As you likely know, we’ve had an unusually high number of school closings this winter due to weather and road conditions here in Pittsfield. (I’m hoping that we’ve seen the last of snow for a long while!) In fact, we closed school for seven days this winter. These closings would delay the final day of school until the last week in June: Monday, June 26.
Because of this lateness, our Pittsfield School Board has shortened the school year. The last day of school for the 2016-2017 school year will be Tuesday, June 20, which will be a half day for students. The last day for preschool students will be Thursday, June 15.
Our School Board is authorized to shorten the school year through a count of hours of instruction required by the New Hampshire Department of Education rules. Although our school year will fall four days short of the traditional count of days, our hours of instruction easily exceed the state’s requirements. Our Department of Education allows school districts to choose either the count of days or the count of hours in determining the official school year.
Parents, guardians, and family members may be interested to know that special events during our final week are now scheduled as follows:
- High school baccalaureate: Thursday, June 15
- High school awards ceremony: Friday, June 16
- High school graduation ceremony: Saturday, June 17
- Eighth grade promotion ceremony: Monday, June 19
Our school calendar for our 2017-2018 school year has also been approved by our School Board. You’ll see that our first day of school for students is scheduled for Tuesday, August 29. In the meantime, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for fewer school closings next school year.