December 3, 2021
Dear SAU 90 Staff and Families,
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Tomorrow, the Hampton Holiday Parade returns as 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 the largest holiday parade in the state of New Hampshire and has been in existence since 2010. This year, our very own SUPER EVAN will be this year’s grand marshal. SAU 90 staff, students, and families are invited to join us in solidarity as we follow our very own SUPERHERO down Lafayette Road. We will be assembling at 12:00 PM in the Verizon/First Student parking lot located at 25 Lafayette Road in North Hampton. The parade starts at 1:00 PM sharp with road closures happening around 12:30 PM. We hope to see you marching with us or viewing along the parade route.
December 17 is SUPER EVAN Day! We ask that everyone wear their swag in celebration of our favorite superhero, SUPER EVAN, on his 8th birthday. This is a great time to make a donation to DIPG, diffused intrinsic pontine glioma, a very rare form of childhood brain cancer. To donate to DIPG research or to learn more, please visit The Cure Starts Now at https://thecurestartsnow.org/support/view-heroes/evan-austin
Earlier this week, we sent out an invitation for you to participate in the Hampton Rec and Library Collaborative Community Center Survey. They are looking for input from families with children in town to learn more about interests, needs, and priorities with regard to the library and the recreational facilities. The survey is open to all residents, taxpayers, business owners, and other interested parties of the Town of Hampton. This is the first step in a thoughtful process to create a community center that meets the needs of our town. Your input will help to shape the vision of the project. Having a clear idea of concerns and interests will be integral to the early stages of site planning and general visioning while helping to define further needs. The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ccchamptonnh
Unfortunately, cases in our county, seacoast, and town continued to rise this week. Between last Wednesday and today, as I write, there are 12 new cases at Centre School, 14 new cases at Marston School, and 5 new cases at Hampton Academy. Sadly, according to the CDC (Center of Disease Control) New Hampshire has the highest COVID-19 case rate in the country. Active cases have risen to over 8,000 for the second time in the pandemic with a positivity rate at 13.4% statewide. Rockingham County's positivity rate is at 14.6% while the Seacoast region is at 11.3%. Hampton currently has 47 active cases. This is not the news that we were hoping to hear with the holidays just ahead. There is concern that these rates will continue to increase.
Here is how we, as a district, are responding to this concern. Currently, we are encouraging everyone to consider vaccines and boosters. Vaccine clinics have been offered to all of our students and staff. Asymptomatic screeners are available on a bi-weekly basis to all staff and students with a signed consent form. These are administered by Convenient MD every other Thursday at Hampton Academy from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM. Our next clinic is December 9th. We also want to make you aware that Vault Medical Services is offering free PCR tests through this portal: https://learn.vaulthealth.com/nh/. Additionally, principals are currently working with their school nurses to determine what additional layers of mitigation will be added to our plans to ensure we are providing our students with a safe learning environment.
We kindly ask that everyone please be mindful of large indoor gatherings, mask wearing in crowds and large gathers, and to frequently wash hands. If you or a family member is sick, please stay home and get tested. We are asking that you review our screener and to keep these guidelines handy. SAU 90 protocols can be found here.
In closing, we know that as a community we have the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges as we have demonstrated time and time again. Together, we are Hampton STRONG! See you at the parade!
With Hampton PRIDE,
Dr. Lois B. Costa
Superintendent of SAU 90