Dear Danvers School Community:
I hope you enjoyed the vacation week and the extra family time. I’m sharing information as we return to school for the final 9 weeks of school! Next week, the schools will wrap up ELA MCAS testing and start preparing for the Math MCAS.
Administrative Personnel Updates:
HRMS Principal – We welcome Mr. Adam Colantuoni as the new Principal of the Holten Richmond Middle School. Mr. Colantuoni comes to Danvers from Salem Public Schools, serving last year as the Executive Director of Student Services and Family Support and this year as the Interim Principal of the Collins Middle School. Additionally, Mr. Colantuoni was the Principal of the Galvin Middle School in Wakefield for six years and previously served as the Principal of Hanover Middle School. He started his educational career as a Guidance Counselor. Mr. Colantuoni has a Bachelor’s Degree from Merrimack College, a Master’s Degree from Lesley University and completed the Merrimack College School Leadership Academy. The Danvers Public Schools is excited to welcome Mr. Colantuoni. He will begin his new position on July 1.
Riverside Principal – We are pleased to announce that we have offered current Interim Principal Sarah Fitzgerald the position of Riverside School Principal. Prior to her appointment as Interim Principal, Ms. Fitzgerald was a classroom teacher at Riverside School for the past 19 years. We are grateful for the work that Sarah has done to bring together the Riverside community this year and look forward to her continued work to grow the community.
Thorpe Principal – We are in the process of interviewing candidates for the Thorpe School Principal position. We have two finalists who will interview and visit with staff and families this week.
DanversCares Updates
Teen Health & Safety Guide – DanversCARES has just published the 9th annual Teen Health and Safety Guide. Articles were written by students, staff, and local professionals. Thank you for the support from all our community partners that made the 2023 Teen Health and Safety Guide possible! The guide was distributed in the Herald Citizen on April 14th. In case you did not get your copy, here is a link to the digital version. You can also find print copies in our school offices as well as at the Peabody Institute Library, the YMCA, and other municipal offices.
Light The Night Purple Event – Please join us for our annual Light the Night Purple event! Light the Night Purple is a community-friendly walk to raise awareness of substance use prevention and treatment; to promote health, healing, and recovery; and to erase the stigma associated with this disease. Enjoy performances by high school a cappella groups and our guest speaker. The first 100 guests get a free LTNP T-shirt, and food truck options will be available if you come hungry.
April School Committee Meeting Recap:
On April 10th, the School Committee voted to approve the school calendar for the 2023-2024 school year in addition to voting to not offer school choice for the next school year. Coming out of the discussion about school choice was the decision to research this option for the 2024-2025 school year. The Policy subcommittee will meet next month to begin to plan this process.
You can watch the school committee meeting at this link.
The May School Committee meeting is on Monday, May 8th, at 7:00 PM in the DHS Auditorium.
🎉 🎉 Celebrating Our Students 🎉 🎉
Smith School
Danvers People to People Food Pantry stopped by Smith School to pick up a check for $700! How great it is to give back to our community!
Thorpe School
The Thorpe school experienced an amazing K-5 cultural enrichment program on Thursday, April 6th where students learned all about the science behind hot air balloons. It was an incredible program, and the students even got to walk inside of one!
Riverside School
Danvers High Best Buddies program visited Riverside School for some recess fun with some Riverside students Grades K, 1 and 2 students! They are looking forward to more visits soon!
NEW Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line
Massachusetts’ new Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) went live on January 3, 2023, offering direct connection to mental health and substance use care for anyone in the Commonwealth – no insurance needed. Available 24/7, in more than 200 languages, the BHHL is a phone, text, and online chat line whose clinically trained staff will work with you to determine the care that best fits your needs and directly connect you to treatment, including outpatient, urgent care, and immediate crisis care. Click here to learn more about the Help Line.
If you’re interested in getting mental health or substance use help, but not sure where to start:
Call or text the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line at 833-773-2445 or chat online at masshelpline.com.
DPS is Hiring: New positions have been posted for the next school year! Please visit the Employment Opportunities page on our website to view all available positions and apply online.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s school principal or me.
Warm Regards,
Mary Wermers
Interim Superintendent
