Peabody Public Schools welcomed its students back to school on Wednesday.
The district underwent changes across the district over the summer, Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala said.
“We are excited to welcome our new staff as we do each year,” he said.
The district hired approximately 40 new teachers for the school year, which is a smaller amount than in previous years, he said.
This is due to the closure of Center Elementary School for renovations as well as “an overall positive trend in teacher-retention rates,” Dr. Vadala said.
At the administrative level, Sara Almeida is the principal of the Brown Elementary School, Dr. Bonnie Chennette is the assistant principal at Brown Elementary, Nino Furnari is the new assistant principal at Burke Elementary School, and Justin Throwe is the new associate principal at Higgins Middle School.
“We wish Dennis Heenan a heartfelt congratulations on his retirement after 18 years at the Higgins,” Dr. Vadala said.
He said his staff were “ready to welcome students back” to school this week.
More than 300 teachers participated in professional development in June and July. The district welcomed teachers and paraprofessionals back last week for three days of professional development centered around student learning and developing a sense of belonging for students, staff, and families, Dr. Vadala said.
“I am incredibly grateful to our staff for their dedication and preparation this summer,” he said.
The biggest change to the district this year was the closure of the Center School for renovations. Students have been relocated to the other seven elementary schools, he said.
“We are thankful to our staff and families for their flexibility during this time,” Dr. Vadala said. “The integrated preschool program will occupy the annex of the Center School, which is much newer than the main building. We are excited to have our integrated preschool program more centrally located within the city and believe it will be more accessible to students and their families.”
Dr. Vadala provided advice for parents and students for the new school year.
He advised parents to “build relationships and open communications” beginning on the first day of the school year.
“We want to make sure that parents and caregivers feel welcomed in our school and are able to engage in two-way communication with teachers and school staff,” he said. “Building a positive school to home partnership is critical to the success of our students academically, emotionally, and socially. We look forward to working with families to provide high-quality educational experiences for all students.”
Dr. Vadala advised students to “embrace new challenges” during the new school year.
“Each new school year offers us an opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning,” he said. “Embrace the challenges and have high expectations for yourself and your classmates. Get involved with as many activities as you can.”
He encouraged students to start their school day “ready to learn” by visiting the cafeteria each morning for a free breakfast.
“I am most excited about welcoming students back to school,” Dr. Vadala said. “We’ve spent a great deal of time this summer developing programming, hiring new teachers, and making sure our facilities are ready to welcome them back. I can’t wait to see all the smiling faces of the students and their families on the first day of school.”
