Those
Celebrating Birthdays are: September 7, Arthur Harnden, Jr., Shane
Boudreau; September 9, Todd Drew, Dennis W. Chagnon, Ashley Stearns;
September 10, Stephen Catalano; September 11, Lisa Fries, Zachary
Brian Locke; September 12, Kate Vogt, Anne Ruth Dunne, Heidi
Hillsgrove, Christopher Lee Briggs, II; September 13, Ian Pollard,
Loretta Suchomski.
A Very Happy Birthday To One and All!
Those Celebrating Anniversaries are: September 13, John and
Anne Shaver, Sr.
Pittsfield Area Senior Center Fitness Classes
The ever popular
Gentle Yoga class lead by Tom Sherman will resume on Friday,
September 16th at 10:30 am. Through Gentle Yoga you can
improve your flexibility, strength and balance. During each
class Tom provides instruction for adjusting movements based on each
person’s strength and flexibility.
In addition, beginning
Wednesday, September 21st at 9:30 am the senior center is excited to
begin offering a second fitness class: Young at Heart STARS:
Strength Training And Restorative Exercise for Seniors.
STARS is being offered by Christina Gaudet Pelletier of Forever
Young Fitness. Christina has 25 years of experience in the
fitness field with specialty certifications in senior fitness. STARS
will combine strength, aerobics, flexibility and balance exercises.
The senior center is very grateful to the Sanderson Fund for
purchasing the hand weights and resistance bands that will be used
during STARS. Weights and bands come in a range of sizes so
that participants can select what’s best for their individual
fitness level.
Classes are $4.00 for each session you attend, and
you can try out your first class for free. Both classes will
be held in the Bicentennial Room on the main floor of the Community
Center, and handicapped parking is available by the Main Street
entrance. If you have questions, call 435-8482. Come on
down to the senior center to help keep your body and mind fit and
healthy!
Extended Learning Opportunities In Pittsfield Wouldn’t
Happen Without You!
ELOs are the primary acquisition of knowledge
and skills through instruction or study outside of the traditional
classroom methodology.
PMHS would like to thank the following
Community Partners for volunteering their time, resources, and
efforts this summer in providing extraordinary ELO experiences to
our students:
Katie Archer, PT Professional Services
Dave
Berry, Belknap County Department of Corrections
Dan Bisson,
Harriman Architects & Engineers
Kathy Bleckmann, Pittsfield ID
Technologies
Jennifer Massey, PMHS Business Teacher
William
Mitchell, William Mitchell Serigraph Prints, PMHS Art Teacher
Ross Morse, Suncook Valley Sun
Zach Powers and Kristen Treacy,
Pittsfield Youth Workshop
Dr. Kelley Thomas, UNH
And a
special Thank You to Dr. Fiona Doody at Companion Animal Hospital
for hosting Four Veterinary Science ELOs!
For more information
about Extended Learning Opportunities please contact Sheila Ward,
ELO Coordinator, at (603)435-6701 X1117, (603)219-3742, or by email
at
[email protected].
Economic Development Committee News
Back in October 2009 the Town
had a public meeting to discuss, among other things, how we could
move the local economy forward. One of the more pressing topics that
day was the redevelopment of the downtown area near the railway
depot. Based upon that discussion, the Economic Development
Committee (EDC) sought and received a grant from Plan New Hampshire
to explore redevelopment concepts through a community visioning
process called a charrette. The charrette took place this past
January and the final plan has been printed. The EDC, Town and Plan
NH want to share it with the public and hope you can attend!
Where: Pittsfield Elementary School
When: Saturday,
October 1, 2011. 8:30 coffee and donuts, 9:00 presentation
What:
Public Presentation of Plan New Hampshire Charrette Plan
Who:
Members of the public, Town of Pittsfield and Plan New Hampshire
Please contact Paul Skowron, Town Administrator with any questions
at (603) 435-6773.
Over
$2.2 Billion In Retroactive Agent Orange Benefits Paid To
89,000 Vietnam Veterans And Survivors For Presumptive Conditions
Submitted By Merrill A. Vaughan Vice Commander
American
Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today that
more than $2.2 billion in retroactive benefits has already been paid
to approximately 89,000 Vietnam Veterans and their survivors who
filed claims related to one of three new Agent Orange presumptive
conditions.
On August 31, 2010, the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) amended its regulations to add ischemic heart disease,
hairy cell leukemia and other chronic B-cell leukemias, and
Parkinson’s disease to the list of diseases presumed to be related
to exposure to Agent Orange.
“As the President said to the
American Legion yesterday, VA is committed to ensuring Veterans and
their families receive the care and benefits they have earned,” said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “I encourage
all potentially eligible Veterans to apply as soon as possible to
preserve the most favorable effective date for payments.”
For new claims, VA may authorize up to one year of retroactive
benefits if a Veteran can show that he or she has experienced one of
those conditions since the date of the regulatory change.
VA has
reviewed, and continues to review, thousands of previously filed
claims that may qualify for retroactive benefits under a
long-standing court order of the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California in Nehmer vs. U.S. Veterans
Administration.
“VA encourages survivors of Veterans whose death
may be due to one of the three diseases to file a claim for
dependency and indemnity compensation,” added Under Secretary for
Benefits Allison A. Hickey.
Secretary Shinseki’s decision to add
these conditions to the list of Agent Orange presumptive conditions
was based on a study by the Institute of Medicine, which indicated a
positive association between exposure to certain herbicides and the
subsequent development of one or more of the three conditions.
Potentially eligible Veterans include those who were exposed
based on duty or visitation in Vietnam or on its inland waterways
between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975; exposed along the
demilitarized zone in Korea between April 1, 1968, and August 31,
1971; or exposed due to herbicide tests and storage at military
bases within and outside of the United States.
The Agent Orange
Claims Processing System website located at
https://www.fasttrack.va.gov/AOFastTrack/ may be used to submit
claims related to the three new presumptive conditions.
The website makes it easy to electronically file a claim and allows
Veterans and their physicians to upload evidence supporting the
claim. It also permits online viewing of claim status.
Beyond the three new presumptive disabilities, Veterans may file
online at VA’s My-eBenefits web site at:
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.
They can check the status of their claim with a premium account
(confirming their identity), and use a growing number of online
services.
Servicemembers may enroll in My-eBenefits by
using their Common Access Card at anytime during their military
service, or before they leave during their Transition Assistance
Program briefings.
Veterans may also enroll through their
myPay or MyHealtheVet accounts by visiting their local VA regional
office or Veteran Service Organization, or by calling
1-800-827-1000.
For more information about Agent Orange
presumptives and disability compensation, go to
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/. For
questions about Agent Orange, Veterans may call VA’s Special Issues
Helpline at 1-800-749-8387 and press 3.
Letter
The hanging flower baskets gracing the streets of Pittsfield this
season have hit a bump in the road. The golf cart that so
enhanced the watering of the plants this year and last has been
ruled not legal on the public right-of-way and we have been forced
to revert to the use of a pick- up truck, as was the norm in
previous years.
We are working on modifying the golf cart so that
we can use it again. Paul Provencal of Automotive Services has
volunteered the labor for this work. In the meantime, we need
volunteers with a pick-up truck to help out.
Presently, Don Morse
and Trish Gordon are doing all of the watering and desperately need
help. If you can lend a hand, please call me. We will
also have some extra costs for vehicle parts, so we will need some
donations.
Thanks you,
John Lenaerts
What
You Need To Know
A Guide To Understanding The Pittsfield School
District Redesign
Submitted By Ross Morse, Community Advisory
Council Member
As we continue to explore what Student-Centered
Learning will look like within the Pittsfield School District, this
article focuses on how we might strengthen our students’ opportunity
for success; be it in a post-secondary education or as a better
qualified member of the workforce.
College And Career Readiness
Students are exposed to a variety of experiences and activities that
not only promote college and career awareness but also develop the
skills necessary for future success.
Dual Credit Opportunities
Students are able to participate in credit earning programs at the
high school level that also allow them to earn post-secondary
credits. Students complete high school requirements and earn
credit for college or vocational school work at the same time. These
include articulation agreements with Career and Vocational Centers
and advanced programming such as Advanced Placement courses.
Literacy Across The Curriculum
Students are engaged in
literacy skills across the content areas. Curriculum is
vertically and horizontally aligned across grade levels and content
areas.
Graduation Based On Mastery
Students earn a
diploma by demonstrating mastery of course competencies that are
aligned with standards.
Active Learning
A method of learning
that includes discussion based classrooms, project based
assignments, original research and experiment design, and student
choice embedded in course work.
Student Exhibitions
A public
presentation of student work, usually with an accompanying piece of
written work; explanation and defense by a student of his or her
work.
21st Century Skills
Student outcomes for the school
include a strong emphasis on the development of self directed and
collaborative learners, engaged and responsible citizens, effective
problem solvers and communicators.
Site Council
A
decision making body composed of students, educators, parents and
community members, that will review, modify and make decisions
regarding areas of high interest including but not limited to
procedures, practices, and policies or structures in order to have a
positive impact on the educational process and school climate.
Throughout these processes our students will be able to gain real
life experiences. There will be opportunities to receive college
credit for courses taken in high school; reinforcement of literacy
within all classes offered; engagement of our students that reflect
the best way they gain knowledge; presentations that exhibit the
students’ mastery of subjects similar to the way a college
dissertation might be defended; and opportunities for the students
to take ownership of their educational/career paths by supporting a
student-led decision making body to contour these learning
experiences in a way that represents the kind of learning
environment all students can embrace with confidence and success.
The next article will address professional development and how we
might support our educators to ensure the best possible
implementation of student-centered learning.
TOPS
News
Submitted By Terrie Azotea
Well, I hope that everyone had
a great Labor Day weekend and you got to get outside and enjoy some
fun with family and friends.
At TOPS on Tuesday night we had a
good time playing bingo and had some nice gifts go around the room.
I, for one, did not win but it was a good time. We had another good
week for weight loss and our contest is going really good. We have 3
weeks left and then we will find out who the Biggest Loser is.
If anyone would like to come on down and see what we are all about,
we meet on Tuesday nights at 5:30 pm for weigh in and 6:30 pm
for our weekly meetings.
Any questions, call Laurel Tiede at
269-8721 or Pat Smith at 435-5333. They would be glad to
answer any questions that you might have.
Keep your face to the
sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It’s what sunflowers do.
-Helen Keller.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Letter
To The Editor
To the good people of Pittsfield;
Two weeks ago,
I promised you an update on how the Code of Ethics process is done.
I apologize it was not done on time, but this will explain how the
process works. First there is a misconception of why we go
into “Non-Public session”. That is to protect both parties
from any irreparable harm to their name if the case were to be
leaked out. But here is how the process works from when we
receive the complaint to when the case is finalized. This is
how we currently work the complaints as we are now working on
revising the Rules of Procedures section of the Pittsfield Code of
Ethics; but the idea and the intent will remain the same.
Once
the Town Clerk receives the sealed envelope containing the
complaint, she contacts either the Vice Chair or the Chair that
there is a complaint. A meeting date (normally within 48
hours) is set up in the Town Hall and that meeting is posted as
required by RSA 91A:2. Once the meeting is convened, we move
into non-public session.
At this point we open the sealed
envelopes, make copies for each member in attendance; and then we
review the complaint quietly so as not to interfere with one’s
thoughts. Once we have each reviewed the complaint, we then
discuss the merits of the complaint to see if it is valid and falls
under our rules of procedures. If we establish that it does
meet our rules, then we proceed to the next step. It is this
next step that is in the process of being reviewed and changed.
If you have a question on Ethics, feel free to send me an email at
[email protected].
Respectfully,
Merrill Vaughan,
Chairman
Pittsfield Ethics Committee
Pittsfield Farmer’s Market
The Sunrise Farmer’s Market in
Pittsfield would like to announce that we now offer raw milk.
Matras Family Farm brings their fresh milk each week in addition to
their maple syrup. Come on down and support your local growers
and your community. We also offer seasonal produce,
eggs, meat, wool products, jellies, fresh cut flowers,
baked goods (both for you and your pooch), and allergen free
goodies. We are open every Friday from 3-6 and are located on
the grounds of Exit Reward Realty on River Rd right off 28. We
hope to see you there.
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