every avenue to mitigate the impact of these costs on our school budgets while ensuring our staff has access to necessary benefits.

Important Policy Update: Electronic Device Policy

We have successfully addressed the new legislative changes regarding electronic devices in schools in both New Hampshire and Vermont. Our schools have been proactively implementing changes over the past two years, and this week our Board finalized a new Electronic Device Policy, JICJ.

Action Requested:

  • Please take a moment to review the new Electronic Device Policy (JICJ) with your child. The schools will also be reviewing this policy with all students.
  • The new policy strongly asks that children keep their personal electronic devices at home or ensure they are not accessible/visible at all during the school day.

We know that the unrestricted use of electronic devices is having a negative impact on our children’s well-being and are making this change to foster a healthier, more focused learning environment.

Monitoring State Legislation

We continue to closely monitor legislative discussions that could impact our District:

  • District Restructuring: We are staying abreast of discussions at the state level in both New Hampshire and Vermont regarding the restructuring of school districts and are monitoring the potential impact any changes might have on our current structure.
  • New Hampshire Open Enrollment: We are also closely following the legislation in New Hampshire related to Open Enrollment.

Wishing You a Happy Break

Although we face challenges almost every day, I am once again thankful for our students, staff, and parents. We are fortunate to work in such a well-supported District.

I hope you enjoy time with your family over the upcoming break next week.

Robin Steiner
Superintendent SAU 70 Schools

Lauren Amrhein, Interim Director of CIA

From Our Interim Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Dear SAU 70 Community, 

As I continue to settle into the role of Interim Director of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction, I wanted to take a moment to share my vision and key priorities for the year. My work this year centers on four core priorities, all designed to support student success and align with the SAU 70 Strategic Plan:

  • Empowering School Leaders: Providing monthly coaching and mentorship to our Associate Principals to support and strengthen school-level leadership
  • K-12 Curriculum Excellence: Leading teacher teams in documenting, revising, and aligning our K-12 curriculum to ensure high-quality, continuous learning for all students.
  • Informed Decision Making with Data: Establishing a cross-district team to recommend a new, secure data system, allowing educators to accurately track student progress, customize support, and refine teaching strategies.
  • Building Trust and Visibility: Implementing a structured visitation schedule across all school buildings to foster positive relationships, gather on-the-ground feedback, and inform district decisions.

I look forward to continuing this work and updating you on progress in these core areas throughout the year.

Additionally, in this season of gratitude, I would like to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for the dedication of our educators and staff, the commitment of our families, and the hard work and enthusiasm of our students. Your collective contributions make SAU 70 a truly wonderful place to learn and grow.

This upcoming break offers a valuable opportunity for rest, reflection, and connection. Whether your plans involve traveling to see loved ones, enjoying quiet moments at home, or simply taking a well-deserved break from daily routines, we hope you find time to recharge.

We wish you a wonderful and restful holiday.

Sincerely,

Lauren Amrhein
Interim Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

From Around the District 

 

Congratulations to Bernice A. Ray student, Nirali Batra!

I voted sticker. Cartoon state of NH on top of a mountain.

We are proud to share that Nirali’s sticker design has been selected as one of six winners in the State “I Voted” Sticker Contest, hosted by the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office. Congratulations, Nirali! You can read the full article in the Valley News.

Mrs. Coleman, Marion Cross School Third Grade Teacher near the fire
Rachael Coleman, Marion Cross School Third Grade Teacher.

 

student at the fire with a stick for toasting bread
 Third Graders at Marion Cross School making bread.

students using paint sets at the table
 Richmond Middle School Art Class

​A student in woodworking class working on a spoon.
Richmond Middle School Woodworking

From Our School Boards


Beginning in May 2022, the collective SAU 70 School Boards initiated district-wide surveys as part of our long-term strategic planning. The phenomenal feedback from that first survey (503 respondents) prompted an additional cost-focused survey in 2023 (556 respondents) and an annual survey in June 2025 (592 respondents), and response rates and counts for each survey continue to rise.

Our goals were multifold: 1) to obtain and use parent-driven data to inform our processes and decision-making; 2) to build and enhance relationships among our schools, families, and communities; 3) use our now-annual feedback to work on continuous improvement; 4) have our results made public to improve our own accountability; 5) track vital issues over time, such as our population demographics and academic, student support, and social trends; and 6) detect budding concerns early through open-ended free-text responses and intervene as appropriate. 

In part to these previous surveys, we have heard from our families clearly about pressing needs and responded to them. These actions, among others, include implementing the first season of Richmond Middle School sports this academic year, improved districtwide curriculum documentation and standardization, and implemented Strategic Planning and Climate Action Plans.

The June 2025 survey was long and nuanced, and included 69 questions and 32 free-text questions. The questions concerned, but were not limited to, such issues as communications from the schools, education politics, satisfaction with various elements of the schools, time spent per academic subject, preferences for which world languages should be taught, the Hanover High School March Intensive, the presence and nuance of non-school tutoring, thoughts on school start and stop times, devices and social media and AI, and thoughts related to academic concerns, student support concerns, and for students both inside and outside of school. We received 592 completed surveys and over 2,300 detailed, specific free-text responses from parents, many of which concerned issues we did not directly address within the questions. We appreciate this incredible feedback immensely. PowerPoint and de-identified free-text results, both across the full SAU and per each individual school, are available within this email.

Due to the length and complexity of the survey questions and results, we included only some brief key takeaways below. We encourage everyone to read through the survey results, complete the upcoming spring 2026 survey, and please don't hesitate to reach out to the relevant school administration or school board if you have questions, comments, or concerns.

  • There is significant support for direct communication to parents about their specific children, particularly with academic updates, and for grades and other updates to be sent to them directly through email rather than through software such as PowerSchool or Schoology.
  • More outreach is needed from the school boards and the overall SAU. These updates are partly in response to this feedback.
  • There is significant support for more legal and political updates for recently enacted laws and proposed law changes, with mixed support for direct school involvement in the legal and political processes.
  • Across the surveys for all 4 schools, there is much support for more science time and programming.
  • There is significant demand for adding Mandarin Chinese as a world language at Hanover High School.
  • Over a third of respondents reported having math tutoring outside of school for their child.
  • There is significant support for a later start time to the school day, particularly among older students.
  • Compared to earlier surveys, there have been significant improvements for the percentages of students seeking mental or behavioral health services, actively in treatment, concerns for their mental or social health, concerns for students' stress levels, amount of sleep, and perceived levels of stress and intensity.  
  • For 5-year initiatives across the district, the most popular suggested initiative, at 39% support in both 2022 and 2025, was expanded practical subjects, such as driver's education, business education, and consumer sciences.

You can view the survey results and presentations at: www.sau70.org/school-boards/2025-survey-results

Board Meetings

We’ve made links to board meetings available for your easy reference. The Zoom links are listed below as well as start times. Should you encounter issues, the  necessary zoom links, including passcodes, can be found on the SAU 70 calendar on the pop up of the event.

Regularly Scheduled Board Meetings for December and associated Zoom links:

Norwich Board Meeting & Budget Presentation- December 3, 2025 - 6 PM Marion Cross School
Hanover Board Meeting & Budget Presentation - December 10, 2025 - 6 PM Ray Elementary School
Dresden Board Meeting & Budget Presentation - December 16, 2025 - 6 PM Hanover High School Library

Policy Updates

The Policy Committee meets monthly at the SAU. Meeting dates and times are available on the  SAU 70 Calendar. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Ryanne Schoonover.  

Below you will find what was presented to the Boards this month. Staff members are encouraged to review the agenda, as some topics may be relevant to your role. You can find our documentation on our board governance solution, Simbli.

SAU 70 Updates:
Simbli link to November 10, 2025 meeting.
The Board will do a second reading of policy GBGBA - Use of Automated External Defibrillators.

Dresden Updates:
Simbli link to November 18, 2025 meeting.
The Board will do a second reading of the following policies: 
JICJ — Unauthorized Use of Communication Devices
IMIP  - March Intensive Policy
IMIP - SA March Intensive Scholarship Application Form
GMIP - Staff March Intensive Program 
GMIP-F March Intensive Chaperon Form 
GBGBA - Use of Automated External Defibrillators
LDA - Student Teachers and Interns

Hanover Updates:
Simbli link to November 12, 2025 meeting.
The Board will do a first reading of policies GBGBA — Use of Automatic External Defibrillators and LDA — Student Teachers and Interns. 

As well as a second reading of policy JICJ — Unauthorized Use of Personal Communication Devices.  

Norwich Updates:
No policy discussion at the November 5, 2025 meeting.

Communication Opt-In Option Reminder

chat icon
 To opt in to receive important updates and announcements via text please text "YES" to 79041 and you'll get timely reminders and notifications right to your phone.   If you have previously opted in and would prefer to opt out, text “NO” to 79041.

 

 Winter is on the Way!

snowflakes icon

As winter approaches, we want to remind everyone to stay mindful of the increased risk of slips, trips, and falls caused by snow, ice, and wet surfaces. Please use extra caution when walking in parking lots, on sidewalks, and inside our buildings.

Wearing footwear with good traction, taking your time, and reporting any slippery areas to building staff can go a long way in keeping everyone safe. Safety is a community effort, and by staying alert and careful, we can help prevent accidents and injuries throughout the winter season.

Religious & Federal Holidays as identified by the Calendar Committee   

 

Chanukah Sundown December 14 - Sundown December 22
Yule/Winter Solstice December 21 - January 1
Christmas Eve - December 24
Christmas - December 25
New Year's Day - January 1