No School December 23, 2024, to January 1, 2025
Superintendent
For information on Superintendent Shaps' entry plan, please visit our Entry Plan page.
A Message from Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps
Updated: December 19, 2024
Dear Oyster River Students, Staff, Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,
As we enter the winter holiday season, and approach the beginning of a new year, I wish to thank the ORCSD community for a warm welcome during my leadership transition. I appreciate the unwavering support for our public school system and the level of family engagement across our schools.
Moreover, I am deeply impressed by the professionalism of our staff and would like to acknowledge their hard work and dedication to students and families. Oyster River truly is a special community of learners and a place of vibrant and meaningful teaching and learning.
It has been a busy fall full of boundless activities, opportunities for engagement, and a host of student and staff accomplishments. I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in so many “first” ORCSD experiences and seeing firsthand students performing, creating, and just having fun!
As we pivot to the new year, I will continue to prioritize building meaningful connections with students, families, staff and community members, and finding opportunities to engage in conversations, listen to ideas, and collaborate.
In January, I will present themes that emerged from our Community Conversations focus group series as a way of sharing my learning and identifying stakeholder priorities, hopes, and specific areas of focus to improve the quality of educational experiences for all students.
Moving into spring we will focus on the 2025-2026 budget and the introduction of a framework for developing a new District Strategic Plan. This process will include opportunities for students, staff, parents, and community members to discuss our system’s values, mission, and priorities as we look to develop a comprehensive and meaningful roadmap for the future.
I look forward to having the opportunity to serve and lead alongside of you in the year ahead. Thank you for your support and partnership as we work toward an exciting future for our students.
I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful winter break and holiday season.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Shaps
Superintendent of Schools
Previous Communications
To view and read Superintendent Shaps' previous messages, please select from the options below.
November 26, 2024
Greetings Oyster River Families,
For those celebrating Thanksgiving, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a joyful and relaxing holiday break.
November 22 marked my 100th day serving as ORCSD’s superintendent of schools. I have felt quite welcomed by our community, families, teachers, parents, guardians, and staff.
It's been a remarkable start to the school year. During the last four months I've been able to spend considerable time learning about our school system, engaging in conversations and hosting a series of Community Conversations focus groups for the purpose of understanding our school system and community.
I also engaged with stakeholders and learn about what's important from the perspectives of parents, staff, and students. I will use that information moving forward.
My goal for the second half of the year is to develop a strategic plan for the future and bring together all our voices to determine what we want ORCSD to look like five years from now. This process will really focus on the structure of strategic planning, and I hope to provide more information in the coming months.
The last 100 days have been wonderful, giving me the opportunity to really understand the learning that takes place in our schools each and every day.
I had the pleasure of visiting all our schools regularly and engaging in professional conversations with teachers about teaching and learning. I met and saw students learning from kindergarten and preschool all the way up through our AP courses at the high school. I'm very pleased to serve as superintendent to help move the system forward, and to continue important conversations about how we can be the best public school system in the country.
At the most recent school board meeting, we had the opportunity to hear a presentation from our capital planning partners, Novo Studio Architects. They focused on three important projects that are underway at Mast Way, Moharimet, and Oyster River High School. They also provided a thorough review of our building conditions, which is an opportunity for us to understand our capital needs for the next decade.
It's important to point out that this is just the beginning of a lengthy capital planning conversation. Parents, guardians, and community members will be invited in the coming months to discuss improvements, and we will determine together what we want to achieve over the next few years.
It's been a wonderful first 100 days serving as ORCSD’s superintendent, and I look forward to the next 100 days.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Shaps
Superintendent of Schools
November 13, 2024
Dear Oyster River Students, Staff, Parents, Caregivers, and Community Members,
The cold weather upon us is a reminder that inclement weather will be soon inevitable. Weather conditions can change quickly in New England, making inclement weather decisions so difficult to make.
My goal is to make all decisions related to delayed starts, school closures, and remote learning no later than 6:00 a.m. I do so after careful review of weather and road conditions, conversations with our Transportation team and superintendents from surrounding areas.
Notifications will be sent in ParentSquare as soon as the decision is made.
When it’s time to make a weather call, there are three options.
Delayed starts: We use delayed starts when the weather is predicted to thaw or improve by mid-morning. When school is delayed, we operate on a two-hour delay and morning PEP is cancelled.
Snow days: We use snow days for predicted heavy snow events. During a snow day, school is cancelled. All Oyster River schools, and the SAU office will be closed.
Remote learning: While we will prepare students and staff for the option to pivot to remote learning, for the first part of winter, we will limit inclement weather decisions to delayed starts and cancellations.
In the event of a delay or cancellation, we will evaluate safety and road conditions for the possibility of conducting after school and evening activities.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Shaps
Superintendent of Schools
September 26, 2024
Dear Oyster River Families,
It’s been exciting to visit our schools the last few weeks. As a new superintendent, it’s important for me to observe the teaching and learning happening across the district firsthand and I will continue to make scheduled classroom visits each month. I truly enjoy the opportunity to see teachers working with students and getting a sense of the instruction going on in our classrooms.
Fall is an exciting time of the year with so many activities and events. I encourage you to come cheer on our student athletes and, as we move closer to concert season, please keep an eye on our calendar of events.
I continue my Community Conversations focus group series on October 3 at Moharimet School. Middle school parents and caregivers were invited to partake on September 24, and I will meet with high school parents and caregivers on October 8.
On October 10, I warmly invite all families and community members to attend our Community Dinner at the Oyster River Middle School. Kindly RSVP by October 8 so our Child Nutrition team can prepare enough food for everyone.
Representatives of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force will visit us on October 28 and offer a free Internet and Digital Safety presentation. This event is open to adults only as it’s not suitable for students and will include a demonstration with K-9 Niko who is New Hampshire's first Electronic Storage Detection K-9.
During the months of October and December we will offer Inclusive Connections, two new event series designed to create support spaces for the parents and caregivers of LGBTQ+ and multicultural youth.
At the most recent school board meeting, Director of Student Services Catherine Plourde and DEIJ Director Rachael Blansett presented their goals and work plans for the 2024-2025 school year. I will continue to report on our progress in the coming months.
Lastly, I wish to extend my warm congratulations to Oyster River High School class of 1992 alum Scott Poteet. Mr. Poteet was Polaris Dawn’s mission pilot and took part in the first-ever commercial spacewalk mission.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Shaps
Superintendent of Schools
Dear Oyster River Families,
It's been a great start to the school year. A lot of energy, excitement, and joy in our schools. It has been a great opportunity to visit classrooms, to have conversations with educators, and get a sense of the rhythm of our school day. Please read on for some updates and reminders.
9/10 is a Teacher Workshop Day
All Oyster River schools will be closed Tuesday, September 10, for a Teacher Workshop Day.
Community Conversations Focus Groups
I am excited to begin our four-part Community Conversations next week with parents and guardians. These sessions are designed for us to engage in conversations about a range of educational topics and to hear your feedback about what you hope for and would like to see in our schools.
2024-2025 Work Plan
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to work with our administrators to present our 2024-2025 work plan to the school board. You may view the presentation here (starts at 38:38 minutes). We presented a set of initiatives and goals that really focus on targeted areas and instructional practices across our elementary, middle, and high school grade levels. We look forward to updating the community on our collective work in the spring.
Transportation and Safety
Our Transportation Department is working hard to make sure students arrive and leave school on time. We thank you for your patience and invite you to view our Transportation Safety video. We anticipate experiencing challenges throughout the month of September and until the ongoing roadwork concludes in Durham.
Overall, I'm really pleased with this start of the school year. The weather has been wonderful, and I look forward to providing more updates soon.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Shaps
Superintendent of Schools
Dear Oyster River Families,
As we are kicking off another school year, I wanted to take a moment to share some important updates and extend a warm welcome to all our students, parents, guardians, and staff.
I am excited to announce the launch of a new initiative called Community Conversations. This series of four focus groups is designed to foster open dialogue and explore a range of educational topics that will help us identify important themes.
Elementary school parents and guardians are invited to join us on either September 11 or October 3
- September 11, 7:00-8:00 p.m. at Mast Way School (Commons)
- October 3, 7:00-8:00 p.m. at Moharimet School (Café)
Middle school parents and guardians:
- September 24, 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the Oyster River Middle School (Learning Commons)
High school parents and guardians:
- October 8, 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the Oyster River High School (MPR)
For those who have not yet completed the registration process, please do so in PowerSchool as soon as possible. Ensuring that all paperwork is up to date will help us provide the best possible support and resources for your child(ren). If you have any questions or need assistance with registration, please contact your school’s front office.
Our bus routes are available online. Please note that bus routes are subject to change at any time and are currently changing daily based on student enrollment.
Barrington bus routes are managed by Dail Transportation. You may contact Route Coordinator Ginger McHugh at gmchugh@sau74.org with any questions.
Due to the extensive ongoing road work projects in Durham, we have prepared a transportation and safety video for middle and high school families. I encourage you to take a few minutes to view this video, as it contains essential information to ensure the safety of students.
The ORCSD School Board and Administration made good use of the summer months to plan for the upcoming year, set priorities, and identify future challenges. The highlight of my summer was meeting with our administrative team and getting to know staff to prepare for a smooth opening of the schools.
As an incoming leader, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and partnership. Thank you for being a part of our Oyster River family.
Respectfully,
Dr. Robert Shaps
Superintendent of Schools