This week starts the season of big family dinners, gifts, visits to relatives, days off from school, and the arrival of winter. It is a mad rush from now until January! I love it all and look forward to seeing friends and relatives that I have not seen for a while. I love seeing children who are excited about the first snow, Santa, festive lights, fancy desserts or playing with their cousins.
Most of all, I enjoy taking the time to reflect on how lucky I am. Whatever issues or problems I might have faced over the year, I know I always have something for which to be thankful. It might have been the time my son made it home from Iraq, or my niece buying her first home, or my grandson getting a clean bill of health, or any of the many experiences and events that make up our lives.
My wish is for all of you to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with many good times over the coming days. And I hope that you have many, many wonderful reasons for which to be thankful.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Snow Days......
I thought this would be a good time of year to explain what goes into cancelling (or delaying) school for weather related reasons. It's not always snow- if you remember last year, we had a hurricane day! Usually, it is the superintendent watching the weather reports and hoping that the weather doesn't interfere with school. Sometimes, it is a state-wide event and we all receive some direction from the NH Department of Safety. The hurricane last year was one of these, and all of the superintendents took part in a conference call advising us to call off school the next day.
But when it comes to snow or ice, superintendents are pretty much on their own with the decision. I watch the weather every night and check for any storms that are forecast for the school week. If a forecast calls for snow or ice, I watch even more carefully! On the night before a predicted storm, I stay up until around 11:30 PM watching the weather channel and the local reports. I am then up the next morning at 4:30 AM to look out the windows and check the television weather reports again. If there is already snow on the ground, by 5:00 AM, I call our town road agent to see if the roads are clear. Our town road workers are a good judge of what it is like out on the roads and whether the roads will be ready. I also call our police department to see what the officers are saying about the state roads, such as Route 101. Finally, I need to make a decision to call off school before 6:00 AM as our bus drivers need to get the buses ready and out by 6:00 for our high school students. This is so early that the decision is almost always a tricky one. (This week I had to make a decision for a two hour delay due to unexpected icy roads that caught everyone by surprise!)
Once I make the decision to cancel or delay school, it is a race to notify everyone. I call each of the administrative team and then, Jennifer, our Administrative Assistant, makes a call and creates a message to families and staff members. I also call the television and radio stations, the town road agent, the police, and the town manager. This all takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Although students are not in school, our administrators all come in, and the school and SAU offices are open for the day.
The most difficult decisions are when a storm is predicted for later in the morning- after school has already begun. If the weather reports say that the storm will be here at 10:00, it is a tough call. Should I take a chance and get everyone to school and hope that the roads will be clear at dismissal? Or should I cancel school and take a chance that the storm will be so bad, that people will forget it was clear in the morning?
And what if a storm sneaks in unexpectedly during the day? Should I dismiss school and get the buses out as quickly as possible? Or wait and hope that the roads will be better prepared later in the day?
With every decision, I am aware that families may have day care or baby sitting issues that need to be resolved and that, they too, spend time watching the weather to try and predict whether there will be school or not. Every decision I make is made for the safety of our children. I do not want students at bus stops or walking on roads that have not been plowed or out walking where drivers may be sliding on our roads. We live in a rural area with very few sidewalks; winding, hilly roads; and narrow walkways. When you add a snowstorm or ice to this, it can be a dangerous situation for our students.
Cancelling school is not something I like to do, but I do it for the safety of our students. We've had two rough winters in a row, let's hope this year, we only have snow on the weekends!
But when it comes to snow or ice, superintendents are pretty much on their own with the decision. I watch the weather every night and check for any storms that are forecast for the school week. If a forecast calls for snow or ice, I watch even more carefully! On the night before a predicted storm, I stay up until around 11:30 PM watching the weather channel and the local reports. I am then up the next morning at 4:30 AM to look out the windows and check the television weather reports again. If there is already snow on the ground, by 5:00 AM, I call our town road agent to see if the roads are clear. Our town road workers are a good judge of what it is like out on the roads and whether the roads will be ready. I also call our police department to see what the officers are saying about the state roads, such as Route 101. Finally, I need to make a decision to call off school before 6:00 AM as our bus drivers need to get the buses ready and out by 6:00 for our high school students. This is so early that the decision is almost always a tricky one. (This week I had to make a decision for a two hour delay due to unexpected icy roads that caught everyone by surprise!)
Once I make the decision to cancel or delay school, it is a race to notify everyone. I call each of the administrative team and then, Jennifer, our Administrative Assistant, makes a call and creates a message to families and staff members. I also call the television and radio stations, the town road agent, the police, and the town manager. This all takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Although students are not in school, our administrators all come in, and the school and SAU offices are open for the day.
The most difficult decisions are when a storm is predicted for later in the morning- after school has already begun. If the weather reports say that the storm will be here at 10:00, it is a tough call. Should I take a chance and get everyone to school and hope that the roads will be clear at dismissal? Or should I cancel school and take a chance that the storm will be so bad, that people will forget it was clear in the morning?
And what if a storm sneaks in unexpectedly during the day? Should I dismiss school and get the buses out as quickly as possible? Or wait and hope that the roads will be better prepared later in the day?
With every decision, I am aware that families may have day care or baby sitting issues that need to be resolved and that, they too, spend time watching the weather to try and predict whether there will be school or not. Every decision I make is made for the safety of our children. I do not want students at bus stops or walking on roads that have not been plowed or out walking where drivers may be sliding on our roads. We live in a rural area with very few sidewalks; winding, hilly roads; and narrow walkways. When you add a snowstorm or ice to this, it can be a dangerous situation for our students.
Cancelling school is not something I like to do, but I do it for the safety of our students. We've had two rough winters in a row, let's hope this year, we only have snow on the weekends!
Friday, November 14, 2014
Seacoast School of Technology
Our high school students are so fortunate to have access to the the Seacoast School of Technology (SST) right in Exeter. The SST currently has 66 students from Raymond taking such classes as: Automotive Technologies; Plant and Animal Science; Careers in Education; Culinary Arts; Building Construction; Digital Media Arts; Welding and so much more! The teachers at the SST are all masters in their field and highly qualified. In addition to the courses offered during the year, there are monthly technology nights for middle school students and summer camps. Some of our students have been part of the SST programs since 5th or 6th grade!
One class that is under utilized by our students is Pre-Engineering. Students may take this class beginning in their freshman year of high school- unlike the other courses that begin when a student is a junior. This provides our students a head start when they take advanced math and science courses and continue on to college or a technical field. One of our students became interested as a 6th grader when she attended a summer camp called "Baking a Raspberry Pi" where the students programed and built their own computer.
None of our students are currently in the Biotechnology program. According to the description put out by SST, students take this program who have "aspirations of doing lab research to cure cancer, or using DNA testing to help catch criminals, or learning the techniques of exploring the human genome". Perhaps our students don't realize the breadth and depth of this program and the many avenues that a student can follow after taking such courses. This is such a needed area that many companies will hire students right out of high school to work in their facilities. We need to do a better job of introducing and educating students about this program.
The Seacoast School of Technology is a "hidden gem" where students have an opportunity to try out a career in which they are interested and can do it through hands-on experiences. The possibilities for success make the SST a wonderful choice for many of our students!
One class that is under utilized by our students is Pre-Engineering. Students may take this class beginning in their freshman year of high school- unlike the other courses that begin when a student is a junior. This provides our students a head start when they take advanced math and science courses and continue on to college or a technical field. One of our students became interested as a 6th grader when she attended a summer camp called "Baking a Raspberry Pi" where the students programed and built their own computer.
None of our students are currently in the Biotechnology program. According to the description put out by SST, students take this program who have "aspirations of doing lab research to cure cancer, or using DNA testing to help catch criminals, or learning the techniques of exploring the human genome". Perhaps our students don't realize the breadth and depth of this program and the many avenues that a student can follow after taking such courses. This is such a needed area that many companies will hire students right out of high school to work in their facilities. We need to do a better job of introducing and educating students about this program.
The Seacoast School of Technology is a "hidden gem" where students have an opportunity to try out a career in which they are interested and can do it through hands-on experiences. The possibilities for success make the SST a wonderful choice for many of our students!
Students
come to SST's Biotechnology program with aspirations of doing lab
research to cure cancer, or using DNA testing to help catch criminals,
or learning the techniques of exploring the human genome. Using the
same technology and lab procedures employed in commercial research
facilities, SST students equip themselves with the skills to make major
scientific discoveries.
Units
studied in Biotechnology include scientific methodologies,
environmental biotechnology, cellular and microbiology, immunology,
forensics, genetics, DNA sequencing, organism modeling and much more.
Biotechnology stu
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Fruits and Vegetable Program
Beginning this month, we are reaping the benefits of a grant that our Food Service Director, Judy DiNatale, applied for and received for the Lamprey River Elementary School and the Iber Holmes Gove Middle School. The "Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program"grant comes from the US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service. This program is "an effort to help children learn more healthful eating habits and to introduce a variety of produce" that children might not have had an opportunity to taste.
The goals of this program are simple: to create healthier school environments; increase children's consumption of fruits and vegetables; and expand the variety of fruits and vegetables that our children eat. Of course, the over arching goal is to encourage students to have healthy diets for overall good health.
This is a government program so there are as many "don'ts" as "do's" Some of the things that cannot be offered are: processed fruits and vegetables; dips; juices; fruit snacks, such as 'leathers'; or smoothies. The things that must happen include: providing these during the school day (but not during breakfast or lunch); providing these to as many students and as equally as possible; and, of course, the offerings must be fresh.
So, if your child comes home over the next few months and announces that he/she has had a dragon fruit or a kiwi or strawberries, you will know where these came from. Mrs. DiNatale is ready to begin this around November 18 when supplies come in and our students will soon be trying some unusual and fun fruits and vegetables three days a week. I'm excited we are able to offer our students some new things and get them interested, not just in different foods, but different cultures and countries where these come from!
Please contact your child's school if there are any allergies to fruits or vegetables of which we might not be aware.
The goals of this program are simple: to create healthier school environments; increase children's consumption of fruits and vegetables; and expand the variety of fruits and vegetables that our children eat. Of course, the over arching goal is to encourage students to have healthy diets for overall good health.
This is a government program so there are as many "don'ts" as "do's" Some of the things that cannot be offered are: processed fruits and vegetables; dips; juices; fruit snacks, such as 'leathers'; or smoothies. The things that must happen include: providing these during the school day (but not during breakfast or lunch); providing these to as many students and as equally as possible; and, of course, the offerings must be fresh.
So, if your child comes home over the next few months and announces that he/she has had a dragon fruit or a kiwi or strawberries, you will know where these came from. Mrs. DiNatale is ready to begin this around November 18 when supplies come in and our students will soon be trying some unusual and fun fruits and vegetables three days a week. I'm excited we are able to offer our students some new things and get them interested, not just in different foods, but different cultures and countries where these come from!
Please contact your child's school if there are any allergies to fruits or vegetables of which we might not be aware.