The Reason For God
Who, what
and where? Many of the questions asked about God; who is God, what
is God like and where was God when my world was falling apart? And
then you can even throw in the question, does God even exist?
If you have
ever asked these questions or other questions about God, you are
encouraged to check out a 6-week class based on the New York Times
bestselling book “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller. Using
literature, philosophy, reason, and real-life conversations we will try
and answer these questions as well as the question, does believing in a
Christian God make any rational sense at all.
The classes
begin on Sunday March 5 at 4:30 PM and will run until Sunday April 9th .
The classes are free, the materials are $10 per person or $15 per
couple. The classes will be held at the Center Barnstead Christian
Church located across from the Barnstead Town Hall.
To order
the class materials or to have any questions answered please call the
church at 603-269-8831 or go to our website
Centerbarnsteadcc.org.
NH Partnership For Schoolyard Action Grants
Announces The 2017 Grant Recipients
The New
Hampshire Partnership for Schoolyard Action Grants, a collaboration that
supports schools wishing to link the school curriculum and their
students with the local environment, is pleased to award over $6,000.00
in action grants to these schools.
Beech Hill School, Hopkinton,
NH—Building Bowers, Buffers, and Biodiversity
Loudon Elementary,
Loudon, NH—Pollinator Garden
Westmoreland High School, Westmoreland,
NH—Nature Trail and Outdoor Classroom
Winchester High School,
Winchester, NH—Nature Trail Project
Seacoast Charter School, Dover,
NH—Schoolyard Mater Plan
Prospect Mountain High School, Alton,
NH—Shade Tree Habitat
Jaffrey Grade School, Jaffrey, NH—Schoolyard
Bird Watching
Namaste Montessori School, Goffstown, NH—Namaste
Children’s Garden
These eight schools were selected from over
twenty-six applicants and represent a diversity of projects from wetland
buffers to trail development to pollinator gardens. Projects are
underway and will be completed in 2017.
“We are excited and heartened
by the dedication school staff and community members who help to make
these projects happen. These educators understand nature is a
powerful teacher engaging students on a deeper level” said Judy
Silverberg, a spokesperson for the partnership. Students are
involved in planning, creation, and maintenance of the projects.
In addition, the projects incorporate the disciplines of science,
mathematics and language arts.
“By working together in the
Partnership for Schoolyard Action Grants, NH Audubon, NH Fish and Game,
NH Project Learning Tree and US Fish and Wildlife Service are able to
offer more resources to schools taking on schoolyard action projects.”
said, NH Audubon President Doug Bechtel.
For educators interested in
planning a project to submit for a grant in 2018, workshops on
schoolyard projects and planning will be held at the NH Science Teachers
Association spring conference and in early fall. For more information
contact: Hilary Chapman, [email protected] or Judy
Silverberg at [email protected].
Rev. Fred
Small, Leading Environmentalist, To Preach
The Congregational Church
of North Barnstead (CCNB) invites you join us in welcoming our guest
preacher and teacher on Sunday March 5th. The Rev. Fred Small wil
present the homily during worship at 10 a.m. and will also meet
informally with parishioners and guests after worship at 11:15 to talk
informally about “caring for the creation.”
The Rev. Fred
Small is a Unitarian Universalist minister, singer-songwriter, and
former environmental lawyer. He was Minister for Climate Justice at
Arlington Street Church in Boston, MA. He was cited by Bill
McKibben as “one of the key figures in the religious environmental
surge.” Fred recently left parish ministry to devote his energies to
climate advocacy.
Please join us on Sunday March 5th at CCNB, 504
North Barnstead Rd. for worship and/or for the conversation with Rev.
Fred Small about one of the most pressing concerns of our time.
Oscar Foss
Memorial Library News
Teen Tech Take Apart!
March 5th – 11th is
Teen Tech Week and we are having a Tech Take Apart activity here at the
library! Ever wondered what the inside of a computer looks like? Join us
at the library on March 10th at 6:30pm for some tech fun. We will
provide old electronics and tools so you can take them apart and see how
they work. Then you can recycle the parts into sculptures, jewelry or
come up with your own brilliant invention! Registration is required.
Ages 12-18 are welcome. You can sign up online at oscarfoss.org or by
calling the library at 603-269-3900. We are accepting discarded
technology to use for the workshop until March 5th. If you have any old
computers, phones or electronics to get rid of, we’d love them! Please
contact Danielle at [email protected] if you
would like to donate.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten!
The
library is participating in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program
for toddlers and preschoolers. This program encourages parents and
caregivers to provide positive, nurturing early experiences by reading
aloud to their children regularly. Research shows that the most reliable
predictor of school success is being read to at home during early
childhood. The brain develops more rapidly during the first three years
of a child’s life than at any other time during the lifespan. Reading to
children from an early age can help close the vocabulary gap and prepare
children to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed.
Most important, sharing books with children promotes a lifelong love of
books and reading. You can sign up at the library or online at
oscarfoss.org. Families will receive a packet with information and
materials needed for the program.
Please call the library (269-3900)
or visit our website (oscarfoss.org) for more information about any of
our programs or events. There is always something happening at the Oscar
Foss Memorial Library! Library hours are; Tuesday and Wednesday:
10am-6pm, Thursday and Friday: 12pm-8pm, Saturday: 10am-1pm, Sunday and
Monday: closed.
Parents Of
Barnstead Teens – Great News
Parents new to town often ask what there
is for teens to do in Barnstead. As we all know, youth enjoy
hanging out with their friends and are full of energy. Now Prospect
Mountain High School (PMHS) students can stay at school with their
friends and enjoy the 20+ Extra Curricular Activities* and the seasonal
Timberwolves Athletics* or meet with faculty for additional guidance and
still get back to Barnstead on a late bus.
Many families have
either a single parent or (both) parents at work until late in the
afternoon. They are unable to pick up their youth at school after these
clubs. meetings and sport activities. Now PMHS students will be
able to enjoy friends in a learning environment and be able to take the
4:30 pm “late bus” from school to Barnstead.
The students are
dropped off at one of four stops: Corner of No. Barnstead and Walker
Roads, Blueberry Station, Barnstead Elementary School (BES) and the
Oscar Foss Memorial Library. BES has an after-school program that
runs until 6 p.m. and some teens have siblings enrolled and parents
stopping at BES on the way home. The library has adjusted their
closing hours to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and to 8 p.m. on
Thursday evening. Check out the new library space for teens soon.
A flyer is going home this week asking Barnstead families whether
they will use the late bus and the home location of their student.
There could be additional stops if there is enough interest. If
you don’t receive a flyer from your student, it will also be posted on
the school’s website. The late bus will only be continued if there
is enough participation.
*PMHS Extra Curricular Activities
include Clubs - Outing, Debate, Environmental, History, Drama, World
Language, Weightlifting, Acting; Color Guard: Student Council and
Committees; Robotics; NH Quiz Bowl; Jazz Ensemble and Pep Band; Granite
State Challenge; Girls & Boys State, Humans Helping Humans and Future
Business Leaders of America! Spring sports will include baseball,
softball, track & field, tennis and volleyball. Fall sports
include soccer, cross country, volleyball, golf and bass fishing.
Great opportunities for all our youth!