Dear Newmarket Junior High Families,
             Welcome back to the 2025/2026 school year! I hope you and your family had a restful and rejuvenating summer break. As I begin my fourth year, I’m excited to share that this summer was quite busy, with the hiring of several new staff members. As we start this school year, I feel a strong sense of purpose and pride in what lies ahead. I am eager to face any challenges that come our way. With your continued support, my staff and I are dedicated to providing outstanding educational and extracurricular experiences for all our students.
           As in previous years, we reviewed our middle school schedule and made minor adjustments better to meet the unique learning needs of our students. We will be using a 6-period day with classes lasting 50 minutes. Below is our daily bell schedule:

Building opens at 7:15 a.m. for all students.

           The other significant modification we made to the schedule was to transition from four quarters to three trimesters. The trimester model allows for more time within our unified arts programming and better aligns with the model being used at the elementary school. We hope that this will facilitate the transition from elementary to middle school while also providing students with more time to explore and develop new passions within our unified arts programming. In addition to a student’s four core academic subjects (math, science, history, and English), students will have a rotation of two additional Unified Arts (Music, Band, Art, Physical Education, Spanish, Health, and STEAM) classes every day.
           We will continue the work that began last year by refining our WIN block. Over the years, the purpose of WIN has evolved, and we’ve worked with our grade-level teams to recommit to the true meaning of WIN: ‘What I Need.’ This approach enables us to meet each student where they are and target instruction and interventions specifically to their individual needs. We will utilize a series of standardized assessments, along with classroom-based data points, to provide these intervention and enrichment opportunities over an extended period, allowing us to measure growth against established benchmarks. Students have likely become accustomed to this format, but we are excited to find ways to incorporate grade- and school-wide celebrations and events into this space as well.
           One of the biggest hot-button topics for New Hampshire schools this summer has been the use of cell phones. Due to recent legislative changes, schools are now required to enforce a bell-to-bell cell phone policy. In Newmarket, we will implement an “off and away” policy during the school day (7:35-2:30) for all students. Our staff will positively demonstrate this behavior and will also keep their phones off and away. If you need to contact your student, please call the office (603-659-3271), and we will relay all non-urgent messages at different times throughout the day without disrupting the learning environment. We expect that this legislative change will be a significant adjustment for both students and parents. We will continue to work with the community to ensure that we meet our needs while complying with the new law. For more information about our “off and away” procedures, please refer to the student handbook.
           As part of our ongoing school accreditation process, we have created a school growth plan that outlines some key goals and initiatives we will focus on over the next two to three years. The plan, approved by the school board, will serve as our roadmap for our work and professional development in the coming years. Some areas we will concentrate on include continuously reviewing our curriculum and actively incorporating our Vision of a Graduate (VOG) into our daily practices. This is exciting and motivating work, and I look forward to sharing our progress toward our goals throughout the year. 
        I want to inform the community about some important upcoming dates for opportunities to visit the building and meet our exceptional staff. Sixth-grade orientation is scheduled for Monday, August 25th, from 8:30 to 11:30 AM. If you haven't already, RSVP by emailing Alison Boudreau (Boudreaua@newmarket.k12.nh.us). Transportation will be provided. As a reminder, this event is exclusively for incoming 6th graders. The first day of school for all students in grades 6-12 will be Tuesday, August 26th, with doors opening at 7:15 AM We will host the Junior High Open House on Tuesday, September 9th, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, following a similar format to previous years where parents can meet with their student’s team of teachers. Picture day will be September 12th.
          While the start of any school year can bring excitement and nervousness, we are eager to welcome students back and are committed to helping and supporting them as we all transition back to the hard work of learning. To troubleshoot some first-day issues, please have your children log in to check their emails and view their schedules on Infinite Campus before the first day of school. If you encounter a problem, please get in touch with the Technology Department via email. Additionally, please ensure that you complete the online registration information that was sent to your email. Our goal is to simplify the online process and replace traditional beginning-of-school paperwork. Finally, the school website has a link with all the information about school openings, should you need additional resources.
         I wish everyone 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. Feel free to contact me via email at the address below or call to schedule a phone appointment to discuss any ideas or concerns you may have.

Thank you,

Andrew Korman, PhD
Principal
Newmarket Junior Senior High School
kormana@newmarket.k12.nh.us