A
Drop-In Teen Craft Session will be held at the Chesley Memorial
Library on Thursday, February 7, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Looking for a
gift for that special Valentine? Learn how to make beaded jewelry
from magazines and look no further! Visit the library’s website
www.chesleylib.com to see
what the jewelry looks like. If you have any questions about the
program, contact Teen Librarian Jena Zarnowski at 942-5472.
Fundraiser For Northwood School Sound System
Submitted By Braelin Ash
Northwood School Drama Club
I am a
student at Northwood School and one of the Officers for the
Northwood School Drama Club and I am asking for your help! Our
Drama Club is looking for people who are willing to help our cause.
This year, we are organizing several fundraisers so that we can
raise enough money for a much needed sound system. Our goal is to
raise $5,000. We are a very active group and we love to perform!
Every
school year we present 3 theater productions. Unfortunately, because
we do not have a sound system, it is sometimes very hard for those
audience members not seated in the first few rows to hear all of our
lines.
I am in
charge of a calendar raffle we will be doing in April. We will be
selling calendars featuring a fabulous prize on each day of April.
So far, we have received 20 prizes for our calendar but we need 10
more. Are there any businesses or people out there willing to donate
a prize to our cause? I need to finish the calendar as soon as
possible so we can start selling them right away. Every day in
April, we will draw the name of one lucky winner for that day’s
prize.
Our
winter production is a Dinner and Dessert Theater. This year it is
on February 19 and 20. You should come and see us perform in
Yearbook, a middle school production that will make you laugh, cry
and have you on the edge of your seat!
If you
would like to donate a prize for our calendar raffle, purchase a
calendar for a chance to win one of the fabulous prizes or if you
would just like to make a donation to our cause, please call the
Northwood School at 942-5488 and leave a message for our Drama Club
Advisor, Ms. Becky Rush. Or you can email her at
[email protected].
Any
donations will be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!
Letter
Good
Idea
In last
week’s Sun there was a letter saying that implementing a local tax
cap on school budgets was a bad idea. The example given was what
happened in the Newfound Area School District (NASD), made up of
seven school districts. However, the letter writer left out the
details. Rather his comment was, ‘without getting into the details.’
The devil is in the details.
The
NASD with a $22 million budget ended their year with a surplus of
$700,000. That surplus was applied as a tax credit, which reduced
the tax bills, but because of the rules of the tax cap, that
$700,000 was taken off what they could raise in taxes for their
2013-2014 budget. That glitch in the law has been corrected.
The
average ‘full-value’ property tax rate for the combined seven towns
in the NASD is only $16.53 compared to Northwood’s $25.17 or a
difference of 52%. In Northwood our total school taxes represent 80%
of our total property tax rate. For Northwood property taxpayers who
pay $5,000 in taxes, they have an annual school tax of $1,920 more
than the NASD. Imagine the amount of food, fuel and medicine that
Northwood families could purchase if their school taxes were similar
to the NASD?
This
past budget session our school board instructed the SAU Business
Manager and School Principal to produce a ‘level-funded’ budget from
last year. However, they failed that test by coming in with a budget
proposal several hundred thousand dollars over-budget.
When
school districts have to learn to live within their means, it’s
amazing the amount of savings that can result. With Northwood having
the 6th highest ‘full-value’ property tax rate in Rockingham County,
it is time for our schoolboard to put families first. A tax cap is
overdue and a good idea.
Sincerely,
Jim
Hadley
Northwood
Important Upcoming Dates To Remember For Northwood
School
Deliberative Session, Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 7 pm at
Northwood Elementary School
Election Day, Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at St. Joseph’s Parish Center,
844 First NH Turnpike (Route 4) Polls open from 7 am - 7 pm
Understanding SB2
Northwood voters approved “SB2” form of government for both the town
and school district two years ago, which eliminates the annual town
or school meeting where voters have the final say on the proposed
operating budgets and warrant articles. Instead, under SB2, there
are two sessions.
The
first is known as the deliberative session and voters may discuss
and amend funds in the articles but are not allowed to change the
purpose of a warrant article. After deliberating and after any
amendments are made, the final vote is taken at the second session,
which is the ballot at the March election. The ballot will include
the candidates for open positions, and all warrant articles
including the proposed operating budgets.
All
Northwood voters are encouraged to participate in the deliberative
session. This is the only time that amendments may be made to the
warrant articles before they go on the ballot, to be voted on in
March.
SAU 44
Announces Finalist Candidates
The SAU
44 School Board, serving the towns of Northwood, Nottingham and
Strafford is pleased to announce the finalist candidates for the
Superintendent of Schools position presently held by Dr. Michael
Ludwell, who will retire on June 30, 2013.
Dr.
Robert Gadomski is presently the assistant superintendent in SAU 9,
serving the towns of Albany, Bartlett, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, Harts
Location and Jackson. He has been involved in running or
participating in all aspects of the SAU, including curriculum
development, professional development planning and developing
budgets, among other areas. Immediately prior to becoming an
assistant superintendent, Dr. Gadomski was the principal of Belmont
Middle School. He has served as an adjunct professor at both
Plymouth State University and New Hampshire Technical Institute.
Mr.
Michael Tursi, is presently the assistant superintendent of the
Manchester School District. Among his responsibilities in
Manchester is to administer and direct the development and
implementation of the overall PreK-12 curriculum and instructional
program. Additionally, he has provided oversight for the
professional development opportunities for the district. Prior to
coming to Manchester, Mr. Tursi was the principal of the Barrington
Middle School. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at both
Plymouth State University and New England College.
The SAU
44 School Board will hold a public forum at the Northwood Elementary
School on Monday, February 4th. There will be two sessions; one from
6:00-6:45 and the other from 6:45 -7:00. The public is encouraged to
attend both sessions to meet both of the candidates.
2013
Northwood Softball Baseball
Registration for the 2013 season of Northwood Softball and Baseball
is underway. New this year is online registration. Now you can pay
online with credit, debit or PayPal. You can do multiple
registrations before you check out and pay. Registrations are due by
March 16, 2013. Any registrations after that date will be accepted
on a space available basis and will incur a late fee. When visiting
our website at
www.northwoodsoftballbaseball.org please look to the upper
right corner for the links.
If you
would like to coach, please complete the coaching application along
with the Background Check and Background Check Reduced Fee Form
found under the Handout-Form section of the website. They can be
submitted to
[email protected] and
[email protected]. They must be received
by February 9, 2013 to be considered for coaching.
More
information can be found on our website. Please don’t forget to
register your email address so we can keep informed on what’s going
on.
Letter
Gas
Tax?
During
the run-up to the November election, I wrote a letter wondering how
candidate Bruce Hodgdon would vote if elected Northwood’s
representative. Now we will find out.
To my
dismay, he sided with the remnants of Bill’s Brigade to support what
I have come to call The Tasker Bill, allowing legislators to carry
firearms into their chambers – as Kyle Tasker did. (In Kyle’s
defense, he only dropped one – once.) Fortunately, that attempt
failed, and our Legislature is again gun-free. But a more important
issue lies ahead.
In my
previous letter, I noted that New Hampshire – and Northwood – roads
are deteriorating faster than they are being fixed and that the
Department of Transportation needs more money to do this work. The
DOT Commissioner noted that the gasoline tax has been set at
19¢/gal. since 1991(!), and a bill has recently been introduced to
raise it by 4¢/gal. each year for three years, providing more
revenue to maintain state roads (which I live on) and to maintain or
increase block grants to towns to maintain their roads (like you may
live on).
I hope
that he will support such legislation. Not only will it be good for
his business, it will be good for us. And while the gas tax is a
broad-based tax, its focus – roads – should make it more acceptable
to even the most Libertatian among us.
Tom
Chase
Northwood
Obituaries
Donald
E. Graves
Donald
E. Graves born April 4, 1928 of Upham Drive died Thursday January
24th at Epsom Health Care Center. He was born in Hopkinton, NH son
of the late Buel and Harriett (Tenney) Graves. He was a graduate of
Sheldon High School in Sheldon VT. He was a longtime Concord
Resident.
Donald
started his career as an Artesian Well Driller working for
Contoocook Artesian Well. He then went to work for Health and Human
Services for the State of NH with the Immunization Department for 38
years. Part of that time he an X-Ray Technician on the states Mobil
Unit.
He was
past Exalted Ruler, 1976-1977 and life member of the PBOE lodge
1210, 3rd degree Knight and life member in the Knights of Columbus
Council #112, and square dance caller and instructor.
He is
survived by his wife of 58 years Janet (Ash) Graves, two daughters;
Sandra Estes and her husband Fred of Chichester, Anne Valence and
her husband Jacques of Pittsfield; eight grandchildren; three step
grandsons; great grandchildren; one sister, Doris Barter of
Ashland, and nieces and nephews.
He was
predeceased by one sister, Edith Graves Chandler, two brothers,
Harold and Kenneth Graves.
Burial
was in the St. Augustine Cemetery in Manchester.
|